News

Although 3D printing was created as early as the 1970s, it wasn’t until much later that 3D printers became compact enough for use in schools and offices. Thanks to a Career and Technology grant and library money,  a 3D printer has made its way to Vidor and has joined the multitude of amazing educational tools in Vidor Independent School District. The printer, housed in the Makerspace lab in the Vidor High School  library, is based on extrusion deposition. The item being produced comes from a thermoplastic filament which is on a spool.  The filament is placed in the printer, heated to 356 degrees Fahrenheit (180 Celcuis) in a nozzle head, and is extruded in tiny beads of material which harden to form layers.

By George Garza

After a year and a half of squeezed lanes and detours in Bridge City, the newly refurbished swing bridge on northbound Highway 87 crossing Cow Bayou in Bridge City is scheduled to reopen for traffic this weekend. For Vidorians using the bridge to get to work on Chemical Row, this is a welcome announcement. Last Friday, at 8:00 a.m.,  members of the Bridge City Chamber of Commerce, Bridge City and County officials along with representatives of the Texas Department of Transportation and  the bridge refurbishment contractors held a ribbon cutting ceremony at the newly refurbished bridge to mark the completion of major work done to redo the old bridge.

While Texas Open Meeting laws have not advanced to the point where elected officials can preside or vote in a public meeting remotely, the Orange County Judge made history of sorts when  he attended a meeting of the Orange County Commissioners’ Court while from his bachelor officer quarters in Seoul, South Korea  this week. “It was a historic event to have a citizen participate in a public meeting of the  Court from some 6,000 miles away,” said Orange County Assistant Attorney, Douglas Manning after the meeting adjourned on Monday of this week.

Vidorians gearing up for the upcoming fall hunting seasons are reminded to renew their Texas Hunting and Fishing licenses for 2015-16. Licenses for the upcoming year become available for purchase starting Saturday, August 15, 2015. The current year Texas hunting and fishing licenses (except yearto- date fishing licenses) will expire on Monday, August 31, 2015. Every year, the Texas  Parks and Wildlife Department issues about 2.5 million hunting and fishing licenses through  the agency’s 28 field offices, more than 50 state parks and at over 1,700 retailers across the state. Licenses may also be purchased online  through the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department website at www.tpwd.texas.gov/buy or by phone at 1-800-895-4248. Call center hours are Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

BEAUMONT – Gisela Houseman donated $50,000 to Lamar Institute of Technology to add to the already-existing Gisela Houseman Scholarship Endowment for scholarships for all educational programs at LIT. At the presentation on Wednesday, Dr. Shawn Oubre, LIT Foundation president, reiterated the impact Houseman has made in a variety of ways in Southeast Texas. 

Vidor Junior High School students entering eight and seventh grades this coming school year are reminded that their campus’ “Jump Start” on the new fall term will happen on Wednesday and Friday of next week. Eighth graders will Jump on Wednesday, August 19th, while seventh graders will attend their Jump Start on Friday, August 21st. Seventh graders who will be attending the Junior High for the first time will get a chance to meet with their teachers, see their new school schedules and pick up textbooks. They will also go through the wonderful process of finding their lockers in one of the many buildings on ampus and learn how  their locker combination locks work. Jump Start students can also register for clubs, extracurricular activities and sports.