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Page 24AMarch 17-23, 2016 50 centsVol. 21, No. 1

NOT PLAYING AROUND

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Plans come together for public sports complex in Groves

East Texas communities come to terms with devastating flood

INUNDATED

Police, private firms use plate readers to build huge database of your info

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By Jennifer Johnson and Sharon BrooksExaminer staff

Where do you shop? Whose house do you visit after work? What restaurants do you fre-quent? When are you most likely to be away from home?

Thanks to automated license plate recognition systems (ALPRs), or license plate readers (LPRs), the answers to those questions may be easily accessible to anyone willing to pay for it, as the data is col-lected on at least one network touted as inclusive of more than 2 billion images.

LPR systems automatically capture an image of a vehicle’s license plate, transform that image into alphanumeric char-acters using optical character recognition software, then compare the plate number to one or more databases of vehi-cles of interest to law enforce-ment and other agencies (hot-lists), and alert the officer when a vehicle of interest is observed. The cameras uti-lized in the systems are either stationary, like those seen on telephone poles or traffic sig-nals, or mobile, such as those used by law enforcement and others.

One company offering LPRs and the related software is Vigilant Solutions, and it has contracts with multiple area law enforcement agencies as well as private companies. Some of the policing agencies say they are not sharing or inputting their data into Vigi-lant’s gargantuan network, but some are, and many peace officers, whether they realize it or not, are – in effect – min-ing data for the company, data that could then potentially be sold.

In January, Dave Maass of the Electronic Frontier Foun-dation (EFF) expressed his

group’s unease about the use of such intrusive vehicle sur-veillance technology.

“EFF has long been con-cerned with this technology, because (LPRs) typically cap-ture sensitive location infor-mation on all drivers — not just criminal suspects — and, in aggregate, the information can reveal personal informa-tion, such as where you go to church, what doctors you visit, and where you sleep at night.”

That’s a scary thought for many who value their privacy.Local agencies using LPR technology

Most local law enforcement agencies in Southeast Texas are utilizing some type of LPR technology. Some have their own equipment purchased from Vigilant Solutions or another surveillance technolo-gy vendor, like the Beaumont Police Department’s vendor, ELSAG. Other agencies are being provided with the LPR hardware, software and credit card readers by Vigilant Solu-tions “at no cost” for those participating in the Warrant Redemption Program.

Port Arthur Police Depart-ment (PAPD) traffic enforce-ment supervisor Lt. Steve Brinson told The Examiner his department has a deal with Vigilant and has been using LPRs and the related software sold by the company since 2010. He said PAPD paid for theirs outright and owns the cameras. The department updates warrant data regularly and allows license plate info to feed into Vigilant’s network (the Law Enforcement Archi-val Reporting Network Server, or LEARN), which Brinson asserted is a secure network utilized only by law enforce-ment.

“I’ve been very pleased with the LPRs,” said Brinson.

“We bought six of them in 2010. We have three or four that are functional. They work well. We just bought a new one this year. It’s a little better than the old ones, but basically the same system.

“We pay Vigilant about $13,000 per car to outfit the vehicle with the license plate readers. We also have to pay for the software and updates annually. Vigilant hosts the

database. Ours is combined with numerous other agencies as part of the agreement. It’s all encrypted, blessed by the feds and all that good stuff. If I’m looking for someone or a stolen car, and a law enforce-ment agency in Houston finds the person or vehicle, they will know I’m looking for them and can take them into custo-dy.

“There is an approved list

of agencies allowed to access the (LEARN) database. It’s got the highest level of encryp-tion you can get.”

Supposedly, the 2-billion-plus and rising number of images are not all available to the private companies, as law enforcers are on a separate database from the private users; however, the bourgeon-ing technology could give hackers access to information on Vigilant’s network, and legal loopholes may exist that would allow Vigilant to sell any data collected by their cli-ents.

In his January article, EFF’s Maass asserted that in Vigi-lant’s memorandum of under-standing (MOU), or contract, with the city of Kyle, the com-pany retains its right to hold onto LPR data collected by the law enforcement agency.

“Buried in the fine print of the contract with Vigilant is a

Somebody’s watching Law enforcement, private companies using plate readers to build enormous database

LPR systems automatically capture an image of a vehicle’s license plate, transform that image into alphanumeric characters using optical character recognition software, then compare the plate number to one or more databases of vehicles of interest to law enforcement.

Bridge City PD uses the

Vigilant system


clause that says the company also gets to keep a copy of all the license-plate data collected by the agency, even after the contract ends,” Maass explained. “According to the company’s usage and privacy policy, Vigilant ‘retains LPR data as long as it has commer-cial value.’ Vigilant can sell or license that information to oth-er law enforcement bodies and potentially use it for other pur-poses.”

Maass later clarified, “Vigi-lant generally agrees in its contracts and policies that ALPR data collected by law enforcement agencies will only be shared with (i.e. sold to) other law enforcement agencies. However, data col-lected by Vigilant directly may be shared for a variety of pur-poses, including insurance and repossession. We used the word ‘potentially’ because it gets murky when it comes to ALPR systems licensed to law enforcement that are not the

property of the agency, but rather are Vigilant’s property attached to a police vehicle.”

On Vigilant’s website, regarding LPR usage and pri-vacy, the company again men-tions it retains LPR data “as long as it has commercial use,” the company’s standard prac-tice with all its affiliates, not just Kyle.

Port Arthur’s state and local law enforcement agency agreement with Vigilant Solu-tions signed in October 2015 pertaining to the police depart-ment’s use of LPRs and the LEARN software and server says, “Vigilant reserves the right to provide LPR Data to third-party entities for purpos-es of promotion, marketing, business development or any other commercially reasonable reason that Vigilant deems necessary and appropriate.”

That seems to give the com-pany a very broad range of what could be considered

License plate reader technologyMost automatic license plate recognition cameras are attached magneticallyto the body of the police patrol vehicle.

O�cers on roadways usecameras to scan the plates ofpassing cars. In some casesacross three lanes of tra�c.

• Cameras can read plates at highway speeds.

• Locations and times are captured and stored in a database.

Cameras can also scan vehicles in parking lots

2 An infrared camera captures images of the license plate.

3 A computer reads the plate characters and compares themagainst a database. In some cases that database is nationwide.

4 The o�cer is then alerted of a match and proceeds to stop thevehicle in question.

DATABASE

000-0604ABC-1234AAA-0425867-5309ABC-1234

See READERS on page 6 A


“reasonable reason(s)” for which the data could be redis-tributed or resold.

Even if the LEARN net-work used by peace officers could only be accessed by oth-er law enforcement personnel, law enforcement agencies aren’t the only ones using LPR technology and Vigilant Solu-tions, so they aren’t the only ones collecting the informa-tion.

Drivers may be aware of the LPRs attached to police cruis-ers, but the devices are also in use by private businesses, like wrecker companies looking for repossessions. These pri-vate companies are collecting information for Vigilant’s databases too, with unmarked cars sporting cameras trolling parking lots of shopping malls, hospitals and other private properties accessed by the public, recording the time, date and location of vehicles that just so happen to be in their path.

The information compiled by police has stipulations, according to user agreements

and officer testimonials, but information generated from private businesses can be – and is – shared with much less stringent restrictions on access.

Brinson confirmed that wrecker companies also often use LPR technology, but add-ed that those private business owners do not have access to the police data, only certain hotlists.

“A lot of wrecker compa-nies have gone to LPRs,” Brinson explained. “The com-pany downloads repo lists

from different sites, and it makes it easier for the repo guys. It’s helpful to us, too. They do not have access to our database, but we have access to all of their reads. Their uploads go into a separate database that we can access.”

Hardin County Sheriff’s Office Lt. Aaron Tupper said his office is getting the hard-ware and software at no charge because they are going to par-ticipate in the Warrant Redemption Program. Accord-ing to him, LPR technology

helps catch criminals.“Basically, this license plate

reader is going to assist in solving crime,” said Tupper. “It’s also going to help in updating traffic fines and things of that nature. There’s only one deputy with the plate reader right now.”

During a Feb. 22 Hardin County Commissioners Court meeting, Lt. Tupper explained to commissioners and Judge Wayne McDaniel that the LPR cameras would record license plate data and the credit card readers would allow people with outstanding warrants to pay for warrants on the side of the road to avoid going to jail and to avoid having their vehi-cle’s impounded.

Tupper added, “This is actually free to the county. There is no cost for us to use this system.”

Before inquiring about the technology, its potential use-fulness, or possible privacy concerns, Judge McDaniel said, “I think that’s what we were waiting to hear.”

As a Vigilant representative explained how the company and county would split credit card payments received, with the warrant amount going to

the county’s bank account and the 25 percent “lift fee” or “technology fee” going into Vigilant’s coffers – McDaniel again hinted at where his inter-ests and his support lie.

“So if the ticket was $400 we get the full $400?” he asked the Vigilant rep.

“Absolutely,” she replied.The Beaumont Police

Department does not use Vigi-lant Solutions’ hardware, soft-ware or network. According to Officer Carol Riley, BPD pur-chased their LPR cameras from ELSAG, a different sur-veillance technology vendor, and enters warrant data into a closed system. The only time Vigilant could have access to BPD warrants is during multi-agency warrant roundups when the data has to be shared with other agencies, like Bridge City and Lumberton. However, the LPRs mounted on patrol cars of agencies that do have contracts with Vigi-lant are capturing images of Beaumonters’ plates during those warrant roundups when officers operating them are posted at locations across the city, like on MLK Parkway or College Street.

Bridge City, Lumberton,

READERSfrom page 5 A

The cameras for the LPR system are mounted around the vehi-cle, including in the grill of this police SUV.


Vidor and Orange have Vigilant LPRs. The city of Orange Police Department (OPD) was part of a pilot study for Vigilant’s Warrant Redemption Pro-gram, so they were one of the first law enforcement agencies in Texas to be provided with a credit card reader along with an LPR system and soft-ware in exchange for warrant upcharg-es. Vidor and Hardin County have both recently signed on to participate in the Warrant Redemption Program with Vigilant Solutions.

Warrant Redemption ProgramNot only is Vigilant Solutions col-

lecting and selling drivers’ data; in some local communities, they are even collecting payments for outstanding warrants, or actually having the police do it for them, jacking up the cost with a 25 percent fee that is paid back to Vigilant.

According to the company’s Face-book page, “Vigilant’s Warrant Redemption Program (WRP) offers LPR equipment at little/no out-of-pocket cost for the agency, while allowing for the enforcement of capias warrants, as well as the identification of stolen vehicles, Amber Alerts, felo-ny vehicles, and other vehicles of interest.”

Here’s how it works: if a person who is identified by an LPR has a war-rant that costs $400 to clear, they may pay the fine on the side of the road to

avoid going to jail by paying the 25 percent in additional fees, bringing the total they would have to spend up to $500. That’s $100 more for a $400 warrant. And the higher the cost of the warrant, the more Vigilant collects in fees. House Bill 121, passed into law in Texas last year, allows officers to accept payments for outstanding war-rants using a credit card machine, which Vigilant generously provides “at no cost” to the policing agency. They instead make their money by taxing people with outstanding warrants.

Some feel the practice is discrimina-tory and ends up targeting impover-ished people in communities, those who cannot afford the ticket, much less the additional fee.

Port Arthur native Jessie Castro said he was unnerved by the appearance that warrant roundups always seem to be hosted in low-income areas of the city.

“They’re being given an excuse to arrest people – a certain group of peo-ple,” Castro said. “There’s a dispropor-tionate number of tickets given to minorities, and then turning into war-rants.

“The group that can’t pay is going to get a higher warrant level.”

That means the cost to clear up the warrant grows.

The city of Kyle, Guadalupe County and the City of Orange all signed on to participate in Vigilant Solutions pilot

program for its WRP. The city of Kyle has since rescinded its agreement with Vigilant after City Council members and members of the community voiced concerns over discrimination against poor drivers, as well as privacy con-cerns.

The city of Orange is still participat-ing in the WRP with Vigilant, but OPD Major Sparky Robinson told The Examiner having credit card machines in police vehicles has not done much to clear up outstanding warrants.

“We’re participating in that pro-gram,” said Major Robinson. “We have them in three cars. If we come across someone with a warrant, they can correct that warrant.

“For us at least, the credit card read-ers have not been a big help. When we got the LPRs initially, we made a lot of arrests. Now, a lot of people know we have them, which I believe deters them from driving around with outstanding warrants. I think a lot of people took care of their warrants once they real-ized we had them. Knowing the system is out there helps. Now, the people who still haven’t taken care of their war-rants are generally the people who can’t afford to pay for them.

“I find that most people aren’t in a position to take care of that on the side of the road. Many can’t afford it, and a lot of them don’t have credit cards. I haven’t noticed a significant difference in outstanding warrants since we got

the credit card readers.”Robinson said the program was

meant to cut costs, and sometimes it does.

“It does help cut down on our jail costs,” Robinson remarked. “We don’t have to go through the booking pro-cess, which saves time and money. It costs the county $50 to book someone into jail whether they are there all night or just a few hours – it’s the same cost.”

Regarding the LPR cameras, Robin-son said those are helpful and asserted that Orange PD does not share data with Vigilant or anyone else.

“It helps solve cases,” Robinson said of the LPR tech. “Technology has changed a lot in the two-and-a-half decades I’ve been in law enforcement. We’ve gone from using typewriters to computers, from fingerprints to DNA. This is just new technology.

“We use a closed system. We down-load our warrant database to our cars. We do not share data with other agen-cies. We do not communicate with them that way. We don’t participate in large, multi-agency warrant round-ups.”

Robinson also said police officers with OPD don’t follow orders from Vigilant Solutions, and he’s not sure they will continue participating in the WRP.

See READERS on page 8 A


“We’re not just going to go pick someone up because they tell us to. We don’t always arrest people with warrants when we stop them. There are often other options. I have taken people to the courthouse myself to see a judge and set up a payment plan rather than taking them to jail. What if they have children in the car? Should we arrest them and get CPS involved for a Class C misdemeanor ticket they may have forgotten to pay? No. It pays to have an open mind.

“We’re not sure we’re going to stick with it (the program). As of right now, we use it.”

Robinson said, generally speaking, people who show up at the courthouse to arrange a payment plan or community service to take care of their warrants will not be arrested.

The Vidor Police Depart-ment recently signed up for a Warrant Redemption Program with Vigilant. Police Chief Dave Shows said his depart-ment just got outfitted with a brand new Vigilant Solutions LPR package in one of its

vehicles in the past couple of weeks, although it isn’t quite up and running yet. He indi-cated that his goal is to have the warrant data input into the system to allow for the LPR to be fully functional by the end of March.

Shows said he hopes to clear up as many of the numer-ous outstanding warrants as possible using the new tech, but he also expressed some reservations.

“I don’t think it’s right to just go around recording everything,” Shows said, add-ing that the Vigilant LPR “reads everything.”

However, according to Shows, the Vigilant LPR in use for Vidor only hits on war-rants input into the agency’s personalized system, which is then not shared elsewhere.

“It discards everything that does not match,” he said.

Whether he will be happy with the product the way it is, or want to expand, or get rid of it altogether is something Shows will decide on in the coming months.

“It’s not going to take long,” he said. “It may be one and a half, two months, to see how

it’s going.“Basically, what we’re try-

ing to do is to get people to take care of their business. I’m hoping we see an increase of people coming in to take care of their warrants. We’re going to supply … data associated with our current warrant list. We have to agree to share our data with other agencies.”

For now, Vidor has not agreed to share its data, but that could change, Shows said, if the department participates

in events such as warrant roundups.

Shows said there is over $1 million in outstanding war-rants for the city of Vidor.

“A lot of it came from out of state,” Shows said, so he is not too hopeful that those war-rant absconders could be tracked with only local-access LPRs.

Still, if an out-of-town war-rant jumper was arrested out of town if the city of Vidor were to allow its data to be

shared with other law enforce-ment agencies around the state or nation, Shows isn’t sure that would be a good thing either.

“Let’s say they get stopped in El Paso, and it shows that they have a warrant and they get arrested on that warrant,” he posed as a scenario. “We can’t go to El Paso for even a $400 warrant.”

Shows said innocent people should have nothing to worry about, but he still worries about privacy.

“If you’re not doing any-thing wrong, nobody is proba-bly looking for anything you’re doing,” he said, adding that, “every technology today is a double-edged sword. It could be used for good or for evil.”

Privacy breaches and technological errors

In spite of government sup-port and Vigilant’s claim that its encrypted network is secure, no network is impene-trable in this age of technology and terrorism. Neither is it infallible.

In December 2015, Vigilant Solutions issued a notice to agencies participating in the

READERSfrom page 7 A

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Warrant Redemption Program in Texas revealing the system had made an egregious error.

The notice read, “During the second week of December, as part of its Warrant Redemp-tion Program, Vigilant Solu-tions sent several warrant notices – on behalf of our law enforcement partners – in error to citizens across the state of Texas. A technical error caused us to send warrant notices to the wrong recipients.

“These types of mistakes are not acceptable and we deeply apologize to those who received the warrant corre-spondence in error and to our law enforcement customers.

“We can say with certainty that no personal information was divulged to any unintend-ed recipients. However, we have conducted a thorough review of the incident and have implemented several internal policies to ensure that such a mistake does not hap-pen again.”

As for the money the com-pany collected from false war-rant notices, Vigilant said it was to be returned to payees who were mistakenly notified and had already paid.

The American Civil Liber-

ties Union (ACLU) posted an article by New York Civil Lib-erties Union staff attorney Mariko Hirose a week later that revealed several instances during which LPR technology was utilized inappropriately or produced inaccurate results.

In one instance noted by Hirose, a police officer in Washington D.C. pleaded guilty to extortion after look-ing up the plates of cars near a gay bar and blackmailing the car’s owners.

In another, the DEA report-edly contemplated using license plate readers to moni-tor people in attendance at a gun show. The devices do not distinguish between vendors selling illegal guns and those who are not, so a person’s presence at the gun show would have placed them in a DEA database.

Hirose also detailed an instance during which a SWAT team in Kansas raided a man’s house where he lived with his wife, 7-year-old daughter, and 13-year-old son based in part on the mass monitoring of cars parked at a gardening store. The man was said to have been held at gunpoint for two hours as police officers combed

through his home looking for a marijuana growing operation, which did not exist.

According to WIRED media, a woman was held at gunpoint by four San Francis-co police officers in 2009 after an LPR misread a digit of her license plate and misidentified the car as stolen.

Backchannel.com reported that in 2013, a union dues administrator heading to work was surrounded by multiple armed police units and a heli-copter when a license plate reader confused his Colorado plates with California plates bearing the same number but belonging to a wanted drug felon.

And the list of errors goes on and on.

Vigilant’s counterpointVigilant Solutions claims that

data collected on its network is safe and offers no real personal data anyway. According to Vigi-lant representatives and its web-site, license plate information is public information and contains no personal data.

“The issue of LPR and pri-vacy is a heated national debate,” Vigilant’s website reads. “But it’s really quite

simple. If you can’t tie a plate to a person, then there is no privacy issue. Notice the infor-mation that is included in the … license plate reader data record. There is no personal information included in this. There is no information on the owner, their address, their Social Security number, etc. The LPR system doesn’t even know what state issued the license plate … and there are duplicate license plates issued across the states. In short, this is all information that could be easily witnessed in public by a police officer or even a casual bystander.”

In spite of that assessment, there are databases available that do allow a user to match a plate with a person, their last known address, and the name of the previous registered owner, etc. Vigilant says peo-ple who do so are violating the Driver’s Privacy Protection Act (DPPA), which was enact-ed in 1994 to protect the pri-vacy of personal information assembled by state depart-ments of motor vehicles (DMVs). The DPPA prohibits the release or use by any state DMV (or any officer, employ-ee, or contractor thereof) of

personal information about an individual obtained by the department in connection with a motor vehicle record, sets penalties for violations and makes violators liable on a civil action to the individual to whom the released informa-tion pertains. However, the Act has a number of excep-tions. A driver’s personal information may be obtained from the department of motor vehicles for any federal, state or local agency use in carrying out its functions; for any state, federal or local proceeding if the proceeding involves a motor vehicle; for automobile and driver safety purposes, such as conducting recalls of motor vehicles; and for use in market research activities. Per-sonal data is also available to licensed private investigators.

So, whether Vigilant likes it or not, a license plate image could easily be tied to an indi-vidual.

Sharon Brooks can be reached at (409) 832-1400, ext. 241, or by e-mail at [email protected]. Jennifer Johnson can be reached at (409) 832-1400, ext. 231, or by e-mail at [email protected].


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As flooding continues to impact parts of East and Southeast Texas, Gov. Greg Abbott declared a state of disaster March 14 in the 17 coun-ties, including Hardin, Jasper, Jefferson, Liberty, Newton, Orange and Tyler. In particular, flooding resulting from historic rainfall in East Texas is having a significant impact Newton, Jasper and Orange coun-ties in Southeast Texas, with the Sabine, Trinity and Neches rivers and their tributaries flooding homes, schools, businesses and highways.

Historic rainfall in East Texas leaves area counties anxiously watching rivers as water pushes toward the Gulf of Mexico

The Neches River swamps Col-lier’s Ferry Park in Jef-ferson Coun-ty, giving Beaumont residents only a hint of the devasta-tion their neighbors to the north and east are fac-ing.

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Flood waters from the Sabine River turned streets in the city of Orange like Simmons Drive (above) and Green Avenue (right) into flowing rivers, and intermittently closed I-10 in Orange County. Homeowners and businesses used sandbags in an effort to limit the damage.

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Gary Fomby, Bobby Fillyaw and state Rep. James White took a helicopter tour of the affected areas of Newton County, along the Sabine. ‘The amount of destruction and the vastness of water was overwhelm-ing,’ Fillyaw said.

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A man whose crime spree spread across three Texas counties and into Louisiana was sentenced to 25 years in prison March 14 for the aggravated robbery of a Subway restaurant in Beaumont.

Criminal District Attorney Bob Wortham announced March 14 that Jefferson County Judge John Stevens sentenced Ronald Rice, 33, to two-

and-a-half decades in prison for the aggravated robbery charge. Rice was also sentenced to 10 years for evading arrest with a motor vehicle. Rice previ-ously pleaded guilty to both offenses Feb. 16.

Information from the DA’s office indicates that March 27, 2015, at approximately 7:41 p.m., officers with the Beaumont Police Department (BPD) were dispatched to the Subway on East Virginia near Lamar University in reference to a panic alarm. Upon arrival, officers met with two female employees who stated they had just been robbed at gunpoint. The employees were able to provide officers with a detailed description of the suspect, as well as surveillance video from the robbery.

Later that night, BPD officers were notified by the Orange Police Depart-ment that they were in pursuit of a vehicle and suspect matching the description from the robbery at Sub-way. The suspect had also robbed a convenience store in Orange before running from police. Rice led officers from Orange and Beaumont on a dan-gerous pursuit that eventually ended with Rice driving a stolen truck into the Neches River at the Saltwater Bar-rier at the end of Bigner Road. He escaped the vehicle and allegedly attempted to flee on foot along the north bank of the river. Surrounded by officers from multiple agencies, the obviously desperate suspect leapt into

the river, but “thought twice,” BPD reports, swimming back to the shore where he was apprehended.

Rice had stolen the truck he was driving from Lufkin earlier that morn-ing before robbing an EZ Loans there.

Rice has multiple pending charges in other jurisdictions. Rice’s charges in Orange County include aggravated robbery, burglary of a building, felony theft, misdemeanor theft, and evading arrest with a motor vehicle. Rice’s charges in Angelina County include aggravated robbery and unauthorized use of a motor vehicle. Rice also has charges pending in Louisiana for rob-bery and attempted aggravated rob-bery.

Assistant District Attorney Kim Pipkin said, “Rice terrorized three counties in Texas as well as Calcasieu Parish and left a path of destruction in his wake. He did the right thing by accepting responsibility for his actions and finally showing sympathy for his victims. Each of these communities is safer with him behind bars.”

Cattail Marsh toclose for duck study

The Cattail Marsh at Tyrrell Park in Beaumont is closing for two days in March as the city hosts a collaboration of wildlife researchers examining local waterfowl.

According to a news release from the city, “The City of Beaumont is pleased to host the United States Geo-logical Survey (U.S.G.S.), United States Fish and Wildlife Service, the University of Georgia, and the Louisi-ana Department of Wildlife and Fish-eries. They are part of an ongoing and collaborative research project, which captures and gathers data on blue-winged teal and sympatric waterfowl at Cattail Marsh.”

Cattail Marsh was closed to the pub-lic March 15 and will be again on March 22.

Texas Beach WatchApp updates water cleanliness, safety for state’s beachgoers

If you’re taking your friends and family to a Texas coast, it’s important to know they’re safe and the water is clean. To share this important informa-tion, the Texas General Land Office (GLO) has created a Web-based app.

