Irregularities found in NABSE conference

Transcription

Vol. 16, No. 48
50 cents
Feb. 16-22, 2012
BLACK HISTORY MONTH
Georgine
Guillory:
Taking care
of business
The Independent Voice of Southeast Texas
Wasteful
Page 20 A
WRECKED
Top Gun wrecker service
grounded over big bill
Page 11 A
MIXED MARTIAL ARTS
Southeast Texans vie for
Rage in the Cage titles
Page 23 A
Irregularities found in NABSE
conference reimbursements at BISD
Page 6 A
2A
Feb. 16-22, 2012 The Examiner
3A
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4A
TAKE TIME TO CHECK YOUR
WITHHOLDING
Did you receive or are you expecting a big refund on
your 2011 taxes? Or worse still, did you wind up with
an unexpected tax bill? In either case it might be time to
adjust your withholding.
Many people like to receive a refund from the IRS –
they look upon it as a form of forced saving. If you’re
of this opinion, that’s fine. But too big a refund means
you’re wasting your money, giving an interest-free loan to the
government.
On the other hand, if you underpaid your taxes by more than
$1,000 and don’t meet certain
other exceptions, you could be hit
with a penalty. All sorts of things
can cause underpayment of taxes.
You might receive interest, diviRYAn C. HARkeY, CPA,
IS A PARTneR AT
dend, or tip income on which no
POllAnS & COHen P.C.
taxes are withheld. If you’ve been
unemployed, your unemployment benefits could
increase your tax bill. And, of course, if you’re selfemployed, it’s your responsibility to make estimated tax
payments. These should cover both income taxes and
FICA taxes (social security and Medicare).
There are two ways to adjust the taxes you pay. If
you’re an employee, you can file a new Form W-4 with
your employer. To increase withholding, you can either
reduce the number of exemptions you claim on the W-4,
or you can specify an extra dollar amount to be withheld from every paycheck. Alternatively, you can make
estimated tax payments to cover the taxes you owe in
each quarter.
However you do it, you should adjust your 2012 withholding to match the taxes you expect to owe for 2012.
If you need assistance determining the right withholding
in your situation, give us a call.
&
POLLANS
COHEN, P.C.
Certified Public Accountants
470 Orleans Street • Beaumont, TX 77701
(409) 832-7400
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On the Inside
Calvin Walker trial may move ............................7 A
Any erroneous reflection upon the character, standing or reputation of any person, firm
or corporation which may occur in the copy of
The Examiner will be gladly corrected upon
being brought to the attention of the editor.
Published Thursday, 52 weeks a year. ISSN
1551-9198. The Examiner is published by The
Examiner Corporation. Copyright 2011 The
Examiner Corporation. All rights reserved.
Who Is This?
Port Arthur city manager search begins again ....8 A
Temple-Inland gets new owner...........................9 A
Top Gun nixed as county wrecker ....................11A
Madilynn’s miracle ...........................................12A
News Shorts ......................................................16A
Community rallies behind Racer ......................22A
News of the Weird ............................................35A
Annie’s Mailbox ...............................................36A
The ‘Taste’ returns ..............................................4 B
Game Plan ...........................................................6 B
In the Dark ..........................................................8 B
Events................................................................11B
Out & About with Albert Nolen .......................12B
88 Miles West ...................................................31B
Letters to the Editor
We want to know what you’re thinking! We welcome snail-mail, emails and phone calls. Please,
address your correspondence to Letters to the Editor, 795 Willow, Beaumont, Texas, 77701, email
[email protected], or call (409) 832-1400. As
the Independent Voice of Southeast Texas, we look
forward to continuing to provide the area with indepth coverage of local news.
This week’s “Who Is This?” was born
in Beaumont and raised in Vidor alongside seven siblings, so she had to learn
early on how to make herself heard. That
would serve her well later in her media
career. But first, she was a Sonic car hop
by age 16. A lover of softball and sports
in general, she would ultimately graduate
from Vidor High School and marry her
high school sweetheart. The couple just
celebrated 20 years of marriage.
Answer on page 23 B
5A
6A
Conference accounting
Beaumont educators prepare for TABSE
as district’s NABSE bills are recalculated
By Jerry Jordan
Managing Editor
Three months after attending the
National Alliance of Black School
Educators (NABSE) annual conference in New Orleans where BISD
Superintendent Carrol Thomas was
recognized as the outgoing president
of the organization, school district officials are now headed to San Antonio
for the Texas Alliance of Black School
Educators (TABSE) conference.
While at least 82 people attended
the New Orleans conference, it is
believed that about 20 BISD administrators and employees will be in San
Antonio. The conference is designed to
target the education of African-American students and carries a motto of
“Education is a civil right: Today’s
strategies that build tomorrow’s leaders of African descent.”
While some have focused on the
fact that NABSE and TABSE – based
on their mission statements – target
only black students, BISD Trustee
Mike Neil said he isn’t going into that.
He said the problem he has is the
money that BISD is spending when
times are tight and the district should
be tightening its financial belt.
BISD employees do attend other
conferences but none received the
attention or number of attendees from
BISD that the NABSE conference
does, which listed the Rev. Jessie Jackson as its keynote speaker. Other conferences that BISD employees attend
include those for math and science
teachers, English teachers, Title 1 programs, school administration, and gifted and talented programs, to name a
few.
A review of records
from the NABSE conference revealed it cost
much more than the
$88,000
previously
reported to the media by
the district. The number increased
because the district failed to include
individual costs associated with conference registration fees of about
$32,000 and it didn’t include another
$5,000 in charges to an American
Express credit card used by Superintendent Thomas – pushing the total for
TEXAS
805 P ark
Two BISD employees were reimbursed for airfare from Beaumont to New
Orleans, but officials have not said why this was permitted or if it was legal.
the trip above $120,000. Those credit
card charges were for hotels rooms,
presumably used by BISD trustees and
some members of Thomas’ administrative cabinet. A preliminary cost for the
San Antonio trip was not available at
press time.
“When we were told it was only
$88,000, I knew that wasn’t right.
Those numbers weren’t even close,”
Neil said. “None of this makes sense,
but that is stupid spending. We need to
watch the nickels and dimes, and
$120,000 isn’t nickels and dimes. This
is not about it being a black organization. We are in a financial crunch, and
to me that is a lot of wasteful spending.
That is a bunch of money for a conference.”
While not
all of the
receipts from
the
New
Orleans event
have
been
turned over in compliance with a Texas
Public Information Act request made
in December, what is available shows
a number of inconsistencies and raises
questions about what BISD employees
sought reimbursement for. Most of the
attendees were reimbursed for mileage
but two were reimbursed for airfare
from the Jack Brooks Regional Airport
to the Louis Armstrong International
Airport in New Orleans, along with
cab fare or shuttle fees.
Verna Azore spent $585.40 on a
flight from Beaumont to New Orleans
and another $50 on baggage fees for
items she checked with the airline.
Lady Savoi-Watson also flew to New
Orleans. The cost of her airline ticket
was $605.40 plus $50 for a checked
bag with the airline and an additional
$38 on a shuttle
from the airport to
the Hilton New
Orleans.
“There is no reason to have flown two people,” Neil
said. “I don’t know why we would pay
someone to fly to New Orleans.”
According to a review of other
travel reimbursement documents for
the New Orleans trip, other administrators, teachers and BISD officials were
reimbursed a travel allowance based
on a round trip from Beaumont to New
Orleans. The district is required to use
a mileage calculation chart and the
amount consistently reimbursed was
$318.57 based on a rate of 55.5 cents
per mile.
According to BISD board policy,
“An employee of the district shall be
Pradaxa
reimbursed for authorized mileage
incurred while performing duties related to the job only if such travel is at the
request of the employee’s immediate
supervisor and is approved by the
superintendent or designee.”
When asked about why some
employees were allowed to fly to the
conference rather than be reimbursed
for mileage, BISD assistant spokesperson Craig Eichhorn did not have an
answer.
“I didn’t attend that conference, but
I will see what I can find out,” he said.
An e-mail sent to his boss, BISD
communications director Jessie
Haynes, did not receive a response by
press time.
The fact that some employees flew
to New Orleans rather than drive like
nearly all others who attended upset
BISD trustees Tom Neild, who said he
believes those employees should repay
the district the difference in travel
costs.
“To me it is real clear; they owe the
taxpayers the difference of what they
spent to fly versus what they spent to
drive unless there is some sort of justification that is presented,” Neild said.
“That needs to be clearly explained.”
Another concern was the number of
counselors and other employees who
attended the conference that weren’t
supposed to be there, such as Tamraka
McGriff, or Tamraka Manuel as she is
listed in BISD reimbursement documents. McGriff is the
assistant director of
the BISD transportation department.
A press release
from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the
Eastern District of Texas in 2010 stated, “According to information presented in court, in August 2005, McGriff enrolled her disabled minor son in
a state-funded residential program in
Austin. McGriff was aware that she
was required to report the change in
her son’s residential status to the Social
Security Administration, but failed to
do so. Additionally, McGriff’s income
increased beyond Social Security
requirements and her entitlement to
benefits ceased completely in July
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2008. In total, McGriff received over
$15,000 in benefits to which she was not
entitled.”
McGriff, who pleaded guilty to the
federal charges 18 months ago and is on
probation, received a $1,514.65 advance
for the trip from BISD, which included
$318.57 in mileage reimbursement.
A call was made to the federal probation department, but it was not immediately clear if McGriff had permission to
attend the event. A spokesperson said
they would have to review the file.
“I was told as a board member that the
only people going were principals and
assistant principals — if they went, that
counted as their conference for the year,”
Neild said. “If someone other than principals went, then that needs to be reimbursed to the district.”
Another irregularity in the travel
reimbursements involved Jessie Kibbles
and his wife, Michelle. Michelle works
at the administration building and Jessie
is a principal at Pathways. According to
the travel documents filed, both Kibbles
stayed at the same hotel and both received
payment for mileage; however, only
Michelle Kibbles turned in receipts for
parking.
“If they both say they drove to New
Orleans, then why didn’t they both turn
in receipts for parking,” Mike Neil asked.
“I think you know the answer, but let me
ask you a question: If you go to New
Orleans and your wife goes to New
Orleans at the same time for the same
conference, is it likely you are going to
drive separate vehicles?”
Gabrielle Polk was provided a
$1,058.62 travel advance for the conference but it is not known if she attended
the NABSE event because BISD has not
provided any receipts to justify the
amount she was paid.
To their credit, BISD officials did
catch some items that were turned in for
reimbursement that would not be allowed
under BISD policy or state law. One in
particular was a pay-per-view movie for
$15.99 and room service in the amount
of $35.53 by Margie Clayton, who works
at Charlton Pollard Elementary. Clayton,
who stayed at the Wyndham Riverfront
Hotel, also turned in expenses for Internet usage and two breakfast receipts –
one for $21.46 and another for $54.09.
The latter charge indicated someone
was likely dining with her, which led to
a review of whether employees were
sharing rooms or had brought their
spouses along for the trip. Since BISD
employees and administrators stayed at
different hotels, it was difficult to determine who brought their spouses and who
didn’t but it was apparent that some did,
including David Harris, BISD’s assistant
superintendent for secondary education,
who had a king-sized bed with two
adults listed on the folio. In fact, there
were several BISD employees who
turned in travel documents for reimbursement that showed two guests in a
room where there was only a single kingsized bed.
“I am not saying we shouldn’t have
conferences, but for this amount of money we could have brought someone here
so all of our teachers and employees
could benefit. Let’s just say it like it is,”
Neild said after being presented with the
information. “It was an all expense paid
trip on the back of the taxpayers, so
people could go to New Orleans and
have a party. When everyone else around
the state and country is struggling, here
we go spending money like this. This is
inexcusable, and there is no way to justify it.
“I think the thing that bothers me the
most is that we haven’t given raises to
our teachers but we can spend $120,000
or more for a NABSE conference. And
now they are going to San Antonio, and
there is no telling what we will spend this
week.”
Neild said he is frustrated and he
believes he has been lied to about how
much money the district actually has
available.
“We have this money for NABSE and
TABSE and we are spending $3 million
to renovate Eugene-Field Elementary
out of our general budget. What that tells
me is that our budget is a sham,” he said.
“That lets me know that we have money
hidden in all kinds of accounts that we
should have been able to squeeze out to
give teachers a raise. If I am wrong, then
I want the administration to prove me
wrong, but that’s what it looks like to
me. The money that we spent on this trip
could have paid for four educational
aides that could help teachers in the district.
“This place is a runaway train, a runaway train. And the only way to stop it is
to get trustees on the board who want to
look after the best interests of the taxpayers’ money. Obviously, there are only a
couple of us with those concerns currently on the board. It’s unreal.”
Walker trial reset
Venue change possible
By Jerry Jordan
Managing Editor
U.S. District Judge Ron Clark
approved a request by Houston-based
defense attorney Dick DeGuerin to
reset the retrial of his client Calvin
Walker until a later date, and he is
reviewing a 177-page document filed
by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the
Eastern District of Texas requesting
the trial be moved to Lufkin.
DeGuerin requested the delay
because he had a case in Houston
that would conflict with the court’s
April 10 trial date. He is defending
BISD electrical contractor Calvin
Walker on fraud and other charges
related to the alleged overbilling of
the Beaumont Independent School
District. Walker was tried in December but the jury was deadlocked after
two days of deliberations and Clark
declared a mistrial.
The
judge
agreed and reset
the case to July 23
stating that Walker’s right to proper
counsel would be
impeded if the
case was not reset.
“To
require
Defendant to go to
trial in this case in Walker
April 2012 would unreasonably deny
him continuity of counsel,” the judge
wrote. “The ends of justice served by
granting Defendant’s request for a
continuance outweigh the best interests of the public and the Defendant
in a speedy trial. Failure to grant a
continuance in this case will likely
result in a miscarriage of justice.”
As for its motion, the prosecution
now wants a change of venue after
first arguing against it. The difference, according to court records, is
that prior to and during the proceedings, which ended in a mistrial, there
was extensive media coverage that
could adversely affect either side
from achieving a fair trial and add
unfair pressure to potential jurors.
“The first trial resulted in extensive media coverage,” states the
motion for transfer of trial. “Attached
hereto are 102 articles of news cover-
7A
age from five mainstream news outlets just prior to, during and after trial. Such extensive coverage of the
trial will make jury selection difficult
and put undue attention and pressure
on jurors who reside within the community who are eventually selected
to hear the case. Additionally, a purported letter of a plea offer was published by several local media.”
The prosecution recently offered
Walker a deal that would require him
to plead guilty to a state-level misdemeanor and surrender $4 million
seized by authorities but the deadline
passed and the offer was taken off the
table. The judge has not set a hearing
date for parties to argue their points
on moving the trial.
Now, prosecutors are moving forward with an IRS case against Walker, as well as the original case. However, a source has confided in The
Examiner that prosecutors are considering amending the original
37-count indictment against Walker.
The tax case would center around
Walker’s failure to report more than
$4 million in income on his federal
tax returns, which was discussed in
court during his first trial.
Ray Gregson, a retired IRS-Criminal Investigations senior special
agent said, the case against Walker
for not reporting his income is fairly
easy for the government to make.
“All you have to do is show that
someone got money and didn’t put it
on their tax return,” Gregson said. “It
is a pretty easy case to make because
you don’t have to show where the
money was spent or what a person
did with it. If it isn’t reported as
income then you have a case.”
According to federal statute, “Any
person who … willfully makes and
subscribes any return, statement, or
other document, which contains or is
verified by a written declaration that
is made under the penalties of perjury, and which he does not believe to
be true and correct as to every material matter; shall be guilty of a felony
and, upon conviction thereof; shall
be imprisoned not more than 3 years
or fined not more than $250,000 for
individuals ($500,000 for corporations) or both, together with cost of
prosecution.”
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Financial Advisor
Financial Advisor
Port Arthur city manager
Search set to begin again
as changing everything and
throwing the baby out with
the bathwater? No, I’m not
The dramatic and never- going to support doing that.”
ending search for Port
Mayor Prince, who said
Arthur’s city manager has she’s grown weary of the pubtaken a variety of turns, lic posturing by some council
including the revelation that members, said that a press
assistant city manager Becky conference held Friday, Feb.
Underhill – affectionately 3, by council members Beard,
known as “Candidate L” – did Harold Doucet, Kerry Thomas
indeed apply for the
and Raymond Scott
Port Arthur city manhas done more to disager position and that
courage progress on
after much public
the council rather
wrangling, the search
than encourage it.
is back to square one.
“It’s tainted the
A meeting is
process,” Prince said.
planned before the
The mayor was
city’s next scheduled
also upset about the
City Council meeting
mockery that was
Tuesday, Feb. 21,
made
regarding
according to Coun- Underhill
Underhill’s candidacy
cilman Bob Williamson, to set for the city manager position,
the parameters for what is and Prince staunchly denied
expected when the city begins trying to push any particular
its search anew and under candidate or hijack the search
what criteria the search will process.
be conducted.
“There were no names or
Williamson, who spent 33 races attached to the candidate
years as a Port Arthur cop and profiles,” Prince said, adding
faces an election this May for that she had no idea Underhill
his District 6 seat, said he’s in had applied for the position.
favor of the search starting “I’m not pushing anybody (for
completely over.
the position); the council
“I think at this point, I makes that decision.”
would be in favor of a new
Prince said the candidate
search,” said Williamson, profile sheet did not include
who has already served two the candidates’ race, name or
three-year terms on the Port sex but did include the candiArthur City Council and is date’s education, years of
eligible to serve one more experience and size of city
term if elected. “I think we’ll they currently work in.
keep the candidates we have
“It was the only one with a
from the existing list, and go CPA, and the size of the city
out for a new search, try to was 53,000,” Prince said of
put additional candidates on Candidate L’s credentials.
the list. The council ultimate- Underhill is a licensed Certily decides it, but that’s going fied Public Accountant and
to be my recommendation.”
Port Arthur’s population is
John Beard, who has spent 53,000.
nine years on the council in
Thus what helped lead to
the District 5 seat, said he’s the breakdown in the search
unsure what route the search process was the special meetwill take given the process ing requested by Williamson
that he says has been “cor- for the council to consider
rupted” by Williamson and Underhill despite Beard’s
Mayor Bobbie Prince.
contention that the council
“I’m not in favor of start- had agreed to four candidates
ing the process all over – not including Underhill – at
again,” said Beard. “We might the special meeting with
have to open it up some more, James Mercer of The Mercer
but change criteria? Change Group, which is heading the
criteria for what? There’s no nation-wide search.
need to change the criteria or
“We made the decision on
modify it. You might need to the 24th and Candidate L was
clarify some things, but as far eliminated after due and
By Fred Davis
Metro Editor
ample consideration – more
than ample consideration –
and I don’t see any need to go
back and change it. I don’t see
any need to go back and
change the criteria, and I see
this as an attempt to re-write
the rules to let someone back
in that you eliminated after
we all agreed upon it. You
can’t do that,” Beard said.
However, according to
Williamson, the reason Candidate L was eliminated from
consideration was because of
a misinterpretation of the candidate criteria. Williamson
said the criteria that was bandied about in the meeting on
the 24th insisted that any
potential candidate have at
least “eight years” of city
manager experience, which
would eliminate Underhill,
considering she’s never been
a city manager.
But according to the final
criteria prepared by The Mercer Group, which interviewed
each council member and the
mayor individually to get their
input on the city manager
requirements and used that
information to establish the
final criteria for the city manager, there is no specific mention that a candidate must
have city manager experience.
According to the pamphlet
prepared by The Mercer
Group given to prospective
candidates: “the ideal candidate for city manager of Port
Arthur will possess at least
nine years of increasingly
responsible experience in an
administrative, managerial or
staff capacity in a large municipal organization involving
the responsibility for planning, organization, implementation and supervision of varied work programs. Any combination of experience and
training that would likely provide the required knowledge
and abilities is qualifying.”
Williamson said after he
discovered that Candidate L
was dismissed over the incorrect requirement, he requested
the special meeting to consider adding her back into the
mix.
“And this was not a vote for
her to be the city manager, but
See CITY on page 17 A
Temple-Inland sold
9A
International Paper says
Orange plant to remain open
By James Shannon
Special to The Examiner
International Paper Company
announced this week that it has completed its acquisition of corrugated
packaging manufacturer TempleInland Inc., which is now a wholly
owned subsidiary of International
Paper (IP). The deal pays TempleInland common stockholders $32 in
cash per share. With the assumption of
$700 million in Temple-Inland net
debt, the total transaction value is
about $4.5 billion.
More important for the more than
350 Orange Linerboard Plant employees at the facility north of Little
Cypress in Orange County, there are
no plans to close or sell the plant as a
result of the acquisition.
Tom Ryan, senior public relations
manager for IP, said, “In the vast
majority of cases the name on the signs
at the plant will change, but we will
still be doing the same thing we have
been doing. That is making quality
products to meet our customers’
needs.”
In fact, the signs at the TempleInland’s Orange plant were covered
with vinyl banners proclaiming International Paper’s newly assumed ownership. Although the consummation of
the deal this week might have surprised some, IP first announced its
intention to acquire Temple-Inland for
$32 a share in September 2011.
The deal had come under scrutiny
from the U.S. Department of Justice
(DOJ) over possible violations of federal antitrust rules. With $25 billion in
annual revenue, International Paper
was already the largest producer of
containerboard in North America. The
combined company would have controlled 37 percent of the North American market, which the Justice Department said could have increased “the
volume of containerboard over which
International Paper would benefit from
a price increase, and likely would have
led International Paper to strategically
reduce its output of containerboard in
order to increase the market price.”
The DOJ approved the deal after IP
agreed to sell mills in Ontario, Calif.,
and Tennessee to remove 970,000 tons
of containerboard mill capacity. That
does not alter the fact IP was the largest player in the market, and that position is enhanced by the Temple-Inland
acquisition.
On a related note, IP declined to
offer specifics about the fate of some
430 employees at Temple-Inland’s
Austin headquarters, though SEC filings indicate Temple-Inland’s leadership team will not be retained.
But IP went to some lengths to complete this deal. John Faraci, IP chair-
The signs at
the TempleInland’s
Orange plant
were covered
with vinyl
banners proclaiming
International
Paper’s newly assumed
ownership.
man and CEO, released a statement
that said, “We are very pleased to have
completed this compelling transaction.
The combination of International Paper
and Temple-Inland strengthens our
North American packaging business
and enhances our ability to generate
cash flow while maintaining our strong
balance sheet. We look forward to
working with the employees of Temple-Inland as we successfully integrate
our businesses and create an even
stronger company with substantial
benefits for our customers, employees
and shareholders.”
This high-level corporate drama is a
long way from the sawmill Thomas
L.L. Temple founded in Diboll, Texas,
in 1894 to process timber for his
Southern Pine Lumber Company from
the 7,000 acres of timberland the company owned. By the time of Temple’s
death in 1935, those holdings had
grown to 278,000 acres.
In 1973, the magazine giant Time
Inc. acquired Temple Industries and
merged it with Eastex Pulp and Paper
Company to form Temple-Eastex Inc.
In 1983, Time joined Temple-Eastex
with Inland Container Corporation and
spun them off as Temple-Inland.
In 1986, Temple-Inland acquired
certain Owens-Illinois properties,
including the linerboard mill in Orange.
At the time of the sale to IP, the company’s corrugated packaging operation
consisted of seven mills and 59 converting facilities.
CASH
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truCkS
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10 A
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Mardi Gras economics
Festivals make cash registers ring along Gulf Coast
By James Shannon
Easter is a moveable feast that falls somewhere between March 22 and April 25 depending on the vernal equinox. The Roman Catholic Church mandates the 40 days before Easter
as a period of fasting and penance called Lent.
To get in as much fun as possible before Ash
Wednesday ushers in the Lenten deprivations,
the tradition of Mardi Gras arose – the term
literally means “Fat Tuesday.”
The annual bacchanal that is Mardi Gras in
New Orleans is a legendary party known
around the world, perhaps rivaled only by the
similarly themed Carnival in Brazil. Several
cities along the Texas Gulf Coast have established Mardi Gras traditions of their own in
recent years
Galveston Island celebrated Mardi Gras as
early as 1867, but the party had died down
until it was revived in 1985
by Galveston-born developer George P. Mitchell,
who had a new hotel complex and other properties
he figured would benefit
from an influx of off-season
tourists. In the 27 years since
the revival, the event has grown to impressive size. The celebration in Galveston
this year runs from Feb 10-21 and will
feature 26 concerts, 24 parades, 19 balcony parties and five elegant masked
balls.
