Here’s what’s up in SETX, 

Federal money is heading to south Beaumont for a long-overdue drainage fix — six stormwater detention basins and underground culverts on Virginia Street, part of a $117M FEMA investment that puts real infrastructure behind a real problem. Meanwhile, a Port Arthur kid just signed an NFL deal with the Carolina Panthers, six of your neighbors crossed the Boston Marathon finish line last week, and Port Neches RiverFest kicks off Tuesday. We're also pausing this week to celebrate thirty years of tacos — and the man who made them — on Calder Street.

Today's newsletter is brought to you by Tailored Financial Solutions.

Let's get into it. 👇

FEMA Sends $10M to South Beaumont for Flood Mitigation 💧

FEMA Region 6 announced last week it approved more than $117 million through its Flood Mitigation Assistance grant program — and Beaumont is one of the primary beneficiaries. The city's flagship project: $10.17 million to build six stormwater detention basins along Virginia Street in south Beaumont, from west of Avenue A to east of 4th Street, plus underground culverts running through Virginia Street and Avenue A. This is not a post-storm cleanup check — it's a planned, engineered system designed to keep floodwater out of neighborhoods before the next major rain event.

SETX flooding isn't a headline — it's a lived reality for thousands of families, especially in south Beaumont. These basins work by capturing runoff before it overwhelms streets and yards, and the culvert system gives that water a controlled path out. Construction timelines haven't been released yet, but this is funded and moving.

💡 The bottom line: South Beaumont just got $10 million worth of federal commitment to the flooding problem that's been draining residents for decades — this one is worth watching.

Mark your calendars for these upcoming highlights.

THIS WEEK

MOVIE NIGHTS @ JEFFERSON

THIS WEEKEND

Which event are you hitting up? Reply and let us know! And if there's an event we missed, send it our way for next week's issue. 🎉

When Carlos Zuñiga Castillo drove to Beaumont from California in 1995, he found a vacant building on Calder Street, turned it into a video rental shop, and then in 1996 started making tacos. Thirty years later, Tacos La Bamba had become something harder to describe than a restaurant — a mural-covered, community-sponsored institution where local artists painted the walls, neighborhood organizations got sponsorships, and the first Thursday of every month meant $1 tacos for whoever showed up. Carlos passed away April 2 at 52 years old. The whole city felt it, and the tributes from 12News, KFDM, and Beaumont Today said the same thing: he was a community leader who happened to serve excellent food. If you haven't been in a while — or ever — now is exactly the right time to go.

📍 2005 Calder St, Beaumont, TX 77701 | ⏰ Mon–Fri 8 AM–4 PM | Sat 8 AM–3 PM | Sun 8 AM–4 PM

🤤 Had a great meal somewhere in SETX lately? Reply and tell us — we feature reader picks.

Hurricane Rita took Dale LaFleur's first bookstore in 2005. He rebuilt anyway. In 2016, Dale opened Fleur Fine Books in Port Neches — and the origin story is almost too good not to tell. His wife asked him to clear out a spare room he'd stuffed with 3,000 books. His response: go buy a closing used bookstore and bring home 14,000 more. That's the energy that built one of SETX's best-kept secrets. The shop stocks used, rare, and out-of-print titles with a deep Sci-Fi/Fantasy section, an impressive Texana collection, and the kind of staff knowledge that puts any algorithm to shame. The Texas Bucket List came calling in 2022 — and if you've never made the trip to Magnolia Ave, this is your sign.

📍 1720 Magnolia Ave, Suite 104, Port Neches | (409) 344-0876 | ⏰ Tuesday–Saturday, 10 AM–6 PM | fleurfinebooks.com

Lance Taylor built Tailored Financial Solutions on a premise that most Southeast Texas families and small business owners don't get enough of: financial clarity without the big-firm runaround. From retirement planning and life insurance to sharp bookkeeping and CFO-level strategy, TFS works with individuals and growing businesses across the Golden Triangle to make financial decisions less stressful and more intentional. With property appraisals climbing and costs rising across the region, having a trusted advisor in your corner isn't a luxury — it's the smart play.

This section is sponsored by Tailored Financial Solutions. Want your business featured here? Email us at [email protected].

This is the window. Water temperatures at Toledo Bend Reservoir and Sam Rayburn Reservoir are climbing into the low-to-mid 70s, which means largemouth bass have moved into shallow cover and are actively feeding before summer heat pushes them deep.

Late April is consistently one of the top-producing weeks on both lakes — and both are within 90 minutes of Beaumont. Head to Pendleton Boat Ramp on Toledo Bend or McGee Creek access on Sam Rayburn for an easy morning run. Work a Texas-rigged soft plastic or topwater frog along grass edges and you'll find fish. Not into fishing? Big Thicket National Preserve is at peak spring migration right now — warblers, painted buntings, and shorebirds are all moving through. Either way, the weather and the wildlife are cooperating. Get outside this weekend.

🏕️ What's your favorite outdoor spot in the Golden Triangle? Reply and tell us — we'll feature the best ones in a future issue.

Valero's Port Arthur refinery is still running at roughly 30% capacity following the March 23 explosion — the larger crude distillation unit remains offline.

Recovery timelines haven't been publicly confirmed, but when the second unit comes back online, it typically brings contract and maintenance crew demand with it. Separately, Golden Triangle Polymers just onboarded its first class of 28 regional process operators for the $8.5B CPChem facility in Orange County — more positions are expected as the 2026 startup approaches.

🏭 Process Operators — Golden Triangle Polymers / Chevron Phillips Chemical | Orange County

The $8.5B facility just hired its first class from the nine-county Golden Triangle region. Additional operator and technical positions expected. Training at sister CPChem sites while construction wraps up.

How to apply: setworks.org or CPChem careers page at cpchem.com/careers

🔧 Free Welding Training — Port Arthur

The Port Arthur EDC and Lamar State College Port Arthur are funding professional welding training for 75 Port Arthur residents at zero cost — no tuition, no fees. The program runs over three years and is timed to match anticipated shipbuilding demand returning to the region. This is a real pathway to an in-demand trade with strong local hiring prospects.

How to apply: Watch for enrollment details from LSCPA at lscpa.edu or via Port Arthur News.

💼 Multi-Employer Job Fairs — Workforce Solutions Southeast Texas

Two hiring events this week — open to job seekers across all industries. Complete a WorkInTexas.com profile before showing up.

📅 April 29 | Beaumont Workforce Center, 510 Park St | 8:30 AM–4:30 PM
📅 April 30 | Port Arthur Workforce Center, 4680 FM 365 | 10 AM–1 PM

How to apply: Text SETWORKS JOBS to (409) 248-1399 for updates.

Looking for outdoor work this spring? Tailored Lawn Care is hiring for local routes. Good steady gig with a local company.

Call or text Frederick: (409) 365-4887

💼 Hiring in SETX? Send us your job listing and we'll include it — free for local businesses. Just reply to this email.

🌊 Do you live in south Beaumont, or have family there? We'd love to hear how flooding has personally affected you — and whether a project like this one feels like real progress or just another announcement.

See you in a few days neighbor 📍,

The What’s Up SETX Team