F ORT B END FAIR. BALANCED. INFORMATIVE. Phone: 281-980-6745 ww ww w.fbindependent.com .fbindependent.com P.O.BOX 623, SUGAR LAND, TX 77487-0623 WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2012 VOL 5 No. 45 Official newspaper of Fort Bend County, Missouri City & Sugar Land Seshadri Kumar Publisher & Editor 10701 Corporate Drive, #282, Stafford, TX 77477 Mailing Address: P.O. Box 623, Sugar Land, TX 77487 www.fbindependent.com 281-980-6745 Fort Bend Independent, (USPS 025-572) is published every Wednesday (for a subscription rate of $20 per year) by Fort Bend Independent, LLC., 10701 Corporate Dr., #282, Stafford, Texas 77477. Periodicals Postage Paid at Stafford, Texas. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Fort Bend Independent, P.O. Box 623, Sugar Land, Tx 77487. By SESHADRI KUMAR Fort Bend County District Attorney John Healey has determined that no criminal charges will be filed with re- gard to a complaint brought to his office in February 2012 by William Proctor, a current Katy ISD school board trustee. Proctor’s complaint alleged a violation of the Texas Open Meetings Act, regarding the May 2011 selection of school board officers immediately fol- lowing the elections occurring that month. This decision was based on careful consideration of the law regarding the Texas Open Meetings Act and factual in- formation obtained by an in- vestigator with the District At- torney’s Office, Healey said. Facts were derived from inter- views with the following indi- viduals: Rebecca Fox, Joe Ad- ams, Terry Huckaby, William Proctor, Henry Dibrell, Robert Shaw, and attorney Chris Gil- bert with Thompson and Hor- ton who represents Katy ISD. All of the individuals men- tioned voluntarily spoke to the District Attorney’s investiga- tor. The fundamental purpose of the Texas Open Meetings Act is to ensure that there is an allowance for open, public discussion regarding matters considered and decided by governmental entities, Healey said. Public discussions and votes of the entities shall occur, en- suring that deliberations by the members of governmental en- tities regarding their business shall not be made in private, closed-door meetings. “Under Texas law, there are a small minority of issues that a governmental entity may delib- erate in a closed, also known as executive, session. The selec- tion of school board officers is not one of them,” Healey said. Both federal and state courts have analyzed the facts of a variety of alleged Open Meet- ings Act violations, including those related to the actions of a school board, to determine how the language of the Texas Open Meetings Act should be inter- preted and applied. Those courts have reasoned that the intent of the board members to violate the Open Meetings Act is to be taken into consideration when deter- mining the existence of a law violation, he said. In any criminal prosecution, the District Attorney’s Office must present to the judge or jury, evidence that represents proof beyond a reasonable doubt that a law has been bro- ken. In reference to Proctor’s complaint, the District Attor- ney’s Office does not believe that proof beyond a reasonable doubt exists to proceed with a prosecution. Those members of the Board who were interviewed were very open as to what was talked about, and what was not talked about, in pre-meeting conver- sations between current Katy ISD School Board President Fox and individual members. “No rational jury could be- lieve that these board members and members-elect intended that the Open Meetings Act would be broken. “Furthermore, following the May 2011 election, they dis- cussed openly their members’ preferences for school board officers at the first meeting af- ter the election.” Going forward, the District Attorney’s Office is hope- ful that the current and future board members, after consul- tation with the District’s legal counsel, will consider revising the manner in which the is- sue of officer selections on the Board is first approached, and that prior to a public meeting, members will go into less de- tail about who might be inter- ested in filling the roles of vari- ous offices on the Board. If this occurs, the spirit and letter of the law relating to the Open Meetings Act will be served, Healey said. Sugar Land’s new Online Town Hall is now focusing on feedback for the Sugar Land Police Department’s Crime Prevention Camera Program. Citizens are being asked: What are your thoughts and/or concerns regarding the imple- mentation of the Crime Pre- vention Camera Program that can be considered during the creation of a policy to provide guidance for the use of the sys- tem? Please feel free to add your comments about the pro- gram. Recently approved funding for a citywide Crime Preven- tion Camera Project will enable police to expand a community partnership that began years ago. Cameras have long been an effective crime-fighting tool for Sugar Land neighborhoods and businesses. They have suc- cessfully served as a deterrent and also a forensic tool to solve crimes after they occur. Contin- ued interest from business dis- tricts and neighborhood asso- ciations to expand the reach of their cameras recently resulted in funding for a network of sim- ilar crime prevention cameras along public roadways. The license plate recognition cameras planned along entranc- es to Sugar Land are identical to those which have been used by the City for years in patrol cars and several stationary locations in the Town Center area and City parks. The cameras will be a passive, non-monitored sys- tem used to locate suspect vehi- cles after a crime occurs. Citizens are encouraged to visit the City’s Online Town Hall and share their concerns. Feedback will be used in the development of a policy for the Crime Prevention Camera Pro- gram. Recently launched on the City’s website at www.sugar- landtx.gov, Online Town Hall is easy to use and allows Sugar Land citizens to share ideas and perspectives on specific topics impacting the commu- nity and its future. The mod- erated forum is conducted in a respectful, civil environment that ensures participation from everyone in our City. During the registration pro- cess, residents will be asked for their names and home ad- dresses. This confidential infor- mation is used only to identify statements from residents in Sugar Land so that users know which statements are from local residents. Personal information will not be used or shared in any other way. Once subscribed to the forum, participants will be able to make inquiries and offer comments in a message board format. Forum participants will only need to register once to par- ticipate in this and all future forums. They may read what others are saying and post their own statements. City staff will read the statements and incor- porate them into the decision- making process. Economic Development Director Matt Fielder, Rosenberg Development Corporation President Bill Knesek, Rosenberg Mayor Vincent M. Morales, Jr., Imperial Arts Founder and Executive Director Edward Crowell III, Imperial Arts Visual Arts and Education Director Robyn Miller, and Imperial Arts Board Member Kelly Ferguson recently toured the new arts center under-construction in Rosenberg. Imperial Arts will open on Nov. 16. See story on Page 6. They are all smiles about helping more than 4,000 chil- dren in Fort Bend County during the holiday season this year!! Pictured at the Sugar Land Fire Depart- ment’s Fire Station No. 7 are (left to right): back row in the fire truck - Lieutenant Darryl Teague (driver), Santa, Cap- tain Trent Herrod; and stand- ing in the front are: Carolyn Tarver, Project SMILE; John Robson, Exchange Club of Sugar Land; Jack Molho, Toys for Tots; and Jared Jameson, Sugar Land Rotary. The Sugar Land Fire De- partment has always supported children who are economically disadvantaged, and Christmas time is no different. The fire department will join two new partners, Santa’s Exchange and Toys for Tots, to ensure an even greater impact for children in need across Fort Bend County. The organiza- tions expect to achieve greater efficiency and effectiveness by working together, and are very excited to have the Sugar Land Fire Department supporting these efforts. In the coming weeks, toy collection boxes will be avail- able around the county in- cluding all Sugar Land Fire Stations. Donations of new, unwrapped gifts will help cre- ate a memorable Christmas for many at-risk children through- out Fort Bend County. Along with Toys for Tots, Santa’s Exchange includes members of Sugar Land Ex- change, Fort Bend Exchange and Sugar Land Rotary Club that support Project SMILE, as well as collection boxes lo- cated at Fort Bend ISD, Lamar CISD and participating area businesses. Carolyn Tarver with Proj- ect SMILE, Stan’s Memory Includes Loving Everyone, receives toys each year from Santa’s Exchange. Tarver started by helping 12 children during the holidays when her only son, Stan, died in a tragic accident. As the need for toys grew larger each year, Santa’s Exchange helped her fulfill her dream. Last year alone, over 3,500 children received over 10,000 gifts during the holiday season through Project SMILE. Toys for Tots Online Town Hall on “surveillance cameras” Masala Radio, in association with Gujarati Samaj of Houston, India House, India Culture Center and Hindus of Greater Houston will present the glamorous second annual Diwali Carnival: Festival of Lights 2012 on Saturday, Nov. 10, from 6 p.m. to 12 a.m. at Constellation Field (Sugar Land Skeeters Stadium). Diwali is the biggest festival in India, celebrating the victory of good over evil. The evening will be energized by popular comedian Sunil Thakkar of Masala Radio and will feature multi stages of a glitzy Miss Diwali Beauty Pageant, breathtaking Indian Classical and Bollywood Entertainment, exotic Fire Dancers, shimmering Fashion Show, dazzling Fireworks, Kids Rides, and a Bazaar of Clothing, Jewelry, and spicy Indian Street Food. The 80-foot wide, three-level Main Stage will feature over 13 top dance school performances. The main attraction is the mind-blowing Masala Entertainment lineup, featuring Indian Idol finalist Bhoomi Trivedi and three young singers playing the latest Bollywood Tracks and the finale Dandia-Raas (stick dance festival). DJ Zee will rock the main stage, and AD Sounds will provide a memorable American-rock-band-style stage light show. Kids will delight in an extensive playground, free carousel rides and giant inflatable slide. Youths will love the secret DJ Dance clubs. All of this is available for the low ticket price of $5. The last time Masala Radio had a grand event for Diwali was in 2007, at Sugar Land Town Square. The event became overcrowded, with guests parking in the nearby mall and outlying shopping centers that traffic came to a standstill. Now Constellation Field will serve as the perfect venue, with ample parking even for the capacity crowd of 8000, 5000 built-seats, giant 200 x 90 video screen, and a circle concourse to accommodate 60 vendors. For tickets visit HoustonDiwaliMela.com or call 281-277-6874. Diwali at Constellation Field DA files no charges in alleged open meetings act violation Imperial Arts opens in Rosenberg
Fort Bend Independent, (USPS 025-572) is published every Wednesday (for a subscription rate of $20 per year) by Fort Bend Independent, LLC., 10701 Corporate Dr., #282, Stafford, Texas 77477. Periodicals Postage Paid at Stafford, Texas. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Fort Bend Independent, P.O. Box 623, Sugar Land, Tx 77487.
By SESHADRI KUMARFort Bend County District
Attorney John Healey has determined that no criminal charges will be fi led with re-gard to a complaint brought to his offi ce in February 2012 by William Proctor, a current Katy ISD school board trustee.
Proctor’s complaint alleged a violation of the Texas Open Meetings Act, regarding the May 2011 selection of school board offi cers immediately fol-lowing the elections occurring that month.
This decision was based on careful consideration of the law regarding the Texas Open Meetings Act and factual in-formation obtained by an in-vestigator with the District At-torney’s Offi ce, Healey said. Facts were derived from inter-views with the following indi-viduals: Rebecca Fox, Joe Ad-ams, Terry Huckaby, William Proctor, Henry Dibrell, Robert Shaw, and attorney Chris Gil-bert with Thompson and Hor-ton who represents Katy ISD.
All of the individuals men-tioned voluntarily spoke to the District Attorney’s investiga-tor.
The fundamental purpose of the Texas Open Meetings Act is to ensure that there is an allowance for open, public discussion regarding matters considered and decided by
governmental entities, Healey said.
Public discussions and votes of the entities shall occur, en-suring that deliberations by the members of governmental en-tities regarding their business shall not be made in private, closed-door meetings.
“Under Texas law, there are a small minority of issues that a governmental entity may delib-erate in a closed, also known as executive, session. The selec-tion of school board offi cers is not one of them,” Healey said.
