Hometown News For Orange County, Texas
Hometown News For Orange County, Texas
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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...
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...
