Webpennyrecord070214

Page 1

Join the Fun at Friday’s 4th of July “BORN ON THE BAYOU” CELEBATION At the foot of Bridge City’s Historic Swing Bridge - 5 p.m.

H H H H H Your Hometown Newspaper Since 1958 H H H H H

The     Record TheRecordLive.com

Vol. 56 No. 12

Distributed FREE To The Citizens of Bridge City and Orangefield

Week of Wednesday, July 2, 2014

Bridge City adds rezoning to upcoming hearing David Ball

For The Record

Public hearings will be added for rezoning purposes to an already scheduled hearing concerning annexation for the city of Bridge City. The council approved a public hearing for rezoning from single family residential to second commercial district and for single family residential to office district the evening of July 21. The council approved two public hearings regarding the proposed annexation plan for the city at their last meeting on June 17. The two dates set are at 6 p.m. on Monday, July 21 and Tuesday, July 22. The first request is from

Mike Wilson for a zone change on a 2.93 acre tract of land out of the Samuel Davis Survey. A .23 acre tract of land deJONES scribed as an access easement will also be added. This property is located off Miller Drive on FM 408 behind the A-1 Mind Deal Storage and Tiger Rock Martial Arts. The property will be used for the expansion of the Kidzworld Day Care at 1875 Miller Drive. The second request was from STI Group Fabrication on property located at 290 Nevils Road at Orange County Farms.

Finley murder remains unsolved

Still no arrest 12 years later

Debbie Schamber For The Record

Dannarriah Finley would have been 17 on her birthday July 22, but her life was taken from her when she was just 4 years old. Orange County still mourns the loss of a little girl who was taken from her home on July 4, 2002. Her lifeless body found four days later near the water’s edge in a remote part of Pleasure Island in Port Arthur. All that remains of the young girl’s life is memories and a few belongings. Her gravesite marks the place where her tiny body was buried. Among the pine needles is a faded photo of her during happier times and some tattered, sun-bleached artificial flowers . The house where she once lived was destroyed in 2005 during Hurricane Rita when a tree fell through it. Since then the city of Orange has removed the remains of the place she once called home. As the nation was preparing to celebrate the Fourth of July holiday, Dannarriah’s killer had plans of their own and had taken her from her bed late that night. Jamie Arnold, Dannarriah’s mother, reported her

One of the last photos of Dinnarriah Finley.

missing from their residence located in the 1000 block of 4th Street. Arnold told investigators she had last seen her daughter asleep at 4 a.m. in a white floral shirt and purple shorts. When she awoke at about 10 a.m., her daughter was nowhere to be found. Arnold told the officers it was not uncommon for her to leave the front door unlocked at night because her mother often came by the house. Once the news was out, the city was flooded with volunteers to help search for the 4-year-old girl with the shy smile and long braids. Some volunteers brought helicopters and horsDANNARRIAH Page 3A

It will be used to build a new office complex which will be located directly across from their fabrication facility at 325

Nevils. The proposed annexation for the city will extend two fingers toward the Rainbow Bridge.

The new city limits will be where the Extra Territorial Jurisdiction now lies- to an island in the middle of the Sabine Riv-

er near the Rainbow Bridge. A strip of land on FM 1442 will BRIDGE CITY Page 3A

Citizens ‘For’ Wins Bridge City 44 Years Ago This Week Bridge City Became A City David Ball and Mark Dunn For The Record

The United States of America isn’t the only one celebrating a birthday in July. The city of Bridge City will be observing its anniversary when it came into existence on July 7, 1970. Though the city has been around for more than four decades, the last 10 years may have been the most eventful according to Mayor Kirk Roccaforte. “There’s been a lot of ROCCAFORTE trying times the last 10 years,” he said. “I became mayor eight years ago. Hurricane Ike hit six years ago in 2008.” Roccaforte said in spite of Bridge City being devastated by the hurricane, the city has bounded back really well. “Bridge City is rolling along real well. It’s on the rise; on the increase,” he said. This was the first time the city of nearly 9,000 residents had flooded. Roccaforte pointed out other portions of the Golden Triangle have also flooded and have come back. “The Groves area once flooded and it didn’t deter their growth,” Roccaforte said. Follwing Ike, the city began rebuilding its infrastructure and the citizens did an “excellent job” in coming back, keeping Bridge City a “very special place,” he said. The city has been hardening its facilities, placing generators in strategic places to keep the lights running so that electricity won’t be lost in emergency situations. Nearly all the streets were under water and since most

