NASA Astronaut Captain Lee Morin and NASA Engineer Jeff Fox visited the Mauriceville Elementary recently to take part in their Read Across America Celebration. This year's theme was "There's No Place Like Space!" Captain Morin spoke to over 700 students and community members about the importance of reading in attaining your dreams. An avid reader, Captain Morin has over 4000 books in his personal library. He also read Dr. Seuss's, "Oh The Places You'll Go" to students in the library. Also in attendance were Texas State Representative Mike Hamilton, The Astronomical Society of South East Texas, The Shangri La Starlab, and guest readers Dan and Marcia Perrine.

Tuesday night officers of the Orange Police Department were dispatched to the Oaks Apartments at 111 Pine in reference to a vehicle that had struck an apartment building. Two victims inside the apartment were transported to Memorial Hermann Baptist Hospital Orange by Acadian Ambulance Service with minor injuries. The driver of the vehicle, a 24 year old male, was located a short time later. The incident is currently under investigation by the Detective Division of the Orange Police Department.

The Stark Museum of Art will open its new special exhibition, Blooms: Floral Art in the Stark Collections, with a preview and reception on Friday, March 12, from 5:00 to 7:30 p.m. The event is open to the public and admission is free. The Ed Dix Jazz Quartet will play during the preview and docents will give gallery introductions. Blooms: Floral Art in the Stark Collections opens March 13. Blooms focuses on the flower as an inspiration for the visual arts. The exhibition will include hand-colored prints in rare books such as Robert Thornton’s The Temple of Flora, and decorative arts such as porcelain floral arrangements by the Royal Worcester Porcelain Company and engraved glass by H.P. Sinclaire. Still life paintings and floral studies by twentieth century artists such as Georgia O’Keeffe and Joseph Henry Sharp are also part of the exhibition. The exhibition includes an educational area for children and families with interactive learning elements such as a matching game, reading area and flower drawing station.

April Wilson, 23, of Orange, told police she was driving south on 16th St. Monday afternoon following a shower, and as she went to change lanes, she fish-tailed, ran up the curb and took out a light pole, shrubs and a fence at Shangri La. Fortunately she did not need medical attention.

Auto Burglary Prevention Tips from the OC Sheriff's Office-
Vehicle burglaries are very difficult cases to solve as there is usually very little physical evidence left behind after one has occurred. The crimes usually occur in the early morning hours in apartment or business parking lots when it is less likely the thieves will be seen. In order to help reduce the risk of becoming a victim of a car burglary we have provided some easy tips to follow.

KOGT has learned that Mike Sanchez, DuPont Sabine River Works Site Manager, will be leaving the Orange plant after being named Global Program Director, Process Safety Management. Sanchez will work with the Operations Regional Leaders to provide overall leadership for the improvement of Process Safety Management systems across Operations. He will work from the DuPont Cypress Station offices located just north of Houston. Sanchez succeeded Jerry Ehrman as plant manager just over three years ago. He will be replaced by Bobby Laughlin who has been the plant manager at the DuPont site in LaPorte.

Specialty chemicals producer Lanxess Group is expanding global capacity by 50,000 metric tons/year of its high-performance neodymium butadiene rubber. The $27 million project will increase production between the first quarter of 2011 and first quarter of 2012 at plants in Orange; Dormagen, Germany; and Cabo, Brazil. In a statement, the German company says the capacity expansion is needed because of projected 10% global demand growth for Nd-BR rubber in coming years-especially in the BRIC markets of Brazil, Russia, India and China. "Without this capacity expansion, there would be a worldwide product shortage for this type of material by 2014," says Axel C. Heitmann, chairman of the management board.

Orange Police Reports-
      The State Farm Office at 3127 16th St in Orange notified police on March 9, at 7:53 AM that they had been burglarized. A window had been broken and a large amount of computer hardware had been stolen.
     Orange Police reported an Orange woman being scammed on her Facebook account. The victim said she had been contacted a subject identifying themselves as Milia Yea on Facebook. Yea told her she had been selected to win a prize of $10,000 and a HP Laptop. All the victim had to do is send a total of $150 to Milia Yea to cover cost and Yea would send the prizes. After feeling convinced the woman was telling the truth the victim sent $150 to Milia Yea by Western Union to an unknown address in Moorefield West Virginia. After the payment had been accepted, Milia Yea emailed the victim back and was asking for $550.00 more to cover unexpected charges. She then contacted police to report the crime and having never received the prizes.
     On Monday, March 8 at approximately 12:37 a.m., Orange Police responded to a theft at the Hampton Inn. The clerk said someone had taken a monitor and a printer from the business center.
     On Monday, March 08, 2010 at 1:47 a.m. and Orange Police officer on patrol noticed the glass on the door of Red's Liquor was broken. After the building search produced no suspects the owner was called who produced surveillance video of a black male throwing a large rock threw the window and stealing two bottles of vodka.
     A shoplifter was caught at HEB on 16th St. after an employee saw him place food items under his clothing. Alphonse Sean Larkins was detained until police arrived. A check of Larkins produced multiple convictions for other thefts. Due to the prior thefts, this Class-C misdemeanor theft was enhanced to a State Jail Felony. The items stolen totaled $32.71.