According to Leah Cast, public relations manager for the Galveston Island
Convention & Visitors Bureau, “Mardi
Gras is our biggest event – it’s an event
that defines the city and everyone gets
involved in it. Economically, it’s huge for
us.”
Cast said the event kicks off on Feb. 10 with
big festivities on the weekends and Fat Tuesday, which falls on Feb. 21. She said the
crowd estimates for that period approach
300,000 with an economic impact around
$30 million.
“A lot of people don’t realize that outside
Baton Rouge and New Orleans, Galveston has
the largest Mardi Gras in the country,” noted
Cast.
The success of the 1985 Mardi Gras revival
in Galveston did not escape the attention of
civic boosters in Port Arthur, some 80 miles to
the east. The traditions associated with Mardi
Gras of Southeast Texas date back to the year
Bill Clinton became president. The first festival in 1993 was relatively small in size as
compared to more recent events. Mardi Gras
here has not just survived but flourished thanks
in large part to support from elected and
administrative officials, public works, police
and fire departments and about 1,200 volunteers.
When they block off Procter Street in downtown Port Arthur from Feb. 16-19 for Mardi
setx BIZ
a weekly column from the editor of the
BUSINESS JOURNAL
Gras, the residents of the city by the sea will
brace for the annual invasion of 250,000 of their
closest friends and neighbors. Area businesses
will roll out the welcome mat for the visitors
who will leave a large chunk of change in cash
registers around town. Exact calculation of the
dollars spent is an inexact science, but we’re
talking millions in a span of only four days.
“Based on the formulas from economic
development groups and chambers of commerce, a dollar turns over six times,” said
Mardi Gras Southeast Texas (MGSET) cofounder and past president Floyd Marceaux in
a 2011 interview with the Business Journal.
“Whenever we total up all the income – say,
$500,000 – we said $3 million was the economic impact; we tended always to be
conservative, but we’ve seen other festivals that stretch that number,” reported
Marceaux.
Tammy Kotzur is executive director
of the Port Arthur Convention and
Visitors Bureau. She said Mardi Gras
is one of the highlights of the city’s
annual calendar.
Like Marceaux, she is conservative
when trying to estimate the economic
impact of Mardi Gras – or any other
event.
Although she won’t put a number on it, Kotzur knows Mardi
Gras has Port Arthur cash registers singing. “Direct economic
impact includes hotel rooms, because
the hotels are always sold out Mardi
Gras weekends; restaurants because
despite the fact (visitors) go down to
Mardi Gras they don’t spend the entire
time there; gasoline for their
vehicles. Shopping? You’d have
to say yes,” she said.
The good will from the Mardi Gras of Southeast Texas continues as the nonprofit festival
makes significant annual contributions to local
nonprofit groups. “In 2010, MGSET contributed $100,000 to the nonprofit organizations that
sponsor the event,” said Marceaux. “The board
makes the annual allocations based on revenue,
expenses, and what our needs could be next
year. The contribution to each group ranges
from $1,000 to $5,000 each year.”
On a smaller scale but just as much fun is
Mardi Gras on the Sabine, the annual parade
sponsored by the Greater Orange Area Chamber of Commerce. A one-day event held this
See PARTY on page 12 A
Beaumont wrecker yanked from county rotation
By Fred Davis
Metro Editor
There is a big difference
between a “tow” and a “recovery.”
Mario Martinez, owner of
Top Gun Wrecker in Beaumont will be the first to tell
you that, and he’s mystified as
to why after his company was
chosen to recover a vehicle
that belonged to the city of
Port Arthur last month his
company is now off the county
and DPS wrecker rotation.
“I don’t understand it,” said
Martinez. “I didn’t break any
laws.”
Chief Deputy Zena Stephens of the Jefferson County
Sheriff’s Office agrees.
“He’s right, he didn’t break
any laws,” Stephens said.
However, Stephens and Jefferson County Judge Jeff
Branick agreed to have Martinez’s company dropped from
the county wrecker rotation
after receiving what the county calls an excessive bill.
Top Gun won a “draw” to
recover a 2003 white Ford
Courtesy photo
Recovery of this Fire Department vehicle cost the city of Port
Arthur $2,950, and cost Top Gun Wrecker its share of future
Jefferson County tow jobs.
Crown Victoria that was
involved in a one-car accident
Saturday, Jan. 7, on Highway
73 past Englin Road.
According to Martinez, a
Department of Public Safety
trooper responded to the accident. Fortunately, no one was
seriously hurt as a member of
the Port Arthur Fire Department was driving back to Port
Arthur from a training session
in Houston. As is customary,
Martinez said three wrecker
companies, including his,
responded to the call for service, and the trooper draws a
chip out of a hat to determine
which company gets the job.
“It’s like going to the casino,” Martinez said.
After winning the draw,
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according to Martinez, his
driver spent close to three
hours at the site, using nearly
all 150 feet of cable available
on his truck to recover the
severely damaged vehicle.
Martinez pointed out that a
“recovery,” which was done
that day, is much more laborious and intensive than a simple tow, which generally
includes pulling up behind a
vehicle, hooking a couple
cables to it and pulling it onto
the flatbed and securing the
vehicle before taking off.
After all was said and done,
Martinez billed $2,950 for the
work. “What it takes for everybody to do business is different,” Martinez said, “and my
rates are posted.”
His rates might be posted,
but the $2,950 bill to the city
of Port Arthur, which was ultimately paid by the city’s insurance company, prompted the
county to take action.
Deputy Stephens said she
and Judge Branick agreed that
Top Gun’s fees were too high,
and after the DPS dropped
them, the county followed
suit, meaning anytime a motorist is stranded in Jefferson
County outside of city limits
and needs to be towed – Top
Gun isn’t getting a call unless
they are requested by the
motorist.
“We dropped them from the
no-preference list, but we did
not drop them completely,”
Stephens said. “If someone
requests them, they’ll get the
call.”
Martinez has taken umbrage
with the move by both the
DPS and Jefferson County,
saying he’s well within his
rights – according to the Texas
Department of Licensing and
Regulation, which oversees
and regulates wrecker services
– to charge what he charges.
Martinez provided a letter
from TDLR Enforcement
Division Investigator Sam
Lynch who conducted a formal inquiry into Top Gun’s
$2,950 charge to Port Arthur
for the work it did pulling the
car from the grass and onto the
back of its truck. Included in
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12 A
A miracle is born
March of Dimes helps save premature baby, turn
grateful mom into ambassador for the organization
By Jennifer Johnson
Metro Editor
Tears well in Ashlee Haefs’ eyes when
she thinks of the horror that unfolded the
day her first and only child was born –
June 14, 2010. At a mere 23-weeks pregnant, the baby she was carrying inside her
weighed little more than a pound and,
according to medical experts, wasn’t
developed enough to sustain life outside
the womb.
The life created with her husband
James, after more than two years of trying
and failing to conceive, was in danger of
never leaving the confines of a brightly lit
neonatal intensive care unit. Remembering the excruciating hours following the
birth of the couple’s little girl, Madilynn
Rose, in great detail, Ashlee was hardpressed to speak without pausing for a
solemn cry. In those moments, she said,
each passing minute was more painful
than the next as the family was taken on a
roller coaster of emotions in the days that
followed.
“They pretty much told us there was no
hope,” Ashlee said. “When she took a
couple breaths, they gave her maybe a 30
percent chance of survival.”
“And that’s being generous, they said,”
James added.
Born in Beaumont, Madilynn Rose
wasn’t in town long before she was shuttled to a Houston hospital. A couple hours
later, Ashlee was released from the labor
and delivery room in Beaumont and the
Haefs wasted no time in getting to their
baby girl in the big city. Once there, mom
was determined to not be separated again.
Ashlee and Madilynn’s stay wouldn’t be
brief, either, lasting an unfathomable 119
days.
“I basically moved to Houston and
never came back,” Ashlee said. “I wasn’t
going anywhere without my baby.”
A brain hemorrhage filling baby Madi-
lynn’s head with blood clots kept the tiny
infant in a fight for survival from the
moment she was brought into this world.
Another fight was underway, too, as
Ashlee and James Haefs were under constant pressure from medical experts to
terminate life support for their daughter.
“They told us if she lived, she’d be a
vegetable. It was unreal,” Ashlee recalls
of those dark days. “The whole experience was horrible, but a lot of prayers
helped us through.”
Also helping the Haefs through their
long journey to seeing their baby live to
celebrate her first birthday were efforts
made possible by the March of Dimes
organization, a group Ashlee knew little
about at the time and whose help she
would have never dreamed she’d be in
such desperate need of.
March of Dimes SETX division director Donna Blanchette said her agency
wants pregnancies to last until 39 weeks
for a healthy baby, well past the 23 weeks
at which Madilynn was born. According
to Blanchette, preterm birth is the leading
cause of newborn death, and babies who
survive an early birth often have breathing problems, cerebral palsy, intellectual
disabilities and other health challenges.
Recent research has also shown that
important development of an infant’s
brain and lungs occur during the last few
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year on Feb. 11, the parade
attracts thousands of participants and viewers from
Orange County and beyond,
with fans driving in from
the Houston area and
throughout Louisiana.
“This is our ninth year
for Mardi Gras on the
Sabine,” said Ida Schossow, Chamber president.
“We don’t charge admission so the exact economic impact is harder to measure, but we’ve got thousands of people coming in
and staying in our hotels,
eating in our restaurants
and shopping in our stores,
so it’s a definite shot in
the arm for the Orange
economy.”
Business Journal editor
James Shannon offers a weekly column of business news for
readers of The Examiner. For
more details, see the editions
of the Business journal published monthly in Beaumont,
Port Arthur and Greater
Orange. Check out the blog at
setxbiz.blogspot.com.
13 A
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14 A
Ashlee and James Haefs watch over
their baby while she battles for her
life at a Houston hospital.
BABY
from page 12 A
weeks of pregnancy and babies born
just a few weeks early have higher
rates of hospitalization and illness
compared to full-term infants.
As part of the March of Dimes’ work
to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth
and infant mortality, the agency has
made great strides in medications and
procedures available to pre-term babies
through research and production. Two
of the resulting medications from
research funded by the March of Dimes
– indomethacin therapy and surfactant
therapy – were instrumental in giving
baby Madilynn a chance at life.
Surfactant therapy, realized by Dr.
T. Allen Merritt in the early 1980s after
more than $12 million in research
funding was granted by the March of
Dimes, enabled surfactant recovered
from amniotic fluid to be distributed
directly into the airways of premature
infants. Since the lungs are one of the
last organs to develop in a baby, many
of the premie’s problems revolve
around the impossibility of breathing
without fully formed lungs. Such was
the case for Madilynn.
“(Madilynn) wouldn’t have survived if she hadn’t gotten that therapy,” Ashlee asserted, adding that she’s
eternally grateful research was funded
to make surfactant therapy a reality for
babies in need.
Indomethacin therapy, found
A 1-pound Madilynn with daddy’s
hand in the NICU, and today (below).
through research funded by the March
of Dimes in the 1970s, saved many
babies (and Madilynn) the
risks and pain of heart surgery. And as Ashlee
researched more into the
organization that saved her
baby’s life, she grew a passion for the mission of the
March of Dimes. She now
works with the group as an
ambassador, and touts the
great works she can personally attest to. Some of
the other research March of
Dimes has commissioned has included genome studies to predict preterm
birth, metabolic triggers of fetal brain
bleeding and developmental abnormalities, and genetic and environmental factors that cause cleft lip/cleft
palate. Efforts produced through the
March of Dimes have also been attributed to helping prevent
newborn jaundice, and
introduce nitric oxide therapy, fish oil therapy, perinatal epidemiological research
initiative and therapy for
anemia of prematurity.
Thanks to developments
funded by the March of
Dimes, babies such as the
now 1-and-a-half-year-old
Madilynn Rose have a life
even seasoned medical professionals couldn’t have foretold.
From a 0 percent chance of survival to
now showing nearly 0 signs of slow-
ing down, Madilynn is learning to
speak and is progressing at a rate
almost no one would have guessed in
June 2010 – save the Haefs, their
many supporters and the March of
Dimes, that is. With the aid of therapy
to fine tune her motor skills, Madilynn is currently on track to a full,
normal, happy and healthy future.
Now, the Haefs spread the good news
of the March of Dimes and the work
to allow babies a chance at a long,
happy life.
“Every day holds
a possibility of a
miracle,” Ashlee
said. “We want to
spread God’s word
and help many others in the same situation.”
Join the Haefs in
their efforts to assist
the March of Dimes
when the community takes to the
streets of Beaumont for the March for
Babies on Saturday, April 21, starting
at 10 a.m. at Lamar University. To
learn more about how to become
involved, to become a donor, or to
volunteer, look up the organization
online at www.marchforbabies.org or
call (409) 835-7606.
Editor’s note: The Feb. 9 edition of The
Examiner incorrectly refers to the premature
birthdate of Southeast Texas 2012 March
for Babies chairman Slate Babineaux’s
twins. Although born shy of the 39-week
recommended gestation period, Babineaux’s babies were healthy deliveries.
15 A
Supa giving back as he
works his way to the top
www.myparkavenuecleaners.com
By Fred Davis
Staff Writer
He’s white, he raps, and
he’s trying to spread a positive
message – all while keeping
his lyrics clean.
A Southeast Texas transplant by way of North Carolina, David Hicks, better known
as Supa, is bucking a trend by
staying away from cliché lyrics that involve woman, bling
and blunts and focusing more
on giving back to his adopted
community.
“I love music, and I’m
blessed to be doing it,” said
Hicks, who at 31 is married
with three children, works for
a local refinery to pay the bills
but practices his musical craft
when he can to achieve his
dream of making it in the
music industry.
“To be able to do music
full-time would be the biggest
blessing to me,” said Hicks.
“You hear musicians say they
do it for the love; well, everyone does it for the love, but
you can’t do anything broke.
But to be able to do this for a
living and make the same
amount of money I make at the
refinery? Man. If I’m going to
get up at 5:30 in the morning,
I’d rather be doing it to get up
and going to a radio station to
promote a show or getting
ready for a concert instead of
punching a clock.”
Hicks, who has been rapping since age 12 when he
wrote his first song, started
getting serious about rapping
when he was 18 and has been
working at his craft ever since.
He figures he’s written more
than 100 songs, recorded more
than 50 and has been working
on his solo debut – “Who’s
That” – for a year and half
before its debut this Saturday,
Feb. 18, at his live show outside of the Mardi Gras gates in
Port Arthur.
“I feel like my music has a
Supa concert
Saturday, Feb. 18
2133 Procter
Free links and dogs at 7 p.m.
Concert starts at 8 p.m.
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message,” Hicks said, “I
would love to do this every
day where I can reach the
masses. Yeah, rich and famous
would be awesome, but if I
could just get out there for
people to hear my music,
because I love doing this.”
Hicks is well-aware of the
stereotypes surrounding white
rappers, but thanks to Eminem, that stigma isn’t as daunting as it once was, and in fact,
Hicks said he welcomes the
comparisons because there are
folks who will listen to a white
rapper just to hear if he’s any
good, and Hicks is more than
ready to show off his skills.
“It’s not about being a thug;
I’m too old for that. Let’s just
have fun,” Hicks said.
And he and his fans plan to
have lots of fun this weekend
at the free show he’s putting
on, where he’s also proud to be
giving away 1,000 free links
and hot dogs that were donated for his show. Hicks will sell
his debut album at the concert
on Saturday, but he also wants
to give the community and his
fans something in return.
As he gets older and more
experienced in the music
industry, he says he’s learned
more about the business side
and is working as hard as he
can to get his name out and to
promote his work. His plan is
to become a household name
in 2013.
“(But) this isn’t just about
me promoting an album; I
want everyone to enjoy themselves,” he said.
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16 A
News shorts
State, feds raid
medical clinic
Federal and state authorities raided
the Beaumont Medical Clinic at 5220
Eastex Freeway this past week, serving
an evidentiary search warrant and seizing records. The office belongs to Dr.
John Webb Jr.
Webb is a known Subotex prescribing physician, which is a drug used to
lessen the withdrawal effects of heroin
and other opiate drugs, including Oxycontin.
In 2011, Webb lost an appeal on a
medical malpractice case after the 9th
Court of Appeals ruled he failed to
investigate the background of a doctor
in which he referred a patient that ultimately died due to negligence.
The lead agency in the raid this past
week was the Texas Department of
Health and Human Services, which
was accompanied in the raid by agents
from the FBI, DEA and the Texas
Attorney General’s office.
Numerous boxes of records were
removed from multiple buildings on
the property. A source told The Examiner no one was under arrest but agents
were taking possession of records
related an investigation alleging Medicaid fraud.
Davilyn Walston, spokesperson for of
the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Texas, confirmed that
evidentiary search warrants had been
served. She said she could not provide
further comment on the investigation.
Woman killed in auto
pedestrian accident
area with unknown objects, then stole
personal and business property from
the homeowner, the victim told investigators. Once the suspects had the
property, they fled from the location in
an unknown vehicle. The homeowner
sustained serious injuries from the
attack and EMS was contacted. EMS
transported the homeowner to Baptist
Hospital in Orange where he was treated for his injuries. Anyone with any
further information about this incident
is asked to contact the Orange County
Sheriff’s Office at (409) 883-2612.
at her death. Paula was obviously a
very disturbed young woman and from
what we could gather a victim of some
abuse while being on the streets, but
she never complained and would never
accept our offers of help.
“We pray that now she is at peace.”
Woman found dead
after house fire
Beaumont Firefighters responded
during the early morning hours to a
house fire in the 1800 block of Brooklyn to find the house already blazing
out of control, officials reported Feb.
15. After approximately 30 minutes,
firefighters were able to contain the
flames, but the severity of the inferno
prevented an initial search of the residence.
Once firefighters were able to enter
the home, they located the body of a
74-year-old woman, who has been tentatively identified as Billie Marie
Jones. Justice of the Peace Judge Ken
Dollinger was contacted and an autopsy has been ordered. Preliminary
results indicate Jones, mother of Judge
Ransom “Duce” Jones, died of smoke
inhalation. Capt. E. White of the Beaumont Fire Department said, based on
witness interviews and information
obtained at the scene, the preliminary
cause of the fire appears to be the
result of candles left unattended.
Beaumont collecting
data on city’s streets
A specially outfitted van will be
traveling throughout Beaumont over
the next several weeks, measuring and
evaluating the quality of every street,
officials from the city report.
The Road Surface Tester will collect
pavement inventory and condition
data, including measurements of pavement roughness, rutting, cracking and
other distresses to road surfaces. The
RST will also collect digital images of
the roadways and Global Positioning
Satellite information for plotting and
verifying the data.
“As our road network and infrastructure have grown, so has the need
for accurate information on these
assets,” said Patrick Donart, Public
Works Director. “The RST is an efficient and affordable way to do this
field work, allowing us to collect thorough and very detailed inventory and
technical analysis.”
Officers from the Beaumont Police
Department were called Sunday, Feb.
12, at 5:38 a.m. to MLK at Fannin
Street. Upon arrival, officers discovered a woman deceased in the roadway.
“It appears from the investigation
that female victim ran into the pathway
of a gray 2000 Ford Ranger traveling
(northbound) on MLK,” BPD Officer
Carol Riley reported. “The driver of
that truck was unable to avoid the
pedestrian and struck her with the
vehicle.” The victim was identified as
42-year-old Paula Fay Hipsley, a transient from Beaumont. Some Other
Place director Paula O’Neal offered a
statement saying, in part, “She was
always very quiet and appreciative of
our company. For all these years she
only uttered three words to me – ‘hello’ and ‘thank you.’ She never asked
for anything or accepted any extra
offerings, including most recently (the
Beaumont police were called about
Saturday before her death) a cup of
coffee brought for her by one of our 4 a.m. Wednesday, Feb. 15, to the 2500
volunteers. We are so deeply saddened block of Campbell in reference to
Arrest in Beaumont
double homicide
reported shots fired. When officers
arrived, they found a white male
deceased and a white female mortally
wounded inside a vehicle that was in
the driveway of 2530 Campbell. Emergency service responders were summoned to treat the injured woman, but
she died before paramedics could
arrive at the scene. Both victims
appeared to have suffered from multiple gunshot wounds, officials from the
Beaumont Police Department report.
Officers secured the scene and searched
for witnesses. K-9 Officers responded
to the scene and they performed a
lengthy track in the hopes of locating a
possible suspect. This effort was
unsuccessful. Both victims were transported to the Jefferson County Morgue
and are awaiting autopsies that were
ordered by Judge Ken Dollinger.
Detectives have been able to identify
the victims, stated BPD Officer Rob
Flores, but were withholding their
identities as of press time. “We are
working this case as a capital murder,”
he said.
By Wednesday evening, however,
BPD had a suspect in custody. Detectives obtained an arrest warrant for
charges of capital murder and arrested
a suspect, 19-year-old Keith Wayne
Johnson of Buna. According to detectives, Johnson was interviewed early in
the investigation and, based on his
statement, was identified as the subject
who committed the murders.
Orange Co. detectives
seek armed robbers
Deputies with the Orange County
Sheriff’s Office responded to the 300
block of Widgeon St. in Orange concerning an aggravated robbery shortly
after midnight Feb. 11 to find the
homeowtner, a 53-year-old Hispanic
businessman, badly beaten.
The homeowner advised that he
arrived at his residence at approximately 12:20 a.m. when he was
approached in his driveway by several
unknown suspects. The suspects struck
him several times in the face and head
Woman critical after
being hit by truck
On Wednesday, Feb.15, Beaumont
Officers responded to the 2800 block
of Interstate 10 East, westbound in
reference to an auto-pedestrian crash.
When they arrived, responders found
that a tanker truck had struck a 27-yearold white female transient. Reports
from BPD state the critically injured
woman was transported to Christus St.
Elizabeth where she was listed in critical condition at press time.
Witnesses told officers that the
female was standing on the north side
of the roadway and ran across the
Interstate where she was struck by the
truck as she entered the outside westbound lane of I-10. The driver of the
truck had no time to react as the female
darted in front of his truck, witnesses
said. All westbound Interstate 10 traffic was diverted while officers worked
the crash scene. The driver of the
tanker truck did not receive a citation
for the crash.
Silsbee man sentenced
for child pornography
A case alleging child pornography
violations dating back to 2010 was put
to rest this past week as 51-year-old
Larry Orell Brumley of Silsbee
received sentencing to federal prison
for the charge Feb. 9. Brumley pleaded
guilty to the charges Aug. 30, 2011, to
possession of child pornography and
was sentenced to 57 months in federal
prison by U.S. District Judge Ron
Clark.
According to information presented
in court, on July 30, 2010, law enforcement officers executed a federal search
warrant at Brumley’s residence in Silsbee. A laptop computer was seized and
a forensic examination of the computer
revealed it contained 10 videos and
116 images of child pornography.
Brumley admitted to using the Internet
to download pornographic images,
usually of females between the ages of
8 and 12 and would then delete the
images after viewing them.
17 A
TOW
CITY
from page 11 A
from page 8 A
those charges: a $950 tow fee,
$750 winching fee and $1,250
for working time.
Lynch said in a letter to the
Beaumont DPS office that “as
Jefferson County tows are
unregulated, he is free to charge
any rates he deems appropriate.
His charges were examined,
and I have determined that
those charges were within his
company’s posted rates.”
Lynch added in the letter,
“While the charges on the surface may appear excessive, as
they were within the posted
rates available, there is no violation of the Occupations
Code.”
Despite the letter, Stephens
said Top Gun’s prices are too
high to justify keeping them
on the rotation list.
“Under advisement from
the county judge, we’re looking into what we consider to
be unreasonable charges and
although as a county we can’t
regulate it, we’re looking for
ways so taxpayers aren’t
unreasonably charged,” Stephens said.
Stephens added the county
is working on a new policy for
how it will select wreckers,
and early discussions involve
a set maximum price that area
wreckers would have to agree
on before being allowed on to
the county’s wrecker rotation.
Provided Martinez agrees to
that when the policy is updated, which Stephens predicts
could be in a couple weeks, his
company will be allowed back
on the county’s rotation list.
