Orange County News

'Bee'ing an example

05/07/2008

Almost 25 percent (82 out of 336) of North Early Learning Center students celebrated a perfect attendance record for the fifth six weeks. Here, Daniel Sperry of Leighia Barron's 4-year-old class takes a photo with center paraprofessional Bessie Huckaby.

Supporting the troops with a twist

By ROBERT HANKINS EDITOR — 05/07/2008

Irma Dimas of Deweyville felt the frustration through the wires. A young man out there somewhere, but not in America and missing it terribly. "We'd like to let our troops know we support them and their sacrifices," says Dimas, a nurse a Memorial Hermann Baptist Orange Hospital. "Just being so far away from family and friends is bad enough.

Ramirezes honored by chamber

By ROBERT HANKINS EDITOR — 05/07/2008

Robert's Meat Market and Steakhouse goes back to the old neighborhood grocery: butchers in the back for that perfect cut and small dining tables near the take-out window. The old-style cash register warily regards the newer credit card scanner.

Groups gather at track to walk for a cure

By GREG HAYES REPORTER — 05/07/2008

The late Victoria "Tori" Enmon's face was plastered on two posters along the fence at Larry B. Ward Stadium at Bridge City High School this past weekend.

Education First

05/07/2008

Greater Orange Area Chamber members recently hosted a ribbon-cutting for EducationFirst Federal Credit Union. A new location is inside Kroger store, 1600 16th St. in Orange, to allow shoppers easy access to financial services. Orange native Tracy Tauzin, employed with EducationFirst since 1996, has been promoted to manager of the new location.

NELC Head Start earns a gold medal

By ROBERT HANKINS EDITOR — 05/07/2008

North Early Learning Center's Head Start program has earned the highest possible rating from the Head Start Federal Review Board, earning the rating of "Full Compliance" and a gold certificate. "I like to call ours the best preschool in Texas. This award and rating certainly substantiates that," O. Taylor Collins, West Orange-Cove superintendent, said.

VFW Commander

05/07/2008

Albert "Bear" Braneff has been re-elected as post commander of the VFW Post 2775 for 2008-09.

Practice safety tips to protect your children

05/07/2008

Unintentional injuries are the leading cause of death in children. About 90 percent of such injuries in children can be avoided. The five leading causes of injury death in children younger than 15 are motor vehicle injuries, fires and burns, drowning, firearms, poisoning and suffocation.

CONWELL'S COMMENT

Kent Conwell — 05/07/2008

If you haven't figured it out by now, I'm kind of slow. I don't keep up with much of the current goingons, figuring most of what's taking place is only a rehashing of events from the past five or six decades. Such an attitude can be a perfect setup for a big surprise, as I discovered.

CAPITOL COMMENT

Kay Bailey Hutchison — 05/07/2008

The Nobel-Prize winning economist Milton Friedman once said, "One of the great mistakes is to judge policies and programs by their intentions rather than their results." When Congress passed legislation to greatly expand America's commitment to biofuels, it intended to create energy independence and protect the environment. But the results have been quite different.

DONNARIE'S CORNER

Donnarie Campbell — 05/07/2008

Every year I watch "American Idol" and swear I'll never watch it again, but when the new season rolls around I somehow manage to forget the previous year's discontent and find myself front and center. This year's focus of of my ire?

Regressing to art through genetic coding

By Mack Hall — 05/07/2008

The Denver Center Theatre Company, founded in 1978 by visionaries seeing the possibilities in an abandoned downtown stage, has enjoyed a remarkable history in its few years, and has helped make Denver an arts capital.

MYSTERIOUS WAYS

Pastor Doug Fincher — 05/07/2008

"Train up a child in the way he should go…" Proverbs 22:6 When I talked to my son Mark last night, he was surprised when I said I never once ate lunch during my four years in high school. "Are you serious?" he asked. "I never heard you say that before.

Angler reels in fifth fish over 30 inches

By MATT WILLIAMS OUTDOORS REPORTER — 05/07/2008

The subject line in the email was so ridiculously impressive that it almost sounded suspicious. It read: "5 Trout, All Over 30 inches." The skeptic in me said trash it without looking. The fisherman inside told me to crack it open.

Reading winners

05/07/2008

From left, Demetrielle Washington, Andrew Reimers, Taylor Pousson and Steven Perry claimed top positions in the Little Cypress-Mauriceville finals of the 104th Annual Miriam Lutcher Stark Reading Contest. Declamation winner was Reimers, reading a speech given by Bob Keeshan to the National Education Association.

MMS band takes UIL honors

05/07/2008

The Mauriceville Middle School Band under direction of Jaime Yim impressed all six judges at the recent University Interscholastic League Concert and Sight-Reading Contest. They were awarded "Superior" ratings, the highest scores given in the contest.

Remembering the dream

05/07/2008

Fifth-graders at Vidor Middle School listen as the Ozen High Choir sings at the "I Have a Dream" program. Social studies classes were treated to a live history lesson April 18, as the Revs. Oveal Walker and Eddie Williams of Mount Calvary Baptist Church in Beaumont provided selections from Dr. Martin Lutcher King Jr.'s 1963 "I Have a Dream" speech.

