Hometown News For Orange County, Texas
Hometown News For Orange County, Texas
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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...
PHELAN NOW FACES BATTLE FOR HIS SPEAKERSHIP Dade Phelan, who won his runoff by fewer than 400 votes, will need to mend GOP relationships, build coalitions and possibly even rely on Democrats to hang on to the speaker’s gavel. He said he plans to see his campaign all the way through. Typically, speaker’s races take shape in November, during or after the general election decides the makeup of the House. Currently, Republicans hold an 86-64 lead over Democrats. A candidate needs...
SPEAKER PHELAN BEATS PAXTON’S REVENGE Dade Phelan, Speaker of the Texas House, has beaten David Covey in a runoff election that pitted Phelan against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and millions of dollars in the most expensive, dishonest, mud-slinging campaign ever run in this district. A record nine members lost their primaries, and eight were sent to runoffs, including Dade Phelan, who has run the House for two sessions and is the main target of r...
DOW REACHES ALL TIME HIGH The Dow posted its all-time high during intraday trading on May 16, 2024, reaching a peak of 40,051.05 points. The highest close occurred the day before when the index closed at 39,908.00 points. The peak was led in part by optimism that the Federal Reserve could cut interest rates later this year. All three of the big U.S. Stock indexes set records last week in large part because of revived hopes that the Federal Reserve will be able to cut interest...
TIME—DID WE WASTE OR USE IT Well, here we are, it’s almost mid-May and in a couple of weeks a half year will have gone by. In a few days school will be out for the summer. It seems to me like the school year just started. Time does seem to travel faster as you get older or maybe we old folks just travel slower while time moves on. Remember when it seemed that the school year lasted so long and summer took forever to get here. Is it for real or is it just perception? Today we...
LOVE TO MOTHER’S EVERYWHERE Throughout my life, Mother’s Day has always been important to me. Mothers not only carry and give birth, but also nurture us through those formative years but when we skin a knee or fall out of a tree Mom will always make it okay. Her tenderness and motherly love is unmatched. Often it’s when you look back you realize just how important her part was in your development. Sometimes it’s after she is gone, when the big picture fully comes to you. Th...
RUN OFF—WHO CAN VOTE The Primary runoff election between incumbent Dade Phelan, Speaker of the Texas House, and newcomer David Covey is Tuesday, May 28. Early voting begins May 20 and ends May 24. Some people seem to be confused as to who is eligible to vote in the runoff. If you voted in the Republican primary, you can vote again. If you voted in the Democratic primary, you can’t vote. If you didn’t vote in either primary, you are free to vote in the runoff. Democrats didn...
JUST SAY IT AIN’T SO I’m just having a real hard time accepting that my longtime friend Harry Stephens is gone. Early Sunday morning I glanced down at the ringing phone and seeing Margie Stephens’ name I knew it wouldn’t be good news. I had checked on Harry a few days earlier and had gotten Margie’s cell number to use if I couldn’t reach Harry. She told me he was wearing an oxygen machine full time but was still working at the store five days a week and a half-day on Saturday...
HISTORIC TRIAL OF TRUMP BEGINS Not until mid-afternoon Tuesday did Donald Trump’s lawyers and prosecutors select the first seven jurors for the case, which centers on allegations that the former president falsified documents to cover up a sex scandal involving a porn star. Dozens were dismissed after saying they could not be fair, underscoring the towering task of trying a former president in a city where he is deeply unpopular. The lawyers reached the heart of the s...
TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSE—BIG DEAL The much anticipated solar eclipse shifted billions of dollars across the country. The ‘first’ reports came out of Mexico, headed to Texas Hill Country and beyond. The eclipse laid a 100 mile path from Texas to Maine. It was a big deal for small towns that usually lose out to big sporting events in large cities. Unlike other major events, the 2024 total eclipse was a family affair. Families drove or flew together to unknown places throughout the c...
NEWS AROUND TEXAS Texas is making a lot of news ahead of next Mondays April 8th total solar eclipse. Cities around Texas expect to see a major influx of tourists. Good weather is expected. The Hill Country is a great place to see the eclipse but not the only place. The path of totality is expected to stretch between 108 and 122 miles. There are lots of Texas locations in that wide strip. The First Monday Trade Days, in Canton, this year will be set up for RV and tent camping...
SERVICE TO BE HELD FOR SENATOR PARKER Longtime lawmaker and political titan Carl A. Parker passed away Friday, March 22. He was 89. Parker was born in 1934 in Port Arthur and left home to live elsewhere twice: the first time when he attended law school at the University of Texas — he graduated in 1958 — and the second when he served four years in the U.S. Navy. For more than three decades, he served in the legislature: from 1962 to 1977 in the House of Representatives and fro...