Texas Beach Watch monitors water cleanliness all along the vast Texas coastline. Its responsive design fully integrates across all platforms for an easy user experience. Whether you’re using a desktop, laptop, tablet or smart phone, Texas Beach Watch allows search by geographic region and mon-itoring station and displays the most up-to-date information available on water conditions up and down Texas’ 300-mile coastline.

Find Texas Beach Watch at www.texasbeachwatch.com.

Shooting in Orange Co.Two shotgun-wieldingmen face off in trailer park

Orange County Sheriff’s Office (OCSO) investigators are still trying to sort out the details of a shooting that occurred Thursday, March 10, and say

an arrest could be forthcoming.According to a news release from

OCSO, deputies responded to 911 call in reference to a shooting at a trailer park in the 12000 block of Highway 62 North at 4:51 p.m. The caller told dis-patch that a male subject had been shot and another man was still in the area with a shotgun.

As deputies and detectives arrived at the trailer park, they saw the injured man, 33-year-old Jason Bourgeois, lying near his residence while the alleged shooter, 55-year-old Marc Benoit, stood in the roadway. Wit-nesses identified Benoit as the assail-ant, and officers quickly detained him, securing his nearby shotgun.

After speaking with several witnesses, investigators deter-mined that a disturbance had occurred between Bourgeois and Benoit’s daughter. Both

men were seen with shotguns. The disturbance escalated, and

Bourgeois was shot, suffering wounds to the upper portion of his body.

Detectives transported Benoit to the Sheriff’s Office to obtain a statement. He was not arrested.

Bourgeois was transported to St. Elizabeth Hospital in Beaumont and was reported to be in critical but stable condition at the time of the release.

Sheriff Keith Merritt stated the investigation would continue and arrests could follow pending the out-come of the investigation.

NEWS SHORTS

See SHORTS on page 14 A

Rice

South Padre IslandWikipedia

integrates across all platforms for an easy user experience.

itoring station and displays the most up-to-date information

securing his nearby shotgun.

witnesses, investigators deter-

The disturbance escalated, and


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This week’s “Who Is This?” loved music as a child. She enjoyed banging on this xylophone, but she couldn’t carry a note in a bucket, she said. And although she loved dolls and the doll house seen here, she didn’t just care about girl stuff. “I loved to play softball with the boys and I loved to swim,” she said. “I showed quarter horses all through high school and college and quali-fied for the World Championship Quarter Horse show that was held in Louisville, Kentucky, in the late ’70s.” She was the YMBL Rodeo Queen in 1974 and the Rodeo Queen in the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Posse Rodeo the following year. Although she never topped the Billboard charts or won a Grammy, she would go on to become a star in her own right and serve in a prominent role in Beaumont for nearly a decade.

Answer on page 15B

Who Is This?

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Two in custody for burglary of Beaumont business

Police in Beaumont have arrested a man and woman accused of the burglary of a local business March 11.

According to a news release from the Beaumont Police Department, officers responded to the Fast Lane No. 9 convenience store at 2810 Eastex Freeway in ref-erence to a burglary on Fri-day, March 11, at 3:10 a.m. As officers were checking out the business, they noticed a white van driving away from the back of the building. They stopped the vehicle and allegedly discovered sto-len property and other evi-dence leading them to believe that the vehicle’s two occu-pants were the suspects involved in the burglary.

Officers arrested 39-year-old Neil Christopher Lowry and 49-year-old Coye Renea Cecil for burglary. Both were reportedly homeless. The pair was arrested and taken to the Jefferson County Jail with no bonds.

Police seek suspect inmini storage hit and run

The Pinehurst Police Department is seeking the public’s help in locating a vehicle that struck the Johnson’s Mini Storage building at 2400 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive in Pinehurst building on Wednesday, March 2, at 7 p.m.

Surveillance video shows a white GMC or Chevy truck enter the parking lot and stop in

front of a building on the northeast end of the property. The truck, which appeared to police to possibly be 4-wheel drive due to its high stance, suddenly drove into the building. The driver then drove away at a high rate of speed. The owner is offering a $500 reward for any-one with information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the person responsible. Any-one with information should contact the Pine-hurst Police Department at (409) 886-2221.

To view the video, visit youtu.be/F7S6GF0V_zM.

Shelter animals die in fire at Humane Society

Beaumont Fire Rescue firefighters responded to a structure fire at the Humane Center of South-east Texas, 2050 Spindletop Road, on March 15 at 8:43 p.m. after a nearby resident saw flames coming from the building. When firefighters arrived, flames were visible and there was heavy smoke coming from the building. Firefighters forced entry and made a quick fire attack, and were able to contain the fire to two rooms, but there was heavy smoke damage throughout the building.

Firefighters began bringing animals out of the shelter as soon as possible. Shelter employ-ees and volunteers on scene moved the live animals to a nearby building. A total of 67 dogs died in the fire, due largely to smoke inhala-tion. As of Wednesday morning, 11 surviving dogs were still at the vet clinic undergoing treatment, according to the Humane Society.

The fire originated in the laundry and was caused by a dryer.

SHORTSfrom page 13 A

Lowry

Cecil


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Orange Co. Sheriff’s Office detective resigns amid federal investigation

An Orange County Sheriff’s Office detective has resigned amid a federal investigation, Sheriff Keith Merritt confirmed March 10.

OCSO Detective Chad Hogan, the office’s public information officer,

turned in his letter of resignation March 10 after federal investigators showed up at his place of work looking for him. Federal agents also raided his home in the morning before interviewing Hogan at the sher-iff’s office.

Sheriff Merritt said it is a federal investigation, adding that he was surprised when agents showed up looking for Hogan.

“To be honest with you, I don’t know the details,” Merritt told The Examiner. “I was shocked when they showed up looking for him.

“I’m trying to find out the details, like everyone else.”

Merritt said the situation was unfor-tunate but was not related to Hogan’s

job with the sheriff’s office.“You never like it when it’s one of

your employees under investigation, but it has absolutely nothing to do with the sheriff’s department whatsoever,” Merritt stated. “From what I under-stand, it had something to do with some kind of business venture he was involved in.”

Hogan was not arrested.Special Agent Alisha Mahabir, a U.S.

Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) investigator with the Office of the Inspector General (OIG), is reportedly leading the inquiry. According to the OIG, the Office of Investigation “initiates investigations

about possible violations of laws or regulations in the administration of HUD programs and activities, or mis-conduct on the part of HUD employees and/or the recipients of HUD funds.”

— Sharon Brooks

District Attorney drops murder charges against two men

The Jefferson County District Attor-ney’s office dismissed capital murder charges against Terry Euglon and Terry Frazier on March 16, after prosecutors revealed witnesses to the 2012 murder

recanted their previous statements.Euglon and Frazier were arrested

July 2, 2013, just a few days shy of the one-year anniversary of Aaron Leffage’s death. Both awere charged with severely beating Leffage, who was left at Christus Hospital St. Eliza-beth on July 3, 2012 by two friends. He later died of severe blunt force trauma to the head July 5, 2012. Police said the murder took place in the 5200 block of Wilshire Street in Beaumont’s North End.

At the time of the arrests, Beaumont Police Department Detective Aaron Lewallen told The Examiner that investi-gators had collected crime lab data, phone records, and witness statements, evidence connecting Frazier and Euglon to the crime. However, the DA’s office decided late Wednesday morning that it wasn’t enough to prosecute the two sus-pects, and after holding them on $1 mil-lion bonds each for the last two years and nine months, dropped the charges.

Prosecutor Rachel Grove stated, “Key witnesses vital to the state’s case have recanted their statements and are no longer cooperative, damaging our ability to prove the case to a jury beyond a reasonable doubt. While we, of course, regret not being able to pro-ceed at this time, the case is being referred back to the Beaumont Police Department for additional investiga-tion in the hopes that we will be able to successfully prosecute a t a later date.”

Terry Euglon and Terry Frazier were arrest-ed July 2, 2013, just a few days shy of the one-year anni-versary of Aaron Leffage’s death.

Hogan


Although the framework for the Port of Beaumont was laid in 1899 with Arthur Stilwell’s decision to build a canal around Sabine Lake, the port as we know it today first opened in May 1916. That year, the port handled 487,874 tons of cargo, according to the June 1918 edition of the chamber’s magazine.

By 1913, long before the first ship called at Beaumont, the city had already built about 700 feet of timber wharves, extending from the west side of Pearl Street eastward — the present location of the port’s Wharf No. 1. Civic lead-ers recommended the purchase of some 30 acres of riverfront prop-erty extending from the KCS Railroad bridge to the Pearl Street property already acquired.

The first ocean-going ship to call at the Port of Beaumont was the steamer “Nicaragua,” owned by Capt. W.C. Tyrrell.

In 1920, the city bought Harbor Island, a 29-acre island for $25,000. Some 50 years later, the island was annexed to the mainland and became the site of Harbor Island Marine Ter-minal, a modern, deepwater marine facility, among the finest general cargo wharves anywhere in the Gulf of Mex-ico today.

By June 1918, the fledgling port was handling a total of 1.9 million tons of cargo and a total of 367 sailings and 2,641,651 tons of commerce by 1920, a pamphlet published by the Young Men’s Business League reported in 1921.

With increased tonnage came a movement to enlarge the channel. In 1922, Congress appropriated $2.1 mil-lion to deepen the waterway to 30 feet and widen it to 125 feet.

New wharves and docks were built. The port owned all waterfront property from the KCS Railroad bridge to Sabine Pass Avenue by 1922.

In 1949, the Port of Beaumont Nav-igation District of Jefferson County was created by the State Legislature.

With the Port of Beaumont Naviga-tion District came the authority to assess a maintenance and operations tax and to issue bonds for wharf and dock improvements.

By 1950, the channel had been deepened to 36 feet and the Neches River portion of the waterway had been widened to 350.

The first move by the new commis-sion to improve the physical facilities of the port was a $1.5 million bond issue approved by the voters in Decem-

ber 1951, for construction of new facilities on the north side.

In 1955, voters approved a $2.5 mil-lion bond issue for rehabilitation of the barge terminal, construction of a retaining wall from a point near the west end of dock No. 7 to a point near the Kansas City Southern Railroad bridge, removing two old south side warehouses and replacing them with one large 600-foot-long warehouse, removal of the south side docks and

replacing them with new docks, and purchase of heavy lift

equipment.A resolution authoriz-

ing a revenue bond sale of $10,350,000 for the construction of a 3 mil-

lion-bushel grain elevator and other port improve-ments was approved by

voters in August, 1961. An additional $910,000 revenue

bond issue was necessary for the com-pletion of that project.

The next expansion approved by the voters was a $12 million tax bond issue voted in 1970 for the construction of a modern new marine terminal where Harbor Island once stood. That sum was augmented by over $3 million in reserve funds bringing the total cost of the proj-ect to approximately $15.3 million.

The last major channel improve-ment project began in 1962, when the entire Sabine-Neches canal and Nech-es River were dredged to their present depth of 40 feet.

Port facilities were expanded and improved with subsequent bond issues in 1991 and 1997. The 1991 program

Port of Beaumont celebrates 100 year anniversary1956

2015

wharves, extending from the west side of Pearl Street eastward — the present location of the port’s

erty extending from the KCS Railroad bridge to the Pearl Street property already

replacing them with new docks, and purchase of heavy lift

equipment.

lion-bushel grain elevator and other port improve-ments was approved by

voters in August, 1961. An additional $910,000 revenue

The first ocean-going ship to call at the Port of Beaumont was the steamer Nicaragua,

owned by Capt. W.C. Tyrrell.


provided a total of $11.5 million in funding, which was supplemented with operating revenues to finance some $20 million in improvements.

In 1997, voters in the navigation district approved a Port Improvements Program with $27 million in financing, which was enhanced by a $1 million grant from the Economic Development Administration.

Federal authorization for the Sabine-Neches Waterway Channel Improve-ment Project was approved in 2014. Appropriations for the project are expected to be approved in FY2018 with dredging likely to begin in 2019, to deepen the waterway to 48 feet.

The waterway has already surpassed the Ports of New York and New Jersey and is now No. 3 in tonnage shipped, handling around 129 million tons, according to the American Association of Port Authorities. The largest volume of military cargo in the U.S. is handled at the port, according to TxDOT.

The Port of Beaumont boasts more than 240 acres of modern maritime facilities including more than a mile of wharves, nine general cargo berths, a 3.5 million-bushel grain elevator, more than a half-million square feet of mod-ern, fireproof transit sheds, 40 acres of

paved outdoor storage area and spe-cialized facilities for handling bulk materials as well as 250 acres on the east bank of the Neches River for the Jefferson Energy Terminal. Also, a $5.4 million office complex houses the 842nd Transportation Battalion, which is responsible for providing U.S. sol-diers around the world with deploy-ment support. The Port of Beaumont has moved more military cargo in sup-port of Operations Enduring Freedom, Iraqi Freedom, and New Dawn than

any other U.S. seaport, according to the U.S. Army’s Military Surface Deployment and Distribution Com-mand Almanac. According to the Almanac, during 2011, the battalion supported the deployment and rede-ployment of more than 70 military ves-sels and 15,536 pieces of military car-go through the battalion’s area of responsibility. The battalion’s mission highlights include the deployment and redeployment of more than 40 brigade combat teams among a host of other

major units. In addition, Team Beau-mont has moved more than 5,000 pieces of Army Materiel Command (AMC) retrograde cargo to eight AMC depots using 1,819 commercial trucks and 1,495 railcars in support of the Army deployment training.

The port invites the public to cele-brate its Centennial at the Southeast Texas Fair on Thursday, March 24, with a fireworks show at 9 p.m.

Learn more about the port at www.portofbeaumont.com.

Looking north from the Carroll Street wharf, this 1972 photo shows the con-struction of what became Harbor Island Marine Terminal, future home to state-of-the-art wharves, modern transit sheds and expanded storage space at the Port of Beaumont. The site was originally a peninsula that jutted into the harbor from the Orange County bank of the Neches River.


By Chad CooperSports Editor

It was a state basketball tournament filled with plenty of emotion — some good, some not so good. Two teams, Silsbee and East Chambers, eased past their respective UIL state tournament semifinal games, but neither was able to win a title.

The Tigers of Silsbee had no prob-lems with Levelland in the 4A semifi-nals, rolling to an 89-47 win, which set them up for a matchup with Dallas Lincoln in the championship game in the Alamodome in San Antonio on March 12.

Down by 16 points with 5:15 left in the third quarter, Silsbee freshman guard Devon McCain took an unin-tentional elbow from a teammate and hit his head on the court. The game was immediately stopped and McCain, who was semi-conscious and breath-ing on his own, was immediately attended to and rushed to a local hos-pital. It was later reported that McCain received a concussion and busted ear-drum; he was released from the hospi-tal March 14.

Silsbee responded but the rally fell short as the Tigers, who were playing

Local high school hoop teams fall short at state

Photos by Chad Cooper

Silsbee finished the season 31-6.

East Chambers ended with a 34-7 record.

The 3A 1991 state champion Hawks of Hardin-Jefferson, then and nowHead coach Andre Boutte of the 1991 4A state champion Lincoln Bumblebees

See HOOPS on page 19 A

Photos courtesy of the UIL


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LAMAR LOOP

in their first-ever title game, lost 75-72 to finish 31-6 on the year. Junior Michael McCain led the team with 13 points and earned a spot on the all-state tournament team.

East Chambers upset Van Alstyne in the 3A semifinals, 66-61, then ran into a buzz-saw in the state title game — No. 1 Brownfield — and lost 80-54. East Chambers senior Dylan Silcox scored 10, as did fellow senior Ethan Kahla, who also grabbed 14 rebounds. Both also made the all-state tour-nament team. The Bucca-neers were 34-7.

Also at the state tourna-ment, the UIL honored sev-

eral state championship teams from 1991, including Port Arthur Lincoln and Har-din-Jefferson.

James Payne, who played basketball for the 1986 Port Arthur Lincoln state champi-onship team, was the recipi-ent of the Vice President’s UIL Award of Excellence. He is a partner in the Pro-vost-Humphrey Law Firm in Beaumont and has been named a Texas Super Law-yer for 12 consecutive years and been included in the Best Lawyers in America for the past 10 years. In 2012, he was named the youngest president ever of Sigma Pi Phi, a prominent national professional fraternity, and has been active in the NAACP and Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity.

HOOPSfrom page 18 A

James Payne (center) was the recipient

of the Vice President’s

UIL Award of Excellence

The Lady Cardinal golf team posted a wire-to-wire victory, leading all three rounds to capture the UTRG Invitational on March 9, then followed that up with a domi-nating 19-stroke win in the Bulldog Invitational hosted by The Citadel on March 15.

The Cardi-nals battled heavy winds and heavy rains on the course, along with a power outage at their hotel, to

edge out Wichita State by three strokes to win the 11-team event. LU shot a 312 on the last day to finish at 919 for three rounds, three strokes better than Wichita State.

It’s the second team win of the season for the Cardinals, who claimed the Fred Marx Invitational in October.

“This was a well-deserved, hard-fought win,” said Jessica Steward. “The conditions were tough again today. And although we didn’t shoot our lowest scores, we beat some reputable competitors.”

Leading the way for LU were senior Taylor Stockton and sophomore Olivia Le Roux, who each tied for sec-ond with a 227.

At the Bulldog Invitational, Wenny Chang and Stockton

finished first and second, respectively, with scores of 143 and 145, as the Lady Cards turned in a two-day score card of 299.

Men’s tennisJunior Juuso Laitinen fought

off three match points to rally for a victory as the Lady Cards knocked off No. 47 Iowa, 4-2, on March 13 in Stillwater, Oklahoma. The victory was the second match in a doublehead-er that saw LU take on two ranked teams recording. LU (7-5) dropped a 4-0 decision to No. 5 Oklahoma State in the first match of the afternoon.

SoftballThe Lady Cards (12-9)

opened conference play last weekend with three games at Houston Baptist, winning 4-0 and 8-2 while losing 3-0. LU will travel to Abilene Christian this weekend to play three beginning on Friday, March 18.

BaseballAfter a fast start to the sea-

son with non-conference home wins over nationally ranked LSU and Arizona, Lamar has dropped three of their last four, with their latest loss coming to No. 20 Houston, 4-3, on March 15 at home.

The Cards, now 10-7 over-all, are 1-2 in conference play and host Central Arkansas for

Lady Cards win two golf tourneys

Photos courtesy of Lamar athletics

See LAMAR on page 20 A


three games this weekend, beginning Fri-day, March 18, at 6 p.m.

Women’s hoopsAddesha Collins scored a career-high

35 points on March 11, but it wasn’t enough to prevent the Lady Cards’ season from coming to an end as LU dropped an 88-78 decision to McNeese State in the second round of the Southland Conference Women’s Basketball Tournament.

Collins’ 35 points were the most scored

by an LU player this season. The senior guard ended her career in record-breaking fashion, setting a single-season LU mark for successful free throws with 175, as she went 12-of-12 from the line.

LU finished the season 12-19.“We’re going to miss Addesha, but our

four freshmen gained a lot of experience this season. We had the conference Fresh-man of the Year (Kiara Desamours) and a freshman who was Defensive Player of the Year (Chastadie Barrs). … We have a great

incoming class. There’s plenty to be excit-ed about.”

Men’s hoopsSophomore Kevin Booze has left the

basketball program. From Irving, Booze was second on the team in scoring with 9.3 points per game while starting in 27. Booze was also named Southland Confer-ence Player of the Week twice.

— Compiled by Chad Cooper

Chairman of the Huntsman Corporation Jon Huntsman Sr., Site Director for Huntsman Corporation’s Port Neches Operations facility Chad Anderson, Groves City Man-ager D.E. Sosa, as well as Rep. Randy Weber, state Rep. Dade Phelan, state Sen. Brandon Creighton, state Rep. Joe Deshotel and others gathered at the Huntsman Administration Building in Port Neches on Friday, March 11, to announce plans for the Huntsman Recre-ation Complex in Groves.

The city of Groves approved the use of 32 acres of land owned by Huntsman Corpora-tion for a new recreation com-plex at the intersection of Tex-as Highway 347 and Hoga-boom Road, adjacent to the Gulf Coast Youth Soccer Club Fields, at a Feb. 22 City Coun-cil meeting and will develop the land into a public sports complex for use by communi-ty youth sports teams.

“Immediately and through this summer, we will be look-ing at putting in the parking and water and sewer utilities,” said Groves City Manager D.E. Sosa. “The Port Neches-Groves Youth Football Asso-ciation will soon be looking at putting in (three) football fields. After that, we are going to be talking to the softball association to see what the timeline for the softball fields is going to look like.”

Once developed, the park will also feature four softball fields — The Groves Commu-nity Fields — four tennis courts, a children’s play area and a quarter-mile walking track. Sosa said disc golf is also being discussed as a possibility at the complex.

“Right now, we are looking primarily for the football fields and the baseball/softball fields as the first thing out of the gate,” he said. According to Sosa, it will take from two to five years to complete the entire project. “By leasing part of it to PNGY-FA, they have their own funds and then we’ll be able to assist them — kind of a public-private partnership,” he said. “PNGY-FA hopes to play on those fields in August 2017.”

The city is also looking at widening Hogaboom to pre-vent traffic issues, Sosa said.

The estimated cost for the parking, road widening, and utilities is around $50,000, he said. Huntsman Corp. will lease the plot, currently part of its Port Neches Operations manufacturing complex, to the city of Groves for $1 per year.

“We really, really love this area,” said Jon Huntsman Sr. “I’m just really grateful we’re able to these things like this.”

“As a major employer in the community, we want to ensure that we’re giving our youth — our future — access to a place where they can engage in team-work, sportsmanship and con-duct that molds them into being … model citizens as they go forward,” added Chad Ander-son, site director for Huntsman Port Neches Operations.

Good things happen when kids play sports, Sosa said.

“They’re healthier, they learn to respect authority, they learn how to be a team player, they have better self-esteem and on and on. On top of that, it’s going to bring more people to this area, and it’s going to help the businesses in this area,” he said.

— Kevin King

Plans for new Groves multi-sport complex unveiled

Chairman of the Huntsman Corpo-ration Jon Hunts-man Sr. announc-es plans for a new multi-sport com-plex in Groves. Huntsman Corp. will lease the plot, currently part of its Port Neches Opera-tions manufactur-ing complex, to the city of Groves for $1 per year.

Photo by Kevin King

LOOPfrom page 19 A

Addesha Collins


Death notices Catherine Esther Baj, 87, of Beaumont, died March 8,

2016. Service at Broussard’s, Beaumont, March 13.Zachary Blake Boland, 21, of Groves died Feb. 27,

2016. Funeral at Levingston Funeral Home, Port Neches, March 11.

Linda Foxworth Conner, 63, of Beaumont died March 13, 2016. Funeral service at Broussard’s, Beaumont, March 16.

Rito Sanchez “PoPo” Flores Sr., 94, of Beaumont died March 11, 2016. Funeral services at Claybar Kelley-Watkins, Beaumont, March 15.

Sharon Flory, 75, of Groves died March 13, 2016. Ser-vice pending with Levingston Funeral Home, Groves.

Jack Everett Follmer, 87, of Beaumont died March 10, 2016. Funeral service at Broussard’s, Beaumont, March 14.

Theodore “Ted” Gillespie Jr., 91, of Port Arthur died March 14, 2016. Service pending with Levingston Funeral Home, Groves.

David Francis Holle Sr., 84, of Beaumont died March 13, 2016. Funeral service at St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church, Beaumont, March 19, 10 a.m.

Oma Jean Hubbard, 58, of Orange died March 11, 2016. Funeral services at Claybar Funeral Home, Orange, March 16.

Marshall Jackson, 79, of Sabine Pass died March 9, 2016. Funeral services at Christian Fellowship Baptist Church, Sabine Pass, March 11.

Michael R. Kent, 67, of Orange died March 13, 2016. Mass of Christian Burial at St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church, March 18, 3 p.m.

Anna Mae (Richards) Knabeschuh, 87, died March 10, 2016. Service at Claybar Funeral Home, Beaumont, March 13.

William Lavelle “Bill” Malone, 83, of Kountze died March 12, 2016. Funeral service at Happy Valley Baptist Church, Kountze, March 16.

Billie Jean Brown Accardo Martin, 89, died March 11, 2016. Funeral service at First Christian Church, Beau-mont, March 15.

Rosemary “Rosie” Martindale, 90, of Port Arthur died March 5, 2016. Service at Levingston Funeral Home, Groves, March 11

Dorothy Morvant, 90, of Groves died March 7, 2016. Service at Levingston Funeral Home, Groves, March 11.

Timothy Andrew Parish, 57, of Orange died March 10, 2016. Cremation under the direction of Claybar Haven of Rest Crematory.

Billie Prince, 87, of Groves died Saturday, March 12, 2016.

Delores Rothmann, 87, of Port Neches died March 10, 2016. Service at Levingston Funeral Home, Groves, March 14.

Aubrey H. Stanton, 80, of Groves died March 11, 2016. Service at Abundant Life Sanctuary, Groves, March 15.

