News

Courting the Creative Class

Beaumont artists working to reshape the future
 

Ten years ago, an obscure Carnegie Mellon University professor named Richard Florida noticed a guy on campus “sitting slouched over on the grass, dressed in a tank top. This young man had spiked multi-colored hair, full-body tattoos and multiple piercings in his ears. An obvious slacker, I thought, probably in a band.”

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Signs of economic recovery

2012 sales tax revenue up, real estate sales improve

When Texas Comptroller Susan Combs announced July 11 that state sales tax revenue in June was $1.98 billion, up 15.2 percent compared to June 2011, it was good news for a state economy that continues to show signs of strength.

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Bust nets cornucopia of controlled substances

July 25, the Jefferson County Narcotics Task Force and the Sheriff’s Office SWAT Team executed a search warrant at 4010 Agnes St. in Beaumont, uncovering 10 pounds of marijuana, 21 pounds of bulk K-2 Spice (synthetic marijuana) and 500 packets of K-2 Spice ready for resale, among other controlled substances. K-2 Spice is illegal to possess and sale in the state of Texas. The raid, which took place at 7 a.m. Wednesday morning, required a SWAT truck to pull burglar bars off the back door using a fire hose to gain entry to the residence.

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Plenty of money up for grabs – if BISD wants it

UPDATE: At its meeting Thursday night, July 26, the BISD Board of Trustees voted 4-2 to extend electrician Calvin Walker's contract with the district, despite his recent plea.

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China’s employees all agree: ‘This is harassment’

As the dust settled on the city of China following a tumultuous budget workshop July 12, a new storm was brewing. The new tempest is closely related to the budget woes, but as opposed to complaints coming from elected leaders, grievances are now being lodged by city employees – all four of them, to be more precise.

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Name-dropping with Designer Fabric Boutique

Designs by Amy Butler, Robert Kaufman, Hoffman, Kokka of Japan and Cloud 9

 

If this small blue house with the red “Open” sign catches your eye, do yourself a favor and stop in. Even if you don’t think you can sew a straight seam, the fabric selection inside might change your mind.

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WNBA profiles Babe to celebrate Title IX

In celebration of the 40th anniversary of Title IX, the Women’s National Basketball Association profiled Beaumont native Babe Didrickson Zaharias in a story posted on its Web site, WNBA.com.

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BHA undergoes transformation

Housing authority far removed from its days of receivership

 

When executive director Robert Reyna came to the Beaumont Housing Authority in 2003, the agency was in turmoil. Fresh off being taken under HUD control for lack of oversight and fiscal responsibility, BHA had little to work with for day-to-day operations and was the proud owner of housing that hadn’t been updated in more than 30 years.

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Scammers target utility customers

Southeast Texans should be aware of an energy scam, according to a consumer alert by the Office of the Attorney General of Texas.

According to the alert, the scammers are “using in-person solicitations, social media, fliers, phone calls and text messages ... claiming that a new federal program established by the Obama administration is providing a free utility bill payment.”

This is a claim Debi Derrick, communications specialist at Entergy Texas in Beaumont, says is fraudulent.

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No more West Nile found in Port Arthur

More than three weeks after three Port Arthur mosquitoes tested positive for the West Nile virus, Jefferson County Mosquito Control says no more evidence of the disease has turned up.

A pool of mosquitoes from the Grannis Avenue and Fifth Street area of Port Arthur was sent to Austin on June 27 for West Nile testing, according to Kevin Sexton, director of Jefferson County Mosquito Control.

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