On Friday a jury found James Holden not guilty in the capital murder of Theresa Foskey.

West Orange-Stark High School moves out of Unacceptable status and becomes Acceptable after 2010 TEA Accountability Ratings released Friday.  Other OC schools and Deweyville also see improvements.  Ratings

Quincy Raney, 27, of Orange, was indicted by the Orange County Grand Jury on three separate cases of Felony Possession of a Controlled Substance.  More indictments.

Six Bridge City High School Yearbook students participated in Taylor Publishing Company's Communications Workshop July 23-26 at Texas A&M University. The team won the Marketing Excellence trophy along with the Certificate of Excellence for Color Strategies. The yearbook students who attended the workshop were Stephanie Sehon, Logan McNeil, Christina Tallant, Stormy Dupuis, Lauren Porter and Hunter Stevens. Genevieve Garrison is the Yearbook Advisor.

The jury in the trial of James Holden will continue deliberating Friday after failing to reach a verdict on Thursday. Holden, 42, is accused of killing Theresa Foskey in 1995. Foskey was 28 when she was believed to be murdered in her Bridge City mobile home.  Holden is facing a life sentence if convicted.

Chief Warrant Officer II Brooks L. Mouton recently made a stop at the Southeast Texas Regional Airport in route to the port of Beaumont. He and other Blackhawk pilots were dropping off their helicopters to be shipped to Afghanistan. This was part of the deployment process for the 4TH Infantry Division which is now serving in Afghanistan. Brooks is the son of David and Patty Mouton of Orange. He asks that you pray for him and for all the men and women serving our great nation.

FOUND! Tex Sanders is missing from his home on Sunset Dr. in Orange.  Call 670-6516 if you've seen him.

Longtime Orange Police Chief Sam Kittrell has decided to retire after more than 23 years as chief, which included several stints as chief and city manager. He will stay with the department through the end of the year. Kittrell said his retirement announcement had nothing to do with Captain Robert Arnold shooting James Whitehead on Monday. "I've been thinking about this for some time," said Kittrell. "Things are running about as smoothly here as they have been and I think now is the time to pass the torch of leadership." Kittrell began his law enforcement career in 1973 as a member of the Orange County Sheriff's Department. Read more on "The Chief."

The "Bat Count" at Shangri La has been rescheduled for August 3.

Orange Police Captain Robert  Arnold was off-duty inside O'Reilly Auto Parts on 16th St. Monday afternoon at approximately 5:07pm when he got into an altercation with a customer, who was using profane language in front of the Captain's daughter.  The incident continued outside where Arnold shot James Whitehead, 28, of West Orange  Whitehead died at the hospital.

LOCAL WEATHER RADAR

The Texas Association of School District Police Chiefs, recently awarded their annual scholarship of $1,000.00. This years recipient was Emily Navarro of Bridge City. The award goes to a qualified student who is the child of a Texas School District Police Officer and has chosen criminal justice as a career path. Emily is a student at Lamar State College - Orange, pursuing a criminal justice degree. She is the daughter of George Navarro, who is the Police Chief for the Bridge City Independent School District.

Four West Orange-Stark Journalism students participated in Taylor Publishing Company's Communications Workshop July 23-26 at Texas A&M University. All four students earned awards while there. Alex Jenkins earned Outstanding Feature Story and Creative Knock-Out for her Newspaper work. Kylie Hughes earned an award for Outstanding Team Work for her Photography work and Brittany Hagan and Alayna Jacobs earned a Certificate of Excellence for Thematic Presentation for their 2010-2011 yearbook theme, "All You Need to Know." Meri Elen Jacobs is the Journalism Advisor.

PFC Nathan Michael Coffey, Marine Corp, graduated from recruit training in San Diego, California. He is currently attending Military Police School in Fort Leonard Wood, MO. and will graduate September 15, 2010. Future assignments are still up in the air. Proud parents are Mike and Lisa, sister Sarah, brother Travis and niece Marley.