Advisory #4- Persons having interests in the Sabine River Basin below the reservoir are hereby advised that at 8:45 A.M. on Tuesday, March 9, 2010, the reservoir elevation was 172.29' m.s.l. Currently, one generator is out of service for repairs and the other generator is operating 24 hours per day, 7 days per week. Six (6) spillway gates are opened one (1) foot each for a total discharge (spillway & powerhouse) of 13,744 cfs.

Wayne Charlot of David Self Ford Lincoln Mercury recently received his Ford Master Certification Award from David Self. Wayne, originally from Church Point, Louisiana, began his career with Ford Motor Company in 1978 when he moved to Orange where he still lives with his wife and son. Just saying that he has completed certification in Chassi s Master, Steering And Suspension, Electrical Systems, Climate Control and Brakes does not sound like much; however, Wayne had to complete thousands of hours of training – both in classroom and through the internet – to complete his certification.

One of the three incumbents running for re-election on the Orange City Council has received an opponent as Elgin Browning announced Friday he is running against Place 1 Councilwoman Theresa Beauchamp in the May 8 Election. Browning, a 1976 graduate of West Orange High, is the Emergency Response Chief for Invista.  The two other incumbents running unopposed are Mayor Brown Claybar and councilman Jeff Holland.

Three people have now applied for Rick Gandy's (Position 6) seat on the Little Cypress-Mauriceville CISD School Board.  Rex Peveto has thrown his name into the hat and will run against Kent Crow and Kolby Flowers.  Gandy will not run for re-election.  Pos. 7 Incumbent Danielle Heil will be opposed by Spencer Fuss. in the May 8 Election.

Bridge City School Board members Rebecca Rutledge - Place 3, Thad Hill - Place 4, and Jerry McInnis- Place 5 all applied for re-election and did not receive any opposition.

Bridge City Mayor Kirk Roccaforte will be opposed by Steven Bland.  In Place 6, Louis Davis has elected not to run again.  Running for that seat will be Donald Bartz and Lucy Fields.

No opposition in West Orange and Pinehurst.  WO councilmen Dale Dardeau, Mike Shugart and Shirley Bonin will run unopposed, as will Mayor TW Permenter, Bob Williams, and John Zerko in Pinehurst.

An 850 mile bike ride to raise money for a school for students with disabilities began in Orange Saturday morning.  Steve Hicks (with scissors) is the chairman of the Rise Across Texas campaign which is raising some 5 million dollars for Rise Schools of Texas.  The first leg of the journey (45 miles) to Kountze included Governor Rick Perry who spoke to the Orange audience before they began the ride.  The 20 bike riders will also stop in Montgomery, Brenham, Bastrop, Austin, Wimberley, Kerrville, Leakey, Bracketville,  Del Rio, Sanderson, and Marathon before arriving in Presidio March 20.  More pictures in our gallery

Little Cypress Junior High achieved a first when they won the 2010 District UIL Academic and Literary Team meet, competing against junior highs and middle schools from across Southeast Texas. Although ranked second for both portions of the two day event, LCJH earned a total of 480 points during competition, which put them in First Place overall; 54 points above their nearest competitor. Eighteen LCJH teachers prepared students for the event. According to Cathy Kimbrow, who along with Stephanie Lyons coordinates the LCJH Team, “Having students who competed on the elementary UIL team prior to junior high has helped prepare them for competition on the junior high level.

This is "Bella" who is missing from her home in Duhon Village off HWY 87. She is wearing her collar with her tag. If you've seen Bella in that area call James at 409-344-0644.

Female yellow lab is missing from her home around Briarhill and MLK. She is wearing a green collar with a rabies tag from cypress animal clinic on it. Please call 779-8173 or 670-3840 if you have any information.

Paul L. Peveto, CPA was elected as a Director of Orange Savings Bank and its parent company OSB Financial Services Inc. in a meeting held on January 26, 2010. Tommie Gunn, Chairman of the Board stated, “The board looks forward to having Paul as a board member, and I expect him to assist the board, executive officers and all employees in achieving all of the bank's long range objectives.” President CEO, Stephen Lee added, “I have known Paul for over fifteen years and witnessed his relentless pursuit of success in his own business endeavors. His addition to our Board represents the opportunity to leverage his experience, drive and expertise as we strive to maintain our market leadership in Orange County. We are excited and honored to have Paul on our Board.” Mr. Peveto is an employee and Director of Cloeren Inc and owns CFO Consulting that provides services to a variety of entities including but not limited to Manufacturing, Consulting, Aircraft, Oil and Gas, Contracting, Banking, Financing, Business Valuation Family Office and Service Organizations. Mr. Peveto is a graduate of East Texas State University and holds a Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting and is a Certified Public Accountant in Texas. Paul is a native of Orange County and he and his wife Leigh Ann have three Children, Haley, Madison and Cole. Paul is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, Texas Society of Certified Public Accountants, is Past President, Vice President and Treasurer of Southeast Texas Chapter of Texas Chapter of Certified Public Accountants. He is a current Board member of CASA of Orange County and Legacy Christian School and a graduate of Leadership Southeast Texas.