Until then? No dice.
“He’ll have to agree to the
maximum like everyone else
when we update the policy, or
he’ll never be on our list,” Stephens said.
Meanwhile, Martinez disagrees with the county’s notion
that his prices are too high.
“My question for Ms. Stephens,” Martinez asked, “what
number is she looking at?”
He also didn’t appreciate
the way he was informed,
insisting that he should’ve
been sent a letter notifying his
removal.
“She just called and said I
wasn’t on the list,” Martinez
said.
simply to add her to the list
to be interviewed, that’s
all,” Williamson said.
Beard maintains that the
special meeting shouldn’t
have taken place and that
once Candidate L was eliminated, it was time to move
on.
“When we left that meeting on the 24th, Candidate
L was eliminated, no more,
no less,” he said.
The veteran councilman,
whose nine-year run will
conclude in May, said this
city manager search has
“meandered for too long”
and he’s got a theory on why
the search is taking so long.
“They’re dragging the
process out past May to
hopefully get a change on
council favorable to their
position,” Beard said.
Williamson said that was
nonsense, and added that
he’s going to suggest a citizens’ committee that will
have an opportunity to
interview the city manager
candidates.
“I thought we were going
to achieve hiring a new city
manager in 90 days, but not
now,” said Williamson,
adding that he has no timetable in his mind on when
the hire needs to be made.
“The urgency isn’t time; it’s
finding the right person.”
While Prince, Beard and
Williamson admit there’s
been contention on the
council, all three remain
hopeful that they can work
together in finding the next
city manager for Port
Arthur.
“The important thing is
to find the right person for
the city of Port Arthur,”
said Prince, “and the public
will have a chance to meet
those candidates.”
Fred Davis can be reached at
(409) 832-1400, ext. 227, or by
e-mail at [email protected].
Barry Bryant
Commercial Sales-Inspector – Bill Clark Pest Control, Inc., Beaumont
LIT Alumnus
“The GI Bill enabled me to get two degrees from LIT; one in Heating, Air
Conditioning and Ventilation and the second in Management Development.
At LIT you can get your degree in just two years, get out and go…right into
a good job. I landed a great one!”
Barry Bryant, Class of 1989
A Member of The Texas State University System
855 East Lavaca Beaumont
(409) 880-8321 1-800-950-6989 www.lit.edu
Lamar Institute of Technology is an equal opportunity/affirmative action educational institution and employer.
Sales • Service
Installation & Repair
Commercial/Residential
409.722.4200
www.windstormdoor.com
Correction: The St. Jude Radiothon ad on page 29B of this week’s Entertainment Guide included an
incorrect phone number. The correct number, which appears above, is (888) 280-4673.
Commentary
18 A
The opinions that appear directly below are the official
views of The Examiner and its publisher/CEO, Don J. Dodd.
Opinions expressed elsewhere on these pages are the views of
the writers only and not necessarily those of The Examiner.
Heads in the sand
It’s been three months since the Beaumont Independent
School District sent 82 employees to New Orleans for the
National Alliance of Black School Educators conference and
all of the records have still not been reconciled properly or
made available for inspection.
A review of several hundred pages of documents made
available to The Examiner has raised serious questions about
what is permitted and paid for on a school-sanctioned trip.
Some BISD board members are calling the trip an “allexpenses-paid vacation,” and that might be what it was.
The IRS has strict rules governing travel and allowable
legitimate expenses; BISD could simply follow their lead, as
it is quite generous yet controlled. Was the NABSE conference
a way to reward certain employees in BISD? Did they get a
free trip with no real benefit to be passed on to the children
of BISD?
It would be nice to know the truth, but rather than sit down
and discuss the specifics of why some BISD employees were
reimbursed for airfare to New Orleans or why married
employees in the district both claimed mileage but showed
parking fees for a single car, BISD would rather duck and
run.
As for the two individuals who flew, if they had a medical
reason as to why they couldn’t ride in a car and their
attendance at the event was crucial to the overall wellbeing
of the students in BISD, then by all means their flights
should be paid for. But we don’t know the answer because
BISD doesn’t want to answer the tough questions, like were
BISD employees allowed to bring spouses on the trip? It is
obvious that some did. If so, who paid for their registration
fees? The district still has not provided those records?
Shouldn’t the list of fees paid for conference registration be
available? After all, Superintendent Carrol Thomas is the
outgoing president of the organization. Maybe the real
reason so many BISD employees went on the trip was to
stroke Thomas’ ego. If a reporter with limited time and
resources can find these examples of mismanagement
involving taxpayers’ money, why can’t BISD? Robert
Zingelmann, the director of business and finance, has a
master’s degree in business administration from Texas State
University and a staff of trained professionals that should be
able to detect the irregularities pointed out in The Examiner’s
lead story. If he or his staff has decided to turn a blind eye to
wasteful spending and possible theft of taxpayer money, then
someone else should have that job.
Letters
to the Editor
We want to know what you’re thinking! We welcome snail-mail, emails
and phone calls. Please, address your correspondence to Letters to the Editor,
795 Willow, Beaumont, Texas, 77701, email [email protected], or call
(409) 832-1400. As the Independent Voice of Southeast Texas, we look forward to continuing to provide the area with in-depth coverage of local news.
Jobs in Texas
Our governor, Rick Perry, responded in kind by being
ran for president largely on the extremely generous with camclaim he was a job creator, paign contributions to Gov.
saying he had created more Perry. The program had almost
jobs in Texas than any other no transparency and little or
state. He seemed to think no accountability. Many of
somehow that alone should those who accepted grants
have qualified him to lead the from this slush fund after
United States of America as a promising a set number of
world power.
jobs fell far short of
It is true Texas has
their promises. Many
in fact enjoyed a large
others have gone out
expansion of jobs durof business entirely.
ing the past decade,
Funding a slush fund
but as radio and TV
with taxpayer dollars
commentator
Paul
does not seem the way
Harvey used to say,
to lure new jobs to
“And now for the rest
Texas, particularly
of the story.”
when you are forcing
Carl
The increase of jobs
businesses who pay
in Texas has largely Parker taxes to fund the crebeen built on the stratation of competition
egy of our governor
for them.
having a $300 million slush
Another sad fact about jobs
fund which he could dole out in Texas is that Texas employs
to his friends in order to create more minimum wage workers
new businesses. Gov. Perry than any other state of the
did so with abandon. Studies union. Correspondingly, one
have revealed most who could reason that the multienjoyed the governor’s lar- tude of low paying jobs in our
gesse by dipping into the tax- state has a direct relationship
payer-funded slush fund to the level of skilled workers
we are turning out of our education system.
Michael Dell, who created
Dell Industries in Austin, once
said that were he to advertise
for unskilled workers paying
them $15 an hour, the line of
applicants would stretch
around the block of his office.
However, if he advertised for
highly skilled technicians in
the computer field, he would
run far short of what he needed. Steve Jobs, the genius who
helped make Apple into a corporate powerhouse, reportedly
said one of the main reasons
so many hundreds of jobs have
been shipped to China by
Apple is because Apple found
it impossible to find 3,000
available, qualified engineers
it needed. Mr. Jobs went on to
say that had he been able to
hire 3,000 qualified engineers,
most of the jobs shipped to
China would have remained in
the United States.
Education policies endorsed
by Gov. Perry and his fellow
Republicans are not calculated
See parker on page 19 a
Jack Abramoff’s atonement
WASHINGTON — Fallen super-lobbyist in the den, did it like this: “Jack is someone
Jack Abramoff is out of prison now but still who doesn’t need an introduction and I won’t
doing penance. On Monday afternoon, he per- give him one.”
But the Naderite group was smart to host
formed the Washington equivalent of donning
a hair shirt: He appeared before the liberal Abramoff. He has the potential to blow the
advocacy group Public Citizen to field ques- whistle on the real scandal: Much of what he
did was, and remains, perfectly legal.
tions from reporters and campaign“I was involved deeply in a system
finance-reform activists.
of bribery — legalized bribery for the
“If somebody told me a number of
most part; illegal bribery, unfortunately
years ago that I’d be sitting in this
for me, somewhat,” he said Monday.
room, in this building, talking to all of
“And that system, which I took advanyou,” Abramoff told those assembled
tage of, which I also took for granted as
in Public Citizen’s Dupont Circle
do many who are still in it, still to a
brownstone, “and not have cuffs on or
Dana
large part exists today.”
something like that, I would probably
Milbank
Abramoff has written a book, done
not have believed them.”
hundreds of interviews and become a
Yet there he was, looking up at a
blogger for the anti-corruption Repubpicture of Ralph Nader — “my entire
political career was in some way or another lic Report. He points out that there’s little
opposed to Ralph Nader” — and offering to do financial benefit to him in this (he owes $44
what he could “to help those I frankly dis- million in reparations). For all appearances, he
dained and those I couldn’t stand, including has shed his black fedora for the proverbial
white hat of the reformer.
those in this building.”
That doesn’t excuse him for his elaborate
The disdain was mutual — and it endures.
Public Citizen President Robert Weissman, efforts to buy lawmakers and staffers or for the
See milbank on page 19 a
tasked with introducing Abramoff to the lions
PARKER
from page 18 A
to correct this imbalance anytime in the near future. Public
education has been shorted by
$4 billion even though we have
$6 billion sitting in a rainy day
fund. Failing to adequately
fund colleges at the state level
has resulted in more than doubling the tuition at many of our
institutions of higher learning.
Because of draconian cuts to
education, our own Lamar
University, Lamar State College – Port Arthur, Lamar State
– Orange and Lamar Institute
of Technology have been dramatically affected. As a result,
these institutions will be producing fewer highly qualified
technicians or engineers to fill
the needs of rapidly growing,
high-tech requirements in this
country.
19 A
When you are tempted to
vote Republican, ask yourself
whether or not it is in the interest of Southeast Texas to have
a $300 million taxpayer funded slush fund for the governor
to use for political purposes.
Or would it be better to adequately fund innovative programs here at our colleges and
universities and produce the
3,000 engineers Apple could
have used? Which do you
think would be in the interest
of job creation when this state
sorely needs it?
Carl Parker has practiced law
in Port Arthur since 1958. He is a
1958 graduate of the University of
Texas School of Law. Elected to
the Texas House of Representatives in 1962 and the Senate in
1976, Parker continued to practice law while writing and sponsoring hundreds of bills that
became laws relating to every
aspect of life in Texas, including
many regarding consumer safety.
MILBANK
from page 18 A
millions of dollars he essentially stole from Indian tribes.
But he does make a better case
for reforms than the liberal
activists ever could.
Consider his argument for
term limits, for example. “I
was against that as a lobbyist,”
he said. “Frankly, I was against
it because once you buy a congressional office you don’t
want to have to repurchase
that office a few years down
the line.” And the longer lawmakers remain on the job, he
argued, the more likely they
are to have a price tag: “Most
people start slipping into a
corrupt — they fall into the
miasma.”
Consider, too, his case for
ending the revolving door
between K Street and the government. Abramoff described
his practice of “featherbedding” — making job offers to
chiefs of staff in Congress. “I
started to notice pretty quickly
was the second I said that to
them,” he said, “they were so
incredibly complimented, that
from then on anything I asked
was just absolutely granted.”
As word of the job offers
spread, “it seemed 90 percent
of the people I dealt with up
there wanted to come work for
me.” Often, “they planned to
go with me in a year or six
months but from that entire
period of time they really
worked with me anyway. ...
That was an incredible way to
control a congressional office.”
Consider,
as
well,
Abramoff’s explanation of
how lawmakers are bought.
“What you need to do as a lobbyist is not buy votes,” he
explained. “What lobbying is
about in large part is becoming
friends with them,” raising
money for them, and providing them with “a stream of
goodies that led to an ability to
ask them back for a stream of
goodies the other way.”
His criticism has apparently
struck a nerve on K Street,
because the American League
of Lobbyists has been trying to
rebut it. “I’m not even sure
you could qualify Abramoff as
a lobbyist,” wrote Paul Miller,
the group’s president. “I would
call this a criminal.”
Abramoff was a criminal.
But much of what he did was
typical. “If they think what
I’m saying is an exaggeration,
that what’s going on Capitol
Hill is nothing like what I’m
saying and that I’ve made all
this up — OK, what can I say,”
he told the Public Citizen
crowd. “Hopefully people will
realize I am speaking sincerely
and honestly.”
Finally, Abramoff appears
to be telling the truth.
Dana Milbank’s e-mail address
is [email protected].
Doonesbury
By Garry Trudeau
d
y
r.
d
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r
)
l
e
.
-
d
20 A
21 A
Judge
John Paul Davis
Georgine Guillory: Getting down to business
By Jennifer Johnson
Metro Editor
Georgine Guillory might have been
born in a small Louisiana town, but
many of her childhood memories
bring her to the place she still calls
home to this very day – Beaumont.
Claiming alma maters Hebert High
and Lamar University is as far as a
prim-and-proper Guillory is willing to
go in dating herself, although she
beams with pride while also mentioning she has three grown daughters,
each with two children of their own.
Growing up in the Deep South during the days and years immediately
following the death of Dr. Martin
Luther King Jr. wasn’t without its
drawbacks and dark patches, Guillory
remembers, especially in her culturally diverse family. Still, she says she
was shielded from the negativity by
the overabundance of nurturing and
diverse cultural environment offered
to the youngster by parents Natalie
and Eluis Guillory.
“My mother and father raised
strong kids,” Guillory said. “They
didn’t raise us to operate in just one
little bubble. We were taught that
color was just the small stuff.”
Guillory said being told at an
early age that her race – or gender, for that matter – wasn’t
going to hold her back opened
doors to her that many of her
peers weren’t privy to.
“I always knew we’d
have an African
American president,” she
said,
y
.
t
y
The legacy of Dr. Martin Luther
King Jr. (left) and the civil rights
movement, the height of which
was more than five decades ago,
is more than just a dream – it’s
a vision. While an assassin’s
bullet cut short King’s life, his
movement has lived on in those
who have chosen to pick up the
crusade where he left off.
Georgine Guillory is one
such person.
smiling. “That’s the type of family I
was raised in. I was told I can do anything.”
And she believed it. With three
girls on their way into adulthood and
a Bachelor’s of Applied Arts and Science degree under her belt, Guillory
became a businesswoman in the late
1980s, opening two hair salons in
Beaumont’s south end. One of those
businesses, Revues, is still in operation at its original location, although
Guillory mostly leaves the styling to
others now.
Since 2003, the bulk of Guillory’s
days are taken up with Port of Beaumont business – where she serves
as port commissioner, secretary,
treasurer, ambassador and overseer
of regulating policies and guidelines.
In the nine years she’s been with the
port, she has seen the site expand
more than three times over, with vendors now stationed on the several
hundreds of acres of port property in
Jefferson and Orange counties and an
annual budget of roughly $25 million.
Guillory sees to it that each of the dozens of proprietors stationed at the port
are always in compliance, including
those from varied services such as
military, steel, railway, grain and
labor. Part of her duties is to stay
abreast of the ever-changing rules and
regulations pertaining to each of the
import/export vendors, and according
to Guillory, it keeps her learning
something new every day.
Even with her professional responsibilities, her employer is quick to
note that Guillory is more than just a
9-5 employee. A brief description of
the Beaumont businesswoman is
offered by the Port of Beaumont to
those looking to become part of the
port family: “Ms. Guillory is a selfemployed businesswoman who is very
active in civic and community affairs.
She serves on the board of directors of
COUNTY COURT AT LAW #3
OF JEFFERSON COUNTY
Georgine Guillory (left) and her sister Morline Guillory at the kickoff for the 2011
annual Pioneering Women event
the Beaumont Chamber of Commerce,
SAFE Credit Union, the Lamar Alumni Association and the Julie Rogers
‘Gift of Life’ Foundation. Guillory is
the founder of Pioneering Women, a
group that honors women in the community for their professional, volunteerism and vocational contributions
and helps promising students pay for
higher education. She also volunteers
for the Rape, Suicide Crisis Center.
She is (also) a member of the 2000
class of Leadership Beaumont.”
The laundry list of philanthropic
endeavors attributed to her is nothing
exceptional to Guillory, who says it’s
part of her civic duty to help when and
where she can.
“You have to buy into your community if you want to it prosper,” she
said. “You have to take ownership of
your neighborhood and your town
with all of your abilities. It makes life
easier and better for all of us.”
Supporting “Gift of Life” since it
was first founded by Regina Rogers
several years ago, Guillory found her
calling in community service. In 2004,
she added to the Southeast Texas
charitable community when she
founded Pioneering Women in commemoration of the 19th Amendment,
which made it legal for women to vote
in 1920. Each year, 100 percent of the
funds raised from the Pioneering
Women Luncheon and awards banquet is put to use in education outreach programs such as paying for
G.E.D. testing for anyone wanting to
take that step toward betterment, providing necessities to families in crisis
and purchasing textbooks for higher
learning classes for more than 50 students.
“We don’t discriminate when it
come to who wants to go back for
their education, and not all of our
recipients are younger students,”
Guillory said, adding that men and
older-than-average students have benefited from the program. “If anyone
wants to go to school, we’ll help
them. That’s what we do. We’re not in
the business of keeping money in
banks; we raise money to help others
with it, and that’s what we try to do.”
And while Guillory may be colorblind when it comes to the way she
conducts interactions with her fellow
Americans, she isn’t naïve to believe
racism isn’t alive and well even in
2012.
“It will always be around, but it
will get better,” an optimistic Guillory
asserted without pause. “We’ve made
great strides over the years – we now
have an African American president!
But as we embrace all the cultures that
make up who we, as a country, are,
minds will open up to more opportunities. Exposure is the key, but it’s
happening now.”
Black History Month is also aiding
in the fight for cultural exposure and
racism abatement, she said, introducing history to a people who are
unaware of where they have come
from.
“I think it’s important we, as Americans, learn as much as we can about
each other,” she said. “I learn something new every year (for Black History Month). I’ve learned about the
struggle and the significant people
that played a part in it. And that all
those people weren’t African Americans, either – and they all had a part in
changing our world.”
Jennifer Johnson can be reached at
(409) 832-1400, ext. 231, or by e-mail at
[email protected].
409-835-8698
Fax: 409-835-8699
Judge
Donald J.
Floyd
172nd District Court Jefferson County
Bob
WORTHAM
58th District Court Judge
No sitting this one out
22 A
Community helps pay for dog with nose for diabetes
By Patricia Whitmire
An event this past Saturday, Feb. 11,
was so heartwarming that it makes one
glad to be from Southeast Texas or
Southwest Louisiana. This event was a
fundraiser for young Racer McLeod.
Racer is a 3-year-old with Type 1 diabetes. One way to help this young man,
according to his parents, Tara and Ryan
McLeod, is for Racer to have a Guardian
Angel Alert Dog. These Labrador dogs
are trained to alert a diabetic’s caregiver
when their blood sugar levels go too
high or too low, becoming dangerous.
These dogs are expensive; therefore, the
community of Southeast Texas pulled
together and raised the money to pay for
Racer’s dog.
Type 1 diabetes, according to the
American Diabetes Association, was
once known as juvenile diabetes, and
with this disease, the body does not produce any insulin. Insulin is a hormone
that converts sugar, starches and other
foods into energy for daily life. Racer’s
young body needs this insulin to survive.
As he is so young that he cannot tell
when his body needs help to regulate his
sugar count. Hence the need for this service animal.
Friends of the McLeod’s — and
friends of friends, according to family
friends David Hancock and Jessica Firestone, who were selling tickets for the
barbeque lunch — pulled together and
made this event a highly successful one.
Some of the volunteers who gave
their time were Shannon Rogers, whose
friends Mike and Kelly Roebuck, owners of Echo Construction, donated the
use of their company’s large barbeque
pit. Robert Hartfelder, owner of Lumberton Off Road, helped out serving and
Ryan
McLeod
holds his
son Ryder
while his
wife, Tara,
holds Racer,
their son
who needs
help monitoring his
Type 1 diabetes. Helping to raise
funds are
Taylor Smart
(Cubs cap)
and Paul
Anders.
The Med-Trans Southeast Texas Air Rescue helicopter and crew of Nathan
Parrett, RN; Stormie Reed, flight
paramedic; and Rob Brantner, pilot
also donated his company’s large rotisserie. And then there was Dale Umphrey,
owner of Precision Auto Body of Nederland, and his business neighbor, Chris
Hulin, owner of The Audio Edge, who
donated the use of the land around their
businesses for the event. There were
donations of various items from local
business that were auctioned off by a
silent auction, and there was also a large
area of inflatables for the kids to jump
and slide on.
The Med-Trans Southeast Texas Air
Rescue helicopter and crew of Nathan
Parrett, RN; Stormie Reed, flight paramedic; and Rob Brantner, pilot, made an
appearance and auctioned off 15 minutes
of flight time in the helicopter.
There is not enough space to list the
volunteers and businesses in the Southeast Texas area that came together to
help young Racer; even Southwest Louisiana was represented by a contingent
from Lake Charles who attended and
delivered a donation from their church.
See RACER on page 28 A
Young Kountze diabetics take reins in fundraising drive
The community of Kountze has two
Amber and John Anders, parents of
young boys they can proudly say are Paul, said that Paul was diagnosed on
great examples of love and caring. Tay- Sept. 11, 2010. Amber said they were
lor Smart and Paul Anders are class- terrified when they received the diagnosis. “Knowing Taylor and all he had
mates who both suffer from Type 1
to deal with made me know what
diabetes. They are not only classmates but also great friends.
Paul would face,” she said. “In
Shelley and Otis Smart,
fact, it was Shelley, Taylor’s mom,
who recognized the symptoms in
parents of Taylor, said that
he was diagnosed on July
Paul. Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease. Paul had a
28, 2005. Taylor is now 10
virus and did not bounce
years old and has lived with
back. The virus triggered the
Type 1 Diabetes for 6 1/2 years now.
disease. We were at a football game and
he said he did not feel well and did not
want to play. I told Shelley I was worried
about him. He had lost 14 pounds in four
days. Shelley began asking me questions, and then she took out Taylor’s kit
and tested Paul’s sugar level right there
at the game. It was zero, so we rushed
him straight to the emergency room. I
thank God for Shelley and that she and
Taylor were in our lives at that time.”
According to Shirley Cody, Taylor
See KOUNTZE on page 28 A
Trainer’s own
diabetes battle
inspires effort
The adage that a dog is a
man’s best friend is certainly
true for Type 1 and Type 2 diabetics, where the Guardian
Angle Alert Dogs are concerned. These Labrador retrievers are trained to recognize the
fluctuations of blood sugar levels in these individuals. They
are trained to alert the diabetic
or their caregivers when blood
sugar levels become dangerously low or high.
Once these dogs are trained
they are never wrong, and they
alert often as much as 20 to 30
minutes before the patients
blood glucose meter can show
there is a problem. Because
these dogs are tested for scent
and temperament (to ensure
that the right dog is matched
with the right family) and
because both the dogs and the
family must go through rigorous training, these dogs can be
very expensive. It is important
for the public to be aware of
the role these service dogs
play in lives that can be
improved or even saved.
Don Warren of Warren
Retrievers, who is providing
the alert dog for 3-year-old
Racer McLeod of Southeast
Texas, who has Type 1 diabetes, says his is not the only
company supplying these
dogs, as they have not reinvented the wheel — they
have just improved on it.
Warren has also been diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes.
See DOG on page 28 A
23 A
S PORTS
MMA event to feature several local fighters
Noe Beltran’s Texas Rage in the opponent in 16 seconds in the first
Cage 13 is an event you don’t want to round at G1 Global Fights, and he will
miss. For starters, it’s mixed martial lock elbows with Rick Martinez (3-1) at
arts. Secondly, the card is starting to 175 pounds. Martinez, of McAllen,
shape up and more than half a
focuses on Muay Thai and last
dozen fighters from Southeast
fought for the 180-pound
Texas will step inside the cage
TRCAA title.
