FORT BEND

FAIR. BALANCED. INFORMATIVE.

Phone: 281-980-6745wwwww.fbindependent.com.fbindependent.com

P. O.BOX 623, SUGAR LAND, TX 77487-0623WEDNESDAY, JULY 27, 2011

VOL 4 No. 30

Offi cial newspaper of Fort Bend County, Missouri City & Sugar Land

Seshadri KumarPublisher & Editor

10701 Corporate Drive, #282, Staff ord, TX 77477Mailing Address: P.O. Box 623, Sugar Land, TX 77487

www.fbindependent.com281-980-6745

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 KUMARClassic Chevrolet Sugar

Land has earned a top General Motors award — dealer of the year.

This is an accomplishment reserved for only a select few Chevrolet dealerships and is a symbol of exceptional perfor-mance for sales, service and customer satisfaction excel-lence.

Out of 800 dealerships in the south central region covering 14 states, Classic Chevrolet Sugar Land has been adjudged

the best dealer, one of the 10 recipients in the region.

Only 50 dealers are recog-nized with this award out of 4,000 dealers nationwide.

David G. Nottoli, regional director for Chevrolet, south central region, presented the award to Classic Chevrolet owner Don Kerstetter at a lun-cheon in the dealership on July 21.

The dealer of the year award recognizes the team spirit in all disciplines of the dealership, Nottoli said.

In a show of community spirit and unity this weekend, Missouri City citizens saluted a local son for his military ser-vice in Afghanistan.

In a ceremony at Protector’s Plaza, Lance Corporal Kevin Carson Williams was greeted with enthusiastic applause, warm hugs, handshakes and messages of “thanks” from residents, members of the Missouri City Police and Fire Departments and City Council members.

As Williams stood at at-tention, joined by his mother, Mary, and his father, Dale, Mayor Allen Owen read a City Council proclamation honoring his service in the U.S. Marine Corps.

Williams, fondly known as “K.C.” to family and friends, thanked everyone for the “touching” tribute and said ceremonies like this “mean a lot” to his squad, the 15 H&S Company stationed at Camp Pendleton, and all military troops.

He said it reminds them they have loved ones waiting to welcome them home.

The 22-year-old who was shot in his right forearm by a Taliban sniper on June 24, added: “I really appreciate the City coming together to sup-port me.”

In addition to Mayor Owen, the salute drew a number of dignitaries including State Rep. Ron Reynolds, City Council members Robin Elackatt, Floyd Emery, Bob-

by Marshall, Danny Nguyen, and Don Smith and Precinct 2 Constable Ruben Davis.

After the celebration, Po-lice and Fire department ve-hicles led a procession of residents and the South East Texas Patriot Guard Riders to

an outdoor “Welcome Home Reception” on Robinson Road.

The route was lined with ribbons, American fl ags and posters; decorations arranged by the Quail Valley Exchange Club and other area residents.

Dale, left, and Mary Williams are proud to have their son, “K.C.”, at right, home for a two-week convalescent leave.

Missouri City honors a local hero

“Without you there is no Chevrolet. This is a great year for the dealership in sales, ser-vice and customer satisfaction. This is a team award and shows how well you take care of cus-tomers,” he told the Classic Chevrolet staff.

Kerstetter, in his remarks, told his employees “It is your award. The award is for every-body.”

“If we handle the customers right, everything else will be right,” he said.

In 2009, Classic Chevrolet took over the erstwhile Bill Heard dealership,which had the worst reputation then, and turned it into the best dealer-ship, Kerstetter said.

Classic Chevrolet also re-ceived two more awards, “Chevrolet Service Hero Award” and the “Mark of Ex-cellence Award.”

Classic Chevrolet placed fi rst in categories including new vehicle customer reten-tion, on-time response for service leads, service training standards completion, custom-er satisfaction index score, and improvement over time in the Houston zone and received the Service Hero award.

Mark of Excellence is anoth-er award given locally for “Do-ing the basics brilliantly” and for providing the best customer satisfaction.

David G. Nottoli, left, regional director for Chevrolet, presents the dealer of the year award to Don Kerstetter, owner of Classic Chevrolet Sugar Land.

Classic Chevrolet is GM’s “Dealer of the year”

See CLASSIC, Page 2

By BARBARA FULENWIDERThe Texas Department of

Transportation is holding pub-lic meetings to gather public input on the long-time coming I-69.

The transportation agency has named members of fi ve segment committees, which are appointed by and represent the local communities along the route.

The new interstate is to go from Texas’ Rio Grande Val-ley to Michigan via the Hous-ton area and on through East Texas.

The Greater Houston Area has representation on two seg-ment committees:

Segment 2 extends northeast from Houston towards Lufkin.

Segment 3 extends south-west from Houston towards Victoria.

To get input from Fort Bend residents, TxDOT is holding a public hearing on Wednes-

day, Aug. 3, at 6 p.m. at the Gus George Law Enforcement Academy at 1521 Eugene Hei-mann Circle in Richmond.

The public is encouraged to attend the hearing and submit written comments to TxDOT, 125 E. 11th St., Austin, TX 78701 or online at www.txdot.gov/DrivenbyTexans.

I-69 Segment Three in-cludes the counties of Bee, Brazoria, Fort Bend, Galves-ton, Goliad, Harris, Jackson, Refugio, Victoria and Wharton and encompasses portions of US 59 and US 77.

Committee members are listed at http://www.txdot.gov/DrivenbyTexans.

Lane Ward represents Fort Bend County on the Segment three committee.

Perrie D’Armond, a vice president of government re-lations with the Greater Fort Bend Economic Development Council, said, “The point of

the meetings is to gather pub-lic input” in an effort to ensure that the road meets local trans-portation needs.

“TxDOT took a bad hit when they did the Trans Texas Corridor, so what they will fo-cus on for I-69 will be driven by the public,” Armond said. “They want the public to buy in so they are asking them up and down the corridor what do you want to do, what do you want us to do and what can we do. The I-69 projects give us a chance to build out U.S. 59 sooner rather than later.”

She also said, “I-69 will al-low the movement of goods and people all the way through the county. It will follow the existing road, which in our case is U.S. 59. That part of it is now built out to the Grand Parkway but isn’t to the county line yet, so that’s our No. 1 pri-ority. The outgoing lanes will

Public hearing to be held on I-69

See I-69, Page 3

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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

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Page 2 • INDEPENDENT • JULY 27, 2011

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We’re All Business!

Dave Notoli, left, General Motors Regional General Manager, Don Kerstetter, Classic Chevro-let Sugar Land owner, Steve Flynn, Chevrolet Zone manager, Howie Bentley , Classic Chev-rolet General Manager, Manny Sosa from General Motors Service Division, Bill Elbert from the GM South Central Region and Mark Kolon, Classic Chevrolet Sugar Land General Sales Manager share the limelight while accepting the multiple awards.

Business is very good for GM and a strong second quar-ter earning is expected, Nottoli said later.

“The company as a whole is healthy and because of that new products are coming out of the assembly line faster. We don’t seem to have enough Equinoxes and Cruzes,” he said.

Besides the re-designed Malibu, the company will in-troduce a new, smart car called “Spark” in the fall.

Also, Chevrolet has intro-duced an image program un-der which dealerships upgrade their facilities to provide the best service to customers. Classic Chevrolet has already re-designed and enhanced its image.

In 2010, Classic Chevrolet sold 1,751 brand new cars, marking a 27.9 percent growth. This year, until June, 937 new cars have been sold.

“Future for Classic Chevro-let and Chevy is bright,” Not-toli said.

Classic Chevrolet won’t stop until it becomes No. 1 in

the country, said Steve Flynn, GM’s zone manager..

During the opening of the dealership in 2009, Kerstetter told this newspaper that Clas-sic dealership’s motto is “Re-lax and enjoy the difference. We focus on customers.”

“We believe in Chevrolet. We believe in Sugar Land. It is great to be here,” said Kerstet-ter, with confi dence.

At a time when the whole economy was in doldrums and car dealerships were suffering from a poor demand, Classic Chevrolet grew and grew as predicted by Kerstetter.

Classicfrom Page 1

Community News

JULY 27, 2011 • INDEPENDENT • Page 3

News

(281)277-7800

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be the next piece just west of the Grand Parkway past Rosenberg. Those lanes need to be brought up to full inter-state standards.”

There is also a need for ac-cess to the Port of Houston from Fort Bend, Armond said, “so there’s talk of some alter-nate route that may veer off to the east and connect to the port. Another thing is U.S. 59 can’t expand any further than it is now, so we may not want to put all of our traffi c on it through Houston and instead provide a bypass on the western side of Fort Bend County so people wouldn’t have to drive toward downtown Houston. People

could take a left and go north and then head on to to east Tex-as and beyond,” she said.

