OUTDOORS HUNTING & FISHING
SPORTS NEWS
Kaz’s Korner
Capt. Dickie Colburn Page 2B
Page 4B
Caroline Brewton Columnist
Hometown Sports
See Page 2A
See Section B
H H H H H Your Hometown Newspaper Since 1958 H H H H H
The Record TheRecordLive.com
Distributed FREE To The Citizens of Bridge City and Orangefield
Vol. 54 No. 2
Week of Wednesday, April 16, 2014
Expo Center refunds a no-go for county David Ball
For The Record
The Orange County Commissioners’ Court approved requested rental rate changes for the Orange County Convention & Event Center at their regular meeting last week. One week later, the commissioners approved applying the rate reduction price to pending event
BC resident appeals for help
Steve Bisson, a 1974 Bridge City High School graduate, is on a waiting list. A waiting list for people that can’t wait, but still have to. He knows the folks at St. Lukes are working really hard to find a liver to transplant into his body. But now he is not only running out of time, but also, running out of money. Steve has to drive back and forth to Houston all the time for his medical needs. He has no one to help him and now he cannot afford to pay his doctor bills. Please, if you can donate to help Steve, go to Firestone Credit Union where an account has been set up under Steve Bisson. Thank you very much.
H • SHERLOCK BREAUX Page...................... 4A • Obituaries Page.......................7A •Dicky Colburn Fishing...................4B • CHURCH NEWS Page................ ......7B • CLASSIFIED ADS Page......................8B
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contracts signed prior to April 7, 2014. However, an item for a requested refund to a previously held contracted THIBODEAUX event due to the rate reduction price was denied 4 to 1 with only County Judge Carl Thibodeaux voting in favor of the refund. The request for the rate change was made by Sabrina Grey, event coordinator. She said the changes are necessary to remain competitive with other venues. Grey explained a customer asked for the refund retroactively. John Banken, Precinct 3 commissioner, said the customer knew the rate and already signed the contract and he was against the refund. Thibodeaux said once the charge prices are stabilized, the rate changes won’t happen ev-
ery single year. “We’re a not-for-profit and it’s a governmental building. We have to pay the light bill and maintain the building only,” he said. Owen Burton, Precinct 2 commissioner, said other counties cannot give rebates. Thibodeaux replied if the commissioners give a refund to one customer, they just as well ought to give a refund to all seven customers prior to April 7. “If the price had gone up we wouldn’t have charged for previous usage,” Thibodeaux said. He added the customer could cancel and re-sign an agreement at the new price. Precinct 1 Commissioner David Dubose said it’s not advantageous to give a refund. “What if we lower the price again in several months?” he asked. Thibodeaux answered this was a unique situation and a one-time deal. Jody Crump, Precinct 4 com-
BC proclaims April as sexual awareness and assault month David Ball
For The Record
An LED digital billboard being erected in Bridge City took another step in becoming a reality. The Bridge City City Council approved at the regular meeting Tuesday night an annual variance to Mark Dunn Advertising for the placement of a double-faced LED digital message board on Texas Avenue. The sign will be at 230 Texas Avenue exactly which is north of La Quinta Motel. Approval of the sign was contingent on the stipulation to include welcome messages for the city, free promotion of local non-profit organizations and access for the city in emergency situations. The proposed LED digital billboard will not only display local advertising to pay for the cost of the board and operating costs, but it will include messages from the city, the school district, traffic alerts and Amber Alerts. City Manager Jerry Jones announced he was to meet with the new Texas Department of Transportation engineer to see if they need their approval to build the sign on their right-ofway. In other council business, representatives from the Shop Orange County committee made a presentation to the council. Dean Granger of Granger Chevrolet and a member of the Greater Orange Area Chamber
of Commerce invited the Bridge City City Council for the Shop Orange County KickOff Celebration from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. on April 25 at Lamar State College-Orange, Nursing Building Auditorium, 410 Front St. Granger said the campaign launch is to educate citizens on how important it is to keep their money in Orange County and he urged the the council to support it as the leadership of Bridge City. He added school boards, refineries, cities and the county are on board. Granger said money in the county keeps local cities growing as well as schools, plants, charities and youth leagues. Tad McGee of the Stark Foundation next spoke. He said Shop Orange County is a joint effort. Residents may shop Bridge City first, but if they can’t find what they are looking for, shop the rest of Orange County. The money kept in the county will benefit the county, school districts, police departments and fire departments, support local charities and organizations. It can also lead to businesses hiring more employees through the money multiplier effect. Granger added in addition to landing a big employer within the county, Shop Orange County may create a job boom if 100 local businesses hire just one employee and have the same kind of impact.
