Have A Safe And Happy July 4th Holiday
The Record TheRecordLive.com
Vol. 51 No. 12 Week of Wednesday, June 29, 2011
The Penny Record of Bridge City and Orangefield • Founded 1960
County blasts fireworks from July 4th Greg Hayes For The Record Orange County will be celebrating America’s birthday in a much quieter fashion this Fourth of July. In a special session Tuesday, the Commissioners’ Court extended the ban on the sale and use of fireworks through July 5. “Sorry guys,” John Dubose, precinct three commissioner, said to several fireworks vendors in attendance. “The issue here is simply the danger.” The danger comes from the dryness of the area, according
to Emergency Ma nagement Coordinator Jeff Kelley. “It is going to take a good, soaking rain to return our DUBOSE situation to normal,” Kelley said. “A few passing thunderstorms won’t do what we need done.” Kelley said that in the next 14-day outlook, only two or three days even received a rain prediction from the National Weather Service. “Those days are only predicted to be from 20 to 30 percent,” he said. “We are in the
extreme (of drought).” The court also left the burn ban in effect as well, as County Judge Carl Thibodeaux said that the banning of fireworks has to be done because of the dry conditions. “This decision had to be
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made (Tuesday),” he said. “Once extended, the ban cannot be lifted for seven days. If lifted, we could not have reinstated it.” Precinct One Commissioner David Dubose said that he felt the fireworks ban had to be
done. “All it takes is one fire,” he said. Once the ban was extended, fireworks vendor poured out of the courtroom. Two such vendors, Kevin Wise and David Husband, co-owners of
K-N-D Fireworks in Orange, are left to count their losses — which Husband claims is in the thousands of dollars. “This is only our second season to be open,” he said. “I FIREWORKS PAGE 2A
‘Share The Vision’ Bridge City Waterfront Park H
Elizabeth Ludwig of Orangefield uses writing talent to publish Christian novels. RECORD PHOTO: Darla Daigle
Orangefield writer publishes Christian novel series Darla Daigle For The Record Nestled among ancient trees at the end of a dirt road in Orangefield sits a two story log home resting quietly. Nothing superbly grand or necessarily unique in its structure. Inside, however, Elizabeth Ludwig is engaged in an uncommon activity. Her part time job is that of a published author. How does that make her and
Inside The Record • SHERLOCK BREAUX Page..................... 4A • Obituaries Page......................9A •Dicky Colburn Fishing..................1B • Kaz’s Korner Joe Kazmar...........2B • CHURCH NEWS Page......................9B • CLASSIFIED ADS Page....................10B
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what she has accomplished unique? Statistics show that only five out of 32,000 manuscripts submitted to an agent get picked up and published. Consider along with this that only about 120,000 books are published in a year puts Ludwig in a fairly narrow field. Becoming a published author didn’t happen with that first fantastical magical book as almost every author fantasizes it will. “I have seven books that will probably never be published. But they did serve a purpose, I learned so much with each one,” Ludwig explains with a dimple filled smile. Her adventure into becoming a writer did not actually start with her first attempt at submissions, but, as she sees it, when she was a child that became an avid reader. “I was a good child, did what I was told, but when I did get in trouble, it was for staying up late reading a book with a little pen light.” She explains how she put scenarios together in her mind; made up stories, characters, their victories and their demise one after the next, but all in her mind. Her life changed course at seventeen when she accepted Jesus as her Lord and Savior. This is as important an event in her writing as the writing itself. Ludwig’s published work fall into the category of ‘Christian’ reading. But it was an incident when one’s habits meet one’s reality that was her final push into the madness of writing. “I was sitting in church and LUDWIG PAGE 3A
Under the slogan “Share The Vision’ volunteers from the Historical Museum of Bridge City sold out of hot links on Saturday to raise funds to help host the first Bridge City Heritage Festival to be held on Oct. 1. Proceeds from the heritage festival will go toward purchasing the property on Cow Bayou for a future waterfront park in Bridge City. Above: Debbie Gregg, Paige Williams and Taura Hogan are among the volunteers. RECORD PHOTOS: Mark Dunn
Leeland Gros of Bridge City doesn’t waste any time with his hot link sandwich during the fund raiser. Nearly 500 hot link sandwiches were sold.
Chuck Williams mans the grill during the fund raiser Saturday held at the Bridge City Wal-Mart. The hot links were provided by Danny’s Food Center and K-Dans.
Dannarriah Finly not forgotten Julie Shehane For The Record Her life was brief. Her brutal murder remains unsolved, and she would have been 14 on July 22. But Dannarriah Finley isn’t forgotten. Even though it’s now been nine years since her death – another year passes this week without an identified suspect or arrest – every piece of tangible evidence remains on display for investigators at the Orange Police Department. They cannot and will not forget, either the case, or the memory of little Dannarriah, who rests in a small, slightly marked grave, a short drive from the home she once lived with her mother and siblings. Pieces of the torn, flowered sheet her body was wrapped in at the time it was discovered. Hair follicle and DNA test results, conducted for months on area sex offenders and other persons of interest in the case. And an overflowing binder with pages and pages of photographic evidence, show the effort investigators put into the July 2002 kidnapping, rape and murder. In early February 2004, investi-
FINLEY
gators turned that evidence over to the Orange County District Attorney’s Office, saying at the time that they believed a Grand Jury Indictment could come in four-tosix-weeks. “We believe we know who did it,” investigators said at
the time. But a suspect was not subsequently named and the official status of the case remains unsolved.
The search:
A community-wide search was launched on July 4, 2002. Dannarriah’s mother, Jamie Arnold, called police early that afternoon, saying she had awakened at about 10 a.m. to find Dannarriah’s siblings playing at the home, but the four-year-old could not be found. Hopeful that it was a child abduction case, large and public search parties were immediately launched by both area law enforcement officials and the community. People gathered DANNARRIAH PAGE 2A
Cops and Kids combine fun and education Penny Leleaux For The Record
“Cops and Kids” was held Saturday at Claiborne West Park. “It was a success,” said event coordinator John Badeaux. “We had a lot of children, a lot of happy emergency personnel bonding with the children. It was a wonderful time.” An officer in the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, this COPS AND KIDS PAGE 2A
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