The Texas Legislature has approved legislation, which Gov. Rick Perry signed into law on June 17, to help fi nance and build local I-69 upgrades such as overpasses, interchang-es, bridges, freeway lanes and access roads.

The new law expands the authority of counties and cities to create Transportation Rein-vestment Zones (TRZs) and capture the incremental growth in both local ad valorem taxes and local sales taxes to fund lo-cally approved transportation projects.

The amended statute allows local governments fl exibility on the type of projects, per-centage of the increment de-

voted to funding, the ability to partner with public and private partners and to adopt their own procurement process.

When the project is built on the state highway system or located in state highway right-of-way it must be coordinated with TxDOT and comply with all state and federal design and construction standards. Lawmakers also reauthorized public-private partnerships that bring needed investment capi-tal to specifi c transportation projects.

Since 2009, members of the fi ve I-69 segment committees have studied transportation needs and challenges in their communities from the Mexi-can border to the borders of Arkansas and Louisiana. They reviewed crash data, current

and projected traffi c data and environmental factors that af-fect their communities.

After that work was com-pleted, committee members recommended using the exist-ing highway footprint to the greatest extent possible to de-velop the I-69 system in Texas.

The existing highways rec-ommended by the committees for I-69 Texas development in-clude parts of U.S. 59, U.S. 77, U.S. 84, U.S. 2812 and state highway 44.

Segment members recognize the fact that the I-69 is a neces-sary corridor to accommodate population and traffi c growth, maintain economic competi-tiveness and serve emergency evacuation needs, especially during hurricane season.

I-69From Page 1

ABWA-American Business Women’s Association/ SWAPEN-SW Area Professional Express Network at its July meeting gave a $1,500 grant to 2011 Steven Bufton Memorial Educa-tion Fund Outright Grant recipient, Alexis Pace. Pace is the daughter of Tiffany Pace, new incoming president. Thanks to Jane Spellman with All State Insurance in Sugar Land for her generous donation last year that made this grant possible. Suzette Peoples, right, with Peoples Properties was instru-mental in getting this grant done before the deadline.

With potential benefi ts such as quicker recovery and less pain, minimally invasive surgery has become popular for a variety of surgical pro-cedures. For some operations, such as gallbladder removal, it is more widely used than conventional open surgery.

Minimally invasive sur-gery, also called laparoscopic or endoscopic surgery, may require a few incisions of less than a half-inch each, com-pared with an incision of 5 to 8 inches or longer with open surgery. The surgeon inserts a rigid scope consisting of a camera and light into a port through one of the incisions. Images are sent to a screen, which the surgeon watches while performing the surgery using instruments inserted through one or more of the other incisions.

“Not all surgeries can be performed using minimally invasive techniques, but the list is growing,” says Timo-thy Oppermann, M.D., board-certifi ed general surgeon and on staff at Methodist Sugar Land Hospital. “Major can-cer, heart or other surgeries may require a more open sur-gical fi eld. In some instances — even if a laparoscopic pro-cedure is performed routinely — a physician may determine that a particular patient is not a good candidate based on his or her overall health or surgi-cal history.”

However, when laparo-scopic surgery is determined to be a good option, it may offer the following benefi ts: • Shorter recovery time. Since small incisions usually heal faster than large ones, some surgeries can be done on an outpatient basis. Surgical patients who are ad-mitted to the hospital may be released sooner and return to their regular activities faster. • Less pain. Smaller incisions generally mean less post-operative pain. • Lower risk of infec-

tion. Smaller wounds are generally at less risk of infec-tion. • Less blood loss. The tiny incisions involved in minimally invasive surgery can usually result in less blood loss than would be ex-perienced with open surgery. • Less scarring. This can be a signifi cant consider-ation for some patients. “Gallbladder removals, her-nia surgeries and appendec-tomies are among the most commonly performed mini-mally invasive procedures,” Dr. Oppermann says. “Mini-mally invasive techniques are now used in most fi elds of surgery.” Methodist Sugar Land Hospital has been in the forefront offering minimally invasive surgical options in the following specialties: • Bariatric • Cardiovascular • Colorectal • Gastroenterology • General Surgery • Gynecology • Neurosurgery • Otorhinolaryngology • Orthopedics • Urology

If you are anticipating sur-gery or want a second opin-ion, Dr. Oppermann will discuss your options with you and determine whether minimally invasive surgery is appropriate for you. For an appointment with Dr. Opper-mann, call 281-275-0860.

Oppermann, M.D.

Spotlight on ‘minimally invasive surgery’

By SESHADRI KUMARThe city of Sugar Land

has seen a modest growth in revenue in the fi nancial year 2010-11.

Sales tax collections, bud-geted fl at over Fiscal Year 2010, are running 4 percent higher than budgeted through July 2011, and estimates show the city ending the year better than budgeted, says City man-ager Allen Bogard.

Presenting the economic outlook for the city in the an-nual budget submitted to the city council last week, Bog-ard said projections indicate a 4 percent increase in revenues for the fi scal year primarily from sales tax collections.

Construction activity has also returned to more normal levels, with 325 new homes and 16 commercial build-ings permitted through June,

on pace to exceed last year’s building activity.

The completion of the Town Square development marks a milestone in the de-velopment of the city.

The city can now shift its focus to other areas such as the Imperial Redevelopment area where the city is building StarTex Power Field and the developer is building infra-structure for the next mixed use development and activity center.

Meanwhile, development interest in the US59/Univer-sity Boulevard area is picking up as the city has targeted that area for a future indoor con-cert venue and potential loca-tion for another destination activity center.

It is anticipated that eco-nomic recovery will continue into FY12, with modest rev-

enue growth continuing into the future.

The proposed Fiscal Year 2012 budget has been pre-pared to allow the city to maintain existing service levels, return to structural balance, and continue to im-plement the Capital Improve-ments Program and Strategic

Planning efforts.“It is our proven ability to

tighten our belts when neces-sary that allows the comfort of a return to normalcy in light of current fi nancial per-formance,” Bogard said in his report.

The current tax rate for the city, at $0.30 per $100 valua-tion, remains one of the lowest rates in the state and second lowest for cities with popula-tion greater than 25,000.

The city is not expected to increase the tax rate, though a 3 percent increase in revenues is needed to balance the bud-get.

The city has not yet re-ceived the certifi ed tax roll. The proposed budget is based on a 3 percent increase in tax revenues from existing prop-erties plus new tax revenues.

Once the certifi ed tax roll

is provided, the tax rate will be calculated. There is also no change recommended to the homestead exemption in FY12.

The budget assumes that the average residential tax bill will increase by approximate-ly 3 percent over the 2011 tax bill.

The change will most likely come from growth in values rather than a hike in the tax rate.

Planning and construction dollars have also been budget-ed to continue the priorities as identifi ed in various master plans and strategic planning efforts.

This includes reconstruc-tion of the Community Center to accommodate senior citi-zens Center and land acqui-sition of the Telfair Option Tract and planning dollars

to continue development of destination centers within the city – this area targeting the indoor concert venue.

Other projects funded in-clude implementation of the Comprehensive Mobility Plan including the study of railroad crossings along US 90A and a pilot project for a holiday trol-ley.

Street and Traffi c projects include continued improve-ments to the heavily trav-eled SH6 from Brooks Street to Lexington Blvd and the planned improvements to Dairy Ashford from US59 north to Julie Rivers.

Park projects include plan-ning dollars for the next phase of the Brazos River Corridor and festival site as well as planning for additional trails and parkland.

Sugar Land sees growth in sales tax; property tax rate unlikely to change

Bogard

Sugar Land appoints redistricting committee Sugar Land City Council recently appointed a Redistricting

Advisory Committee to ensure the City’s single-member dis-tricts comply with federal law.

The release of the 2010 U.S. Census triggered the need for a redistricting process. The U.S. Constitution requires that mem-bers of an elected body be drawn from districts of substantially equal population with a maximum deviation no greater than 10 percent between the most populated and least populated council member district.

Sugar Land’s citizen redistricting committee includes Chair-man Russell Jones, Leon Anhaiser, Himesh Gandhi, Paul Bar-nett, Jim Kij, Tommy Philips and Dawn Lin.

Public hearings will be held during the redistricting process to receive public comments on the proposed redistricting plans; meeting dates and times will be published on the City website.

The public is invited to comment on redistricting plans and/or submit other redistricting plans for council consideration. For copies of Resolution No. 11-26 or other questions contact City Secretary Glenda Gundermann at (281) 275-2730, e-mail ggundermann@sugarlandtx.gov or visit www.sugarlandtx.gov.