Dale Edward Stark, 86, of Orange died March 10, 2016. Military honor graveside service at Hillcrest Memo-rial Gardens, Orange, March 19, 1 p.m.

Alice Irene Thomason Theriot, 97, died March 9, 2016. Mass of Christian at St. Henry Catholic Church, Bridge City, March 15.

Truman Ray Ward, 76, of Silsbee died March 8, 2016. Funeral service at Broussard’s, Silsbee, March 12.

Stephen Anthony “Steve” Wilson, 52, of Beaumont, died March 7, 2016. Funeral service at Broussard’s, Beaumont, March 12.

Obituaries, Death Notices

Death notices are printed free on a space-available basis. To place an

obituary, e-mail [email protected] or fax (409) 832-6222.

All suspects are considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. All suspects should be considered dangerous, and no attempt should be made to apprehend them. Anyone with information on the loca-tions of any of these wanted fugitives, or others, should call Crime Stoppers at (409) 833-TIPS (8477). Information leading to the arrest of a felon could make the tipster eligible for a cash reward.

Crime Stoppers is asking for the public’s assistance in get-ting dangerous drug dealers and drug users, along with the poisonous products they carry, off the streets. To that end, T he Examiner will periodically feature a list of five persons accused of drug-related crimes here in High Five.

“Crime Stoppers and The Examiner are teaming up to fight the drug problem in Southeast Texas,” Beaumont Police Offi-

cer Carol Riley of Crime Stoppers said.According to Riley, drugs have inundated local communi-

ties and led to a variety of crimes, such as burglary and rob-bery, often committed by substance abusers attempting to feed their addictions, and crimes like public intoxication, assault and even murder, committed by persons under the influence of drugs.

1. Ronald Anthony Allen is a 33-year-old black male wanted for delivery of a controlled substanace – $10,000 bond.

2. Jason Lyn Williams is a 32-year-old white male wanted for possessionof a controlled substance – no bond.

3. Everet Earl Strout is a 54-year-old black male wanted for possession of a controlled substance – $150,000 bond.

4. Patricia Ann Wilson is a 43-year-old white female wanted for possession of a controlled substance – $7,500 bond.

5. Leonard James Collins is a 36-year-old black male wanted for delivery of a controlled substance – no bond.

Ronald Allen Jason Williams Everet Strout Patricia Wilson Leonard Collins

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CommentaryThe 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.

Wherever you go, there you are. And with you, some-one watching.

In this ever-advancing digital age, there is little doubt that nearly our every move is constantly being tracked and recorded to be used – without our consent – for whatever someone somewhere deems necessary or appropriate.

Casinos, banks, airports, all constantly survey their clientele for security means. But others collect data – in mall parking lots, hospital parking lots, etc., etc. – for use in an array of scenarios. These companies catch you driv-ing down the road, turning corners in neighborhoods, grocery shopping — and record where you are and when you are there. Some of the private purposes for this data mining are insurance companies tracking your vehicle, private investigators “in the course of their work,” and collections agencies trolling for their marks. Other useful purposes have been noted, as well, such as targeted mar-keting and employer investigations of their employees.

There’s not much citizens can do to prevent these pri-vate companies mining data that ends up in a database with who knows what result. But taxpayer dollars funding police vehicles and salaries for law enforcement officers who are being used to serve a private corporation – that, citizens can do something about.

Just a couple weeks ago, the citizens of Kyle, Texas, suc-cessfully petitioned their City Council to do away with utiliz-ing public money to fund the private data mining venture. According to council members, even using the data for its intended purposes was unfair to poor drivers and, if that data fell into the wrong hands, it also raises privacy concerns.

And, to be certain, there have been instances of com-promised data retrievals with the law enforcement col-lected data.

The company – and many law enforcement agencies – certainly see constant surveillance of motorists as a useful law enforcement tool, and that may very well be true. There are situations where the data can be used for good. But as Vidor Police Chief Dave Shows cautioned, it could also be used for evil.

In this day and age, taxpayer funds could also be used to surgically install microchips in every citizen to monitor your every move – and that, no doubt, too, would be a use-ful tool in identifying people, solving cases, and even deter-ring crime. But there’s a line. Or at least there should be.

Let’s let our city councils and commissioners courts know we don’t want our peace officers mining our data for a private company, and get these contracts rescinded, just like the city of Kyle did.

I spy Government inaction might seem benign, but actually it is costing you, the Texas tax-payer, every day. While our state leaders boast of years of no new taxes, their obstinate refusal to even discuss tax policy or how it might be streamlined or made more efficient is costing you money. Even worse, it is costing our state in a gross fail-ure to meet the chal-lenges of a modern world and economy.

The government doing nothing related to medi-cal costs is one of the worst indicators of “do nothing” government, costing us all money. Today, the chief cause of bankruptcy among American citizens relates to medical costs. Stud-ies done by AARP and other authoritative consumer watch-dogs indicate the cost of medi-cine has more than doubled in the past seven years.

During the recent negotia-tions over the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare), there was a huge effort on the part of the advocates of this program to allow oversight and some con-trol on the price of pharma-ceuticals. But Billy Touzin, a former congressman from Louisiana, led the fight on behalf of pharmaceutical cor-porations and won. Apparent-ly, the pharmaceuticals agreed to a significant one-time reduction in the cost of drugs to Medicare and Medicaid recipients, but extracted a commitment that was ensconced in law that pharma-ceutical companies would not be subject to negotiation with the government for the price of pharmaceuticals in these assistance programs. We are saddled with the situation where pharmaceutical compa-nies charge what they want to. Most of their charges are not based on supply and demand, but simply on availability and

the fact some super-sick Americans need the drug. Many conservatives argue medical supply in the United States should simply be cov-ered by supply and demand.

Unfortunately, free enterprise markets work when buyer and seller can meet on an even plane. When it comes to medical care, and particularly with drugs, the consumer is told, “Buy it or die.” There is little or no negotiation over price under those cir-cumstances. Con-gress would do well

to stop moaning about the ris-ing cost of Medicare and Social Security and concen-trate on reigning in the goug-ing of Americans by the big medical supply corporations.

The second area where most of us are being had through inaction is with regard to our property taxes in the state of Texas. A recent think-tank that studied all of the states ranks Texas as the sec-ond worst state when it comes to fair property taxes, only behind New York. Another group examining Texas report-ed debt in the state has risen to over $250 billion.

As a result, Texas has not kept pace with a growing state, particularly as it’s related to public education. The state continues to shirk its duty of funding our public school sys-tems; pushing off the burden on local districts which depend almost solely on the property tax. This hardship falls on old school districts that are losing population, which drives down the amount of state support you can receive, and new districts are growing so fast they cannot provide adequate facilities for their burgeoning populations.

The inaction by the state has resulted in several lawsuits claiming the Texas system of

funding education violates our state constitution. At least three times in recent history, judges have ruled our education sys-tem is unconstitutional, partic-ularly in the way it is funded. In the most recent lawsuit adven-ture, several hundred school districts joined together and sued the state claiming unfair and unconstitutional funding for public education. A district judge in Austin has ruled twice the system was unconstitution-al. Rather than address the problem during the past two legislative sessions, the Legis-lature responded on one occa-sion by cutting an additional $5 billion from the education bud-get. It ignored the lawsuit and claim in the second session, kicking the can down the road and delaying as long as possi-ble having the issue addressed by an all Republican Texas Supreme Court. It is possible the court could conceivably affirm the ruling of the district court, but the court has little power to raise money to go into public education. The only method of enforcement the court has available is to simply shut down public education until the Legislature provides fair and adequate funding.

Likely, most citizens do not count the cost of sitting for hours idling their engines in overcrowded freeways as gov-ernment inaction. While under the leadership of Gov. Rick Perry, the state Legislature has stubbornly refused to consider even indexing the gasoline tax to keep pace with Texas’ rap-idly growing population and transportation needs. The prob-lem is exacerbated by the fact that automobiles get signifi-cantly higher mpg, and there-fore, need less gasoline, and furnish less and less tax money to maintain our highways. Tex-as has not addressed an increase in the gasoline tax since 1992, even though it is lower than

Do-nothing politicians are getting in your pocket

Carl Parker

See PARKER on page 23 A

Letters to the EditorWe 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 for-ward to continuing to provide the area with in-depth coverage of local news.


Lee H. Hamilton

By Garry TrudeauDoonesbury

most other states of the union and fails woefully to provide adequate funding to maintain a first-class highway system. Our needs are growing; unfortu-nately, our wherewithal in the form of tax money to meet our needs is not. A recent engineer-ing study found that at least 1,000 bridges in Texas are sub-standard. Hopefully, our Legis-lature will turn its attention to our highway needs before we have the tragedy of some bridge collapsing with a car full of teenagers in it.

While Gov. Perry continued to condemn others for wanting to tax and spend, Perry suc-cessfully proposed a bond

issue to replace needed funds for our highways. He predict-ed boastfully that his policies would lead to such an eco-nomic boost in Texas that no new tax would be necessary, and that we would have plenty of money to take care of these needs. Unfortunately, all Per-ry’s program has left us with is a $30 billion debt we are strug-gling to pay, along with the massive interest on it.

While the motto of no new taxes sounds great on the political stump, it is doing lit-tle or nothing to meet our needs for health, education, transportation, o r even eco-nomic growth.

PARKERfrom page 22 A

If there’s a theme that sets this political season apart, it’s the voters’ utter disdain for most of the people who prac-tice politics. They’re fed up with politicians, they’ve lost faith and confidence in the polit-ical elite, and they don’t believe that the realm where politicians ply their craft — gov-ernment — works.

There are many legitimate reasons for these people to be turned off by the way politics has been practiced and to be discouraged by the way the political system appears to work. But I’d argue that if you’re hell-bent on shaking up the system, you also need to understand it — and under-stand that certain features are likely to persist no matter how hard you try to change them.

The first is that it is very hard to make our representa-tive democracy work. We make progress incrementally, over years if not generations. So you have to approach poli-tics with great patience. Our system discourages the rush to judgment — it puts a premium on including as many voices as possible, which takes time in a complicated country.

Many people are also turned off by what lies at the center of our system: deal-making. This

involves a clash of ideas in the public arena, compromise, and negotiation, which make a lot of Americans uneasy. Yet it’s how we resolve our differenc-

es — and has been since the first day of the United States’ existence.

So politicians who insist on purity impede solutions. There ought to be a healthy tension between idealism and realism, but we have to find a pragmatic way to combine them.

This makes it challenging to come to an agreement on com-plicated issues, but it’s neces-sary to keep the country from coming apart.

We cannot look to govern-ment to solve all our problems. Indeed, we live in an era in which government faces more and more problems it cannot effectively deal with. Increas-ingly, citizens have to step forward and fill the void that government leaves. We may well be moving into the cen-tury of the citizen. Our com-munities and lives are better because of citizen action. Indeed, unless citizens boost their involvement and contri-butions, many of our problems will not be solved.

Lee Hamilton was a member of the U.S. House of Representa-tives for 34 years.

Before you reject the system, understand it


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PURCHASING SPECIALIST3300310 PORT ARTHUR – Assist in procurement of

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DRIVER MIXER3380369 BEAUMONT –

Operate Ready Mix trucks between plant locations.

Perform daily preventative maintenance, record & inspection on vehicle.

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SECURITY OFFICER2901858 PORT ARTHUR – Control access & egress, monitor CCTV and alarm

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PROJECT MANAGER5124522 BEAUMONT –

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Copying, faxing, printing & scanning functions. Point of contact for equipment

support & service. Perform basic equipment problem diagnosis. HS/GED. Call 1-877-834-5627 to apply.

MAINTENANCE/CUSTODIAN6446026 BEAUMONT –

Performing routine mainte-nance activities. Keep

buildings in clean & orderly condition. Able to work

flexible hours & lift up to 50 lbs. Up to $12.00/hr Call 1-877-834-5627 to apply.

CLASS A CDL YARD HOSTLER2901718 PORT ARTHUR – Responsible for switching,

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CDL, HS/GED & 1 yr exp req’d. Call 1-877-834-5627

STRUCTURAL FITTER5123443 BEAUMONT –

Fabricate, position, align & fit parts of structural metal products. Starts at $19.00/

hr. HS/GED & 1 yr exp req’d. Call 1-877-834-5627.

INDUSTRIAL SERVICE DRIVER

5123456 PORT ARTHUR – Performs industrial tank

cleaning, utility work, facili-ty shutdowns, emergency

response, etc. May operate Vacuum Trucks, Cusco, Air

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WASTE/WATER ENGINEER5123492 BEAUMONT –

Conduct hazardous waste inspections. Ensure Hazardous Waste

Combustor MACT compli-ance. Assist operators in

environmental responsibili-ties. Bachelor’s Degree.

Call 1-877-834-5627

TIRE TECHNICIAN5123039 BEAUMONT –

Responsible for tire servic-ing jobs: mounting, dis-

mounting, balancing, repairing & inspecting pas-senger & light truck tires, etc. HS/GED & 1 yr exp.

Call 1-877-834-5627

LOCAL CDL A DRIVER6445271 PORT ARTHUR – Flatbed drivers to deliver

various coolers & hydration products to job sites. Able

to lift up to 80 lbs. CDL Class A & TWIC req’d. Call 1-877-834-5627 to apply.

MAINTENANCE & REPAIR MECHANIC

6445278 BEAUMONT – Repair & maintain small/

medium gasoline engines. Install various lifts, wheels & aftermarket parts on rec-

reational vehicles. Pays $14.00/hr. HS/GED & 1 yr exp. Call 1-877-834-5627

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CNC MACHINIST8433675 BEAUMONT –

Able to set-up, run & edit CNC machines to run/

machine parts. $15.00/hr. HS/GED, valid DL & 2 yrs exp. Call 1-877-834-5627

MESSAGE THERAPIST/ MANAGER

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PROFESSIONAL PAINTER2900084 BEAUMONT –

Perform prep work & paint finished surfaces including buildings, equipment, etc.

HS/GED & 1 yr experience. Call 1-877-834-5627.

ASSISTANT COOK2900155 BEAUMONT –

Assist Head Cook w/prepa-ration of meals. Preparing drinks (coffee, tea, etc.);

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CABLE SERVICE TECH5122077 BEAUMONT –

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MECHANIC ASSISTANT6444249 BEAUMONT – Assist in tearing down,

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Answering phones, writing invoices, taking payments

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INSURANCE7090582 BEAUMONT –

Filing EZ Claim programs, verifying insurance, check

on deductibles, familiar with Medicare & Medicaid, other insurance, etc. HS/

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NURSES (RN/LVN)2899637 BEAUMONT –

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Legal noticesNOTICE TO BIDDERS

Sealed bids will be received by the City Clerk of the City of Beaumont, City Hall, 801 Main Street, Room 125, Beaumont, Texas until 2:00 P.M. (CST) , THURSDAY, MARCH 31, 2016 and all bids will be opened and publicly read in the City Council Chambers on that date for:

SIX (6) MONTH CONTRACT FOR WATER TREATMENT CHEMICALS – FLUOROSILICIC ACID

Bids shall be submitted to the City Clerk’s Office, City Hall, 801 Main Street, Room 125, Beaumont, Texas, prior to the above stated time.

B idd ing fo rms, 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.c i tyo fbeaumont .com/Purchasing/purchasing_bids.htm 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: BF0316-22

Bid Closing Date: MARCH 31, 2016

Tina Broussard, TRMCCity Clerk

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

Notice is hereby given that or ig ina l Let ters Testamentary for the Estate of Rosa P. Rinando a/k/a Rosa Rinando, Deceased, were issued on March 1, 2016, in Cause No. 114442, pending in the County Court of Jefferson County, Texas, to: Paul Rinando

All persons having claims against this Estate which is currently being administered are required to present them to the undersigned within the time and in the manner prescribed by law.

Mr. Paul RinandoIndependent Executor of the Estate of Rosa P. Rinando a/k/a Rosa Rinando, Deceasedc/o: Thomas O. MosesAttorney at Law2499 Calder AvenueBeaumont, Texas 77702

DATED the 9th day of

March, 2016

Thomas O. MosesThomas O. MosesAttorney for Paul RinandoIndependent Executor of the Estate of Rosa P. Rinando a/k/a Rosa Rinando, DeceasedState Bar No.: 145790002499 Calder AvenueBeaumont, Texas 77702Telephone: (409) 838-4422Facsimile: (409) 838-2017E-mail: [email protected]

NOTICE TO BIDDERS

Sealed bids will be received by the City Clerk of the City of Beaumont, City Hall, 801 Main Street, Room 125, Beaumont, Texas until 2:00 P.M. (CST) , THURSDAY, APRIL 7, 2016 and all bids will be opened and publicly read in the City Council Chambers on that date for:

SALE OF CITY-OWNED PROPERTY LOCATED AT 978 FULTON AVENUE, BEAUMONT, TEXAS

Bids shall be submitted to the City Clerk’s Office, City

Hall, 801 Main Street, Room 125, Beaumont, Texas, prior to the above stated time.

B idd ing fo rms, 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.c i tyo fbeaumont .com/Purchasing/purchasing_bids.htm 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: PF0316-10

Bid Closing Date: APRIL 7, 2016

Tina BroussardCity Clerk

NOTICE TO BIDDERS

Sealed bids will be received by the City Clerk of the City of Beaumont, City Hall, 801 Main Street, Room 125, Beaumont, Texas until 2:00 P.M. (CST) , THURSDAY, APRIL 7, 2016 and all bids will be opened and publicly read in the City Council Chambers on that date for:TRI-ANNUAL CONTRACT

FOR PLUMBING SERVICES

Bids shall be submitted to the City Clerk’s Office, City Hall, 801 Main Street, Room 125, Beaumont, Texas, prior to the above stated time.

B idd ing fo rms, 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.c i tyo fbeaumont .com/Purchasing/purchasing_bids.htm

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:BF0316-23

Bid Closing Date: APRIL 7, 2016

Tina BroussardCity Clerk

NOTICE TO BIDDERS

Sealed RFQs will be received by the City Clerk of the City of Beaumont, at City Hall, 801 Main Street, Room 125, Beaumont, Texas, until 2:00 PM (CST) , THURSDAY, MARCH 24, 2016 and all responses will be opened and publicly read in the City Council Chambers on that date for: REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS (RFQ) F O R T H E WATER SERVICE LINE WARRANTY PROGRAM

PRE-BID MEETING: None. RFQs shall be submitted to the City Clerk’s Office, City

Hall, 801 Main, Room 125, Beaumont, Texas, prior to the above stated time.

RFQ forms, specifications and all necessary information may be obtained from the Purchasing Division, City Hall, 801 Main, Room 315, Beaumont, Texas 77701. Vendors requesting RFQ packets should call the Purchasing Division at (409) 880-3720 or you may download the specifications from our website at: http://b e a u m o n t t e x a s . g o v /departments/purchasing/bid-information/ http://b e a u m o n t t e x a s . g o v /p u r c h a s i n g / b i d -information/

The City reserves the right to reject any or all RFQs, or to accept any RFQ or combination of RFQs deemed advantageous to it.Please make reference to RFQ Number:PF0216-09

RFQ Closing Date: MARCH 24, 2016


LegaLs

DENTAL ASSISTANT/ REGISTERED

2899338 BEAUMONT – Teaching patients oral

hygiene strategies. Clean treatment rooms. Take x-rays. Sterilize instru-

ments. One (1) yr college/career tech school & 1 yr exp. Call 1-877-834-5627

to apply.

INSTRUCTOR/STANDBY RESCUE

6443498 PORT ARTHUR – Develops & instructs

OSHA/NFPA-compliant training classes. Maintain certifications. Part Time;

evenings & weekends. HS/HED & 5 yrs exp. Call

1-877-834-5627 to apply.

TOOL ROOM6443621 ORANGE –

Maintain control of tool room, issue tools & sup-

plies to production person-nel. Conduct inventory

cycle counts; restock. HS/GED & 2 yrs exp. Call

1-877-834-5627 to apply.

CLASS B DRIVER6443294 ORANGE – Class

B CDL; HS/GED & 1 yr exp. MUST be able to float gears. Make local deliver-ies; working in the yard &

loading trucks. Up to $14.00/hr. Call 1-877-834-

5627 to apply.

BOLT UP/TORQUEING TECH2898670 ORANGE –

Upcoming turnaround proj-ect. Tightening down/prop-

erly securing flanges & valves w/in an infrastruc-

ture of piping. TWIC &

DISA screening, B/G req’d. Pay is $20.00/hr. plus O/T.

Call 1-877-834-5627 to apply.

CNC MACHINIST PRECISION3376445 ORANGE – Plans

machining by studying work orders, blueprints,

engineering plans, materi-als, etc. Verifies settings.

Three (3) yrs college/career tech school & 5 yrs exp.

Call 1-877-834-5627.

RETAIL MERCHANDISER7088778 ORANGE – Implementing plan-o-

grams, visual merchandis-ing, product returns, scan-ning, building & maintain displays, etc. HS/GED;

able to lift up to 50 lbs. Call 1-877-834-5627 to apply.

SPA MANAGER7088784 BEAUMONT –

Payroll, executing market-ing plans, retail & service training, working w/ven-

dors, etc. Esthetician certi-fication; 2 yrs college/

career tech school, 2 yrs exp. Call 1-877-834-5627

CONSULTING UTILITY FORESTER

7088229 BEAUMONT – Perform identification,

inspection & evaluation of vegetation along utility

lines. Plan/direct & coordi-nate activities of tree clear-

ance crews. Bachelors Degree. Call 1-877-834-

5627 to apply.

INDUSTRIAL SEAMER2897383 ORANGE –

Ensure matting fabric is

sewn to customer satisfac-tion for resale. Training pro-

vided. Starts at $8.00/hr. Must pass B/G & D/S.

Evenings. 877-834-5627.

ACCOUNT MANAGER3379468 BEAUMONT – Obtain customer orders,

administration of company approved uniform pricing policy. Ensure complete customer satisfaction.

Bachelors Degree & 4 yrs exp. Call 1-877-834-5627

to apply.SCREED OPERATOR

8433593 BEAUMONT – Control material taken into paver & depths of material

distributed through the machine. Perform minor servicing & maintenance. HS/GED & 1 yr exp. Call 1-877-834-5627 to apply.

TRANSPORTATION TECH I5122451 BEAUMONT – Basic roadway mainte-nance & repair; light &

heavy equipment opera-tion; preventive & minor maintenance on equip-

ment, etc. Up to $41,355/yr. Call 1-877-834-5627 to

apply.

SUMMER SUPPORT STAFF6444718 ORANGE –

Performs entry-level cleri-cal duties. Performs essen-

tial accounting, human resources, purchasing or warehouse duties. Up to

$11.60/hr. 1-877-834-5627.

TRANSPORTATION ENGINEER8433132 BEAUMONT –

Planning, project develop-ment & design, construc-

tion, transportation/traffic operations & maintenance,

etc. Starts at $5,258.66/mo. Call 1-877-834-5627.

DESIGN TECH I8433133 BEAUMONT – Performs basic drafting,

calculations and field work; learns basic design proce-

dures and techniques. Starts at $2,194.33/mo. Call 1-877-834-5627.

ACCOUNTING MANAGER5122081 PORT ARTHUR – Responsible for division’s monthly close activities.

Meet established account-ing deadlines. Prepare jour-

nal entries. Bachelors Degree & 5 yrs exp. Call 1-877-834-5627 to apply.

TRUCK DRIVER I2899834 BEAUMONT –

Safely transporting mats & equipment to job sites & returning loads to yards.

Perform daily truck inspec-tions. Valid DL & 1 yr exp.

Call 1-877-834-5627to apply.

JOURNEYMAN CARPENTERS3378010 BEAUMONT –

Construct, fabricate, install & dismantle form work of fixtures of metal, wood &

other accessories. HS/GED & 5 yrs exp. 877-834-5627.

CEMENT FINISHERS6444112 BEAUMONT –

Patch concrete, placement of vertical and/or horizontal concrete, handling of con-

crete buckets, use of power tools, etc. Lift up to 75lbs. HS/GED; 5 yrs exp.

Call 1-877-834-5627.

RELIABILITY PROJECT LEADER

5121463 PORT ARTHUR – Develops programs, imple-ments & evaluates results from preventive & predic-

tive maintenance pro-grams. Bachelors Degree & 5 yrs exp. 1-877-834-5627

QUALITY CONTROL TECH- ASPHALT

5121140 BEAUMONT – Evaluation of volumetric

data necessary for adjust-ments to mix production to ensure compliance for all applications and projects. HS/GED& valid DL. Call

1-877-834-5627 to apply.

MECHANIC5120796 BEAUMONT –

Repairs & maintains trucks & other type of machinery including heavy equipment

& construction vehicles, diesel & gasoline. Class B CDL & HS/GED req’d. Call 1-877-834-5627 to apply.

SAFETY TECHNICIAN2898555 ORANGE –

Anticipate, identify & evalu-ate hazardous conditions & practices; Implement safety

programs & procedures. HS/GED & 1 yr exp. Call 1-877-834-5627 to apply.

