Tidbits!

Sorry we are a little late…let’s go!

It Is What It Is – So they say….when a old washed out lawyer ends up in a very bad place.

Raymond Clark Fires First – Former commander Raymond Clark shoots his first volley at the city of Port Arthur ….. we warned you guys!

Bannon – He is out….but it was planned…evil!

Snowflakes – So Trump says both sides now? And everyone gets upset like snowflakes? Trump could cure cancer, bring back mother Teresa and give every citizen a million dollars and it would still not be good enough.

Malbrough Man – New top cop at what should be shut down Beaumont ISD Police.

Three Schools At  BISD – We keep trying to tell you……get ready for the Jefferson County ISD.

Port Arthur Failure – Maybe another huge bond can be run to fix the childrens…..see above?

Setting Records – We would like to thank all of you – another record year and it looks like we will top over 20 million page views for the first time ever.

BISD Teachers Union President – (Wait for it) “We are at a crisis.” No kidding ding ding ding? Where the hell have you been?

Cop Alert – So citizens can sigh up for cop alert? Be damned it worked on some thugs today that robbed a store?

Have a great weekend! We will post Sunday!

Level Zero

And so in Port Arthur – as well as Beaumont – the plague of LEVEL Zero continues.

What is level zero?

Well that is when there is no Emergency Medical Services Ambulance for patients in the two biggest cities.

Huh? Is that what you just said?

Here is how 911 works in the two biggest cities :

1. You call 911 when you have having a medical issue.
2. The 911 dispatchers either call Acadian EMS or in Beaumont they have a 911 ambulance service – most of the time.
3. The 911 dispatchers then dispatch a fire truck whom arrives before anyone about 99% of the time. The fire fighters are mostly EMT / or EMT paramedic trained.
4. The ambulance arrives – and all is good.

Okay so you have the basics right? WRONG.

In Port Arthur and Beaumont around 9% of the time there are no ambulances. In Port Arthur Acadian EMS is the sole provider. Meaning there are no other EMS companies that can go into rotation to take 911 calls or do back up.

Now let’s be upfront – Acadian EMS is a well tuned machine of profit . They do a great job – but their turn over (according to their employees) is kind of hard. Beaumont EMS has five units and fly cars.

Now the problem?

Well you are getting older and the calls for service are through the roof in Beaumont. In Port Arthur the calls for service are through the roof and there are no enough EMS units.

So Port Arthur today heard a plea for more EMS units and bring in a second carrier.

Sounds familiar?

Well it is. This has happened over 6 times in the last 20 years and still nobody listens.

Here is the bottom line – until Jefferson County does what Houston, Austin, and the rest of the state has done – which is create a Hospital District to cover the entire county and let the private ems companies thrive with the private calls from hospitals…well then you have what you have. People dying on the streets of Jefferson County Texas.

We will re-write the book again? And again? And again? And again?

Blame Game Begins

Okay…you knew this was coming. And it is here. And it is ugly.

Over the weekend there was two more murders – and one that might turn into a murder. All three cases are being worked and looks like they have their shooters and stabbers. And the citizens are all cheering – and they are pumped up – but the citizens are scared.

So – our marches all of the top cops in the area. And some politicos. And who wasn’t there? Mayor Becky Ames -according to social media that lit up like a Christmas Tree.

Fair or unfair – when you are the top – you get mud balls thrown at you. And in social media she is getting mud thrown at her.

Now for the political question? Is this fair?

Our answer is yes and no.

First, Ames isn’t going around trying to cause trouble. She simply is the mayor of Beaumont. She has a city manager. She has a police chief that is working his but off. She has a rank and file police department that maybe is one of the best – as the CID division is kicking ass. So …… why get on her?

Second, and stay with us here, Ames is one vote on city council. Just one. She has to work on budgets and she is simply a part of the “government will cure most ills.” This has caused taxes to explode, unemployment to go up as businesses are leaving, and that causes high crime. But again – you cannot blame her – but she has to take one or two chits regarding where it all is now.

Here is your bottom line folks – you could put the Pope in as Mayor – but it cannot stop what is coming.

What is coming?

Get in your car – and drive down to Port Arthur. Go through the neighborhoods, look at the businesses that are closed, and if were not for industry – it would be game over.

Beaumont and Port Arthur – and all over Jefferson County lack leaders. And there is no group of leaders coming up behind any of these elected officials.

History will tell the story of Ames – but for those of you blaming her …. uh no. Those of you giving her a chit in the game – uh yes.

The Game

And the headlines all over Southeast Texas : “Jefferson County Keeps Same Tax Rate and Fund Balance.” And the people rejoice – NO TAX INCREASE THIS YEAR FROM THE COUNTY!

Uh no.

So here is how the game is played. And stay with us. The tax rate – being what you pay in property taxes is staying the same. But your home value is going up. So HARD DOLLARS you pay more. This time for the county to the tune of $6 bucks. And that is just the county – now you have to add in the city, the water districts, the fire districts, the drainage districts and on and on and on….and well that $6 bucks just went to a couple of hundred dollars a year. 

Where is the cheering now? Where is the media now?

Folks…here is the deal. So be prepared for it. The county did some of the right thing – they got into the rainy day fund and drew out almost $6 million to cover bills. They did not cut back on hard dollars – but they did do the rain dance. 