By RUSSELL JONESFor many months the battle

had raged between Sugar Land and the Gulf Coast Water Au-thority over the question of representation of Fort Bend and Brazoria counties on its Board of Directors. The city had the advantage of prior written assurances from the GCWA, and the disadvantage of no means of enforcement of the promises. The result had been disputes over the city’s efforts to acquire water rights for the future and litigation be-tween the two.

With the help of state rep-resentative Bonnen, the city’s intergovernmental relations director Rudick, assistant city manager Daly and utilities di-rector Staggs, the good guys fi nally won and the legislation passed. Presumably in an effort to avoid the controversy, Perry allowed the bill to become law without his signature.

Last week, new members from Fort Bend and Brazoria counties took the oath of offi ce and attended their fi rst meet-ing. One item on the agenda was a contract to re-engage the lobbyists hired by the GCWA to kill the Fort Bend/Brazo-ria bill. GCWA director Lat-timer, the legislation’s leading opponent, clearly still peeved over the dilution of Galves-ton County’s ownership of the Board, moved to disapprove the contract because the lobby-ists had failed the GCWA dur-ing the last legislative session.

Another agenda item ap-pointed representatives of Sug-ar Land, Missouri City, WCID #2, and several other Fort Bend and Brazoria water districts to the GCWA’s “mainland com-mittee” representing municipal interests.

Congratulations to everyone who worked so hard to get rep-resentation. Now it is time to get moving with the hard job of assuring water supplies for the entire region for the next 50 years.

Redistricting committeeThis week a new citizens

committee begins its efforts to redraw City Council district boundary lines as a result of last year’s census. Substantial growth of the city, particularly in the Telfair area, and the an-nexation of Riverpark resulted in a substantial increase in the city’s population.

A decade ago the corre-sponding committee consid-ered more than 20 different scenarios for redrawing dis-tricts. At the fi rst meeting of the current committee, only two scenarios will be offered. Both are being drawn by a de-mographer hired by the city, using the latest technology to assure proper distribution of population among the dis-tricts. Efforts will be made to maintain the voting strength of minorities as well. Of course, there is always the issue of not excluding incumbent district

Councilmembers from their own districts.

The new technology uses advances in computer mapping not available 10 years ago. The city has been developing a geographic information system (GIS) to capture and analyze a variety of geographically refer-enced data. Something called “shape” fi les will be overlaid on the city’s existing mapping system to give the committee the best possible choices for new districts.

Public input is invited. Comments on maps being con-sidered by the committee, as well as alternate maps, will be accepted.

Debt crisis continuesAs of early Monday, the debt

crisis in Washington had not been resolved.

It appears that Boehner is willing to permit some “reve-nue increases” in order to avoid default on paying the govern-ment’s bills. At least he claims his plan would raise revenue from an expanded economy without tax increases. Demo-crats make no bones about wanting to increase taxes to ac-complish a similar goal.

No one wants to see a de-fault, but somewhere, some-time, the madness of excessive government spending has to stop. Whether it happens in this Congress under this presi-dent or only after a default oc-curs on some date in the future, America’s free enterprise econ-omy must be allowed to return to the tried and true, proven success of market capitalism.

Jones served as a member of the Sugar Land City Coun-cil from 2003 through June, 2011. He owns a law fi rm and a title insurance company in Sugar Land.

By JANICE SCANLANIf you wonder why Repub-

lican and Democratic ideolo-gies have become so predict-able and seemingly more important than American in-terests, you’re not alone.

So I started thinking about the kinds of things that make those who tell us how to live crazy. I came up with the purple fence. Yes, if you are wild about deed restrictions, you likely are ready to stop reading.

Now I’m not saying that deed restrictions are all bad, but they can really get out of hand and promote a same-ness that is cookie cutter to the max—or just stifl ing. It’s against this type of sameness that people are retreating to their backyards to express in-dividuality, whimsy and fun. So I’m enjoying my mental pictures of several of the in-spiring examples I’ve seen of creating beauty in back gar-dens throughout Fort Bend.

Color is one of the areas for this individuality. And bold colors . . . including painted fences.

Two vivid examples of bold color were seen this spring on different backyard tours. One was the purple fence (which actually was Gentian Violet and Burnt Or-ange . . . dry brushed into the inside of the backyard fence). Wow, did it set off the greens and the fl owers of the garden and put the most interesting backdrop to the garden. It also made the display of ob-

jects on the fence pop with interest.

It brings new meaning to purple mountain majesties . . . we all can’t rely on Moth-er Nature for a backdrop of beauty.

And then the turquoise pa-tio with of Joseph’s Coat of colored tile and crafts.

Another garden used splashes of many colors. Whether it was the backyard swing brushed with blues and purples to look like a pair of faded jeans, the multiple colored patio furniture or the colored shapes growing from a bed of rock that set off a path and created sculp-ture that only was limited by the imagination—to a lattice space divider.

Or a fence might have an interesting message . . . to set off a patio area, while plants divided the garden from the creek behind from climbing roses to a bounty of butterfl y and bird attracting fl owers and plants. The bright green

Page 4 • INDEPENDENT • JULY 27, 2011

Seshadri KumarPublisher & Editor

Email: Editor@fbindependent.com

www.fbindependent.com

For God so loved the

world that he gave

his only begotten

Son, that whosoever

believeth in him

should not perish,

but have everlasting

life.

(John 3:16)

www.

freebibleliterature.

com

Opinion

Scanlan

Musings: A purple fence

The View from Sugar Land

Jones

“potting” table was just an-other fun surprise. Fun, per-sonality, and pizzazz.

A garden I admire on morn-ing walks, has a terrifi c west sun problem on the patio, as well as an undefi ned space from the golf course. The teal lattice, chamois shutters and the bright chairs create a pleasing sitting area to enjoy the bold fl owers —the shut-ters modulate the harsh, west sun.

Maybe your taste is Texana so try a picnic table painted with a Lone Star fl ag motif. Another way to bring new life and memories to an old family table . . . or a new one for that matter.

Or perhaps the color and texture of plants brings a pleasing variety of different plants . . . oh no, there goes the 3-shrub variety rule so ty-rannically enforced by some homeowner associations in front gardens.

All in all we have so many creative people bringing life and beauty to Fort Bend.

If you’re weary of the news, bickering and mayhem, take time to go visit photographs of some of these word pictures at http://traction.typepad.com/musings. Or write janices-canlan@clear.net to nominate your place that brings interest to our lives.

Finally, representation for Sugar Land By THOMAS J. PARR, M.D. Some times, our govern-

ment can make really good decisions when it tries to save taxpayer money.

This week, Walter Reed Army Medical Center, located 6 miles outside Washington, D.C. will begin its process of closing with a ceremony to case (or retire) its colors, ending 102 years of service to soldiers and the military com-munity.

Being the Army Medical Corps icon facility, reaching this point has not been easy to do, and it took a BRAC Com-mission (Base Realignment and Closure Act of 2005) to make it happen.

As part of an ongoing reor-ganization of military medi-cine, the Army’s old Walter Reed and the Navy’s current Bethesda Medical Center are being consolidated, with a combined new facility begin-ning operation in September as the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.

This new state-of-the-art medical center will be located in Bethesda, MD, where the current Naval Hospital has operated since 2008 with this massive construction project going on all around it.

This move is defi nitely ap-propriate.

The old Walter Reed hospi-tal was an ineffi cient structure which had become increas-ingly expensive to maintain, and it and the Bethesda hos-pital were only 7 miles apart, entailing unnecessary dupli-cation of medical adminis-tration and of many medical services.

Futhermore, the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, the military’s medical school, is already lo-cated on this same Bethesda/new Walter Reed campus. It opened in 1976 when the military could no longer draft physicians it needed, and has become an outstanding teach-ing and research facility. The

National Institute of Health is also located nearby.

The new Walter Reed Na-tional Military Medical Cen-ter will be staffed jointly by Army, Navy, and Air Force medical personnel. This is not a new concept in US military medicine. Both the Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany and the Balad Hos-pital in Balad (Iraq) have been jointly staffed by both Army and Air Force personnel for the past 10 years.

A similar change, combin-ing San Antonio’s Brooke Army Medical Center at Ft. Sam Houston and the Air Force’s Wilford Hall Medical Center at Lackland Air Force Base, was also ordered by BRAC in 2005.

Because the old Brooke Army Medical Center build-ings, where I trained as an in-tern and resident, had already closed and relocated into a new state-of-the-art facility in 1996, this transition has not been as challenging.

