Hometown News For Orange County, Texas
Sorted by date Results 76 - 100 of 220
SUNDAY WE HONOR OUR FATHERS Even though my own father has long departed, crossed over to a place that awaits us all, I still hold some fond memories made a longtime ago. That said, I have found myself blessed through the years to have known and been befriended by salt of the earth men who either took me under their wing or looked out for my best interest, some older, some my age and others younger. Most are dads to their own children yet we have a brotherhood that bonds us....
EFFORT TO IMPEACH KEN PAXTON LED BY FELLOW REPUBLICANS The years of alleged misconduct by Paxton raise the question: Why now? House leaders have said the committee’s investigation was prompted by a $3.3 million settlement that Paxton reached with the whistleblowers in February. Paxton needed the Legislature to approve the use of state funds to settle the lawsuit — and quickly encountered resistance. House Speaker Dade Phelan was the first Republican in the Legislature to com...
TODAY MARKS ONE YEAR SINCE UVALDE On May 24, 2022, Salvador Ramos and his 66-year-old grandmother had an argument over his failure to graduate from high school at their home in Uvalde, during which he shot her in the face, before taking her black 2008 Ford F-150. She survived and got help from neighbors while police officers were called in. She was then airlifted to a hospital in San Antonio in critical condition. Ramos crashed his grandmother’s truck through a barricade and i...
AMERICAN IDOL 10TH ANNIVERSARY SINCE KREE Ten years have gone by since local talent Kree Harrison was a finalist on American Idol When the just-announced top three American Idol contestants Colin Stough, Iam Tongi and Megan Danielle, compete one last time on the Season 21 finale, they’ll be surrounded by an array of old friends and famous stars. The three-hour live episode airing on May 21, will include a performance by celebrity judges Luke Bryan, Lionel Richie, and Katy P...
MOTHER’S DAY MAY 14 MOST SPECIAL OF ALL To me one of the most special days of the year is Mother’s Day. For most of us there is no more special person in our lives than the one who brought us here, nursed us through our baby years and molded us into adulthood. Through thick and thin our moms can always be counted on to build a comfort zone around each individual child, often cushioning the tough blows of life. If you are fortunate to still have your Mom, count your blessings....
ENTERGY BREAKS GROUND AT BRIDGE CITY The ground breaking Monday of Entergy’s newest facility at Bridge City kicked off what is expected to be the biggest economic boom in Orange County since WWII. Gov. Greg Abbott, government and county officials took part in the ceremony. Even though the new plant, like the old one, is in Orange County, it is in the city of Port Arthur. The plant however is in the Bridge City school district. The project is estimated to be complete in 2...
DOMINION/FOX PROCEEDINGS SETTLED Fox News has disputed the damages it may have to pay if the company is found liable in a highly anticipated defamation trial over the spread of misinformation after the 2020 presidential election. Late Sunday, Judge Eric M. Davis said the proceedings would continue on Tuesday. Dominion Voting Systems, which brought the suit against Fox set the financial penalty in the case at $1.6 billion. A dispute over that number erupted after Fox...
IT'S RODEO TIME-GO WESTERN There is no athlete like the professional rodeo cowboy. Their livelihood is based strictly on their own talent. They will drive thousands of miles, hauling their own rigs from show to show, hoping their performance puts them in the money. They often come up snake eyes. The cowboy just moves on to the next show where he hopes to have a winning performance. The rodeo cowboy often wakes up with aches and pains, feeling lucky that nothing was broken...
HOLY WEEK-- SPECIAL TIME FOR CHRISTIANS Well, it’s come on Easter week. Come Sunday, 40 days of Lent would have flown by. Everyone else who gave up something for Lent will be able to indulge again. The annual Easter cold snap came in a few days early but the wind will move to the south Thursday, with rain and cooler weather after that. The full moon arriving, it will be just the right time to get a garden planted. I hope the Easter bunny comes by your place and deposits a l...
FIREARMS NUMBER ONE KILLER OF CHILDREN The killer in a Nashville school shooting on Monday had drawn a detailed map of the school, including potential entry points, and conducted surveillance before killing three students and three adults in the latest in a series of mass shootings in a country growing increasingly unnerved by bloodshed in schools. The suspect, who was killed by police, is believed to be a former student at The Covenant School in Nashville. The shooter was...
ANNIVERSARY OF “SHOCK AND AWE” THE BIG LIE I sit here today on the 20th anniversary of the invasion of Iraq, recalling President George W. Bush going on TV and telling the American people what the U.S. planned to do. I had written several times that to invade Iraq would be a mistake. The Bush Administration used false premises to sell the war and the American people bought it. Their justification was that Saddam Hussein possessed weapons of mass destruction. That was a lie...
HAPPY ST. PATRICK’S DAY THANKS FOR YOUR READERSHIP We don’t think to thank our faithful readers enough. We have some longtime followers that cover the last 50 odd years. We keep picking up new readers along the way. Our reporters and writers do a great job. Our feature writer Margaret Toal is a real professional, with many years of experience. The former Orange Leader editor graduated with a Journalism major from Denton Women’s College in the 1970’s and has been a very we...
WAITING FOR SPRING AND THE ROBINS Grandma used to say, “”Have the Robins come yet? Spring will come when the Robins come.” I always thought it was the other way around. The Robins would come when spring got here. Well, maybe she was right. For several years I’ve seen very few Robins, maybe a single one in an open field. The weather has been so up and down that about the time I think maybe Spring is here we get a cold blast. Maybe Grandma was right, the Robins are here waiting...
