Hometown News For Orange County, Texas
Hometown News For Orange County, Texas
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CHAMBER BANQUETS ORANGE and BRIDGE CITY Dec. 19 at noon is the deadline for reservations to the Greater Orange Area Chamber of Commerce annual meeting and awards banquet. The 2024 Citizen of the Year and the Non-Profit and Business Community Service Awards will be presented Jan. 7, 2025 at the Orange County Convention and Expo Center. Sponsorship tables are $650, while individual tickets are $60 per person. Contact GOACC to reserve your spot. The GOACC is currently seeking...
PHELAN BIG LOSS FOR ORANGE COUNTY The Texas House Speaker is one of the most powerful legislative positions in the state. For a district like ours, it is a big loss to lose Dade Phelan. It really doesn’t matter if a state leader is Republican or Democrat, he always is in a position to bring good things to his district. Phelan, 49, has been one of the most powerful elected officials in Texas. Phelan started to lose his grip on the House last year when Attorney General Ken P...
REMEMBERING PEARL HARBOR, DEC. 7, 1943 I was a youngster when Pearl Harbor was attacked by the Japanese. I recall sitting next to the old radio with family and neighbors listening to President Franklin D. Roosevelt address the nation about the attack. My aunt was saying her Rosary. She was praying for her son who was at Pearl Harbor. It turned out he had been severely injured when a lifeboat crashed down on him when his ship was hit. He recovered after a long hospital stay...
A TIME FOR GIVING THANKS It’s come on Thanksgiving time and we certainly have plenty to be thankful for. It looks like Thanksgiving time I remember as a boy with the changing of the leaves. It’s not New England but I still appreciate the bright colors, even on the Tallow trees, Oaks, etc. I hope you all get to enjoy a nice day with your families. This year, for the first time, too many of our tribe are away and can’t get home. On a personal note, I’m very thankful for the man...
CAN PHELAN SURVIVE AS SPEAKER The race for speaker of the Texas House has narrowed, pitting Beaumont Republican Dade Phelan, who has held the gavel since 2021, against Rep. David Cook, R-Mansfield, who has emerged as the challenger designated by a group disillusioned with House leadership. Phelan says he has the votes to be reelected to a third term as speaker. The speaker race typically takes off in the fall, but the quest to replace Phelan by his critics got started before...
ROY AND WILLIE AWAITING LAST CHANCE (Will History Be Made In Their Lifetime) There is a wide musical space between Beyoncé and Willie Nelson. Both were part of a star powered rally for Vice-President Kamala Harris in Houston. Willie, who is 91 years old and Roy Dunn, 90, said they have waited all these years to witness a female being elected president of the United States. They say they both missed their chance when an October surprise by the FBI head, James Comey, ended Hilla...
JAN. 6 RIOTER JUDGES FEAR REPRISALS According to the Associated Press, over the past four years, judges at Washington’s federal courthouse have punished hundreds of rioters who stormed the U.S. Capitol in an unprecedented assault on the nation’s democracy. On the cusp of the next presidential election, some of those judges fear another burst of political violence could be coming. U.S. District Judge Reggie Walton said he prays Americans accept the outcome of the next ele...
WELCOME TEXANA TOYOTA Owner of the new Toyota dealership, Rick Jones, said they intend to play a large part in the community. He’s ready to invest time and monetary donations in community projects. County Judge John Gothia said he visited with the General Manager Mike Grewening and staff on Friday and welcomed them to Orange County. Gothia said they sincerely want to be part of the local community, chamber of commerce and overall involvement. Jones also owns other Toyota d...
MILTON CAUSES RECORD EARLY DEADLINE In early predictions hurricane Milton, a category four storm, barrels towards Florida, due Wednesday evening. Thankfully, that has been delayed. However the fear of evacuation and losing power threw us into an early Tuesday afternoon deadline. Mark Dunn, who produces our publications, is in Florida and feared that if we waited any longer to complete the papers to send to press we would be gambling. The eye of the storm is predicted to go...
GONE WITH THE WIND--85 YEARS LATER The 1939 epic Civil War film “Gone with the Wind” celebrates its 85th anniversary. The timeless story of love and war has been re-released nine times. The nearly four hour drama, hailed as a masterpiece, has grossed more than any other movie in history. $1.7 billion. It was nominated for 13 Oscars and awarded 10, including best picture. Vivien Leigh, as Scarlett O’Hara, won best actress. Here’s an interesting sidebar, Best Supporting Actress...
ALLRED AND CRUZ IN TIGHT SENATE RACE There was a time in Texas that the United States Senate race was always the hottest, most expensive race. Orange County was once a hot bed for U.S. Senators. The state has two senators who do not face elections at the same time for six-year terms. Most states have a senator from each party. Texas, for 30 years, has had two Republican senators. This election cycle could change that. A new poll puts U.S. Rep. Colin Allred up by one point...
HURRICANE FRANCINE PREVENTS DEBATE REVIEW The hurricane that followed the Texas coast landed in Louisiana. A small turn however would have put it in our front yard. About 6 p.m. Tuesday winds were starting to pick up. When it’s stormy weather in Southeast Texas you always fear losing power. It is scary when its paper deadline. For us to wait until after the presidential debate Tuesday evening between Vice-President Harris and former President Trump was a gamble we c...