Haiku winners

05/07/2008

West Orange-Stark Middle School poetry winners Ashabiki Mayfield and LaKendrick Sonnier with teacher Ginger Jacoby. WO-S Middle School students win state poetry honors West Orange- Stark Middle School seventh-grader Lakendrick Sonnier has earned top honors in a Poetry Society of Texas statewide competition.

Battlin' Bears score music honors

05/07/2008

Officers of the three LCM Battlin' Bear Bands display their group's Winter Park Music Festival awards. From left, front row: Rebecca Kent, In Hwi Cho, John Ware and Drew Vandagriff. Second row: Aaron Kitchens, Paul Broussard, Brett Heil, Cody Schatte, Monica Hambrick, Melinda Jaarah, Courtney Gallier, Thomas Vu and Mitchell Hilton.

Strutters win big at state meets

05/07/2008

The Bridge City Strutters and director Cathy Riley claimed the prestigious title of Team National Champions after competing in Kilgore and Denton. At the Gussie Nell Davis Classic, they performed numbers in the prop, kick, jazz, novelty and open divisions, taking home 12 teams trophies. The officers competed in novelty, lyrical and jazz and won 10 trophies.

Honor society initiates OC students at Lamar

05/07/2008

Ninety-six Lamar University juniors and seniors were initiated into the National Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi during the organization's annual spring ceremony in the Setzer Student Center. Seniors elected to membership must have a 3.5 GPA and rank in the upper 10 percent of their graduating class, while second-semester juniors with a 3.5 GPA must rank in the upper 7.

Garden club

05/07/2008

The Leaf and Petal Garden Club will install officers during its annual picnic at 6 p.m. today at the Sunset Grove Country Club. Members should RSVP to hostesses Beverly Blalack, Charlotte Conn or Sue Haliburton. For information, call Barbara Dawes, publicity chairman, at (409) 886-5817.

On the road again

05/07/2008

Barbara Prouse, Charlotte McShan, Joseph Reese and Ronecia Fults represented the Little Cypress- Mauriceville Transportation Department in this year's School Transportation Road-E-O. Area winners will travel to Corpus Christi to compete with drivers from throughout the state.

Student of the Month

05/07/2008

Greater Orange Area Chamber Education Committee members are shown with Community Christian School student Sarah Kain, who took the chamber's most recent Student of the Month honors. President of the student council, Kain is active with the National honor Society; Yearbook, Drama, Bible and Journalism clubs; and Drive Student Ministries.

Awards program

05/07/2008

West Orange-Stark High invites the community and parents to an awards day program for students in grades nine through 12 on at 1:30 p.m. Thursday in the varsity gym. Matthews Smith, program campus manager for Communities Schools of Southeast Texas at DeQueen Elementary in Port Arthur, will be guest speaker. The Varsity Choir will provide entertainment.

LC-M meetings

05/07/2008

Meetings to discuss possible services for homeschooled and private school students eligible to attend Little Cypress-Mauriceville schools are set for Thursday at the LCM Education Center. A 5 p.m.

Senior outing

05/07/2008

The next Lamar-Orange senior citizen trip will travel to Crowley, La., to tour the Crystal Rice Heritage Farm on Tuesday. Features include a Cajun buffet lunch, a display of antique cars, exhibits in the Francine Blue Rose Museum, agricultural information about rice and crawfish and country store shopping.

Movie night

05/07/2008

The Mauriceville Elementary Parent-Teacher Organization and MadNonnie.com will screen the movie "Alvin and the Chipmunks" at 8:30 p.m. Saturday on the Mauriceville Middle School football field. Admission is $5 per family.

Free workshop

05/07/2008

Home and business owners, nursery and landscape workers are invited to the free public workshop on tree damage sponsored by the Jefferson County Extension Service at 7:30 a.m. Saturday in the Extension Auditorium, 1225 Pearl St., Suite 200 in Beaumont.

Vendors sought

05/07/2008

The Orange Convention and Visitors Bureau is accepting food and craft vendors for the third annual Texas Cajun Heritage Festival, set this year from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. May 17 at the city of Orange boat ramp on Simmons Drive. For information, or to sign-up, call (409) 883-1011.

Bank donates to Oates

05/07/2008

Lorena Oates Elementary Principal Robert Reid is presented the book "Rosa" by Texas State Bank's Orange branch manager Ginny Davis. Written by Nikki Giovanni and illustrated by Bryan Collier, the book tells the story of famed civil rights figure Rosa Parks. Collier's exhibit "Defining Moments" is on display at the Art Museum of Southeast Texas in Beaumont until May 3.

Rocket launch

05/07/2008

West Orange-Stark High senior Fabian Green prepares to launch a rocket project for his technology systems class, now studying types and modes of transportation." Instructor Nathaniel Collins assigned students the task of building rockets from scrap material. Green's rocket performed well, traveling about 1,000 feet.

LSC-PA spring graduates

05/07/2008

Lamar State College-Port Arthur will award 94 associate degrees and 29 technical certificates to 123 graduates during the Spring Commencement at 6:30 p.m. Friday in the Carl Parker Multipurpose Center, 1800 Lakeshore Drive.