Both federal and state courts have analyzed the facts of a variety of alleged Open Meet-ings Act violations, including those related to the actions of a school board, to determine how the language of the Texas Open Meetings Act should be inter-preted and applied.
Those courts have reasoned that the intent of the board members to violate the Open Meetings Act is to be taken into consideration when deter-mining the existence of a law violation, he said.
In any criminal prosecution, the District Attorney’s Offi ce must present to the judge or jury, evidence that represents proof beyond a reasonable doubt that a law has been bro-ken.
In reference to Proctor’s complaint, the District Attor-
ney’s Offi ce does not believe that proof beyond a reasonable doubt exists to proceed with a prosecution.
Those members of the Board who were interviewed were very open as to what was talked about, and what was not talked about, in pre-meeting conver-sations between current Katy ISD School Board President Fox and individual members.
“No rational jury could be-lieve that these board members and members-elect intended that the Open Meetings Act would be broken.
“Furthermore, following the May 2011 election, they dis-cussed openly their members’ preferences for school board offi cers at the fi rst meeting af-ter the election.”
Going forward, the District Attorney’s Offi ce is hope-ful that the current and future board members, after consul-tation with the District’s legal counsel, will consider revising the manner in which the is-sue of offi cer selections on the Board is fi rst approached, and that prior to a public meeting, members will go into less de-tail about who might be inter-ested in fi lling the roles of vari-ous offi ces on the Board.
If this occurs, the spirit and letter of the law relating to the Open Meetings Act will be served, Healey said.
Sugar Land’s new Online Town Hall is now focusing on feedback for the Sugar Land Police Department’s Crime Prevention Camera Program.
Citizens are being asked: What are your thoughts and/or concerns regarding the imple-mentation of the Crime Pre-vention Camera Program that can be considered during the creation of a policy to provide guidance for the use of the sys-tem? Please feel free to add your comments about the pro-gram.
Recently approved funding for a citywide Crime Preven-tion Camera Project will enable police to expand a community partnership that began years ago.
Cameras have long been an effective crime-fi ghting tool for Sugar Land neighborhoods and businesses. They have suc-cessfully served as a deterrent and also a forensic tool to solve crimes after they occur. Contin-ued interest from business dis-
tricts and neighborhood asso-ciations to expand the reach of their cameras recently resulted in funding for a network of sim-ilar crime prevention cameras along public roadways.
The license plate recognition cameras planned along entranc-es to Sugar Land are identical to those which have been used by the City for years in patrol cars and several stationary locations in the Town Center area and City parks. The cameras will be a passive, non-monitored sys-tem used to locate suspect vehi-cles after a crime occurs.
Citizens are encouraged to visit the City’s Online Town Hall and share their concerns. Feedback will be used in the development of a policy for the Crime Prevention Camera Pro-gram.
Recently launched on the City’s website at www.sugar-landtx.gov, Online Town Hall is easy to use and allows Sugar Land citizens to share ideas and perspectives on specifi c
topics impacting the commu-nity and its future. The mod-erated forum is conducted in a respectful, civil environment that ensures participation from everyone in our City.
During the registration pro-cess, residents will be asked for their names and home ad-dresses. This confi dential infor-mation is used only to identify statements from residents in Sugar Land so that users know which statements are from local residents. Personal information will not be used or shared in any other way. Once subscribed to the forum, participants will be able to make inquiries and offer comments in a message board format.
Forum participants will only need to register once to par-ticipate in this and all future forums. They may read what others are saying and post their own statements. City staff will read the statements and incor-porate them into the decision-making process.
Economic Development Director Matt Fielder, Rosenberg Development Corporation President Bill Knesek, Rosenberg Mayor Vincent M. Morales, Jr., Imperial Arts Founder and Executive Director Edward Crowell III, Imperial Arts Visual Arts and Education Director Robyn Miller, and Imperial Arts Board Member Kelly Ferguson recently toured the new arts center under-construction in Rosenberg. Imperial Arts will open on Nov. 16. See story on Page 6.
They are all smiles about helping more than 4,000 chil-dren in Fort Bend County during the holiday season this year!! Pictured at the Sugar Land Fire Depart-ment’s Fire Station No. 7 are (left to right): back row in the fi re truck - Lieutenant Darryl Teague (driver), Santa, Cap-tain Trent Herrod; and stand-ing in the front are: Carolyn Tarver, Project SMILE; John Robson, Exchange Club of Sugar Land; Jack Molho, Toys for Tots; and Jared Jameson, Sugar Land Rotary.
The Sugar Land Fire De-partment has always supported children who are economically disadvantaged, and Christmas time is no different. The fi re department will join two new
partners, Santa’s Exchange and Toys for Tots, to ensure an even greater impact for children in need across Fort Bend County. The organiza-tions expect to achieve greater effi ciency and effectiveness by working together, and are very excited to have the Sugar Land Fire Department supporting these efforts.
In the coming weeks, toy collection boxes will be avail-able around the county in-cluding all Sugar Land Fire Stations. Donations of new, unwrapped gifts will help cre-ate a memorable Christmas for many at-risk children through-out Fort Bend County.
Along with Toys for Tots, Santa’s Exchange includes members of Sugar Land Ex-
change, Fort Bend Exchange and Sugar Land Rotary Club that support Project SMILE, as well as collection boxes lo-cated at Fort Bend ISD, Lamar CISD and participating area businesses.
Carolyn Tarver with Proj-ect SMILE, Stan’s Memory Includes Loving Everyone, receives toys each year from Santa’s Exchange.
Tarver started by helping 12 children during the holidays when her only son, Stan, died in a tragic accident. As the need for toys grew larger each year, Santa’s Exchange helped her fulfi ll her dream.
Last year alone, over 3,500 children received over 10,000 gifts during the holiday season through Project SMILE.
Toys for Tots
Online Town Hall on “surveillance cameras”
Masala Radio, in association with Gujarati Samaj of Houston, India House, India Culture Center and Hindus of Greater Houston will present the glamorous second annual Diwali Carnival: Festival of Lights 2012 on Saturday, Nov. 10, from 6 p.m. to 12 a.m. at Constellation Field (Sugar Land Skeeters Stadium).
Diwali is the biggest festival in India, celebrating the victory of good over evil.The evening will be energized by popular comedian Sunil Thakkar of Masala Radio and will
feature multi stages of a glitzy Miss Diwali Beauty Pageant, breathtaking Indian Classical and Bollywood Entertainment, exotic Fire Dancers, shimmering Fashion Show, dazzling Fireworks, Kids Rides, and a Bazaar of Clothing, Jewelry, and spicy Indian Street Food.
The 80-foot wide, three-level Main Stage will feature over 13 top dance school performances.The main attraction is the mind-blowing Masala Entertainment lineup, featuring Indian Idol
fi nalist Bhoomi Trivedi and three young singers playing the latest Bollywood Tracks and the fi nale Dandia-Raas (stick dance festival). DJ Zee will rock the main stage, and AD Sounds will provide a memorable American-rock-band-style stage light show. Kids will delight in an extensive playground, free carousel rides and giant infl atable slide. Youths will love the secret DJ Dance clubs. All of this is available for the low ticket price of $5.
The last time Masala Radio had a grand event for Diwali was in 2007, at Sugar Land Town Square. The event became overcrowded, with guests parking in the nearby mall and outlying shopping centers that traffi c came to a standstill. Now Constellation Field will serve as the perfect venue, with ample parking even for the capacity crowd of 8000, 5000 built-seats, giant 200 x 90 video screen, and a circle concourse to accommodate 60 vendors. For tickets visit HoustonDiwaliMela.com or call 281-277-6874.
Diwali at Constellation Field
DA fi les no charges in alleged open meetings act violation
Imperial Arts opens in
Rosenberg
Page 2 • INDEPENDENT • NOVEMBER 7, 2012
PERRYHOMESA T T B O 43 Y
B Q H $140s $850s
O 20 C H A ! V W F C L !
PERRYHOMES.comPlans, prices and availability are subject to change without notice. (11/10)
V O F B C !Cross Creek Ranch2,200 - 2,900 sq. ft. (281) 633-25552,900 - 3,300 sq. ft. (281) 238-0919 2,900 - 3,700 sq. ft. (281) 238-0919
Westheimer Lakes1,600 - 3,100 sq. ft. (832) 222-2120
Old Orchard 1,900 - 4,000 sq. ft. (281) 277-18002,600 - 4,400 sq. ft. (281) 265-4555
The Oaks of Rosenberg 2,100 - 3,300 sq. ft. (281) 633-9366
River Park West2,200 - 3,300 sq. ft. (832) 222-2804
Telfair3,800 - 5,400 sq. ft. (281) 778-0050
Riverstone2,200 - 2,900 sq. ft. (281) 778-2100 2,600 - 4,100 sq. ft. (281) 778-3840
Sienna Plantation3,400 - 7,000 sq. ft. (281) 778-7800
Creekmont1,900 - 3,500 sq. ft. (281) 431-8600
Shadow Creek Ranch1,600 - 2,900 sq. ft. (713) 436-87511,900 - 3,300 sq. ft. (713) 436-93702,500 - 3,300 sq. ft. (713) 436-8751
Instant Rate Quotes No Personal Information Required www.HomeWayMortgage.com
Sarah Parkinson, top, with son Liam, Beverly Cushenberry and Jacque Burgess comprise the powerhouse Silent Auc-tion Corral committee for The Arc’s annual Best in the West Dinner, Dance and Auction. The event, scheduled this year for 6 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 17 at the George Ranch Historical Park Arena in Richmond, is a family affair for many volun-teers. Sarah grew up helping her mom, Beverly, and her dad Rick Cushenberry plan, implement and clean up. And young Liam helps keep committee members smiling when he laughs during planning meetings.
The clocks are ticking as committee member and volunteers continue preparations for The Arc of Fort Bend County’s Best in the West Dinner Dance and Auction Saturday, Nov. 17 at the George Ranch Historical Park Arena in Richmond.
Set up begins on Friday, Nov. 16 when a small army of committee members, ROTC and FFA students, and other Arc friends begins assembling the stage and backdrop, putting golf tees in the arena dirt to mark the spots for tables, and hauling in the items up for bid in the live and silent auctions. Then tables are rolled in and chairs are positioned to welcome the more than 1,000 people who will attend.
The transformation of the arena to a venue for a barbecue dinner, provided by The Swinging Door, boot-scooting and boogie music by The Triumphs, a live auction featuring the al-ways popular trips, hunting excursions, First Colony Mall park-ing space and a puppy, 10 silent auction Corrals and the special Ace in the Hole Bid Board ends when the doors open at 6 p.m. Saturday.
The 34th edition of the popular fundraiser is presented once again by Platinum underwriter Prosperity Bank. Also returning to support the event are Gold Buckle sponsor Waste Services, Bronze Boot sponsors Aviles Engineering and Sugar Land Ro-tary, Rhinestone Cowboy sponsors Aliana and Classic Chevro-let, and Silver Spur sponsors PGAL, Fort Bend County Judge Bob Hebert, Amani Engineering, Inc., JACOBS, Linebarger Goggan Blair & Sampson, LLP, Bud Light/Silver Eagle Dis-tributors, Huitt-Zollars and Greg and Deena Sargent.
