Hometown News For Orange County, Texas
Hometown News For Orange County, Texas
Sorted by date Results 376 - 400 of 484
Saturday morning began with thunderstorms and pouring rain. But by noon, the sky had cleared to bright blue and a front had brought cool temperatures. God wasn't going to let it rain on Cedric Stout's party. Stout is Orange County's most famous veteran and he celebrated his 101st birthday. Not only is Stout a World War II veteran, he is the last area survivor of the attack on Pearl Harbor. He said he owes his longevity to having nine children to help him, with eight of them...
About 140 years ago, James B. Seargent of Orange had a vision for a new industry involving trees. He wasn't looking at the native trees that drew the sawmill and lumber industries. He was ready to grow imported trees for medicinal uses. Little did he know his carefully nurtured seedling would grow to become an invasive species. Maybe we can blame him for all those little camphor trees that sprout up in garden beds and yards every year. But then again, someone else may have...
The creativity and imaginations of people across Southeast Texas are on view through Saturday as Shangri La Botanical Gardens and Nature Center celebrates the season with its annual Autumn Fair. The festival gives people a final chance to see the scarecrows designed by schools, groups, businesses, churches, and families. Don't think of an old-fashioned cartoon image of a pair of blue jeans and an old flannel shirt stuffed with hay as being a Shangri La scarecrow. You might...
Back in 1998, West Orange Mayor Roy McDonald was enjoying the old Gumbo Cookoff in neighboring Orange. He had a vision that his city, too, could have a community event for people to relax and visit with each other. West Orange resident Theresa Van Meter at the time was working for the Greater Orange Area Chamber of Commerce, which sponsored the event. McDonald asked her if she could help organize an event for West Orange. The result is now a part of local history. On...
Early voting has been strong, but not record-breaking for Orange County, after eight days of open polls for the Tuesday, November 8 mid-term elections. After eight days of early voting on Monday, Orange County had a total of 10,776 votes cast. In 2020, which was the last presidential election, Orange County had 28,326 early votes cast. For the last mid-term election in 2018, a total of 18,612 votes were cast early. On Tuesday, registered Orange County voters must go to their...
Tami Goss has spent 13 years as band director at Bridge City High School and has built a dynasty of excellence. On Wednesday, November 9, the Cardinal Band will compete for the third straight year at the UIL state marching contest. Last week, the band placed high enough in area competition in Lindale to move on up to the state contest. But a bit of adversity has set in for the poor band. On Tuesday, Goss was spending her second day at home with a strep infection. She said...
An Orange County site along the east banks of the Neches River may be getting a methane shipping terminal worth $850 million. Orange County Commissioners Court Monday approved a tax abatement offer to Enterprise Products Operating LLC. The site is off Mansfield Ferry Road and is the Orangefield ISD. The shipping terminal for ethane, which is a crucial ingredient for the petrochemical industry to make polyethylene plastic products, will have an estimated 1,400 to 3,200...
More than 1,600 people went to the four early voting sites Monday, the first day of early voting for the November 8 general election. The Orange County Elections Administration tallied a total of 2,180 votes the first day. The Raymond Gould Community Center in Vidor had 553 people voting on Monday, followed by the Orange Public Library with 462, the Orange County Airport with 448, and the Mauriceville Community Center with 211, for a total of 1,674 in-person votes. The...
The early Tuesday morning cold front did not bring enough rain to alleviate wildfire conditions and Orange County Commissioners Court Tuesday afternoon voted to extend a burn ban for another 30 days. County Judge John Gothia, who had previously issued a burn ban, said he can lift the ban if a soaking rain comes. Gothia had previously issued seven-day burn bans. He said commissioners court can make the ban for 30 days. Orange County is listed on the weekly U.S. Drought Monitor...
Orange is getting a new $3 million hotel off Interstate 10 that will have kitchen suites suitable for long-term stays. Those types of hotels are popular with construction workers who come to a city for jobs. Orange County and Southeast Texas are in line for hundreds of new construction jobs as the oil and petrochemical industry are expanding in the area. On Tuesday, Orange County Commissioners Court approved a tax abatement for a project that could bring up to 3,200 new...
Countywide sales tax collections in August remain above the federal inflation rate, but some cities are lagging behind the inflation rate with sales taxes, according to figures from the Texas Comptroller's Office. The cities of Bridge City and West Orange were the only two getting more in August 2022 compared to August 2021, and for the year to date income. However, both cities increases were below the federal inflation rate of 8.3 percent in August this year. Orange County,...
Back in 1980, Orange County was about to lose emergency ambulance service. Private providers were pulling out of the unprofitable business. Concerned leaders in industry, government, and the medical profession turned to the local expert on emergency care, David Claybar. Claybar, who ended up the director of the old Orange County Ambulance Service for 24 years, died earlier this month at the age of 74. As a tribute, retired Acadian Ambulance Service executive Jeffrey Thibodeaux...
