Hometown News For Orange County, Texas
Hometown News For Orange County, Texas
Sorted by date Results 226 - 250 of 484
Piles of rubble stand along a block of the an old apartment complex, ready to be loaded into trailers to be hauled off for disposal. The rubble is from condemned buildings at the Sabine Park Apartments between First and Second Streets in the Old Orange Historic District. Last week the demolition began on the wood-frame one, and two-story buildings. The city is paying the Lark Group $145,000 to demolish nine of the complex's buildings. A lien for the amount will be added to...
In a scene that would have been unimaginable 30 years ago, white supremacists visiting to share their views in Vidor had to ask for a police escort out of town when local residents protested. Vidor Police Chief Rod Carroll the incident was at noon Saturday, August 5, on North Main Street near Tram Road. Police dispatchers began receiving numerous calls that several armed and masked men were in the street. Police went to the commercial area and found men with Aryan Freedom...
Land is being cleared in spots all across Orange County as investors build parks for recreational vehicles that will be coming for the industrial boom created by the new Chevron Phillips chemical plant. And now, the county will have new regulations to put into effect. Beginning Monday, any land currently without an RV permit that is being developed will need to meet the new regulations. Existing RV parks, or those under construction with permits, will be "grandfathered" into t...
Get the backpacks and lunch boxes ready because most schools in the county will be starting next week. The Orangefield, West Orange-Cove, and Vidor school districts will begin classes on Wednesday, August 9. Bridge City and Little Cypress-Mauriceville districts have students scheduled to start Wednesday, August 16, a week later. New teachers in the three districts that begin next week reported to work in late July, as other districts have other teachers and staff returning to...
Texas voters in November will decide on a proposed state constitutional amendment that could drastically lower school taxes for homeowners and small business owners or landlords. The Texas Senate, Texas House of Representatives, and Governor Greg Abbott have approved the bill for the amendment. Under the amendment, the homestead exemption for homeowners would go up to $100,000, meaning the homeowner could subtract that much from the taxable value. For instance, if a home is...
As the temperature at the Orange County Airport reached 102 degrees Tuesday afternoon, the dryness level for fire hazard has reached the near the top level, with Orange County Emergency Management Director Joel Ardoin calls "the danger zone." And not only do people need to be concerned about the dry level, the temperatures are soaring to record highs. The U.S. Weather Service reported a day record high of 101 in Beaumont on Monday, a record set in 1902. The weather service...
The Bridge City High Strutters and cheerleaders racked up many honors recently at the training camps they attended, with the Strutters winning the Grand Championship for best dance team at their camp. The Strutters went to the ADTS (American Dance/Drill Team) camp and won the Grand Championship, plus the Diamond Super Sweepstakes with for getting the top diamond rating on all their routines. In addition, they won for Best Home Routine with choreography by Macie Moore. Other...
Three new Texas Historical Markers are in Orange County's future, including the first one in West Orange and the first for the community of Prairie View, which evolved into Bridge City. The other marker will be to feature a 132-year-old house in the Old Orange Historic District currently owned by Kenneth and Beth Wheeler. Last week the Texas Historical Commission sent word to the Orange County Historical Commission that marker applications for the three submitted for the count...
President Joe Biden Tuesday signed orders to make three spots national memorials to 14-year-old lynching victim Emmett Till and his mother, Mamie Till Mobley. The infamous murder of the teenager helped start the 1950s' civil rights movement has a strange connection to Orange. The two confessed White killers and their wives, including the one who claimed the teen had given her a "wolf whistle" and touched her hand, moved to Orange from Mississippi after they were acquitted of...
The city of Orange and Orange County had strong increases in sales tax rebates for the month of May, according to the Texas Comptroller's Office, which collects sales taxes and sends back shares to the taxing entities. Bridge City stayed stagnant, while Vidor and West Orange had increases. Pinehurst had a monthly increase compared to May 2022, but is slightly down for the year to date. The U.S. Consumer Price Index for May was a 4 percent increase in inflation. Orange County...
On July 26, 1943, the rains began to hit Orange. They continued into the next day with strong winds. What is now known as the "Surprise Hurricane" came ashore at Bolivar Peninsula eighty years ago on July 27. The Golden Triangle area recorded 19 inches of rain with one drowning death in Port Arthur. Four men on a sea-going tug drowned outside of Port Arthur, while another 10 on the tug were saved. Also, the storm has become famous as the first time a military plane flew into t...
The executive committee of the Orange County Republican Party voted last week 14 to 6 to officially censure Texas Speaker of the House Dade Phelan, who also represents Orange County in District 21. Though local party chair, Leo LaBauve opposed the censure, the majority opposed Phelan appointing Democrats to chair house committees. They also talked about him letting bills die and not adhering to the statewide party's conservative values. Even though the censure vote was only...