Friday, March 2, at the Beaumont
Beaumont’s Kevin Johnson
Civic Center.
looks to improve on his 2-1
“I’m a fight fan, so I like to
record as he fights Matt Herrera
match good fighters together,”
(1-2) at 170 pounds. Johnson
said Beltran. “The fans want to
at Texas Punishment Crew
The trains
see a good show, so I do my best
and Herrerra, who
to put two exciting fighters Bottom is coming off a
together.”
first round
Line TKO win at
Headlining will be Port
Arthur’s own Joel Scott (3-0)
TRCAA 12
with
vs. Ricardo Palacios (3-0) of Chad Cooper in Victoria,
Mission for the 145-pound Sports Editor hails from
TRCAA title. “Of course both of
Kingsville.
these guys are undefeated, and it’s
If
you
are
going to make for a great title fight,” looking for a fighter
said Beltran.
who likes to
Scott, who is a state and national come out
power-lifting champion, has transitioned a n d
over from boxing to MMA. He’s also a
cousin of Olympian and current WWE
wrestler Mark Henry.
The co-main event will be just
as exciting as Beaumont’s Will
“The Spider” Spidle (3-0) faces
Joey “The War Machine”
Montiel (4-2) of Weslaco, and
the winner will be the No. 1
contender for the 125-pound
TRCAA flyweight title.
Spidle, who trains at American
Top Team in Beaumont, had no
problems in January as he finished his
opponent Dat Tran in the first round at
G1 Global Fights at Coushatta.
Montiel, who once fought Cody
Williams for the 145-pound title, trains
at Progressive Scientific Fighting. PSF
also teaches Jeet Kune Do, which was
created by Bruce Lee in 1962. Jeet
Kune Do is described as “minimal
movement with maximum effect and
extreme speed. It’s not fixed or
patterned.”
Also from American Top TeamBeaumont, Ryan “Superman” Spann is
Courtesy photo
coming off an impressive win as he
Joel Scott
used a standing guillotine to defeat his
bang like UFC fighter Nick Diaz,
look no further than Chad
Coggins of Buna. I’ve seen
Coggins several times
and he always seems
to put on a great
show. He will
fight undefeated
Rodrigo Martinez (3-0), of
Waco, at 170
pounds.
T o n y
Stolfa, who is a
cameraman at
KBTV FOX 4, will
debut locally as he
fights Joel Pena, of
McAllen, at 145 pounds.
Stolfa is a gym rat and also
trains under Mike Berryhill at
American Top Team-Beaumont.
Port Arthur’s Jose Ceja will
make his MMA debut as he fights
a first-timer to the cage in Javier
Galvan. According to Beltran,
Ceja is a two-time Golden
Gloves boxing champion, and
his opponent is also making a
transition from boxing.
Tickets for this event are $45
or $30 and can be purchased at
Examiner file photos
Will Spidle gets full mount on Dat Tran.
Ryan Spann
the Beaumont Civic Center box office
or any Ticketmaster location.
Call Chad Cooper at (409) 832-1400, ext.
241, or e-mail [email protected].
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24 A
S portS
NASCAR fans ready for 54th Dayton 500
As if I needed a reminder that the anything. Well, there was that issue
2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup season is with Kurt Busch, which generated a
just days away from getting underway few interesting messages. But that was
at Daytona International Speedway, the exception and not the rule. January
there no missing the plethora of e-mail was a little busier as some of the teams
“shoved” into my inbox over the last were testing, and there were a few
few days. If this
sponsor changes.
were an old fashBut now it’s February and I
ioned mailbox,
finally had to turn off my inbox
paper would be
notification because it sounded
spilling out all
like a popcorn popper on Tuesover the floor.
day. So what does all this mean?
with Jerry Jordan
During any
Well, it means we are just a
given
week,
week away from the green flag
www.kickinthetires.net
those of us covon the 54th annual Daytona
ering the sport receive hundreds of 500. The cars hit the track this weeke-mails from various teams, their spon- end with the Budweiser Shootout at 7
sors, the sanctioning body and, of p.m. Saturday. You can catch the action
course, the fans. Think about it. There on the Speed Channel. But that is just
are 40-plus teams in each series – the beginning because next Thursday
Sprint Cup, Nationwide and the Camp- we have the Gatorade Duels, followed
ing World Truck Series – and that by a truck race on Friday, the Nationgenerates a lot of text from people wide Series race on Saturday and the
wanting to get their messages out, sell 500 on Sunday. From there, it’s 35
their wares or promote this or that more weeks of action-packed, doorcompany, event or driver.
slamming excitement from tracks
Don’t get me wrong. I love the around the country.
e-mails. If I didn’t get them I couldn’t
As the teams head to Daytona this
do my job. But make no mistake. week, the field for the 500 is all but
When you are talking about the Day- set. The biggest snooze (news) in
tona 500, the number of bits and bytes NASCAR is that Danica Patrick will
being sent over the Internet multiplies be only the third female to start a Dayexponentially.
tona 500 in history – something not
During December, I barely received done since Janet Gutherie did it in
1980, finishing 11th – and she could Motorsports, again using Roush power
also become the first female rookie to via the FR9 Roush-Yates engine. If
win the race. Of course, there is con- there ever was a time for an underdog
troversy surrounding the way she is to win a major race, I think this would
getting a guaranteed spot in the sport’s be it. In my opinion, Roush didn’t supbiggest race of the year, but it’s no dif- port Ragan in the same manner he did
ferent than what Michael Waltrip did Greg Biffle, Carl Edwards or Matt
to ensure that he and Mark Martin are Kenseth, and that caused some of his
locked into the field.
on-track issues. His talent is undeniAs for her winning, Trevor Bayne able, but when you don’t have the
broke the mold last year when he held internal support from the rest of the
off Carl Edwards for the win and organization it doesn’t matter how talnotched his belt as a rookie,
ented you are. Most people
getting his first ever win in
would look at Front Row as a
his first ever start in the
third-tier operation, but I think
Daytona 500. Can that
they have it together. Are they a
accomplishment be repeatHendrick Motorsports? No. But
ed? Last year proved that
they have good sponsors, they
anything in NASCAR is
have good equipment and they
possible, but I have to pick
have good drivers.
the fan favorite this year. It’s
Kickin’ the Tires will be live
not often I pick Dale Earnfrom Daytona for race weekhardt Jr. to win a race, but
end, and you can catch us on the
this might just be his year. I Earnhardt Jr.
all new KWUD 102.3 FM and
am not saying he will be the champion, 1490 AM in Woodville or online at
but I fully expect him to be a con- www.kickinthetire.net. This week, I
tender, and I like his odds of taking the will have the 2011 CWTS Rookie of
checkered flag next Sunday.
the Year Joey Coulter on the show
Another driver to watch – and one talking about his efforts next Friday
that I might place a wager on – is night. He is also racing Saturday in the
David Ragan. He should have won the ARCA race, so check that out, as well.
race last year in a Roush-Fenway Ford, That’s it for this week. Let’s go racing.
but he got black flagged on a restart.
Jerry Jordan can be reached at (409)
Now, Ragan is driving for Front Row 498-1074, or at [email protected].
I’m not a player; I just ...
CRUSH
... a lot
Monster Nation returns to Beaumont
Monster Nation returns for a three-day stint inside
Ford Arena on Feb. 17-19. Showtimes are 8 p.m. on
Friday and Saturday, and 2 p.m. Sunday. Advance
tickets can be purchased at Ford Park or any
Ticketmaster location for $23 (adults) and $11 for
kids ages 2-12. Free pit passes are included with the
ticket.
Several of the monster trucks will be out and
about in Southeast Texas including the newly
designed Bigfoot at St. Anne’s Catholic School, 375
N. 11th St., on Feb. 17 at 9 a.m. Bigfoot can also be
seen at Mike Smith AutoPlaza, 1515 I-10 S. in
Beaumont, on Feb. 18 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Heavy Hitter will be at Conn’s, 4326 Dowlen
Road in Beaumont, on Feb. 16 from 4-6 p.m.
Toxic can be seen at Gonzo’s Custom Paint &
Body, 5320 W. Parkway in Groves, on Feb. 18 from
10 a.m. to noon, and Tailgator will be parked at Mike
Smith AutoPlex, 1945 I-10 S. in Beaumont, on Feb.
18 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
25 A
S PORTS
Lady Cardinals set to play key
stretch of their SLC schedule
Hamshire-Fannett, Orangefield,
WO-S to play 3-way tiebreaker
By Chad Cooper
Sports Editor
Though the regular season
is over, the boys basketball
playoff picture will not be
compete entirely until Saturday, Feb. 18.
Beginning with Class 5A,
Port Arthur Memorial (1712) has clinched a playoff
spot in 21-5A but is
tied with Channelview. The two will
play a tiebreaker
Friday, Feb. 17, to
determine the No. 2
and No. 3 seed. No
site information was
given as of press time. The
winner will play Pasadena
Rayburn in the first round
(bi-district) next Tuesday,
and the loser settles with
South Houston. Memorial
and Channelview split their
two district meetings.
West Brook (8-16) will
have to play its way into the
playoffs as the Bruins are
tied for the fourth and final
spot with La Porte after the
Bulldogs beat them 58-56 on
Tuesday. The two teams split
their regular season games,
and the winner plays District
22-5A champion Pasadena
Dobie.
In 20-4A, Nederland and
Central are co-district champions, but Nederland will be
the No. 1 seed as Central
head coach Robert Lee conceded the spot so the two
teams wouldn’t have to play
a tiebreaker.
District 20-4A plays teams
in the bi-district round from
19-4A, so Nederland (27-6)
will play Dayton (21-15) and
Central (20-9) will play
Houston King (19-11). It’s
Ozen (20-11) vs. North Forest and LC-M (19-14) vs.
Crosby (27-9). No other game
information was available.
In Class 3A, Jasper (19-9)
is the district champion of
18-3A and will have a bye in
the first round.
In 21-3A, HardinJefferson (36-1)
and Silsbee (23-7)
are
co-district
champs, but Silsbee
conceded,
giving Hardin-Jefferson the No. 1 seed.
With H-J having a bye,
Silsbee will play Splendora
(23-7) on Feb. 21 at Angelina Junior College in Lufkin
at 7 p.m.
Three teams are tied at 4-6
in the district for the third
and final spot — HamshireFannett, Orangefield and
West Orange-Stark.
With a three-way tie, they
all flipped a coin and Orangefield (17-15) will play WO-S
(18-14) on Friday, Feb. 17, at
Port Neches-Groves High
School at 7 p.m. Each team
split their two meetings and
the winner will play Hamshire-Fannett (20-13) on Saturday at PN-G at 3 p.m. The
winner of that game will
finally earn the final playoff
spot and play Cleveland (1417) in the first round.
In Class 2A, Newton (145) finished third in 22-2A
and will play Sabine next
week.
See HOOPS on page 28 A
As of press time, the Lamar
Lady Cardinals are 13-11
overall, but more importantly
they’re tied for sixth with Texas State at 5-5 in the Southland
Conference standings. The top
eight teams will advance to the
SLC Tournament on March
6-9 in Katy.
LU played at Southeastern
Louisiana on Feb. 15 and will
next host Texas A&M-Corpus
Christi on Saturday, Feb. 18, at
2 p.m.
TAMU-CC
is
8-15 on the season
with a 4-6 conference record, but they
are just 3-8 on the
road. Senior forward
Myeisha Myles leads
the team in scoring
with 10.6 points.
The Islanders also
lead the all-time series 6-8, but
LU coach Larry Tidwell and
his program are 5-3 against
TAMU-CC.
The Lady Cards will then
travel to Stephen F. Austin on
Wednesday, Feb. 22, at 7 p.m.
SFA is second in the West
Division with a 6-4 record,
16-7 overall, and even though
SFA has dominated the alltime series 47-9, LU has never
lost to SFA under coach
Tidwell.
advantage in Beaumont. Sixfoot-7 senior Jeral Scott leads
the Lumberjacks with 13.5
points and 5.6 rebounds per
game.
Baseball
Picked to finish in the middle of the Southland Conference, the Cardinals will open
the non-conference portion of
their schedule on Friday, Feb.
17, as they host the Lamar
Classic at Vincent
Beck Stadium.
The schedule is
as follows: Stephen
F. Austin vs. Portland (Feb. 17, 11
a.m.); SFA vs.
Arkansas State (Feb.
17, 2:30 p.m.);
Lamar vs. Portland
(Feb. 17, 6 p.m.);
Arkansas State vs. SFA (Feb.
18, 11 a.m.); Lamar vs. Arkansas State (Feb. 18, 2:30 p.m.);
Lamar vs. Portland (Feb. 18, 6
p.m.); Portland vs. SFA (Feb.
19, 11 a.m.); and Lamar vs.
Arkansas State (Feb. 19, 2:30
p.m.).
SFA competes in the SLC
along with Lamar and finished
a school best 37-23 last season
and returns one of the best
players in the conference in
catcher Jarid Scarafiotti.
After a 24-30 season last year, the
University
of
Portland Pilots
are picked to finished eighth in
the
nine-team
West Coast Conference and return one of
the school’s all-time best
pitchers in senior Kyle Kraus.
Sophomore outfielder Turner
Gill was a Louisville Slugger
Freshman All-American last
season.
The Red Wolves of ASU
are picked to finish seventh in
the Sun Belt and went 27-31-1
in 2011 returning six starters.
LAMAR
LOOP
Men’s hoops
Lamar will step out of conference play to participate in
the ESPN Bracketbuster game
on Saturday, Feb. 18, at George
Mason at 3 p.m. in Fairfax, Va.
The game will be shown on
ESPN3.
The Patriots are 21-6 this
season with a 13-2 Colonial
Athletic Association record.
They went two rounds deep in
the NCAA Tournament last
year, losing to Ohio State in
the second round. Six-foot-6
senior Ryan Pearson leads the
team with 17.6 points and 8.5
rebounds per game.
LU returns home Feb. 22 to
host SFA at 7 p.m. It will be
Lamar Alumni Night as all
Lamar University alumni will
receive half-price admission.
The all-time series with SFA is
tied at 24, but LU holds a 16-9
Tennis
Carlos Valdenebro’s threeset win over Guilherme Gesser at No. 5 singles lifted the
LU men’s tennis team to a 4-3
win over visiting Abilene
Christian on Feb. 12. It was
the first win of the season for
the Cards, who improved to
1-2, and Abilene Christian,
who advanced to the NCAA
Division II quarterfinals last
season, fell to 4-4.
Lamar will next play at
Prairie View A&M on Feb. 19
at 1 p.m.
The Lady Cards won their
first two matches of the season
in one day with a 5-2 against
Abilene Christian and a 7-0
shutout of Prairie View A&M
on Feb. 12.
Carolina Salas, Carolina
Maso, Alicia Porte and Alessandra Pennesi each won their
matches against their two
respected opponents.
The Lady Cards will next
return to the courts on March
3 when the host Texas State at
11 a.m.
Track
Andy Fontenot and Leslie
Beard both posted secondplace finishes for Lamar at the
Iowa State Classic indoor
track meet last weekend in
Ames, Iowa.
Fontenot was second
in the men’s long jump
with an effort of 23-8,
and Beard was second
in the women’s pole
vault, clearing 11-8.5
The Cards also placed
three runners in the top 10 of
the men’s 3,000 meters. Joe
Wade was second in 8:10.99,
Sam Stabler was third in
8:11.80 and Tom Wade placed
ninth in 8:20.51 for Lamar.
There was no team scoring.
Lamar’s track teams return
to action at the Southland
See LAMAR on page 28 A
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26 A
S PORTS
Geese are still here
As the extended conserva- es south of the Intracoastal
tion snow goose season con- Canal? Answers to that would
tinues, there are only scattered only be speculation on my
reports from the fields. There part. However, with my huntseems to be some big numbers ing experience, there are a
of the snows, blues, and Ross couple of primary factors that
geese that are staying south of seem to always be involved
the Intracoastal Canal. There when the birds move to wherare times, depending on the ever they choose to locate.
weather, when some of those
Whenever the snow geese,
birds will move back north of blue geese and Ross geese
the canal; whenever this hap- begin to prepare to head back
pens, then the folks that
to their spring and sumenjoy the late season
mer nesting grounds,
will enjoy some really
they head for the green
great shoots. Many of
food sources. Some of
the waterfowl outfitters
their favorite places are
have told me that under
the ridges that are in
the circumstances, they
the reserves. Annually,
are scheduling hunts
the high ground will be
for standby. Whenever Billy Halfin burned off so that the
the geese decide to
old vegetation is
begin moving around Outdoors removed and the young
more and when they
green shoots will grow.
are more available to
The birds find these
the hunters, they will notify spots earlier in the year and
the standbys. With the conser- they do tend to feed on them.
vation season in full swing, They move back into the grain
there should be some really fields at night to feed and
good hunts coming up.
return to those marsh ridges
So what is keeping those during the daylight hours.
seemingly ever-hungry geese Drastic changes in local
in both the federal wildlife weather or severe cold fronts
refuge areas and in the marsh- that begin up north will drive
Southeastern Louisiana University
more and more geese into the
local area. Whenever they
would leave the nighttime
resting areas and head into the
flooded rice fields, local goose
hunters would have the opportunity to enjoy some good
goose hunts.
By now, some of that situation has changed. The ridges
that were resting areas for the
geese do become highly fed
over. There is less for them to
feed upon; therefore, they
head to the local marshes
where they feed on what we
call three-cornered grass.
Three-cornered grass likely
has a scientific name, but that
escapes me. For this article,
we’ll call it what the local
hunters know it as — threecornered grass.
Evidentially this marsh
grass contains some substance
that the geese like to eat before
they head back north. In any
event, the largest stands of that
goose attractors are in the
marshes that are south of the
Intercostals Canal. There are
also some patches of it north
of the canal and in the federal
refuge areas. The folks who
would enjoy utilizing the conservative season can see those
geese, but they are in places
where hunting is not allowed.
The United States Fish and
See HALFIN on page 27 A
Game warden stories
from East Texas, beyond
Being a Texas game warden is not always a
walk in the park. But on the other hand, it can
be downright comical on some days. The following situations are just of a few of the highlights from a day in the life of Texas game
wardens.
and met with all the individuals on the neighboring property. Citations were issued to five
hunters for trespassing.
Trespasser attacks game warden
Jan. 21, Dallas County Game Warden David
Bosecker was patrolling for night hunters in
Pineywoods hog hunters get locked out
Hunt County when he spotted a subject tresTrinity County Game Warden Randy Watts passing at a barn and corral area. When Warden
received a call from a landowner on Jan. 22 Bosecker approached the subject and told him
about hog hunters trespassing on
he was under arrest, the man became belligerhis high fenced ranch. The landent and attacked him. Warden Bosecker arrestowner found a dog with a GPS
ed the subject, and several cases are pending.
collar and a few minutes later
Newton county outlaws can’t outfox
the hog hunters showed up to get
East Texas game wardens
the dog. The landowner asked
the hunters how they got in the
Facebook helps tag illegal hunters: Newton
ranch. They stated the gate was
County wardens Ellis Powell, Brian Srba,
open and they would leave it Robert Sloan Landon Spacek and Bradley Smith, and Jasper
like they found it. After the
County Warden Morgan Inman executed a
hunters left, the landowner Outdoors search warrant on a Louisiana resident living in
checked his gate. His lock was
Newton County on Jan. 21. The warrant came
missing and a new lock was on the gate. The after a four-month investigation, with warrants
landowner knew the identity of one of the
See SLOAN on page 27 A
hunters. Game Warden Watts called the hunter
27 A
S portS
sloan
size gag grouper. The game wardens
issued a total of eight tickets for over
bag limit of red snapper, possession of
undersize red snapper, and possession
of undersize gag grouper. Cases and
civil restitution pending.
from page 26 A
also being served on the subject’s
Facebook account for e-mails and
photos. As the interview was taking
place, Louisiana game wardens were
interviewing other subjects implicated
by the man’s Facebook account. The
subject admitted killing eight deer in
the last few months and named several other subjects with numerous
deer kills. None of the four main subjects have had a hunting license since
2004, with no deer taken in daylight
hours during that time. Numerous
charges filed with more interviews of
other subjects pending.
Outlaw crabbers, shrimpers in
Chambers, Galveston counties
During coastal operations Jan.
23-27, Galveston and Chambers
county wardens filed cases that
included a crew boat that was in possession of five bags of fish fillets, a
commercial crabbing boat that was
caught in possession of oysters, illegal
stone crabs and no commercial licenses, and a commercial gulf shrimp boat
caught in possession of head-andtailed fish, exceeding the limit of
flounder and shark fins.
Spotlighting arrest ‘illuminates’
outstanding warrants
While conducting a nighttime
patrol Jan. 22, Game Warden Harry
Rakosky observed a vehicle intermittently shining a spotlight into area
farm fields. A citation was subsequently issued. The next day, the court
called the game warden to report that
Halfin
from page 26 A
Wildlife Service continues to
promote taking more of these
overpopulated geese, but
hunting is closed where the
geese are most populated during the late season.
On the subject of threecornered grass in the marsh,
there are plenty of positives to
the geese feeding on it. A
large bunch of geese can, in
over a week or more, completely rid that feeding area or
any vegetation. There will be
water still present. During the
remainder of the year after the
geese head north, those water
areas become prime places
for ducks to rest when they
return next fall. There will be
duck attracting vegetation in
those goose created ponds.
Wardens seize 98 sacks
of illegal oysters
Game Wardens Raul “Pinky” Gonzales, Danny Kelso, Scott McLeod,
and Derek Reeder checked numerous
commercial oyster boats in Hynes and
San Antonio bays on Jan. 27. Four
captains were cited for undersize oyster loads. Approximately 98 sacks of
oysters were returned to their reefs.
Game warden sinks
boat theft plans
Fayette County Game Warden Calvin Harbaugh apprehended an adult and
two juveniles in the act of stealing a
14-foot aluminum boat on Jan. 24. The
Photo courtesy of the TPWD boat had been chained to a tree on the
Game wardens do a whole lot more than check boaters. Lately they have edge of the Colorado River. The defenbusted outlaw snapper fishermen in Southeast Texas, tracked down illegal dants had broken the lock, loaded the
hog hunters, and one even got attacked by a trespasser.
boat into the bed of a truck, and were
the subject had outstanding warrants. gulf shrimp and recreational fishing about to drive off with it when caught.
In response, the game warden went to boats. Capt. Melinda Dunks (Game Greedy angler catches
the offender’s residence, arresting him Warden Sgt. James Dunks’ wife) of too many rainbows
for third-degree felony intoxication TPWD’s Coastal Fisheries Division
Game Warden Cynde Aguilar
assault and first-degree felony intoxi- was aboard the resource vessel Kemp received a call on Jan. 19 about a fishand reported that she had seen a bay erman keeping too many fish. Aguilar
cation manslaughter.
boat heading toward an oil rig just made contact with the man and found
outside state waters. After making him with 14 rainbow trout over the
Outlaw red snapper and grouper
contact with the recreational boat as it daily bag limit of five. Tickets were
fishermen get busted big time
entered the jetties heading to port, the
Cameron County Game Wardens wardens determined that the three issued for fishing without a license,
Libby Balusek and Santana Torres individuals on board had indeed been exceeding the daily bag limit and reswere patrolling the Gulf of Mexico fishing in federal waters. They had 19 titution to the state.
aboard the TPWD patrol vessel What- red snapper on board (14 of which
Robert Sloan can be reached by e-mail
ley on Jan. 5 looking for incoming were undersize), as well as two under- at [email protected].
Besides that, the grasses that
remain around those ponds
act as wind breaks so that the
ducks can find smooth water.
So even though the geese will
destroy many acres of habitat,
some good comes out of it.
Another thing that can
move the geese is weather.
Why do those birds choose to
change locations when there
is a weather change? What
would make a perfectly normal goose leave the feeding
and resting area just because
it’s foggy or the wind blows
hard? Only the geese know
for sure.
Those weather conditions
and changes are usually what
it takes to move the geese into
the hunting areas. Should you
be interested in a late season
conservation hunt, then contact one of the local outfitters
and be ready to stand by.
One year • $25
CCV2#
28 A
HOOPS
from page 25 A
(18-10) are co-district
champs, but Big Sandy
earned the bye. Evadale will
play Normangee on Feb. 21
at Livingston High School at
7 p.m.
In TAPPS, two local teams
are in the second round of the
playoffs as Legacy Christian
defeated Brenham Christian,
64-35, and will host a game
on Saturday. Orange Community Christian defeated
Cypress Christian, 74-38,
and will also host a secondround game this weekend.
District 24-2A is simple.