For the past weeks while at work, Anthony Dandridge sometimes looks at the glass door and sees the faces of 12-year-olds peering inside like it's Christmas secret. Well, Christmas arrived early this year. It's ready. The Orange Recreation Center is open for play Wednesday after the obligatory ribbon-cutting ceremony at 5:30 p.m. A dress code, or more accurately, a shoe code, is required, at all times, even during the ribbon-cutting tour. Absolutely no hard-sole shoes, cleats,...
Table space is running out for the Bridge City Chamber of Commerce's Designer Purse Bingo fundraiser set for 6 p.m. Thursday, November 3, at the Orange County Expo Center on FM 1442. The chamber reported on Monday that only four tables are left. Participants will be able to play bingo to win a variety purses and handbags from famous designers. Sponsor tables are $600 each and 'girlfriend' tables are $500 each. Individual tickets are $60. The event is for people ages 21 and...
Early voting for the November 8 general election will open Monday with local elections including a tax rate issue to raise the maintenance and operations rate 10.8 percent for the Little Cypress-Mauriceville CISD. Also for the first time in local history, people living in an Emergency Services District will vote for directors. Previously, Orange County Commissioners Court appointed directors for each of the four Emergency Services Districts in the county. Only residents in...
Local fast food fans will have more places to get their favorite meals as McDonald's and Whataburger are working on new restaurants in the Greater Orange area. Chick-fil-A in Orange will be getting a Texas-favorite competitor on 16th Street near Interstate 10 in Orange as the state's beloved Whataburger is planning a new $3.1 million restaurant at 3724 16th Street. Over in Pinehurst, a new McDonald's is planned for the west area of the former MacArthur Shopping Center on...
The public is invited to meet Amy O'Rourke, the wife of Beto O'Rourke, Democratic candidate for Texas governor. She will be at the historic Orange Train Depot on Green Avenue at beginning at noon, Wednesday, October 19. After meeting people at the depot, she will then go with volunteers walking through neighborhoods to meet people and encourage them to vote for O'Rourke against the "extremist" policies of incumbent governor, Greg Abbott. Early voting for the November 8...
The site of the old Cove school is set to become a recreation area with a walking trail, play area, benches, shaded area, parking lot, and kiosk to tell the history of "Chemical Row," the famed highway lined with the petrochemical plants. City of Orange Planning Director Kelvin Knauf outlined the plans to the city council on Tuesday. He said Dow Chemical, which bought the original DuPont Sabine River Works plant, the first petrochemical plant, is helping with grants. Knauf sai...
Orange will be having an even bigger Juneteenth Festival in 2023 as the Orange City Council approved awarding the Krewe de Onyx, sponsor of the event, $45,000. The group also has a donation from Father Jim Sichko for $15,000. He announced the donation on his Facebook page in June after giving the sermon for the Sunday worship service. The City Council last week allocated money from the city's Hotel Occupancy Tax after recommendations from Assistant City Manager Jay Trahan,...
Former Orange County commissioner Marcel Adams celebrated her 99th birthday on Tuesday with lots of bridge-playing friends. She attributes playing the strategic card game as one of her ways to keeping active. And keeping active is a key to her longevity, she said. Besides playing bridge, she regularly goes to church and church events. Plus, her little dog Noel keeps her company as she still lives by herself. Adams made county history in the mid-1980s when she won election to...
Local high school drama students will be spotlighted Saturday during the Heritage House Museum's Sixth Annual Historic Ghost Walk downtown Orange Saturday. This year, about 100 drama students from Bridge City, Little Cypress-Mauriceville, Orangefield, Vidor, and West Orange are participating to tell the true stories of Orange County. "We are happy that all our public schools can participate this year," said Adam Conrad, president of the Heritage House board of directors....
Orange County Judge John Gothia Tuesday morning issued a countywide burn ban on recommendation of the county's emergency management director because of the indices that show drought conditions could aid the spread of wildfires. At the Commissioners Court meeting Tuesday afternoon, Gothia said all the other counties around Orange County have burn bans and it was time for one here. He said rain is in the forecast this week, but we cannot be sure it will fall here. Adjacent...
People can immerse themselves in fall this weekend by carving pumpkins, strolling through displays of pumpkins, and even immersing themselves face first into a pumpkin pie. The activities are all part of the Second Annual Orangetober sponsored by the city of Orange. Live entertainment will be included at the three-day festival, with the featured performer country star Kevin Fowler Saturday night. Food trucks, craft beer, soft drinks, family activities, craft vendors, games,...
he Bridge City ISD school board has approved the architectural drawings for the new middle school and high school career center, and the next steps are being made toward construction. The designs were released last week by Claycomb Associates, Architects, a Texas-based firm that specializes in school designs. The new middle school, which will replace the current one that was built in the mid-1960s, is estimated to cost $57.7 million. The CTE (Career and Technology Education)...
Dow Chemical and the Orange County United Way are once again sponsoring "Together Thursdays" in October with two free family-friendly live concerts at the Orange Riverfront Pavilion off Simmons Drive. The first one will be this Thursday, October 6, at 6:30 p.m. featuring the band The Cheez Weez. Maureen McAllister, president of the United Way, said The Cheez Weez is a cover band that plays a lot of pop and rock songs from the 1980s and 1990s. She said the band is similar to...