In 1992, the old Madigan Army Medical Center moved into its new state-of-the-art facility. It had been a series of one-story World War II era buildings covering nine square blocks and connected by long hallways (“So one bomb couldn’t get the whole thing...”). I walked those hallways for 6 years when I served as Assistant Chief of Orthopaedic Surgery, and as the Residency Program Direc-tor for the Transitional Resi-dency Program.

Madigan is part of the Joint Base Lewis-McChord, which just combined the Army’s Fort Lewis and the Air Force’s Mc-Cord Base under one central-ized command near Tacoma, Washington.

Because the Navy also has several facilities in the area, Madigan Army Medical Cen-ter has always served all mili-tary personnel serving in the Army, the Air Force, and the Navy.

Today, the US Army Medi-cal Department is organized into three continental regions, known as the Northern, the Southern, and the Western Re-gional Medical Commands, and two off-shore regions, known as the Pacifi c and the Europe Regional Medical Commands.

Walter Reed is the head-quarters for the Northern Re-gional Command.

Brooke is the headquarters for the Southern Regional Command, and Madigan is headquarters for the Western Regional Command.

Thus, with the completion of the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, all three CONUS (Continental United States) Regional Com-mands will be operating with relatively new medical facili-ties.

The Pacifi c Regional Medi-cal Command is at Tripler Army Medical Center in Ho-nolulu, Hawaii, and the Eu-rope Regional Medical Com-mand is located in Heidelberg, Germany, and commands the Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Landstuhl, Germa-ny.

This restructuring will re-duce costs, bring the brightest minds from all of our military services together, and serve all of those who have answered our country’s call.

Dr. Thomas Parr, an ortho-pedic surgeon in Sugar Land, can be reached at 281-491-7111. Visit www.tomparrmd.net for more information.

Parr

Army medical centers get a face lift

By RON PAULImagine you had a pesky

neighbor who somehow took out a mortgage on his house in your name and by some legal trickery you were obligated to pay for it.

Imagine watching this neighbor throw drunken par-ties, buy expensive cars, add more rooms to the house, and hire dozens of people to wait on him hand and foot. Imag-ine that he also managed to take out several credit cards in your name.

One by one, he would max them out and then use your good name and credit to obtain another credit card, then another and then anoth-er. Each time, this neighbor would claim that he needed the new credit card to pay in-terest on the other maxed out credit cards.

If he defaulted on those cards, your credit score would be hurt and when you wanted to buy something for yourself, it would be more diffi cult to get a loan and the interest you paid would be higher. Imag-ine that you mulled this over, and time after time, said noth-ing as he fi lled out more credit applications so he would not have to default on the other debt taken out in your name.

Meanwhile, another shiny new Mercedes appears in his driveway. At what point do you think you might get tired of this game? And, even though you are left with no really good options, do you think you might eventually tell him to go ahead and de-fault, just stop spending your money!

This analogy demonstrates the position we are in with our government and the debt ceil-ing.

The government has run up a huge debt in the name of the American people, who are sick and tired of being on the hook for it. There are no real-ly good options left. Default-ing on a portion of the debt may not be without costs, but it is better than handing the government yet another credit card.

The government is us-ing the usual scare tactics to strong-arm the people into going along with more spend-ing. Remember the rhetoric surrounding the big bailout of October 2008?

We were told, not that this would be calamitous for the banks, but for the people, who would continue to experience massive job losses and fore-closures.

We were told that the econ-omy would sink into a deep recession if this money was

not handed out to too-big-to-fail corporate cronies.

So, after much hand-wring-ing, leaders from both parties, against unprecedented public outcry, agreed to shower mon-ey on the banks and increase the debt.

The banks learned nothing, except that Washington will come to their rescue, no mat-ter what. T

he people, however, con-tinued to lose their jobs and houses anyway, and here we are, still in a deep recession.

When you read the above example, your fi rst reaction might have been to dismiss the neighbor’s debt as illegiti-mate and in no way your re-sponsibility or your problem. You would be right.

No fair-minded legal sys-tem would hold you responsi-ble for such a debt, and would instead cart your thieving neighbor off to jail.

Yet Congress can impose liabilities on you, your chil-dren, and grandchildren with-out your consent, and even without your knowledge.

This is another example of government holding itself above the law.

Much like the TSA claims the right to molest us, yet ar-rested a woman who turned the tables last week, stealing somehow becomes legitimate when the government does it.

We supposedly live in a na-tion of laws. For once, gov-ernment needs to heed the law regarding the debt ceiling.

(Ron Paul represents the 14th Congressional District in Texas.)

Paul

The pesky neighbor and the debt ceilingTexas Straight Talk

JULY 27, 2011 • INDEPENDENT • Page 5

News

FALL 2011 REGISTRATIONWeb and Walk-In Registration Now through August 31

College is Affordable!Let our financial aid staff show you how.

start smart by visiting our website to learn more about our many certificate and associate degree programs.

WCJC is an E.O.E. institution.

Weekend classes available this fall at the Sugar Land campus. Visit wcjc.edu for details.

wcjc.edu

Pres nt :

October 22, 2011 Guest Speaker:

Commissioner Richard Morrison

www.rosenbergRRmuseum.org/gala gala@rosenbergrrmuseum.org

281.723.5559

COVINGTON WOODS STINGRAYS. Members and coaches of the Covington Woods Sting-rays Swim Team recently joined forces with First Tire and Automotive for their second annual Military Care Package Supply Drive. The Sugar Land team collected items for the Houston Marine Moms organization to ship to our troops overseas and signed a banner thanking them for their service to our country.

Four members of the First Colony SynchroStars Syn-chronized Swim Team com-peted at Age Group Nationals the week of June 26 in Fed-eral Way, Washington.

Representing the Syn-chroStars were Isabelle Due-nas, Christy Lee, Hannah Chiu and Elizabeth Oh.

The duet of Duenas and Lee competed in the 11-12 Age Group and fi nished in 31st place. Duenas also competed in the 11-12 Solo competition and fi nishing 30th.

The duet of Chiu and Oh competed in the 13-15 Age Group and fi nished in 28th place. Oh also competed in the 13-15 Solo competition and fi nished 31st.

These 4 swimmers were the only qualifi ers from the Gulf Association and we are very proud that they represented the First Colony SynchroStars at the National level.

The First Colony Syn-chroStars will be having free

SYNCHRONIZED SWIMMERS. Christy Lee, left, Isabelle Duenas, Elizabeth Oh and Hannah Chiu.

First Colony SynchroStars compete at national meet in Washington

Try It sessions on Aug. 15 and Aug. 17 from 5 p.m. - 6 p.m. at the First Colony Aquatic

Center. Come by and swim with

these National Level Athletes.

Texas history program

Gregg Dimmick of Whar-ton, author of “Sea of Mud,” will cover the topic of the Mexican Army’s retreat from Texas in 1836 at a presenta-tion to the Fort Bend Coun-ty Historical Commission (CHC). The CHC meeting and program will take place at the George Memorial Li-brary, 1001 Golfview in Rich-mond, on Tuesday, Aug. 16 beginning at 3 p.m. The event is open to the public and free of charge. 281-341-8635.

The Women’s Association of Sugar Creek Country Club will kick off its new season with a luncheon and presentation by Leslie Austin. Leslie will have helpful suggestions on “Up-dating Your Home with Color and Accessories.” She has 15 years of design experience and has worked with international-ly recognized Homestead Inc. of Fredericksburg, Texas which has been showcased in dozens of magazines including South-ern Living and Better Homes and Gardens. The luncheon will be held on Thursday, September 1, beginning at 11 a.m. at the Sugar Creek Country Club in the main ballroom. Sugar Creek Country Club is located at 420 Sugar Creek Blvd. in Sugar Land. Reservations for members and guests are neces-sary and may be made by calling 281-494-5065 or by email at consy@windstream.net. Members are reminded to bring non-perishable items which will be donated to Fort Bend Human Needs Ministries.

Catholic Daughters of Americas Court St. Theresa of Lisieux #2211 annual garage sale will be held Thursday, July 28, from 6-9 p.m., Friday, July 29, from 9 a.m.- 8 p.m., and Saturday, July 30, from 9 a.m. -noon in the St. Theresa Catholic Church Community Center, located at 705 St. The-resa Blvd. Proceeds from the sale are for scholarships and charitable donations for those in need within the Church and the community.