Kountze (26-8) is the champion and gets a first-round
bye while East Chambers
(22-8) plays New Waverly
on Feb. 21 at Humber Summer Creek High School at
6:30 p.m.
Buna (13-13) and Hardin
(16-15) are tied for the third
spot and will have to play a
tiebreaker this weekend. The
winner gets a chance to play
No. 7 Crockett in the first
Chad Cooper can be reached
round.
at (409) 832-1400, ext. 241, or
In 25-A Division I, Big by e-mail at cooper@theexamSandy (19-8) and Evadale iner.com.
LAMAR
from page 25 A
Conference Championships
set for Feb. 24-25 in Norman,
Okla.
Football
The Cardinals will open its
2012 football schedule on
Sept. 1 with a road game at
former rival Louisiana-Lafayette, now a member of the Sun
Belt Conference.
The Louisiana-Lafayette
game will be Lamar’s first
against a Football
Championship Subdivision
school
since the Cardinals
revived their football program in 2010.
Lamar has a 10-16 alltime record against the
Rajin Cajuns, who were 42-33
winners in the last meeting of
the teams in 1989. The Cardinals’ last win in the series was
14-12 in 1981.
Coach Ray Woodard’s Cardinals, who went 4-7 in 2011,
will face a second FBS school
when they travel to Honolulu
to play a Sept. 15 game against
the University of Hawaii. The
Cardinals’ home opener in
16,000-seat Provost Umphrey
Stadium is set for Sept. 8
against Prairie View A&M;
their Southland Conference
opener will be in Beaumont
against Southeastern Louisi-
Range
Leger’s
ooting
Sh
Quality Guns & scopes
We give CHL Classes & Renewals
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Tuesday - Saturday • 10am - 5:30pm
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ana on Sept. 29, and their 2012
Homecoming Game will be
against McMurry University
on Oct. 13.
“I’m excited about the coming season and the schedule
we will play,” said Woodard.
“We have some challenging
road games with the two FBS
contests. It will be a great way
to open the season against
longtime rival LouisianaLafayette, and, of course,
there’s the trip to Hawaii. That
should be a lot of fun for the
players, the coaches and the
entire travel party.”
For the third-straight season, the Cardinals, who
have gone 9-13 during their two-season startup process, will play six
home games and
six road contests.
Their other home games
are against Langston on Sept.
22, defending Southland Conference champion and NCAA
national finalist Sam Houston
State on Oct. 27, and Nicholls
on Nov. 10.
The Cardinals’ other road
games will be Oct. 6 at Northwestern State, which holds an
8-5-1 series lead but was a
28-13 loser to coach Larry
Kennan’s 1979 team in the
schools’ last meeting, on
Oct.20 at Central Arkansas, on
Nov. 3 at Stephen F. Austin
and on Nov. 17 at longtime
rival McNeese State.
CARLITO’S
A TASTE OF MEXICO FOR THOSE
WHO LIKE IT HOT
2610 COLLEGE BEAUMONT
409-839-8011
DOG
from page 22 A
He said he ate something in
a restaurant that made him
very ill. He was so ill that
he spent many days in the
hospital and was left with a
damaged pancreas, resulting in Type 1 diabetes. “I
am a blessing by being
blessed. What I mean by
that is that the Lord blessed
me with diabetes so that I
could be a blessing to others with this disease,” he
said. “To explain, we had
been breeding, placing, and
training Labradors for
detection work, which was
in narcotics, explosives,
firearms, arson or accelerants, tobacco and bed bugs.
I just took the knowledge I
had for training these dogs
and my experience with my
disease and turned it into
training the best dogs for
the job.”
According to Warren,
there are others in our area
that are in need of alert
dogs. He says his company
supplies dogs to the whole
of the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom
and Europe. He has sent
one as far away as Madrid,
Spain. Warren Retrievers is
the only organization
endorsed by the Juvenile
Diabetes Research Foundation. They received this
endorsement in October
2011.
Because of the demand
for these dogs, it takes
from 6 to 8 months once
someone is put on the
waiting list. Warren said
young Racer has been on
the list since December
2011; therefore, he is relatively close to obtaining
an alert dog.
Warren said, “Our goal
is for children and adults
living with Type 1 and Type
2 diabetes to live a long,
happy life without complications and to manage their
diabetes appropriately until
a cure is found. Until there
is cure, there is a dog.”
Warren Retrievers is in
Orange, Va., and can be
found on Facebook or
reached at Warren Retrievers, P.O. Box 910, Orange,
VA 22960.
— Patricia Whitmire
The Water’s Edge Riders from Lake Charles
RACER
from page 22 A
A ministry arm of Water’s
Edge Church, the Water’s
Edge Riders rode their bikes to
bring a love offering. Johnith
Kiffe said a lady in their
church heard about Racer and
approached their leaders about
helping. Their pastor, Tony
Bourque, told his congregation and took up the love offering. Kiffe said that this was
special to him as his dad suf-
fered with Type 1 diabetes.
Another of the group also said
it hit close to home for him as
his mother battles diabetes
every day.
Last but not least, were the
two young men from Kountze, Taylor Smart and Paul
Anders, who conducted their
own fundraiser to raise money to help Racer get his
Guardian Angel Dog. The
outpouring of love and caring
for this young boy is something the community can look
back on with joy.
KOUNTZE
from page 22 A
Smart’s grandmother, the
boys’ school nurse showed a
video made by Ryan McLeod
about his son, 3-year-old Racer, who also has Type 1 diabetes and has a need for a Guardian Angel Alert Dog to aid
them in detecting when Racer’s sugar levels reach a dangerous high or low. After seeing the video, Paul and Taylor
decided they would help raise
money for Racer.
Amber Ander’s said both
boys kept repeating, “We’re
going to help get that kid a
dog.” She said they talked
about it for a few days then
came up with a plan. Shelley
Smart said the boys planned
and executed the entire project.
Taylor Smart contacted a
lady in Warren who makes
T-shirts and made a deal with
her that they would pay her to
make T-shirts and sell them.
The money raised after paying
her would go to Racer. “We
just wanted to help,” Taylor
said, “because he (Racer)
doesn’t know how to take care
of his blood sugar like we do.”
Paul Anders said he and Taylor
raised $500 each to give to
Racer.
The T-shirts they sold had
the slogan “Diabetes Fighter”
on the front and “We may have
diabetes, but diabetes does not
have us” on the back.
When these two brave
young men presented their
checks to Racer and his family, Racer’s mom and dad presented the boys with professional football helmets signed
by their favorite players. Paul
received a Dallas Cowboys
helmet signed by Jason Witten
and Taylor got a Chicago
Bear’s helmet signed by Bears
quarterback Jay Cutler, who
also has Type 1 diabetes.
Taylor’s father, Otis Smart,
said Taylor has always been a
very loving, considerate, and
compassionate child, but both
his parents thought what the
boys did was just incredible.
Paul’s father, John, said, “I
think it’s great. As parents you
like it when your kids step out
to help others. I am very proud
of them.”
Yes, parents and community, you can be very proud of
these two young men who
fight a tremendous battle every
day of their lives, but still give
of themselves to see that one
young child has hope for a better future.
— PW
29 A
Liftback lifestyle: 2012 Yaris
Michele Brooke
Auto Writer
From its smart interior to its
sporty exterior, the all-new
2012 Toyota Yaris answers
car-shoppers’ demands for a
fuel-efficient, fun subcompact.
Today, liftback body styles
dominate the subcompact vehicle segment. The new Yaris
Liftback has been completely
redesigned for 2012, featuring
a more sporty, aggressive look.
The wheelbase has been lengthened by 2 inches to 98.8 inches,
with the overall length of the
vehicle growing by 2.9 inches
to 153.5 inches. The height of
the new Yaris is also reduced
by 0.6 inches for a stance that is
both lower and longer. The
result is up to 68 percent more
cargo room along with additional headroom and passenger
volume, all within a highly
aerodynamic body yielding a
0.30 coefficient of drag.
Fuel rating for ‘12 Yaris L is
30-mpg in city and 38-mpg
on the highway.
The bold new design of the
2012 Yaris is longer and lower, with a longer wheelbase.
Eight colors are available,
including Super White, Classic Silver Metallic, Magnetic
Gray Metallic, Black Sand
Pearl, Absolutely Red,
Lagoon Blue Mica, Wave Line
Pearl and Blazing Blue Pearl.
All models also feature full
audio connectivity via USB
and auxiliary ports, along
with a standard AM/FM/CD
player with MP3 and WMA
playback compatibility. LE
and SE models feature an
audio system with HD radio,
six speakers and Bluetooth
music streaming technology.
Grade strategy
The new Yaris is offered in
three grades, with the entrylevel L and value-packaged
LE editions available either as
a three-door liftback or fivedoor liftback. The sport-tuned
SE is available only as a fivedoor. Standard equipment levels have been improved across
all grades while simplifying
options to make it easier for
customers to find the car they
want at an affordable price.
Performance
The all-new Yaris was
designed for fun and functionality. Both three-door and fivedoor models are powered by a
1.5-liter, 16-valve, four-cylinder DOHC engine equipped
with variable valve timing
with intelligence (VVT-i), producing 106 hp at 6,000 rpm
and 103 pound-feet of torque
at 4,200 rpm.
All Yaris L, LE and SE
models are available with a
new four-speed electronically
controlled automatic transmission, featuring a more compact, lighter-weight design and
reduced friction for greater
fuel efficiency. A smoothshifting five-speed manual
transmission is available on L
and SE models only. Standard
tire sizes are increased as well
to 15-inch on L and LE versions, and 16-inch on the SE.
Standard Features
All Yaris models are well
equipped with popular comfort, convenience and technology features.
Starting with the Yaris L, all
models include standard electric power steering, power
door locks and Cold Weather
Package. Other standard features include air conditioning,
six cup and bottle holders, and
a storage cover for the cargo
area. Halogen headlamps and
intermittent front windshield
wiper are also standard.
The Yaris LE includes standard power windows with driver’s auto-down, power mirrors
and a remote keyless entry system. Cruise control is available
as an option on the LE.
The Yaris SE provides even
more driving fun with its
standout styling and driveroriented interior. The SE is
equipped with P195/50R16
tires and alloy wheels.
The SE makes a distinctive
statement with smoke-trim
multi-reflector halogen headlamps, integrated fog lamps
and color-keyed grille with
sport mesh insert. It features
color-keyed front and rear
underbody spoilers, rear spoiler and rear diffuser, set off by
a chrome exhaust tip and SE
badge.
Inside, a sporty instrumentation package faces the driver,
with an analog speedometer,
tachometer, fuel gauge and
digital multi-instrument display. The Yaris SE also includes
a six-way adjustable driver’s
seat and four-way adjustable
passenger seat with sport fabric trim.
Exterior styling
The bold new design of the
2012 Yaris is longer and lower,
with a longer wheelbase. Its
assertive presence is visible
from all angles, starting with
the distinctive protruding front
profile with wide headlamps
and integrated turn signals.
The side profile displays a
steeply sloped beltline, while
the shoulder lines continue
around to the rear, creating a
sharp look.
Interior design
For 2012, a new tilt threespoke steering wheel is introduced, featuring a flat-bottom
shape. The instrument cluster,
center-mounted in the previous Yaris, is relocated in front
of the driver and includes a
multi-instrument display with
odometer, twin trip meters,
clock, outside temperature
reading, fuel economy display,
average speed and Eco-Driving indicator.
Yaris L models feature a
one-piece folding rear seat,
while LE and SE editions
include a 60/40 split folddown rear seat.
The luggage compartment
area has been lengthened by
5.7 inches, and widened by 2.1
inches, to increase cargo volume by 64 percent in the
3-door and 68 percent in the
5-door. Cargo capacity with
the seat up is 15.3 cubic feet
on the three-door and 15.6
cubic feet on the five-door.
Excellent value pricing
Yaris continues to provide
value with more than $1,000 of
additional standard equipment.
Pricing for the all-new 2012
Yaris will be comparable to a
previous-generation Yaris with
the Convenience Package, with
prices of most grades remaining unchanged, making the allnew and improved model a
great value versus the previous
model. Note: the base MSRP is
$14,115 for the L grade threedoor liftback with a five-speed
manual transmission.
•••
To learn more, visit your
local Southeast Texas Toyota
dealer or www.toyota.com.
30 A
SETMA featured in national publication
‘A Portrait of Health’
Editor’s Note: this column is taken from
Health Data Management’s Health Intelligence Supplement, Feb. 9, 2012.
them to live as comfortably as they
can.
“Cost, safety, collaboration, convenience are all reasons why we want to
control readmissions,” says Dr. James
Holly, M.D., CEO of Southeast Texas
Medical Associates. Reducing readmission became a central goal at SEMTA, and through the use of electronic
records and analytics, the 29-physician
practice in Beaumont achieved a 22
percent improvement over six months.
The first article in the supplement is
titled “How Reporting, Analytics and
Metrics Affect Outcomes and Save
Lives.” Greg Gillespie states:
“The U.S. health care industry
doesn’t lack for brainpower. The medical profession is a beacon to the best
and brightest among us who have Clusters of data
answered the call to use their healing
Holly sees many geriatric patients
skills to make the ill healthy again. But who might have seven or eight ongothe heartbreaking fact is that even with ing conditions. The success in treating
all those great minds applying them- each one is gauged by a set of outcome
selves to providing the
metrics by which the
best
care,
many
level of care and the
patients still die needpatient’s response can
lessly and many with
James
be compared with stanchronic pain suffer
dards derived in mediHolly,
endlessly. one reason
cal research.
M.D.
for the needless sufferThe American Meding is a lack of health
ical Association’s Phyintelligence, the reportsician Consortium for
ing, analytics and per- Your Life, Your Health Performance Improveformance metrics that
ment (PCPI) is one
can identify where and
such source of a qualiwhy very smart people end up deliver- ty metric set covering various condiing care that is insufficient or possibly tions that allows a provider to measure
sets patients on a dangerous course. their own performance at the point of
This supplement spotlights multiple care. Other sources for quality metric
angles of the measurement, reporting sets include the National Committee
and performance analytics that move for Quality Assurance (NCQA) and the
decision support and proper interven- Ambulatory Quality Association
tion to the true business end of the (AQA).
health care industry—where the patient
Where process metrics measure the
meets the caregiver.”
degree to which a clinical best practice
Following this, the article about was followed, outcome metrics are
SETMA appears. Titled “A Portrait of harder to quantify, because outcomes
Health,” in it Jim Ericson discusses are judged by an assortment of health
how “clusters of data points and statis- and quality of life measures, many of
tical analysis give doctors at a Texas which are subjective. These include
practice a comprehensive EMR view ‘hard’ metrics
of patients.” His article follows.
“We discovered that if you’re only
•••
tracking one quality metric about a
The debate over escalating medical particular condition, it’s really not
costs has been attributed to a variety of going to change anything,” says Holly.
ills: overly comprehensive or redun- “But if you’re tracking a cluster of
dant testing and care, fraud, waste and seven or eight quality metrics about a
various other malignancies.
specific condition and you hit the metNone are the singular cause of the ric on those, you’re very likely going
jaw-dropping financial inefficiencies to be changing the outcome for the
of the health care industry. But togeth- patient’s health.”
er they create a cost curve that must be
Across whatever range of condibent downward, and to do so requires tions a typical patient might have,
starting with the low-hanging fruit SEMTA physicians might assemble as
where, without decreasing quality or many as 50 or 60 quality metrics, a
access, caregivers can still decrease galaxy of multiple clusters. If a
cost.
patient’s progress can be managed
Hospital readmission is plainly one across that many metrics, evidence
of those areas. Especially in an era of shows it will change the trajectory and
aging patients where chronic incurable outcomes of that patient’s care.
conditions like diabetes or heart disease are profligate, the best case for a Data sets and deviations
patient is to stabilize their condition,
Doctors using medical records to
keep them out of the hospital and allow manage patient outcomes have tradi-
tionally had to look back at what happened 12 or 18 months earlier to determine their success. Getting ahead of
that time curve to address the current
health of a patient calls for an analytical approach that suggests actions to
take today or tomorrow.
Tracking the course of multiple conditions in a single patient requires tools
that mine data for different themes,
modes, medians and standard deviations. Holly is a big proponent of statistical analysis and using standard
deviation to calculate patients’ – and
providers’ variance from mean performance – based on statistical evidence.
Southeast Texas’ standard deviation
for diabetes fell from 1.98 in 2000 to
1.2 in 2010, for example. Statistically,
Holly says, that took the practice “from
terrible to much better, not perfect but
closer to the .9 deviation you might
expect in human biology.”
It’s a relative measure, but that’s the
point, Holly has found. “There’s a
thing in health care called clinical inertia where a patient comes in, they are
not at their care goals, their blood pressure or lipids are not treated as well as
they could be, and yet nothing is
done.” Research suggests that clinical
inertia, defined as lack of treatment
intensification in a patient not at evidence-based goals for care, is frequently a cause for preventable errors.
To counter widespread clinical
inertia, Holly and SETMA publicly
reports its own doctors’ and nurse
practitioners’ performance for different disorders. The data is posted by
populations and not by patient name
(though patients are given the information on their own quality of care at
every visit).
When such information is posted,
Holly says, “The first complaint you
hear from providers is, ‘the data is
wrong, I do a better job than that.” The
need to back reports with defensible
data led to an “exhaustive” business
intelligence implementation that
involved Cognos software and IBM
business partner LPA. For doctors to
buy in, the methodology for auditing
and analysis had to be bulletproof as
well.
Southeast Texas analysts initially
authenticate data with chart reviews
and hand checking to confirm the correlation, which Holly says became
‘spot-on excellent’ for the purpose.
“Once providers understand the data is
accurate and is being publicly reported, it really stimulates them to pay
attention to each individual patient. We
spent a lot of money and time adapting
Cognos to health care to get to that
level of accuracy, but when you take
care of each individual you’ll be taking
care of a panel or population in the
process that supports that.”
When deal with hospital readmissions, different patient populations
were compared with those who came
back to the clinic as scheduled or not,
and whether (and how) that led to readmission. SETMA’s analytics looked at
co-morbidities, secondary or associated symptoms patients had and whether
that affected their return. Readmission
was checked by demographics of ethnicity, gender, age, insurance or lack
thereof. Analysts then drilled down to
look for small process “levers” or indicators in health care standards and
practices that might suggest a minor
intervention that would reduce the
likelihood of readmission.
One lever for reducing readmission
is in a patient’s transfer from hospital
to outpatient care. Since 1998 when
SETMA began collecting electronic
medical records, SETMA has used its
EMRs to build comprehensive data
profiles of patients in hospitals, clinics
and other settings. The records contain
dozens of discrete fields of data in one
large database that can be examined at
once with analytical tools.
SETMA compared individual
patient’s admitted to the hospital with
a set of 14 data points and four actions
published by PCPI, the ‘things that
needed to be done’ to define quality
care in care transitions from the inpatient to the outpatient setting. Back in
2007, Holly realized the practice was
already monitoring all but one of the
PCPI Care Transitions data points, so
capability was added in the EHR to
store all that data already collected in
order to analyze it.
“We put it together with other data
points regarding clinical and transitional care and came up with some
very interesting analyses of the principle reasons why people get readmitted
to the hospital and then make some
interventions.”
Those interventions were where the
22 percent decrease in preventable
readmissions were realized. The individual patient data points and best
practices lined up statistically in areas
of contact with the patient, not only
physical contact but through home
health, hospice, physical therapy and
phone calls, supported by the data
clusters and indicators for each
patient’s symptoms.
Counterintuitive care
Some of the findings were obvious
but were only prioritized once the data
was exposed. An indirect cause of
readmission for diseases like diabetes
See holly on page 32 A
31 A
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Just as the delicious aroma of Mardi Gras
food booths waft through downtown Port
Arthur, the Museum of the Gulf Coast will
open a new mini-exhibit celebrating one of the
most popular regional foods. The Boudin Trail
will open to the public in conjunction with
opening night of Mardi Gras festivities in Port
Arthur on Feb. 16. The Boudin Trail was created by the Southern Foodways Alliance and
will remain on view in the museum’s first floor
foyer through March 29.
The Mary Morgan Moore
Mardi Gras festivities will take place in
Department of Music at
downtown Port Arthur on Feb. 16-19. As
Lamar University will presalways, the Museum of the Gulf Coast will
ent a faculty recital at 3 p.m.
serve as an entry point to the festival, selling
Sunday, Feb. 19, featuring
parking, Mardi Gras tickets and discounted
performances by Robert Culmuseum admission of $2 for adults and $1 for
bertson, Wayne Dyess, Serchildren. Visitors to the museum will not only
dar Ilban, Dwight Peirce,
enjoy The Boudin Trail and a host of impresRoger Keele and Brian Shook
sive permanent exhibits, but also the temporary
Shook. The recital also
includes original compositions by Jack Ben- exhibition ¡Carnaval! The exhibit includes 130
son, Roger Keele and Gary Mizener. Admis- items of international folk art and memorabilia
See LISTINGS on page 39 A
sion is free. The concert will be in the Rothwell
C A
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The Boudin Trail
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Pet of the week
Rain-delayed Orange
‘Trash-Off’ rescheduled
Due to inclement weather, the 17th annual
Community Trash-Off, sponsored by Shangri
La Botanical Gardens and Nature Center, has
been rescheduled. It will be held Saturday, Feb.
18, from 8 a.m. until 1 p.m. at Orange Lions
Park.
Last year, this event collected more than
16,000 pounds of trash from the streets of
Orange and the banks of Adams Bayou. Sign
up for the 2012 event by downloading a participation form from the Shangri La Web site or
picking one up in person at the Shangri La
admission window. Forms may be returned via
e-mail to [email protected] or
faxed to (409) 670-9341.
After the trash pick-up, all volunteers will
regroup and relax at Orange Lions Park to
enjoy complimentary pizza and soft drinks for
lunch. Also, more than 300 prizes donated by
local businesses will be awarded to various
teams. For additional information, visit www.
shangrilagardens.org call (409) 670-0803.
A
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HUMANE SOCIETY OF
SOUTHEAST TEXAS
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Duo in dance
A
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Recital Hall in the Music Building on the campus of Lamar. For more information, call the
This year’s Mr. Habitat pageant fundraising Mary Morgan Moore Department of Music at
event benefiting Jefferson County Habitat for (409) 880-8144.
Humanity will be at the Holiday Inn on Walden
Road on Feb. 25, starting at 6:30 p.m.
“We’re expecting a large crowd,” Habitat
The Beaumont Civic Ballet will present
Jefferson County Executive Director Uliana “Fairy Tales in Dance,” a two-act performance
Trylowsky said. “There will that includes the BCB Junior Company dancbe plenty of entertainment ing a rendition of “It’s a Hard-Knock Life”
and fun things to do and, of from “Annie,” a “Don Quixote” pas de deux,
course, the show itself.”
plus two all-time favorite fairy tales, “Peter and
The show, which features the Wolf” and “Snow White and the Seven
some of the most generous Dwarfs.” These dances are all performed by
and likeable men the Golden local children. The performance is open to the
Triangle has to offer, is a public on Sunday, Feb. 26, at 5 p.m. An encore
sell-out annually. Tickets are $45 per person or showing for school audiences will be held the
$350 for a table of eight.
following Monday.
The 2012 Mr. Habitat contestants are Blue
“Peter and the Wolf,” narrated by Sting, is a
Broussard, Roy West, Anthony Papa, Charlie musical symphony for children featuring a
Dixon, Art Simpson, Derek Akins, Aaron hungry wolf who is after Peter’s pet cat, a bird
Plaunty and Chad Hammett. Each are looking and a duck that lives in Peter’s yard. The secfor your vote – and your donation to help out ond fairy tale, “Snow White and the Seven
the mission of Habitat for Humanity, which has Dwarfs,” is a version of the classic Grimm’s
been a staple in this community following the Fairy Tale of Snow White, her Blue Bird friend
disasters residents of the Gulf Coast region along with the seven little men who live in the
have suffered in recent years.
forest.
To reserve a table or for ticket information,
Tickets begin at $5 and are available at
call the Habitat office at (409) 832-5853.
www.ticketmaster.com or the Civic Center Box
Office. Call (409) 838-3435, ext. 1.
