The City of Orange Convention & Visitor’s Bureau is hosting “Christmas at the Pavilion” on Saturday, December 14 from 10:00AM-3:00PM at the Riverfront Boardwalk & Pavilion. This Holiday event includes food vendors, product vendors selling gift-oriented items and live entertainment provided by Traveling Roads. There will also be children’s activities including a large moon-bounce and pictures with Santa Claus in front of a 27ft, 10,000lb Christmas tree. This is a free community-wide event to celebrate the season and as a follow up to the Jaycees Christmas Parade scheduled for Friday, December 13th at 6:30PM. Please see the attached picture of the 27 foot, 10,000 lb Christmas tree located at the Riverfront Boardwalk & Pavilion which was donated by International Paper.

This past week many received a newsletter in the mail from your  Congressman Steve Stockman. "The Stockman Sentinel" is a 16 page tabloid style paper in which the congressman introduces you to his 36th District. Stockman hasn't made many public appearances in Orange County, before or after his campaign, and it shows. On page 13, right before a blurb on Kountze and Jasper, the Congressman invites you to come to Orange and visit the USS Orleck (complete with photo), which left Orange in 2009. The Congressman's office in downtown Orange is within viewing distance of where the Orleck was docked.

The Bridge City Council met in a workshop session Tuesday night to consider an appeal of the recent flood plan issued by FEMA. An appeal to the nationally produced flood maps that show 80% of Bridge City is in a flood zone must be filed by December 24. City Manager Jerry Jones said two things are impacting Bridge City. Number one is the rate maps or designation maps which dictate what zone people are in, and number two are the insurance rates which have greatly been increased due to the Biggert-Waters bill in Washington. Jones added there has been some movement on repealing the Biggert-Waters, but it may take three or four years by which time changing the flood maps will have expired. Mayor Kirk Roccaforte has tried to get the aid of Senators and Congressmen in Washington to help, but also knows the appeal process could be expensive. Roccaforte has emailed the legislators, but has not heard back from any. He added that a detailed study to overturn the FEMA produced flood maps could cost over half a million dollars to get the data more accurate. Engineer Kim Carroll of Carroll and Blackman has contacted an engineering firm in Bell City, Louisiana which has successfully appealed the national flood plans for Cameron Parish. Carroll believes the firm of Lonnie G. Harper and Associates have the track record and the people to successfully appeal the flood maps for Bridge City. The City Council requested Carroll to contact Harper and Associates to see how long it would take for them to work up an appeal for the city. An appeal will cost 85 thousand dollars to file with FEMA. The council will meet again to consider hiring the Louisiana firm when it hears back from Carroll on the time needed to prepare the appeal. Again the deadline for the appeal is December 24.

Monday is the filing deadline for party primary races in 2014. So far, two Republicans and one Democrat have filed to run for the District 21 seat for the Texas House of Representatives. Orange is in the district and the incumbent, Republican Allan Ritter of Nederland, is not running. District 21 includes all of Orange County and part of Jefferson County. Dade Phelan, a real estate developer in Beaumont, has filed to run as a Republican. His only opponent in the Republican race at this time is Judy Nichols of Nederland. She owns three Papa John's pizza franchises, a land development company and a management company. The only Democrat who has filed for the position is Gavin Bruney of Nederland, a former school board member.  more

Local businessman and investor William Boiter wants to buy 122.8 acres of land on the east side of Simmons Drive and develop and industrial park with businesses like a recycling center. Boiter went before the Orange Planning and Zoning Commission on Tuesday to ask that the zoning for the land be changed from commercial to industrial. However, people living in Navy Park across the street and a business owner on Simmons Drive spoke against the plan. Boiter asked the commission to table the proposal. He is in the process of buying the land from the Mafrige family of Houston, which has owned the land for a number of years. Boiter said he doesn't want to buy the land unless he can get the industrial zoning to allow development. He plans to leave a 400-foot strip of land along Simmons to divide the industrial area. Residents should not be able to see the recycling center behind a line of trees. He said the recycling center could set up containers for local citizens to leave recyclable items like bottles, plastics and cardboard. Boiter said Lamar State College-Orange needs to expand in downtown and he is proposing that a transmission shop and trucking company move to Simmons Drive and sell their properties to the college. One resident in Navy Park said some of the plans sound good, but he doesn't want 'something that will destroy the neighborhood.' He is also concerned about businesses on the acreage polluting the river. Henry Lowe, president of the Navy Park Homeowners Association, pointed out the planning and zoning commission had discussed a similar zone change about 18 months ago. Residents then and now are opposed to an industrial designation. 'If it's changed to industrial, the city has no control over what is put in,' he said. With the commercial designation, the city can have a say on development. He said the city doesn't need industries on Simmons Drive polluting the Sabine River for the boat races and other activities. The land would be better for a shopping center or mall, he said.