Early morning walks in air conditioning. A play village for children. Miniature gold inside the library. A cool, mysterious escape room. The city of Orange is continuing its effort to provide family fun activities for adults and children. Last week, the city council agreed to spend nearly $65,000 on a kids village for the new Cove Recreation area, and a new summer schedule was released for the Recreation Center, which opened this past fall. The recreation center has room for...
Orange County should be having its first Health Services office in more than 20 years after Commissioners Court Tuesday approved a building rent's first payment, water deposit, and internet service. The new health office will be on Strickland Drive in Pinehurst where the Immunization Clinic was opened in 2021 during the Covid pandemic. Many years ago, county commissioners transferred the local health services to Hardin County, though an Orange County health services director...
The Orange County Republican Party will meet at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, July 13, to discuss and vote to censure State Representative Dade Phelan, who is currently the powerful speaker of the house and represents Orange County. The U.S. Senate defines "censure" as a formal statement of disapproval. Phelan, a Republican who lives in Beaumont and represents District 21 that includes all of Orange County and part of Jefferson County, was elected Texas Speaker of the House for the...
The Bridge City and Orangefield school districts this past week announced new administrators for the 2023-24 school year that will have classes beginning next month. In Bridge City, Kim Smalley will be the district's new director of curriculum and instruction. She is going to Bridge City after a 25-year education career in the Orangefield ISD, where she served 10 years as district director of curriculum. The Orangefield district has promoted elementary school assistant...
Soon, demolition crews will be tearing down nine buildings at a World War II-era apartment complex that became so dilapidated a judge condemned them as uninhabitable and unhealthy. The Orange City Council Tuesday awarded a demolition contract that will cost $145,000 to remove the buildings at what was originally known as Gilmer Homes. City Planning Director Kelvin Knauf said the bill for the demolition will be sent to a company foreclosing on the owner. If the bill is not paid...
Orange County Sheriff Lane Mooney is announcing on Wednesday he will be running in 2024 for his second term in office. Two other candidates have already announced they are challenging the incumbent in the March Republican primary race. Mooney said he is campaigning on his record of accomplishments during his first term, including using a large savings of drug forfeiture money from a past administration to buy all patrol deputies new vehicles. Mooney said the vehicles were a pr...
Orange County sweltered under a heat dome during June and the National Weather Service in Lake Charles is reporting the first six months of 2023 is the third hottest first half of the year for Southeast Texas since recording started in 1901. The hottest first six months was in 2017, the year Hurricane-Tropical Storm Harvey flooded more than 60 percent of the county with record-breaking rainfall. And more above-normal temperatures are forecast through most of July. The average...
As land across Orange County is being cleared to make room for RV parks to contend with an influx of construction workers at the new $8.5 billion chemical plant, County Commissioners found themselves stymied by a new state law. County Engineer Corey Oldbury had prepared new regulations for the RV parks, but a decision was delayed pending an interpretation of a new state law. Governor Greg Abbott signed the bill, which was passed by the Texas Senate and House of...
The Orange City Council Tuesday reviewed possible city charge changes Tuesday, but voters must approve any changes. One of the biggest changes will be the requirement that all people who hold public office or candidates for office must not be indebted to the city because of back taxes, fines, or other charges. City Attorney Guy Goodson said the charter provision is unenforceable. Another proposed big change would be requirements for city ordinances to become official. In the...
The scorching temperatures across Orange County will continue through Tuesday, July Fourth next week, but it won't stop the festivities and traditional fireworks. The city of Orange's Convention and Visitors Bureau is once again hosting a countywide event celebrating Independence Day. The festivities, including a grand finale fireworks show, will be at the Boat Ramp off Simmons Drive. The gates will open at 5 p.m. and kids activities will be provided. The Drywall Band will...
The Bridge City school district has named Dr. Tara Fountain as the new assistant superintendent and is promoting high school principal Tim Woolley to become the district's chief financial officer. In addition, Jason Yeaman will be the new principal for Bridge City Elementary. Dr. Fountain will be replacing Gina Mannino, who retired at the end of this past school year. Fountain has a total of 25 years in education with a total of 19 years with the Bridge City ISD. She has a...
A landmark historic church building abandoned in 2008 will once again have people congregating. But instead of seeking salvation, they will be seeking education. The domed Greek Revival brick former First Baptist Church on Green Avenue will become a reception center for Lamar State College-Orange. Dr. Tom Johnson, president of LSCO, said last week that the Stark Foundation will be donating the building to the college. The 110-year-old church at 800 Green Avenue is catacorner...
The new Chevron Phillips plant continues to stay in the spotlight as the $8.5 billion development has its first plant manager and is offering opportunities for local individuals and vendors to get work during the construction. The company will hold a Local First Job Fair this Saturday, June 24, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Orange County Expo Center on FM 1442. Golden Triangle Polymers Plant, the official name of the new petrochemical manufacturing plant, is co-sponsoring the...
