News Shorts: Week of Jan 13, 2022

Canceled by COVID

The Jan. 6 men’s basketball contest between Lamar University’s Men’s Basketball and New Mexico State Men’s Basketball was canceled and will not be rescheduled, according to Lamar University Athletics Director Marco Born, due to not enough players to play the game. This was the second of two at-home games canceled out of two scheduled.

“The decision was made due to lack of player availability for our men’s basketball program,” Born explained in an announcement on Jan. 5. “(The) squad has only seven available student-athletes due to COVID and one of these remaining seven student-athletes cannot play due to a non-COVID illness.

“As a result, NM State will receive a forfeit win and LU will receive a forfeit loss towards seeding at the 2022 Hercules Tires WAC Basketball Tournament. Per NCAA guidelines, the game will be a no contest for NET rankings.”

US 69 updates

The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) Beaumont district provided updates on long-term projects happening in Jefferson County.

The prep work on improving the US 69 and TX 73 interchange began in November 2021, according to TxDOT Public Information Officer Sarah Dupre. That includes clearing forestry and land around the existing interchange, adding additional payment so TxDOT can shift traffic to work on the medians for the interchange.

TxDOT plans to reconfigure the existing cloverleaf interchange to a turbine (spiral) configuration by adding direct connectors. Also in the plans are main lane improvements, frontage road and ramp improvements, the addition of retaining walls and culverts and bridge widening and replacement.

To date, there aren’t any closures due to the construction, but detours will be announced by TxDOT when the cloverleaf closes for reconfiguration.

TxDOT officials say the expansion of US 69 from the Lower Neches Valley Authority (LNVA) canal to Tram Road should be completed by the end of 2022, while the expansion from the I-10 and US 69 interchange is estimated to be completed by the end of 2023.

Comic Con canceled

Set for a two-day extravaganza Jan. 15-16 at Ford Park, organizers of the Southeast Texas Comic Com have canceled the event.

Organizers issued the following statement via Facebook:

“Due to the ongoing pandemic and recent outbreak of the Omicron variant of COVID-19, we must cancel Southeast Texas Comic Con 2022. Omicron has decimated our staff and volunteer ranks; we simply do not have the necessary people to make a show of the magnitude we had planned happen. We only do shows if we have the staff to make the event run smoothly – and more importantly, safely – and COVID has made this impossible.

“We were very much looking forward to our inaugural year in Beaumont; the support from the city and convention bureau, local hotels and businesses, and all of the area’s fans has been tremendous. You made us feel welcome, and for that we are grateful. We will continue to work hard to bring awesome events to the southern U.S.; please see our website, vxvevents.com, for all of our upcoming shows,” VXV Events announced.

Refunds for tickets began Jan. 11.

Preachers sought for police program

The Port Arthur Police Department (PAPD) will be starting a Police Chaplaincy Program and is seeking volunteers to participate.

“This program was established to assist officers and civilian employees in any traumatic situation that they may encounter while performing their duties,” a PAPD announcement of the pending program detailed. “A police chaplain will provide a ministry of presence to members of the department and their families and should be available to furnish spiritual and/or personal guidance to them.”

Required training for the program includes a 10-week, three hours per week, training that is designed for clergy, pastors and ministers. Training will explain the workings of the police department and the criminal justice system.   

The program is open to all qualified clergy, who are ordained, licensed ministers that currently serve or, if retired, has served on the pastoral staff of a local church of a recognized national faith group.

Those interested in becoming a police chaplain are asked to contact PAPD Chaplain Coordinator Sgt. John H. Fontenette at (409) 983-8677.

Teacher of the Year

This week, the Beaumont Independent School District announced that Beaumont United High School’s Joseph Akers has been named the Department of Texas Veterans of Foreign Wars High School Teacher of the Year. Akers will go on to be considered for the national award and will receive a $1,000 honorarium with this recognition.

