In the years since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, events begin to appear to merge.
When was the first case of COVID known again?Was Mpox genuine or did we dream it together? Spoiler alert: we didn’t dream it.
Was it “the slap in the face” this year?
Looking at the local news from last year, it turns out that a phenomenon is happening.
Can you say ExxonMobil’s lockout ended this year (and started the year before)?And it’s not even been a year since Port Neches-Groves High School came to the nation’s attention after a performance at Disney’s Magic Kingdom park.
Travel through time with us, as we remember some of the biggest of 2022:
United Steelworkers Union District Thirteen Ratifies ExxonMobil Agreement
After about 10 months of shutdowns at the ExxonMobil Beaumont complex, members of the United Steelworkers Union District voted 214-133 in February to ratify a contract with ExxonMobil.
While a return-to-work agreement had yet to be worked out, even though it all brought workers back on March 7, that resolution was a vital step toward ending one of the longest lockouts southeast Texas has ever seen.
The offer, which was nevertheless accepted on Feb. 21, included the addition of Martin Luther King, Jr. ‘s vacation, updated language related to the union’s workers’ committee, and separate job classifications for warehouse and packaging operators. in the mixing and packaging plant.
“We know this has been a long procedure and this contract will provide long-term stability, adding job protections and wage progressions for workers. Throughout the negotiations, we have listened to our workers’ considerations and reached an agreement with the union that is ongoing to help workers while achieving the company’s purpose of safe, reliable and successful operations,” Nakisha Burns, a spokeswoman for ExxonMobil Beaumont, told The Enterprise at the time.
During the months of lockout, several network members and unions rallied around the shuttered workers, donating cash and goods to a pantry open to workers, among other opportunities.
Port Neches-Groves High School plays at Disney Park, denounces nationwide
Port Neches-Groves High School caught the nation’s attention, even provoking a backlash from Disney itself, in March after a performance at Magic Kingdom Park.
The group, along with the dance team, performed the school song “Cherokee” and shouted “scalp’em,” as has been done historically in performances. However, the dance team was not allowed to wear the headdress that is a regular part of their uniform.
The performance, which is not the school’s first in the park, sparked controversy online among commentators, who still talk about the incident and the school’s continued use of indigenous iconography as a mascot.
“The live functionality at our park did not reflect our core values, and we regret that he took a stand,” Disney spokeswoman Jacquee Wahler said at the time. It takes time to put measures in position to make sure this doesn’t take a stand again. “
Despite social media attention and calls from tribes like the Alabama-Coushatta Tribe of Texas and the Cherokee Nation to “stop those images, songs, symbolism, and other offensive practices in their school traditions,” the school board refused to replace their mascot.
Beaumont Says Goodbye to Longest-Serving City Manager and Hires First Black Manager
In March, the City of Beaumont said goodbye to its longest-serving city manager and embarked on a procedure to hire its next senior administrative officer, and found a fit with retired Buda City Manager Kenneth Williams. The board voted 4-3 to approve his hiring, with opposition from board members Mike Getz, Taylor Neild and Randy Feldschau.
Williams, who has more than 34 years of experience in city government, became the city’s first black city manager when he took office in early September.
However, the vote drew comments from residents, as some other people were involved in parts of their employment contract that would come with a breach of what gave the impression of being crimes that would constitute a “cause,” such as engaging in a sexual relationship. Dating a subordinate or failing to fulfill the duties of the city manager.
However, 3 of the biggest fear spaces were replaced before Williams took office.
Major changes for Lamar University athletics
Former Lamar University athletic director Marco Born saw his tenure end with controversy as major changes occurred in the most sensitive part of the cardinals’ department. In January 2022, Born was absent for reasons revealed by the school.
Two months later, Born officially resigned from his post at Lamar. Even days before the resignation, Lamar officials had told the Enterprise that they expected Born to return at some point.
Although rumors persisted, the school never explained why Born’s resignation. A nationwide search for his replacement began in March 2022.
Lamar worked temporarily to erase the maximum of what Born had tried to achieve in Lamar. The school left the Western Athletic Conference and joined the Southland Conference in April.
Enter Jeff O’Malley, who was hired after serving as interim athletic director at Marshall University. O’Malley, who arrived in Beaumont in June, had had a date in the past with Lamar’s president, Jaime Taylor, while the two men were at Marshall.
O’Malley’s biggest resolution came in November when Lamar fired football coach Blane Morgan, who had spent three unsuccessful seasons in Beaumont. The Cardinals went 1-10 overall in the 2022 season.
Rossomando had enjoyed an earlier head workout and was most recently an offensive line coach in Charlotte.
Luis Torres is tried for the 2020 of a Beaumont police officer
Luis Torres was sentenced in July to 20 years in prison for involuntary manslaughter by intoxication in connection with the death of Beaumont Ofc. Sheena Yarbrough-Powell on August 9, 2020.