IRON WORKER7089314 PORT ARTHUR –

Erect metal buildings. Some O/T & weekends. Own tools a plus. F/T; 9

months experience req’d. Call 1-877-834-5627.

TRACK-HOE OPERATOR2898591 BEAUMONT –

Must be able to cut grade & hold slope. Starts at

$18.00/hr. TWIC, HS/GED & 2 yrs heavy equipment

operating experience req’d. Pass D/S. 877-834-5627

READY MIX DRIVERS3377027 BEAUMONT –

Operate truck equipped w/auxiliary concrete mixer to deliver concrete mix to job

sites. Class B CDL, HS/GED & 2 yrs exp. Call

1-877-834-5627 to apply.

SUMMER - ENGINEERING SUPPORT

6440871 BEAUMONT – Performs routine work

related to transportation engineering activities: con-struction, plant & mainte-

nance contract inspection, drafting, etc. Up to

$34,859/yr. 877-834-5627

DIRECTOR OF TRANSPORTATION

2895714 BEAUMONT – Direct & manage transpor-

tation & vehicle mainte-nance program. Ensure

safe & efficient operation of department. Bachelors & 3 yrs exp; eligible for CDL. Call 1-877-834-5627 to

apply.

INTERNAL AUDITOR/LU8399432 BEAUMONT –

Performs audits to ensure compliance w/federal &

state statutes, TSUS Rules/Regulations & institutional

policies & procedures. Bachelors; CPA/CIA or CISA w/4 yrs exp. Call

1-877-834-5627 to apply.


PUBLIC NOTICE

On March 28, 2016 the City of Beaumont will be changing the disinfectant we use in our groundwater system from chlorine to chloramines. This change will eliminate the blending of chloraminated and chlorinated water in the distribution system.

The change to chloramines can cause problems to persons dependent on dialysis machines. A condition known as hemolytic anemia can occur if the disinfectant is not completely removed from the water that is used for the dialysate. Consequently, the pretreatment scheme used for dialysis units must include some means, such as a charcoal filter, for removing the chloramines prior to this date. Medical facilities should also determine if additional precautions are required for other medical equipment.

In addition, chloraminated water may be toxic to fish. If you have a fish tank, please make sure that the chemicals or filters that you are using are designed for use in water that has been treated with chloramines. You may also need to change the type of filter you use for the fish tank.

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

Notice is hereby given that original Letters of Testamentary were issued in The Julius Ray Poole, Deceased on March 10, 2016 in Cause No. 114151 in the County Court of Jefferson County, Texas to Ronald Chadwick Poole.

The Address of Such Independent Executor is c/o Jesse Branick, 221 Highway 69 South, Suite 100, Nederland Texas 77627.

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 this the 15th day of March 2016.

Ronald Chadwick Poole, Independent Executor of the Estate of Julius Ray Poole, Deceased

NOTICE TO ALL PERSONS HAVING

CLAIMS AGAINST THE ESTATE OF THOMAS DOLCE, DECEASED

Notice is hereby given that or ig ina l Let ters Testamentary were issued in the Estate of Thomas Dolce, on July 15, 2015, in Cause No. 113051 in the County Court of Jefferson County, Texas, to Michael Christopher Dolce.

The address of such letters Testamentary is c/o Carl A. Parker, 1 Plaza Square, Port Arthur, Texas 77642.

All persons having claims against this Estate, which is

cur rent ly be ing administered, are required to present them with in the time and in the manner prescribed by law.

MICHAEL CHRISTOPHER DOLCE, Independent Executor of the Estate of THOMAS DOLCE, Deceased

NOTICE INVITING BIDSPW0316-10

Sealed bids will be received by the City Clerk of the City of Beaumont, 801 Main Street, Room 125, Beaumont, Texas, until 2:00 p.m. (CST), Thursday, March 31, 2016 for furnishing all plans, 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:CATTAIL MARSH BOARDWALK

together with all appurtenances thereto, being improvements for the City of Beaumont, Owner, Beaumont, Texas. Bids will be opened and publicly read in the Council Chambers at City Hall. The City reserves the right, after opening Bids, to reject any or all bids or to make award to accept any bid or combination of bids deemed advantageous to it.

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 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 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 Thursday, March 24, 2016, in the First Floor Conference Room at City Hall, 801 Main Street, Beaumont, TX. 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 forms of proposal, contract, bond, and specifications. Bidding documents may be obtained from the City’s website:

http://beaumonttexas.gov/departments/purchasing/bid-information/

A Complete set of the bidding documents are on file at www.civcastusa.com. There is no cost to view the plans, and printing can be done through the website. Sets of hard copies of bidding Documents will not be sold. Complete sets of bidding Documents shall be used in preparing Bids; neither Owner nor Engineer assumes any responsibility for errors or misinterpretations resulting from the use of incomplete sets of bidding Documents. Owner and Engineer, in making copies of Bidding Documents available on the above terms, do so only for the purpose of obtaining Bids for the Work and do not confer a license or grant for any other use. Also, plans can be viewed at City of Beaumont, Public Works Counter, City Hall, 801 Main St., Suite 200, Beaumont, Texas and Schaumburg & Polk, Inc., 8865 College Street, Beaumont, Texas 77707.

Please make sure to reference to Bid Number: PW0316-10

CITY OF BEAUMONT, TEXAS, OWNER

By: Tina Broussard, TRMC City Clerk

NOTICE TO BIDDERS

On-line bids will be received by Rene= Bates Auctioneers, Inc., on behalf of the City of Beaumont, Beaumont, Texas, for its online Surplus Property Auction. The online auction will begin Thursday, March 24, 2016 and conclude on Thursday, April 7, 2016. CITY OF BEAUMONTSURPLUS PROPERTY AUCTION

The auction consists of various vehicles, equipment and furniture. All items will be sold AAS IS@ without warranty or guarantee. Vehicles and equipment may be viewed at the City of Beaumont Fleet Service Center located at 4955 Lafin Road, Beaumont, Texas.For a complete list and pictures of the items, go to the Rene= Bates Auctioneer, Inc. web site at www.renebates.com or www.renebates.net. Bids for all items will be accepted online only, to Rene= Bates Auctioneers, Inc., at www.renebates.com or www.renebates.net. Bids will not be accepted in any form at the City of Beaumont.

All materials, equipment and/or vehicles sold must be removed within the time frame as stated on the auctioneer=s website. After

the specified date, a $25.00 per day per item storage fee will be charged to the buyer. The City of Beaumont, Texas DOES N O T p r o v i d e transportation or loading services for buyers to remove their merchandise. Any and all methods of lifting, towing, and hauling, as well as all other methods or requirements for the removal and transport of the materials, equipment and/or vehicles, is the sole responsibility of the buyer.

You may contact the City of Beaumont Purchasing Division at 409-880-3720 if you have questions or would like further information about the Online Auction.



CLAIMS AGAINST THE ESTATE OF JOHN JONES,

DECEASED

Notice is hereby given that or ig ina l Let ters Testamentary were issued in the Estate of JOHN JONES, on May 26, 2015, in cause No. 112858 in the County Court of Jefferson County, Texas, to CYNTHIA HICKLING.

The address of such Letters Testamentary is c/o Carl A. Parker, 1 Plaza Square, Port Arthur, Texas 77642.

All persons having claims against this Estate, which is cur rent ly be ing administered, are required to present them with in the time and in the manner prescribed by law.

CYNTHIA HICKLING, Independent Executrix of the Estate of JOHN JONES, Deceased

PUBLIC NOTICE

Notice is hereby given in

accordance with the provisions of the Texas

Alcoholic Beverage Code

that Nazs Enterprises Inc dba Honey Stop

is making application with

the Texas Alcoholic Beverage

Commission for a Wine and

Beer Retailer’s off-Premise

Permit to be located at 4790 Magnolia in the

City of Beaumont, Jefferson

County, Texas.

Officer: Naeem Akhtar – Pres/

Sec

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

NOTICE TO ALL PERSONS HAVING CLAIMS AGAINST THE ESTATE OF ISABEL HERZOG aka ISABEL HOUSTON aka ISABEL HOUSTON HERZOG aka ISABEL COX HERZOG aka ISABEL COX HOUSTON aka ISABEL COX, DECEASED

Notice is hereby given that or ig ina l Let ters Testamentary were issued in the Estate of ISABEL HERZOG aka ISABEL HOUSTON aka ISABEL HOUSTON HERZOG aka ISABEL COX HERZOG aka ISABEL COX HOUSTON aka ISABEL COX, on January 8th, 2016, in Cause No. 113946 in the County Court of Jefferson County, Texas to Wilburn Bednar.

The address of such Letters Testamentary is c/o Ryan Matuska, Matuska Law Firm, 2809 Highway 69 North, Nederland, Texas 77627.

All persons having claims against the Estate which is currently being administered are required to present them with in the time and in the manner prescribed by law.

WILBURN BEDNARIndependent Executor of the Estate of ISABEL HERZOG aka ISABEL HOUSTON aka ISABEL HOUSTON HERZOG aka ISABEL COX HERZOG aka ISABEL COX HOUSTON aka ISABEL COX, Deceased

CITATION BY PUBLICATION

TO: UNKNOWN HEIRS OF CHARLES PHILLIP WAHL, III , DECEASED

You are hereby commanded to appear before the County Court of Jefferson County, Texas, at the Courthouse of said County in the City of Beaumont, Jefferson County, Texas, at or before 10:00 A.M. of this first Monday after the expiration of ten days from the date of publication of this citation by filing a written answer to a petition filed in said Court on MARCH 9, 2016, in Cause NO. 114465, styled,

ESTATE OF CHARLES PHILLIP WAHL, III, DECEASED

A brief statement of the nature of the petition is as follows, to-wit:

TO DETERMINE THE HEIRS AND THEIR P E R C E N T A G E OWNERSHIP IN THE ESTATE OF CHARLES PHILLIP WAHL, III, DECEASED

as is more fully shown by the petition on file in this cause.

The officer executing this process shall promptly execute the same according to law, and make due return as the law directs. If this citation is not served within ninety (90) days after day of issuance, it shall be returned unserved.

Issued and given under my hand and seal of said Court at Beaumont, Texas, on MARCH 9, 2016.

Carolyn L. Guidry, County ClerkJefferson County, Texas

By Kelly Sampson Deputy ( Kelly Sampson)


CLAIMS AGAINST THE ESTATE OF JUANITA PARKER, DECEASED

Notice is hereby given that or ig ina l Let ters Testamentary were issued in the Estate of JUANITA PARKER, on May 13, 2015, in Cause No. 112755 in the County Court of Jefferson County, Texas, to CARL A. PARKER, SR.

The address of such Letters Testamentary is c/o Allen Parker, 1 Plaza Square, Port Arthur, Texas 77642.


CARL A. PARKER, SR., Independent Executor of the Estate of JUANITA PARKER, Deceased

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

Notice is hereby given that or ig ina l Let ters Testamentary for the Estate of BUFORD CALVIN HALL, Deceased, were issued on MARCH 8, 2016, in Cause No. 114175, pending in the County Court of Jefferson County, Texas, to: ALBRE PATRICIA CHESHIRE.

All persons having claims against this Estate which is currently being administered are required to present them to the undersigned within the time and in the manner prescribed by law.

ALBRE PATRICIA CHESHIRE4862 Colony DriveKOUNTZE, Texas 77625

DATED the 8th day of March, 2016

Albre Patricia CheshireALBRE PATRICIA CHESHIRE

CITATION BY PUBLICATION

TO: UNKNOWN HEIRS OF ABEL KOLTON SMITH A/K/A ABEL KOLTEN MERRIMAN , DECEASED

You are hereby commanded to appear before the County Court of Jefferson County, Texas, at the Courthouse of said County in the City of Beaumont, Jefferson County, Texas, at or before 10:00 A.M. of this first Monday after the expiration of ten days from the date of publication of this citation by filing a written answer to a petition filed in said Court on MARCH 10, 2016, in Cause NO. 114562, styled,

ESTATE OF ABEL KOLTON SMITH A/K/A ABEL KOLTEN MERRIMAN, DECEASED

A brief statement of the nature of the petition is as follows, to-wit:

TO DETERMINE THE HEIRS AND THEIR P E R C E N T A G E OWNERSHIP IN THE

ESTATE OF ABEL KOLTON SMITH A/K/A ABEL KOLTON MERRIMAN, DECEASED

as is more fully shown by the petition on file in this cause.

The officer executing this process shall promptly execute the same according to law, and make due return as the law directs. If this citation is not served within ninety (90) days after day of issuance, it shall be returned unserved.

Issued and given under my hand and seal of said Court at Beaumont, Texas, on MARCH 10, 2016.

Carolyn L. Guidry, County ClerkJefferson County, Texas

By Kelly Sampson Deputy ( Kelly Sampson)


CLAIMS AGAINST THE ESTATE OF BERNICE

FULLILOVE PATIN, DECEASED

Notice is hereby given that or ig ina l Let ters Testamentary were issued in the Estate of BERNICE FULLILOVE PATIN, on March 1, 2016, in Cause No. 114360 in the County Court of Jefferson County, Texas, to JOHNNY GUS PATIN.

The address of such Letters Testamentary is c/o Allen Parker, 1 Plaza Square, Port Arthur, Texas 77642.


JOHNNY GUS PATIN, Independent Executor of the Estate of BERNICE FULLILOVE PATIN, Deceased

Assumed names

JEFFERSON COUNTY

Sims, JaclynDba Polished Image Salon1403 Nederland Ave, Ste BNederland, TX 77627Filed on 1/4/16Cert No. 00115

Sutton, QuentinDba Skys Room1430 Ashly St.Beaumont, TX 77701Filed on 1/6/16Cert No. 00306

Tarver, Jeffery W Jr.Dba Grace & Truth Family Worship645 Florida AvenueBeaumont, TX 77705Filed on 1/5/16Cert No. 00240

Broussard, GarrettDba Inferno Washing2613 Staton Ln.Port Neches, TX 77651Filed on 12/7/15 Cert No. 39537

Aref, SameerDba Half Off Furniture Outlet2015 N MLKBeaumont, TX 77703Filed on 12/7/15 Cert No. 39541

Stallworth, NatoshiaDba One Stop Soap Shop4040 E. Lynwood Dr.Beaumont, TX 77703

Filed on 12/7/15 Cert No. 39619

Granson, Stanley LouisDba Amazing Grace Outreach Ministries1800 North St.Beaumont, TX 77701Filed on 12/7/15 Cert No. 39669

Nguyen, Lemy ThiDba Elite Nails6155 Eastex Fwy, B220Beaumont, TX 77706Filed on 12/8/15 Cert No. 39748

Flores, LuisDba Flores Appliance Repair6236 25th St.Groves, TX 77619Filed on 12/8/15 Cert No. 39767

Ward, SummerDba Sunshinesumm Cleaning Services1730 Williamsburg LaneBeaumont, TX 77706Filed on 12/9/15 Cert No. 39821

Savoy, KomikaDba Sweet Blessing in Design555 Smelker St.Beaumont, TX 77707Filed on 12/9/15 Cert No. 39845Virginia College LLCDba Brightwood College1999 Bryan St.Suite 900Dallas, TX 75201Filed on 12/9/15 Cert No. 39849Solid Foundations Evaluation Services LLCDba Solid Foundation Evaluation Services LLC3485 Lakeview CutoffVidor, TX 77662Filed on 12/9/15 Cert No. 39910Williams, Joyce MarieDba A Taste of Jays6800 9th Ave.Port Arthur, TX 77642Filed on 12/9/15 Cert No. 39911

Davis, Linda A.Dba A Family of NanniesPO Box 193Groves, TX 77619Filed on 12/9/15 Cert No. 39916

Forster, Jacquelyn DeniseDba Forster Creations Hair & Nail Parlor4320 Main Ave.Groves, TX 77619Filed on 12/10/15 Cert No. 40000

Jones, AndreaDba Professional Information RetrevialPO Box 5227Port Arthur, TX 77640Filed on 12/10/15 Cert No. 40014

Murry, Tamiko NicoleDba MCM Communications5150 Oriole Dr.Beaumont, TX 77707Filed on 12/10/15 Cert No. 40025

Zhon, JoeDba ZS Rental Management6335 Benton Ln.Beaumont, TX 77706Filed on 12/10/15 Cert No. 40089

Babino, KennethDba Power & Authority Records6340 Friar Tuck LaneBeaumont, TX 77707Filed on 12/11/15 Cert No. 40137

Fuerte, Blanca M ValenciaDba F & F Electrical Contractors of Texas2424 Las Palmas Dr.Port Arthur, TX 77642Filed on 12/11/15 Cert No. 40167

LegaLs

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EntertainmentSOUTHEAST TEXAS

2 B ENTERTAINMENT THE EXAMINER • March 17-23, 2016

Funnel cakes, turkey legs, alligator-on-a-stick. Have some pork kabobs, donut burgers, candy apples, popcorn and a plethora of fried snacks. Just about anything you can think of to eat is available from more than 75 food vendors at the 73rd annual South Texas State Fair on the grounds of Ford Park, which begins Thursday, March 24, with the 11-day festival of fun ending Sunday, April 3.

Gates will open at 6 p.m. next Thursday and there is literally some-thing for everyone. Some come for the food. Some come for the games, carni-val rides, exhibits, live music and the rodeo.

New this year at the fair will be sandcastles inside the Ford Exhibit Hall. Sculptors will get their hands on 50 tons of sand and create all sorts of eye-popping sandcastles.

And for the first time, cannon expert Freddy Perez will entertain fairgoers by blowing balloons out of cannons, and on Easter Sunday (March 27), he will replace the balloons with Easter eggs.

H-E-B Kids Fun ZoneFun yet educational, the H-E-B Kids

Fun Zone will feature games, food and the new Monster Mural, a 20-foot by 5-foot interactive coloring wall designed for kids of any age.

The Double R Exotics Petting Zoo returns with nearly every animal you can think of — from the most exotic to the typical farm animal — so grab a handful of treats for feeding time.

Camel and pony rides are also avail-able for $5 per ride.

The Southwest Dairy Museum Mobile Classroom will appear on the Ford Pavilion Stage, offering a demon-stration of the mechanical milking pro-cess.

If that’s not enough, the Swifty Swine Racing Pigs are sure to entertain and put a smile on your face. Plus, this year you can see a pig that actually dives!

RodeoThe Professional

Rodeo Cowboy Association (PRCA) will hold two rodeos inside Ford Arena on Friday, March 25, at 7 p.m. and Saturday, March 26, at 5 p.m. General admission seating is free with the purchase of a fair ticket.

The PRCA showcases the country’s top cowboys and cowgirls and pro-motes high quality, professional rodeo. To ensure high standards of rodeo entertainment, “Nutty” Jerry Nelson, a native of Southeast Texas, will again be providing the stock for the rodeo.

Owner of Frontier Rodeo, Nelson has the top stock in the rodeo world. Eight-time world champion Don Gay will provide the play-by-play.

March 24 (opening day), the YMBL will host the Harold Engstrom Memo-rial Special Kids Rodeo. Named after the late Harold Engstrom, who started this annual event, the primary goal is for hundreds of mentally and or physi-cally challenged youngsters from the area to attend this special outing.

Free entertainmentIf music is a must, then the fair has

you covered. There is a variety of local flavor set to perform each night on the Sweet Southern Sound Stage including David Joel, J.A.G., Generations, Jeff Rainey as “ELVIS,” Larry Tillery & The Vagabond Dreamers, Still Cruisin’, Kenny & the Klassics, Danny Dillon and Pug Johnson, LSCPA Section 51, Tin Pan Alley, Jefferson Revival, The Ron Jeremies, Christy Sheffield Band, Bryce Shaver Band, Curse & The Cure, Baylei McGowan, Zach Gonza-les, Shaylee Sarver, Nickel Dream, Reed Planchard and Drivin’ Dixie, B.B. & Company, Heather & the Hell-cats and LN & the Crush.

Carnival midwayThe Bill Hames Show is a tradition

at the South Texas State Fair that dates back to more than 50 years.

Don’t forget to take a ride on the Ferris wheel, which stands more than 60 feet tall.

Individual tickets are $1, and a strip of 24 tickets is $20. Unlimited-ride wristbands are available for certain nights (March 24, March 26-27, March 30, April 3).

Exhibit hallThe exhibition hall will feature

new automobiles sponsored by Texas Ford Dealers, and

over 100 vendors sell-ing collectables, home improvement

items, cell phones, jewelry, purses and much more.

Texas Marine will also have over 40

boats on display, including bass boats, bay boats, off-shore boats, plea-sure boats, aluminum boats and jet boats.

Livestock show & auctionYoungsters have a chance to show-

case their hard work and animals at the YMBL Livestock and Poultry Show, along with the Junior Poultry and Livestock Auctions.

A complete schedule can be found

at ymbl.org, with auction nights set for March 30-31. From lambs and goats to longhorns, cows, chickens, ducks, rab-bits, turkeys and steers, all of the pro-ceeds of the auction will go directly back the youths.

AdmissionAdmission to the fair for adults aged

13-64 is $8, while senior citizens over the age of 65 pay $4. Youth ages 3-12 are $4, and kids 2 and younger get in free.

There are plenty of promotional nights beginning Good Friday, March 25, with Education First Family Fun Day; Kids’ Day on March 26; Conn’s Home Plus Senior Citizens Day on March 27; Koch Pipeline $1 night on March 28; $2 Tuesday Night on March 29; Sonic Drive-in Buddy Night on March 30; Entergy Military Apprecia-tion Night on March 31; and Coca-Cola/Dr. Pepper Cantastic Sunday on April 3.

YMBL caresThe YMBL sponsors many events

throughout the year, including the Babe Zaharias Memorial Relays, vol-leyball and boys and girls basketball tournaments.

The YMBL also regularly donates to local charities including the 100 Club of Southeast Texas, the Garth House, the Anayat House, American Cancer Society, Some Other Place and many others.

Since 1957, the South Texas State Fair, which is the YMBL’s only yearly fundraiser, has attracted an estimated attendance of more than half a million annually from 10 counties in South-east Texas and three Southwest Loui-siana parishes. Although a nonprofit committee of the YMBL, the fair provides its sponsoring organization with more than 90 percent of its total revenue, which the YMBL shares with the community in direct gifts to local and area charitable organizations, youth projects, civic programs and other efforts to aid the elderly and those in need.

For complete fair information, call (409) 832-9991 or view ymbl.org.

If that’s not enough, the Swifty Swine Racing Pigs are sure to entertain and put a smile on

Rodeo Cowboy Association

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I awoke early one Saturday morning, ate a banana and had a glass of orange juice, and headed out the door in search of top notch competition barbecue. This quest had me going to Huntsville for the Shot-gun Fred’s BBQ Showdown. It is the closest Kansas City BBQ Society event of the year, and I was happy it was only a two-hour drive from home. I arrived at 10 a.m. for the judges’ meeting and just in time to judge the first side dish – beans. It is an ancillary part of the competition, but still one the cooks take seriously, so the judging is done with the same professionalism as the four main categories. There was one that stood head and shoul-ders from the rest. It had a good smokiness and just the right amount of bacon. The texture of the beans was silky smooth and it seemed to be every judge’s favorite at the table.

At 11 a.m., the main event started with chicken. We received five entries that were thighs and one that was a leg. Overall, the chicken was not strong at my table. The ones that were cooked correctly had so much sauce on them I couldn’t taste the meat. The other entries were just subpar for one reason or another. The good news was my favorite category was next – ribs. The rib entries were a mixed bag. There were two really good competition ribs that were cooked properly, two that were chewy and undercooked and two that were tough and over-cooked. The good news is the ones that were cooked properly looked perfect and both had great flavor. Overall, a very typical showing in the rib category.

The third category is typically my least favorite – pork. However, I was amazed at the pork entries. All six looked great in the box, cooked well and had

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The Weekly DishThe Weekly DishDay in the life of a traveling BBQ judge

it was only a two-hour drive from home. I arrived at 10 a.m. for the judges’ meeting and just in time to judge the

is done with the same professionalism as the four main categories. There was

Bar-B

Curiouswith Pat Bell

The pork box


great flavor. I gave all 8’s and 9’s in one category for the first time in my judging career. The interest-ing thing is there were many dif-ferent flavor profiles – some savory, some emphasizing the natural sweetness of pork – but all were very tasty and showed each pitmaster’s skillset. There were some great examples of money muscle and pulled pork. I would welcome this level of offerings every time I judge.

The final category in the main competition is always brisket. Typically, it is the category I am most critical of, but again, I was pleasantly surprised by a couple of the entries. In fact, I gave my first all 9’s to a brisket entry in a KCBS event. It was not the best brisket I have ever tasted, but it was a close-to-perfect competition entry. The presentation was flaw-less, as was the doneness of the meat. The flavor was spot on as well. I knew before I bit into the slice if I gave it a 9 it would be my first ever-perfect score, but there were no weaknesses. It was a very savory slice with a nice balance of

salt and pepper. Not sure I would want to eat an entire plate of it, but for “one bite barbecue,” it was darn near flawless.