S
A
k
I
S
Mr. Habitat needs your vote
Crossword solution – Puzzle on page 37 A
COMMUNITY LISTINGS
My name is Jingles. I’m a 4-month-old
female rottie/Lab mix. I was brought to the
shelter and dumped in the parking lot, along
with my siblings. I am a sweet puppy, a little
shy, but very eager to learn and please my
new owner. I am good with dogs and kids. I
will be a medium to large lady when grown.
Bring the family to see how adorable I am
and adopt me today!
Adoption fee $95
for mixed breed
dogs and puppies, and $150
for pure breeds.
This includes the
first round of vaccinations, bordetella vaccination,
worming, flea
treatment, spaying or neutering,
and a veterinary
wellness exam.
All animals will be
spayed or neutered before
going to their
new home.
Adoption is a
15-year commitment. Please
adopt responsibly. For information, call the
Humane Society
at (409) 833-0504
or visit 2050.
Pet of the week sponsored by
A l l P Aw s
V e t e r i n a ry C l i n i C
Suzi Hahn, DVM
409-838-2510 • In front of Humane Society
Times are tough for every
family but you can still live the
good life with 50–90% off the
best of Beaumont. Try us now!
EponToday bringing you savings on:
Hair by James • Cici’s Pizza • Willy Ray’s
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EponToday.com
Oh
32 A
NO!
Undelete or unerase accidently deleted files with Recuva
I plead guilty. I admit that I have sometimes deleted from a variety of media including the Windows hard
files that I should not have deleted. Often, I realize the drive, a memory card such as those found in digital
mistake fairly quickly, but sometimes I am unaware of cameras and cell phones, and MP3 players including
my error for several days. Since its earliest days, Win- iPods via their USB connection to the computer.
dows has had a trashcan or “Recycle Bin” where While I always put Recuva on all of my computers as
deleted files are stored until the trashcan is emptied. If one of the first utilities installed, I also have the porthe deleted file is still in the Recycle Bin, restoring it table version of Recuva on the flash drive that I have
to its original location is typically an easy task; simply on my keychain for use on others’ computers that have
click on the Recycle Bin icon on the desktop or the files to be recovered but do not have an undelete utilRecycle Bin in Windows Explorer (or any other file ity installed; this eliminates the chance of overwriting
manager), click or highlight the file, and then click on that target file, which could possibly happen if I actu“Restore this item” on the menu bar. Alternatively, ally installed Recuva on the target machine. Using
from the open Recycle Bin in
Recuva, I have successfully recovered countany file manager program,
less deleted files including digital photos,
right click on the file name and
e-mails, music, videos, compressed files,
Ira
select “Restore”; the file will
Word files, Excel files and a variety of other
instantly be restored to its origWilsker data and program files. Contrary to popular
inal location.
belief, formatting or simply erasing a hard
This straightforward method
drive or other media does not necessarily
of recovering deleted files from
delete all of the content, and Recuva can
the Recycle Bin is fast and relioften recover data from formatted or apparTechnology
able, but all too often users like
ently erased and blank storage devices.
me frequently empty the recycle
Recuva is easy and fast to use. First, downbin either manually or with a quick drive cleaner such load the 2.4 MB free version (paid versions are also
as CCleaner. Luckily for us, even if a file is gone from available) from www.piriform.com/recuva/download/
the Recycle Bin, there is still a chance that it can be standard. Installation is quick and easy, with few
recovered. Unless the deleted file has been intentionally options to select. Upon opening the installed Recuva, a
wiped (a process to securely erase a file by repeatedly wizard appears that will walk the user through the
overwriting it with random data, usually zeros and recovery process; advanced users can skip the wizard
ones), or overwritten in the normal course of writing to and go directly to the recovery console. When using
the hard drive, it can likely be recovered. In Windows, the wizard, the user selects the type of files to be recovwhen a file is first deleted, it is still intact on the hard ered, which speeds up the search and recovery process
drive, but the first character of the filename is changed by only searching for recoverable files of the selected
to a “?,” which tells Windows to skip the file when types. If the “Show all files” option is selected, the
using a file manager such as Windows Explorer to dis- search process may be slowed substantially as there is
play the files in a directory. This “?” also tells the hard more searching to be done. The wizard then asks users
drive and its controller that the space taken up by that if they know where to look for the deleted files, such
file is available to be overwritten, as the file has been as on a media or memory card, in “My Documents,” in
deleted. Once files or major parts of a file have been the Recycle Bin, in a user specified location or direcoverwritten by other data, the likelihood of recovering tory on the hard drive. Selecting “I am not sure” will
that original data is significantly reduced. If for no be slow as it searches everywhere on the computer.
other reason than this, it is important to have one or The last of the wizard windows informs the user that
more file recovery programs already installed on your the wizard is now ready to search for and display the
computer, because the simple act of installing a file recoverable files. If the deleted file is not found, the
recovery program after a file has been deleted may user may select to perform a “Deep Scan,” which is
overwrite the exact file space that contains the targeted much slower but will do a much more detailed scan.
deleted file, rendering it unrecoverable!
I attempted a standard scan for missing files in My
There are several fine, and often free, file recovery Documents on my hard drive, a 4.4 GB directory, conutilities that can undelete or unerase recoverable files. taining almost 6,000 files in more than 200 sub-direcMy personal favorite is one of the most widely used tories; the initial search took 12 seconds. I tried a
free undelete utilities, Recuva (www.piriform.com/ search on my entire hard drive, which has 545 GB of
recuva). Recuva will run on almost all builds of 32
See TECH on page 33 A
and 64 bit Windows, and can possibly recover files
HOLLY
from page 30 A
is seasonality where patients often lose control
around the holiday social calendar. Starting in
2009 patients, including those who’d been seasonally readmitted were contacted before the
holidays and asked to sign a contract and
redouble their efforts to maintain their nutrition and keep their appointments. In February
2011, SEMTA analysts looked at the 2010 data
and saw they had “totally” eliminated that
problem, Holly says. “With the evidence, we
know data, information and a plan can change
behavior and benefit the patient.”
Other findings were less intuitive. Business
intelligence and data mining give the practice
the ability to look at trending across variables
of age, ethnicity and income demographics.
One finding across the practice was that the
elderly were showing better than
expected results that indicated
superb care for their diabetes. It occurred to Holly that
instead of treatment, it might
be that some elderly were chronically malnourished, which would
positively affect their diabetes but
negatively affect their overall
health.
“What the data helps you do is not
overlook or neglect things which, in combination, can really affect outcomes and things like
readmission,” Holly says. What follows the
finding is a new level of attention to the patient
outside the hospital that is usually neglected.
The day after a patient leaves the hospital
they receive a 12-to-30 minute telephone call,
not a check off, but a coaching call with data in
the EMR and a chat about medications, reactions and symptoms. Most SETMA patients
will have six or seven medication reconciliations in a year in a single patient. Holly says up
to 70 percent of readmissions can be tied to
medication, and the closer, more frequent the
contact, the lower the infirmity and readmission rate.
The American Medical Association is conducting an analysis of SETMA’s program, the
first to have implemented the PCPI quality
metric set on care transitions.
Holly says the richness of the EHR data
gives doctors a portrait, rather than a mere silhouette of a patient’s health, with granularity
and precision. “A portrait gives you detail, skin
tone, texture, hair and eyes. If you have that
kind of a medical record, no matter where you
see the patient you have a great deal of data
that adds up to much more than dots on a
matrix.”
It’s a fascinating way to practice medicine
that doesn’t mean doctors have become geeks,
or insensitive to human concerns, Holly says.
“We know we’re dealing with real live people
who are dear and precious to others. But with
analytics we can know what in the world we
are doing, and we can design interventions that
will make a difference for everybody and not
just the ones who have an easier time of staying well.”
Dr. James L. Holly is CEO of Southeast Texas
Medical Associates, LLP (SETMA) in Beaumont.
Palm imposter
Dinosaurs probably snacked on the
relatives of the cycads that you have
in our yard today. Yes, cycads are
those unique plants that resemble
palm trees. The cycad family dominated the landscape during the Mesozoic era more than 150 million years
ago. We are probably
most familiar with the
cycad called the sago
palm.
The sago is a very
symmetrical plant that
supports a crown of
shiny, dark green
leaves. The trunk is
thick and shaggy. They Garden
grow very slowly but
Gate
some can eventually
with
reach 10-12 feet in
Joette
Reger
height.
Sago palms are the
common local name of the tropical
plant. But they are not really a palm
tree at all. These cycads are native to
China and Japan. They are popular for
landscape use. Their unique architectural shape makes them showstoppers.
Sago palms have been described as
humankind’s oldest food plant. The
pith of the palm is crushed
for food. It was a common
staple food for natives in
Asia before the introduction
of rice. Sago starch is still
used for making noodles,
and flour for bread and cake.
Sagos are a wonderful
plant for both indoor and
outdoor use. They look great
in the shrub border or as an
accent on an expanse of
lawn. Place them near the
patio, in entryways or in
rock and sand gardens. Sagos mix
well with border grasses like liriope.
Sagos in the landscape will grow
more quickly than those in containers.
They are very easy to grow. Give
them a location with full sun or partial
shade. As with most plants, good
drainage is important. Fertilize on a
regular basis during the growing sea-
33 A
Popular sago palm
is not a palm at all
son of March through September.
Master gardeners suggest that if you
are trying to really increase the size of
the sago plant, use a palm fertilizer
four times a year.
Southern sago palms can be loosely
divided into three species. The king
sago palm will tolerate colder temperatures, surviving short periods of
below 32 degrees. They should reach
5 feet in height. The queen sago is for
south Floridians unless you are willing
to protect it when the temperature dips
below 55 degrees. The
prince sago is also cold
hardy and a faster grower
the king sago.
Not only unique and
tropical feeling, the sago
palms are legendary. They
have not only outlived
dinosaurs, but also will
survive our humid, hot
Texas climate and give
you a spot of green all year
long. Next week let’s
check out how to grow
new sago palms from the “sago pups.”
This is almost the best time of the year
to create new baby sagos.
Joette is an avid gardener and prides
herself on staying up-to-date on the latest
gardening activities and tips. To share
your gardening news with Joette, call
(409) 832-1400 or fax her at (409) 8326222. Her e-mail is [email protected].
You can get a ticket for that
Don’t walk on the wrong street side of the street
Q. I was walking along a street
when a police officer told me to walk
on the other side, or he would give me
a ticket. Can a police officer actually
write a ticket for walking on the
wrong side of the street when there are
no sidewalks?
A. There are laws regarding where a
pedestrian may walk, and you can
receive a ticket if you violate the law.
Basically, if there is a sidewalk, the law
says you must walk on the sidewalk
and cannot walk in the street. If the is
no sidewalk, you may walk in street,
but must walk facing traffic. I should
also point out that walkers, joggers and runners are all treated
as pedestrians under the law.
Q. We recently purchased a
used camper from a large local
camper dealer. Before my purQ. I got a call from a debt
chase, I inspected the camper
collector about a 15-year-old
to the best of my ability. On
debt. I told him I had no recolmultiple occasions, I asked the
lection of the debt and had no
if the camper had any
intention of paying. How long
Know salesman
water leaks. He said it did not.
can I be hounded about a debt I
might not even owe? I though
Your So did the service tech who did
final walk-around with the
that after seven years it was no
Rights my
camper. I got the camper home,
longer enforceable.
A. There are a number of with Richard and with all of the recent rain, I
time periods that are relevant to Alderman found that the camper did
indeed leak and also had some
your question. First, after four
severe water damage. I know
years, the statute of limitations
for most debts has expired, and it is too the purchase agreement states “as is,”
late to file suit. After seven years, most but I feel this camper was misrepreitems are considered obsolete and are sented by the dealership and this inforno longer reported on your credit mation should have been disclosed. I
report. Until the debt is paid, however, relied on what the dealer told me when
you still owe the money, and a debt I bought it.
A. If the salesperson and service
collector can ask to be paid, but that’s
about it. Any threats to sue or harass- tech misrepresented the camper, they
ment violates debt collection laws. and the dealer may have violated the
There also is a way to stop any further state consumer protection law, the
communication from the debt collec- Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act.
tor. Under federal law, you have the This law lets you collect damages, and
right to end all further communication if they knew what was said wasn’t
by sending a letter to the debt collector true, they could even be liable for
demanding they no longer contacts three times your damages. The fact
you. To learn more about these laws, you bought the camper “as is” might
look at the debt collection material on affect your legal rights, but in my
my Web site, www.peopleslawyer.net. opinion, if the misrepresentations
induced you to sign the “as is” conQ. What are my rights if I have a tract, you can still use this law.
Tech
Web sites
www.piriform.com/recuva
from page 32 A
files, and it completed the initial search
in 127 seconds. Once Recuva compiled a listing of potentially recoverable files, it then analyzed the results
to determine the degree of recoverability, and this can take several minutes or
more — up to an hour for a large hard
drive. The results are displayed in a
sortable format, with the first column
being a colored dot icon – green, yellow and red – with the green icons
common law marriage? If we get
divorced, will I have any right to his
property?
A. A common law marriage is no
different than any other marriage. You
are married. To have a common law
marriage, you must agree to be married, hold yourself out as married, and
live together as married. Once you
establish a common law marriage,
your right to share your husband’s
property is the same as any other
spouse. If you get divorce, you will
share all “community property,” which
basically is anything either of you
obtain while you were married.
obviously indicating recoverable files
(labeled as “Excellent”), yellow indicating that the chance of recovery may
be poor, and the red icon indicating
that the file has been overwritten and is
unrecoverable. Clicking on a filename
in the left column makes information
available in the right window. In some
case, a preview of the file may be
available in the right window, and
selecting the “Info” tab displays all of
the technical information about the
selected deleted file. If a selected file is
recoverable, clicking on the “Recover”
button on the bottom right of the window will recover the file and restore it
to its original location.
The free version of Recuva is one of
those free utilities that should be on
every personally owned PC, and the
paid commercial versions (or similar
products) should be installed on all insti-
www.piriform.com/recuva/download/
standard
tutional computers. One never knows
when it will become necessary to recover deleted files, and Recuva is one of the
top programs to perform that task.
Listen to Ira Wilsker’s weekly radio
show on Mondays from 6-7 p.m. on KLVI
560AM.
34 A
R ELIGION
Playing with home
field advantage
For several years of my first door, I was petrified. Who
Christian life, I wrestled with could know what was behind
what God would have me to that door and who would
do concerning reaching others. answer or the mood they
I had heard sermons and read would be in when they did? I
material teaching that I should did not know the person I was
be a witness for Him, and that assigned to visit with, and she
if I really loved Him as I did not know me. The streets
should, I would be eager to of Atlanta, Ga., were mean and
talk to folks about their eternal busy and it was getting dark.
souls. I wasn’t. I was chicken.
This is probably not very
I was downright petrified. I spiritual to some of you godly
was fearful that I would offend souls, but I prayed fervently
and possibly lose a friendship all the way to the address. I
that I valued. Because of my wasn’t praying for a successful
work, I knew many different visit or that souls would come
kinds of people, and my fami- to know Christ. I was praying
ly members were pretty much no one would answer the door,
like me and not into church that the house would be dark,
things. Not being reared
and we would find no
in a Christian home
need to continue on this
with strong moral valadventure. I knew very
ues, I did not feel I was
little about the power
insulated and protected
of the Holy Spirit of
from the world in which
God going before, with
I lived, and I knew that
and after you. I had
the folks I knew best
very little Bible memoBrenda
were not going to be
rized and stored in my
Cannon
eager to hear the gospel
heart in those days. I
Henley
— especially from me.
did have zeal, but it
Senior
I remember once Correspondent
was waning low on this
after a powerful, butt- to The Examiner cloudy, stormy night in
kicking revival mesGeorgia. Sure enough,
sage given with the fire
as we located the house
and brimstone effect that was number and got out of our car,
so often the ticket in those we could not see a light in
days of evangelism, I declared sight. The door was closed
to God and man that I would firmly and no one was home. I
attend church sponsored visi- breathed a huge sigh of relief
tation and go out and knock on – as did my partner, I believe
doors to try to reach men, – and we headed to the local
women, boys and girls with Dairy Queen to get something
the gospel message. That to drink and eat. My first soulsounded and felt good as long winning adventure came to a
as I was safe in the beautiful close as a dismal failure, in my
church building or riding along book.
in my automobile. But when I
Years later, and after much
parked that car and my partner study and some prayer, I felt
and I got out to knock on that more comfortable in speaking
Jesus’ thoughts
on everyday life
to folks or, more often, listening to their problems and burdens. Of all the things I desired
most, being sincere and genuine in my love and approach
topped the list. I have always
loved people in general and
found it easy to get to know
most folks. Much of the time,
the listening ear and compassionate heart do more good for
Christ than a lengthy sermon
or sin-condemning monolog. I
continued to attend the church
sponsored visitation and made
a variety of friends among
both those who went out and
those we met. Some people
chose to trust Christ and many
others agreed to visit a church
to hear more about the gospel
message we attempted to
share.
One thing stuck out in my
mind about Christ. He went
where the people were, and He
wasn’t frightened about talking to anyone He met. There
are many instances recorded in
Scripture where Christ spoke
one-on-one with sinners, people unlike Himself, and folks
who needed a change of life.
One of the stories I love best is
where Jesus went out of His
way to speak to the woman at
the well in John 4:6-13. We
See HENLEY on page 39 A
We are looking at stories me — do not punish me for
Jesus told about every day my inability to pay,” and the
life and attitudes. Today we next moment, back on our
look at a particularly difficult feet, we have some poor felone. You will find it in Mat- low servant by the neck, and
thew 18:23-35. It is called in our squeezing and rasping
the story of the unmerciful voices are saying, “Pay me
servant. A king decides to what you owe me or else.”
settle accounts. One
How can we be that
account is for 10,000
way?
talents. When his
It is a common
debtor is unable to
thing. It is one of most
pay, and pleads for
common and most
mercy, the king mertragic ironies of we
cifully forgives the
forgiven children of
full amount. That forGod that we will not
given man walked
forgive one another.
Pastor
out of the presence of
God forgives every
Delmar
mercy to encounter a
repentant one of us an
Dabney
man who owed him
accumulated debt so
1925-1994
100 denarii. When his
great it staggered even
debtor could not pay,
God’s Son, drove Him
he choked him and had him to the cross, in fact, and yet,
imprisoned. When the king we steam and fret, toss and
was told of his actions, we turn, over the piffling debts
are given this picture of his of our brothers and sisters.
response beginning with How can we be like that?
Verse 32:
Forgiveness is very hard
“Then his master, after he for most of us. We have to
had called him, said to him, try it over and over like a
‘You wicked servant. I for- hard math problem or a difgave you all that debt because ficult piano passage, before
you begged me. Should you we learn how to do it. Fornot also have compassion on giveness needs a lot of pracyour fellow servant just I had tice. Jesus suggests that 490
pity on you?’ And his master times per person is not too
was angry and delivered him much practice. And that is
to the torturers until he not to be the limit. That is
should pay all that was due just practice time.
to him. So My Heavenly
The reason for all the
Father also will do to you if practice is that forgiveness
each of you, from his heart, requires humility and grace
does not forgive his brother in the forgiver. It sure does!
his trespasses.”
It takes grace and it takes
Yes, we human beings are pain for us to say and mean
capable of this radical type it, “I am sorry, please forgive
turnabout. One moment we me.” But it takes even more
are on the carpet begging,
“Lord, have patience with See DABNEY on page 39 A
CHURCH NOTES
Sunday • 10:30 AM
Tuesday Family Prayer 7:00 PM
Wed. Night • 7:30 Bible Study
Everyone Welcome!
Pastor Michael LaBrie
Gospel Tabernacle
1225 Glendale • Beaumont
409-866-2000
www.GospelTabernacleBeaumont.com
Church in Silsbee at 350 Highway 96 S.
The fifth annual Master’s Men Winter Call (409) 385-2819
Celebration featuring The Talleys, Mike Church-wide rummage sale
LeFevre Quartet, HisSong, and The MasFirst Christian Church in Beaumont at
ter’s Men will be held Saturday, Feb. 18, at 5290 N. Caldwood Drive is hosting a
the Silsbee High School Auditorium. Doors church-wide rummage sale Saturday,
open at 4 p.m. and the concert begins at 5. Feb. 18, from 7:30 am to 2 p.m. For more
Tickets are available online at www. information, call (409) 892-3212. For
mastersmensilsbee.org at at First Baptist directions, go to fccbmt.org.
Master’s Men Winter Celebration
Sprited coming to Beaumont
Jonathan Richard Cring and Janet Clazzy, a duo known as Spirited, are coming
to Beaumont on Friday, Feb. 24, to share
a message of hope, reasoning, reconciliation and fun. The free show, suitable for
all ages, will be at Faith United Methodist, 18895 FM 365, beginning at 7 p.m.
Call (409) 794-4121.
Su•do•ku
35 A
• Fill the cells in such a way that each row,
column and 3x3 subsquare has digits 1-9.
• Some digits are already given as clues.
Puzzle 1 (Medium, difficulty rating 0.47)
8
Medium — Puzzle No. 1
5
1
3
7
8
7
4
7
3
9
2
7
4
8
5
3
9
9
2
6
4
1
7
8 5 7
9
8 21(Medium, difficulty 7rating9 0.52)2
Puzzle
47)
2
3
1
9
6
6
7 4
7
2
Puzzle 3 (Medium,5difficulty rating 0.58)
5
3 9
4 1
37 8 2 3
6
9
6 7 1
2 74 46
4
5 9
6
7 2 9
4 14
7
3
3
1
2
2
82
1
1
8
8
6
5
7
3
8
1
8
7
5
4
9
7
8
4
9
3
1
76
9
1
5
5
5
9
1
2
6
2
3
5
2
1
6
9
4
27
8
3
7
58)
4
5
1
7
6
2
7
2
1
2
1
3
7
2
8
9
6
3
2
3
4
1
7
2
9
7
6
6
8
4
4
6
5
1
7
5
9
For solutions, visit www.theexaminer.com
1
7
7
2
5
encourage online filing of tax
“Dementiaville”:
Swiss returns, noting that “tax pre4 1
health officials have autho- parer” registration can now be
rized construction of an assist- accomplished online by pass9
6“village”
7 1 of ing a 120-question
5 test.) (USA
ed-living
Today
reported
in February
1950s-style homes and garfiling false
4 designed
5 to9 “remind” 2011
6 that prisoners
2
dens
or
fraudulent
tax
returns
patients with Alzheimer’s and
scammed
the
IRS
for
nearly
similar afflictions of surround$39.1
million
in
2009.)
ings that they might actually
Belniak,
now servrecall
3 and with
8 which they4 ing1• David
9 in prison
12
years
after
might be more comfortable
pleading
guilty
to
DUI
manand
1 secure than they are8 with7 9
4
modern life. The 150-resident slaughter for killing a woman
and
her
adult
daughter and her
grounds, near the city of Bern,
5
1
husband
in
a
Christmas Day
will be2 (Medium,
similar todifficulty
a Dutchrating 0.52)
Puzzle
2007
car
crash,
filed a lawsuit
facility set up in 2009 in a sub9
2
8
from
prison
in
January
against
urb of Amsterdam. “To reinthe
victims’
family,
demandforce
7 an2 atmosphere
5 of normality,” reported London’s ing justice from them in the
form of compensation for
The Independent
4 1 in January, medical expenses and his
the Swiss caretakers will dress
“pain” and “anguish.” Police
as9 gardeners,
6 hairdressers,
7 1
5 Belniak was
records show
shop assistants and the like.
driving between 75 and 85
mph
4 Possibly
5 Be9 True
6 when he
2 rear-ended the
Can’t
victims’
stopped
car (and that
• The varsity girls’ basketball teams at predominantly he had alcohol, Xanax and
white Kenmore East High cocaine in his system). AttorTuomey,
Belniak’s
School
near8 Buffalo, N.Y.,
3
4 ney
1 Debra
9
sister,
represents
him
and
have, for several years, apparcalled
her
brother’s
imprisonently,
1 psyched themselves
8 up7 9
4
in a pre-game locker-room ment “government sanctioned
ritual by chanting, “One, Two, assassination.”