Items for sale include adult and children’s clothing, fur-niture, linens, toys, sports equipment, household and holiday items, dishes, and other treasures. The Junior Catholic Daughters will sell hot dogs, sloppy joes, chips, baked goodies and bever-ages. For more information, contact Chairpersons (after 5 p.m.) Henrietta Pospisil , 281-494-2664, or Stephanie Schumann, 281-344-0212

It seems that disaster predictions are everywhere these days. Pundits are predicting that the end of the world as we know it (TEOTWAWKI) is coming from numerous directions. It may stem from the collapse of our fi nancial system, or from a breakdown in the electrical grid.

It could be the result of political unrest in the Middle East, or another terrorist attack. Disruption could be the fulfi llment of predictions by Nostradamus, the prophetic result of the Ma-yan calendar, or it might come from an earthquake, fl ood or fi re. It might even occur because of a shift in the poles or mas-sive solar fl ares. In any event, there is no shortage of warnings about the calamity to come. And yet, with the exception of a few “hurricane-guides” there is precious little information available on what steps one could take to prepare their family for long-term societal upheaval.

In the book, “The Preparation Grid,” Dennis Woods chal-lenges folks to consider that there are at least fi ve levels of preparation for impending disaster, from short-term interrup-tion to long-term relocation to an off-the-grid retreat. There are seven critical areas of preparation to consider on each level. These are: 1. Location; 2. Food and Water Storage; 3. Gardens and Animals; 4. Fuel and Power; 5. Security; 6. Bar-ter and Finances; 7. Health

A meeting will be held on Saturday, Sept. 17, from 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. in the Chapel building at Sugar Creek Baptist Church, 13333 Southwest Freeway to discuss these important issues. Break-out sessions will be held with presentations in each of the seven critical areas, and vendors will be available with ma-terials and supplies. There is no charge to attend this meeting. For additional information, contact: Dennis Woods Cell: 713-591-0625; Email: dwoods77478@aol.com.

With more than twenty years of experience in non-profi t management, Adrienne Barker feels right at home with her new position, as the Director and Chief Develop-ment Offi cer of the Houston Museum of Natural Science at Sugar Land.

Barker brings to HMNS at Sugar Land a wealth of knowledge and an extensive background in development, working with organizations such as the Memorial Her-mann Foundation, Shriners Hospitals for Children, the American Heart Association, and the American Cancer So-ciety, among others. She of-fi cially joined the HMNS staff on May 10.

In addition to her work in the non-profi t sector, Barker is also involved in local com-munity organizations. She is a sustaining member of the Junior League of Houston, an alumnus of the United Way Loaned Executive Program,

and acting President of the Lake Olympia Civic Associa-tion Board of Directors.

Barker has already hit the ground running since obtain-ing her new position with the Museum, continuing the community outreach pro-gramming that the Museum is known for such as the popular Friday Family Fun Night se-ries.

While museum work is new for Barker, she remains confi dent that HMNS at Sugar Land will continue to educate and inspire the residents of Sugar Land and beyond.

“Non-profi t work is a true calling for me. I have a gen-uine love of service and a strong dedication to help oth-ers,” said Barker.

“I look forward to applying my experience raising indi-vidual and corporate gifts and service to the community to benefi t this world-class mu-seum and the Fort Bend area. By continuing to work togeth-

er as partners, we will further strengthen awareness of the Museum, its educational pro-grams and treasures.”

The Houston Museum of Natural Science at Sugar Land is currently open seven days a week during the summer. For hours of operation and ticket-ing information, visit www.hmns.org or call (281) 313-2277.

The Houston Museum of Natural Science—one of the nation’s most-heavily at-tended museums—is a center-piece of the Houston Museum District.

With four fl oors of perma-nent exhibit halls, including the Wortham IMAX® The-atre, Cockrell Butterfl y Cen-ter, Burke Baker Planetarium and George Observatory and as host to world-class and ever-changing touring exhibi-tions, the Houston Museum has something to delight ev-ery age group.

The Fort Bend Regional Council for Substance Abuse, Inc. organization has appoint-ed Irene Wisner as their new Development Director.

Irene is a long standing resident of Fort Bend County and brings a wealth of pro-fessional and philanthropic experience to our organiza-tion. She is passionate about the prevention of substance abuse and wants to highlight

the benefi ts of Fort Bend Re-gional Council’s programs to the community.

Fort Bend Regional Coun-cil has served Fort Bend County for 35 years striving for the goal that young people grow up drug free.

Through it’s mission of providing families and in-dividuals substance abuse prevention, education and treatment services they need

for positive change for them-selves and the community, Fort Bend Regional Council’s youth counselors are on 35 school campuses where they teach students the skills to stand against the immeasur-able pressure to try drugs.

In the summer, youth camps build on the skills learned during the school year with leadership training that will serve them for a lifetime.

HMNS at Sugar Land welcomes new director, Adrienne Barker

Irene Wisner appointed development director of Substance abuse council

Updating your home with color

Catholic Daughters garage sale

Preparation for disaster meeting set

Legal Notices

Page 6 • INDEPENDENT • JULY 27, 2011

NOTICE OF CONSTABLE SALENOTICE OF LEVYREAL PROPERTY

Under and by virtue of a Writ of Execution and / or Order of Sale issued on the 09th day of May, 2011 by the 268th Judicial District Court of Fort Bend County, Texas in cause # 08-DCV-161827 in favor of the Plaintiff -WATERFORD ESTATES COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION, INC. Plaintiff , for the sum of $$1,447.83 ++++costs as taxed on said Execution and / or Order of Sale and further the sum of executing the same. Therefore, on the 26TH day of May, 2011, I, Constable Rob Cook of Precinct Three Fort Bend County, have levied on and have seized all rights, title, interest, and claim to which the said Defendant(s) R. JEFFREY DUNNINGTON AND JUNE G. DUNNINGTON had of, in, or to the following described real property, gtnd will off er for sale on the 02ND day of AUGUST, 2011 at the County Courthouse steps of Fort Bend County, Texas in the city of Richmond, Texas between the hours of ten o’clock a.m. and four o’clock p.m., any and all rights, title, interests and claims which the above defendant had of, in, or to the following described real property situated in Fort Bend County, Texas; viz:

LEGAL DESCRIPTION:LOT TWENTY-ONE (21), IN BLOCK TWO (2), OF WATERFORD SECTION ONE (1), A SUBDIVISION IN FORT BEND COUNTY, TEXAS, ACCORDING TO THE MAP OR PLAT THEREOF RECORDED IN VOLUME 26, PAGE 16, PLAT RECORDS OF FORT BEND COUNTY, TEXAS, COMMONLY KNOWN AS 14827 WALBROOK DRIVE, SUGAR LAND, TEXAS 77478.

Property is sold with all encumbrances and liens affi xed thereto. All sales are fi nal.

ADJUDGED/MARKET VALUE: $190,220.00Terms: Cash Sale to be held at or about 10:00 A.M.

ROB COOK, CONSTABLEFort Bend County Precinct 3

SERGEANT J. M. HUTSON Deputy Constable #1310

NOTICE OF CONSTABLE SALETHE STATE OF TEXAS

COUNTY OF FORT BENDBy virtue of an Order of Sale issued out of the Honorable 240TH DISTRICT COURT of FORT BEND County on the 24th day of June, 2011 by the Clerk thereof, in the case of FORT BEND INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT VS. ONYEKACHI NWAGERUE, ET AL in Cause # 09-DCV-176630 and to me, as CONSTABLE directed and delivered, I will proceed to sell, at 10:00 0’ Clock AM on the 2nd day of August, 2011, which is the fi rst Tuesday of said month, at the Offi cial door of the Courthouse of said FORT BEND County, in the City of RICHMOND, Texas, the following described property, to wit:

TRACT 1:GEO:7557010010240907/7557010010240 LOT TWENTY-FOUR (24), IN BLOCK ONE (1), OF SUGARFIELD, SECTION ONE (I), AN ADDITION IN FORT BEND COUNTY, TEXAS, ACCORDING TO THE MAP OR PLAT THEREOF RECORDED IN PLAT NO. 20040091, OF THE PLAT RECORDS OF FORT BEND COUNTY, TEXAS.

Levied on the 30th day of June, 2011 as the property of ONYEKACHI NWAGERUE, SUGARFIELD COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION, INC. to satisfy a judgment amounting to $16,575.13, representing delinquent taxes, penalties, interest, and attorney’s fees through the date of judgment, plus all costs of court, costs of sale, and post judgment penalties and interest recoverable by law in favor of FORT BEND INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT; RENN ROAD MUNICIPAL UTILITY DISTRICT, FORT BEND COUNTY.

ALL BIDDERS MUST COMPLY WITH SECTION 34.015 OF THE TEXAS PROPERTY TAX CODE.