Look Left and "Cast Your Vote"

Deweyville High School students competed in the Skills USA District 7 competition with a completely shop fabricated 12’ x 6’ utility trailer. The students received two first place blue ribbons and a rating of superior for the project. The team is now qualified to compete March 25-27 at the state championship. The team consisted of (L to R) Josh Nolan, Jerry Lummus and Brennan Broussard. They were also assisted by Channing O’Bannon, Cecil Williams and Hunter Hardin. These students exhibited the skills of professional welders enabling them to complete the trailer in less than two months, all while maintaining an active academic and athletic schedule.

The City of Orange Fire Department responded to a report of a house fire on the corner of Schley and 2nd Streets last night at 1:26AM. First arriving units reported that a house under construction had heavy fire showing from the second floor. Fire crews initiated a quick attack and extinguished the fire quickly. The home was not occupied and under construction. The cause of the fire is under investigation and is being considered suspicious.

This spring Orangefield's Jourdyn May will join other outstanding high school students from across the United States in a unique career development program in our nation’s capital. During the six-day program, the National Youth Leadership Forum on National Security: Exploring American Diplomacy, Intelligence and Defense will introduce students to the challenging careers in national security, intelligence, the diplomatic corps and more. “Imagine being 16 or 17 years old and the responsibility of securing the United States at home and abroad rests on your shoulders. Through specialized simulations, the National Youth Leadership Forum on National Security strives to put students in the driver’s seat of building a strategy that will uphold our national security,” said Marguerite Regan, Dean of Academic Affairs for NYLF.

Little Cypress-Mauriceville High School choir students participated in the Region X, UIL Solo and Ensemble Competition at Robert E. Lee High School in Baytown. The students earned 17 First Division Medals. Students earning First Division on Class III solos receive a bronze medal; Class II winners are awarded silver medals; and Class I soloists receive a gold medal. The solos are ranked by difficulty, with Class I being the most challenging. Tori Weeks received a medal for a Class III Solo. Class II Solo winners were Sterling Miller and Lacy Woodard. Those earning gold medals and qualifying for State competition in May are: Brandon Boze, Zach Blanchard, John Clark, Ryan Courtier, Cydney Hines, Jamie Hudson, Gabrielle Johnson, Jonathan McCollum, Jessica Mugleston, Mackenzie Price, Emily Torbert, Rico Vasquez, Ashtin Williamson, and Sarah Wilmore.

Orange County Building Permits for Feb. 2010.

Starting Feb 15th thru April 1st, the Pinehurst Municipal Court will offer an Amnesty Program. This program will allow any person with outstanding warrants through the City of Pinehurst, come in to make arrangements with the court. At this time all warrant fees will be dismissed, as long as the defendant completes the arrangement made by the court. Each case will be handled on its on merits, so this is a second chance to clear up the warrants. This will save you time, money, and the embarrassment of being arrested at your job or simply on a traffic stop. This will also help those with a hold on the renewal of their license. The Judge will be in court on Mondays at 3 pm or Thursdays at 8:30 am. If you are not sure if you have a warrant, simply call 409-886-3873.

Does the state of Texas have unclaimed property that belongs to you?  click here

	The Orange print is available in 4 different sizes at the KOGT Studios on Meeks Dr. Prints already framed are for sale at Pinehurst Gallery.

Hurricane Ike and Rita books are currently available at the KOGT Studios on Meeks Drive for a limited time.  Office hours are Mon-Fri from 9-noon and 1-5p.

CHECK OUT the KOGT Photo Gallery where you can purchase photos on-line. Click on Photo Gallery Button on the left. New galleries will be added regularly, so check it often.

If you have a news story or see news happening, email us or call the station and let us know about it.
 

Do you have an outstanding warrant in Orange County?  Might want to check the list.  

KOGT.com only carries summations of news stories.  For the full story including interviews, tune in to KOGT Vocal News at 6:30, 7:30, 8:30, and 11:50am, as well as 4:30 and 5:30pm weekdays.

You can find out if you, your friends, or your relatives have outstanding warrants in the City of Orange by clicking on the orangetexas.net website. The City of Orange Municipal Court is open Monday - Friday from 8:00 am until 5:00 pm. Court is held at 8:30 am on Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday. If you have any questions about an outstanding ticket you may talk to the Municipal Court staff at 883-1063.