5 1
Three, (n-word (plural))!” Inexplicable
before running out the door
9 • Not2 One8 Second Longer
and onto the court. Although
the white players this year With That Wench: A man idencalled the use of the word a tified as Antonio C., 99, filed
“tradition” (passed down for divorce in December
from year to year), and not a against his wife of 77 years,
racial “label,” the team’s only Rosa C., age 96, in Rome, Itablack player not surprisingly ly. According to an ANSA
had a problem with it and news agency report,
reported it to school officials. Antonio became upset
According to a December when he discovered
Buffalo News report, it was 50-year-old letters from
always a players-only tradi- an affair Rosa once had.
• Christopher Bolt
tion, and no adult was aware
of the chant, but upon learn- pleaded guilty in Seping of it, officials immediate- tember to felony destrucly imposed player suspen- tion of property in Loudoun County, Va., for
sions and team penalties.
more
• The U.S. Treasury Depart- spray-painting
than
50
vehicles.
Some
ment’s inspector general for
tax matters revealed in Janu- were marked with the
ary that the IRS certified 331 number “68,” which a
detective
prison inmates as registered sheriff ’s
explained
was
probably
“tax preparers” during a recent
because
Bolt
had initially
12-month period, including 43
sprayed
“69”
but
realized it
who were serving life sentences. None of the 43, and “didn’t look right.”
fewer than one-fourth of the Unclear on the Concept
total, disclosed that they were
• Brogan Rafferty, 16, in jail
in prison. (The agency blamed
in
Cleveland, Ohio, awaiting
a 2009 federal law intended to
Lead Story
trial for assisting in at least one
murder in a robbery scheme,
wrote to his father in December (in a letter shared with the
Plain Dealer newspaper) that
he was certain God would not
allow him to suffer a long
prison sentence. That would
mean, he wrote, that “all my
meaningful family members
would be dead” when he got
out. “(N)o way God would do
that to me.”
• Benjamin North, 26, was
apprehended by deputies in
Humboldt County, Calif.,
because they were pretty sure
he was the man who used a
stolen credit card at a Safeway
supermarket in December.
They knew this because North,
for some reason, insisted that
the purchase be credited to his
personal “Safeway Club” card,
which he presented to the
cashier along with the stolen
card.
Fine Points of the Law
• Gayane Zokhrabov, then
58, was knocked down by the
flying corpse of Hiroyuki
Joho, 18, during a rainstorm in
Chicago in 2008, and in
December 2011 filed a lawsuit
against Joho’s estate for compensation for the various injuries she suffered that day (broken leg, broken wrist, shoulder
pain). Joho’s corpse was “flying” because he had just been
fatally struck by a fast-moving
train as he dashed through the
storm across several
tracks
—
while
Zokhrabov was waiting
on a nearby station platform. A judge initially
ruled that Zokhrabov’s
injuries were not a
“foreseeable” result of
Joho’s crossing the
tracks, but in December, a state appeals court
reinstated the lawsuit.
• PayPal confirmed
to a Toronto Star reporter in January that its
refund policy required
the shattering of a violin that
may well have been a preWorld War II classic easily
worth the $2,500 the seller
was asking. The buyer had
balked after paying, claiming
See Weird on page 37 A
36 A
Annie’s withMailbox
Kathy Mitchell & Marcy Sugar
Annie’s Mailbox is written by Kathy Mitchell and
Marcy Sugar, longtime editors of the Ann Landers
column. Write to Annie’s Mailbox, c/o Creators
Syndicate, 5777 W. Century Blvd., Ste. 700,
Los Angeles, CA 90045 or e-mail your
questions to [email protected]
Dear Annie:
After eight years at my job,
I was let go. I have a felony
record. The CEO who knew of
my background retired last
year. He felt I had proved
myself and had no problem
with me. When he retired, we
got an interim CEO. I told him
about my record as soon as he
came on board. Today, he
decided our company would
have a zero-tolerance policy
for any criminal records, so I
was fired.
Annie, I voluntarily told my
supervisors of my conviction.
I worked hard to show that I
had overcome my record. Was
this a fair thing for the temporary CEO to do? Shouldn’t I
have been “grandfathered” in?
I was told if I kept to the
straight and narrow, I would
be fine. I have not done one
thing out of line and don’t plan
to. My conviction was more
than eight years ago. But
apparently, my honesty didn’t
pay off. No one forgives. No
one believes me. I am devastated. What can I do?
— Think I’m a Good Person
Dear Good Person:
If a company fires you
because of your race, sexual
preference, gender or religion,
you would be able to sue them
for wrongful termination. If
the zero-tolerance policy was
implemented solely to skirt
around one of the reasons listed above, you might have a
case. Otherwise, there doesn’t
seem to be much recourse,
although you could consult an
attorney. Please know that
your eight-year record as an
exemplary employee should
help you land another job at a
more tolerant company. Also
contact the Safer Foundation
(saferfoundation.org) for suggestions and assistance.
my husband. But not a single
member of his family attended
our little church wedding.
The morning of our wedding, one of his sisters texted
my fiancé and asked whether
it was “done yet.” When I
made a comment on my Facebook page about how amazing
my new husband is, this same
sister rudely commented,
“Enough already.”
My boyfriend finally told
me that this sister thought we
should marry in a Catholic
church, despite the fact that I
am not Catholic and both of us
attend a non-Catholic church. I
believe this is why his family
didn’t recognize our special
day. I am really hurt. Should I
say something or simply
ignore this?
— Biting My Tongue in
Colorado
Dear Colorado:
Your husband should have
told you about his family’s
religious objections before
you married. An intermarriage
is hardly a trivial matter, and if
you have been with this man
for a long time, we are surprised you were not aware of
the issue. If his family is otherwise accepting, we would let
this go. We also suggest you
discuss the problem with your
clergyperson and ask for guidance.
Dear Annie:
The letter from “Put Out in
Peoria,” whose family members boycott one another’s
weddings, is a sad but classic
example of the many petty
family feuds that make their
way into your column. Everyone has flaws, and family
members hurt one another’s
feelings, usually unintentionally, perhaps because of conflicts or envy going all the way
back to childhood. Bad behavDear Annie:
ior and selfishness should not
My longtime boyfriend and be condoned.
However, I’d like to suggest
I recently married. My entire
See ANNIE on page 37 A
family was there. They adore
By Darby Conley
ANNIE
from page 36 A
that anyone who is fuming
about her young children not
being invited to a wedding or
about her cousin’s claiming
Grandma’s garnet ring that
was promised to her should
pause to consider all the real
suffering there is in the world
— such as the person down the
block with terminal cancer or
the friend whose child was
killed by a drunk driver. Just
grow up and get over it.
— Rude in Redway, Calif.
Dear Annie:
37 A
or life insurance, and struggle
from month to month just to
survive.
What can we do to make
minimal preparations for our
inevitable demise? It would be
nice to have a memorial service, but that costs money.
Even cremation costs more
than what we have. I believe
Social Security provides $250,
which might get the match lit,
but that’s about all.
As a Navy vet, I can be buried at a national cemetery, but
there is no provision for my
wife. Can you suggest any
alternatives?
— Hanging Loose in California.
ADDITIONAL READING By Kurt Mueller / Edited by Will Shortz
WEIRD
1
2
3
16
A c ro s s
1 Handsome, as
H e n ri
4 Lucky end?
7 Hyundai sedan
1 2 M a t a _ _ _ (s p y )
1 6 G . P. ’s g ro u p
1 7 S o m e n e rv e
1 9 T h e y ’re a l l t h e
same
20 Each
21 Send over some
Bibles?
2 4 To u r o rg .
2 5 R e a l l y wa n t
2 6 L a rg e s t , a s a s u m
27 Things that may
have to be
c l e a re d
2 9 M a rk M e s s i e r,
fo r 1 2 y e a rs
3 0 Ac t re s s G i l p i n o f
“ F ra s i e r”
3 1 G ra y b e a rd s
3 3 D o l t ’s fo o t b a l l
game plans?
3 8 B a r, l e g a l l y
3 9 C i n c o fo l l o w e r
4 0 D ru m s e t s e t
4 2 H u ffs
4 5 Wo rd a ffi x e d t o
web or handy
48 Police
i n v e s t i g a t o r:
A b b r.
4 9 C o m e t ri v a l
51 Ogle
5 2 C u rv e d m o l d i n g
5 4 T h e t ru t h a b o u t a
p o p u l a r In t e rn e t
community?
59
60
62
63
R e v e a l , i n p o e t ry
P u t d o wn
“ C ’e s t _ _ _ ”
S e a o f _ _ _ (a rm
of the Black Sea)
6 4 S t i m p y ’s p a l
6 5 “ T h e g l o v e s a re
o ff!”
6 7 J a c k ’s i n fe ri o r
68 Albanian money
7 0 De c o d e s
7 2 S i n g e r/ a c t re s s
with a
simultaneous #1
album and #1
fi l m , fa m i l i a rl y
7 3 Wa rd e n ’s c h a rg e
7 5 F ra c a s
77 Rathskeller
vessel
7 9 Ve l v e t fi n i s h ?
80 Egotistical
a u t h o r ’s re q u e s t
t o a re a d e r?
8 4 Ti n y b i t s o f p a s t a
85 Live
8 6 F re e s
8 7 Ik e ’s W. W. II
command
8 9 _ _ _ T. (b i g n a m e
in 1960s music)
9 0 L i k e c e rt a i n
passages
9 3 P ro fe s s o ri a l
9 6 S t a rt o f s o m e
It a l i a n c h u rc h
names
9 8 Av i d re a d e r
100 Annual
p u b l i c a t i o n s fo r
b u rro s ?
105 Monotony
108 Whence Zeno
1 0 9 M i s t re a t m e n t
11 0 C u t d o w n t o
size
111 B e s t i n b u s i n e s s
11 5 R u s s i a n re tr eat
11 6 “ T h e M i k a d o ”
b a ri t o n e
11 7 Du s t c o v e r
m a d e o f 1 00 %
aluminum,
p e rh a p s ?
1 2 1 A s p re v i o u sly
m e n t i o n e d , in
b i b l i o g ra p h ies
1 2 2 C o m p a ra t i v ely
stupid
1 2 3 R o o m i n Clu e
1 2 4 Di m i n u t i v e
s u ffi x
1 2 5 Go b i -l i k e
1 2 6 S h o w e d o v er
127 Black ___
(s o m e m i l i tar y
activities)
1 2 8 P l a t o o n V. I . P.
Do w n
1 Ha l f o f a n
i n t e rro g a t i on
team
2 “ T h e re ’s a C h ef in
M y S o u p !”
wri t e r
3 C h o ru s s y l l a bles
4 Lug
5 Orc h . s e c t i o n
6 S u c c e s s fu l
swinger
7 Shampoo
i n g re d i e n t
8 W h e re t h e w i ld
t h i n g s a re ?
9 Put an ___
10 Engage again for
a gig
11 F a t h e r-a n d -so n
ru l e rs o f S y r ia
1 2 On e -n a m e d
fa s h i o n d e sig n er
1 3 A i d fo r re c o r d k e e p i n g a t Mr s.
S m i t h ’s ?
17
from page 35 A
21
22
1 4 “Co p y th at”
1 5 Br id g e
25
d eclar atio n
1 7 Lik e so me f lig h ts
29
1 8 S ar k o zy ’s
33
p r ed ecesso r
1 9 F ilm sp ecial
39
eff ects, b r ief ly
2 2 A ctr esses D an a
45
46
47
48
an d Ju d ith
52
53
2 3 En lig h ten
2 8 Believ er s
60
61
3 0 M ail- r elated
65
3 2 1 9 8 7 Br o ad w ay
sen satio n ,
72
73
co llo q u ially
3 4 Lan d ed estate
79
80
3 5 O ld S p an ish car d
85
g ame
3 6 Th e d u ck in
90
91
92
P r o k o f iev ’s
“P eter an d th e
98
Wo lf ”
3 7 S u p er b o y ’s
105 106
sw eetie
110
4 1 M ag ic, o n ce
4 3 I t’s measu r ed in
116
p o in ts
121
4 4 S p o tted
4 5 Rimsk y 125
K o r sak o v ’s “Le
___ d’Or”
4 6 Ch r istin a o f p o p
4 7 G et to g eth er w ith 6 9 Jeff Ly n n e’s
b an d , f o r sh o r t
y o u r b et tak er ?
7 1 S tar t o f a Vo l. I
5 0 “Believ e _ _ _
h ead in g
N o t! ”
7 2 _ _ _ K en n ed y
5 3 S o me tr ain s
S mith ( sister o f
J. F. K . )
5 5 P amp er
7 4 Th ey co me f r o m
5 6 Cain r aiser
M ar s
5 7 S ig n th e r eg ister
7 5 Classic f r ag r an ce
5 8 P ar t o f Y. S . L.
so ld in F r an ce as
M o n P éch é
6 1 S h ip ’s r eco r d
7
6
M
aced o n ian city
6 6 F ilm w h ale
No. 0212 w ith G r eek an d
6 8 Wr iter Wallace
Ro man r u in s
RELEASE DATE: 2/19/2012
My 20-year-old nephew has
been a troubled youth, despite Dear California:
all the attempts of his family to
First check with your local
help him, including counsel- churches, funeral homes and
ing and rehab. When he was the coroner’s office. There are
18, he became involved with a often discounts available if
messed-up 14-year-old girl you ask. But also research
who used drugs, alcohol and donating your body to a medisex to get her way.
cal school. Some places will
A year ago, my nephew’s transport the body at no cost to
family moved out of state, but you. As for a memorial serlast fall he reconnected with vice, there is no reason to use
the old girlfriend via Face- a funeral home. You or your
any three answers,
book. The girl’s father bought friends can arrange something For
call from a touch-tone
For1-900-285-5656,
solution,
my nephew a plane ticket to at someone’s home, church or phone:
$1.49 each minute; or,
see
page
31 A
with
a credit
card, 1-800come visit. She is now a nearby park.
814-5554.
spoiled 17-year-old dropout
No. 0212
ADDITIONAL
By Kurt Mueller / Edited by Will Shortz
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
who refuses
to getREADING
a job. Worse
Dear Annie:
READING
By Kurt Mueller / Edited by Will Shortz
yet, while ADDITIONAL
visiting, my
nephew
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
17
18
19
20
I have two grown children, 16
also reconnected with all their both married with kids. My 21 16
17
18
19
20
22
23
24
5
9
R
e
v
e
a
l,
in
poe
tr
y
115
R
ussia
n
r
e
tr
e
a
t
14
“Copy
that”
Across
former drug-using
“friends.” 116youngest,
6 0 P u t5 9d own
The
1 H a nd s o mAec, raoss s
21
22
23
24
R e v e a l , i n p o e t r y “11
5 RM
u sika
s i a do”
n r e t“Carrie,”
r e a t 15 Bridge
1 4 “ C o p yhas
that” a
25
26
27
28
My nephew is now
ba
H e nr
t u___”
t d o wback
n
11r itone
6 “ T h e M i k a ddaughter
o”
1 iH an d s o m e , a s 6 2 “ C 6’ e0s P
1declaration
5 B ri dwho
ge
14-year-old
has
25
26
27
28
117 Dustb acrove
4 L uwith
c k y e nHd?
17 L iked escome
i t o nre
e n r i family,
6 3 S e a6but
___
29
30
31
32
l a ra tflights
ion
his
2o f“ C
’ the
e s t( a_r_m
_girl
”
m11
a de
been
seeing
for a year.
7 H y un4daLiuck
s e dyaenn d ?
7 Dof
u s 100%
t c o v e r a boy
18 Sarkozy’s
1 7 L i k e s o m e fl i g h t s
6t3h eS eBala
ocf k_ _S_e a()aIt
rm
29
30
31
32
constantly
texts o fand
calls.
a lumm
inum
,o f 1 0 0 %
33
34
35
36
37
38
a d eother
predeces
o f t hpa
e lB l a c k S e a )
1 2 M a t 7a H
__yu
_ n(ds apiy s) e d a n 6 4 S t i m p y’s
The
day,
we
1
8
S a were
rk o zsyor
’s vispe
r
ha
ps?
a
l
u
m
i
n
u
m
,
seems
33
34
35
36
37
38
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5 “ T h6 e4 gS love
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19 Film
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haps?
121
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9 F i l m, sbriefly
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1 7 So
m16
e ne
v e’s g rjoin
39
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m1e2ntione
in
1 A s pd,
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Dana
45
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1 9 Th
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bibliogr
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i n f eyr i o r
2 A Jcudith
t re s s eroom
s Dana
iacnkm
45
46
47
48
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50
51
very
at
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e T he y ’ r e a l l t h e6 8 A l b6a7nJa
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h i e sthe 2and
122
C ombpa
52
53
54
55
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about
the
plane
ticket
and
nev6
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b
a
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nlighten
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m p a r a t i v e lwe
y 23 Ewere
2 0 Ea c h
stupid
table
eating
52
53
54
55
56
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58
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e ccotrdeess
s with
23 Enlighten
s t u in
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72 S
i n7g0e D
r /a
ernd20wanted
involved
28 Believers
2 1 Se
oE
veacr hs o m e him
123 R oom
60
61
62
63
64
dinner.
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2 8 B e l i e vkissing
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S? en d o v e r s o m e w i7t h2 aS i n g e r / a c t r e s s 124
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e sgirl.
60
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2 4 To ur o rg
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65
66
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68
69
70
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suff
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ubut
l t#1
a n e o he
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a l b u msiamnd
24 Tou
r o rg . into rehab,
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
him
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s u ff i x
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2 1 9ation,
8 7 B ro a d wa y
2 5 R e a l l y wa n t
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m arnly
d # 1 125
entire
family. Carrie
didn’t
say 72
f i l m , afal bmuilia
25 R ea l l y w ado
nt
25 Gobi-like
sensation,
73
74
75
76
77
78
refuses
help
fi l m to
, fam
i l i a r l y126 S1 howe
colloquially
2 6 La
rg e s t , as to
a s u m anything
d ove r
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
n’s c ha rge
colloquially
a
word.
26 L arg e s t , a s a s7u3mWa7r 3d eWa
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anded
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127
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la
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2 7 Th
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t
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79
80
81
82
83
84
3 4 L a n d e d e sCartate
1 2I7 think
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27 T hi n g sAny
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a7y5 F r a7c5a sF r a c a s
79
80
81
82
83
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y
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85
86
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rie isa c tnot
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)
85
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v e s s e lv e s s e l
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128 P1 la
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a r29
k MMa
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h
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c
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90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
7 9 Ve l v e t f i n i s h ?
f or 1 2 fye
90
91
92
93
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Prokofiev’s
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98
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a u t h o r ’s r e q u e s t
“child
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i e r ”self-destructive
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she’ll
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inte rirnoga
105105106106
107
108
109
t e r rtion
o g a t i o n 37 Superboy’s
3 7 S u p e rb o y ’s
107
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Ti n8y4and
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8 5 L i v8e5 is
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110
111
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113
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110
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gBut
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a fC hine f i n41 Magic,
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117 118
118
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Ik eW.
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3 C hor
40 sDe tr usm
122
123
124
44 Spotted
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i
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8 9 _ _ _ T. ( big
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45 Rims
1 9 60s
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125
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9 3 P r o9f3e ssor
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nv e s t iIg aLove
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78
e l l ign g
Lynne’s
47 Get
together with
ingredient
t a r t o f som e
b a n d , fo r s h o rt
“and”
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1 0 7 Lik e so me
ingr e dieof
nt issues withy oher
u r b emotht t a k e r?
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a l i a n emochurch
band,
for
s
hort
“and”
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b br.help, suggestions
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s
mo
k
e
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7
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k
e some
for
your bet taker?
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ch
8 Where the wild
7 1 S t a rt o f a Vo l . I
8 1 Ty p e
shop
49 C om e t r i v a l
en erg y
es
8 Whe r et hthe
50 “Believe ___
71 Start
81 Type
s hop
4 9 C om e t r i va l
e n e rg y
h e aof
d i nag Vol. I
names
i n gwild
s Carrie
are?
er,
and
has
decided
to
50
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___
8
2
_
_
_
fo
rt
e
(l
e
s
s
9
9
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t
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rn
tional
51 O g support.
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11
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heading
9 8 Av i d r e a d e r
things a r e ?
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82 ___
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99 Wes
tern
5 1 Og l e
72 ___ Kennedy
11w
2 atch
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9 Put an ___
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u s isc )
r
Not!”
e v e rg
re e n
52 C ur v e d m o l d i n9g8 Av i1d0 0r eAa nde
Kennedy
ignore
as
much
as
she
nual
53 S
o m e tcan.
ra i n s If 72 ___S m
9
P
ut
a
n
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loud,
in
mus
ic)
i
t
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i
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evergreen
w
a
t
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h
5 2 C ur ve d mo l d i n g
8 3 J u d g e ’s o rd e r
1 0 E n g a g e a g a i n f o r53 Some trains
1 0 1 H a i l i n a lo u d
Smith
(s)is ter of
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r Enga
11 3 G o v t.
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t r u t h a b o u1t0a0 A n n ua
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udge’s
5 5 P awith
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spend
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8 8J Do
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5 4 Th
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a 11
gigF a t h e r- a n d - s o n 55 Pamper
age
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C
a
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r
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q
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r
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?
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r I n tme runnei tt y ?
g a bn e,
g bto
u s t e rs
come from
M a rs
we
recom1 0 2 B ro u h a h a
105 M
o n o t o n y80 granddaughter (and
11 4 To
56 Cain
rais
ere re g i s t e r 74 T hey
My
wife and
I
are
nearly
frequency,
fre
q
u
e
n
t
l
y
11
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a
the
ra
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r
u
l
e
r
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o
f
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y
r
i
a
5
7
S
i
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n
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h
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1 0 5 M1o0n8otony
11Ben
4 Toicio
be, to
7 5 C l a s s i c fra g ra n c e
Whence Zeno
1102
0 3 Vo
l u m e h o ld er
frequently
r ule
rOsnof
Sayr
iad
57 Sign
the
regis
ter
mend
it),
you
can
discuss
these
9
1
“
Gn
a
rl
y,
m
a
n
!”
For any old,
three answers,
1
2
e
n
m
e
years
and
we
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ill
pre5
8
P
a
rt
o
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.
s osl dic i nfragrance
F ra n c e a s
75 Clas
c i oO r léan s
c ei sZe
Volume
older
t r eno
a t m e n t 12 One - fna
11 8 OBnee,n iin
call from
a touch-tone 1 0 8 W1h0e9n M
1103
0 4 Wa
s h i n g thon
For any three
answers,
9 2“Gnarly,
S t a r o r wman!”
olf
a sm
hdirectly
ieodn d e s i g n eand
r58 Part
M oin
n PFrance
é c h é as 91
s old
6 1calmly
S hofi pY.
’s S.
reL
cwith
o. rd
things
phone:
1-900-285-5656,
O nco
e , mp
i n letely,
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0 9 M11
i s 0t reCWe
autm
pared
forminute;
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have
call from
a touch-tone
104a Was
hingt o n
i rp o rt
t deont
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n to
1111
9 8F ill
p re cor
e dwolf
er
92 Star
f a1shion
de
signe
rd - 61 Ship’s record
Mon
Péché
3
A
i
d
f
o
r
r
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r
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a
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$1.49
each
66 Film whale
phone: 1-900-285-5656,
si zhome
e to
11 0 C uno
t down
a lwl ay
11in
9 Fi
c o m p l e t e l y,
Otherwise,
1 0 5 airport
Sushi bar
9 4 preceder
Shooting match
wi t h Gre e kcity
and
e erpeicnor
g ad-t M r s . it would be a 76 Macedonian
with
a creditor,card, 1-800children,
own
or
13 her.
Aid fkor
$1.49no
each
minute;
66
Film
whale
6 8 Wri t e r Wa l l a c e
s i z111
e B e s t i n b u s i n e s s ke e ping
i n a dweg
a ys.
814-5554.
Rom
a n ru iand
ns
rv ihi
n g sbar
: Var.
1 2 0 Law
105s eSus
S midea
i taht’sM
? to
94
9 5Shooting
Ho m e r ’s match
home
with
Greek
r s. stay out of it.
with acar,
credit
card, 1-800good
savings
account
68 Writer Wallace
B e s t in busine
ss
Roman ruins
s ervings : Va r.
814-5554. have no 111
1 2 0 La w d e g s .
S m ith’s?
