Hometown News For Orange County, Texas
Hometown News For Orange County, Texas
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THE GREATNESS OF MANDELA Ten years ago I watched all the Nelson Mandela service including President Barack Obama's speech. Ninety-one governments were represented. Former United States Presidents Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and their spouses attended. President Obama drew the largest reception. He shook hands on the way to the podium with Raul Castro. Mandela was one of a kind; born in 1918, he died at age 95. After being imprisoned 27 years, where he was...
PEARL HARBOR DAY AND CEDRIC REMEMBERED It’s been 82 years since the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. That day is one of the most memorable events in my life. I had a cousin who was injured and stayed in hospital months only to come home and be killed in a farm accident. The attack led to the United States being involved in World War II. We listened to President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s address to the American people on a neighbor’s radio. “This day will li...
Governor Abbott Calls Fourth Special Session Governor Greg Abbott announced Special Session #4 and issued a proclamation identifying agenda items for the special session that began at 5:00 PM on Tuesday. “The Texas Legislature made progress over the past month protecting Texans from forced COVID-19 vaccinations and increasing penalties for human smuggling,” said Governor Abbott. “However, there is more work to be done. I am immediately calling lawmakers back for Special Sessi...
WHY THANKSGIVING IS SPECIAL Most adults today remember Thanksgiving as a fun day, plenty of food, turkey, ham, cornbread dressing, cranberries and great deserts. The youngsters, when the weather was good, enjoyed games outdoors with their cousins. The men watched Turkey Day football, while the women cleaned up, chatted and told of new recipes. In our home for 18 years or so, while the children were growing up, we attended the A&M/Texas Thanksgiving Day game, one year at Kyle...
JIMBO FISHER-GONE FROM AGGIELAND Texas A&M to spend more than $75 million to fire football coach Jimbo Fisher. Texas A&M University fired head football coach Jimbo Fisher on Sunday, committing itself to spend more than $75 million to buy out his contract and announcing a national search for his replacement. Although the decision was announced on Sunday, one day after the Aggies trounced Mississippi State, 51-10, On the same day, Athletic Director Bjork delivered the news to Fi...
WE SALUTE THE VETS THAT KEEP US STRONG Nov. 11, is Veterans Day. Government offices, banks, etc. will be closed. However many businesses are having sales so it’s a good time to shop. Veterans, past and present, are our true heroes. Many brave souls have died to keep us free. Our country could use more peace and understanding right here at home. There is just too much hatred, disrespect for our country, our leaders and our flag. Too many extremists destroying our fiber i...
MIKE JOHNSON - N. LOUISIANA BOY GOP SPEAKER New House Speaker Mike Johnson inherits many of the same problems that bedeviled Republican leaders with far more experience. The Louisiana Republican emerged last week from the lower ranks of the House GOP leadership to ascend to speaker. An evangelical Christian who often cites the Bible, Johnson worked as an attorney for anti-abortion and Christian groups before running for office. During his four terms in the House, he has led...
RANGERS DEFEAT ASTROS The Texas Rangers move on to the World Series starting Friday after defeating the Astros in Game 7. The Houston Astros lost all four home games, winning three on the road. The Rangers also lost all home games but won four on the road to become American League Champs. While Jose Altuve was the spark plug for the Astros, it was the Ranger’s Adolis Garcia who became the American MVP. When Garcia was struck by a 98-mph fastball in Game 5 of this American L...
PRESIDENT BIDEN TRAVELS TO ISRAEL President Joe Biden travels to Israel in a dramatic display of support for the U.S. ally as his administration seeks to prevent the Israel-Hamas war from expanding into a larger Middle East conflict. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who is currently in Tel Aviv, announced Biden’s visit following an overnight meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. “He’s coming here at a critical moment for Israel, for the region and for the w...
ISRAEL AT WAR BIDEN, “THIS IS TERRORISM” Tuesday President Joe Biden said the United States stands with Israel following Hamas' brutal massacre in Israel. "We will make sure Israel has what it needs to take care of its citizens, defend itself and respond to this attack. There's no justification for terrorism. There's no excuse." In the deadliest attack on Israel in decades, more than 1,700 Israelis and at least 14 Americans were killed when Hamas militants crashed through the...
CIVIL WAR IN GOP- SPEAKER McCARTHY OUSTED Republican Kevin McCarthy’s deal with hardline House conservatives that handed him the speaker’s gavel in January unraveled on Tuesday as those same right-wing rebels, shoved him out of the seat. McCarthy’s 269-day reign as speaker was ended by a 216-210 vote, a move that has no marker in modern history and paralyzes Congress for the time being. The rebellion, led by conservative hardliner Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., has roiled the House...
PHELAN RESPONSES TO CALL FOR REGISTRATION In a nearly unanimous vote, the leaders of the Republican Party of Texas (RPT) approved a resolution Saturday calling on the speaker of the Texas House, Dade Phelan, R-Beaumont, to resign. Phelan has no plans to resign. He remains resolute in his support for impeaching Paxton, whom he continues to argue is corrupt. He issued a statement after the Senate voted to acquit Paxton, saying the Senate didn’t do its job and the process of Repu...
FOR NOW PAXTON BEATS RAP—RIDE AIN’T OVER The attorney general’s long-simmering securities fraud case appears closer to resolution, while the FBI has probed the same allegations that played a major role in his impeachment. After a 10-day trial, Texas senators on Saturday voted to acquit Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton on allegations of bribery and corruption, clearing him to return to his duties as the state’s top lawyer. But Paxton’s legal troubles are not over. He still...