GIVEN UNDER MY HAND THIS 30th day of June, 2011.

ROB COOK, CONSTABLEFort Bend County Precinct 3

SERGEANT J. M. HUTSON Deputy Constable #1310

NOTICE OF CONSTABLE SALENOTICE OF LEVYREAL PROPERTY

Under and by virtue of a Writ of Execution and / or Order of Sale issued on the 09th day of June, 2011 by the 434th Judicial District Court of Fort Bend County, Texas in cause # 1O-DCV-181221 in favor of the Plaintiff -FULBROOK HOMEOWNER’S ASSOCIATION, INC. Plaintiff , for the sum of $6,437.74 ++++costs as taxed on said Execution and / or Order of Sale and further the sum of executing the same. Therefore, on the 20th day of June, 2011, I, Constable Rob Cook of Precinct Three Fort Bend County, have levied on and have seized all rights, title, interest, and claim to which the said Defendant(s) ROBERT W. DURST had of, in, or to the following described real property, and will off er for sale on the 02ND day of AUGUST, 2011 at the County Courthouse steps of Fort Bend County, Texas in the city of Richmond, Texas between the hours often o’clock a.m. and four o’clock p.m., any and all rights, title, interests and claims which the above defendant had of, in, or to the following described real property situated in Fort Bend County, Texas; viz:

LEGAL DESCRIPTION:LOT 5, BLOCK 3, SECTION 2A OF FULBROOK, AN ADDITION IN FULSHEAR, FORT BEND COUNTY, TEXAS, MORE COMMONLY DESCRIBED AS 31803 CHURCHHILL FIELD LANE, FULSHEAR, TEXAS 77441.Property is sold with all encumbrances and liens affi xed thereto. All sales are fi nal.

ADJUDGED/MARKET VALUE: $539,570.00

Terms: Cash Sale to be held at or about 10:00 A.M.

ROB COOK, CONSTABLEFort Bend County Precinct 3

SERGEANT J.M. HUTSON Deputy Constable #1310

Brazos Bend Guardian-ship Services is hosting a Guardianship and Alter-natives to Guardianship Information Session on Thursday, July 21, at the George Memorial Library at 1001 Golfview, Rich-mond in Meeting Room 2B on the Second Floor from 6:30 p.m.to 8:30 p.m.

The Information Session is designed for families who need information on obtaining legal guardian-ship of an incapacitated loved one.

Alternative to guardian-ship will also be discussed. An attorney will be present to answer any legal ques-tions related to guardian-ship and alternatives to guardianship. RSVP to: Kirk Monroe at 281-207-2320 or by e-mail: kmon-roe@brazosbendguardian-ship.org

Guardianship information

Elected offi cials reception

The Fort Bend Chamber of Commerce and the Cen-tral Fort Bend Chamber Al-liance invite you to attend an Elected Offi cials Recep-tion on Thursday, August 4 from 5:30 – 7:30 p.m. at Sa-fari Texas Ranch, 11627 FM 1464, Richmond.

This reception is a great opportunity to meet the new-ly elected offi cials in Fort Bend County.

Sponsorship for this event has been generously provid-ed by Hrbacek & Associates, PC, Republic Services, Inc., and Safari Texas Ranch.

Keep informed and en-gaged by attending this im-portant and relevant recep-tion. This complimentary event is open to the public. For more information con-tact The Fort Bend Chamber of Commerce at 281-491-0800 or www.fortbendcham-ber.com

LEGAL NOTICE

The City of Missouri City, Texas is now issuing an Invitation for Bids for the following:

IFB #009-12 Reconstruction of Quail Valley East Drive

Scope: The City of Missouri City intends to award to one contractor the reconstruc-tion of Quail Valley East Drive. The project includes the reconstructing of concrete roadway, sidewalks, driveways, drainage improvements and water line replace-ments. The successful contractor shall provide all labor, materials and transporta-tion necessary to perform under this contract per specifi cations. All construction shall be in conformance with project plans, specifi cations, City of Missouri City stan-dards, ordinances and comply with Americans with disabilities act requirements. Bid shall include any delivery, fuel surcharge or other miscellaneous charges.

Bids will be accepted until 2 PM local time August 22, 2011 and then opened.

A non-mandatory pre bid meeting will be held at 10 AM, Thursday, July 28, 2011 in the City Hall Council Chambers, 1522 Texas Parkway, in Missouri City.

The bid packages may be obtained beginning July 20th from Purchasing Offi ce at (281) 403-8626. There is no charge for the bid package.

Bids must be sealed, marked on the outside of the delivery envelope with the IFB name and number as listed above, and the date of opening. Bids must be deliv-ered to the attention of the Sealed Bid Box, City of Missouri City Purchasing Offi ce, 1522 Texas Parkway, Missouri City, Texas, 77489, prior to the acceptance deadline. Bids marked improperly and therefore misdirected may be disqualifi ed. Bids are opened in public in the City Hall Council Chambers.

Charles Oberrender, CPPBPurchasing ManagerCity of Missouri City, Texas

LEGAL NOTICE

The Missouri City Recreation and Leisure Corporation is now issuing a Request for Proposals for the following:

RFP #004-12 GROUP HEALTH BENEFITS PROGRAM

Scope: The Missouri City Recreation and Leisure Corporation requests proposals from interested parties to provide group health insurance its employees.

Proposal responses will be accepted until 2:00 p.m. local time August 8, 2011 and then opened.

RFP packages may be picked up beginning July 20th from the Missouri City Pur-chasing Offi ce, 1522 Texas Parkway, in Missouri City, or by emailing coberrender@missouricitytx.gov, or by calling (281) 403-8626, and requesting the document number as listed above.

Proposal responses must be sealed, marked on the outside of the delivery envelope with the RFP name and number as listed above, and the date of opening. Respons-es must be delivered to the attention of the Sealed Bid Box, City of Missouri City Purchasing Offi ce, 1522 Texas Parkway, Missouri City, Texas, 77489, prior to the ac-ceptance deadline. Responses marked improperly and therefore misdirected may be disqualifi ed. Responses are opened in public in the City Hall Council Chambers.

Charles Oberrender, CPPBPurchasing ManagerCity of Missouri City, Texas

LEGAL NOTICEINVITATION TO BIDDERS

Sealed Bids will be received in the Of-fi ce of Gilbert D. Jalomo, Jr., County Purchasing Agent, Fort Bend County, Rosenberg Annex, 4520 Reading Road, Suite A, Rosenberg, TX 77471 for the following until THURSDAY, AUGUST 4, 2011 at 1:30 P.M. (CST). All bids will then be publicly opened and read in the Offi ce of the Purchasing Agent, Rosenberg Annex, 4520 Reading Road, Rosenberg, TX 77471. Bids received af-ter the specifi ed time will be returned unopened.1. BID 12-001 – MEDICAL SUPPLIES;2. BID 12-003 – ARMORED CAR SERVICE;3. BID 12-004 – TIRES AND TUBES;4. BID 12-007 – HVAC FOR LIBRARIES.Unit pricing is required; payment will be by check after products/services are rendered. Bonds are not required.Fort Bend County reserves the right to reject any or all bids.

Signed:Gilbert D. Jalomo, Jr., Purchasing Agent Fort Bend County, Richmond, Texas

The Fort Bend Cham-ber of Commerce will host a District 22 Update with Congressman Pete Olson on Monday, August 8. The lun-cheon will be held at Sugar Land Social Club, 16305 Kensington Drive, Suite 150, Sugar Land 77479, from 11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.

At this event, Olson will provide an update on his ef-forts in Congress to strength-en our economy, address our debt and spending problems in Washington. He will also review his work to imple-ment an energy policy that creates American energy through American jobs.

Olson took the oath of of-fi ce for the 111th Congress on January 6, 2009, for his fi rst term as Congressman. The Fort Bend Chamber of Commerce Governmental Relations Division continues to provide Chamber mem-bers with access to local and state government offi cials and to provide the business community with an opportu-nity for input on these issues. Details of upcoming semi-nars can be found at www.FortBendChamber.com.

Keep informed and en-gaged by attending this important and relevant luncheon. Sponsor tables available for $1,200 - Cor-porate tables available for $400 - Individual Member Reservations available for $30 - Non-Members avail-able for $40 – At the door $45. Register today at www.FortBendChamber.com or contact Farrah Gandhi at 281-566-2152 or Farrah@fortbendcc.org.

Update with U.S. Rep.