Now the pork is still in the budget. They still have the one and only doctor / nurse / clinic for employees in East Texas. That cost is almost 3 million (and don’t start with no it isn’t – employees, benefits, equipment and on and on. They still have pork in the district courts – they have an administrative judge who is not used very much. And if you really look hard – you will find pork all over the place because nobody wants to change. The good old things…..nepotism and on and on. 

What changed? Nothing. 

Get ready for the media ya ya cheering – Jefferson County Cuts Back! And then look at your tax statement. 

It is the definition of insanity. It is a game. 

Federal Investigation Coming

Strike this under OH NO….no really OH NO.

The Southeast Texas Political Review has been told by a source very close to the US DOJ that a packet of information is expected to be delivered later today that will allegedly implicate leaders in the City of Port Arthur to a set up scam that led to the dismissal of Ricky Antoine – a former Port Arthur Police Officer.

In the explosive filing that we are told by our sources at the federal court house – Antoine – who was a Port Arthur Police officer accused of payola for dismissing tickets was set up by commanders of the police department on the orders of the Sr. City Staff.

The story goes like this :

• Antoine wrote the city manager a traffic ticket and the manager had to pay the ticket.
• Antoine was active friends with the Union Leadership – and the ranks of the City Government was already conducting a union busting operation with other cops.
• Two officers being a Lt. and a Sgt. met another traffic officer and ordered him to write a ticket to a subject that he had never met or had interaction with. The officer refused – but was threatened with his job and was told to either write the ticket or be fired. He wrote the ticket under duress which was reported to Federal Agents who began watching the situation.
• The ticket was used as a set up on Antoine – which failed as Antoine never fixed any tickets.
• Later – after the set up failed – Antoine was brought into the police station and interrogated by Sr. staff and asked if he had received anything free from the public. He stated that he did being lunches by business owners and coffee from  his friends and again business owners.
• The Sr. Commanders then asked him if he had received shoes – to which Antoine told them that over a year ago (from the time of the questioning) one of his good friends that owned a shoe shop in the mall gave him a pair of shoes that were on display. But it was not on duty and he and the guy who owned the store were again friends for very many years.
• The Sr. Commanders then accused him of lying about the shoes – to which Antoine then told them again he was off duty and the man was his good friend. As well, there was no value to the old shoes in the shop. The commanders then fired him for not telling them about the shoes.
• The shoe store owner told the investigators that he didn’t remember giving the shoes to Antoine – but he may have and denies any and all possibility  of any collusion for tickets.

Antoine who is a Sr. Officer for the department hired legal counsel – did an investigation – and now preparing a lawsuit we are told – adding to the Federal Investigation of the two Sr. Officers, being a Sgt. from the Internal Affairs Division and his Lt. Further the connection to the police chief and who ordered the civil rights violation (s) in issuing a false ticket.

And we have learned that in the set up – the officer who wrote the ticket on the subject who was being used as a CI – received an email on the PAPD internal CAD system (car to car text message) from Antoine after the ticket was issued – what the ticket was all about.

Antoine is said to have proffered or has offered to proffer to the FBI and State investigators (keeping away from Jefferson County) regarding the incident. Sources tell us that the voting block on the city council (see below) has stated that they are going to ask this week if the information is true under open and closed session of the city council meeting – and if so are going to ask for resignations from some Sr. Staff of the city – or at least begin the process of removal of the Sr. Staff.

Whew…

Our take? Ya know…….we don’t know what to say. If you go with the leaders of the city the city was corrupt (surprised look) to the core of law enforcement. But then you peal back the layers of the onion and there is nothing there. And you have some long time dedicated police officers that lost their jobs and reputations and they are not scared to hire lawyers and sue the city – to which it is all going to come out. Our guess is if that is true – the leaders of the city did in fact union bust the police officers union (after a two year wild negotiation to which the city lost) and this is political retribution which lost the city thousands.

Okay…to say it plain – this is ugly and getting worse. We will keep you updated.

The Deal Is Cut?

The Southeast Texas Political Review has been told by two sources associated with the Port Arthur City Council that police chief Melvin may be released from his position in an agreed to settlement as early as Friday of this week. The sources tell us that the departure they think is best for Melvin and the city.

The City of Port Arthur – since Melvin’s arrival – has been racked with lawsuits by employees that some in the department call “which hunt” investigations that have produced zero prosecutions. Further, according to the sources, the city has left hundreds of experienced  man hours to be throw out the window. 

Another area of concern is that according to the city – over 28 positions are open at the City of Port Arthur in the police department. Meaning almost 1/4 of the department is left unfilled. This has caused thousands of hours in overtime, safety of police officers and the public. This has angered the voting block of the 4 – to which they now have control over the city – and they know if they don’t change things that all of what they have talked about is silly.

Our sources close to the city tell us that they have to make a change. Nobody is getting along with anyone and that the citizens are being affected. 

Our take?

Well we don’t know Melvin – but we do know some of the cops. And they are hard working men and women that don’t like politics and just want to do their jobs….and with that said – sometimes jobs for folks are just not a fit. 

And we are thinking that he is not a fit?

We want to know what you think….so….here : 

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