C.W. “Bubba” Hubbard recalled the founding of Bridge City in an interview with The Record prior to his death in 2005. RECORD PHOTO: Mark Dunn

Preston “Red” Wood at his desk as Bridge City’s first mayor in 1970.

have been repaired. “We have rebuilt 98 percents of our roads,” Roccaforte said. “We’ve done quite a bit of infrastructure for wastewater. The sewer plant

has been rebuilt and projects are still going on.” Another project the city continues to work on is appealing recent FEMA flood elevation maps. Roccaforte

said the city has been successful with a coalition of other governmental entities CITIZEN ‘FOR’ Page 2A

BC Strutters dance-away with All-American awards

l resting hearts of

Larry Johnson For The Record

H • SHERLOCK BREAUX Page...................... 4A • Obituaries Page.......................6A •Dicky Colburn Fishing...................1B • CHURCH NEWS Page................ ......5B • CLASSIFIED ADS Page......................6B

The Bridge City Strutters attended the American Dance Drill Team Camp at Moody Gardens Hotel in Galveston, Texas, last week. They danced away with Super Sweepstakes, All American Team of the Day/ Week, Most Admired Team and Home Routine Award. “The Strutters exemplify diligence at all functions and yearn for success,” said Cathy Riley, director of the Strutters. “I expect them to meet high standards not only in dance, but also in academics, work ethics and character.” Eleven Strutters earned All American and they are Chassadi Decker, Rachel Hecker, Kristen Young, Raven Cormier, Cheska Podnewich, Jessica Green, Hannah Carruth, Madelyn LeBlanc, Chelsea Savoy,

Grace Gaspard and Sydney Billington. All American Honorable Mention members are Maura Terrell, Kylie Castaneda, Destin Thomas, Autumn Magnuson and Avery Harris. Junior All-American members are Lyvia Ebarb and Mia Woodruff. Six Strutters earned All American Dance Company, and they are Chassadi Decker, Rachel Hecker, Raven Cormier, Cheska Podnewich, Jessica Green, Sydney Billington, and Chelsea Savoy. All American Dance Company members are selected among the entire camp’s All American members and are considered the elite dancers. “I am so elated with the Strutters’ awards this year, and I look forward to watching them grow in all areas as a student throughout the school year,” Riley said, “They make me proud to say that I am their

Strutter Officers - earned Gold Trophy - 3 evaluations in the 90+ percentile from Crowd Pleasers Staff. Above: Lt. Kristen Young, 1st Lt. Rachel Hecker, Capt. Chassadi Decker, Lt. Raven Cormier, Lt. Cheska Podnewich.

director.” Over 100 dancers tried out for All American High Kick Company and only six dancers were selected – ALL STRUT-

TERS. They are Cheska Podnewich, Raven Cormier, Maura Terrell, Hannah Carruth, Sydney Billington, and Chelsea Savoy. Miss High Kick is Sydney

Billington. JV All American High Kick Company members are Ashlynn Koons, Lyvia Ebarb, and Mia Woodruff. JV Miss High Kick is Lyvia Ebarb. Outstanding Performer is Chassadi Decker. The 2014-2015 Strutters are Captain Chassadi Decker, 1st Lt. Rachel Hecker, Lt. Kristen Young, Lt. Raven Cormier, Lt. Cheska Podnewich, Hannah Carruth, Jazmine Culbreath, Jessica Green, Madelyn LeBlanc, Madison Roy, Maura Terrell, Sydney BIllington, Kylie Castaneda, Chelsey Chaffin, Raven Cormier, Grace Gaspard, Elissa Horner, Sarah Kidder, Chelsea Savoy, Destin Thomas, Lauren Guidry, Avery Harris, Hattie LeBleu, Autumn Magnuson, Chelse Cisneros, Lyvia Ebarb, Madison Esquivel, Ashlynn Koons and Mia Woodruff. Director is Cathy Riley.


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.