LYING FOR PROFIT—RATINGS OVER TRUTH Rupert Murdoch, the chairman of Fox Corporation, acknowledged in a deposition taken by Dominion Voting Systems that some Fox News hosts endorsed false claims that the 2020 election was stolen. Murdoch’s remarks were made public in a legal filing as part of Dominion’s $1.6 billion lawsuit against Fox News. In his deposition. Murdoch conceded that Sean Hannity, Jeanine Pirro, Maria Bartiromo, and former host Lou Dobbs promoted the falsehood ab...
BIDEN MAKES SURPRISE VISIT TO UKRAINE President Joe Biden made a surprise trip to the capital of embattled Ukraine on Monday, traveling under a cloak of secrecy into a war zone to demonstrate what he called America’s unwavering support for the effort to beat back Russian forces nearly a year after they invaded the country. Biden arrived early Monday to meet with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy after a 10-hour overnight train ride through Ukraine, and the two stepped out into t...
SUPER BOWL LVII Patrick Mahomes was magical when the Kansas City Chiefs desperately needed him to pull off another Super Bowl comeback. Playing on an injured ankle, Mahomes threw two touchdown passes in the fourth quarter and scrambled 26 yards on the go-ahead drive before Harrison Butker kicked a 27-yard field goal with 8 seconds left to give the Chiefs a 38-35 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday night. Coach Andy Reid, who couldn’t win the big game in P...
SUPER BOWL LVII TEXAS HIGH SCHOOL QB’S ON BIG STAGE The two youngest quarterbacks ever will face off in next Sunday’s SuperBowl. Jalen Hurts, 24, of Philadelphia and Patrick Mahomes, 27, of Kansas City. Both are native Texans and were high school quarterbacks. For the first time the Super Bowl will feature two Black quarterbacks and also two sibling brothers will play against each in a Super Bowl. Texas high schools developed the wide open passing game. Ronnie Thompson, a hig...
WEDNESDAY LUNCH BUNCH TO GATHER For the second time the Lunch Bunch will try to kick off their regular weekly gathering at Robert’s Restaurant. Last week tornadoes postponed the Lunch Bunch reconvening after a two year COVID lay off. Everyone is welcome. Bring a friend and enjoy great fellowship. The Bunch meets every Wednesday noon. Y’all come.*****I’ve got to move on. Come along, I promise it won’t do you no harm. TORNADOES REVISIT ORANGE COUNTY The weather service had predi...
LUNCH BUNCH RECONVENES The Wednesday Lunch Bunch, after being exiled by COVID for two years, will again start gathering each Wednesday noon at Robert’s Restaurant starting January 25. Before the pandemic ran the Bunch off to the house we had enjoyed 28 years of fellowship. No dues to pay, come and go as you wish. Over the years I bonded with some of the finest people I’ve ever know, many are gone now but many remain from all walks of life and different vocations. Everyone is...
COWBOYS ELIMINATE BRADY AND BUCCANEERS The NFL’S third annual “Super Wild Card Weekend,” so dubbed when the playoff field expanded from 12 to 14 teams starting with the 2020 season, concluded Monday night as the Dallas Cowboys eliminated Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 31-14. The Cowboys advance to face the NFC West champion San Francisco 49ers at Levi’s Stadium next Sunday night. While “America’s Team” is obviously the big victor, so is Dak Prescott. The critics,...
Listen Up Football Fans TEXANS FIRE “BIG SANDY’S” LOVIE SMITH Coach Lovie Smith was fired by the Houston Texans Sunday night after just one season. It was the second straight season the Texans have fired a coach after only one season. Houston won their second and last game Sunday, beating the Colts 32-31. That win knocked the Texans out of the number one pick which probably would have been Georgia’s quarterback Stetson Bennett. The first pick now goes to the Bears. Both fi...
BUFFALO SAFETY HAMLIN IN CRITICAL CONDITION The N.F.L. was facing one of its worst crises in decades as Buffalo Bills defender Damar Hamlin remained in critical condition on Tuesday after collapsing during a prime-time game in Cincinnati. Hamlin, 24, collapsed in the first quarter of a highly anticipated matchup with the Bengals on Monday night, forcing the league to suspend the game. As Hamlin lay on the field motionless, many of his teammates in tears nearby, doctors pumped...
7--ANOTHER YEAR ROLLS AROUND Here’s hoping you had a nice Christmas. I’ve been writing for many years and as the new year brings us to 2023, I’m just thankful that I had the opportunity. I’m very grateful to have enjoyed some success with a loyal base of readers. Over the years, we have recorded Orange County history that will live through the ages. That would not be possible without the advertisers who make it possible for us to have such a wide circulation. My hope is...
RECORD COLD DAYS AHEAD Low to dip to 18 degrees: wind chill to drop single digits According to the National Weather Service, temperatures will drop below freezing later in the week as an arctic air mass makes its way over the region. “Big weather changes are in store for Thursday according to meteorologist Donald Jones. A very strong cold front will move through the area Thursday evening into Thursday night. Temperatures will be very low Thursday night dropping to 18 d...
6 HEISMAN WINNER In case you lost track of a major happening in the sports world, the Heisman Trophy was handed out on Saturday night and we’re here to report to you that Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud came short to Caleb Williams of USC in winning the bronze statue for 2022. The voting wasn’t even all that close with Williams running away with it all, ahead of a distant Max Duggan of TCU in second place. Stroud, the frontrunner most of the season, finished a dis...