By Bobby Tingle

 

“My husband is a liberal,” declared the bride of “Mr. Newsman.”

You will need to insert hilarious laughter here, kind of like you would insert an emoji with a face displaying a huge smile and squinted eyes with tears flying about randomly in a text message.

She was recently made aware of her husband’s left leaning inclinations by an area blogger.

The blogger was making some not so flattering comments about “Mr. Newsman.”

Instead of defending her husband she laughed.

The bride was not buying this accusation.

Maybe someone is not paying attention here.

Could it be the bride or might it be the blogger.

“Mr. Newsman” in this report, published by a Jefferson County blogger, was accused of expressing his opinion in a column on an opinion page published in The Orange Leader.

Apparently, the blogger intended to mislead his audience. He wanted them to believe The Orange Leader published an opinion column as a news report.

There is a difference.

Or, at least, there should be a difference.

News should be reported objectively.

Opinions should be based on empirical evidence.

But the former is merely a statement of facts, while the latter is an expression of the author’s bias based on the facts.

(Yes, you are right, some opinions are based on fiction.)

At least a bride got a good laugh for the day. Not much else good came of the bloggers misleading post.

But keep those cards and letters coming and hold us accountable at The Orange Leader lest we stray into the dark abyss of publishing “fake news.”

 

 

Area industry leaders are ‘bullish’ on Orange

 

Area industrial leaders seem ‘bullish’ on Orange.

“Location, location, location” are the three most important items necessary for growth and development according to Jefferson Energy Companies Public Affairs Director Mark Viator.

Viator went on to state Orange County is uniquely positioned with the resources and potential to accommodate growth propelling us into a competitive industrial arena.

Viator was one of four members of a panel of area industry leaders answering questions Thursday at the 2018 Industrial Exchange.

The other panelists were Exxon Mobil Beaumont Area Public and Government Affairs Manager Ashley Smith Alemayehu, International Paper Mill Manager Ed Barr and DowDuPont Sabine River Works Site Manager Jean Algate.

The event was held at the J. Michael and Bridget Shahan Events Center on the Lamar State College-Orange campus.

The Orange County Economic Development Corporation and Greater Orange Area Chamber of Commerce teamed up to organize this worthwhile event.

The event opened with an informal meet and greet to allow attendees to hawk their wares.

NAPA Auto Parts owner Sue Denosowicz and Keep Orange County Beautiful representative Deborah Bednar huddled early on to discuss the wonderful aspects of our community.

The panelists agreed, Orange has much to offer.

But we should not be satisfied.

A community must offer more than a place to work and earn a living to attract and keep a talented workforce.

Barr challenged the audience of business and industry leaders to determine what you drive to Beaumont and Lake Charles for and bring it to Orange.

Algate suggested building ball fields.

To a person the panel agreed; we have talent in the Orange Area, but we need a community with the amenities to keep and attract talent.

Algate also expressed a desire to partner with area educators. Her vision is to begin encouraging students in intermediate school to recognize and develop their talents.

If they do, DowDupont and other Orange area industrial sites will have a place for them to contribute and grow.

No doubt many of the attendees Thursday were looking for an avenue to become a vendor for these large industrial operations.

The panel also agreed on the priority of safety.

Being fanatical about safety is paramount if you plan to do business with these industrial operations.

Orange has much to offer.

We have a strong sense of community.

We have some of the finest cultural venues.

We have a talented workforce.

Our challenge is to build on this solid foundation and provide a place where our kids want to live and work rather than escape.

We should be ‘bullish’ on Orange as well.

 

Bobby Tingle is publisher of The Orange Leader. You can reach him at bobby.tingle@orangeleader.com.