Corral sponsors for 2012 include The Arc of Fort Bend, Big Boys Woodshed, By Design, Fort Bend ISD, Law Enforcement, Home Depot, Ray and Janet Meyers, OakBend Medical Center and Lone Star Pet Lodges. There will also be a “Buy Now” corral of Round Top-esque metal pieces for outdoor and indoor decorating.
Tickets for the Best in the West are $50/individual and $500/table. For sponsorship information or tickets, please contact Jo Ann Stevens at 713-829-1827 or Ann Smith at 281-240-1313. For up-to-date highlights about the event, join us on Facebook at Arc of Fort Bend County.
The Arc of Fort Bend County provides programs and services to support individuals with intellectual and related developmen-tal disabilities and their families.
NEWSCountdown continues for Arc’s Best in the West
Three Amigos Mariachi Band to entertain Loving Friends Loving Friends will hold its monthly dinner meeting on Tues-day, November 20, beginning at 5:00 p.m. at Sweetwater Coun-try Club, 4400 Palm Royale Blvd., Sugar Land. The popular, The Three Amigos,a mariachi band who perform at all area Pappasito’s will entertain Loving Friends. Mariachi is the best known form of folk music from Mexico and the Three Amigos promise a very entertaining evening. Loving Friends is open to both men and women who lost their spouses but support one another in a friendly and social environment. Reservations are necessary by calling 281-438-5224. They are required the Thursday prior to the Tuesday dinner meeting for an accurate dinner reservation count. The cost for dinner is $17; compli-mentary valet parking available.
Three Amigos Mariachi Band to entertain Loving Friends
RUNNING INTERFERENCEWhile some car engines rely on a
timing chain to control the timing of
the engine’s valves, others utilize tim-
ing belts. The latter generally consist
of fl at rubber belts with high-tensile
fi bers and integral teeth that connect
the crankshaft to the camshaft. Be-
cause these belts are subject to wear
unlike more durable timing chains,
they should be replaced according
to manufacturer recommendations.
Failure to comply with this very im-
portant maintenance recommenda-
tion can result in engine breakdown
at the very least and catastrophic en-
gine failure at worst. This latter pros-
pect occurs in “interference” engines
in which the valve and piston paths
may cross, resulting in bent valves
and/or fragments of pistons or valves
in the cylinder.
With the holiday season around
the corner, the last thing you’ll want
to deal with is a car that won’t start.
Keep your vehicle running smoothly
and safely by bringing it to AUTO
CENTRAL for routine maintenance
checks. An ASE Certifi ed Technician
will inspect the key components of
your vehicle and recommend repairs
or replacements as needed so that
you avoid more expensive repairs
in the future. Please call us at 281-
499-9684 to schedule a maintenance
check. We are located at 2526 5th
Street, Staff ord. Do you have a car
care question? Visit our discussion
board on Facebook-Auto Central. Au-
tocentralautomotive.com.
HINT: “Interference,” as mentioned
above, may occur in dual-cam engines
with two timing belts. Failure of either
belt can lead to valve-on-valve damage.
By SESHADRI KUMARThe Initiative Committee
of Petitioners submitted 1,501 Sugar Land Registered Voter signatures to the City of Sugar Land City Secretary on Nov. 2.
The petition seeks a referen-dum on limiting the number of apartments that the city could approve.
The registered voters sign-ing the petition represent ma-jor communities within Sugar Land including Telfair, Sweet-water, Commonwealth, Ava-lon, First Colony, Sugar Mill. Sugar Lakes, Venetian Estates, Belknap/Brookside, Hall Lake and more, says Diana Miller, a Realtor, who is spearheading
the signature drive.The Initiative Petition pro-
ceeded despite the city stating in a letter dated September 26 that the “City has received a legal opinion that the City is prevented from taking the pro-posed amendment to the voters as it confl icts with State law”.
While the legality of the voter Initiative may be subject to differing “legal opinions,” the ability of the Mayor and City Council to bring forth ac-tion to restore primary zoning districts and to eliminate the subjective language contained in the Planned Development Zoning District is well within the powers of Council, as is
recommending placement of the Initiative Petition ordinance on the ballot for a public vote, Miller said.
The letter represents the “City opinion.”
“However, I failed to receive a Mayor’s or Council opinion of the Initiative Petition,” she said.
“We do not want high den-sity multi-family development. It is clear the City has chosen a path contrary to our primary zoning districts and the Com-prehensive Plan. Chapter 6 of the Comprehensive Plan has been ignored in many respects in the recent General Plan ap-provals.”
While the city may choose to deny “our right to vote on this issue, we will continue to ex-pand public awareness through
the upcoming May 2013 City Council elections. As Council considers the upcoming Telfair and Imperial multi-family de-velopments, your votes will be reported back to our expanded Registered Voter data base. Action on the Comprehensive Plan ‘updates’ will also be re-
ported back to the community,” Miller said.
Sustainable Sugar Land will support elected offi cials and candidates who will seek to enforce our Primary Zoning Districts over the ambiguous, PD (Planned Development) Zoning, Miller said.
of Regal Ranch to Stafford sounded like a quick, done deal but instead the process has slowed to a crawl.
The county bought 31 acres of Regal Ranch for drainage and detention purposes and what has slowed the process is determining how much of the 31 acres is needed for those purposes, according to County Attorney Roy Cordes and Assistant County Attor-ney Marcus Spencer.
Spencer said county engi-neers are currently doing an assessment along with the Fort Bend drainage district to decide how much land is needed for drainage and de-tention and where it needs to be.
After that is fi nalized the county will know what acre-age they want to sell to Staf-ford and where it’s located.
“We can’t provide a more specifi c time line right now” for a sale, Spencer said. “The county does own the proper-ty. We have closed on it.”
Fort Bend County paid $1.94 million for the 31 acres and “Commissioners Court
has directed us to recover part of the money we paid by selling it to Stafford,” for a fair market price, Spencer said. “We wouldn’t be look-ing to come out ahead, just sell it for fair market value. That’s our understanding of what Commissioners Court wants us to do.”
There is currently a sign posted on Regal Ranch prop-erty advertising for people to begin scheduling their 2013 events at the facility now. Spencer explained that Regal Ranch “is still under a lease by the people who owned it before, so they put the sign out. Their lease will expire on Dec. 31, 2012. They do have an option to renew for fi ve years and they have exer-cised that option. Their lease is not for the entire 31 acres. There will be a portion under lease. We’ll see what’s left that Stafford might be inter-ested in buying.”
Stafford Mayor Leonard Scarcella said the city is in-terested in purchasing some 20 acres of the property that would include the facilities on it. He also said, “Appar-ently at this point, as far as
delivering possession of the property to us at closing, there are some legal techni-calities that puts the county in a position not to be able to do that. When you write the check (for property) the seller is supposed to hand you the keys, and the county can’t do that now.”
When the technicalities get resolved, Scarcella said is when he and city council members will talk with coun-ty offi cials again about buy-ing. “We aren’t doing any-thing now,” he said.
“Our position now is ‘when you get it resolved, get in touch.’”
What has occurred so far is county offi cials approached city of Stafford offi cials to see if they would negotiate for the purchase of some 20 acres of Regal Ranch on U.S. 90A.
Stafford Mayor Leonard Scarcella said, “We told them we would. Council passed a resolution to negotiate and named (Councilman) Cecil (Willis), Art (Pertile, city at-torney), and Charles Russell, (city engineer) to meet with the county’s representatives.”
The three men representing Stafford’s interests met with county offi cials about buying the property but, according to the mayor, a major hitch has developed.
“Apparently, at this point, as far as delivering posses-sion of the property to us at the closing, there are some legal technicalities that put them in a position not to be able to do that. I don’t know what they are going to do at this point.”
As a long-time lawyer who has handled numerous real estate transactions for clients, the mayor said, “When you write the check for property they are to hand you the keys and at this point the county can’t do that.”
The mayor also noted that there’s a sign on the Regal Ranch property urging the public to start scheduling their 2013 events there now.
“Our position is the county has a problem that they need to get resolved. When that’s done then we’ll talk to you. We aren’t doing anything now. When you get it re-solved, get in touch,” Scar-cella said.
Legal issues slow down the Regal Ranch deal
Checks totaling more than $600,000 were distributed to the four members of the Fort Bend County Narcotics Task Force, a Houston High Inten-sity Drug Traffi cking Area ini-tiative.
Funds seized by the Task Force totaling $640,000 were awarded through the Chapter 59 Statute regarding cash pro-ceeds used to facilitate illegal drug operations being con-ducted in Fort Bend County. These funds were subsequent-ly awarded to the Narcotics Task Force and participating members, which are the Fort Bend County Sheriff’s Offi ce, the Rosenberg Police Depart-ment and the Missouri City Police Department. The Fort Bend County District Attor-
ney’s Offi ce also shares in the disbursement.
“The Board of Governors is pleased to present these checks to Task Force members,” said Sheriff Milton Wright. “Under the direction of Captain Rod-ney Glendenning the past few years, the Task Force Drug Agents have produced re-markable results. Their track record has been outstanding.”
In the past three years, Task Force agents have seized $3.8 million in cash. The seized funds go through court pro-cedures and eventually are re-turned to the Task Force board for distribution. Participating law enforcement agencies have received $1.7 million in that time frame.
For the Fort Bend County
Sheriff’s Offi ce, the confi s-cated cash pays for the Task Force’s equipment, offi ce space, furniture, vehicles and supplies, making the Task Force virtually self-funded. The funds cannot be used for salaries.
Other than the cash confi s-cated in the past three years, the Task Force has collected:•9,589 pounds of marijuana;•23,605 marijuana plants;•8 kilos of cocaine;•8 kilos of methamphetamine; and•77,998 doses of pharmaceu-ticals.
During that time period, Task Force Agents have ar-rested 507 people.
“We appreciate the contin-ued participation of the Task
Drug funds confi scated by the Fort Bend County Narcotics Task Force, a Houston High Intensity Drug Traffi cking Area initiative, were distributed to the agencies that participate in the Task Force. Each agency received a check for $160,000. Participating in the presentation were, from left, Cap-tain Rodney Glendenning, Fort Bend County Sheriff’s Offi ce and the director of Task Force; Lt. Josh Dale, Fort Bend County Sheriff’s Offi ce and a member of the Task Force; Fort Bend County District Attorney John Healey; Fort Bend County Sheriff Milton Wright; Chief Robert Gracia, Rosenberg Police Department; and Chief Joel Fitzgerald, Missouri City Police Department.
Force agencies, and we also are very proud of the accom-plishments the Task Force members have achieved the past three years,” said Wright.
Confi scated drug funds distributed to Task Force agencies
Page 4 • INDEPENDENT • NOVEMBER 7, 2012
Opinion
AROUND THE NEIGHBORHOODS: Girl Scout memories in Quail Valley
ER: My introduction to Girl Scouts began in sec-ond grade. My favorite part of the scouting program, from day one, was “Out-of-Doors”. Summer camp be-gan with a 2 week session and soon expanded to a 6 week. At that time our camp was the “only” Girl Scout camp in the State.
My favorite summer was when the senior scouts were allowed to build a “primi-tive” camp site away from the main camp. We even had a truck size water tank on wheels. Therefore, with 10 years of scouting experi-ence in the areas of Service to Others, earning Badges and the Out-Door activities, I raised my hand and volun-teered to be a leader.