Thankfully my table did not get drawn for the desert judging, as I was already past my comfort level and still had to make it back that

afternoon without falling asleep at the wheel. Fortunately, I did make it home by 5 p.m. to enjoy a nice sunset with my family and neigh-bors … happily skipping dinner.

Patrick Bell can be reached at [email protected].

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Now that 2015 movies are moving aside for the 2016 slate, there are some that shouldn’t be lost in the

shuffle. Most of these received very little attention or screen time, but that doesn’t mean they shouldn’t be seen.

“The End of the Tour” was supposed to be comic actor Jason Segal’s big dramatic

turn, but it barely played in the art houses before disap-pearing. Based on five days that Rolling Stone reporter David Lipsky (Jesse Eisen-berg) spent with critically acclaimed author David Foster Wallace (Segal) on

his book tour for “Infinite Jest,” this film features great performances from both actors and is especially poignant consider-ing Foster Wallace took his own life several years later. This may be the only portrait of the reclusive novelist you will ever see.

“Truth” was at the top of my “best” list last year based on the strength of Cate Blanchett’s portrayal of CBS news pro-ducer Mary Mapes. Taken from her own account, “Truth” tells the story of how Mapes and news anchor Dan Rather (Robert Redford) aired a story during the 2004 campaign for president about George W. Bush’s lackluster service in the Texas Air National Guard. That story was later revealed to contain unverified information. It was the mother of all “oops” moments, eventually wrecking their careers and forcing Mapes and Rath-er into early retirement. If you asked me, Blanchett should have been nominated for this instead of “Carol.” “Truth” is available on pay-per-view now.

Last summer, I wrote a review of “The Clouds of Sils Maria,” the French film starring Juliette Binoche and Kristen Stewart about an aging actress and her young assistant. Ultimately it won some awards overseas, and Stewart was named the first American actress to win the French Oscar, known as the Cesar. She was also recognized in the supporting category at the NY Film Critics Circle Awards. It’s very French and very good.

“The Diary of a Teenage Girl” came

and went very quickly even after per-forming well on the film festival circuit. The main reason to see this is Bel Powley, a new discovery last year. She plays the title character, a discontented, awkward teenager who falls in love with her moth-er’s boyfriend. It also stars Kristen Wiig and Alexander Skarsgard. Powley was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award, which honors independent film-making on the eve of the Academy Awards, but she did lose to the big winner of the year — Brie Larson for “Room.”

I am amazed and somewhat baffled by the amount of people who have approached me to say they do not intend to see “Room” because they don’t want to be upset by some of the content. It’s understandable — to a degree. The initial scenes of this movie deal with the kidnapping of a teen-age girl and her years in captivity at the hands of her abuser; when she is rescued, her friends and family learn she now has a young son. This topics makes people

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10 Cloverfield Lane New(PG-13, 1 hr, 43 min.) 1:00, 2:20, 3:40, 5:00, 6:20, 7:40, 9:00, 10:20 The Brothers Grimsby New(R, 1 hr, 23 min.)12:55, 3:15, 5:35, 7:55, 10:15 Deadpool(R, 1 hr, 48 min.)1:40, 4:20, 7:00, 9:45 Gods of Egypt(PG-13, 2 hr, 7 min.) 12:50, 6:55 Gods of Egypt 3D(PG-13, 2 hr, 7 min.) 3:50, 9:55 London Has Fallen(R, 1 hr, 39 min.)12:00, 2:30, 5:05, 7:35, 10:10 The Perfect Match New(R, 1 hr, 36 min.)12:05, 2:40, 5:15, 7:50, 10:25 The Revenant(R, 2 hr, 36 min.)12:15, 6:15 Ride Along 2(PG-13, 1 hr, 41 min.) 12:45, 3:20, 5:55, 8:35 Risen(PG-13, 1 hr, 48 min.) 1:25, 4:10, 6:50, 9:30 Whiskey Tango Foxtrot(R, 1 hr, 51 min.)1:45, 4:30, 7:15, 10:00 The Witch(R, 1 hr, 32 min.)3:45, 9:50 The Young Messiah New(PG-13, 1 hr, 51 min.) 11:30, 2:15, 5:00, 7:45, 10:30 Zootopia(PG, 1 hr, 48 min.)11:25, 12:20, 2:05, 3:00, 4:45, 5:40, 7:25, 8:20, 10:05 Zootopia 3D(PG, 1 hr, 48 min.)1:15, 3:55, 6:40, 9:25

Some of 2015’s best weren’t blockbusters

In the Dark

with Melanie Dishman

‘Tangerine’

Cate Blanchett as Mary Mapes in ‘Truth’

See DARK on page 7 B

‘The End of the Tour’ is based on five days that Rolling Stone reporter David Lipsky (Jesse Eisenberg) spent with critically acclaimed author David Foster Wallace (Jason Segal).


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Classic Movie Night continues with the 2001 fantasy film Donnie Darko on Friday, March 18, at the historic Jefferson Theatre in downtown Beaumont. Donnie Darko stars Jake Gyl-lenhaal, a troubled teen who see visions of a rabbit who tells him the world will soon end and manipulates him into doing crime. The film is 1:53 in length and Rated R. Doors open at 6 p.m. and the movie begins at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $5. Beer, wine and other concessions will be available. The Jefferson Theatre is at 345 Fannin. For more information, view beau-montcityevents.com or call (409) 838-3435.

Classic Movie Night at the Jefferson

uncomfortable, but not seeing this because of that would deny you the opportunity to see some amazing work by Oscar winner Larson and the noth-ing short of astonishing performance of her co-star, young Jacob Tremblay. It’s on pay-per-view now.

Carey Mulligan had not one but two great film roles last year — “Suf-fragette” and “Far From the Madding Crowd.” Both are lush period pieces, with “Crowd” being the more pastoral of the two. It’s a beautiful movie, and Mulligan is superior in it. The same goes for “Suffragette” with Mulligan playing a young woman who reluc-

tantly joins the violent struggle to earn women the right to vote in turn-of-the-century London.

“Miss You Already” wowed the critics with its story of friendship between two women played by Drew Barrymore and Toni Collette. The juxtaposition of one of them dying of cancer while the other is trying to get pregnant makes for compelling scenes, and the direction of Catherine Hardwicke (“Thirteen”) should be given much of the credit.

The other big winner at the Inde-pendent Spirit Awards was a little movie called “Tangerine.” You might not have heard of it, but you may have heard something about a movie being shot entirely on an iPhone. This is it, and the mobile phone used was actu-

ally an iPhone 5S — not even a 6! The story of two transgender prostitutes on a Christmas Day odyssey in downtown LA is fascinating and funny and again, it’s unknown stars — both transgender women — are super good. Mia Taylor won an ISA in the supporting category and gave one of the best speeches of the night that spoke eloquently to the fact that independent film is a wonder-ful creative outlet for burgeoning film-makers and their actors.

I agree. Sure, not every indepen-dent small movie lives up to its hype, but when they do, and you know you are witnessing the creative process at its purest — its best and highest form — it’s a rare and wonderful thing. Take some time to enjoy a few of the ones suggested here. Barrymore and Collette in ‘Miss You Already’

DARKfrom page 6 B


The gold that glittered … Many special agents volun-teering for the Art Museum of Southeast Texas Go for the Gold fundraiser this year — complete with Goldfinger theme — did an outstanding job selling almost all of the 450 tickets available. Last Thursday evening, March 10, agents, guests and maybe even some spies descended upon the museum for the reverse drawing toward $10,000 in gold coins. Spe-cial agent chairs Sandy and Joseph Fertitta were very Bondish in their themed out-fits, perfect for the evening. Guests enjoyed delicious Mexican fare provided by Two Magnolias as well as gold tequila and Deep Eddy lemon vodka cocktails. Mark Steinhagen was the third place winner, Brad Cuccio won second place and the grand prize winner, Karen Pipkin, who took home the $10,000 in gold. Clark Winslow and BradKlein did an incredible job pulling from the hopper and

calling the numbers for the drawing. Chris Bean kept the drawing moving along, pulling the numbers until there were only three num-bers left on the board. Sit-ting on the edge of their seats and hoping to stay in until the end were Lori and Mike Lockwood, Tom Bell, Frank Oerle, Peter Maida III, Isel Isern, Tom Brous-sard, Donald Jowers, Shan-non Allen, Linda Jones, Karen and Bob Wortham, Elizabeth Miller, Christian and Jose Crawford, Dean Conwell, Beth and Brian Bommer, Liliana Gree-wald, Michele and Mitch Smith, Stephanie and Eric

Flatten, Elizabeth and Russ Waddill, Allen Lea, Melis-sa and Martin Edwards, Pat Miller, Derina and Paul Holtzhausen, Seth Crone, Pam and Leo Danna, Bar-bara and Bob Quinn, Lyn-da and Ken Moncla, Julieand Mark Golia, Sarah Matheny, Margaret and Larry Thorne, Aggie In, Mandy Oliverio, Paula and John Lovoi, Becky and Rodney Ames, Marcia Ste-vens, Kim and Roy Steinha-gen, Patti and Floyd McSpadden, Cullen Ramsey, Les Warren, Lau-rie Messina, Andy and John Quigley, Jerome Dick, Kathe and Jim Hendricks,

Terry Garth, Sandra Clark, Pat Klein, Sissy Coffin, Liz and Charles Howell and too many more to mention. Congrats to the winners!

Big party for the littlest patients … Anyat House is once again hosting its annual fundraiser Friday, April 1, at 7 p.m. at the Beaumont Event Centre. This year’s honoree is the Christus St. Elizabeth Neonatal ICU Team. There will be a silent and live auc-tion and open bar. Dance the night away will be to the high-energy band Cham-pagne Room. Tickets may be purchased online at www.anayathouse.org or by calling (409) 833-0649.

Storkmarketing … Van-essa and J.B. Peel welcomed their third image March 4. Ryker James Peel bowed in at 7 pounds, 1 ounce. Con-grats!

Shower power … The last celebration before the birth of baby JP Parsons III was held recently in Houston at the Hess Club by the family

of Ayna and John Pat Par-son. The future mom’s father, Narin Sehgal, pulled out all the stops with fabu-lous flavors of India. Besides the future dad’s parents Mel-ody and Pat Parsons, others who call our fair city home but made the trek to Houston were Cindy and Mike Lind-say, Michelle and George Casseb, Shayla Kay, Shayne King, Kelly and Mike Peyton, to name a few.

Candles and cakes … Belated best to Sherry Cur-tice and Ashley Bryan. Champagne toasts to Jimmy Simmons, Judy Ware, Tom Combs, Bart Nichols, Paul Nichols, Ken Mosley, Gil-lian Jenkins, Mary Hager, Toni Wheeler, Heather Kilgore, Lisa Braneff, Clif Loftin, Dawn Jones, Kath-arine Carmichael, Lindsay Briggs, Maria Branham, Mike Moelier, Scott Renick, Bessie Chisum, Cindy Lindsay, Tonya Toups, Amy Pyburn and Patrick Maloney.

Until the next RSVP!!

And the winner is … Art Museum of Southeast TexasOut & About

with Albert NolenAlbert Nolen is a native of Beaumont and a time-honored

presence on the local party scene. His column appearsin The Examiner weekly. To share your social tidbits with

Albert, call (409) 832-1400 or fax information to him at (409) 832-6222.

We’re so vein.Varicose veins or heavy, painful, swollen or restless legs? The Modern Vein Surgery Institute at Previty Clinic provides the latest treatments for problem veins.

The Venefit™ procedure is a clinically proven, minimally invasive procedure that treats varicose veins and their underlying cause, venous reflux, with little or no pain. With the Venefit procedure, patients can walk away from the vein procedure and be back to everyday activities – either at home or at work – typically within a day. Even better, it’s covered by most health insurances and Medicare.

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MODEL PICTURED NOT ACTUAL PATIENT. INDIVIDUAL RESULTS WILL VARY.


Continued on page 10B

What: Alumni of

Distinction Awards Dinner

Where:Lamar University

Event Center, Gray Library

Brandon GouthierPhotography

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Vernon Durden and Sena Nejad

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Davilyn and Kent Walston Carol and Mike Hebert


OUT & ABOUTAlumni of Distinction Awards Dinner • Continued from Page 9B

SHRUBBERY • TREESBEDDING • FLOWERS

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Amy Morgan Pyburn, Glen and Teri Morgan and Michael MorganJimmy and Susan Simmons, Ken Evans

Continued on page 13BYolanda and Chris Conyers Taylor and Adam Nichols Christine Schmidt, Anita Riddle Schmidt, Sierra Schmidt and Steven Schmidt


Dean BernalDealer/GM

Joe HinsonSales Consultant

Evelyn BrownSales Consultant

Dennis BernalSales Manager

Darrell LoweSales Consultant

Karl Whitecliff-PieriSales Consultant

Dalona FisetteSales Consultant

Landon StewartSales Consultant

Kevin HignettSales Consultant

Milton SellersSales Consultant

Lance DavisSales Consultant


OUT & ABOUT

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What: Deli Days

Where:Temple Emanuel

Courtesy photos

Beverly and Paul Hay

Wilton Allenand Joshua Taub

Katherine and Bill Fouts, Dale Laughlin

Ana Bender and Marsha Hoffer Sherry Horwitz and Iris Nathan Continued on page 13B

Cynthia Wolf and Allison Getz


Charles and Gloria Locke

Shaheen and Kerri Farah, Juan and Peggy Zabala

Sheila Reese, Nancy Evans and Linda Domino

OUT & ABOUTAlumni of Distinction Awards Dinner • Continued from Page 10B

Deli Days • Continued from Page 12B

Meredith Hise, Marc McDonald and Vic Reyna


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OUT & ABOUT

What: YMBL Ladies Night

Where:MCM Eleganté

Brandon Gouthier Photography

Julie Lang, Chris Colletti and Beth Boren

Clint and Anne Lewis, Wayne and

Susan Margolis

Jessica McLain and Pat A. Riley

Angela and Langston Adams

Jo Rita Lyle, Wendy and Mark McAdams, Steve Lyle

Stella and Donald Taft

Regina Carnley and Woody Leon

Charlotte and David Ozment Sabrina and Roger Whittley


March 19th & 20th

Saturday 9-6/Sunday 10-4

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Becky Ames is mayor of Beaumont and administrator for The Medical Center of Southeast Texas Victory Cam-pus. A lifelong resi-dent of Jefferson County who moved to Beaumont in 1981, Becky was elected to the Beau-mont City Council in 1994 and mayor in 2007, a position she still holds today. She has been instrumen-tal in several city projects including the Calder beautifi-cation project and opening of The Event Centre, com-munity centers throughout the city, hike and bike trails, and the One Stop Shop at City Hall. She also continues to promote economic development, the 311 customer service hot line and GO REQUEST app for customer service. In addition, Becky has opened and managed three notable buildings in the area: the Beaumont Hilton, Atria Collier Park in 1996 and Victory Medical Center in 2012, now the Medical Center of Southeast Texas Victory Campus. She and her husband, Rodney, have been married for 33 years and both love animals, especially rescue dogs.

(From section A)

Answer: Who Is This? birds in artThe Art Museum of Southeast Texas

(AMSET) is hosting its spring exhibition Birds in Art through June 5 with an opening reception set for Friday, March 18, from 6-8 p.m.

The Birds in Art touring is an annual trav-eling exhibition organized by the Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum in Wausau, Wisconsin.

The exhibition features mesmerizing art-work by some of the world’s most talented artists. Varied and accom-plished depictions of avian life, from regal poses, live-ly gatherings, and calm repose to sculptural state-ments and whimsical works, highlight why throughout four decades Birds in Art has earned international esteem and been chosen by the Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum.

Luminous depictions of avian life range from realistic to whimsical trompe l’oeil in an array of media. Abstract forms creatively encompass open space in work by Don Rambadt – bronze birds in swift departure from a window-like frame – and in a sculpture by Fran A.H. Alvarado.

Each fall at the Woodson Art Museum, the

Birds in Art exhibition presents original paintings, sculptures, and graphics created within the last three years by artists from the world over. More than 500 artists annually – 607 in 2015 – submit their work for consid-eration by a jury of three professionals who winnow the field to about 100 works.

The subsequent Birds in Art touring exhi-bition, which comprises 60 artworks from the annual exhibition, travels to locations throughout the country.

A 132-page full-color, illustrated Birds in Art catalogue featuring every artwork along with artists’ statements will be available for purchase in the AMSET Museum Shop.

AMSET is at 500 Main Street in down-town Beaumont. For more information, view amset.org or call (409) 832-3432.


houston eventsMarch 18

NBA: Rockets vs. Minnesota,Toyota Center, 7p

Winter Mixed Repertory Program, Wortham Center, 7:30p

Beethoven 9 & Bernstein, Jones Hall, 8pLa Compagnie Herve Koubi,

Wortham Center, 8pPetter Yarrow & Noel Paul Stookey,

The Grand (Galveston), 8pMarch 19

Winter Mixed Repertory Program, Wortham Center, 7:30p

Guillermo Klein y Los Cuachos,Worthm Center, 8p

Beethoven 9 & Bernstein, Jones Hall, 8pMarch 20

Winter Mixed Repertory Program, Wortham Center, 2p

Beethoven 9 & Bernstein, Jones Hall, 2:30pp

Nick Colionne & Everette Harp, Wortham Center, 5pMarch 23

NBA: Rockets vs. Utah, Toyota Center, 7p

March 24Dance Salad Festival, Wortham Center,

7:30pMatthew Morrison, Jones Hall, 8p

March 25NBA: Rockets vs. Toronto,

Toyota Center, 7pDance Salad Festival, Wortham Center,

7:30pMatthew Morrison, Jones Hall, 8p

March 26Superheroes at the Symphony, Jones

Hall, 10a, 11:30aSoccer: Club America vs. Tigres Uanl,

BBVA Compass Stadium, 3pDance Salad Festival, Wortham

Center, 7:30pMatthew Morrison, Jones Hall, 8p

Kinky Friedman, The Grand (Galveston), 8p

March 28Mat Johnson & Helen Oyeyemi,

Wortham Center, 7:30pMarch 31

NBA: Rockets vs. Chicago, Toyota Center, 6p

kristin chenowethDue to flooding in the

region, the Lutcher Theater’s presentation of Emmy and Tony Award winning actress and singer Kristin Che-noweth in the “Coming Home Tour” has been rescheduled for Tuesday, June 14 . Patrons who have pur-chased tickets will be able to redeem them for the resched-uled performance on that date. If unable to attend, tick-et-holders may contact the

Lutcher Theater Box Offi ce via email at boxoffi [email protected] beginning Tuesday, March 22, to arrange a refund. Tickets are $55-$90 and can be purchased online at lutch-er.org, by phone at (409) 886-5535 or at the box office.

From Broken Arrow, Okla-homa, Chenoweth received a Tony Award for her perfor-mance as Sally Brown in You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown on Broadway, won an

Emmy for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for her work on the ABC hit series Pushing Daisies, and was recognized in the FOX hit musical comedy series Glee.

She also performed on Broadway in Steel Pier, The Apple Tree, Promises, Prom-ises and On the Twentieth Century.

In film, Chenoweth had roles in movies such as The Boy Next Door, Bewitched,

The Pink Panther, RV, Running with Scissors, Deck the Halls and Stranger Than Fiction.

Chenoweth also saw plenty of television time in The Good Wife, Sesame Street, Ugly Betty and Hot in Cleve-land.

She penned a memoir in 2009 called A Little Bit Wicked and received a star on the Hol-lywood Walk of Fame in 2015.

The Lutcher Theatre is at 707 Main Avenue in Orange.

joke’s on you comedy tourThursday, April 28, for

the first time since 2004, comedic legend Gallagher is set to perform in the his-toric Jefferson Theatre in downtown Beaumont with the Joke’s on You Comedy Tour featuring fellow comedians Artie Fletcher and Bob Nelson.

Tickets are currently on sale at the Beaumont Civic Center box office starting at $30 (general admission); those wanting to be in the “splash zone area,” mean-ing beware of flying stuff Gallagher brings to the table, can purchase those tickets for $50. Tickets are also available online at ticketmaster.com or by phone at (800) 745-3000.

Gallagher, most famous for smashing watermelons on stage with his Sledge-O-Matic spoof on “As Seen on TV” gadget commer-cials, is unique in that he

stands in the lobby prior to each show to meet ticketh-olders and sell his own merchandise. Between Gallagher, Fletcher and Nelson, the trio has more than 70 TV credits; Galla-gher alone has 14 Show-time specials.

Fletcher is a “must see” entertainer with interna-tional fame to prove it. He has been on Law and Order and The Tonight Show, and appeared with Conan

O’Brien and David Letter-man. Nelson, known as one of the most gifted comedi-ans today, performs a series of characters seen on The Tonight Show and The Late Show with David Letter-man. His football routine, punchy boxer Jiffy Jeff and nerd Eppy Epperman are comedy icons.

For more information, view discoverbeaumont.com or call (409) 838-3435.


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If you helped support your parents or other adult relatives in 2015, tax breaks are avail-able that could lower your taxes. You may be able to claim your relative as a depen-dent, deduct extra medical expenses, or use a more beneficial tax bracket.

• Claiming a relative as a dependent. An adult dependent’s gross income must be less than the exemption amount for 2015

($4,000). Some income, such as social security, isn’t counted for this purpose. In addition, you must contribute more than half of your relative’s support. Social security does count as support for this test. An exception to keep in mind: When you and others to-gether provide more than half of a person’s support, you can claim the exemption if the others are willing to sign a document called a “multiple support agreement.”

• Medical expenses. If a relative could be your dependent except for having too much income, you still might be able to deduct any medical expenses you paid in 2015. You must pay the bills direct-ly as part of your relative’s support, and your total unreimbursed medical expenses must exceed 10% of your adjusted gross income.

• Head of household filing status. If you’re single and helping support a parent, you may be able to file as head of household. That filing status can be beneficial, because you can use the head of household tax rates. The brackets for those rates are wider than the brackets for single filers, meaning your overall tax may be low-er than if you filed as single. To qualify, you must maintain your parent’s principal home, and your parent must be your dependent. Your parent need not live with you. Adult dependents other than parents generally have to live with you for head of household sta-tus to be available.

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yolanda perezThe High Street Gallery will host

an art titled “Identity in Flux” by Yolanda Carmen Perez on Friday, March 19, from 7-10 p.m. located inside the Victoria House (2110 Vic-toria St.) in Beaumont.

Entry is free, and the work will be for sale. Refreshments will be available, and there will be live music at the event.

“My ultimate inten-tion is to reveal a new Cultural Realism by introducing an alterna-tive connection to an image or icon within a new context,” said Perez. “With this approach, I want to change the viewer’s preconceived notions of a popular image or reference by the use of sat-ire and re-juxtaposition. In this, the viewer will experience a more criti-cal and enlightened perspective of the over simplification of a cultural genre that may transcend to other areas in their life experience.”

Perez, who lives in Beaumont, has a bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Armstrong State University in Savannah, Georgia.

“I bring elements of their craft into my work such as Indonesian batik, Chinese silk painting, Puerto Rican

lace work, Carib-bean hammock weaving and Oaxacan embroi-dery,” she said. “I continue the attempt to blend the primitive kitsch elements of these cultures into my work through the use of sym-bolism, pop cul-ture references,

iconography, and technique.”Perez added this body of work

shows her experience in the U.S. as a woman of Puerto Rican descent.

“Due to my cultural and racial ambiguity, there is an alienation that makes me an outsider,” she said. “I see the world from multiple perspectives.”

LIT shootout

Lamar Institute of Technology will host its ninth annual LIT Foundation Shoot-Out on Saturday, April 2, at the 1-in-100 Gun Club (1228 FM 421) in Lumberton. The event raises money for scholarships for students at Lamar Institute of Technology. Teams of four shooters will traverse the course, trying their skills at shooting clays and flights will begin at 8 a.m., 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. Trophies will be awarded by the Lewis System, which gives any shooter an opportunity to

be a winner. Individual cost to par-ticipate is $175. Team sponsorships are $650, and event sponsorships begin at $1,500. LIT is a two-year educational institution that is a mem-ber of the Texas State University System. It provides a curriculum con-sisting of more than 50 degree and certificate programs covering a wide range of career and technical educa-tional opportunities. For event infor-mation, view lit.edu or call (409) 839-2983.


