After a hot day on the water, a heated exchange at the Orange Boat Ramp sent one man to the hospital and another to jail Saturday evening. Orange Police say two parties were attempting to take their boats out of the water when words were exchanged and that turned into a fight between two men. One of the men was knocked to the ground and when he got up the other then pulled out a knife, cutting the back of his neck. Samuel Cecil Sanchez III, 34, of Orange, was arrested and charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. Brian Gordy, 50, of Orange, was treated at the hospital with … [Read more...] about Altercation Sends One To Hospital

The Orange City Council agreed to keep the effective tax rate for a second year in a row. The rate, based on property tax appraisals, is a fraction of a penny more than the current rate and will be 70.96 cents per $100 value. "We have been blessed. The last four years we have not had to raise taxes to operate the city and it's about to catch up with us," City Manager Shawn Oubre said. The council met Wednesday in another budget workshop and had to balance expenses and income. For instance, the police department requested four new SUVs for patrol, but the city is buying only three. Also … [Read more...] about Orange Tax Rate Remains Same

The Commissioners Court met for about an hour Friday.  They discussed positions in the county that might be eligible for reclassification which could mean an increase in pay for those positions. County Judge Brint Carlton indicates 21 positions are being considered for an increase in classification by the Court.  Carlton stated, “On Tuesday is when we’re going to take our final vote on any of these if any of these are going ultimately to be selected for reclassification.” Two department heads spoke to the Commissioners about reclassifying positions in their departments.  Karen Fisher … [Read more...] about Reclassification Discussions

The West Orange-Cove school district had the largest construction project in the city of Orange in July, according to building permits. The district received a permit for $293,000 worth of renovation work at the football stadium on Green Avenue at 15th Street. Overall, July was slow for construction and remodeling projects. In the commercial category, Hibernia National Bank, 3738 16th Street, installed two new ATMs worth $40,000 total. For residential improvements, a homeowner in the 1600 block of Englewood Drive took out a permit for a $24,000 addition. A house on Echo Loop is getting … [Read more...] about Orange Building Permits in July