95 Homer ’s home
4
5
6
18
7
8
36
37
9
19
23
the violin was counterfeit
and
26
produced one expert’s
opinion
30
to that effect, demanding that
34
35
PayPal refund the money,
40
which it did, provided that the
49
buyer first “destroy” the property. (According
to
PayPal,
the
54
55
56
57
laws of many countries,
62
including the U.S., pro66
67
hibit mailing knowingly
74
75
counterfeit goods,
and hence, PayPal’s 81 82
could not simply
86
order the violin93
returned
to
99
100
sender. The
107
seller, certain
that the violin 111 112 113 114
was authentic,117was
left with
118
neither it nor the
money.)
122
Least Competent Criminals
126
31
41
63
68
69
94
95
101
108
123
127
Not Ready for Prime Time:
7 8 O p p o sitestepped
of
9 7 S u p p ly a
(1) Police in London
“an d ”
F r en ch
up their search for
the
8 1 Ty
p e man who
sh o p
2 _ _ _ f o r tebank
( less in 9 9 Wester n
tried to rob the 8Halifax
lo u d , in mu sic)
ev erg r e
October but escaped
8 3 Ju d g e’s oemptyr d er
1 0 1 H ail in
8 8 D o sag
e
v o ice
handed. He had
demanded
f r eq u en cy,
₤700,000 poundsf r (about
eq u en tly $1.1 1 0 2 Br o u h a
1 0 3 Vo lu me
1 “G n aremployee
ly, man ! ”
million) from a 99bank
1 0 4 Wash in
2 S tar o r w o lf
and then, intending
to hand air p o r t
p r eced er
1 0 5 S u sh i b
S h had
o o tin gbrought
match
over the bag that99 45he
ser v in g s
H o mer ’s h o me
for the money, instead absentmindedly handed over his gun.
Realizing his mistake, he
dashed out the door. (2) Verlin
Alsept, 59, was arrested in
Dayton, Ohio, in January and
charged with trying to rob a
Family Dollar store. He had
demanded all the money in a
cash register and, apparently as
an attempt to intimidate the
clerk, he pulled out a .38 caliber bullet from his pocket and
showed it to her. She was, of
course, undaunted, and he
walked away (but was arrested
nearby).
Update
In Jerusalem, It’s Good to
Be a Man: Ultra-Orthodox
Judaism, already responsible
for excluding or segregating
women on public transportation, advertising images and
even use of sidewalks, struck
again at a January medical
research conference in Jerusalem. Despite their obvious
interest in the conference’s
topic (“Innovations in Gynecology/Obstetrics and Halacha (Jewish Law)”), all
women in attendance were
required to sit apart from
males, and no female was
allowed to address the audience from the podium.
38 A
Legal
notices
LEGALS
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
Notice is hereby given that
original
Letters
Testamentary for the Estate
of Rosemary Margaret
Murphy Neumann, were
issued on February 8, 2012,
in the Docket No. 104567
pending in the County Court
of Jefferson County, Texas,
to: Timothy J. Neumann.
c/o Frances Blair Bethea
BENCKENSTEIN
&
OXFORD, L.L.P.
3535 Calder Avenue,
Suite 300
Beaumont, TX 77706
Telephone (409)833-9182
Telefax: (409) 833-8819
All persons having claims
against this Estate which is
currently being administered
are required to present them
within the time and in the
manner prescribed by law.
DATED the 9th day of
February, 2012
Respectfully Submitted,
BENCKENSTEIN
&
OXFORD, L.L.P.
3535 Calder Avenue,
Suite 300
Telephone (409)833-9182
Telefax: (409) 833-8819
Frances Blair Bethea
State BarNo. 02268300
ATTORNEYS
FOR
ESTATE
NOTICE TO BIDDERS
Sealed bids will be received
by the City Clerk of the City
of Beaumont, 801 Main
Street, Room 125 until
2:00 p.m., local time,
Thursday, March 8, 2012
and all bids will be opened
and publicly read in the City
Council Chambers on that
date for:
ANNUAL CONTRACT
FOR HAZARDOUS
WASTE CONTROL
Bidding forms, specifications
and
all
necessary
information may be obtained
from
the
Purchasing
Division, City Hall, 801
Main, Room 315, Beaumont,
Texas 77701.
Vendors
requesting bid packets
should call the Purchasing
Division at (409) 880-3720
or you may download the
specifications from our
website at: http://www.
cityofbeaumont.com/
Purchasing/purchasing_
bids.htm
Bids shall be submitted to
the City Clerk’s Office, 801
Main, Room 125, prior to
the above stated time.
The City reserves the right
to reject any or all bids, or to
accept
any
bid
or
combination of bids deemed
advantageous to it.
Please make reference to
Bid Number:BF0212-14
Bid Closing Date:
March 8, 2012
Tina Broussard, TRMC
City Clerk
REQUEST FOR BIDS
Bids for the following
project addressed to
Charlene Kent, City Clerk,
City of Bevil Oaks, 7525
Sweetgum Road,
Beaumont, Texas 77713,
will be received until 10:00
a.m., Monday, February 27,
2012, at which time they
will be publicly opened and
read in the Bevil Oaks Civic
Center, 7390 Sweetgum
Rd., Beaumont, TX 77713.
Project is for mowing and
maintaining city owned
properties for the year
2012. Mowing
specifications and map may
be obtained from the City
Office located at 7525
Sweetgum Road,
Beaumont, Texas. All
bidders must include proof
of liability insurance along
with their bid. The
successful bidder must
furnish liability insurance in
an amount not less than
$100,000 payable to the
City of Bevil Oaks.
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
original
Letters
of VERNA B. HARDIN,
Deceased, were issued on
the 7th day of February,
2012 in the Cause No.
104,516 pending in the
County Court of Jefferson
County, Texas, to: WILLIAM
W. HARDIN. The post office
address of the Independent
Executor is:
c/o James M. Black
Attorney at Law
3535 Calder Avenue,
Suite 300
Beaumont, TX 77706
within the time and in the
manner prescribed by law.
DATED this 7th day of
February, 2012.
JAMES M. BLACK
Attorney at Law
3535 Calder Avenue,
Suite 300
Beaumont, TX 77706
Telephone: (409) 951-4732
Telecopier: (409) 951-4791
James M. Black
Texas Bar No. 02372000
ATTORNEY FOR THE
ESTATE OF VERNA B.
HARDIN, DECEASED
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
original
Letters
of Hazel Wright Harmon,
February 14, 2012, in
Cause No. 104505, pending
in the County Court of
Jefferson County, Texas, to:
Thomas James Sampson.
to the undersigned within
the time and in the manner
prescribed by law.
c/o:
Thomas James Sampson
1810 Norfolk Street
Houston, Texas 77098
DATED the 15 day of
February, 2012.
Jerry W. Gallier
Attorney for Thomas James
Sampson
State Bar No.: 00792524
215 West Freeway
Vidor, Texas 77662
Telephone: (409) 783-1515
Facsimile: (409) 681-9924
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
original
Letters
of George A. Bosch,
February 14, 2012, in
Cause Number 104591
pending in the County Court
of Jefferson County, Texas,
to:
Barbara Joyce Bosch
The residence of such
Executor
is
Jefferson
County, Texas. The office
address is:
c/o Nancy Y. Hart
P.O. Box 3708
Beaumont, Texas 77704
against this Estate, which is
currently
being
administered, are required
to present them within the
time and in the manner
prescribed by law.
DATED the 14th day of
February, 2012.
WELLS,
GREENBERG
L.L.P.
PEYTON,
& HUNT,
By: Nancy Y. Hart
550 Fannin, Suite 600
Beaumont, Texas 77701
Telephone: 409-838-2644
Facsimile: 409-838-4713
ATTORNEYS
ESTATE
FOR
THE
NOTICE INVITING BIDS
Sealed bids addressed to
the City of Beaumont,
Texas, will be received at
the office of the City Clerk,
City Hall, Beaumont, Texas,
until 2:00 p.m. local time
Thursday, March 8, 2012,
for
furnishing
all
a d m i n i s t r a t i o n ,
superintendence,
labor,
services, materials, tools,
equipment,
supplies,
transportation, utilities, and
all other items and facilities
necessary, therefore, as
provided in the Contract
Documents
for
the
Construction of:
Sanitary Sewer
Rehabilitation of Small
Diameter Mains - Contract
XXII
together
with
all
appurtenances
thereto,
being improvements for the
City of Beaumont, Owner,
Beaumont, Texas. Bids will
be opened in the Council
Chambers at City Hall. The
Owner reserves the right,
after opening Bids, to reject
any or all bids or to make
award to the lowest,
responsive,
responsible
Bidder and reject all other
bids.
The project includes the
rehabilitation
of
approximately 216 L.F. of
six inch sanitary sewer
lines, 7,500 L.F. of eight
inch sanitary sewer lines,
George Harper
For U.S. Congress
"We must rethink the role
government is to assume in
our society."
2,713 L.F. of twelve inch
sanitary sewer lines, and
2,183 L.F. of sixteen inch
sanitary sewer lines. The
project also includes the
removal and replacement of
26 manholes, installation of
7 new manholes, the
removal of 1 manhole, the
installation or removal and
replacement of 7 clean outs,
and the replacement of 312
short side/5 long side
service taps.
Bidders must submit Bid
Bond, Cashier’s Check,
Certified
Check
or
irrevocable Letter of Credit
issued by a bank satisfactory
to the Owner, payable
without recourse to the
order of the City of
Beaumont in an amount not
less than five (5) percent of
the largest possible bid
amount as a guaranty that
the Bidder will enter into a
contract and execute bond
and guaranty in the form
provided within fourteen
(14) calendar days after
date of Notice of Award of
the contract. Bids without
required financial security
deposit
will
not
be
considered.
Prevailing Highway-Heavy,
Municipal and Utilities’ wage
rates for Jefferson County,
published as part of the
Contract Documents and
subject to revisions, shall
govern or control minimum
rates for work performed
during execution of the
contract. Also, qualifications
being equal, citizens of the
City of Beaumont shall be
given
preference
in
employment
for
work
performed
under
the
contract.
A MANDATORY Pre-Bid
Conference will be held at
10:00 a.m. on Tuesday,
February 28, 2012, in the
City of Beaumont, Water
Utilities Administration office
located at 1350 Langham
Road. Attendance at the
Pre-Bid meeting is a
prerequisite to bidding. Bids
WILL NOT be accepted
from any firm not in
attendance at the Pre-Bid
conference. Prior to the
Pre-Bid
conference,
interested bidders should
obtain Contract Documents,
contract,
bond,
and
specifications at the Water
Utilities
Department/
Engineering office, 1350
Langham Road, Beaumont,
Texas. Complete sets of
said Contract Documents
may be purchased for
$125.00 dollars per set.
Contract Documents and
plans must be paid for at
time of delivery. No refund
will be made of any charges
for sets of Contract
Documents. A full set of
Contract Documents is
available for inspection
without charge at the
office(s) of Associated
General
Contractors,
American Marketing Co.,
and Dodge Reports.
Plans
and
contract
specifications
will
be
available February 20,
2012.
The reference
number for this project is
WU0212-01.
CITY OF BEAUMONT,
TEXAS, OWNER
By:
Tina Broussard, TRMC
City Clerk
www.HARPER4CONGRESS.com
pd. pol. adv. HARPER FOR CONGRESS. committee
Assumed
Names
Jefferson County
Apostolic Church of
Beaumont Texas
Dba The Apostolic Church
INC
3333 Eastex Freeway
Beaumont, TX 77706
Filed 12/09/2011 cert no
80341
Thompson, Danny J
Dba TME Thompson
Marine Electrical
5403 West Groves Circle
DR
Groves, TX 77619
80342
Jones, Charlie
Dba CJ General Contractor
& Remodeling
3475 Anderson
Beaumont, TX 77703
80343
Rise and Shine
Promotions LLC
Dba Rise and Shine
Promotions LLC Incubator
710 Lincoln ST
Beaumont, TX 77701
Filed 12/12/2011 cert
no80344
MJ Forse Enterprise LLC
Dba South County
Fireworks World
7313 Guillory RD
Orange, TX 77632
80345
Monson, JR Bobby
Dba Animal Wildlife Control
2920 Azalea Lane
Groves, TX 77619
80346
Thibeaux, Nakia Rhena
Dba Seusa Global Vehicle
Traders
PO Box 16655
Fort Worth, TX 76162
Filed12/12/2011 cert no
80347
Barnett, Brody
Barnett, Kristin
Dba Rockin Double B
Ranch
PO Box 1108
Nome, TX 77629
80348
Hilltop E G LLC
Dba Miss B’s
6885 Wilford RD
Beaumont, TX 77705
80349
Myer, Wayne Maxx
Dba Maxxsound
PO Box 20431
Beaumont, TX 77720
80350
Reho, Joseph Michael
Dba Jacks of All Trades
Handyman
2828 Hwy 365
Suite 700
Nederland, TX 77627
80351
Eddi, L Evans JR
Dba Golden Photography
7655 Park North DR APT
302
Beaumont, TX 77708
80352
Davis, Latanya Danae
Dba La’Naes
3316 Avenue N
Nederland, TX 77627
80353
Killian’s Limited Liability
Corporation
Dba Harmony
Environmental Consulting &
Cons
3107 California
Nederland, TX 77627
80354
Iglesias Education &
Business Services LLC
Dba IESPANISH
6465 Calder AVE Suite 201
Beaumont, TX 77706
80355
Gonzales, Jose Antonio
Dba Natalie’s Home Care
Advantage
3404 “G” N Twin City HWY
Nederland, TX 77627
80356
Nguyen, Jennifer LAP
Le,Oanh, Kim
Dba Rosie Star Hair Salon
5126 Gulfway Drive
STE D
Port Arthur, TX 77642
80357
Miller, Reginald
Dba Teacher& Music
Composer (TAMC)
2243 Long Ave
Beaumont, TX 77701
80358
Miller, Reginald Charles
Dba Revolutionary
Christian Music Records
2243 Long Ave
Beaumont, TX 77701
80359
Smith, Keith
Dba Southern Cuisine
Catering
2435 Taft ST
Beaumont, TX 77703
80360
Sturdivant, Tommy
Dba T&S Cycle
4010 Main Street
Groves, TX 77619
80361
Taylor, Richard
Dba Richard’s Autoplex
890 N 11th
Beaumont, TX 77702
80362
Hill, Jared
Dba Jared Hill Marine
Plumbing
109 Sycamore ST
Port Neches, TX 77651
80363
Victory to Victory Church
Dba Judah Mass Choir
9950 Walden RD
Beaumont, TX 77707
80364
Yoslush INC
Dba Spoonit!
21918 Canyonwood Park
LN
Richmond, TX 77469
Filed 12/16/2011 cert ni
80365
Shultz, Ryan
Dba South East Texas
Elite PC
5660 Kohler ST
Beaumont, TX 77706
80366
Bland, Steven J
Dba Mr. Giggles
3601 N Twin City Hwy
80367
Allen, Anna
Dba Anna Allen
4663 Tremont
Sabine Pass, TX 77655
80368
Bean, Melinda
Dba The Veranda
1208 Nederland AVE
Nederland, TX 77627
80369
Guizar, Fernando
Barragan, Daniel
Dba Las Palmas Mexican
Restaurant
4751 Gulfway DR
80370
39 A
DABNEY
LISTINGS
from page 34 A
from page 31 A
grace and just as much pain for
us to say in return, “OK, I do
forgive you. It is all over and
behind us. That will not be
allowed to come between us
again. I will forget it and I will
never bring it up again. I will
not muse over it, nurse it, and
stroke it back to life. Today —
I burn and bury the hatchet and
I will forget where I buried it.”
Man, how many marriages
would be restored and put on the
road to success if we would
really practice forgiving and forgetting? How many friendships
could be restored and joyful
associations be resumed if we
could just forgive and forget?
And how many parent-child
associations could be helpfully
and meaningfully restored if we
would simply accept and extend
true forgiveness?
There is an alternative.
Jesus says the Father only forgives those who forgive in
return. We need to forgive so
that His grace may abound in
us. I sure want to stand before
Him, forgiven. In order to do
so, He says I must forgive all
others. Lord, help us to relax
our stranglehold on others
and to just totally forgive
them. Thank You for totally
forgiving us as we have sought
Your face. Make us more like
Jesus. We are willing. Amen
and amen.
to highlight carnival celebrations across the
globe. Images, video, costume pieces, masks,
and musical instruments relate the history and
cultural traditions of this yearly festival. ¡Carnaval! will remain on view through March 18.
The Museum of the Gulf Coast is owned
and operated by the Port Arthur Historical
Society in partnership with Lamar State College-Port Arthur and the city of Port Arthur,
and located in downtown Port Arthur at 700
Procter St. For more information or to schedule a tour, call (409) 982-7000 or visit www.
museumofthegulfcoast.org.
The Rev. Delmar Dabney was
a spiritual inspiration in Southeast
Texas for many years before his
death in 1994.
Meet the candidates
and revelry takes place one day only in Beaumont, on Saturday, Feb. 25, from 9 a.m. to 6
p.m. at the Beaumont Civic Center at 701
Main St.
Admission is $5 for adults and $3 for children ages 5-12 and seniors 65 and older. Children under 5 get in free, and parking is free.
For more information, call event organizers at
(409) 838-3435.
Texas History Day
The Lamar University Department of History will host its third annual Texas History Day
on Thursday, Feb. 23, attracting students from
high schools and middle schools
across Southeast Texas. Lamar’s
event is part of National History Day 2012, whose theme
is “Revolution, Reaction,
Reform in History.” Activities will be in the Setzer Student Center, with contest events to
begin at noon and the awards ceremony to start
about 5 p.m. In addition, participants will tour
Lamar’s Spindletop/Gladys City Boomtown
Museum from 10 to 11 a.m.
The Greater Port Arthur Chamber of Commerce is conducting the U.S. Congressional
District 14 Candidate Forum Membership Luncheon on Tuesday, Feb. 28, 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
at the Holiday Inn Park Central at 2929 Jimmy
Johnson Blvd. in Port Arthur. Admission is $40
per person or $400 for a table for 10.
All confirmed candidates will be invited to
speak, and audience questions will be presented to candidates. Seating is limited, and a
The Stark Museum of Art, 712 Green Ave.
registration deadline has been set for Feb. 21
in
Orange, is inviting families to Musical
or until capacity is met. For more information
Family
Day on Saturday, Feb. 25, from10
or tickets, call (409) 963-1107.
a.m. and 3 p.m. Attendance is free and all ages
are welcome.
Musical Family Day will celebrate the
As many as 150 pedigreed cats and kittens intersection between music and the visual
will compete for awards given by six judges arts. Children can participate in a scavenger
from the Cat Fanciers’ Associa- hunt for musical instruments in the paintings
tion Inc. Top 10 finalists in the on display in the galleries to win a prize.
pedigreed division, consisting Visitors will have the opportunity to create
of 40 recognized pedigreed their own unique musical instrument and to
breeds, will earn points play music. Families can join in a game of
toward titles of Grand Cham- freeze dance, read a story together and enjoy
pion, Grand Premier and complimentary refreshments.
Regional and National Awards
All ages are welcome, but children under
for the 2011-12 show season. Pedi- 12 must be accompanied by an adult. For
greed kittens will also be available more information, call (409) 886-ARTS
for sale. All the feline excitement (2787) or visit www.starkmuseum.org.
Musical Family Day
Coastwind’s cat show
Jefferson County Grand Jury
January Term, 2012
Criminal District Court
Cases indicted by the grand jury on Feb. 9, 2012
Indict.
12-13458
12-13460
12-13461
12-13462
12-13463
12-13464
12-13465
12-13470
12-13471
12-13472
12-13473
12-13474
12-13475
12-13476
12-13478
12-13479
12-13481
12-13484
12-13485
12-13486
Defendant
Mark Anthony Alexis Jr.
Clifton Dewight Barkin
Joshua Ray Bergeron
Lloyd Bertrand
Allen Wayne Boutte
Charlie Alvany Cordova
Robert Cuellar
Jamil Hamilton Jr.
Muhannad Hisham Hammad
Jack Moril Holloway
Larry Darnell Jackson Jr.
Gilbert Molina
Shedrick Wayne Moore
Charles Ray Moss
Omar Pineda
Josean Ramos-Carrion
Douglas Landry Rogers
Ashley Sias
Alberto Bacho Solis
Candido Rodrigues Juarez
Birth date
03-27-80
06-05-90
06-07-81
10-17-82
02-22-75
11-30-82
01-20-70
04-23-95
09-03-89
05-24-67
09-06-79
12-22-73
05-27-59
04-08-91
08-11-78
04-23-84
11-09-81
12-29-84
03-05-84
01-12-78
Charge
Assault-Aggravated
Deadly Conduct
Burg-Building SJ*
Evading Arrest/Det W/Veh SJ
Theft SJ
Burg-Building SJ
DWI/3rd
Robbery
Robbery-Aggravated
Burglary-Habitation
Robbery-Aggravated
DWI/3rd
Evading Arr/Det Prv Conv SJ
Assault-Aggravated
Asslt-Agg-Family Violence
Burglary-Habitation
Robbery
Theft SJ
Murder
Murder
Indict.
12-13488
12-13489
12-13490
12-13491
12-13492
12-13495
12-13496
12-13498
12-13499
12-13500
12-13501
12-13502
12-13505
12-13507
12-13508
12-13509
12-13510
12-13511
Defendant
Salvador Julian Velazco
Eliud Selsestino Briones
Eliud Selsestino Briones
Salvador Julian Velazco
Hector Rodriguez Jr.
Timothy John White
Shantelle Yowman
Ronald Barnes
Ronald Barnes
Gordon Wayne Buffington
Clifton Junius Ceaser Jr.
Kareem Kier Hanchette
Cherish Nicole Lawrence
Michael Tyrone Motton
Danny Roberson Barnes
Majdee Majad Nassar
Crystal Gayle Reed
Dante Anthony Spencer
Birth date
11-24-93
11-24-93
11-24-93
11-24-93
02-02-89
08-14-90
03-13-89
01-24-67
01-24-67
09-17-39
08-25-78
10-08-75
10-13-84
12-21-84
01-17-85
10-09-83
07-23-80
01-24-92
Charge
Robbery-Aggravated
Robbery-Aggravated
Robbery-Aggravated
Robbery-Aggravated
Burglary-Habitation
Assault-Family-Felony
Abandon/Endanger Child SJ
Poss C/S Pen Grp 1 SJ
Control Sub-Possession
Man/Delv C/S Pen Grp 1 SJ
Control Sub-Delivery
Poss Marijuana SJ
An indictment is not an indication of guilt or innocence; it’s only a step in the criminal justice
process that allows a case to go forward to trial.
*SJ = state jail felony
HENLEY
from page 34 A
learn that it was about noon
and the disciples were getting hungry, so Jesus told
them to go to the nearby
city to buy meat. Jesus went
to Jacob’s well and sat resting about the sixth hour.
The Jewish women usually
drew water in the late afternoon when the sun had
lowered. However, on this
day, as Jesus sat resting, a
lone woman came to draw
water. She was a woman of
Samaria, and in this day
and age, the Jews and
Samaritans did not fellowship together. Jesus knew
this woman and simply
said, “Will you give me a
drink of water?” He met her
at the well, on her home
turf.
The woman asked Him
why he would ask her for
water since He was a Jew
and she was clearly a
Samaritan. Jesus said, “If
you knew the gift of God,
and would drink from this
well, you would never be
thirsty again.” Jesus went
on to tell her about her own
life, but He was not unkind,
critical or judgmental. She
was amazed and trusted
Him for her own salvation
there at the well.
How many people do we
each meet that we could
influence positively if our
attitudes, compassion and
concern were only for others? Can we learn to cross
lines, boundaries, and
bridges to reach those
unlike ourselves? Can we
go to their home fields and
let our testimony and our
speech reflect Christ so that
they will desire to have
what we profess to have in
our lives? The true Christian life is lived every day,
and not just on Sundays in
the church house.
Brenda Cannon Henley is
an award-winning journalist
and writer living on the Southeast Texas Gulf Coast. Having
enjoyed more than four
decades in ministry, Brenda
shares her columns with our
readers and works with
churches and faith-based programs nationwide. She can be
reached at (409) 781-8788 or
at
brendacannonhenley@
yahoo.com.
The Examiner • Feb. 16-22, 2012
795 Willow
Beaumont, TX 77701
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Irregularities found in NABSE conference

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