BROWNIES: Learning the proper way to use a knife is a skill needed in scouting. They even have knives made just for the Brownie level. I was trained by the Council and it “seemed” very simple and easy to be able to re-late to the 3rd graders in my troop. They were in a circle (an arm length away from each other) and each had the soft wood stick and their knife. First we practiced with the knife closed. Ev-eryone was excited because none of the 20 girls had ever been allowed to even hold a sharp knife, much less cut with one. Bottom line: “no one got hurt”.
JUNIOR SCOUTS: All scouts are taught the Girl Scout Motto: “Be Pre-pared”. Our fi rst campout was with 35 junior scouts, 3
leaders and 4 Mothers. I had fond memories of cooking on a “tin can stove.”
Each of the 4 patrols had worked hard to plan menus, go shopping, and make their tin can stoves (2 girls per stove). They planned to cook bacon and fry 2 eggs for breakfast. It always worked great when I was a girl scout so “what could go wrong?”
The bacon did not have enough grease to keep the eggs from sticking. It was an AWFUL MESS! Scouts always do individual evalu-ations at the end of an event. One 4th grader wrote: “We should have practiced cook-ing on the stoves “before” the campout! (Out of the mouth
of babes)CADETTES: By now
the age is middle school and at one of our Troop cam-pouts at a local Girl Scout camp we planned a “compass hike”. Now we have been exposing the girls to the use of a compass since Brown-ies. We had done lots of fun “games” using the compasses. They wanted to go out in the “woods” (which was mainly small trees and lots of under-brush) just outside our camp. They wanted to get “off the trail”. We were probably one-fourth of a mile (as the crow fl ies) from our tents so “what could go wrong?” They took compass readings, stepped off the trail and took what they thought was a “direct” route back instead of the winding trail. Rule was we all had to stay together. They disagreed and got all turned around and fi nally after crossing the “trail” at least 10 times we ar-rived back at camp. The camp evaluation (across the board) said: The compass hike was the MOST fun of the camp-out! What a great attitude!
NEXT COLUMN: (November 21) – 1973 Houston Open @ QVWrite to: [email protected]
To the Editor:Isn’t it time that Missouri
City residents had a candid discussion about crime and what we can do about it?
I was alerted to this is-sue by several burglaries and thefts in our First Colony sub-division. I am quite sure that I am not the only resident who has noticed that we have a crime problem and it isn’t de-creasing.
Granted, we have the hard-est working police force I have ever seen and they do their absolute best and get the job done most of the time. But, what about the other 10 to 20 percent of the time?
Burglaries happen and surely they are the most in-trusive, invasive, unpleasant, and hard to predict crimes that exist.
We as residents need to take a stand and not let our City or neighborhoods become an-other increasing crime statis-tic.
Are residents serious about Missouri City being the “Show Me” City or is it just another motto?
Shouldn’t an exemplary city have residents that are fully engaged and involved in
solving crime issues? I had some suggestions
and you may have some too. The fi rst step is to become in-formed.
Go to www.raidsonline.com and input your address and check out how many bur-glaries and thefts there have been in your neighborhood.
Each of those house-type indicators is a home and fam-ily that has been violated. We need to understand that bur-glaries and thefts happen to good folks and ordinary peo-ple like you and me who have let their guard down. How would you feel if your home was the subject of a burglary, or even worse, a home inva-sion?
I am personally convinced that Missouri City residents can do much more about crime but we need to be unit-ed and do a much better job of policing our communities.
A second suggestion is that to have some community meetings to enhance crime awareness. The Police De-partment has sponsored semi-nars about gang activity in the past. More of those on related topics would be helpful. Our Police are the crime fi ghting
experts and we need to listen and implement what they sug-gest.
As is often taught, residents need to be the eyes and ears of police but how exactly do we do that? Reporting suspicious circumstances is what this is all about and we need to re-ally excel at it if we’re going to beat burglars and thieves at their own game. Some resi-dents worry that its not some-how politically correct to report suspicious characters. We need to get past trivial concerns and be aggressive about reporting persons who do not belong in our commu-nities. Sugar Land appears to now be considering cameras to track suspicious vehicles. Should we do this?
Clearly, some subdivi-sions have bigger and more frequent crime issues than others. I think some of these concerns could be balanced between communities. Can we share the burden?
We need some genuine in-novation but I am convinced if we work together as a com-munity, we can succeed.
Howard MolineMissouri City
By RON PAULHurricane Sandy was one
of the worst natural disasters the east coast has ever seen. Clean-up and recovery will take months, if not years and estimates run in the tens of billions of dollars. Parts of New York and New Jersey will never be the same. Entire seashore communities have been wiped out, but the deter-mination to rebuild has been lauded as courageous and ad-mirable. Yet as with all natu-ral disasters, Sandy raises un-comfortable questions about the extent to which taxpayers should fund the cleanup and the extent to which govern-ment programs create moral hazards.
For example, FEMA and the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) are expected to pick up the tab for much of the fl ood damage caused by the hurricane. Of course this will mean more federal debt and infl ation for the rest of us, since the program only has about $4 billion to work with and is already $18 billion in debt from hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Many think there is a need for the government to provide fl ood insurance of this kind. After all, the mar-ket would never provide in-surance in fl ood prone areas at an affordable price. But
shouldn’t that tell us some-thing?
Shouldn’t that tell us that it is a losing proposition to insure homes in coastal areas and fl ood plains often threat-ened by severe and destruc-tive weather patterns? And if it’s a losing proposition, should taxpayers subsidize the inevitable losses arising from federal fl ood insurance?
The NFIP disguises the real cost of fl ood insurance in fl ood prone areas, which infl uences homebuilding and sales in such areas. Reckless-ly taking unwise risks when risk is underpriced is known as moral hazard. When poli-ticians decide that private insurance premiums are too high, as with houses built in
fl ood plains, the solution is tounder price the risk throughfederal subsidies. The obvi-ous and expected outcome is more danger to life and limbwhen disaster strikes.
Even NFIP has been forced to raise rates signifi cantly in coastal areas, and is now dropping second homes fromcoverage altogether,
Many assume it is compas-sionate to entrust governmentcentral planners with disaster recovery. However, the great-est compassion brings results,not just good intentions. Andwe’ve seen how bureaucraticorganizations like FEMA mis-managed recovery and reliefin the wake of hurricanes Ka-trina and Ike. Organizationssuch as the Red Cross andprivate companies like HomeDepot and Duracell have al-ready stepped in admirably tohelp those in need, and we can only hope FEMA has learnedthis time not to impede andfrustrate private efforts as theyhave in the past.
Above all, my thoughts andprayers are with the victims ofHurricane Sandy in this tre-mendously diffi cult time andhope they can get their livesput back together as quickly and seamlessly as possible.
(Ron Paul represents the14th Congressional Districtin Texas.)
By RUSSELL JONESAs James Carville famous-
ly told Bill Clinton during the 1992 presidential campaign, “it’s the economy, stupid.” In the two intervening decades, neither Carville nor the fun-damental truth of his famous advice has disappeared from the election scene. Yester-day’s election, whatever its outcome, proved that even left-wingers get it right some-times.
Due to the peculiarities of writing an opinion column for a weekly newspaper, this column, appearing on Wednesday, is being written on Monday. The talent for 20/20 foresight being non-existent, the election outcome is unknown as this column is written. Other predictions about this election have al-ready come true, and some are worth recalling.
Whatever the outcome, the economy was the issue. Noth-ing else really mattered. For-eign policy failures, including the Benghazi fi asco, made little difference. Hurricane Sandy resulted in praise for Obama’s post-disaster tour of New Jersey, but criticism for abandoning the homeless vic-tims in favor of fund-raising in Las Vegas–again. Even so, the hurricane probably made no difference in the predomi-nately blue states most affect-ed by the storm.
No, the economy and Obama’s policies for deal-ing with it, were the leading factors guiding voters. The fi nal result of the race tells the story of how Americans feel about the way Obama has dealt with it. Did they agree with Obama’s negative class warfare, or were they looking for a positive attitude promis-ing equal opportunity for all to become a part of the one
percent?In November, 2011, two
former Democrat poll-sters, Pat Caddell and Doug Schoen, predicted in the Wall Street Journal that the 2012 election would be the most negative in history. Hav-ing concluded that Obama could not run on his record, and with polls showing him to be tied with a generic Re-publican candidate, Obama would have no choice but to go negative against whom-ever the opponent might be. Their forecast of the character of the election was dead on.
In the latest demonstration of unpresidential, unbecom-ing and negative behavior, Obama on Friday encouraged his supporters to vote out of revenge. Following a refer-ence to Romney, his partisan crowd began to boo. Obama was quick to insist, “No, no, no. Don’t boo... vote! Vote! Voting’s the best revenge!” Huh? Revenge for what? Re-venge for opposing this presi-dent and his failed record?
Romney, himself not one to be praised for avoiding nega-tive campaigning, did have the presence of mind to turn Obama’s gaffe around. “Vote for love of your country,” he
said. Most predictions of the
election this past weekend played it safe, analysts say-ing the polls suggested that the race was too close to call. Others stepped out, predict-ing victory for one candidate or the other. Usually, though, they were partisan spokes-men, predicting that their own candidate would win. Dick Morris unsurprisingly forecast a Romney landslide. Rove, Barnes, Noonan and Krauthammer concurred with Morris’ outcome, but not the margin.
Most interesting was Mi-chael Barone’s prediction that Romney would win de-cisively, garnering 315 elec-toral votes. Senior political analyst for the Washington Examiner, Barone went out on a limb four days before the election to forecast Romney’s election. Some say Barone has never been wrong.
The tone of the candi-dates was telling as they approached the fi nish line. Obama was assertive, sharp, bitter and sarcastic, projecting fear of defeat. Romney was positive, forward-looking, patriotic and clearing enjoy-ing addressing the crowds, projecting nothing but confi -dence.
Perhaps in the most effec-tive endorsement Romney re-ceived at anytime during the campaign, Michelle delivered a tweet to supporters on Mon-day. “Imagine,” she said, “what Barack can do in 4 more years?” Please, half of the population really doesn’t want to know.
Jones served as a member of the Sugar Land City Council from 2003 through June, 2011. He owns a law fi rm and a title insurance company in Sugar Land.
Predicting the election
Jones
The economics of disaster
Paul
Letter: Residents should engage in fi ghting crime
Texas Children’s Hospital and the Houston Bar Association’s Houston Volunteer Lawyers to-day announced the formation of a medical-legal partnership (MLP) that will provide Texas Children’s low-income patients and patient-families with critical legal assis-tance. This is the fi rst partnership of its kind to be offered in the Houston area.
Through the program, a dedi-cated Houston Volunteer Lawyers staff attorney will provide legal
advice and representation to Tex-as Children’s patients and their families with assistance from outside pro bono lawyers. The project is being funded in part by a donation from Walmart, which created a successful MLP with Arkansas Children’s Hospital last year with plans to expand the benefi ts of MLPs to other major pediatric hospitals nationwide.
“It has always been our mis-sion to help low-income children with all of their medical needs and this program is just another example of how we are doing that,” said Mark A. Wallace, president and CEO of Texas Chil-dren’s Hospital. “We appreciate the generous gift from Walmart for this benefi cial medical-legal partnership that will bring much-needed support to these children who do not have another place to turn for this type of legal assis-tance.”
