Hometown News For Orange County, Texas
Hometown News For Orange County, Texas
Sorted by date Results 325 - 349 of 504
This past week, some of our City Council members had the opportunity to meet with other Councilmembers from the 12-county area that makes up Region 16 of the Texas Municipal League (TML). In attendance at this forum were Council Members Mike Reed, Aaron Roccaforte, Terri Gauthier, and myself. This gathering was part of our ongoing collaboration with other cities to exchange ideas, learn new things, teach others some things we’ve learned, find out how and where to get help w...
Greetings my fellow gardening enthusiasts! Our wait is finally over, Spring is erupting into bloom all around us. Azaleas, daffodils, and numerous other spring plants are bursting into bloom. Now is the perfect time to enjoy our wonderful scenery and landscapes here in Southeast Texas, but it also a great time to getting outside into your own yard to create your own personal paradise. There are several gardening tasks to do during the month of April, and here a few items for...
Recently, I was extremely disturbed by the results of a poll which asked “How many Americans would remain and fight for our nation’s government as are the Ukrainians?”. Unfortunately, only a bare majority vowed they would stay and fight rather than flee our nation for safety’s sake. What is frightening to me is the large number of American citizens who were polled claiming they would flee America to avoid conflicts of war. What are these people thinking? Where on earth w...
WHERE HAVE ALL MY FRIENDS GONE It's come on another week and again I'm not prepared to do a column. There are a lot of reasons that factor into that. First you have to make the contacts to find out what is going on in the outside world. For years I was a wizard at gathering what the natives were up to. I guess I've been out of pocket too long. It feels like most of my friends must have moved away or maybe some have lost my phone number. I don't have one of those tech phones th...
We in Southeast Texas need to wake up and realize that we are blessed in many ways; but the most valuable commodity available to us, our homes and our business entities is fresh water. We are blessed with two great rivers, a brackish lake that provides us with sailing, fishing and other recreational opportunities. We should truly count our blessings, particularly in light of the fact that many parts of Texas are rapidly running out of water. In San Antonio, for example, when...
Previously, I have spoken about selecting the right plant for the right spot in your garden, flower bed or yard. Today we're going to talk about native and perennial plants. Many times, people get them confused and often consider them to be the same, but this is not always the case. You can have plants which are native but are not perennials but also have native plants which are perennials. Let me try to explain this confusion. The American Horticultural Society defines a...
As a confessed political junkie, I sit around wondering many times about why some things are as they are. As an example, when I see a candidate flooding the news media with ad after ad which costs millions of dollars, I just wonder where in the world, he or she, got all the money and why. When I live in a world in which all politicians claim to be the freest democracy on earth, why do so many of our members of legislative bodies vote for measures which increasingly make it...
PUTIN CONTINUES TO INFLICT DEATH ON UKRAINIANS When and how will it end? Western officials and analysts say the conflict is turning into a grinding war of attrition, with Russian president Vladimir Putin's forces using air power and artillery to pulverize cities from a distance. Russia's invasion has driven over 3.5 million people from Ukraine. Those who have made it out of Mariupol told of a divested city. There are no buildings there anymore. The pre-war population of...
OUR POPULARITY GROWS Over the last few weeks we have had increased demand for more papers. We increased our circulation last week by 800 more County and Penny Records at some of our drop locations. The popularity of the publications could be from a full staff of writers for the first time in a long time. Margaret Toal, longtime newspaper reporter, former editor of the Leader, and a noted feature writer, is now retired but will devote some of her time to feature writing on a...
It’s very difficult to write about the state Legislature without including a few stories about lobbyists. Lobbyists represent various interests in the capitol and do their best to influence legislation in such a manner that it will benefit or not harm their client’s interest. All kinds of people are lobbyists and all lobbyists have different methods of reaching members of the Legislature. Most are bonified characters and after 32 years in the Legislature I recall many and som...
Hopefully, our recent warmer weather didn't lull any fellow gardeners into believing spring had arrived in Southeast Texas! March weather patterns are unpredictable, quickly changing from warm day time temperatures to frigid nighttime temperatures within a short period! Dramatic temperatures swings can make even the most seasoned gardeners cringe, while determining when to plant annuals, perennial flowers, and vegetables (as I too, almost planted tomato and pepper plants this...
THESE ARE HISTORICAL TIMES-PUTIN'S WAR The humanitarian crisis in Ukraine worsens by the day. Where will it all end? I recall WWII, Korea, Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan but this could be different than all the others. One difference for the United States is we won't have boots on the ground. We will have to make sacrifices at home. With the oil embargo on Russia, we will see gas prices rise even higher. That is a small price to pay in comparison to what the people of Ukraine are...
Plant choice is one of many important steps in creating a new garden design or outdoor living area transformation. Choosing the right plants for your garden space depends on a several different factors, such as knowing the exact amount of space to fill with plants and understanding your garden's characteristics. Determining the soil type and deciding on the look you want to create. Naturally, there are numerous exciting elements to consider while determining your planting...