THURSDAY 17Doll Skin The Gig – Beaumont(409) 833-1700

Heather & The HellcatsThe Logon Café – Beaumont(409) 833-6950

Frank Gilligan Café Del Rio – Beaumont(409) 347-0250

Jimmy KaiserThe Grill – Beaumont(409) 866-0039

Boxing Dei DeiBar Local – Beaumont(409) 866-2669

David Lee KaiserTradewinds Tavern @ MCM Elegante – Beaumont (409) 842-3600

Tyler DarbyLuke’s – Beaumont(409) 347-8139

BB & CompanyMacKenzie’s Pub - Beaumont(409) 866-2288

Johnny RileyWhite Horse Bar & Grill – Beaumont(409) 347-0764

Creole Cookin’ Boudain Hut – Port Arthur (409) 962-5079

Larry TilleryGood Times Lounge – Port Arthur(409) 210-2219

Dead or AliveDylan’s – Port Arthur(409) 722-1600Skeeter JonesLa Cantina – Port Arthur(409) 727-0404

Curse & The CureHeritage Festival – Nederland(409) 724-2269

CadillacsLarry’s French Market – Groves (409) 293-3022

John CessacPaul’s Seafood – Vidor(409) 745-3379

Kay Miller & Aaron HorneEmber Grille & Bar @ L’Auberge du Lac – Lake Charles, La(337) 395-7777

Perkins RoadRush Lounge @ Golden Nugget – Lake Charles, La(337) 508-7777

EncoreBlue Martini @ Golden Nugget – Lake Charles, La(337) 508-7777

Dikki Du & Zydeco KreweThe Cove @ Isle of Capri – Lake Charles, La(337) 226-2054

Bernie AlanMikko Live @Coushatta Casino Resort - Kinder, La(800) 854-7263

FRIDAY 18Coleman BrothersThe Gig – Beaumont(409) 833-1700

Greg Busceme, Cody Schaeffer, Warren RabbitThirsty’s – Beaumont(409) 866-6066

Safety Patrol Madison’s – Beaumont(409) 924-9777

Wayne Cook NY Pizza & Pasta (Calder) – Beau-mont(409) 892-6535

Tin Pan AlleyCafé Del Rio – Beaumont(409) 347-0250

Earl CollinsSuga’s – Beaumont(409) 813-1808

Otonana, The Ron JeremiesThe Logon Café – Beaumont(409) 833-6950

Good Grief, Snailmate, The Wolves of Chernobyl Texas Rose Saloon – Beaumont (409) 833-3900

GuiltyWhite Horse Bar & Grill – Beaumont(409) 347-0764

Rick DannaNY Pizza & Pasta (downtown) – Beaumont(409) 832-7032

Paul ThornBackyard Music Hall – Beaumont(409) 838-9966

Rainy Kimbrough & The B-SidesMacKenzie’s Pub - Beaumont(409) 866-2288

Creole Cookin’Boudain Hut – Port Arthur (409) 962-5079

Tim Burge & The Reckoning Dylan’s – Port Arthur(409) 722-1600

Bryce ShaverLuke’s – Port Arthur(409) 729-2665

BB & CompanyHeritage Festival – Nederland(409) 724-2269

Ken Marvel & Swamp-Rock

Larry’s French Market – Groves (409) 293-3022

Reed PlanchardPine Tree Lodge – Labelle (409) 796-1600

GuessworkCotton’s Cay – Orange(409) 886-9042

Herbie Stutes & Grand Shin Honky Tonk Texas – Silsbee(409) 386-1995

Bri BagwellStingaree – Crystal Beach(409) 684-2731

Wes NicksonTexas Longhorn Club – Vinton, LA(337) 589-5647

Louisiana ExpressGator Lounge @ Delta Downs – Vinton, La(337) 589-7441

KillawattsJack Daniels @ L’Auberge du Lac – Lake Charles, La(337) 395-7777

Kay Miller & Aaron HorneEmber Bar & Grille @ L’Auberge du Lac – Lake Charles, La(337) 395-7777



Curse & The CureMy Place American Pub – Lake Charles, La(337) 474-6447

Renn Loren171 Junction Roadhouse – Lake Charles, La(337) 602-6384

Rusty Metoyer & Zyedco KrushThe Cove @ Isle of Capri – Lake Charles, La

(337) 226-2054

Velcro PygmiesMikko Live @Coushatta Casino Resort - Kinder, La(800) 854-7263

SATURDAY 19Blake StickerThirsty’s – Beaumont(409) 866-6066

Undrai FizerSuga’s – Beaumont(409) 813-1808

Rick DannaWineStyles – Beaumont(409) 347-1340

Alter EgoMadison’s – Beaumont(409) 924-9777

Three Legged DawgCafé Del Rio – Beaumont(409) 347-0250

Electric Kazoos, HandsomebeastThe Logon Café – Beaumont(409) 833-6950

The JerryatricksMacKenzie’s Pub - Beaumont(409) 866-2288

Tin Pan AlleyWhite Horse Bar & Grill – Beaumont(409) 347-0764

Larry TilleryDylan’s – Port Arthur(409) 722-1600

Scott McGill Boudain Hut – Port Arthur (409) 962-5079

Lee PellyCapri Club – Port Arthur(409) 724-1030

Champagne Room Heritage Festival – Nederland(409) 724-2269

Jackie Caillier & Cajun CousinsLarry’s French Market – Groves (409) 293-3022

Curse & The CureTexas Ave Tavern – Bridge City(409) 697-3053

Al WhiteHonky Tonk Texas – Silsbee(409) 386-1995

Cody CanadaStingaree – Crystal Beach(409) 684-2731

John CessacLucky Longhorn Casino – Vinton, LA(337) 589-5647

Louisiana ExpressGator Lounge @ Delta Downs – Vinton, La(337) 589-7441

Kay Miller & Aaron HorneEmber Bar & Grille @ L’Auberge du Lac – Lake Charles, La(337) 395-7777



Clay WalkerEvent Center @ Isle of Capri – Lake Charles, La(337) 226-2054

Brad Brinkley & Comfort ZoneThe Cove @ Isle of Capri – Lake Charles, La(337) 226-2054

Honey Jar171 Junction Roadhouse – Lake Charles, La(337) 602-6384

Velcro PygmiesMikko Live @Coushatta Casino Resort - Kinder, La(800) 854-7263

SUNDAY 20Wayne Cook Suga’s – Beaumont

doll skin

Phoenix all female punk rockers Doll Skin will perform at The Gig on Crockett Street on Thursday, March 17, with doors opening at 8 p.m. Tickets for this 18-and-older show are $5 and can be purchased at the door. All in their teens, the band consists of vocalist Sydney Dolezal (16), guitarist Alex Snowden (16), bassist Nicole Rich (17) and drummer Meghan Shea Herring (19) under the guidance of Megadeth bassist David Ellefson. They are touring in support of their debut record, In Your Face. “When I was fi rst introduced to Doll Skin, I knew there was something really special there,” said Ellefson. “Through working with them as a producer, it became even more apparent what

these girls were capable of. I’m really excited to be working with them.”

gosounds

Please check out ourFacebook page @

Courville's concert series!

409-860-9811 www.cajunflavors.com

March 23rd

James McMurtry

April 14th

Fred Eaglesmith

April 21st

The Black Lillies

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james mcmurtrygoCourville’s welcomes James

McMurtry on Wednesday, March 23, at 7 p.m. Tickets are $40, which includes Big Rich’s famous buffet dinner. McMurtry, 53, is the son of the Pulitzer Prize winner Larry McMurtry, author of Lonesome Dove and Terms of Endearment. James, who impressed fellow musician John Cougar Mellencamp during his early years, has released more than a dozen albums with his last, Complicated Game, coming in 2015. It charted in several Billboard Top 10s and received high praise from critics. For tickets, call (409) 860-9811. Courville’s is at 1744 Rose Lane in Beaumont.

Formed in 1983 — yes, more than 30 years ago — legendary punk rock act NOFX has three of the original four members touring and playing music plus promoting their first ever book — The Hepatitis Bathtub and Other Stories. If you know punk, you know NOFX. Another plus is the fact the show begins at 2 p.m. and Unwritten Law will also perform.

Photo by Ben Garcia

March 17Coheed & Cambria @ Revention Music CenterTrove Sivan @ House of BluesPusha T @ Warehouse Live

March 18Da Tweekaz @ Stereo LiveBlessthefall @ Warehouse Live

March 19Markus Schulz @ Stereo Live

March 20NOFX @ House of Blues

March 21Santigold @ House of Blues

March 22Unwritten Law @ Warehouse LiveDeftones @ Revention Music CenterMoon Taxi @ House of Blues

March 23Junior Boys @ Warehouse LiveIntronaut @ Walter’s Downtown

March 24Disturbed @ House of BluesLogic @ Warehouse Live

March 25Big Head Todd & The Monsters @ House of BluesClay Walker @ Arena Theatre

March 26Finish Ticket @ House of BluesTinashe @ House of Blues

March 28Issues @ House of Blues

March 30Daughter @ NumbersHippie Sabotage @ Warehouse Live

April 1They Might Be Giants @ Warehouse LiveNapalm Death, The Melvins @ NumbersJauz @ Stereo Live

April 2Lewis Black @ Revention Music Center

Tech N9ne @ Warehouse LiveDru Hill & 112 @ Arena Theatre

April 3Mumford & Sons @ Woodlands Pavilion

April 7Candelbox @ Scout Bar (Clear Lake)

April 8Bryan Adams @ Woodlands Pavilion

April 9Justin Bieber @ Toyota CenterRon White @ Revention Music CenterChon @ House of BluesCameron Esposito @ Warehouse LiveM83 @ White Oak Music HallPaul Van Dyk @ Stereo LiveBrendan Schaub & Bryan Callen @ House of BluesZ-Ro @ Scout Bar (Clear Lake)

April 10Tori Kelley @ Revention Music CenterNekrogoblikon @ Scout Bar (Clear Lake)

Rapper Logic was born in 1990 in Maryland as Sir Robert Bryson Hall II. Don’t let the name fool you; he wasn’t born to privilege, and facing a tough childhood, Logic dropped out of school and began working on music, eventually signing a contract with Def Jam Records. Two albums later, the 26-year-old is a superstar.

Logic – March 24Warehouse Live – warehouselive.com$28, all ages, 8 p.m.

Once signed to Madonna’s record label, the Deftones have gone on to become a multi-platinum metal rock group and Grammy winner. With original vocalist Chino Moreno at the helm, the band is touring in support of the record Gore, which will be released in April. Utah rockers Cult Leader will open.

Deftones – March 22Revention Music Center – reventionmusiccenter.com$35-$45, all ages, 8 p.m.

Five of Disturbed’s seven albums have debuted No. 1 on the Billboard rock chart. Singer David Draiman and the group took the metal world by storm some 16 years ago with the songs “Stupify” and “Down with the Sickness.” They also did a damn good job covering the 1986 Genesis hit “Land of Confusion.” Nonpoint will open.

Disturbed – March 24House of Blues – hob.com$35-$55, all ages, 7 p.m.

NOFX – March 20House of Blues – hob.com$25-$35, all ages, 2 p.m.

UPCOMING HOUSTON CONCERTS

(409) 813-1808

The Disgustoids, Bummers Eve, Dirty DishesTexas Rose Saloon – Beaumont (409) 833-3900

Cajun HarmonyPine Tree Lodge – Labelle (409) 796-1600

Clint FaulkBoudain Hut – Port Arthur (409) 962-5079

Linda Kaye & Kool KatzJeff. Co. Singles Club – Nederland (409) 727-0013

MONDAY 21Kevin LambertEmber Bar & Grille @ L’Auberge du Lac – Lake Charles, La(337) 395-7777

TUESDAY 22Jimmy KaiserTradewinds Tavern @ MCM Elegante – Beaumont (409) 842-3600

Ashton Courtney, The BurnPile, Glass Mansions, True Heroics

Texas Rose Saloon – Beaumont (409) 833-3900

Pug Johnson & Tyler DarbyMadison’s – Beaumont(409) 924-9777

Alex RozellDylan’s – Port Arthur(409) 722-1600

Kenneth EspreeEmber Bar & Grille @ L’Auberge du Lac – Lake Charles, La(337) 395-7777

Angel GarciaRush Lounge @ Golden Nugget – Lake Charles, La(337) 508-7777

WEDNESDAY 23James McMurtryCourville’s – Beaumont(409) 860-9811

Jimmy KaiserCafé Del Rio – Beaumont(409) 347-0250

Bronco Jr. The West – Beaumont(409) 860-9706

Alex RozellLuke’s – Beaumont

(409) 347-8139

Buffalo Paws, ChewTexas Rose Saloon – Beaumont (409) 833-3900

Colossi, Short LeaseThe Logon Café – Beaumont(409) 833-6950

Clint FaulkBoudain Hut – Port Arthur (409) 962-5079

Curse & The CureCapri Club – Port Arthur(409) 724-1030

Mike ZitoCapri Club – Port Arthur(409) 724-1030

Josh TaylorJack Daniels @ L’Auberge du Lac – Lake Charles, La(337) 395-7777

Chester DaigleEmber Bar & Grille @ L’Auberge du Lac – Lake Charles, La(337) 395-7777

RaptureRush Lounge @ Golden Nugget – Lake Charles, La(337) 508-7777

Live Music • No Cover

Friday night bands 8pm-midnightSaturday night bands 9pm-1am

3/19 Greg Busceme3/20 Blake Sticker3/25 John Guidroz3/26 Heather & the Hellcats

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March 17-23, 2016 • The Examiner • Section C

CHUCK SHEPHERD’S

WEIRDWEIRD

COMMUNITY LISTINGS

GARDEN GATE

AUTOMOTIVE REVIEW

Stark Reading Contestwinners at LC-M

Nissan’s 2016 Sentra

By Sharon BrooksThe Examiner

Jefferson County Sheriff Mitch Woods swore in six new deputies and promoted a vet-eran peace officer during a ceremony at the Jefferson County Jail on March 10.

Trent Ikner, Derrick Hill, Lester Reeves, Kenneth Harrell, Lim Nguyen and Todd Guidry were sworn in Thursday morning. Five of the new deputies serve as corrections officers at the jail, and one is a reserve deputy with the sheriff’s office. All now hold the title deputy sheriff.

Before the swearing-in, Sheriff Woods rec-ognized the officers’ efforts to achieve their new rank.

“What you are about to witness is the culmi-nation of some real hard work,” Woods said, addressing friends, family and colleagues of the deputies.

After they were sworn in and family mem-bers were called forward to pin new insignia onto their lapels, the sheriff spoke directly to the deputies.

“You have just taken on a responsibility, an awesome responsibility, and I think it’s one that is quite often overlooked,” he cautioned. “The authority that you have is authority no one else in the country has — to take away someone’s liberty. ... Judges don’t have that

authority. They don’t want it.”The decision to take away someone’s liberty

is not to be taken lightly, said Woods, and nei-ther are the “split-second decisions” the offi-cers will be faced with in their new careers.

“I appreciate you for taking (the responsibil-ity),” Woods said.

DEPUTIES Page 2C

Mitch Woods swears in six, promotes one to sergeant

New deputy sheriffs in Jefferson Co.

Trent Ikner, Derrick Hill, Lester Reeves, Kenneth Harrell, Lim Nguyen and Todd Guidry were sworn in Thursday morning.

Photos by Sharon Brooks

Koneka Hill, wife of newly sworn in Derrick Hill, watches the ceremony with their daugh-ter Aviana.

Southeast Texas perfect for growing azaleas

2 C LIVING THE EXAMINER • March 17-23, 2016

Deputy Dustin Unruh, who has served with the sheriff’s office for four-and-a-half years, was promoted to the rank of sergeant. Woods stressed Unruh would also be trusted with immense responsibility in his new leadership role.

“You have the responsibility of looking after the guys working under your supervision,” said Woods. “Your job is to take care of those folks.”

Unruh thanked the sheriff for the promotion, and said he could not have done it alone.

“There are a lot of guys here who helped me get here,” said Unruh. “Thanks for being here.”

Koneka Hill, wife of newly sworn in Derrick Hill, was present at the cer-emony with their daughter Aviana. She said she was pleased with her hus-band’s accomplishment.

“I’m very proud of him,” she said at the ceremony.

The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office is an equal opportunity employ-er. To learn about open positions, call (409) 726-2521 or (409) 720-4002.

Sharon Brooks can be reached at (409) 832-1400, ext. 241, or by e-mail at [email protected].

DEPUTIES from Page 1C

www.americanrealestate.com

6320 Claybourn, Beaumont, TX 77706

Albert Nolen(409) 656-5100

6470 Phelan Blvd • Beaumont

4 bedroom, 3 bath, 3 car garage $344,900This beautiful Barrington Heights home is just waiting for the right family. Built by Keystone Homes, this fabulous home has so many upgraded features like 5 burner gas stove top, double oven, granite

counter tops, oak cabinets with under cabinet lighting and hand scraped wood floors. Perfectly located in the west end allowing easy access to schools, shopping and parks.

Deputy Dustin Unruh (above, at right), was promoted to the rank of sergeant. Family members of the newly sworn in dep-uty sheriffs (at right) helped pin insignia on their uniforms.

LIVING 3 CMarch 17-23, 2016 • THE EXAMINER

2007 Mercedes Benz c-class

2009 dodge raM

2013 nissan MaxiMa

2008 Ford F-150

2011 nissan Murano

2014 kia optiMa

By Michele BrookeAuto Writer

The Nissan Sentra compact sedan has achieved some impressive numbers over its more than 30 years and seven generations of production. In the United States alone, over 4 million Sentras have been sold. Sentra is also Nissan’s third best-selling vehicle, behind Altima and Rogue. And since the introduction of the latest generation design in fall 2012, Sentra has experienced growth in sales and market share, making it one of Nis-san’s fastest growing name-plates.

Now, to help keep the momentum going for the 2016 model year, Sen-tra has under-

gone a significant refresh – starting with a revised exterior.

Nissan ‘family’ exteriorThe new 2016 Sentra exte-

rior redesign brings its appear-ance closer in look and feel to its more upscale showroom siblings. All three Nissan sedans – Maxima, Altima and now Sentra – reflect Nissan’s new design language first introduced on the Nissan Murano crossover.

The 2016 Sentra has a start-ing MSRP of $16,780 for the Sentra S with a 6-speed manu-al transmission. Other models in the Sentra lineup include S Xtronic, FE+ S, SV, SR and SL.

Key features of the 2016 Sentra exterior include a new front fascia, grille, fenders and hood.

In the rear, a new fascia adds a more premium appear-ance and there are also two new 17-inch wheel designs for SR and SL grades, as well as a new SV 16-inch aluminum-alloy wheel design. Other exterior features include

chrome door handles and chrome win-

dow accents.

Interior environmentThe Sentra interior has also

been revised for the 2016 model year. The interior design includes soft-touch materials and available leather-appoint-ed seating. Other available features include Dual Zone Automatic Temperature Con-trol, a Bose Premium audio system with eight speakers and much more.

Under the hoodAll 2016 Sentra models uti-

lize a fuel-efficient 1.8-liter 4-cylinder engine paired to an Xtronic transmission. A 6-speed manual transmission is also available with the Sen-

tra S grade. This engine is rat-ed at 130 horsepower and 128 foot-pounds of torque.

Fuel economy is rated at 29 mpg in the city, 38 mpg on the highway and 32 mpg combined with the Xtronic transmission. The Sentra FE+ S grade achieves 30 mpg in the city, 40 mpg on the highway and 34 mpg combined. And the Sentra S with 6-speed manual trans-mission is rated at 27 mpg in the city, 36 mpg on the high-way and 30 mpg combined.

•••To learn more about the

2016 Nissan Sentra, visit your local Southeast Texas Nissan dealer or log on to www.nis-sanusa.com.

Nissan’s compact sedan, the 2016 Sentra

san’s fastest growing name-plates.

Now, to help keep the momentum going for the 2016 model year, Sen-tra has under-

chrome door handles and chrome win-

dow accents.

ed seating. Other available features include Dual Zone Automatic Temperature Con-trol, a Bose Premium audio system with eight speakers and much more.

Under the hood

lize a fuel-efficient 1.8-liter 4-cylinder engine paired to an Xtronic transmission. A 6-speed manual transmission is also available with the Sen-

The Nissan Sentra features a comfortable interior.

2016 Nissan Sentra


From the lakes to the beach....and all points in between.KWSETX.COM

Dangerous animalsFree Sigma Xi lecture atLamar University on March 22

The Lamar University chapter of Sigma Xi, the Scientific Research Society, will host Dr. John Hildebrand, regents professor of neuroscience in the departments of neurology, ento-mology and cellular biology at the University of Arizona, in a free public lecture Tuesday, March 22.

Hildebrand will speak on “The most dangerous animals in the world: Arthropod vectors of disease” in the Price Auditorium of the John Gray Center, Herman Iles Building at 7:30 p.m. Hildebrand will meet with LU

medical pre-profes-sional students at 3 p.m. in Hayes Biolo-gy, Room 200. This meeting is also open to the public.

Diseases caused by pathogens (virus-es, bacteria, and par-asites) that are trans-mitted to hosts by arthropod vectors

(for example, blood-sucking insects and ticks) collectively are the most important infectious diseases of humans. For many of these diseases, the vector arthropods are essential for transmission of the pathogen to a human host, and some of them are dia-bolically effective in fulfilling that mission. This lecture will survey bio-logical, medical, and societal aspects of selected vector-borne diseases, with particular attention to the vector arthro-pods that transmit the pathogens.

Malaria, Zika, West Nile, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, Lyme Dis-ease (transmitted by the deer tick, shown at right), Cha-gas and other arthropod transmitted diseases can be found in Texas.

For more infor-mation on the lec-ture, contact Jim West-gate, university professor of Earth and space sciences, at (409) 880-7970.

Stark Reading Contest winners at LC-M

Little Cypress-Mauriceville High School students Vincent Hale and Con-nor Alexander earned first place in Declamation and Interpretive Reading, respectively, at the school-level finals of the 112th Miriam Lutcher Stark Contest in Reading and Declamation, a scholarship program sponsored by the Nelda C. and H.J. Lutcher Stark Foun-dation.

Sunday, March 6, Little Cypress-Mauriceville High School students competed in the local-level contest, which was coordinated by Melanie Claybar, Little Cypress-Mauriceville High School teacher and school direc-tor for the Stark Reading Contest. Hale won first place in Declamation with

“Commencement Address at Stan-ford University” by Steve Jobs,

while Alexander won first place in Interpretive Reading with his presentation of an excerpt from

“The Tell-Tale Heart” by Edgar Allan Poe. Second place in

Declamation went to Sydney Smith, with Kaylee Patillo receiving second-

place honors in Interpretive Reading. Stark Reading Contest 2016 pre-

liminary participant, Christopher Cook, served as the emcee for the Lit-tle Cypress-Mauriceville competition. Kristine Brown, Little Cypress-Mau-riceville High School Assistant Princi-pal, presented awards to the 2015-16 school-level contest winners.

Each second-place winner was awarded $1,500 in scholarships from the Stark Foundation, while the two first-place winners were awarded $2,000 in scholarships. The first-place winners from West Orange-Stark High School will go on to compete against the first-place winners from other par-ticipating Orange County public high schools at the County Final of the Stark Reading Contest, which is sched-uled for Sunday, April 24, at 2 p.m. at the Lutcher Theater.

Ranger-led programs in the Big Thicket

The staff of Big Thicket National Preserve invites everyone to explore the thicket by taking advantage of the many ranger-led programs being offered in the months of March, April and May.

Big Thicket National Preserve con-sists of nine land units and six water corridors encompassing more than 112,000 acres. From canoe trips on the Neches River to a black bear presenta-tion and night hikes through the thicket, park ranger will offer a variety of free programs this spring. Some programs require participants to pre-register, and still others have alternative meeting locations. For detailed information on these programs, visit at www.nps.gov/bith.

Saturday, April 16, beginning at 9 a.m., explore the rugged Canyonlands Unit. The 3-mile round-trip hike to the Neches River follows old logging roads and cross-country routes. There may also be an optional longer hike to Crescent Lake. Bring plenty of water and lunch. Meet at the Exxon Mini-Mart in Spurger. Call the visitor center at (409) 951-6700 to register.

Spindletop Center to host community Resource Fair

Spindletop Center has announced that its first ever resource fair will be held Thursday, March 31, from 1-4 p.m. at the Center’s North Campus HRD Training Room, 655 S. Eighth St. (off College Street) in Beaumont. The resource fair will provide an opportu-nity for Southeast Texans to learn about the comprehensive array of ser-vices that the Center offers to the com-munity.

The resource fair will include repre-sentatives from Spindletop’s extensive range of services, including crisis and intake, adult and children’s mental health, early childhood intervention, substance abuse, IDD and many oth-ers. Participants are urged to visit with center representatives and explore the many options Spindletop Center offers in behavioral health and IDD services. Light refreshments and door prizes will be provided.

This resource fair is free and open to the public. For more information about the Spindletop Center Resource Fair, visit www.stctr.org or call Spindletop at (409) 839-1046.

community LiStinGS

Hildebrand

Vincent Hale, Sydney Smith, Connor Alexander and Kaylee Patillo

Mountain Spotted Fever, Lyme Dis-ease (transmitted by the deer tick, shown at right), Cha-gas and other arthropod transmitted diseases can

ture, contact Jim West-gate, university professor of Earth and space sciences, at

won first place in Declamation with “Commencement Address at Stan-ford University” by Steve Jobs,

while Alexander won first place

“The Tell-Tale Heart” by Edgar Allan Poe. Second place in

Declamation went to Sydney Smith, with Kaylee Patillo receiving second-


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Garden Gate

with Joette Reger

Are you ready for this spring beau-ty? Just look at the colorful blooms. One of the times that I feel the luckiest to be in Southeast Texas is right now when the azalea bushes start to bloom.