MLP is a unique health-care delivery model that brings phy-sicians and lawyers together to tackle health issues that have legal, rather than medical solu-
tions. This could include nego-tiating with a landlord to address sub-standard living conditions, such as a mold infestation trig-gering a child’s asthma; helping a family secure Medicaid pay-ment for a specialized wheel-chair or home nursing services; or preparing legal guardianships to allow parents to continue mak-ing health care decisions for their children with special needs after they turn 18.
The Texas Children’s MLP initially will provide legal aid to patients in fi ve areas: Inpatient Rehabilitation, Fetal Center, Spe-cial Needs Primary Care Clinic, Retrovirology and Texas Chil-dren’s Pediatrics-Gulfgate.
“Houston is blessed to have world class medical and legal communities,” said Brent Benoit, president of the Houston Bar As-sociation.
“Yet, we have individuals who are lost between these two groups—in need of health care, but with legal problems that pre-vent or frustrate their health care access.”
Texas Children’s Hospital introduces new medical-legal partnership
INDEPENDENT • NOVEMBER 7, 2012 • Page 5
Community news
NOTICE TO BIDDERS
WATER LINE REPLACEMENT IN BARRINGTON PLACE
The City of Sugar Land seeks bids for furnishing all labor, material, and equipment, and performing all work required for the following project in the City:
CIP PROJECT NAME: Water Line Replacement in Barrington Place
CIP PROJECT NUMBER: WA1203
LOCATION OF WORK: Barrington Place Subdivision
Plans, specifi cations, and bidding documents may be obtained at the
following offi ces and location with payment of $125:
Kelly R. Kaluza & Associates, Inc.
3401 Avenue I
Rosenberg, TX 77471
281-341-0808
Sealed bids in triplicate, one (1) original and two (2) copies, shall be delivered to the City of Sugar Land, Offi ce of the City Secretary, 2700 Town Center
Boulevard North, Suite 122, Sugar Land, Texas, 77479, on or before 11:00 a.m.
on Thursday, November 29, 2012, at which time bids will be publicly opened and read. Bids received after the opening date and time will not be considered.
A non-mandatory pre-bid meeting for all interested parties will be held 2:00
a.m., Thursday, November 15, 2012, Brazos Room, 2700 Town Center
Boulevard North, Sugar Land, TX 77479.
Questions regarding this bid must be received by Monday, November 26,
2012 on or before 11:00 A.M. Please contact Llarance Turner at Kelly R. Kaluza & Associates, Inc. (281) 341-0808.
The City Council will award the bid to the lowest responsible bidder that complies with all requirements of the Request for Bids. The City of Sugar Land will give notice of the contract award within sixty (60) calendar days after the bid opening date and time.
Glenda Gundermann, TRMC, CMCCity Secretary
NOTICE AFFORDING OPPORTUNITY FOR PUBLIC HEARING
The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) in conjunction with the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and the City of Sugar Land propose to extend University Boulevard in Fort Bend County, beginning at its northern terminus south of Drainage Ditch H and extending over Drainage Ditch H to US Highway 90A, a distance of approximately 0.23 miles. Upon completion, University Boulevard would be a four-lane divided roadway with four 11-foot travel lanes, a median that varies from 18 feet to 24 feet, and an 11-foot left-turn lane at US 90A, all within an 100 foot Right-of-Way (ROW) width. The proposed project would also create dual 12-foot left-turn lanes from westbound US 90A onto University Boulevard. The proposed project would also convert much of the existing US 90A median west of University Boulevard to an auxiliary lane. Sidewalks would be provided on both sides of the roadway and would meet current Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) standards. A shared pedestrian / bicycle trail would be located on the northbound bridge over Drainage Ditch H. When constructed, this project would allow for improved traffi c fl ow between Highway 6 and US Highway 90A by providing an alternate route from the Highway 6 and US 90A intersection.
The proposed project would not require any ROW and there would be no displacements of residences or businesses. There would be no impacts to parklands, wildlife or waterfowl refuges, recreational areas, historic or archeological sites, or waters of the U.S. (including wetlands). The proposed project would span the 100 year fl oodplain, as mapped by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA); and, no increase to the base fl ood elevation level that would violate applicable fl oodplain regulations and ordinances is anticipated. No impacts to sensitive noise or air receptors or hazardous materials sites are anticipated. There would be no eff ects to federal/state threatened or endangered species or their habitats.
Maps and drawings showing the proposed project location and design, environmental studies, and information regarding tentative schedules for construction of this project are available for viewing at TxDOT’s Houston District offi ce located at 7600 Washington Avenue, Houston, Texas 77007. Maps and drawings showing the project’s location and geometric design are also on fi le at the City of Sugar Land, located at 2700 Town Center Boulevard North, Sugar Land, TX 77479. Please call Ms Susan Theiss at (713) 802-5249 to schedule an appointment to view the available information at TxDOT’s Houston District offi ce. Please contact Shashi Kumar at (281)275-2700 to schedule an appointment to view the available information at the City of Sugar Land. City of Sugar Land offi ces are open Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., excluding some State holidays. TxDOT offi ces are open Monday through Friday, from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., excluding State holidays.
Anyone may request that a public hearing be held covering the social, economic, and environmental eff ects of the project by mailing a written request to the District Engineer, P.O. Box 1386, Houston, Texas 77251-1386, or e-mailing a request to [email protected] by 5:00 PM November 26, 2012. In the event a public hearing is requested, one would be scheduled and notices about the hearing date and location would be published in local papers and mailed to adjacent property owners.
ORDINANCE NO. O-12-42
AN ORDINANCE GRANTING TO BFI WASTE SERVICES OF TEXAS, LP, A DELAWARE LIMITED PARTNERSHIP D/B/A REPUBLIC SERVICES OF HOUSTON, THE RIGHT, PRIVILEGE, AND FRANCHISE TO USE THE PUBLIC RIGHTS-OF-WAY TO CONDUCT A SOLID WASTE COLLECTION SERVICE BUSINESS WITHIN THE CITY OF MISSOURI CITY, TEXAS; PROVIDING A TERM; PROVIDING FOR REPEAL; PROVIDING A PENALTY; AND PROVIDING FOR SEVERABILITY.
I, Maria Gonzalez, City Secretary of the City of Missouri City, do hereby certify that the foregoing is a true and correct copy of the caption of said Ordinance No. O-12-42 approved on the fi rst of three readings by the City Council at its regular meeting held on November 5, 2012, as the same appears in the records of my offi ce.
/s/ Maria GonzalezCity Secretary
City of Missouri City
ORDINANCE NO. O-12-43
AN ORDINANCE GRANTING TO DEPENDABLE DISPOSAL SERVICE LLC, A TEXAS LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY, THE RIGHT, PRIVILEGE, AND FRANCHISE TO USE THE PUBLIC RIGHTS-OF-WAY TO CONDUCT A SOLID WASTE COLLECTION SERVICE BUSINESS WITHIN THE CITY OF MISSOURI CITY, TEXAS; PROVIDING A TERM; PROVIDING FOR REPEAL; PROVIDING A PENALTY; AND PROVIDING FOR SEVERABILITY.
I, Maria Gonzalez, City Secretary of the City of Missouri City, do hereby certify that the foregoing is a true and correct copy of the caption of said Ordinance No. O-12-43 approved on the fi rst of three readings by the City Council at its regular meeting held on November 5, 2012, as the same appears in the records of my offi ce.
/s/ Maria GonzalezCity Secretary
City of Missouri City
ORDINANCE NO. O-12-44
AN ORDINANCE GRANTING TO V.F. WASTE SERVICES, INC., A TEXAS CORPORATION, THE RIGHT, PRIVILEGE, AND FRANCHISE TO USE THE PUBLIC RIGHTS-OF-WAY TO CONDUCT A SOLID WASTE COLLECTION SERVICE BUSINESS WITHIN THE CITY OF MISSOURI CITY, TEXAS; PROVIDING A TERM; PROVIDING FOR REPEAL; PROVIDING A PENALTY; AND PROVIDING FOR SEVERABILITY.
I, Maria Gonzalez, City Secretary of the City of Missouri City, do hereby certify that the foregoing is a true and correct copy of the caption of said Ordinance No. O-12-44 approved on the fi rst of three readings by the City Council at its regular meeting held on November 5, 2012, as the same appears in the records of my offi ce.
/s/ Maria GonzalezCity Secretary
City of Missouri City
ORDINANCE NO. O-12-45
AN ORDINANCE GRANTING TO WASTE MANAGEMENT OF TEXAS, INC., A TEXAS CORPORATION, THE RIGHT, PRIVILEGE, AND FRANCHISE TO USE THE PUBLIC RIGHTS-OF-WAY TO CONDUCT A SOLID WASTE COLLECTION SERVICE BUSINESS WITHIN THE CITY OF MISSOURI CITY, TEXAS; PROVIDING A TERM; PROVIDING FOR REPEAL; PROVIDING A PENALTY; AND PROVIDING FOR SEVERABILITY.
I, Maria Gonzalez, City Secretary of the City of Missouri City, do hereby certify that the foregoing is a true and correct copy of the caption of said Ordinance No. O-12-45 approved on the fi rst of three readings by the City Council at its regular meeting held on November 5, 2012, as the same appears in the records of my offi ce.
/s/ Maria GonzalezCity Secretary
City of Missouri City
ORDINANCE NO. O-12-46
AN ORDINANCE GRANTING TO WCA WASTE CORPORATION, A DELAWARE CORPORATION, THE RIGHT, PRIVILEGE, AND FRANCHISE TO USE THE PUBLIC RIGHTS-OF-WAY TO CONDUCT A SOLID WASTE COLLECTION SERVICE BUSINESS WITHIN THE CITY OF MISSOURI CITY, TEXAS; PROVIDING A TERM; PROVIDING FOR REPEAL; PROVIDING A PENALTY; AND PROVIDING FOR SEVERABILITY.
I, Maria Gonzalez, City Secretary of the City of Missouri City, do hereby certify that the foregoing is a true and correct copy of the caption of said Ordinance No. O-12-46 approved on the fi rst of three readings by the City Council at its regular meeting held on November 5, 2012, as the same appears in the records of my offi ce.
/s/ Maria GonzalezCity Secretary
City of Missouri City
ORDINANCE NO. O-12-47AN ORDINANCE GRANTING TO BFI WASTE SERVICES OF TEXAS, LP, A DELAWARE LIMITED PARTNERSHIP D/B/A REPUBLIC SERVICES OF HOUSTON, THE RIGHT, PRIVILEGE, AND FRANCHISE TO USE THE PUBLIC RIGHTS-OF-WAY TO CONDUCT A SOLID WASTE COLLECTION SERVICE BUSINESS FOR COMMERCIAL CUSTOMERS WITHIN THE CITY OF MISSOURI CITY, TEXAS; PROVIDING A TERM; PROVIDING FOR REPEAL; PROVIDING A PENALTY; AND PROVIDING FOR SEVERABILITY.
I, Maria Gonzalez, City Secretary of the City of Missouri City, do hereby certify that the foregoing is a true and correct copy of the caption of said Ordinance No. O-12-47 approved on the fi rst of three readings by the City Council at its regular meeting held on November 5, 2012, as the same appears in the records of my offi ce.
