Hometown News For Orange County, Texas
Hometown News For Orange County, Texas
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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...
The past couple of weeks we've discussed plant diseases and pests...enough with the 'darker side of gardening', let's redirect our focus to another area-fruit! Figs (which are a personal favorite of mine) should be ripening in the next couple of weeks, unless some gardeners are lucky enough to have already harvested a few, but for the rest of us, harvest time is nearly here. Summers' official arrival is June 21st, but it certainly seems otherwise while working outside in the...
There is not much excitement when you reach 88 years of age. But this Mother’s Day was a little different. Saturday morning I was awakened by my wife announcing that there appeared to be a cat stuck in our chimney in the living room fireplace. If you have never had a cat stuck in your chimney, you need to know that it presents quite a challenge. A few years back our neighbor moved out and abandoned a herd of feral cats who immediately adopted us as their new homestead. A...
On May 18, 1912 the USS Texas, also known as Battleship Texas, launched and quickly became one of the most powerful weapons in the world. It is credited with the introduction and innovation of advances in gunnery, aviation, and radar. She is the last surviving Dreadnought and the only battleship in existence today that fought in both World War I and World War II. Here are five things happening around your state: 1. New fund to support creation of more state parks passes House...
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...
Gardeners, another week has quickly passed, and we are well into gardening season! Last week we discussed 'pests' which prey upon gardeners beloved tomatoes! So, it is only fitting that this week we expand the discussion a bit. Most gardeners will agree that insect's rule! Okay, some of you rolled your eyes...then perhaps not (readers-your silence is deafening)! Seriously, did you know there are approximately 250,000 insect species in the U.S. and about one eighth of them (aro...
The first few bills have made it to the Governor’s desk for his signature, which signals the end of session is fast approaching. Of the over 8,000 bills filed this session, just over 100 bills and joint resolutions have been sent to the governor and four have been signed into law. Here are five things happening around your state: 1. House Bill 4 passes the Senate This week the Senate passed the Texas Data Privacy and Security Act which sets standards for the collection and use...
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....
For this gardener, the physical act of gardening, within moments relinquishes burden of daily life and its challenges; a hectic schedule, pursuing a career, managing a farm and ‘juggling’ cumbersome people (not literally-though the thought has crossed my mind). Gardening for me is an outlet & provides me with the ability to transcend the uniformity of modern life, providing an easily accessible escape route (a personal reset). Gardening satisfies a primal urge and allows me...
Our governor and lieutenant governor and other elected leaders could learn valuable lessons by watching some of the old westerns on TV. At my age I have begun to enjoy old western movies quite a bit as my weekly entertainment. Most of them have a basic formula featuring some well-known cowboy. Usually the hero, a sheriff or marshal, is called on to establish law and order in a town that is beset by robberies, kidnappings, assaults or other violent crimes. Our hero is to stop...
Last Friday we celebrated Cinco de Mayo! On May 5, 1862, Mexican general Ignacio Zaragoza defeated French expeditionary forces at Puebla, Mexico. Here are five things happening around your state: 1. Ankle monitor bill heads to the governor This week, a bill that would increase penalties for tampering with, disabling, or removing an ankle monitor overwhelmingly passed the House. The Senate passed the measure unanimously in late March. Senate Bill 1004, authored by Senator Joan...
Gardeners, this week we are discussing Asian Citrus Greening and Citrus Canker and how we can recognize each of the two citrus diseases. There are numerous plant diseases that may attack citrus trees, but in our area of SETX most notably are Asian citrus greening and citrus canker. The Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA) and US Department of Agriculture (USDA) have allotted sizable resources and undertaken massive efforts to control the spread of both these devastating...
KING CHARLES CORONATION TO BE HELD King Charles III's coronation ceremony on May 6 will be a historic event watched by millions of people around the world, but witnessed in person by only a number of handpicked guests, members of the royal family, foreign dignitaries, politicians and even some members of the public. At the last coronation of a British monarch, Queen Elizabeth II's in 1953, about 8,000 people crowded into the abbey to witness the ceremony. The late queen's son...
May is here which means we only have a month left in this Legislative session. Deadlines are looming for bills to reach certain benchmarks. It’s a race to the finish! Here are five things happening around your state: 1. Bill moving SFA to UT-System passes House, going to Governor This week, Senate Bill 1055 passed the House unanimously, 148-0, with even Speaker Phelan voting for the bill (the Speaker typically votes ‘present not voting’ on most bills in the chamber). I appre...
Around our house while I was growing up unionization was considered almost at the level of religion. My dad, a 40-year refinery worker, saw unions as the route to a better life and a way to better living conditions. He saw this firsthand as a seventeen-year-old refinery hand. Labor conditions in the 20s included approximate $.25 per hour wages, little or no concentration on safe workplaces, and little or no respect of workers by those paying these minimum wages. There was no...
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...
Gardeners, unfortunately most of us are pressed for time and due to our time constraints, we tend to shop for everything hurriedly! Many of us shop for plants in the same manner, quickly, without regard to the plant label instructions (planting instructions listed on the reverse side of the label-though instructions are vague at best). For most annual bedding plants, perennials, herbs, vegetables, shrubs, and trees it isn't a huge issue and can often be managed simply by...
April 21 was San Jacinto Day in Texas, which celebrates the final battle of the Texas Revolution in 1836 when Texas won its independence from Mexico. The battle was fought in present-day La Porte, Texas and lasted just 18 minutes before General Sam Houston defeated General Santa Anna’s Mexican army. Here are five things happening around your state: 1. Beaumont, Orange County award General Land Office grants Last week the General Land Office announced awards in the Beaumont a...
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...
There are only 39 days left in the Legislative session and it certainly shows. The days at the Capitol are getting longer and bills are making their way through the process. Here are five things happening around your state: 1. Broadband grant applications due in May The Comptroller's Office is now accepting grant applications to the Bringing Online Opportunities to Texas (BOOT) program, which focuses on funding broadband infrastructure projects. The state was allocated $363.8...
As a longtime church goer from the time I could walk and follow my mother around, I have decided there is ample hypocrisy in our churches to the point that we don’t necessarily need more, especially in the field of political leadership. Hypocrisy of course is simply advocating one thing and doing the opposite. Unfortunately, we the voters of the United States are letting too many politicians get by with doing what they claim should not be done, particularly in the area of m...
Gardeners, today's discussion is defining Integrated Pest Management (IPM), which is a comprehensive approach to managing garden pests which include pathogens, insects, nematodes, mites, weeds, and numerous other pests utilizing science-based practices and techniques. While researching this topic, I reviewed the US Environmental Protection Agency's website, and according to the USEPA, "Integrated Pest Management is an effective and environmentally sensitive approach to pest...
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...
For the last few days the press has had a lot to say about three members of the Tennessee Legislature being expelled by their fellow members. Allegedly the reason for their expulsion was that they had severely damaged the decorum of that august body. What they, in fact, did was enter the chamber using a bullhorn in an attempt to get the attention of the Speaker. During my fourteen year tenure in the Texas House there was more than one occasion that detracted from the decorum...