Not just anyone can grow azaleas. Those poor folks over in Midland or San Antonio or anywhere much west of here aren’t as lucky as we are. Azaleas lov e our acidic soil.

Azaleas are a popular flower-ing bush that lots of us use as foundation plants. Most of the year, these blooming beauties provide a beautiful green hedge. But look at them in the spring-time! Azalea bushes are mem-bers of the rhododendron family. The biggest difference between the rhododendron plant and an azalea is that some azaleas are deciduous. (They lose their leaves.) The rhododendron plant is an evergreen. Also, the azalea bush is generally smaller in height with small-er leaves and blooms.

Azaleas will grow 2 to 8 feet tall. Look for azaleas in such a wealth of color choices that you will feel like you are looking into a big bag of M&Ms. There are blooms out there in

golds, white, lavender, bright orange, red, purple and many shades of pink. Some of the Azalea shrubs are even fragrant.

Azaleas have bred for hundreds of years. This human selection has pro-duced more than 10,000 different cul-

tivars propagated by cuttings. Azaleas seeds can be collected and germinated if you are a patient gardener.

In Chinese culture, the aza-lea is known as the “thinking of home bush.” Forget making azalea tea, though. Their leaves and nectar are both toxic.

Azaleas are native to sever-al continents including Asia, Europe and North America. According to azalea historian Fred Galler, the azalea was first introduced into the United States landscape around 1830

at the Magnolia-on-the-Ashley planta-tion in Charleston, South Carolina. The owner of the plantation, John Drayton, imported his azaleas from Philadel-phia, where they had only been grown in greenhouses.

The very best place to plant your new azaleas is under the variable shade

Southeast Texas perfect for growing azaleas

See GARDEN on page 6 C

6 C LIVING THE EXAMINER • March 17-23, 2016Le

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My grandpa used to tell me that farming was a tough life, especially when it involved rain. He said a farmer had to pray for rain, then pray for rain to stop. I think that was pretty much

the case last week with all the rain that fell on East and Southeast Texas. All that water has created havoc for fishermen on the Sabine and Angelina Rivers, not to mention the folks on Sam Rayburn and Toledo Bend, and as of now, Sabine Lake.

Bill Fondren, a white bass guide on

the Sabine and Angelina rivers and on Rayburn, says it’s so bad they’re pour-ing chocolate milk into Rayburn to clear it up.

“The white bass run is totally wiped out,” says Fondren. “Both the Angelina and Sabine rivers are flooded. Right before the rains came, we caught over 100 crappie on the Angelina River. The crazy thing is we’ve still got more water coming down from northeast Texas. I think Rayburn is coming up about a foot a day. It’s not up in the picnic tables at the park yet, but it will be. “

All that water is heading right to Sabine Lake, and will likely wipe out the spring trout run. In fact, it’ll just about shut down fishing on the upper end for the next few weeks. On the lower end of the lake, the deep water reef north of the causeway might still provide some good catches of trout and reds for fishermen bumping jigs along bottom. The best bite will likely be in Lighthouse Cove and at the jetties.

Bass fishing on both T-Bend and Rayburn will continue to be fair — if you can find pockets of clean water. Fondren says that catches of bass are still pretty good on Rayburn. Most are being caught up shallow on spinner-baits.

Game warden to the rescue on Lake Limestone

A Limestone County game warden got a call about a father and son who hadn’t returned home from their fish-ing trip. After calling both her husband and son multiple times, the wife and her other son went to Lake Limestone to look for their missing family mem-bers. They found the dad’s truck and trailer, but his boat was nowhere to be seen. When the warden arrived on scene, he saw a light flashing sporadi-cally in the distance, in the middle of the lake. The warden launched his patrol boat and, upon arriving at the source of the light, found a man and child sitting on top of a capsized ves-sel. High winds had caused the boat to take on water and capsize on top of a tree stump, which kept the boat par-tially above water. The father and son, who were both wearing life jackets, were OK, though they were very cold, hungry and shaken. The warden took them back to the boat ramp and their waiting family members, gave them some food and let them warm up. For-tunately, neither individual needed medical attention.

Check out state parkswith new app

With fishing on the downside, one very good option is to visit one of our many state parks for a quick-hit escape. They offer a little bit of everything, including camping, hiking, biking and much more.

One very good way to check out our state parks is with the new Texas State Parks Official Guide mobile app. The app, which is available for download on the Apple App Store and Google Play, makes it easy for park visitors to find their perfect park based on favor-ite activities, campsite requirements and trail preferences from the palm of your hand.

The mobile app gives visitors access

to park descriptions, locations, facility maps, and other information from any-where. It also keeps users up-to-date on full or partial park closures caused by weather or other events, so visitors can keep their getaways happy and safe.

The new app fea-tures a search that allows users to sort through the Texas State Park system by location, by facilities and by activities and amenities offered at any of the 95 state parks. Visitors can also create a custom list of their favorite parks.

The Texas State Parks Official Guide features facilities and amenities for all parks, and in-app dialing to make reserva-tions or contact a park. You

can also find downloadable trail maps for offline use, driving direc-tions to parks from current location and get photos and videos of parks.

For more information about the Texas State Parks Official Guide,

visit www.TexasStateParks.org/app.

Bambi’s not a petA Grayson County game war-

den received a call from a Sher-man Police Department officer about a yearling white-tailed deer he had noticed in a small pen in someone’s yard. The war-

den went to the scene and, with the help of a local animal control officer, captured the deer and transferred it to a permitted rehabilitator so it could eventu-ally be released back into the wild. The warden cited the

resident of the house for possessing a live deer with-out a permit.

More water not always what fishermen want or need

Robert Sloan photo

All the rain we had last week has shut down the Sabine River white bass run. High and muddy water on the rivers will end up on Sabine Lake, and that’s definitely not good for fishing.

Robert Sloan

Outdoors

to park descriptions, locations, facility maps, and other information from any-where. It also keeps users up-to-date on full or partial park closures caused by weather or other events, so visitors can keep their getaways happy and safe.

The new app fea-tures a search that allows users to sort through the Texas State Park system by location, by facilities and by activities and amenities offered at any of the 95 state parks. Visitors can also create a custom list of their favorite parks.

The Texas State Parks Official Guide features facilities and amenities for all parks, and in-app dialing to make reserva-tions or contact a park. You

maps for offline use, driving direc-tions to parks from current location and get photos and videos of parks.

For more information about the Texas State Parks Official Guide,

visit www.TexasStateParks.org/app.

Bambi’s not a petA Grayson County game war-

den received a call from a Sher-man Police Department officer about a yearling white-tailed deer he had noticed in a small pen in someone’s yard. The war-

den went to the scene and, with the help of a local animal control officer, captured the deer and transferred it to a permitted rehabilitator so it could eventu-ally be released back into the wild. The warden cited the

resident of the house for possessing a live deer with-out a permit.

WarrenPhotographic

of tall trees. As the tall tree leaves and branches blow in the wind, the sun comes and goes under their cov-er. It is best to plant azaleas under trees that have been trimmed of their lower limbs. Azaleas will usually burn and be very unhappy when placed in full sun or where they get too much wind.

Give them well-drained soil. Sand and clay are soil extremes. Neither of these soils is good for growing aza-leas (or many other plants). If you

get less than an inch of water a week, you need to water your azaleas.

Already have established azaleas? They need fertilizer unless they are kept well mulched. As the mulch decomposes, it helps your shrubs. If you add fertilizer make sure that it is organic and apply between late fall and early spring when the plants are dormant. Avoid fertilizing after June.

This blooming bush can adapt to different temperatures. Anything over 86 degrees is hard on the azalea. But you can help your lovely azaleas on those super hot days by giving them extra water.

If you are into azaleas, there is so much more great information avail-able at the Azalea Society of Ameri-ca website. Feel like visiting azalea festivals? Huge festivals are held every April and early May in Tokyo, Korea, Hong Kong and cities in the U.S. like Mobile, Norfolk and Valdo-sta, Georgia. The closest festivals are in Tyler and Jasper. Fun trip!

Joette Reger is an avid gardener and prides herself on staying up-to-date on the latest gardening activities and tips. She can be reached by e-mail at [email protected] and on Facebook at “Garden-gate with Joette Reger.”

GARDENfrom page 5 C


‘Reading and Love Matter’S.O.C. Save Our Children, Children in Motion, held its annual Apprecia-

tion Banquet recently to honor community leaders and supporters and high-light the importance of a loving educational environment with an emphasis and understanding of the importance of reading in everyone’s life.

This year’s honorees included Dr. Paris Bransford, the Dugas-Leger Law Firm, Port Arthur Mayor Deloris “Bobbie” Prince, Hargie Faye Savoy and Chief C. A. “Pete” Shelton.

Also honored was Sharon Brown Hendrix, receiving the first Corian Thom-as Award, given to an outstanding educator.

Speaking on the importance of reading and education was Mike Fuljenz, and the keynote speaker was Paul Fregia, CEO of Grandma Maud’s and founding executive director of the Tiger Woods Foundation.

Chief C. A. “Pete” Shelton and Judge Larry Thorne

Clay Dugas, Jesse Branick and

Jolynn Branick

Mr. and Mrs. Paul Fregia (keynote speaker)

Dr. Garrett Peel, emcee, the Rev. J.D. Roberts and Angela Bransford

Ann Seastrunk, Irmalynn Thomas and Sharon Brown Hendrix, Corian Thomas Award winner

Photos by Clem Webb


ITAL SIGNSSOUTHEAST TEXAS

ADVICEExpertProfessional answers to often-asked questions

“Expert Advice” spotlights area businesses and business leaders

by addressing questions posed by Examiner readers

in an easy-to-read, question-and-answer format.

Professional answers to often-asked questions

Share your knowledge with our readers. “Ask the Expert” spotlights area businesses and business leaders by addressing

questions posed by Examiner readers in an easy-to-read, question-and-answer format. Inform, educate and advertise in a venue that promises to capture the attention of an audience you are trying to reach. Content in this weekly section will be devoted to all consumer service businesses. For more information on how to take advantage of this opportunity, contact your Examiner sales

representative at 409-832-1400.

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of the year

Board Certified in Criminal Law Texas Board of Legal Specialization

Workforce Solutions South-east Texas hosted an “Awards of Excellence” luncheon on Tuesday, March 1, to recog-nize local employers, businesses, job seek-ers, partners and spe-cial event sponsors whose collaboration with the workforce system has been sup-portive and instrumental in the realization of the Workforce Board’s vision of “a world-class workforce for Southeast Texas.”

Those recognized at the luncheon include Baptist Hos-pitals of Southeast Texas Beaumont as “Local Employer of Excellence”; At Home Senior Care, Mid-America Contractors and The Stark Foundation as “STAR Employ-ers”; Desirea Myers as “STAR Job Seeker of the Year”; The Port Arthur Economic Devel-opment Corporation as “Busi-ness Partner of the Year”; Cre-ative Learning Centers as “Child Care Provider of the

Year”; as well as Workforce Solutions Southeast Texas – Centers and ChildCareGroup as “Contractors of the Year.”

Companies recognized as “STAR” sponsors of the year include Platinum sponsors Industries of Southeast Texas (ISET) and International Safe-ty Training Council (ISTC), Gold sponsor FivePoint Credit Union, and Silver sponsors Entergy Texas, Golden Trian-gle Business Roundtable, IBEW Local No. 479, Lamar Institute of Technology and Triple S Industrial Corpora-tion.

STAR Partners of the Year include Region 5 Education Service Center, Southeast Tex-as Human Resource Associa-tion (SETHRA), Junior Achievement of the Golden

Triangle, Retired & Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP/SETRPC), Beaumont ISD – Career & Technology Educa-tion, Plumbers Local Union #68 and the Department of Assistive & Rehabilitative Services (DARS).

The following Southeast Texas Workforce Develop-

ment Board members were also recognized for their ser-vice and dedication to the employers, businesses and job seekers of Southeast Texas through their tenure on the Workforce board: Bill Nick-um, Carey Georgas and Dr. J. Michael Shahan for 20 years of service and tenured mem-bers Jamie Hogge, Danny Prosperie, Stephanie Semien, Anna Tanton, Dr. Paul Szuch, Luan Mai and Lorenzo Fitch.

“Our employers are a critical

link to the economic success we’ve experienced in South-east Texas this past year,” stat-ed Marilyn Smith, Workforce Solutions Southeast Texas executive director. “Working in tandem with our Board mem-bers, education leaders, eco-nomic develop ment, industry and community representatives has provided many opportuni-ties for individuals seeking to work and earn livable wages.”

The Workforce Solutions

Workforce Solutions Southeast Texas Awards of Excellence luncheonBaptist Hospital, At Home Senior Care among those honored

Mark Montebello, owner of At Home Senior Care, receives the 2015 STAR Employer of the Year award.

Photos by Brandon Gouthier Photography

April Keith (center), HR Manager, receives the 2015 Local Employer of Excellence Award on behalf of Baptist Hospitals of Southeast Texas. Board members Bill Nickum and Sue Daniels presented the award.

See AWARDS on page 9 C


In May 1965, Carolyn Ann Bellue and myself graduated from Northwest-ern State College (NSC) in Natchi-toches, Louisiana, which became Northwestern State University (NSU) in 1970. At NSC, Carolyn was a Purple Jacket, a women’s honor society that serves as the official hostess group for NSU. Founded in 1927, the Purple Jackets was the first honor club estab-lished at NSC. Adorned in pur-ple and white, colors depicting loyalty, the club is limited to 31 active members. At the Purple Jacket “calling,” women stu-dents who have demonstrated good scholarship, good charac-ter and a spirit of cooperation and unselfishness in serving are chosen as new members.

Jan. 11, 2016, I received the following letter from Dr. Jim Henderson, NSU President, which stated:

“NSU established the Long Purple Line in 1990 to provide recognition and appreciation to former NSU students whose career accom-plishments or service to their fellow man have enhanced the reputation of NSU. It is my pleasure to inform you that you have been selected for this most prestigious honor…The Univer-sity’s objective is to make the selection for the Long Purple Line the most prominent honor presented by NSU to its alumni. To date only 115 people out of more than 75,000 alumni have been selected for this recognition.”

February, 29, 2016, the university issued the following press release:

“Holly, a 1965 graduate of North-western, is founder and chief executive officer of Southeast Texas Medical Associates. He is a graduate of the University of Texas Medical School in San Antonio, where he is an adjunct professor of Family and Community Medicine. Holly is an associate clinical professor in the Department of Internal Medicine at Texas A&M College of Medicine.

“Holly received the 2015 inaugural National Patient-Centered Medical Home Practice Award from the Patient-Centered Primary Care Collaborative and the 2012 National HIMSS Physi-cian IT Leadership Award.

“Last year, on the occasion of their 50th anniversary and the 50th anniver-sary of their graduation from North-western State, Holly surprised his wife, Carolyn Bellue Holly, at the NSU Golden Jubilee luncheon by announc-ing the establishment of Carolyn Bel-lue Holly Distinguished Professorship in Teaching and Learning. In addition to the Distinguished Professorship endowment, the Hollys have honored

their mothers with the Marie Cobb Bellue Scholarship in Teaching and Learning and the Irene Woodruff Holly Scholarship in Health Care Education.

“The Hollys have advanced medical education at the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio, making financial contributions to the school to establish: The Dr. and Mrs. James L. Holly Distinguished Chair of

Patient-Centered Medical Home; The Wirt Everett Bel-lue, Sr. and William Richmond Holly, Sr. Distinguished Annu-al Lectureship in Patient-Cen-tered Medical Home; The Ver-itas Program for the mentoring of the next generations of medical students; The Presi-dent’s Development Council; The Danny Duke Annual Music and Medicine Lecture at the Center of Medical Humanities & Ethics and the Endowment of the Primary Care Institute for promoting

primary care in the United States“Larry and Carolyn Holly have also

received numerous honors at the Health Science Center including the Dr. And Mrs. James L. Holly Univer-sity Auditorium and membership on The University of Texas Chancellors Council. In 2012, James Holly was named the 2012 Distinguished Alumni of the School of Medicine.

“Under Holly’s leadership, South-east Texas Medical Associates has become a leader in healthcare infor-matics, winning numerous awards in the field. “

Our history with NSUNSU was founded in 1884 as the

Louisiana State Normal School. In 1918, my paternal grandmother, Mrs. Ilda Garnett Simpson Holly, completed a two-year education certificate from the Normal School. She then taught school in a one-room schoolhouse built by her husband that was attached to their home in Pineville, Louisiana. She was a remarkable person and would be a worthy member of both the Purple Jackets and of the Long Purple Line, like thousands more like her.

My personal history with NSU began in September 1949 when my brother and I were enrolled in the sec-ond and third grades at the Laboratory Elementary School on NSC’s campus. The next year, East Natchitoches Ele-mentary opened and I began the third grade there. In the sixth grade in 1954, I attended my first symphony concert at Northwestern. Dr. Joseph Carlucci was the conductor. Twenty-five years later, in 1975, my wife and I attended our first concert in our new home of

Beaumont, only to discover, with delight, that the conductor of the Beau-mont Symphony was Dr. Joseph Car-lucci.

Northwestern, Natchitoches High and the Science Fair

In 1956, I entered the eighth grade at Natchitoches High School on the NSC campus. In that year, a teacher told me that I would never be a leader and that I would spend my life follow-ing others. In 1958, my closest friend, who was to be the valedictorian of our class, was entering the science fair at Northwestern. I decided to do the same so we could spend time together. He prepared an outstanding display and I didn’t. As the judges approached me on “judgment day,” I realized how embarrassing this was going to be. The fun was over and the piper was about to claim his due.

My project was a fruit juice can with a 2 inch copper tube soldered into the side, a Bunsen burner, a pin wheel and water, nothing else. As the judges stepped in front of me, I remembered the formula for rotary horsepower, and proceed to present my “steam turbine” that had a measurable horsepower of 0.0013. That afternoon as we sat in the awards ceremony in the Northwestern Fine Arts Auditorium, my very deserv-ing and brilliant friend was passed over and I received an “honorable mention.” This was my first recogni-tion that life is often not fair. That same spontaneity would be present four years later when I met my future wife in a speech class at Northwestern.

After graduating from NHS in May 1961, I entered Texas A&M Universi-ty, then Texas A&M College, to study pre-veterinary medicine. I was a good student but In October 1961, I received Jesus Christ as my personal Savior and thought that I would become a minis-ter, so in June 1962, I started summer school at NSC.

Where and how we metAt registration in the fall of 1962,

Dr. Beinvenu asked me why I was “running” away from science. I had been in advanced science and math at A&M and had made A’s. In 1967, after completing an undergraduate degree in history and philosophy (1965), marry-ing (1965), teaching school (1965-1966) and doing a master degree in history at Baylor (1966-1967), I returned to science and medical school.

But I am ahead of my story. Flash-back to September 1962. I was enrolled in a speech class with Mr. Graham as the teacher. In October (I was 18 years old), we were assigned a speech with a visual aid. Knowing there were eight

students ahead of me in the alphabet, and also knowing that Mr. Graham could not get through eight speeches in one hour, I attended class unprepared. That was not unusual for me, but in this case I made a strategic mistake by not remembering the assignment was a speech with a visual aid.

In case it is not clear, a visual aid is something you can see. When Mr. Gra-ham “saw that I had nothing that he could see,” he knew that I was not prepared. Because he and I had a love/hate relationship — I loved him and he hated me — he skipped eight students and called on me.

Well, the die was cast and I was about to die. The choice was “nothing” or “something.” At the moment, with my future wife sitting in the class — we had not yet met — and with “noth-ing” meaning a grade of “zero,” I chose “something” and stood up. Mr. Graham straightened up and looked quizzically, as if to say, “ He has no visual aid; what is he going to do?” At that moment, neither he nor I knew the answer.

As I walked to the front of the class, I cast about desperately for a visual aid, which at the least had to be visible. The only thing I saw was a piece of chalk but we specifically could not use the blackboard. Nevertheless, I picked up the chalk and turned to face the class. Mr. Graham had his hand up to say I could not use the blackboard, but before he could say anything, I took three bold steps forward, tossed the chalk into the air, and watched it crum-ble to the floor. I had my visual aid, now I just needed a speech.

But the end of the story will have to wait until next week’s column.

Dr. James L. Holly is CEO of Southeast Texas Medical Associates, LLP (SETMA) in Beaumont.

Your Life, Your

Health

with James Holly, M.D.

Northwestern State University and the Long Purple Line

Southeast Texas Board is a business-led group of volunteers that evaluates and oversees the delivery of all work-force training and employment ser-vices in Hardin, Jefferson and Orange Counties. The board’s overall mission is to identify opportunities and create partnerships that effectively link employers and job seekers in order to improve the economic future of the area.

For more information, contact the Board’s administrative offices at (409) 719-4750.

Look for the new issue of Vital Signs magazine this spring.

AWARDSfrom page 8 C


© 2016 by Vicki Whiting, Editor Jeff Schinkel, Graphics Vol. 32, No. 15

Standards Link: Mathematics: Calculate the sums of whole numbers to 23.

Buzz and Beeper Bunny like to play games together. Find somebunny to be your buddy and do this page together! If the page looks easy, share it with somebunny younger than you. If it looks hard, share it with somebunny older.

Standards Link: Reading Comprehension: Follow simple directions. Mathematics: Students solve a variety of problems.

Standards Link: Science: Classifying objects.

Look through the newspaper for signs of spring. Can you find:• a flower• an egg• a baby animal• another sign of spring?

Spring Hunt

Solve Beeper’s message by writing the next number in the patterns below. You may need to add, subtract, multiply or divide. Then write the matching code word beside the number on the message line.

You Need:Each player needs 8 markers. Buttons, pebbles or even small squares of paper make good markers.

Goal:Be the first person to get to the sum of 23.

How to Play:1. The first player puts one marker on a number and says the number aloud.2. The second player places a marker on another number, adds that number to the previous number and says the total aloud.3. Play continues until one player reaches exactly 23.

Buzz’s Eggs-tra Challenge:Change the numbers in each egg above, using the numbers 5 through 8.

Beeper’s Eggs-tra-ordinary Challenge:Begin with 23 and subtract the amounts to reach zero.Standards Link: Mathematics: Subtract single digits from single and double digits.

3, 6, 9,

48, 24, 12, 6,

90, 80, 70, 60,

5, 10, 20, 40,

25, 20, 15,

basket = 29bunny = 3

egg = 16Every = 12

a = 80buddy = 10

happy = 39needs = 50

Message:

Code:

Who won the egg roll race? Trace the winning egg’s path to find out.Standards Link: Eye-hand coordination.

The Easter Bunny has been spotted and you’re the reporter covering

the story. Be sure to tell who, what, when, where, why and how.

GAMESBUNNYBASKETPATTERNSPATHTRUSTEGGSSPRINGCHALLENGEPAGESIGNSHUNTEASTERRACEPLAY

Find the words in the puzzle, then in this week’s Kid Scoop

stories and activities.

R Y G A M P E G G S

A S G P H P A T H L

C H A L L E N G E R

E U M A B A S K E T

A N E Y S P T I N R

S T S P R I N G P U

T B U N N Y G T I S

E U M S C E A N G T

R P A T T E R N S R

Standards Link: Letter sequencing. Recognizing identical words. Skim and scan reading. Recall spelling patterns.

Standards Link: Visual discrimination.

Buzz and Beeper have hidden chocolate bunnies all over this page. How many can you find?

Whom do you trust? Do you know why? Can you find a picture in the newspaper of someone you trust? Can you find a picture of someone you would not trust? Think about why you selected each picture.Standards Link: Health: Identify support systems in the community.

Trust

Decorate the Easter EggColor It!

Change CAT into DOG by changing just one letter in each

word along the word ladder.

DOG by etter in each ord ladder.

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DON’T SUE US!BY TOM MCCOY / EDITED BY WILL SHORTZ

No. 0313

RELEA

SE DA

TE: 3/20/2016

ACROSS

1 It returns just before spring: Abbr.

4 Univ. parts

9 Black-and-white treat

13 Sends an invitation for

19 Cell material

20 Independently

21 Fur fighters?

22 Combs

23 Wooden arts-and-crafts piece

26 Fantasy land

27 “Fingers crossed!”

28 “Sprechen ____ Deutsch?”

29 Great American Ball Park team

31 Collector’s ____

32 Quaint social occasion

38 Kind of poem

40 ____ Bo

41 “I almost forgot …”

42 Positive response

43 Work

45 “Hands off!”