/s/ Maria GonzalezCity Secretary
City of Missouri City
FORT BEND COUNTY COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT
FY 2011 CONSOLIDATED ANNUAL PERFORMANCE AND EVALUATION REPORT
(CAPER)
Fort Bend County’s FY 2011 Draft Consolidated Annual Performance and Evaluation Report (CAPER) is now available for public review and comment from Thursday, November 8, 2012 to Monday, November 26, 2012. The document is available for review at the offi ce of the Fort Bend County Community Development Department at 301 Jackson Street, Suite 602, Richmond, Texas, 77469.
The public is encouraged to review this document and submit written comments to Marilynn Kindell, Community Development Director, at 301 Jackson Street, Suite 602, Richmond, Texas, 77469 5:00 p.m. on Monday, November 26, 2012. A public meeting to receive comments will be held on Tuesday, November 13, 2012 at 10:00 a.m. at the William B. Travis Building, 301 Jackson, First Floor Meeting Room, Richmond, Texas.
Comments will be incorporated into the fi nal document, as appropriate, prior to submission to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development for review and approval. Persons with vision or hearing impairments or other individuals with disabilities requiring auxiliary aids and services may contact the department at (281) 341-4410 regarding reasonable accommodations for the meeting.
For information, please contact the Fort Bend County Community Development Department 301 Jackson Street, Suite 602, Richmond, Texas, 77469, (281) 341-4410.
Cause No. 12-CCV-048999
FORT BEND COUNTY WATER CONTROL AND
IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT NO.2
VS
UNKNOWN HEIRS OF JULIAN N. CHAVEZ,
DECEASED, ET UX., ET AL.
BRIEF ON CITATION BY PUBLICATION
In the name and by the authority of the State of TexasNotice is hereby given to the following Defendants:TO: The Unknown heirs of Julian N. Chavez and Trinidad G. Chavez You are commanded to appear before the Special Commissioners appointed by the Judge of the Fort Bend County Court at Law No. 1, on Tuesday, January 8, 2013 at 9: 30 a.m. at the Sugar Land Marriott Town Square, 16090 City Walk, Sugar Land, Texas 77479, who shall then and there assess the value of the property belonging to Defendants which is sought to be condemned by Plaintiff , in Fort Bend County Water Control and Improvement District No. 2 vs. Unknown Heirs of Julian N. Chavez, Deceased, et ux., et al.; Cause No. 12-CCV-048999, wherein Fort Bend County Water Control and IMprovement District No. 2 is the Plaintiff , and Unknown Heirs of Julian N. Chavez, Deceased, Unknown Heirs of Trinidad G. Chavez, Deceased, Dolores A. Chavez and her spouse Jose G. Chavez, Adella C. Martin and her spouse Ramon Martin, Mary C. Ortiz and her spouse Esteban Y. Oritz, Mariano Chavez, Aurora C. Katsiamakas, Julian Chavez, Jr., David Chavez, Petra C. Lopez, Gabriel Puente and his spouse Rosie Puente, and, Fort Bend County Tax Assessor-Collector are Defendants. PSeptember 14, 2012, discloses that the nature of the suit is a condemnation case. Plaintiff seeks to condemn a water line easement across, along, over and upon the 0.025-acre tract of land described by mete and bounds in the attached Exhibit A and the 0.002-acre tract of land described by metes and bounds the attached Exhibit B to Plaintiff ’s First Amended Statement and Petition for Condemnation.Attorneys for Plaintiff are Joyce, McFarland+McFarland LLP, Elly D. Austin, 712 Main Street, Suite 1500, Houston, Texas 77002.Issued and given under my hand and seal of said Court in the City of Richmond, Fort Bend County, Texas, on this 19th day of October 2012.
Hon. Dianne Wilson,
Clerk of Fort Bend County, Texas
301 Jackson Street, Suite 101
Richmond, Texas 77469-3108
Nancy Henderson, Deputy
COUNTY COURT AT LAW
NUMBER ONE (1) OF
FORT BEND COUNTY, TEXAS
The Quail Valley Garden Club celebrated its 40th year of community service, awarding scholarships to lo-cal students, and caring for our neighborhood on Octo-ber 11th. Members shared birthday cake and fun mem-ories of the past years. The club’s fi rst President, Patsy Armbruster, is still a mem-ber with wonderful pictures and stories from the early days of the Quail Valley Gar-den Club. The club meets the second Thursday of each month, anyone interested in gardening is welcome to join. Please email President Barbara Thompson at [email protected] for more information.
To the Editor:This in response to your
front page article “Fired sher-iff’s detective in political crossfi re,” published in the is-sue dated Oct. 24, 2012.
I represented both Troy Nehls and Rachel Brooks in the cases that you discussed. While there may have been some campaign fi nance is-sues, Troy Nehls did nothing illegal.
The investigation of his case was led by Retired Texas Ranger David Maxwell. Troy was cleared and the allega-tions against him turned out to be false.
Rachel Brooks also did nothing wrong and what hap-pened is not what you printed. The facts on each were pre-sented to a Fort Bend County Grand Jury and in each case they agreed that Troy Nehls and Rachel Brooks did noth-ing illegal. Period, end of story.
To make allegations that John Healey or Scott Carpen-ter were anything but ethical and professional in these cas-es is totally false.
John Healey recused his of-fi ce on the Nehls case. That was the right thing for him to do. So are you claiming that Attorney General Gregg Ab-bott is involved in this too?
That Retired Texas Ranger David Maxwell was also in-volved in this? Now on Ra-chel Brooks again the Texas Law, Texas Attorney General Opinions and Texas Case Law were clear that she also did nothing illegal.
John Healey and Scott Car-penter again were totally pro-fessional.
Scott just presented the facts to the Grand Jury and al-lowed them to decide.
Yes the detective was there, but the Grand Jury chose not
to hear from him. That was their choice, not Scott Car-penters.
To blame Scott Carpenter for the Detective not testify-ing is another false allegation. It appears to me that you were attempting to raise false al-legations, many which have already been put to bed and leave people with a false im-pression of Troy Nehls, Ra-chel Brooks, John Healey and Scott Carpenter.
Troy Nehls and Rachel Brooks were the true victims here. They had to deal with the stress and expense of be-ing prosecuted based upon false allegations. John Healey and Scott Carpenter just did their jobs and they did them professionally.
The real story here is how people should live in fear that they could be the next victim of dishonesty.
If things like this happen to law enforcement offi cers, what happens to the general public? This is proof that it does happen.
It is also proof that the Grand Jury System in Fort Bend County does work.
Or is this just someone cry-ing because they did not get their way. Again.
Larry McDougalRichmond
The editor responds: Nowhere did my report say
either Nehls or Brooks did anything illegal.
The fact is both of them ap-peared before the Grand Jury and they were not indicted.
That the allegations are false is your characterization.
Would the district attorney agree that all the no-billed cases brought by his offi ce before the Grand Jury were based on false allegations.
The cases went before the
Letter: Attorney disputes story on fi red sheriff’s detective
Grand Jury because there were suffi cient grounds for the prosecution to present the case to the Grand Jury.
In the case of Brooks you said that what I printed did not happen. Really?
Brooks herself did not want to explain what she told the Grand Jury.
I reported that there was an allegation of improper voting and the sheriff’s offi ce fi red her after an internal affairs in-vestigation. If something else happened, you tell me.
I never said John Healey or Scot Carpenter were unethical or unprofessional. You used those words. You say that your clients were victims of dis-
honesty. You imply that everybody
else except the sheriff, is a paragon of virtue.
If your clients had lost their case, you would have cried foul and called it political ven-detta.
My story spotlights the politics behind these cases. It is clear as broad daylight. Brooks herself said her fi ring was politically motivated.
I stand by my story that there is political crossfi re be-tween the sheriff’s offi ce and the DA’s offi ce. Period.
Seshadri KumarEditor
Page 6 • INDEPENDENT • NOVEMBER 7, 2012
The Missouri City Ballet presents “The Nutcracker Ballet” on November 24th and 25th at the Stafford Per-forming Arts Centre. Bring the family to enjoy this won-derful holiday classic. Show times are Sat. Nov. 24th at 7 p.m. and Sun. Nov. 25th at 2 p.m & 6 p.m. Special group discounts available! Tickets range from $15-$20. Pur-chase your tickets online at www.missouricityballet.org.
Nutcracker Ballet
Don’t risk your home. Call me for fl ood insurance today.
FLOODS ARE LIKE HIGHWAYS.THEY RUN THROUGH ALL 50 STATES.
Floods are America’s most common natural disaster, so everyone is at risk. In fact, 1 in 4 fl ood claims are fi led in low-to-moderate flood risk areas.
www.texansinsure.com
Texans Insurance & Financial Group, Inc.101 Southwestern Blvd., Suite 230
Sugar Land, TX 77478
281-277-7800
LEGAL NOTICEREQUEST FOR SEALED
COMPETITIVE PROPOSALSSealed Competitive Proposals will be received in the Offi ce of Gilbert D. Jalomo, Jr., County Purchasing Agent, Fort Bend County, Travis Annex, 301 Jackson, Suite 201, Richmond, TX 77469 for the following until THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 29, 2012 at 1:30 P.M. CST). All proposals will then be opened in the Offi ce of the Purchasing Agent, Travis Annex, 301 Jackson, Suite 201, Richmond, TX 77469 and the names of the proposers made public. Proposals received after the specifi ed time will be returned unopened. Solicitation and any and all addendums will be posted on Purchasing Agent’s website located at www.co.fort-bend.tx.us. RFP 13-013 – WATER TREATMENT-SOFTENER FOR JUSTICE CENTERA pre-proposal conference will be conducted on Thursday, November 15, 2012 at 10:00AM (CST). The pre-proposal conference will be held at the Fort Bend County Justice Center mechanical yard located in the rear of 1422 Eugene Heimann Circle (facing Williams Way Blvd), Richmond Texas 77469. All bidders are encouraged to attend.Bonds are required. Fort Bend County reserves the right to reject any or all proposals.