Lamar State College-Port Arthur will award 27 associate degrees and 67 technical certificates to 90 graduates during the summer commencement, which begins at 6:30 p.m. Friday, August 13, in the Carl Parker Multipurpose Center, 1800 Lakeshore Drive. The commencement speaker will be Wayne Moore, administrator of Christus Hospital - St. Mary in Port Arthur. Candidates for associate of arts degrees from Orange County include: Bridge City: Matthew Ryan Robertson (academic studies). Candidates for associate of applied science degrees include: Orange: Hailey Michelle Thurber (instrumentation); Minaz B. Daredia (surgical technology). Candidates for certificates of completion include: Bridge City: Nicolle Marie Inagaki (cosmetology operator); Amber Leigh Peterson (vocational nursing). Orange: Morgan Brooke Bonnin (cosmetology operator); Minaz B. Daredia (surgical technology); Kristina Juni Armstrong and Heather Lynn Mires (vocational nursing). Orangefield: Tabitha Lavonne LeJeune (cosmetology operator).

Katelyn Norman, a 2010 graduate of Bridge City and former captain of the Strutters, was recently selected as a Kilgore Rangerette. Katelyn is one of 36 young women to be named to the prestigious drill team.

The City of Orange Fire Department responded to a report of a house fire at the corner of 9th Street and Hart Street at 1:25AM Sunday morning. Orange Police units arrived first and reported the fire was burning through the roof. First arriving fire crews initiated a quick attack strategy and the fire was brought under control in approximately 20 minutes. The home was vacant and the cause of the fire is currently under investigation by the fire marshal’s office.

Orangefield ISD Registration Information

The Office of Karen Jo Vance, Orange County Clerk, announces marriage license applications for the week of July 19, 2010 through July 23, 2010. Justin D. Fletcher and Shea D. Seymore; Shawn P. Hall and Heather D. Gregg; Grant W. Jones and Margaret E. Williams; Jon L. Ward and Grace H. Fontanilla; Jacob R. Williams and Jamie R. LeMaire; Ricky D. Strickland and Shawna D. Jarrell; Chad A. Humphrey and Lorena Claro; Robert J. Richardson and Crystal L. Falcon; Austin G. Farias and Rachel E. Briggs; Sammy B. Mills and Anissa R. Hawkins; Matthew G. Gibson and Gabbriell M. Lee; James D. Kelly and Melodye A. LeBlanc.

Mrs. Barbara Winfree was appointed, by the Board of Commissioners, to the Precinct #2 Port of Orange Commissioner Seat, on Monday, July the 19th. The seat was vacated due to the death of her husband Mr. Lester Winfree. Mrs. Winfree will complete the term of her late husband. The meeting was attended by numerous friends and family.

The Third Annual Signature Weekend for the Red Cross is almost here and volunteers are busy with preparations for the Paint the Town Red Gala and Swing Red Golf Tournament. Their goal is to raise $30,000 for the organization. more

Orange Mayor Brown Claybar gave a proclamation to Rocky Wilson (left) and Mike Manshack of the Orange Amateur Radio Club, recognizing the efforts of ham radio operators during emergencies.  The Orange Amateur Radio Club meets August 6th at 7:30PM at the Orange Red Cross office. Guest speaker will be Jeff Kelley, OC Emergency Management Coordinator. If you are interested in Amateur (HAM) radio email the club at orangearc@live.com.

A new report shows 80.8 percent of Texas Small Businesses eligible for health care tax credits. More than 80.8 percent of Texas small businesses with fewer than 25 employees will be eligible this year for tax credits to help pay the cost of employee health coverage, according to a new report issued by the consumer health organization Families USA and small business advocacy group Small Business Majority.  more 

One day you have a lush, green St. Augustine lawn and then you notice gray spots on the leaves. Soon, large parts of your lawn look like they've been blow-torched.  The culprit is most likely a fungus called gray leaf spot, said Dr. Young-Ki Jo, a Texas AgriLife Extension Service plant pathologist who works with turfgrass diseases statewide. more

Buy those Forever stamps now. The cost of mailing a letter is going up again. Fighting to survive a deepening financial crisis, the Postal Service said Tuesday it wants to increase the price of first-class stamps by 2 cents — to 46 cents — starting in January. Other postage costs would rise as well. The agency's persisting problem: ever-declining mail volume as people and businesses shift to the Internet and the declining economy reduces advertising mail.

An email with a historic pictorial look on Orange has been going around.  If you haven't seen it you can see it here