A committee studying traffic between Charlemont and Country Club Estates subdivisions suggested installing stop signs and a speed bump. The plans were announced Tuesday evening at a meeting of the Orange Planning and Zoning Commission. Previously, City Council voted to fence off a small piece of Monterrey Street to stop all through traffic between 23rd Street in Charlemont and Fairway Drive in Country Club Estates. Residents in Country Club had petitioned for the closing. However, the city charter requires that kind of decision to be first approved by the Planning and Zoning Commission. The closing was then invalid and went before the commission. Dozens of people living in Charlemont complained about the street closing and asked for city help controlling speeding off Interstate 10 and 23rd Street. On Tuesday, Oliver Seastrunk, who lives on Fairway Drive, said he does not like the plan for stop signs. He said the stop signs would be blight on the neighborhood. He will go back to his neighbors who petitioned to close Monterrey Street and see their reactions. The planning and zoning commission did not vote on the stop signs and speed bump. City Manager Shawn Oubre said traffic controls are a city staff decision. Neighbors in Charlemont thanked the city for increased police presence in the area and said patrol cars have slowed down traffic. People living in both subdivisions have said they are concerned about vehicular traffic off Interstate 10 and cutting through 23rd Street. The problem could become worst when the 16th Street overpass is closed for construction in the near future. For many years, 23rd Street by the interstate had one-way traffic and didn't allow people to exit off the interstate. About 15 years ago, the city turned the street into two-way traffic. Public Works Director Jim Wolf said 23rd could be made one-way again with a curb and yellow markers down the street to Thunderbird Drive to keep motorists from cutting through the convenience store parking lot. The yellow markers would be like the ones recently installed by railroad tracks in the Old Orange Historic District.

Citizens’ comments on the proposed new Wal-Mart Supercenter in Bridge City were somewhat limited, but mixed. Speaking in favor of the new store was Robert Currie who commented on the many positive aspects of having the larger retail store in Bridge City including more local jobs and increased tax revenues. Currie also said the Supercenter would be a strong benefit for his family’s shopping habits since they buy all their groceries at the Wal-Mart Supercenter in West Orange. With the Supercenter in Bridge City, Currie felt the tax revenues from some of the groceries that are taxable would stay in his town and would benefit its citizens. He thinks this is a good thing. The only other citizen to speak about the proposed new Wal-Mart was Ron Smith. He acknowledged the positive impact the new store would have on the city, but Smith wondered if Wal-Mart had considered expanding the current store on Texas Avenue the main thoroughfare in Bridge City. His question was answered yes, Wal-Mart had looked to enlarging the existing store, but there is not enough room at that location. Smith expressed a concern for the neighborhood where the proposed Supercenter is planned. Smith mentioned that Bridge City had twice before considered and rejected rezoning the same area of the planned Supercenter. He asked the council to consider what is the driving force in a city; the almighty dollar or neighborhoods and communities. Since the meeting was a workshop session no action was taken by the city council Tuesday night. The matter will be forwarded to the Planning and Zoning Commission for their consideration at a later date.

This horse was found at Elmira and West Bluff in Orange. Contact Rocky Bridges from Orange County Sheriff’s Office (409) 883-2612 if you recognize this horse or know who it belongs to.

Battalion Chief Lee Ann Brown with the Orange Fire Department said that a carbon monoxide detector saved the lives of a family of five early Monday morning. The department was called at 2 a.m. Monday to a house on Circle E. The family has a gas water heater, stove and furnace. Capt. Brown said the family told her they had only recently started using the furnace. The flame in the furnace was burning orange instead of blue, meaning carbon dioxide was being released. The fire department's monitors started sounding within seconds of entering the house. Capt. Brown reports that the CO levels in the children's bedrooms and other places were high. She said she has no doubts the monitor, which was installed by the landlord, saved the family. The fire department opened windows and helped air out the house. The department said the water heater and stove were working correctly. The family was told not to use the furnace until a certified technician checked it out.

The West Orange - Stark High School Stagelight Players will present Lend Me A Tenor by Ken Ludwig at the Carl Godwin Auditorium, Monday, Dec. 9 through Thursday, Dec. 12. Ticket prices are $5 for student(s)/teacher(s) and $7 for general admission. Tickets may be purchased at WO-S High School Black Box Theater or by contacting Ray Jones, WO-S Theater instructor at rajo@woccisd.net. Tickets may also be purchased at the door. The play, presented by special arrangement with Samuel French, Inc., is rated PG-13. The show will begin at 7 p.m. Pictured are seniors Matthew Wagner and Emily Amy who play the lead characters, Max and Maggie.