Signed:Gilbert D. Jalomo, Jr., Purchasing AgentFort Bend County, Richmond, Texas
LEGAL NOTICEREQUEST FOR SEALED
COMPETITIVE PROPOSALSSealed Competitive Proposals will be received in the Offi ce of Gilbert D. Jalomo, Jr., County Purchasing Agent, Fort Bend County, Travis Annex, 301 Jackson, Suite 201, Richmond, TX 77469 for the following until THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 29, 2012 at 1:30 P.M. CST). All proposals will then be opened in the Offi ce of the Purchasing Agent, Travis Annex, 301 Jackson, Suite 201, Richmond, TX 77469 and the names of the proposers made public. Proposals received after the specifi ed time will be returned unopened. Solicitation and any and all addendums will be posted on Purchasing Agent’s website located at www.co.fort-bend.tx.us. RFP 13-016 – SWITCHER RACK UPGRADE FOR OEMBonds are required. Fort Bend County reserves the right to reject any or all proposals.Signed:Gilbert D. Jalomo, Jr., Purchasing AgentFort Bend County, Richmond, Texas
LEGAL NOTICEINVITATION TO BIDDERS
Sealed Bids will be received in the Offi ce of Gilbert D. Jalomo, Jr., County Purchasing Agent, Fort Bend County, Travis Annex, 301 Jackson, Suite 201, Richmond, TX 77469 for the following until THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 29, 2012 at 1:30 P.M. (CST). All bids will then be publicly opened and read in the Offi ce of the Purchasing Agent, Travis Annex, 301 Jackson, Suite 201, Richmond, TX 77469. Bids received after the specifi ed time will be returned unopened. CDs are available in the Purchasing Agent’s Offi ce. All addendums will be posted on Purchasing Agent’s website located at www.co.fort-bend.tx.us.1. BID 13-014 – TRAFFIC SIGNALIZATION FOR GASTON ROAD AT FALCON LANDING BOULEVARDA pre-bid conference will be conducted on Thursday, November 15, 2012 at 11:00 AM (CST). The pre-bid conference will be held at Fort Bend County Purchasing Department located in the Travis Annex at 301 Jackson, Suite 201, Richmond, TX. All bidders are encouraged to attend. 2. BID 13-015 – JAMES LANE BRIDGE AT BESSIES CREEKA pre-bid conference will be conducted on Thursday, November 15, 2012 at 1:00 PM (CST). The pre-bid conference will be held at Fort Bend County Purchasing Department located in the Travis Annex at 301 Jackson, Suite 201, Richmond, TX. All bidders are encouraged to attend. Unit pricing is required; payment will be by check. Bonds are required.Fort Bend County reserves the right to reject any or all bids.Signed:Gilbert D. Jalomo, Jr., Purchasing AgentFort Bend County, Richmond, Texas
NOTICE OF ESTABLISHMENT OF ADDITIONAL OUT-OF-DISTRICT MEETING PLACE OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
OF FORT BEND COUNTY LEVEE IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT NO. 14
To the residents and taxpayers of Fort Bend County Levee Improvement District No. 14 (the “District”), and to all the persons interested in the meetings of the Board of Directors of such District:Notice is hereby given that the Board of Directors of the District, at a meeting held October 19, 2012, established an additional meeting place outside the boundaries of the District at the Fort Bend Chamber of Commerce, 445 Commerce Green Boulevard, Sugar Land, Texas 77478.Said meeting place is hereby declared to be a public place and open to the public. All residents and taxpayers of the District and all other interested persons are herby invited to attend any meetings of the Board of Directors at such location and other locations previously established by the Board of Directors as meeting places of the District.
/s/Herbert P. Krog Secretary, Board of Directors
By BARBARA FULENWIDERFor 2013 the Honda Fit en-
ters showrooms with a host of awards and accolades. After receiving extensive updates for 2012, the 2013 Fit gets new Midnight Plum Pearl exterior paint and a price tag that is unchanged and starts at $15,325.
The Honda Fit is powered by a 1.5-liter, i-VTEC® four-cylinder engine that makes 117 horsepower at 6,600 rpm and 106 lb.-ft. of torque at 4,800 rpm, and is tuned to deliver an engaging combi-nation of responsiveness and fuel effi ciency.
A fi ve-speed manual trans-mission is standard and a fi ve-speed automatic transmission is available. Steering-wheel mounted paddle shifters on Fit Sport models equipped with the available automatic transmission allow for manual gear selection.
When equipped with the available automatic transmis-sion, the Fit has an Environ-mental Protection Agency city/highway/combined fuel economy rating of 28/35/31
miles per gallon. The Fit Sport with the available automat-ic transmission has an EPA city/highway/combined fuel economy rating of 27/33/30 miles per gallon. All manual transmission-equipped mod-els have an EPA city/high-way/combined fuel economy rating of 27/33/29 miles per gallon.
A windswept body design, body-color exterior mirrors and fi ve-spoke wheel covers (Fit) or 16-inch alloy wheels (Fit Sport) give the Fit a classy appearance. The Fit’s compact size and tight turning diameter (34.4 feet, curb-to-curb) help it navigate space-confi ned urban areas and fi t in small parking spaces.
A sporty, refi ned and dy-namic driving experience is provided by the front MacPherson strut suspension and an H-shaped torsion beam rear suspension. Fifteen- and 16-inch wheels (Fit and Fit Sport, respectively) feature 175/65 R15 84S (Fit) and 185/55 R16 83H (Fit Sport) tires. The standard anti-lock braking system (ABS) with Electronic Brake Distribution (EBD) uses 10.3-inch ven-tilated discs in the front and 7.9-inch drums in the rear.
Though the Fit has an overall exterior length of just 161.6 inches, it is surprisingly roomy and provides 90.8 cu-bic feet of passenger space. There’s seating for up to fi ve passengers, and behind the rear seats, there’s 20.6 cubic feet of storage space.
For enhanced versatil-ity, the exclusive 60/40 split rear offers multiple seating and cargo-carrying confi gu-rations. With its one-motion dive-down functionality, it can fold fl at into the fl oor to provide a maximum 57.3 cu-ft. of rear cargo volume. Com-pared to any other vehicle in the subcompact class, the fi ve-passenger Fit provides the lowest, fl attest cargo fl oor
and the most cargo volume. The Fit’s interior thus can easily be converted to tall-object mode or long-object mode based on the shape of the cargo.
Standard comfort and con-venience features include air conditioning, cruise control, remote entry, a 160-watt AM/FM/CD audio system with four speakers, a USB audio interface, an auxiliary audio input jack, MP3/WMA play-back capability, Radio Data System (RDS), power win-dows, power mirrors, power door locks, and a security sys-tem.
All Honda Fits are equipped with Vehicle Stability As-sist™ (VSA®), the Advanced
Compatibility Engineering™ (ACE™) body structure, anti-lock brakes and more. Dual-stage, multiple-thresh-old front airbags, front-side airbags with passenger-side Occupant Position Detection System (OPDS), and side-curtain airbags are also stan-dard equipment for 2013.
The top-of-the-line Fit Sport adds a host of use-ful features that include fog lights, “machined surface” 16-inch alloy wheels, a body-colored underbody kit and rear roofl ine spoiler, and a chromed exhaust fi nisher for a high-energy look.
A rear stabilizer bar and steering wheel-mounted paddle shifters (on automatic transmission-equipped mod-els) widen the performance envelope, while a 160-watt AM/FM/CD audio system with six speakers and illumi-nated steering wheel-mounted audio controls get the tunes pumping.
The Fit Sport is also avail-able with the Honda Satellite-Linked Navigation System™ with Voice Recognition4, which features a 6.5-inch screen, more than seven-mil-lion points of interest and 16 GB of fl ash memory.
Fort Bend Community Revitalization Projects(Fort Bend CORPS)
Fall 2012- Hearts and Hammers EventVolunteer Crew: Board of Directors
When: Sat. November 10, 2012Time: 8:00 am-12:00 pm
Address: 1002 Avenue D-Rosenberg, TX 77471
What to bring: Please dress appropriately.
We will be painting a home for a disabled client in the city of Rosenberg.
Lunch will be provided.
13330 S. Gessner Road Missouri City, TX 77459(281) 617-7416 FAX (281) 617-7924
The new Center for the Arts in Historic Downtown Rosen-berg (823 Third Street, at the corner of Third and Avenue G) will open to the public for ʻopen house-styleʼ events on Friday, Nov. 16 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., and on Saturday, Nov. 17 from 12:00 noon to 2 p.m.
This facility is the new home of Imperial Arts, and includes The Imperial The-atre (a 130-seat performance space), The Imperial Gallery (a visual arts gallery), space for the Imperial Arts Acade-my, two lobbies and restroom facilities for patrons, a green room and dressing rooms for performers, storage space, and administrative offi ces.
The Friday event is de-signed for adults, and will in-clude live music by the Mar-vin Gaspard Trio and classical Spanish guitarist Frank Ro-driguez, complimentary wine and hors d’oeuvres, a cash bar, and announcements about the
upcoming season.As well, The Imperial Gal-
lery will open with a show of new work by Houston artist Matt Manalo. At 7 p.m. thatnight, Imperial Artsʼ Founderand Executive Director, Ed-ward Crowell III will intro-duce Imperial Artsʼ Board,Staff, and artists, and other VIPs, followed by announce-ments about the 2012-13 Sea-son.
The Saturday event is de-signed for children and fami-lies, and will include live mu-sic by blues guitarist FrankMatta, free concessions, anda free art project for childrenin which they may create their own “Imperial mask.”
No reservations or tick-ets are required to attend theevents. The opening of thisfacility is one of several keycomponents of Imperial Artsʼ performance agreement withthe Rosenberg DevelopmentCorporation. The agreement
AUTOMOBILE: Honda Fit
New Center for the Arts opens in Rosenberg
also compels Imperial Arts to restore and re-open the histor-ic Cole Theater (downtown Rosenberg) by the end of 2014. The building was built in the late 1950s by Duke & Ayers, and has since served as home to a number of differ-ent types of retail and service companies, most recently a book store.
While touring the facil-ity, Rosenberg Development Corporation President Bill Knesek remarked nostalgi-cally about his fi rst part-time job working in the, then new, Duke & Ayers store, and of-fered advice on improve-ments to the buildingʼs fa-cade.
Also during the tour, the gallery and performance spaces were examined and discussed
The Center for the Arts will serve as Imperial Artsʼ home and performance space for the 2012-13, and 2013-14 seasons which will include visual arts gallery shows, performances of Classical and jazz music, choral music, plays, ballet, lectures, and a fi lm series to include classic, art, and family fi lms.
Imperial Artsʼ 2012-13 season partnerships include the Houston Chamber Choir, the Houston Symphony, and CAST Theatrical of Rosen-berg, all of which will com-plement Imperial Artsʼ own productions and roster artists.
For more information on the Grand Opening events, go to www.theimperial.org or call 281-277-7444.
St. Laurence Ladies Guild 7th Annual Shop-till-You-Drop is on Thursday, Nov. 15, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. The event is open to all of the Fort Bend Community. What a great way to jump start your Christmas Shopping! There will be over 40 local and unique vendors from Fort Bend County displaying the latest trends and newest products. Some of the items to be featured are: Jewelry, Clothing, Womens accessories, and Home décor to name a few. Proceeds from the Ladies Guild will go to support a local charity. So grab and friend and head to the Parish Hall at St. Laurence Catholic Church on 3100 Sweetwater Blvd. Located at the corner of Austin Pkwy and Sweetwater. For more information contact Amy Reaser at [email protected] or call 832-217-9263. Above, Amy Reaser on right and Jennifer Stoelke, on left.
NOVEMBER 7, 2012 • INDEPENDENT • Page 7
Providing fee-only services
to individuals, families and businesses
since 1996.
(281) 634-9400www.wjinterests.com
$450,000. 8615 Halls Retreat, Missouri City - 4 bedroom/4 bathroom. HUGE STORY 2 STUDY. MASTER RETREAT WITH HIS/HER CLOSETS. MASTER BATH FEATURES JACUZZI TUB & HIS/HER SINKS W/ PREMIER GALAXY GRANITE. LARGE OPEN ISLAND KITCHEN W/ 6 GAS BURNERS. STAINLESS STEEL APPLIANCES, CUSTOM CABINETS & WALK-IN PANTRY.
Sutton Forest, prestigious two story! Terrifi c location backing to Maranatha Farms. Almost 5000 SF. Updated! Spacious fl oor plan with lots of windows and great views. Low $500’s. Must see! Call Bill Moore 832-875-5111 or 281-980-6000.
$349,500. Crown Jewel – 3/4 Bedrooms/4.5 Bathrooms. Executive Series. 1 1/2 story with upstairs gameroom on wooded lot. Huge master closet. Gorgeous 3/4 acre lot backing wooded reserve. Covered Patio. Hardwd fl oors. Gourmet Kitchen w/granite counters.