HOSTAGE DEATHS SPARK RENEWED CALLS FOR CEASE-FIRE A nationwide strike has begun in Israel, with the country’s biggest union vowing to shut down the economy in a furious push for the government to agree to a cease-fire deal after the deaths of six hostages taken during Hamas’ Oct. 7 terror attack. The strike is expected to bring much of Israel's economy to a grinding halt, and to shut government offices, schools and private businesses. Flights were also briefly halted from Isr...
DNC TOPS TV VIEWERS Twenty-nine million TV viewers watched Kamala Harris’s speech, 14 percent higher than for Trump’s July 19 address, which scored 25.4 million viewers. Nielsen data showed that Harris’ well-received acceptance speech was watched by viewers across 15 networks. The speech caped a successful week for the Democratic National Convention, which topped the audience for the GOP’S gathering every night last week. MSNBC, saw its largest audience ever for a Democra...
JOE BIDEN’S LEGACY Awash in his party’s love, President Joe Biden finally did become that bridge to a new generation of leaders. He movingly performed the most profound act a politician in a democracy can undertake, willingly handing over power, as he ceded the leadership of the party to Kamala Harris Monday at the Democratic National Convention. He capped a half-century long career, as a senator, a vice president and finally president, by citing a verse of a song called “Am...
DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL CONVENTION AUG. 19-22 Several prominent Democratic figures are set to speak at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago next week. President Joe Biden, former presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton have been confirmed as speakers at the convention. Obama and the Clintons delivered speeches during the 2020 DNC, which was largely held virtually to prevent the spread of Covid-19 amid the pandemic. A source...
HARRIS-WALZ FRESH NEW TEAM Vice President Harris has chosen Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz to be her running mate, opting for a former high school teacher and Midwestern Democrat to complete a newly assembled presidential ticket. In a social media post, Harris said Walz’s “convictions on fighting for middle class families” stood out. Walz is scheduled to appear with Harris in coming days in each of the seven most competitive states — Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Michigan, North Carolina,...
8 PARIS OLYMPICS The United States women’s gymnastics team has done it again. It is back on top with its fourth gold medal in the team event in the last 32 years of a medal-earning streak. Team USA had a glorious showing on all four apparatuses heading into the individual finals strong. It's no surprise Simone Biles hit her floor routine Tuesday, the last of 12 chances Team USA had to prove it was worthy of a gold medal. It'll head to the top of the podium with Biles' s...
KAMALA HARRIS TAKES FIRST STEPS TO PRESIDENCY The Vice President used Beyoncé’s 2016 Lemonade hit, “Freedom,” during her first presidential campaign appearance in Delaware on Monday. Harris walked out to the song, sparking speculations that Bey’s approval could also mean she backs her as the 47th President of the United States. After an unforgettable entrance, the 59-year-old gave a 20-minute speech where she asked citizens: “What kind of country do we want to live in: A coun...
EYE WITNESS TO HISTORY I’ve witnessed a lot of history over the years, assassinations and attempted assassinations. I was watching former president Donald Trump start a speech in Butler, PA, July 13, 2024, when an assassination’s bullet from an AR-15, 148 yards away, nipped his right ear. He moved his head right at the moment. Twenty-year-old Thomas Crooks pulled the trigger. Trump’s life was spared by less than an inch from his brains. Trump went to the floor as the Secret Se...
RIDEN’ WITH BIDEN Democrats need to vote for President Joe Biden. He’s earned their support. No president since L.B.J. has accomplished more in his first term. Biden did it with a split government, many of his accomplishments due to his skill to bring together bi-partisan support from both Democrats and Republicans. In just three and a half years his record of accomplishments is really amazing. Congressional Democrats, Black Caucus and Hispanic Caucus unanimously support the...
SHAMEFUL DAY FOR OUR DEMOCRACY Back a few years ago, I wrote that this day would come, maybe not in my lifetime but I lived to see it arrive. I had written that all that was needed was a stacked Supreme Court willing to bend our Constitution. Donald Trump was elected president and made three far-right appointments to the Supreme Court. Then came the darkest day in my lifetime when our democracy was challenged and Trump urged a mob to overrun our United States Capital. The mob...
BIDEN-TRUMP DEBATE THURSDAY, JUNE 27 CNN, with anchors Jake Tapper and Dana Bash, will moderate the 90-minute debate with two commercial breaks. The Trump campaign agreed to all conditions, even microphones being muted when it’s not their turn to speak. I’ve been asked a few times who I believe will win this debate. The answer is both, depending on who you want to win. Trump may win the showmanship, plus he is the closer, last to speak. He might drop one of his woppers tha...
BIDEN-TRUMP DEBATE RISKY PLATFORM FIRST TO BE NEXT WEEK JUNE 27 Biden, Trump agree to ABC News and CNN debates. CNN said they won’t be allowed to use any props or pre-written notes but will be given paper, a pen and water. The CNN debate is the first of two debates agreed on by the campaigns. The second will be hosted by ABC News on Sept. 10. CNN announced the rules agreed on by both President Joe Biden and Donald Trump’s campaigns. They include microphone muting, a coin fli...
HUNTER BIDEN FOUND GUILTY President Joe Biden’s son Hunter Biden was convicted by a jury on Tuesday of lying about his drug use to illegally buy a gun, a verdict Democrats may seize upon to counter Donald Trump’s claim of a justice system weaponized against him. A 12-member jury in Wilmington, Delaware, federal court found the defendant guilty on all three counts against him, making Hunter Biden the first child of a sitting U.S. president to be convicted of a crime. The tri...
