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H H H H H YOUR HOMETOWN NEWSPAPER SINCE 1960 H H H H H

The       Record TheRecordLive.com

Vol. 51 No. 48 Week of Wednesday, February 29, 2012

The Penny Record of Bridge City and Orangefield • Founded 1960

County takes up hiring new engineer David Ball

For The Record

derson died last week and the court was to begin a search to fill the vacancy. County Judge Carl Thibodeaux, however, opted to delay the action for one week so further research could be completed. Mike James of the Road & Bridge Department, mean-

while, was named as temporary county road administrator in the absence of a road engineer. Commissioners also approved adding $5 an hour to James’ current salary during this period. Vidor resident David Duncan went before the court re-

garding a flood damage prevention order for his residence at 830 Ashford St. Duncan said he was planning to build a shed in his backyard. His permit, however, was revoked and he discovered his property is located in the Caney Creek floodway.

Electric bills to fall  Murder solved by roomful of detectives nearly $33 The Orange County Commissioners’ Court held off hiring a new county engineer at their meeting Monday afternoon. County engineer Les An-

David Ball

For The Record

Staff Report

For The Record

Customers of Entergy Texas, Inc. will be paying much less for electricity beginning March 1. The company’s recently announced fuel refund for the months of March, April and May will now combine with a dramatically lower fixed fuel factor, driving down the average 1,000 kilowatt-hour residential springtime bill to $81.28, a drop of almost $33. Even after the fuel refund ends in May, the lower fuel factor will remain in place through August, offering customers a respite from the high bills typically associated with the hot Southeast Texas summer. “The amount we pay for fuel to generate electricity is continuing to decline,” explained Joe Domino, president and chief executive officer, Entergy Texas, Inc. “This means we can pass these savings along to our customers during a time of year when electricity bills are normally on their way up.” Earlier this month, customers learned that they would share in a $67 million refund that would knock $21.70 per month off the average 1,000 kilowatthour bill during the months of March, April and May. That was before a new fixed fuel factor was decided. The factor is set twice a year and remains on bills for six months at a time. The new factor, based on market prices of fuel for ELECTRIC SEE PAGE 2A

A longtime director was murdered Saturday night in Hollywood and everyone was a subject. Whodunnit? Was it the director’s jealous wife? His jealous mistress? The mobster’s girlfriend? A dark and mysterious unknown actress? Or was it the young, eager actress who had the role and then bitterly lost it? Fortunately the perpetrator of this dastardly deed didn’t get very far with the help of some keen detectives. Who killed the director? That was the plot for a fun evening of the second annual mystery dinner theatre, hosted by the Bridge City-Orangefield Chamber of Commerce Saturday night at the Bridge City Community Center. The center was transformed into Hollywood. Many of the audience members, in fact, dressed as their favorite actors, actresses or movie characters for the sold-out show. Some won prizes for best dressed too. The play was hilarious from the start. Dim-witted actor Sylvester Stragone (played by Eric Andrus) delivered the laughs early with his awful acting skills. Bobby Vincent as the director, Cecil B. DePill, was consistently funny throughout the show as well as Elise Thibodeaux as Helen Blazes, Angela Thames as Lucinda DePill, and Brian Hudson as Gus Gambino and Marcy Messer-Hudson as Florence Fredericci, also drew big laughs. Adrian Coletti-Plat, playing dual roles of Eve Truehart and Sybil Monstrose, gave a solid presence through the show and showed her range as an actress. Other cast members, Paul

MURDER SOLVED PAGE 3A

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Inside The Record • SHERLOCK BREAUX Page..................... 4A • Obituaries Page......................7A •Dicky Colburn Fishing..................1B •Outdoors Weekly Chuck Uzzle..........1B • CHURCH NEWS Page......................7B • CLASSIFIED ADS Page......................8B

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COUNTY BUSINESS PAGE 2A

Pictured are (l to r) front row: Elise Thibodeaux as Helen Blazes, Marcy Messer-Hudson as Florence Fredericci, director Lynae Sanford, Brandy Slaughter as Wilma Westrum and Angela Thames as Lucinda DePill. Top row (l to r) Bobby Vincent as Cecil B. DePill, Brian Hudson as Gus Gambino, Aaron Dunbar as Barney Babcock, Eric Andrus as Sylvester Stragone, Trey Tomplait as Max Fishman and Alex Edgerly as Paul Provost.