$549,900. 6806 Peatwood Way – 5 Bed-rooms/3.5 Baths. Home sits on a large corner lot. Great fl oor plan at an amazing price. Home is in great condition and has been updated with wood fl ooring, stain-less appliances, granite countertops, island kitchen.
$209,500. 3006 Lake Estates – 4 Bed-rooms/2.5 Bathrooms. Beautiful David Week-ley. Travertine throughout. Crown Molding. Hi ceilings. Gourmet Island Kitchen updated w/ rare granite, stainless appliances., double ovens, bow-bay window & built-in micro-wave. Breakfast area w/oversized windows
$162,900. 5819 La Crema – 3 Bedroo2ms/2 Bathrooms. This impeccably maintained home features a great open fl oor plan w/ an extended tile entry, central kitchen w/ Corian counter tops, breakfast bar, large breakfast nook, and a charming front porch. Home has 2’’ blinds throughout.www.onemooresold.com
THE BILL
MOORE TEAM
AWARDED 2011 BROKER/OWNERS OF THE YEAR FOR TEXAS/
Congratulations
RE/MAX received the highest numerical score among full service real estate firms for home sellers and home buyers in the proprietary J.D. Power and Associates 2011 Home Buyer/Seller StudySM. Study based on 3,861 total evaluations measuring 8 firms and measures opinions of individuals who bought a home between March 2010 and April 2011.Proprietary study results are based on experiences
and perceptions of consumers surveyed March-May 2011. Your experiences may vary. Visit jdpower.com.
“Ranked Highest In Overall Satisfaction For Home Sellers & Home Buyer Among National Full Service Real Estate Firms”
Each Office is independently owned and operated.
Visit Us Online at
REMAXFine.com
Find An Agent For All of Your Real Estate Needs.
Call 281.265.5533
AV Rated by Martindale Hubbell Not certified by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization
SERVING FORT BEND SINCE 1981
In the Sugar Land Industrial Park 407 Julie Rivers Drive, Sugar Land, Tx. 77478
Real Estate and Banking Law Estate Planning and Probate
Business and Employment Law Mergers and Acquisitions
Water Law ● Local Government Law
RUSSELL C. JONES THELMA HOLOWAY JONES
STEPHANIE STIGANT
The basic plot of “Flight” is simple. An experienced com-mercial airline pilot (Denzel Washington) heroically lands a jet that was having major mechanical diffi culties.
Two problems: six people on board the jetliner were killed (96 survived) but Cap-tain Whip Whitaker had been drinking before and during the fl ight.
Everyone praised the pilot for skillfully avoiding a major tragedy, but the NTSB begins a routine, thorough investiga-tion.
Director Robert Zemeckis accomplishes the daunting task of developing all charac-ters and allows Washington to showcase his immense talent. Before we begin the praise of Denzel, let us be reminded that Zemeckis has produced and/or directed some of the greatest movies of all time: “Back to the Future” I, II, III, “Cast Away” “Forrest Gump” and “Contact.”
So, we know he knows how to make a movie. But his di-rection of Washington was a jewel and Denzel took an ex-tremely fl awed character with an alcohol problem and ran with it all the way to home plate.
Did Denzel Washington do enough to earn a nomination? Not sure, but he showed that he’s still on top of his game. I saw this fi lm a day ago and I
can still see many of the scenes of Denzel as he falls farther and farther into his “bottom.” With six deaths, a wrecked jetliner, a life destroyed by al-cohol and denial, can our hero make a comeback and earn our empathy. You will have to see it for yourself, but I think the screenplay by John Gatin, who is primarily known as a second-tier actor, was superb.
In addition to the excellent direction, screenplay and lead acting by Denzel, the support-ing cast of Bruce Greenwood, Tamara Tunie, and Don Chea-dle as a defense attorney were exceptional as supporting ac-tors. John Goodman, who can play any character and was a goofball junkie that “helped” Captain Whitaker get through some of the tough times, stole the show every scene he ap-
peared in; he was a scream. As I said, this is a simple story told and created by some ma-jor talent and it worked.
The big-time movies are coming out in the next two months, but you should put this one on your list. Rock ‘n Roll.
Note: I’ve had the privilege to screen “Hitchcock” starring Anthony Hopkins and Helen Mirren and while the review embargo is still in effect, I can at least tell you that it is won-derful and a sure-fi re nomi-nation for Best Picture and probable numerous acting and technical awards.
Riverbend Country Club staff members and Riverbend member Michael Garfi eld toast to the fi nal plans for the 1st Annual Riverbend Beerfest. Pictured left-to-right: General Manager Chuck Cox, Event Coordinator Emily Jaschke, Chef Kevin King, Marketing Director Tricia Hawks, and radio host Michael Garfi eld, The High-Tech Texan®.
The prestigious Riverbend Country Club is opening its gates to the public for its fi rst annual Riverbend Beerfest on Saturday, November 10, 2012. This special event is open to members and non-members to celebrate the Fall season and the proliferation of Houston and Fort Bend County brew-eries.
The staff of the 55 year-old club in the heart of Sugar Land invites the public to sample unique, seasonal beers from the best local brewer-ies including the brand new
Fort Bend Brewery, Real Ale Brewing Company, Buffalo Bayou Brewing Company, Karbach, Saint Arnold’s and more. This is a chance to ex-pand your palate and educate yourself on the craft. Spend your Saturday afternoon drinking beer, eating great food, playing games and lis-tening to Kevin Charles Band.
To further promote the event and spotlight Riverbend Country Club and the Sugar Land area, local resident and Riverbend member Michael Garfi eld will broadcast his
popular High-Tech Texan® radio show from the club that afternoon. His long-running show can be heard across southeast Texas on KPRC-AM, “The 9-5-0”.The event begins at 1:00 p.m. and ends at 6:00 p.m. Tickets can be purchased online at http://ti-nyurl.com/riverbendbeerfest. Members are $20 and non-member tickets are $25. A limited amount of tickets will be sold. For more information and ticketing please contact Tricia Hawks, Marketing Di-rector, at (281)269-2526.
Beerfest at Riverbend
Not just oil, Pennzoil
Kwik Kar Lube & Tune
Family Owned& Operated6171 Hwy 6 (@FM1092)
Missouri City
A Kwik Kar is a Happy CarMon-Fri: 8 a.m.- 6 p.m.
Sat 6 a.m. to 5 p.m.
281-261-8066Stop. Go. Pennzoil.
Not Just Oil, Pennzoil
Houston’s Therapeutic Rid-ing Centers will host a Grand Opening and ribbon cutting ceremony at their newest site, the Equestrian Center on the
campus of Richmond State Supported Living Center in Richmond, TX.
The festivities will start at 4:00 p.m., will offer appetiz-
Therapeutic Riding Returns to Richmonders, guided tours, riding dem-onstrations, and welcoming remarks. The event will con-clude by 8:00 p.m..
SIRE, a Premier Accredited Center through the Profession-al Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship, International (PATH Intl), has three sites serving those with disabilities in the greater Houston area.
Among the three sites in Spring, Hockley and now Richmond, they serve approx-imately 200 riders per week.
The collaboration with Richmond State Supported Living Center represents a new level of partnership be-tween a non-profi t organiza-tion and a State-run facility.
For more information on the grand opening or inter-est in volunteering for SIRE, contact Maryann Gerity, at [email protected], 281-344-4308. The Equestrian Center, built in 1992 was es-tablished to keep Richmond State “at the leading edge of habilitative and rehabilitative technology and treatment,” as stated on the center’s sign.
Rice & Gardner Consultants EngineerBuilding’s that Lower Energy Costs!
Rice & Gardner Consultants provided engineering services for the Fort Bend County North Annex.
Rice & Gardner Consultants continues to provide engineering services for various projects at Fluor’sLake Pointe Plaza Campus.
Today most people spend the majority of their day indoors at home, at school or at the office. It is important then that our homes, our schools, our office buildings, and the many other buildings we frequent provide a good indoor environment for the people who live and work in them. A good indoor environment is one that addresses the quality of the air we breathe, appropriate temperature and humidity levels, appropriate lighting levels, and in general promotes good indoor occupant comfort, health and well-being.
Because building operations account for over half of all U.S. electricity consumption and contributes a significant portion of greenhouse gas emissions, it is important that they be engineered and designed correctly to minimize electrical consumption, reduce their carbon footprint and still provide a good indoor environment for building occupants. Designing, installing and utilizing efficient lighting and HVACsystems with properly designed building automation controlsystems is the first step in reducing building energy consumption, lowering utility costs and providing a good indoor environment.
In today’s economy, property owners and managers must demonstrate the value of their property to their tenants, both existing and future, while finding ways to reduce costs without negatively impacting occupant comfort or owner services. It is a delicate balancing act.
Proper engineering design and installation can provide owners with a ten to fifteen percent decrease in their energy bills and a corresponding improvement in tenant satisfaction.
Rice & Gardner Consultants has a highly trained staff of Engineers, Project Managers and Commissioning Agents to assist you. To find out how you can lower your building’s electric bills and provide improved occupant comfort contact Rice & Gardner Consultants today.
To learn more call us at 713-482-2300 or visit our website at www.ricegardner.com.
MEP Engineering – Commissioning - Program Management
6161 Savoy Suite 1212Houston, TX 77036
713-482-2300
Jim Rice & Kevin Gardner
Fort Bend County home school students have formed a new home school chapter of the High School Republicans of Texas.
The students and their parents met with Congressman Pete Olson at the Fort Bend GOP headquarters recently to learn about the political process and the importance of getting in-volved in elections even before they are of voting age.
Congressman Olson spoke about efforts in Congress to stop the government takeover of healthcare, also known as Obamacare and other tax mandates that have wreaked havoc on our economy during the last 3 years. He also recommended specifi c things that teens could do to infl uence the political process.
“Our current national debt is the greatest threat to your fu-ture,” Olson explained.
“You are the future of America and we have a sacred duty to ensure that we do not pass on trillions of dollars of debt that your generation will be forced to pay back. We must balance our budget in Washington and get spending under control to protect your future. Volunteering on a political campaign not only gives you a fi rsthand view of the electoral process, but it gives you a voice in the process by helping to change the outcome.”
Tina Gibson, State Republican Executive Committeewom-an from Senate District 17, discussed how teens can formally be a political force by forming clubs like these and working as an auxiliary of the Republican Party of Texas.
Congressman Olson’s campaign director gave a brief les-son on how political campaigns work and what it takes to get candidates elected.
Mike Gibson, Fort Bend Republican County Chairman, stated “we have more club chapters of the High School Re-publicans of Texas in Fort Bend than any county in the state except Harris and will soon pass them with groups that are forming now. This is a testament to the parents engaging their children in discussions of politics and the hard work of volun-teers in the Republican Party.”
After the presentation, the teens held an election for inter-im offi cers to form the fi rst home school chapter of the High School Republicans of Texas in the Sugar Land area.
New interim offi cers include President Jacob McLaney, Vice President Justin Mason, Secretary Jamie Wheeler, Trea-surer Elizabeth Sullivan, and Sergeant at Arms Joshua Her-nandez.
Founded in March 2012, the High School Republicans of Texas now has 14 clubs around the state located in public and private schools.
For more information on how to start a high school Re-publican club, go to High School Republicans of Texas http://www.hsrtx.com/.
