F ORT B END FAIR. BALANCED. INFORMATIVE. ww ww w.fbindependent.com .fbindependent.com P.O.BOX 623, SUGAR LAND, TX 77487-0623 WEDNESDAY, JUNE 9, 2010 VOL 3 No. 23 PRSRT STD U.S. POSTAGE PAID STAFFORD, TX PERMIT NO.10 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 is published every Wednesday (for a sub- scription rate of $20 per year) by Fort Bend Independent, LLC., 10701 Corporate Dr., #282, Stafford, Texas 77477. Periodical post- age application pending. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Fort Bend Independent, P.O. Box 623, Sugar Land, Tx 77487. childrensmemorialhermann.org • 713.222.CARE Children’s Emergency Center Now Open. The City of Sugar Land re- cently distributed formal re- quests to local developers to determine interest in locating a minor league baseball stadi- um in planned developments. The Requests for Statement of Interest are intended to en- sure the most cost effective and appropriate site for the City’s new stadium. The deadline for receiv- ing the statements is June 15, and the City expects to make a final decision by the end of summer. One site that continues to be explored is at U.S. Highway 59 and University Boulevard where the City leases land from the University of Hous- ton System at Sugar Land. The stadium is expected to result in nearby commercial development, so the City is considering other locations to ensure the greatest economic benefit to the community. Other sites being consid- ered are near the intersections of U.S. Highway 59 and Uni- versity Boulevard and State Highway 6 and U.S. 90A. City Manager Allen Bogard said in a statement: “One im- portant consideration is that the stadium will be built on undeveloped land, preserving the City’s existing neighbor- hoods from any direct impact from the project. “We remain committed to selecting a site that minimizes and/or eliminates any adverse impact to residents with respect to traffic, noise and safety. Pro- tecting the quality of life for the residents of Sugar Land will be a critical consider- ation in determin- ing the stadium site.” A goal of the site selection will be to maximize economic benefits, energizing the area surrounding the stadium. The stadium will be de- signed and operated as a com- munity destination enhancing the quality of life for Sugar Land residents. In addition to the stadium serving as a community ame- nity, a conservative and prag- matic cost benefit analysis performed by Conventions, Sports & Leisure Internation- al shows the project will pro- vide an annual benefit to the community of $7.7 million or a return of $169 million over 30 years. Based on this solid meth- odology, the stadium has the potential of attracting more than 300,000 visitors annu- ally, tourism that will also benefit hotels, restaurants and other retail establishments. The stadium will have a di- rect impact on the community by increasing the City’s sales tax and Hotel Occupancy Tax revenues by keeping local entertainment expenditures within Sugar Land and Fort Bend County. The initial vision for minor league baseball was devel- oped by citizens serving on the Visioning Task Force, a group that established a goal to enhance entertainment and family-oriented opportunities within the community. Funding for the project was approved by voters in Novem- ber 2008; based on continued community support, the City is working toward the devel- opment of a stadium and ex- amining its potential impact. Sugar Land City Coun- cil approved on May 18 an agreement with Opening Day Partners, LLC to bring profes- sional minor league baseball to Sugar Land. Stadium site selection by end of summer BE FIT RALLY. Commonwealth Elementary won the Be Fit Rally for its high level of student participation in the Be Fit Challenge, presented by Children’s Memorial Hermann Hospital and the Houston Rockets. The rally featured a high-level performance and inspirational mes- sages from Rockets entertainment designed to inspire all students to be fit. Children’s Memo- rial Hermann Hospital and the Houston Rockets present the Be Fit Challenge to Houston area schools to provide children with nutrition and activity tips. Children can also win prizes by participating in fun and educational activities. More than 200 students at Commonwealth Elementary participated in Be Fit Bingo by completing at least five of 25 nutrition, physical fitness and self-esteem activities. The Be Fit Challenge encourages parents to take part in their children’s healthy lifestyles. Revving up students at the Be Fit Rally were Clutch, the Houston Rockets mascot; Steven Ramirez, sports medicine coordinator at Memorial Hermann Sugar Land Hospital; Karen Chitty-Boe, marketing director at Memorial Hermann Sugar Land Hos- pital; Shawn Respert, director of player programs for the Houston Rockets; Toni Scott, nurse at Commonwealth Elementary; and Charmaine Hobin, principal at Commonwealth Elementary. A graphic presentation of the sites. By SESHADRI KUMAR Local governments are stepping up across