Pete Olson

LEGAL NOTICEREQUEST FOR SEALED

COMPETITIVE PROPOSALSSealed Competitive Proposals will be received in the Offi ce of Gilbert D. Jalo-mo, Jr., County Purchasing Agent, Fort Bend County, Rosenberg Annex, 4520 Reading Road, Suite A, Rosenberg, TX 77471 for the following until THURS-DAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2011 at 1:30 P.M. CST). All proposals will then be opened in the Offi ce of the Purchasing Agent, Rosenberg Annex, 4520 Reading Road, Suite A, Rosenberg, TX 77471 and the names of the proposers made public. Proposals received after the specifi ed time will be returned unopened.RFP 11-079 – TRANSPORTATION BUS SERVICESA pre-RFP conference will be conduct-ed on Thursday, August 18, 2011 at 9:00 AM (CST). The pre-RFP conference will be held at the Public Transporta-tion Conference Room at the Fort Bend County Emily Court Annex located at 12550 Emily Court, Sugar Land, Texas. All contractors are encouraged to at-tend. Unit pricing is required; payment will be by check after products/services are rendered. 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

ORDINANCE NO. O-11-25AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY OF MISSOURI CITY, TEXAS, CHANGING THE ZONING CLASSIFICATION OF A 0.52-ACRE TRACT OF LAND FROM LC-3 RETAIL DISTRICT TO PD PLANNED DEVELOPMENT DISTRICT NO. 79; DESCRIBING SAID 0.52-ACRE TRACT OF LAND; REGULATING AND RESTRICTING THE SIZE, HEIGHT AND DENSITY OF BUILDINGS, THE SIZE OF YARDS AND THE TYPE OF USE WITHIN SUCH PD PLANNED DEVELOPMENT DISTRICT; REFERENCING A BUILDING ELEVATION PLAN APPLICABLE TO SAID DISTRICT; PROVIDING FOR CERTAIN CONSTRUCTION ACCORDING TO SAID PLAN; AMENDING THE ZONING DISTRICT MAP OF THE CITY AS ADOPTED BY OR-DINANCE NO. O-81-1 ADOPTED ON JANUARY 19, 1981, AS AMENDED; PROVIDING FOR REPEAL; PROVIDING A PENALTY; PROVIDING FOR SEVERABILITY; AND CON-TAINING OTHER PROVISIONS RELATING TO THE SUBJECT.

I, Maria Gonzalez, Interim City Secretary of the City of Missouri City, do hereby cer-tify that the foregoing is a true and correct copy of the caption of said Ordinance No. O-11-25 approved on second and fi nal reading by the City Council at its regular meeting held on July 18, 2011, as the same appears in the records of my offi ce.

/s/ Maria GonzalezInterim City Secretary

City of Missouri City

ORDINANCE NO. O-11-26AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY OF MISSOURI CITY, TEXAS, AMENDING SECTION 4, DEFINITIONS, SECTION 7A, ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN STANDARDS, SECTION 13, SIGN REGULATIONS, AND SECTION 14, FENCE REGULATIONS, OF APPENDIX A OF THE MISSOURI CITY CODE, ENTITLED “THE CITY OF MISSOURI CITY ZONING ORDI-NANCE”; PROVIDING RULES AND REGULATIONS FOR AWNINGS AND BOLLARDS; AMENDING RULES AND REGULATIONS RELATING TO EXTERIOR PRIMARY MATERI-ALS FOR CERTAIN NONRESIDENTIAL, CONDOMINIUM, AND MULTIFAMILY DEVEL-OPMENTS; PROVIDING RULES AND REGULATIONS FOR INCORPORATING BUSINESS IDENTITY COLORS IN CERTAIN NONRESIDENTIAL, CONDOMINIUM, AND MULTI-FAMILY DEVELOPMENTS; REPEALING ALL OTHER ORDINANCES OR PARTS OF OR-DINANCES IN CONFLICT HEREWITH; PROVIDING A PENALTY; AND PROVIDING FOR SEVERABILITY.I, Maria Gonzalez, Interim City Secretary of the City of Missouri City, do hereby cer-tify that the foregoing is a true and correct copy of the caption of said Ordinance No. O-11-26 approved on second and fi nal reading by the City Council at its regular meeting held on July 18, 2011, as the same appears in the records of my offi ce.

/s/ Maria GonzalezInterim City Secretary

City of Missouri City

NOTICE TO BIDDERS

NORTH WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLANT IMPROVEMENTS

The City of Sugar Land seeks bids for furnishing all labor, material, equipment, and performing all work required for the following project in the City:

CIP PROJECT NAME: North Wastewater Treatment Plant

Improvements

CIP PROJECT NUMBER: WW1001

LOCATION OF WORK: 16450 Southwest Freeway,

Sugar Land, Texas 77479

Plans, specifi cations, and bidding documents may be obtained from the following location with payment of $200.00. An electronic PDF copy on compact disc (CD) may be obtained for $100.00:

Alan Plummer Associates, Incorporated

311 Wilcrest Drive, Suite 270

Houston, Texas 77042

(713) 343-4902

Sealed bids shall be delivered to the City of Sugar Land City Secretary Offi ce,

2700 Town Center Boulevard North, Suite 122, Sugar Land, Texas, 77479, on or before 11:00 a.m., Thursday, August 18, 2011, 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 11:00

a.m., Thursday, August 4, 2011, City of Sugar Land North Wastewater

Treatment Plant, 16450 Southwest Freeway, Sugar Land, Texas, 77479.

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, CMC, AAECity Secretary

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING

REZONING 84.318 ACRESTELFAIR CENTER LAKEFRONT

PERMANENTLY ZONING 84.318 ACRES TO PLANNED DEVELOPMENT (PD) DISTRICT (GENERAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN), FURTHER DESCRIBED AS BEING ON THE NORTHEAST CORNER OF THE INTERSECTION OF U.S. 59 AND UNI-VERSITY BOULEVARD WITHIN THE A. HODGE LEAGUE, A-32

PURPOSE: ONE (1) PUBLIC HEARING SHALL BE HELD AT WHICH ALL PERSONS INTERESTED IN THE PROPOSED PERMANENT ZONING SHALL BE GIVEN AN OPPORTUNITY TO BE HEARD.

WHERE: CITY OF SUGAR LAND CITY COUNCIL CHAMBER 2700 TOWN CENTER BOULEVARD NORTH

WHEN: CITY COUNCIL MEETING 6:00 P.M., AUGUST 16, 2011

DETAILS OF THE PROPOSED PERMANENT ZONING MAY BE OBTAINED BY CONTACTING THE CITY OF SUGAR LAND PLANNING OFFICE (281) 275-2218 OR BY EMAIL AT PLANNING@SUGARLANDTX.GOV. THE PLANNING OFFICE IS OPEN MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY FROM 8:00 O’CLOCK A.M. TO 5:00 O’CLOCK P.M., AND IS LOCATED IN CITY HALL, 2700 TOWN CENTER BOULEVARD NORTH, SUGAR LAND, TEXAS. PLEASE CONTACT US IF YOU WISH TO SET UP AN APPOINTMENT TO GO OVER ADDITIONAL DETAILS IN PERSON.

Vicinity Map:

Southwest 59 Sunrise Rota-ry Club will feature Shannon Pickard at CAFE ADOBE 2329 S. Hwy 6, Sugar Land, at 7 a.m. on July 27. Pickard will speak on “The choice is yours.” After starting an enter-tainment company while just a teenager, Shannon set out on a career in comedy, acting and music - and landed many na-tional television appearances, including Co-host, Producer and Writer of Teen Talk for Warner Brothers; a series reg-ular on TLC’s for Better of For Worse; and a regular perform-er at the World Famous Laugh Factory Comedy Club in Hol-lywood, California. Noticing an appeal he had to teenagers, he put his stage experience to work to inspire them to make excellent choices in their lives and turn dreams into realities and has become, by far, one of the best and most sought after motivational speakers in America.

Shannon Pickard

Follow the yellow brick road to award-winning Fort Bend The-atre’s The Wizard of Oz at the Stafford Centre, 10505 Cash Rd, August 5 at 8 p.m. and August 6 and 7 at 3 p.m. An extraordi-nary celebration of the iconic 1939 MGM fi lm, the entire family will be captivated as they travel over the rainbow with Doro-thy, Toto and their friends the Cowardly Lion, Tin Man and Scarecrow in this wonderful production, featuring breathtak-ing special effects including Broadway’s Flying by Foy, daz-zling choreography, classic songs, professional orchestra and FREE parking. Tickets are available for this exciting family musical on the FBT website at www.fortbendtheatre.com with prices ranging from $17 - $42. For more information, call 281-208-3333. Above, The Tinman (Casey Nonmacher) needs his oil can to join Dorothy and Toto on their journey in Fort Bend Theatre’s The Wizard of Oz.