46 Pre-euro coin

49 Shoelace alternative

55 Get the message, say

56 With equal frequency

57 Streak

58 Cigar type

60 “Borrowed”

61 Titter

62 Modern “Carpe diem”

63 Locale for phalanges

65 Cry that’s a homophone of 81-Across

66 Tool for reproduction

71 “Heaven and earth in miniature,” per a Chinese proverb

73 Expressions of disgust

75 Sole

76 Marco ____ (shirt sold on Rubio’s website)

77 Come to an end

79 Shenanigans

81 Barely make, with “out”

82 Appetizer

84 Section of a foreign travel guide, maybe

85 Hybrid outdoor game

87 Prepared

88 Fatty cut of fish at a sushi bar

90 Named, informally

91 Where, to Cato

92 Burrowing insect

93 ____ glance

94 Convulsion

99 Reagan, with “the”

105 Prefix with cumulus

106 Identifying lines at the bottoms of pages

107 Certain hosp. exam

108 Caught sight of

110 Ungraceful

111 Fixture in many a basement

116 Emulated one of Old MacDonald’s animals

117 One that’s out of one’s head?

118 Response to “Who goes there?”

119 Poorly120 Brotherhood and

sisterhood121 Neophyte, in modern

slang122 Cartridge filler123 Convened

DOWN

1 Self-help guru who wrote “Life Code”

2 Hoity-toity3 Jake of CNN4 Place for a throne5 World Showcase site6 Hang (around)7 Take unwanted steps?8 Line at the zoo9 Elect10 King, in Portugal11 Series finale?12 Image on the

Connecticut state quarter

13 Grant portrayer on TV

14 Line of cliffs15 Land in two pieces?16 Ingredient that’s been

left out?17 Pertaining to

Pennsylvania, Ohio and West Virginia, e.g.

18 Spanish she-bear

24 One for two of four

25 Show (out)

30 “____ a real nowhere man …”

33 Complete reversal

34 Source of the names of two months

35 Trounce

36 “Atlas Shrugged” author Rand

37 Soprano Sumac

39 Think piece?

44 Writer of the line “Ah, distinctly I remember it was in the bleak December”

46 Leader elected in 1946

47 Prefix with tourism

48 Fossil-fuel residue

49 Still-life object

50 First name in cosmetics

51 Discoverer’s cry

52 Org. of the Argonauts and the Alouettes

53 Some natural-history-museum displays, for short

54 Tributary of the Rhine

55 Substation?

58 The four seasons and others

59 Brown-and-white treat

61 Start of many a bumper sticker

64 Backing at a business meeting?

67 “Four Quartets” poet

68 Two 1980s White House personages

69 Isao of the P.G.A.

70 Online greetings

72 Toy brand with soft sales?

74 Genealogical grouping, informally

78 Bit of a joule

80 Average guy

82 French city said to have given its name to a car

83 Bit of gymwear84 Start of a concession85 Unoccupied86 Start eating87 Inner feeling88 Court technique89 Bobby in skates92 “It’s f-f-freezing!”93 Artful95 Daddy

96 Crime stories?

97 “Streetcar” call98 You could have it

in any color you wanted, as long as it was black

100 “Two Treatises of Government” philosopher

101 Smallest slice of a pie chart, maybe

102 Must have

103 Scapegrace

104 Facetious response to “Describe yourself in three adjectives”

109 Recipe instruction110 Sticky stuff112 Line at a wedding113 Role for Keanu

Reeves114 Chatter115 Ingredient in a white

lady

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18

19 20 21 22

23 24 25 26

27 28 29 30

31 32 33 34 35 36 37

38 39 40 41 42

43 44 45 46 47 48

49 50 51 52 53 54 55

56 57 58 59

60 61 62 63 64

65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72

73 74 75 76 77 78

79 80 81 82 83

84 85 86

87 88 89 90

91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98

99 100 101 102 103 104 105

106 107 108 109

110 111 112 113 114 115

116 117 118 119

120 121 122 123

Online subscriptions: Today’s puzzle and more than 4,000 past puzzles, nytimes.com/crosswords ($39.95 a year).

For solution, see page 15C

Dear Annie:My ex-daughter-in-law’s

brother would have been sleeping on the streets for the past two years if it weren’t for my husband. He’s been paying rent for “Gary,” who has not received any help from the other members of the family.

Gary has been unemployed for five years. He was living with my ex-daughter-in-law, her boyfriend and my grand-daughter in the basement of their home. But when my ex-daughter-in-law broke up with her boyfriend, she moved into an apartment where Gary could not follow because he is a registered sex offender. This

also makes it harder for him to find a job. I don’t know the whole story, but some of it sounds like his ex-wife was looking for revenge.

My husband has driven Gary to many job interviews and has sought help from local agencies, with no luck. We have exhausted all avenues. At the moment, Gary collects cans for recycling and does odd jobs when they are avail-able, but it’s not enough to pay rent, so he uses the money for groceries.

My husband is retired and I am retiring at the end of the year. We cannot afford to keep paying Gary’s rent, but we

also don’t want to abandon him. Do you know of any agencies that can help find him an affordable place to live?

— Worried in Illinois

Dear Worried:It is difficult for ex-offend-

ers of any kind to find employ-ment, which then creates dif-ficulty with living situations and increases the risk of recid-ivism. Sex offenders also have restrictions on where they can live, so this makes things dou-bly hard. You and your hus-band seem like caring and compassionate people. Here are a few resources that we hope can help:

National HIRE Network (hirenetwork.org) offers refer-rals to local resources for ex-offenders; Sex Offender Resource (sexoffenderre-source.com) can steer you toward local state resources; Re-Entry Illinois (reentryilli-nois.net) might help with housing; and sexoffenderjobs.

com is a blog that provides various suggestions, as well as offering emotional support.

Dear Annie:I feel compelled to give a

different perspective about the letter from “Married to a Kvetch,” who said her hus-band complains constantly about various aches and pains. You were right to recommend that he see his doctor.

In my late 40s, I began experiencing transient pain. Every day, the pain was in dif-ferent places with different intensities. Several years later, I requested a test for rheuma-toid arthritis, because there was a family history of the disease. The test came back negative.

I thought I was going crazy, and people assumed I was some kind of hypochondriac. Nobody could be in this much undiagnosed pain. Guess again. I changed insurance companies and needed another complete physical. At age 50, I

had a positive test with full-blown RA.

— Damage Done

Dear Damage:So sorry it took so long for

you to get the correct diagno-sis, but it proves we are all our best medical advocates.

Dear Annie:My husband, “Derek” and I

have been married for 18 years and we have four children. Lately, I feel like a piece of meat. Derek wants sex every day and grabs my breasts con-stantly. If I refuse, he pouts.

Derek recently lost his job and we were evicted, so we moved in with my mom. The longest Derek has ever held a job is four years. He looks for work, but then sits and plays games on the computer while my mom and I do chores and help the kids with their home-work. I was raised with a strong work ethic, and have been the primary breadwinner

See ANNIE on page 14C


By Darby ConleyGet FuzzySu•do•ku

Medium

— Puzzle No. 1

Medium

— Puzzle No. 2

Medium

— Puzzle No. 3

• 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.Yoogi games (www.yoogi.com)

For solutions, visit www.theexaminer.com.


Find the 7 words to match the 7 clues. The numbers in parentheses represent the number of letters in each solution. Each letter combina-tion can be used only once, but all the letter combinations will be nec-essary to complete the puzzle.

For solutions, see page 15C

Take That, Portland!Seattle’s ambitious Office

of Arts & Culture has allocat-ed $10,000 this year to pay a poet or writer to create a work while present on the city’s Fre-mont Bridge drawbridge. The office’s deputy director told the Seattle Post-Intelligencer in January that the city wants to encourage “public art” and that the grant will oblige the recipient to create a work of prose or poetry from the bridge’s northwest tower, to help the people of Seattle understand the function of art in the city. (The artist will not be “in residence,” for the tow-er has no running water.)

The Continuing CrisisThe dominant-submissive

lifestyle soared to higher-brow status in February when The New York Times reported on the recent marriage of the cele-brated composer of “moody, queasy” works (and compul-sive dominant) Georg Friedrich Haas to Mollena Williams, who blogs introspectively about her own kinky bondage as “The Perverted Negress.” Friedrich had introduced himself to her on a dating site with the note, “I would like to tame you,” and credits her acceptance for his improved productivity — because, he said, “I am not (any longer) disturbed by unfulfilled thoughts.” Although Williams-Haas is a black woman submit-ting to a white man, she explained that, “To say I can’t play my personal psychodrama out just because I’m black, that’s racist.”

New World Order• Exasperated, Columbia

County (Pennsylvania) Dis-trict Judge Craig Long felt the need to post a sign outside his courtroom in January inform-ing visitors that they should not wear pajamas to court. However, even Judge Long acknowledged that his admo-nition was not enforceable and that he was merely trying to encourage minimal standards.

• “Microaggression”: In its brand-new communications stylebook this year for city work-ers, San Diego officials noted that the city’s then-upcoming Presidents’ Day announcements should, to be bias-free and inof-fensive, never refer to America’s “Founding Fathers” — even though they were all males — but only to “founders.”

Bright Ideas• The roadside billboard giant

Clear Channel Outdoor Ameri-cas announced in February that it would soon be recording the cellphone locations of drivers who pass the company’s signs in 11 cities in order to give advertisers more information on how to pitch products to people with those particular travel pat-terns and behaviors. Clear Channel asserts that no individ-ual identifications would be sought, but privacy advocates fret about potential abuses, and even a Clear Channel executive acknowledged that the program “does sound a bit creepy.” (On the other hand, as Clear Channel pointed out to The New York Times, cellphone users’ loca-tions and characteristics are already being extensively moni-tored by advertisers.)

• “Medical” marijuana will take on a new meaning soon if the Food and Drug Administra-tion approves Foria Relief can-nabis vaginal suppositories for relieving menstrual pain (from the California company Foria). Currently, the product is avail-able only in California and Col-orado, at $44 for a four-pack. The company claims the inserts are targeted to the pelvic nerve endings, but International Busi-ness Times, citing a gynecolo-gist-blogger, noted that the only studies on the efficacy of Foria Relief were done on the uter-uses of rats.

Not the Usual Suspects• A then-married couple,

both graduates of elite Califor-nia law schools, were convicted of felonies and went to jail briefly two years ago for a criminal scheme inexplicably

tawdry — and in February 2016 lost a resultant civil law-suit for $5.7 million to the scheme’s victim. A woman at their child’s school had referred to the lawyers’ son as “slow,” enraging Kent Easter (Univer-sity of California at Berkeley) and then-wife, Jill (UCLA), who retaliated by planting drugs and paraphernalia in Kel-li Peters’ car and then, a man identified via circumstantial evidence as Kent (with an accent as if from India), called in a DUI tip to police, resulting in Peters’ arrest. According to Peters, neither perpetrator has ever expressed remorse, and although Kent admitted to “stu-pidity,” he now complains that Peters does not deserve her windfall (like a “Powerball winner,” he said).

• The online-pornography colossus Pornhub’s charity fun-draising promotion during Feb-ruary benefited the Moclips Cetological Society (“Save the Whales”) in honor of World Whale Day on Feb. 13. Its news release celebrated whales’ sexu-ality — that they, like humans, do not limit their horniness to procreation. The company said it would, from Feb. 8 to Feb. 29, donate a penny for every 2,000 videos played on its ubiquitous free websites. (That offer might appear modest, but a Seattle Post-Intelligencer reporter not-ed, over the first two days, the world’s porn consumers had played 532 million videos — earning the charity $2,660.)

Can’t Possibly Be TrueVicky Leyton, 72, announced

her retirement recently in Beni-dorm, Spain, over health con-cerns, but the lady’s 30-year run in her one-of-a-kind, “Sticky Vicky” magic show can hardly be forgotten by the 6 million fans who have wit-nessed it. Trained as a ballerina but emulating magicians who pull rabbits out of top hats, Vicky extracted an impressive array of items, also — from the body cavity that is occasionally the subject of News of the Weird stories. One review in Spain’s El Pais newspaper described a typical inventory: fluffy flags, flowers, ping-pong balls, sausages, eggs, a string of razor blades, a bottle and a light bulb (that was aglow!).

Nothing More to See Here?Additional Details Needed:

CHUCK SHEPHERD’S

WEIRDWEIRD

See WEIRD on page 15C


for most of our marriage.I resent Derek for not respecting me

when I say no to his constant demands for sex. Even in the midst of a kidney infection, he still wanted me to mess around. I am ready to leave him over these issues. Please help.

— Indiana Sex Object

Dear Indiana:We think Derek feels inadequate as

a provider, and instead of fixing that, he uses sex as a way to control the relationship and keep you in what he sees as a subservient position. But lest we be accused of practicing psychiatry without a license, we strongly urge you to get into counseling and figure this out. Derek may have adult ADD or some other problem that interferes with his ability to hold onto a job. Obviously, it would be best if Derek would go with you for counseling, but if not, go on your own. Check to see if your workplace has an employee assistance program that can help. There also are low-cost counseling options available through your cler-gyperson, United Way, Catholic Char-ities and the Department of Children and Family Services.

Dear Annie:Wow, I was so surprised by your

comment to “Outraged in Pennsylva-nia,” that her husband’s girlie calendar was none of her business.

Most women I know would be upset if their husband willingly encouraged the exploitation of women by allowing this calendar to hang for all the other boys to ogle in the bath-room. This is sleazy.

If a woman has any class or values, this would bother her, as it goes against everything women have been fighting for — not to be looked at as sexual objects and to be taken seriously. It’s offensive at any workplace, whether women are present or not.

If it were my husband, this would be a huge character issue. For women like you to say this is OK is shocking!

— K.

Dear K.:Please read more carefully. We did

not say this was OK. In fact, we agree with everything you say about it being sleazy and exploitative. Here is where we differ:

She should not be telling her hus-band how to run his office. We would say the same if her husband objected to something at his wife’s office — it’s none of his business. She has reg-istered her complaint with him, but how he deals with it is entirely his decision, not hers. If she finds his response to be inadequate or offen-sive, and it changes how she feels about him, that is a different matter and should be taken up with the near-est marriage counselor.

Dear Annie:You were spot on telling “Grossed

Out” to call the humane society, because his wife accumulates animals whenever she gets upset. However, you missed an important point.

This lady’s behavior is called hoard-ing. Hoarding, whether it be of stuffed or live animals, is a mental illness. He should get his wife the appropriate help, because simply getting rid of the animals will not fix the problem.

— Seen This Before

Dear Seen This:Several readers pointed out that the

woman has a mental health problem and needs help. We completely agree and should have mentioned it. While the humane society deals with animal hoarding, they are primarily interested in the well-being of the animals. Here are some resources for the humans:

The Anxiety Disorders Association of America (adaa.org) and the Interna-tional OCD Foundation (iocdf.org). The National Alliance on Mental Ill-ness (nami.org) offers information and support for those with anxiety disor-ders and obsessive-compulsive issues, including hoarding.

Pastor Michael LaBrie

Sunday • 10:30 AMTuesday Family Prayer 7:00 PMWed. Night • 7:30 Bible Study

1225 Glendale • Beaumont409-866-2000

www.GospelTabernacleBeaumont.com

Everyone Welcome!

Gospel Tabernacle

ANNIEfrom page 11C

I wrote recently about some of the budgeting lessons I learned from my precious Mama Cole while I lived in her home from the time of my birth until my biologi-cal mother remarried and moved me to the Atlanta area of Georgia. Mama Cole did not believe in owing any-one and was adamant that if we could not pay cash for it, we could not have it.

I realize that times have changed and that we often purchase a home, property, or per-haps a new automobile with a payment plan. These were much more simple days. My grandfather was a firm believer in this philoso-phy, as well, and I clearly remember him walking over to a new home under construc-tion that my Mama Cole had her eye on, and reaching into the deep pocket of his work overalls and pulling out 65 crisp $100 bills to pay for the house in full. But that is anoth-er story.

An incident happened this week that brought these thoughts to the forefront of my mind. I posted a funny quote and photo on Facebook about

me being so mean I might start biting peo-ple and my pastor Den-nis Allen read it. He quickly wrote back, “Amen, Sister.” And I laughed. He knows me well and we have worked together on many projects. I thought nothing more of it and several repost-ed the link just for fun. The following morning when I woke up, I had a sincere email from

my pastor that said something like, “I am so sorry. I read that quote in the midst of a busy, bad day, and I in no way meant to imply that I thought you were mean or angry enough to begin to bite people.” I assured him that I took no offense to his “Amen, Sister,” and that if anyone knew me well enough to think I might bite people, it would be him.

However, in my pastor’s

actions, I was reminded of my Mama Coles philosophy once again. “Keep short accounts, Brenda, with God and man.” My pastor wanted to correct any perceived wrong immedi-ately, and I admire that in a person. He did not want any moss to grow under that rock, or any tumbleweeds to blow and gather over those words, like they often do in windy Amarillo.

I have long ago found that if we attempt to correct a wrong or misspoken word, action or even thought, as soon as we recognize it, we are much more apt to be able to leave with a clean slate. The longer hurtful words or actions sim-mer, the more trouble they cause. One person tells anoth-er, and often the old sinful imagination kicks in to add some juicy details. The person might not intentionally mean to lie, but in the exaggeration of the event, it becomes more interesting.

Stories have been told that caused undue hardships, bro-ken relationships, families torn asunder, and hearts crushed. If

only the people involved had vowed to keep short accounts. Perhaps I am braver than some, or maybe I have just lived longer now, but I have adopted a policy of stopping in my tracks when I hear an untruth, an accusation against another or myself, or a down-right lie. I will call or visit the person responsible and flat-out ask them if they believed and/or said that particular thought. I am always amazed at how fast a filthy mouthed gossip can backpedal or roll back on what he or she has said. I will do my part to keep that account short.

The value of this matter is discussed in Romans 12. “As much as possible, live peace-fully with all men,” is the end-ing of Verse 18, but the begin-ning of the same verse says, “If it be possible …” Some folks cannot live peacefully with others because they are not at peace with themselves or with God. Unlike some, I do not believe that the dear Lord wants Christians to be doormats for others, or that He admires loud, angry people walking over peers; nor do I believe that he wants His chil-dren to live unhappy lives.

I would be honored to think that many of our readers would vow with me to keep short accounts with God. Confess sin as soon as it is recognized and then turn from it to good works. And to live peacefully with others, keep those accounts short that could cause division, hurt, and pain. Let’s clean up our acts as quickly as we realize that they are dirty.

Brenda Cannon Henley can be reached at (409) 781-8788 or at [email protected].

Keeping short accounts, Part 2

Brenda Cannon Henley

Senior Correspondent

to The Examiner


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OPUSMINEPESETAVELCRORSTRAPDECODEASOFTENRUNCHEROOTSTOLEHEHEYOLOTOEEEKXEROXRMACHINEMAN

EWSLONEPOLOCEASEHIJINKSEKESTARTER

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Crossword solution – Puzzle on page 11C

7 Little Words solution – Puzzle on page 13C

Puzzle 11. SUMMERING 2. BLISTEX 3. IMPEDANCE 4. INDUSTRIAL

5. YELLOWING 6. FOREDATE 7. HUNGRIER

1. ENDURES 2. PRONGED 3. MUTANT4. BILGE 5. SUFFICIENCY 6. POLLUTES 7. GADABOUT

Puzzle 2

1. NACELLE 2. OUTFACE 3. SLOUCHED 4. BURROWS 5. QUIZZING 6. WARMHEARTED 7. BROWSED

Puzzle 3

Cute starts here! Sib-lings Allen, Lane and Betty are aiming to get a big “ahh” and a hug from you. They will kiss you right back, too. Lane here is a 4-month old, 7.20-pound dachs-hund/schnauzer mix. He has a short, golden-tan coat with a bit of white on his chest. He has black button eyes and nose. You will have a few puppy raising chores and challenges with Lane, and will need a bit of patience and creativity. Lane is old enough to start learning his basic commands. He can also learn to walk properly on a leash. Lane is a smart little fellow, ready and willing to do a good job for you. Hurry to the shelter to adopt Lane or one of his siblings.

The adoption fee is $115 for mixed breed dogs over 20 pounds, and $175 for pure breeds and dogs under 20 pounds. Pure breeds under 20 pounds are $225. This includes first round of vaccina-tions, bordetella vaccination, worming, flea treatment, spay 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 more informa-tion, call the Humane Society at (409) 833-0504.

Pet of the weekHumane Society of SoutHeaSt texaS

Q. Is it against any law to negotiate rental rates? Could it be considered discrimination if a landlord charges different rates for the same size apartment?

A. Discrimination is basically treat-ing one person better or worse than another. It is discrimination to charge different people different rent for the same apartment. Discrimination, how-ever, is not per se illegal. In fact, it is not uncommon for a seller to charge different prices to different customers. I am sure that many people who buy the same type of car pay very different prices.

What is illegal, however, is discrimi-nating based on something protected by the law. For example, the law prohibits housing discrimination based on race, sex, age, religion or disability. If a landlord discriminated based on one of these categories, he or she has violated the law. Otherwise, land-lords are free to charge different rents. Of course, you are free to offer less.

Q. My landlord wants an additional $500 deposit to renew my lease. Before I sign it, I would like to know if there are any legal limits on the amount of a deposit.

A. A deposit is a matter of private contract law between you and your landlord. The terms of a lease are a matter of negotiation. The land-lord may ask for whatever amount he wants for a deposit, and may increase the amount as much as he wants at the end of the lease. Your options are to negotiate a lower deposit, pay what he asks, or move elsewhere.

Q. Three years ago I was divorced. In the divorce, my husband agreed to pay all the credit card debt. He has now filed bankruptcy and the credit card companies are coming after me to pay. Do I have any liability?

A. The divorce was between you and your

husband. It does not affect any liability to other parties. If your name was on the accounts at the time of the divorce, you remain liable for the

debts even though the divorce decree said your husband would pay. Of course, if you do pay, you have the right to seek reimbursement from your ex based on the terms of the divorce.

Q. How much notice am I entitled to before I am fired? I showed up for work this morning and was told I was no lon-ger needed. Am I entitled to two week’s notice? This doesn’t seem fair.

A. As a legal matter, you generally are not entitled to any notice prior to being fired unless you have an employ-ment contract or union agreement that says otherwise. Your employer may not

have treated you fairly, but from a legal stand-point, it had the right to do what it did.

Q. I just purchased a house that has unpaid maintenance fees for the past two years. Am I, as the new owner, liable for these charges?

A. As a general rule, the prior owner (the seller) is responsible for paying any mainte-nance fees due at the time of the sale. The property, however, continues to be subject to a lien in the event those fees are not paid. In other words, you may not legally owe the fees, but you might lose your house if you don’t pay them. If you do pay, you could have a claim against the seller to be reimbursed. If a title company assisted you with the sale, it should have taken care of this issue. It may be, how-ever, that your agreement requires that you, rather than the seller, pay the fees. I suggest you review your closing documents and speak with the title company to see how existing maintenance fees were handled.

Do you want to learn more about the law? Check out my website, www.peopleslawyer.net.

Know Your

Rightswith Richard

Alderman

Landlord and tenant may negotiate amount of rent

(1) Andrew McNeil, 34, was arrested in Lincoln, Nebraska, in January and charged with dis-turbing the peace. According to the police report (and lacking follow-up reporting by local news outlets), McNeil was found around 11 p.m. naked and “cov-ered in sawdust.” (2) Rob Moore, 32, was arrested for misdemean-or drug possession in Marathon, Florida, in February, but he had only come to police attention when an officer heard him bang-ing on the trunk of his car from the inside. Without follow-up reporting, Moore’s story was that he was looking for something in

the trunk, fell in, and couldn’t get out.

News of the Weird Classic (August 2011)

Unclear on the Concept: A Singaporean army draftee caused a public stir in March (2011) when he was photographed by a visitor as he underwent physical training in army fatigues but with his maid following behind him carrying his backpack on her shoulders. (Army officials told reporters the draftee had since been “counsel(ed).”)

Least Competent Criminals• Perps Who Needed to Hit

the Gym: (1) Anthony Nemeth, 26, seeking pain medication but

lacking a prescription, leaped over the pharmacy counter of a Walgreens in Bradenton, Flori-da, in February and demanded a supply. Customer David West, 25, standing at the counter with his girlfriend, ended the “rob-bery” with four quick punches, sending Nemeth to the floor. (West is a competitive boxer and reportedly a former state cham-pion.) (2) Wheelchair-user Betty Jeffery, 76, was briefly the vic-tim of a purse-snatching in Pit-sea, England, in February. She appeared vulnerable, but in fact is a former national arm-wres-tling champion and slugged the young female thief in the face, slowing her down and leading her to drop the purse as she fled.

WEIRDfrom page 13C


To buy or sell call Hester BellHester Bell

409-861-5602 • Cell: 409-880-6345 • [email protected] Tours Available at www.hestershomes.com

Hester’s Homes

7790 windchase4/3.5/3 $410,000

4410 thomas glen2/2/2 $390,000

52 Avenue of the oAks 3/3/2 + pool $450,000

1610 Brighton court4/3/2/3 + pool $489,900

3235 timBerwood3/2/2 cp $129,900

5270 greenBriar4/2/2 $186,900