THE DAY IKE CAME CALLING This week on Sept. 13, we mark the 15th anniversary since Ike, the hurricane, blew into Orange County and left the worse devastation on our community, since the storm of 1865, the year the Civil War ended, wiped out the city of Orange. The storm left only four homes standing. Today’s recovery, especially to the community of Bridge City, seemed a far away dream of 15 years ago. Much has changed in Bridge City since that horrible storm. In so many c...
SENATORS OVERWHELMINGLY REFUSE TO DISMISS ARTICLES OF IMPEACHMENT In a 24-6 vote, Texas senators refused to dismiss all 16 articles of impeachment against suspended Attorney General Ken Paxton. That vote clears the way for a public trial in the Senate. Twelve Republicans joined all Senate Democrats in the vote to essentially move forward with a trial. A simple majority is required to approve any pretrial motions, and Paxton’s team challenged all articles of impeachment both i...
A RUDE AWAKING Before turning in Saturday night I checked the weather forecast for Sunday. I learned the extreme heat and drought would continue with a high of 109 expected. A few weeks ago I wrote about the weather this summer being like Mexico’s weather 70 years ago. I thought if we continue to have this kind of summer for the next 70 years, the Gulf Coast area will be like Mexico, with no large trees, only shrubs. Anyway, I turned in for the night and set the temperature a...
6 YEARS AGO ORANGE TRIO ATTENDED MLK MARCH Sixty years ago prior to Aug. 28, 1963, a bus load of Golden Triangle citizens loaded up and headed to Washington for Dr. Martin Luther King’s “March on Washington.” Busloads and trainloads of pilgrims spilled into Washington from throughout the states. On that bus from Orange, Texas were three citizens, civil leader Velma Jeter, James Zay Roberts, who had marched with King, and Essie Bellfield, a young lady and mother of two young d...
THE LISTA’S GREAT FIRE LOSS We were sad to learn that fire had destroyed Pete and Lori Lista’s home last Wednesday. The house was located on Ollie Road in Orangefield. The call came to the fire department about 3:00 a.m. We understand Lori was at the beach in their R.V. Pete was home alone. Thank God he was awakened by a smoke alarm and was able to get out. Makes me wonder why unlucky or bad things happen to good people. Pete and Lori are the salt-of-the-earth folks who are...
DROUGHT AFFECTING EVEN LARGE TREES Temperatures continue to hold around 100 degrees. It has been over 30 days since any measurable rain has fallen and the outlook is not good, maybe 10 percent next week. My guess is that the water table has really dropped and that is affecting larger trees that require lots of water. I’ve seen limbs starting to die. We have lost several limbs in our camphor trees and the oak trees are showing stress. There has been no time in my life that w...
EXTREME HEAT AND DROUGHT CONTINUES Never in my lifetime would I have believed we would see so many consecutive days at 99 degrees and above. We have had more 100 degree days in the last couple of weeks than we have had in the last few years. Today, Tuesday, at 3:15 p.m., our backyard temperature is 102 degrees. With no rain in sight everything is burning up. It’s hard to keep enough water on the plants. Our garden is gone but we still have a little hope for okra. This r...
A LIFETIME OF WEATHER CHANGE Back in the early and mid-1950s, several of us went down into Mexico with Mr. Stewart, who owned Lou Ann’s club, in Louisiana, to buy horses (Indian ponies), to be transported to Texas. That is quite an interesting story but for some other time. Today’s subject is the weather in Mexico then. Around Monterrey to Mexico City, the weather was just like it has been here at home the last 30 days. The average daily heat in June and July was 98 to 101 deg...
July 20th ANNIVERSARY OF APOLLO II When, running for president in 1960, John F. Kennedy chose as his campaign slogan “it’s time to get this country moving again,” Just three months into his presidency, Kennedy pledged, prophetically, in his address to Congress on May 25th, 1961, “that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to the earth.” To which he added, “No single space proje...
TEXAS HOUSE AND SENATE REACH A DEAL TO CUT PROPERTY TAXES Texas' top Republicans, state GOP lawmakers finally struck a deal on how to cut Texans' property taxes. The $18 billion compromise, which includes more than $5 billion approved for relief in 2021, between the Texas House and Senate would give increased tax relief for the state's 5.7 million homeowners and create a tax-credit pilot program for non-homesteaded properties. It would also cut taxes to small businesses and...
TEXAS MONTHLY “BEST AND WORST LEGISLATORS” The new ratings are in this month’s issue. Our own senator Robert Nichols, is listed in the Best column. T.M. says “There are no Republican mavericks in Dan Patricks senate, but until a real iconoclast shows up, Robert Nichols will do.” Nichols, represents largely rural East Texas from his perch at Jacksonville, where few private schools exist. He has long opposed creating vouchers, which siphons money away from public schools....
LUNCH BUNCH MARKS 32TH ANNIVERSARY Last week an anniversary gathering of Lunch Bunch members was held at Robert’s Restaurant after being delayed a week due to the passing and service of former County Commissioner Marcell Adams. The previous week would have also marked the 89th birthday of one of the Lunch Bunch founders and only survivor Roy Dunn. The attendance was reduced due to the delay with several members attending state required classes. Cole Michalk, with Speaker of t...