The Wizard of Oz

JULY 27, 2011 • INDEPENDENT • Page 7

Film Review: Captain America: The First Avenger

THE TIME IS NOW,THE TIME IS NOW, THE WAIT IS OVERTHE WAIT IS OVER

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AUTOMOBILE: Cadillac CTS V wagon

Not just oil, Pennzoil

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A Kwik Kar is a Happy CarMon-Fri: 8 a.m.- 6 p.m.

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Not Just Oil, Pennzoil

The Free Forever IRASM from Morgan Stanley Smith Barney

An IRA here, a Rollover IRA there, and even retirement funds left in plans offered by former employers . . .

Are your retirement assets divided among several accounts at various locations? Consolidating your assets at Morgan Stanley Smith Barney could provide multiple benefits such as a more comprehensive investment strategy, potentially greater investment flexibility, simplified tracking and paperwork, and lower account maintenance costs.

A special offer When you add, transfer and/or roll over at least $50,000 to a Morgan Stanley Smith Barney IRA, we will waive your annual maintenance fee for the life of the account. Please note that this offer is available until July 31, 2011. Call today to take advantage of this limited time offer.

Ramesh P. ShahFirst Vice PresidentFinancial Advisor1600 Highway 6 South Suite 100Sugar Land, TX 77478

281-263-1612ramesh.shah@mssb.com

By law, some IRAs may not be consolidated. Consult your personal legal advisor. Other product charges (e.g., commissions) continue to apply. Funds must remain in the IRA for one year from the date of deposit to qualify for the Free Forever IRA fee waiver.Tax laws are complex and subject to change. Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC, its affiliates and Morgan Stanley Smith Barney Financial Advisors do not provide tax or legal advice. This material was not intended or written to be used for the purpose of avoiding tax penalties that may be imposed on the taxpayer. Individuals are urged to consult their personal tax or legal advisors to understand the tax and related consequences of any actions or investments described herein.

© 2011 Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC. Member SIPC. NY CS 6703034 RET015 04/11 GP10-01881P-T09/10

You only need one...

What’s in a name? Well, if your name is Cap-

tain America, the name is pretty darn important.

First of all, the rank of “Captain” is a fi eld offi cer and a commander who leads his troops in battle. The term “America” for this Avenger means that he is super patri-otic and willing to fi ght and die for his country!

This superhero, circa 1943, started out as the skinny 4F Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) who was rejected by the mili-tary fi ve times as being unfi t; hence the “4F.”

He suffered from high blood pressure, heart ail-ments, and asthma to name a few until he volunteered for a top secret research project headed up by Dr. Abraham Erskine (Stanley Tucci) the German who is now working for the good guys.

I have been a huge fan of Tucci ever since his astonish-ing performance as the creepy George Harvey in “The Lovely Bones” (2009). He ranked second in that year’s Sugar Awards for Best Sup-porting Actor. Check it out at larryhmoviereview.com.

Tucci as the German scien-tist in Captain America was

and was cre-ated by writ-er-editor Stan “The Great” Lee and art-ist/co-plotter Jack Kirby. Marvel Com-ics reached l e g e n d a r y status for their loyalty and support of these su-p e r h e r o e s , made a ton of money, and provided a lot of wonderful literature for young boys and girls.

T h e A v e n g e r s movie, which will include all of the Marvel char-

one of the highlights of this dismal display of superhero action.

The Avengers movie fran-chise consists of Iron Man, Thor, Hulk, and Captain America.

This all got started when The Avengers debuted in 1963

acters and, of course, Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) will come to your local theatres next summer. Should be a massive event with vast hype, and I am looking forward to it.

“The rotating roster has be-come a hallmark of the team, although one theme remains

consistent: the Avengers fi ght ‘the foes no single superhero can withstand.’ The team is fa-mous for its battle cry ‘Aveng-ers Assemble.’”

But it’s still 2011 and we must confront Steve Rogers and Captain America.

Let’s do it by the numbers. How many bad movies have there been in the franchise? 1 - Captain America.

How many times did I al-most go to sleep during this movie? 4, maybe 5.

How much would I cut from the movie?

About 30-35 minutes, but don’t leave until the end cred-its roll so you can see the brief trailer of the upcoming “The Avengers.”

How much will it gross opening weekend? $32 mil-lion.

Director Joe Johnston made a cinematographically beauti-ful movie and the special ef-fects made wearing the 3D glasses fun, but Joe will have to stand at the end of the line when they hand out Avenger awards. Rock ‘n Roll.

Grade 70. Larry H. sugarlaw@larryharrison.com

By BARBARA FULENWIDERFinally a car manufacturer,

General Motors, is calling its new Cadillac CTS-V Wagon a wagon. And what a wag-on. Performance, size, ride, brakes, seats, cargo capacity, design are outstanding.

Fun behind the wheel of the Cadillac CTS-V Wagon increases with the speedom-eter.

The new sport wagon is propelled by the most power-ful engine Cadillac has ever offered.

The supercharged 6.2-li-ter, V8 engine makes 556 horsepower, yes, you read that right, and 551 lbs.-ft. of torque.

The CTS-V Wagon’s mo-tor is paired with either a six-speed manual transmission or a six-speed automatic.

Performance Algorithm Shifting provides the auto-matic transmission with a shift pattern during sustained, high performance driving. The driver has to put the shifter in the manual gate for performance mode.

A suite of technical and performance elements com-plement the powertrain and include magnetic ride control, Brembo brakes and Michelin Pilot Sport PS2 performance tires on 19-inch forged alumi-num wheels.

Brembo brakes are at all four corners and include six-piston calipers in the front and four-piston in the rear. Large vented rotors enable strong initial braking force while optimizing heat resis-tance and eliminating fade.

The CTS-V Wagon also includes an electric parking brake, which allows for opti-mal dead pedal placement.

The exterior design of the Cadillac CTS-V Wagon par-ticularly got men’s attention thanks to the V-shaped deck and tailgate motif, large, ver-tical tailamps with light-pipe technology, power opening liftgate, integrated roof spoil-er, integrated roof load man-agement system with avail-able cross bars and a pair of three-inch chrome exhaust outlet caps.

Cargo capacity is a hall-mark of a wagon so the V-series wagon has 25.4 cubic feet behind the rear seats and 58 cubic feet with the seats folded.

The V-series achieves ex-cellent road-holding perfor-mance thanks to Magnetic Ride Control (MRC), which General Motors says is the “world’s fastest-reacting sus-pension technology.” It uses

shocks controlled by mag-neto-rheological technology rather than mechanical valves to greatly increase response time and precision. Electronic sensors at all four wheels read the road every millisecond to make constant adjustments to damping to create quick and precise control of the wagon’s body motions.

The MRC shocks provide a broader range of damping control to optimize ride and handling for all driving condi-tions.

An extra measure of control is offered in Tour and Sport for more spirited performance driving.

The interior of the test drive Cadillac CTS-V Wagon came with the optional Recaro per-formance driving seats, which provide great support for per-formance driving.

The 14-way adjustable seats include pneumatic bolster controls in the seat cushions and backrests.

Obsidian Black accents grace the center stack, con-sole, steering wheel and door panels. The production steer-ing wheel and shifter are avail-able in Alcantara, which pro-vides the luxurious character of suede and feels elegant to the touch.

Standard features include a navigation system with a de-ployable screen, Bose 5.1 dig-ital surround audio, Bluetooth phone integration and a 40-gig hard drive.

Other features include tire sealant and infl ator kit in place of a spare tire to reduce weight, dual zone climate con-trol, front bucket seats, leather front seats, which can be heat-ed, power heated outside mir-rors, power liftgate, rear seat pass through, retractable cargo

shade, theft deterrent system, power door locks, daytime running lamps, memory seat adjuster, headlamp washers, fog lamps, power tilt/telescope steering wheel, rear park as-sist, keyless access and rear vision camera.

With all standard features, the Cadillac CTS-V Wagon re-tails for $62,165.

Options on the test drive wagon included Black Dia-mond premium paint, which is gorgeous, 19-inch satin graphite wheels with yellow calipers, Recaro seats and a midnight sapele wood trim package. Options bumped the price to $69,490 including destination charge.

The Cadillac CTS-V Wagon is one fi ne performance vehi-cle that rides like a sedan and has plenty of cargo space.

If you suspect that the 6.2 liter V8 engine guzzles premi-um unleaded you’d be right. It gets an estimated 14 miles to the gallon in city driving and 19 on the highway. Major per-formance may not come inex-pensively but it does provide major fun.

Page 8 • INDEPENDENT • JULY 27, 2011