BC COUNCIL Page 3A
missioner, was concerned about the county setting a precedence in giving rebates. Dubose suggested maybe the county could give a credit to the customer for next year.
Patrick Beebe, mosquito control director, gave a report to the court on another upcoming mosquito season. Beebe said his department received one service request for
January, four for February and five for March. Adult mosquito activity levels were low to nonexistent in areas of the county COUNTY BUSINESS Page 3A
Google Glass Beta testing by local man David Ball
For The Record
Tuesday, Google Glass went on sale for one day only to anyone for $1,500, but Les Daigle, of Orange started Beta testing for Google two months ago. “I was on the list for two years,” he said.”It takes a long time to get it.” Daigle demonstrated the different things Google Glass can do. “I just used Blue Tooth and paired it to my phone,” he said. Not only can he read his emails and make phone calls, but it has a built in translator. He can look at a sign in English and read the Spanish translation on his Glass, or vice versa. It also accepts verbal instructions to take pictures and video from his point of view. “Ok Glass, take a picture,” said Daigle and a picture of what he was looking at popped up on his phone screen. “Ok Glass, take a video,” said Daigle. He stepped inside the next room and started looking around as the video showed up on his phone. “I could be doing surgery in here. You could hook that up to an HDMI cable and you could watch that on a screen. So I’m in here doing surgery, you don’t have to contami-
Les Daigle models Google Glass, which he has been Beta testing for the last two months. He is using the new technology to teach young people about agriculture. RECORD PHOTO: Penny LeLeux
nate the room, you don’t have to suit up. You can see what I see.” It’s in beta testing right now. That is one of the things you want to use it for. I’m trying to teach kids about agriculture. I recorded pulling a baby calf that was having difficulty (being born.)” He also recorded sewing up a cow that had prolapsed. We are called “Glass Explorers.” Daigle said they submit the different projects they are using Glass for and everybody shares ideas of what could be done with it.
“Hey you could do this.” “You could do that.” “That’s a could idea.” He said a pilot that was using it to make preflight training videos. When he sees something that comes through the newsfeed he wants to ready later he “saves it to pocket” to read later. He said he could read it through Glass but it would take longer, so he usually saves it to read later on a different device. “It’s basically a computer, or more like a phone. It does everything a phone would do.” Daigle said for those that have poor vision and would have a difficult time seeing the Glass without lenses, they can get it with prescription lenses through LensCrafters. Though Google Glass is not a common sight yet, Daigle said it and other “wearables” will become more common in the future. “Not just this, Microsoft just bought $1.5 billion worth of patents for wearable wear.” Daigle talked about a knew watch phone that just came out that also monitors your heart and has a pedometer. “The battery life is the only thing I don’t like. You can’t video very long.” He said Google Glass is going public in the fall.
Nichols meets OC ag leaders Penny Leleux For The Record Today, Sen. Robert Nichols, in partnership with the Texas Agrilife Extension, conducted a round table discussion with agriculture leaders from Orange County. “Today’s meeting was an opportunity to hear directly from those working in agriculture, an industry on which we all depend,” said Nichols. “I am proud to represent a district which has so many agriculture leaders who are leading the way in service and innovation.” Participants included representatives from key commodity agriculture groups. The goal of the event was for Nichols to learn ways he can
Sen. Robert Nichols met with area agriculture producers Tuesday to discuss issues they may be facing and what he can do to help.
help solve problems faced by the agriculture community and to better represent its needs in the Texas Senate. Nichols serves on several legislative
committees including the Senate Natural Resources Committee which addresses many issues affecting agriculture.