The jury made its decision after 3 hours of deliberations and about a week of testimony in the case.
Yarbrough-Powell in the passenger seat of a patrol car returning to the downtown Beaumont police station after she and her law enforcement partner, Gabriel Fells, discovered an abandoned orange cat.
The vehicle was struck through Torres while driving on the side of the highway near the intersection of US 69 and Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard.
Yarbrough-Powell was taken to hospital for treatment and released for a few hours before being readmitted for up to six days. Yarbrough-Powell was pronounced dead at the scene.
“I made a mistake that I will have to live with for the rest of my life,” Torres said at trial. “I didn’t need to, but it happened. I can’t replace it. Even if I need to replace it, I can’t. I can’t pray enough, I can’t ask for enough, I can’t beg enough to bring her back.
Southeast Texas elects new face for 22nd District of Texas Legislature after two decades
Southeast Texans chose a new state to upgrade incumbent Rep. Joe Deshotel, who served in District 22 for more than two decades.
After a first vote, the electorate chose Christian Manuel Hayes, then Deshotel’s chief of staff, to fill the void.
After three elections and a prolonged crusade season, the 37-year-old finally emerged victorious, garnering just under 56. 4% of the vote. Republican challenger Jacorion Randle won 43. 6% of the vote in November.
Hayes, one of only two Democrats to win half of the term in Jefferson County in 2022, reflecting a shift in previous voting patterns.
While those trends showed more Republican candidates electing Jefferson County, at least one post-election expert said he still believes Democrats have a chance of winning key seats countywide.
Hayes plans to talk about education, economic progress and workers’ rights when the legislative consultation begins.
Calvin Walker begins serving time after 3 years
While the ninth appeals court may remain his sentence, former Beaumont ISD electrician Calvin Walker began his 180-day prison sentence expired in 2022 for submitting false invoices to Beaumont ISD in 2009 while presenting himself as a contract electrician.
It was about 3 years after the sentence was first handed down, and Beaumont ISD appears to be about to move on, and declined to comment after Walker began his sentence.
The sentencing gave the impression that it would likely be postponed in the final hours, as Walker’s lawyers filed an appeal for certiorari asking a higher court to review the facts of the case just 15 minutes before a judgment was due on the one assigned to serve Walker’s sentence.
Walker also wrote a non-public letter to the judge, requesting that his sentence be suspended so he could spend more time with his family. However, unwilling to set a precedent, Jefferson County Criminal District Judge John Stevens ultimately refused Espere.
Walker is expected to take 60 weekends to serve his sentence, as he allowed him to report to prison until 6 p. m. Friday and be released at 6 a. m. the following Monday so that he can continue with his work as an electrician.
Chevron Phillips Chemical Selects Orange County for $8. 5 Billion Facility
Orange County citizens believed for months that they would be home to Chevron Phillips Chemical’s $8. 5 billion polymer plant, and 2022 gave them that confirmation.
CP Chem officially announced its latest investment resolution in November: Orange would be the new headquarters of the plant and would benefit from more than 500 full-time jobs, 4500 structured jobs and about 50 billion dollars for the community, according to the company.
The plant is expected to start operations in 2026, however, crews have already been working intensively on the site, on US 87 in front of the airport. Assets are limited by United States 87, Forman Road and Farm Road 1006.
At the time of the announcement, Chevron Phillips Chemical President and CEO Bruce Chinn said at a news conference that the company strives to be a “good neighbor” in the communities in which it operates.
“This facility will contribute to the social and economic fabric of the entire Golden Triangle region of Texas, creating thousands of good-paying American jobs and an economic impact of billions of dollars,” he said at the time. “We care deeply about the Orange community, and are excited to bring jobs and resources to the region with environmental protection and functionality at the forefront, as always. “
Historic Race to Port Neches-Groves High School
Port Neches-Groves’ 2022 season was the most productive in more than two decades, but it didn’t necessarily start that way. PN-G swept Port Arthur Memorial in the season opener, marking an unpleasant welcome for new head coach Jeff Joseph.
Another resounding defeat for PN-G came a few weeks later against Fort Bend Marshall. Port Neches-Groves had a 2-2 record at the time, and few may have noticed what would come next.
PN-G won six straight games to finish the normal season with a district record of 6–1. He’s smart enough for the moment in the district. PN-G is heating up at the right time.
The laughter has just begun for Port Neches-Groves fans. Relying on defensive play and offensive line dominance, PN-G managed to get past the playoffs, adding a rematch victory over Fort Bend Marshall in the fourth round. A state semifinal win over Liberty Hill gave PN-G its first appearance as a state name since 1999.
PN-G fell to South Oak Cliff in the Class 5A-II state championship, but still made history with its performances in 2022. Eleven direct victories and a TA
Journalist Olivia Malick contributed.