For The Record

On March 1, 2012, the seventh class of the Orange County Sheriff’s Office Citizen’s Sheriff Academy will graduate. After a short hiatus, Sheriff Keith Merritt decided to bring the academy back to the citizens of Orange County. The purpose of the Citizen’s Sheriff Academy is to improve Sheriff’s Office-community relations. The program will offer the Orange County Sheriff’s Office the opportunity to show the public the selection and training process that applicants must go through, the continued training requirements, operation procedures and tactics, and the efforts to provide a professional level of law enforcement to the citizens the office serves. Citizens

Black history honored in county Penny Leleux

For The Record

A sordid love triangle involving the director, the director’s wife, and her lover in Who Killed the Director? From left, Angela Thames as Lucinda DePill, Bobby Vincent as director Cecil B. DePill and Aaron Dunbar as Barney Babcock, the lover. RECORD PHOTO: David Ball

Citizens graduate from Sheriff Academy Mike Louviere

Additionally, 16 houses and the water treatment plant are in the floodway. Duncan added he can’t renew his flood ANDERSON insurance because he’s situated in a floodway. His lien holder also requires he have flood insurance. “I don’t know where to go,” he said. Thibodeaux replied if flood insurance is refused for Duncan, FEMA will have to do it for the entire street. County attorney Douglas Manning said no-rise certification was required for the neighborhood as early as 1987. The neighborhood was platted in 1990 and none of the other homes there obtained a no-rise certification or a flood permit afterward. FEMA’s website defines norise certification for floodways as: Any project in a floodway

enrolling in the academy can gain a better understanding of the criminal justice system and law enforcement administrators can gain a better understanding of citizen’s concerns and their perception of law enforcement. Sessions of the academy last for six weeks. They meet twice a week for two to three hour sessions and cover a variety of topics. The academy sessions start with a complete overview of the sheriff’s office and a tour of the office. Topics then branch out from an overview of the criminal justice program to a session at the firing range. Each session is conducted by a person that is an expert in the field of discussion. In the current academy session giving the overview of the criminal SHERIFF ACADEMY PAGE 3A

Lt. Tom Ray at the OCSO Citizens Academy discussing “Deadly Force.” RECORD PHOTO: Mike Louviere

It was a day of education Saturday, at the Orange Branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) Black History Month Program. It was held at the Joe Ware Plaza on W. Park Street in Orange, following a parade. The program was opened with singing of “Lift Every Voice.” “What if there were no black folk,” a children’s story told by Vinnie Mathews Hunter, was not only entertaining, but very educational to many present. According to the tale, black inventors and innovators are responsible for many everyday items we take for granted including the ironing board, combs, brushes, dust pans, mops, light bulb filaments, clothes dryers, the pencil sharpener, fountain pens, typewriters, lawn mowers, refrigerators, car parts, traffic signals, the furnace, air conditioners, trolleys and more. Marie Sanders claimed her voice was hoarse, but it was not apparent in her rousing, heartfelt rendition of Kumbayah. Several local churches participated in Black History research presentations. Each church gave brief five minute presentations on the history of many notable black citizens that have contributed to the advancement of life in America. Presentations were hosted by Kingdom Fellowship Tabernacle Church, Mt. Sinai Baptist Church, El Bethel Baptist Church, Mt. Calvary Baptist Church, Mt. Zion Baptist Church, Sixth Street Community Church, Salem United Methodist Church, St. Paul Baptist Church and St. Paul BLACK HISTORY PAGE 2A


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