How often do you hear someone say, "Nobody tells me what to do!"? After watching the recent election results, it seems that over 80% of Texans, including those in Orange County, are willing to let someone else tell them what to do. Most folks, if asked, would claim to be good, loyal Americans as well as good citizens. Unfortunately, their conduct, or lack thereof, at election time belies their claim. How could you be a good citizen if apparently you do not care about...
LOCAL POLITICS TURNS DARK I can't remember at anytime when we had just two local races. In this case, only one party participated. I'm turning this column in before the polls close so the outcome will have to be in our news section. The races were well fought in the commissioner's race but I was disappointed by the personal attacks in the J.P. race. It was meant to hurt a candidate but it also hurt the entire family. One's record of service is open for review and criticism...
All politicians have egos, particularly after winning a hard-fought election battle. I must confess, I too was pumped up quite a bit after winning my election to the state Senate. It was enforced by the fact that I had been invited to be the parade martial at the pre-rodeo festivities in Liberty, Texas. I was told to dress western; so I put on my finest cowboy-looking coat, hat and cowboy boots. As I arrived in Liberty for the parade, I was assigned to sit atop a Cadillac...
The Battle of New Orleans I turned down Larry Messier's offer to be his guest at the Ali-Spinks heavyweight fight in Vegas and made my annual trek to Rising Star's Sipe Spring cemetery, that dates back to the Civil War, where my dad Clay, his parents and siblings are buried. Leon Spinks shocked the boxing world and accomplished, against great odds, what he had told me a few days earlier he would do. He defeated world champion Muhammad Ali for the heavy weight crown. Ali was un...
Another season is coming to an end and very soon winter will be nothing more than a fading memory for us all. As spring nears, each passing day becomes slightly warmer, though we may still have an occasional cool night. Our last anticipated frost date is around March 12th. Our local soil temperature remains too cold to plant tomatoes and peppers just yet, so wait until after the last anticipated frost date. Now is a great time to complete the following gardening tasks. Plant...
By John Green, Certified Master Gardener Hello gardeners! Another cold snap has now left the area and who knows, perhaps it'll be our last, but I wouldn't bet my plants on it. Many of you (like me) and can hardly wait to begin gardening. We have about a month to go before our last anticipated frost date (March 10th), so rather than risk planting tender plants now, it's better to focus on the few remaining garden tasks preparing for springs' arrival. Who knows, you may even...
JUST DO IT-NOW IS THE TIME Well, it has come down to election time. I fear it will be a very low turnout. Seventy-five percent of the registered voters won't take the time to vote. In Orange County we just have two contested races but they are two important races. Pct. 2 will elect a county commissioner to replace Commissioner Theresa Beauchamp, it's important to elect a qualified candidate who can work with the present court. Justice of the Peace Joy Dubose-Simonton is the...
How Lamar State College-Orange came about is a somewhat interesting story about community involvement and politics. The story really began with Port Arthur College. Port Arthur College was established in the early 1900s by John "Bet-a-Million" Gates. There were not enough radio operators which were required to be on ships. And at the time were there enough stenographers, or people with office skills available for growing Port Arthur. Gates endowed the school to teach radio...
How many times have you heard someone running for office say, "I am not a politician"? The phrase seems to suggest that being a politician is necessarily a bad thing. I disagree. Anyone hoping to win in any game, be it athletics, business, cards or even monopoly must know the rules. To me in a free, democratic form of government one who knows and understands the rules and how to apply them is a politician. Washington, Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin et. al. were all consummate...
EARLY PRIMARY TO CAUSE LOWER TURNOUT Texas has the earliest primary election day in the nation, for a midterm election cycle, March 1. Early voting is set from Feb. 14 to Feb. 25. No other state in the United States holds primary elections before May. The new election date in Texas was by design by state-wide incumbents. The Governor, Lt. Governor and Attorney General are all on the ballot. Political experts say the early primaries sneak up on the voters that will likely resul...
UNVACCINATED PUTS VULNERABLE AT RISK Orange County continues to be one of the least COVID vaccinated counties in the state. In the last three weeks we have had three people die from the virus, ages 62, 57, 51. My cousin Debbie, a beautiful person, a wife, mother, grandmother, artist and also unvaccinated, died from the virus.. Debbie, who you would think was smart enough to dodge the pitfalls of conspiracy theories on social media talk shows and opinion PODCAST. Yes, she was...
It has been quieter the last few days at home. For 19 years there has been a TV blaring from the other end of the house, frequently joined by a country music station on the radio. I don't know how Bill could stand the two noises at the same time. It always made my brain hurt when I went in his room, with the TV and radio competing for attention. Bill's brain didn't work the same as ours, so it was music to his ears. Billy Wayne was my husband Gerald's younger brother. He was...