Groups call for extended emergency

With the public health emergency (PHE) set to expire on Jan. 16, the American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL) sent a letter to U.S. Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra to request an extension of the PHE declaration as long-term care providers continue to fight COVID-19. The highly contagious Omicron variant is projected to spread at a high rate for weeks to come and continues to cause a surge in cases across the country – leaving vulnerable populations, such as those in long-term care facilities, at serious risk.

AHCA/NCAL President and CEO Mark Parkinson wrote: “Due to the ongoing and unpredictable battle long-term and post-acute care providers must continue to wage against COVID-19, we strongly encourage you to continue to extend the PHE declaration,” as well as maintain waivers, enhanced Medicaid provided to states and state Medicaid policy flexibilities.

The letter further explains the unprecedented challenges the long-term care sector is facing, including a historic labor crisis that has resulted in a 15% decline in its workforce since the beginning of the pandemic.

“This is the worst among all health care professions and is impacting the sector’s ability to serve patients,” Parkinson explained. “More than half of nursing homes are limiting new admissions at a time when overwhelmed hospitals need our assistance to free up precious beds due to the Omicron surge.”

In addition, Parkinson and others are urging HHS to prioritize long-term care for essential resources, such as tests, testing equipment and a separate allocation of COVID-19 treatments for long-term care pharmacies.

“Currently, long-term care providers are left to compete on the open market for tests,” Parkinson reported. “This has resulted in delays in accessing life-saving treatments. Establishing a separate process for long-term care pharmacies to order treatments directly and increasing the availability of testing in long-term care would help our settings identify the virus quickly and save precious lives.”

On a good note

Vidor High School sophomore Julia Bourgeois was awarded a place in the 2022 TMEA (Texas Music Educators’ Association) All-State Choir. She will be performing with other students from all over Texas at the Texas Music Educators’ Convention and Clinic in San Antonio this February.

According to their website, TMEA sponsors the Texas All-State audition process to promote students’ dedication to their musical knowledge and skill and to encourage educators to support their students in this development. Beginning each fall, over 70,000 high school students across the state audition in their TMEA Region. Individuals perform selected music for a panel of judges who rank each instrument or voice part. A select group of musicians advances to compete against musicians from other Regions in their TMEA Area. The highest-ranking musicians judged at the TMEA Area competitions qualify to perform in one of 18 Texas All-State ensembles sponsored by the Band, Orchestra, and Vocal Divisions.

Stolen jet ski salesmen nabbed

What started off as a run-of-the-mill investigation into a series of boat title discrepancies concluded with multiple felony charges against three individuals suspected of running an interstate theft ring and the recovery of over $275,000 worth of stolen watercraft and other vehicles. Sergeant Game Warden Jonathan Griffin of the Marine Theft Investigation Unit facilitated the two-year investigation into the organized crime ring leading to a nomination for an Investigator of the Year Award by the International Association of Marine Investigators.

“Considering that this is an international award, I am really humbled to have been nominated,” said Sergeant Griffin. “I am very grateful to the Galveston County Auto Crimes Task Force and the other agencies across Texas, Alabama and Florida that assisted with the resources necessary to build a strong case to hand over to the district attorney’s office for prosecution.”   

Griffin further explained that the case began with a tip from the La Marque Texas Parks and Wildlife Department Law Enforcement Office regarding an individual titling numerous jet skis in their name at very low purchase prices. Eventually, a Florida county tax office notified the sergeant that the suspect and a second individual were also titling a number of jet skis in Florida in the same manner.

Over the following months, investigators uncovered that the jet skis being titled were actually stolen throughout Texas and then sold across multiple Gulf states with false titles and identification numbers. Their work then identified a third suspect who had participated in the activity.

“After recovering  27 stolen vessels and trailers, we filed charges and arrested the three suspects for theft and engaging in organized crime,” said Griffin. “While the charges are pending, we are working to locate and recover more stolen jet skis and boats that may have been sold using the same scheme. It has been satisfying to be able to help get this property back to the rightful owners.”   

The case is currently being handled by the Galveston County District Attorney’s Office.