Texas to give taxpayers a transparent look at where their money goes. The Comptroller of Public Accounts launched the Texas Comptroller Leadership Circle program in December 2009 to recognize local governments across Texas that are striving to meet a high standard for fi- nancial transparency online. The comptroller is spot- lighting those local govern- ments that are: •opening their books to the public •providing clear, consistent pictures of spending •sharing information in a user-friendly format that lets taxpayers easily drill down for more information. The Comptroller’s office has developed a free, self- scoring process that will be verified by its Local Govern- ment Assistance Division. The Comptroller then awards Leadership Circle designees with a certificate reflecting their Circle Award level: Gold, Silver or Bronze. “Gold” highlights those en- tities that are setting the bar with their transparency ef- forts. Fort Bend County, the tenth largest county in Texas, has adopted a positive approach to financial transparency. Cur- rently, the county’s Web site contains budgets since 2004, comprehensive annual finan- cial reports (CAFRs) since 2001, and check registers since February 2009. New check register re- ports are added weekly af- ter the commissioners’ court approves expenditures and checks are issued. These documents were placed online by in-house staff without using specialized software. All documents were con- verted into PDF files, which provide easy access for the public at minimal expense. Fort Bend County first de- cided which documents had the most useful information for the public, then deter- mined how to prepare these documents for online posting. The commissioners’ court provided input on what they wanted in the disbursement report (check register), in- cluding a short description of the payment and year-to-date vendor totals, and these items were incorporated into the re- port. Rather than being an added expense, having these docu- ments online has saved the County gets gold for transparency See TRANSPARENCY, Page 4 ECLIPSE SOCCER. Sign up for the fall season at www.eclispesoccerclub.com or by visiting one of the walk-in sites on Saturday, June 19. Registration for Eclipse Soccer Club’s fall 2010 recreational season is open now at www.eclipsesoccerclub.com. Parents can register their child by visiting the website or by attending walk-in registration on Saturday, June 19: 9 a.m. to noon at Club Sienna, 9600 Scanlan Trace in Sienna Plantation, Missouri City; 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. at the Eclipse Soccer Club office at 4638 Riverstone Boulevard, Suite 200, in Mis- souri City (behind Kohl’s). Families can get more information from Eclipse staff and meet members of the Eclipse board. June 14 is Flag Day, which marks the adoption of the Ameri- can Flag. Girl Scouts of all levels par- ticipate in flag ceremonies at Council events and out in the community, which means they must be well-versed in flag etiquette. From the start, girls learn how to handle the American flag, a skill they can take with them through the rest of their lives. See story on Page 4. Flag Etiquette
Fort Bend Independent is published every Wednesday (for a sub-scription rate of $20 per year) by Fort Bend Independent, LLC., 10701 Corporate Dr., #282, Stafford, Texas 77477. Periodical post-age application pending. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Fort Bend Independent, P.O. Box 623, Sugar Land, Tx 77487.
c h i l d r e n s m e m o r i a l h e r m a n n . o r g • 71 3 . 2 2 2 . C A R E
Children’s Emergency Center Now Open.
The City of Sugar Land re-cently distributed formal re-quests to local developers to determine interest in locating a minor league baseball stadi-um in planned developments.
The Requests for Statement of Interest are intended to en-sure the most cost effective and appropriate site for the City’s new stadium.
The deadline for receiv-ing the statements is June 15, and the City expects to make a fi nal decision by the end of summer.
One site that continues to be explored is at U.S. Highway 59 and University Boulevard where the City leases land from the University of Hous-ton System at Sugar Land.
The stadium is expected to result in nearby commercial development, so the City is considering other locations to ensure the greatest economic benefi t to the community.
Other sites being consid-ered are near the intersections of U.S. Highway 59 and Uni-versity Boulevard and State Highway 6 and U.S. 90A.
City Manager Allen Bogard said in a statement: “One im-portant consideration is that the stadium will be built on undeveloped land, preserving the City’s existing neighbor-hoods from any direct impact from the project.
“We remain committed to selecting a site that minimizes and/or eliminates any adverse
impact to r e s i d e n t s with respect to traffi c, noise and safety. Pro-tecting the quality of life for the residents of Sugar Land will be a c r i t i c a l consider-ation in determin-ing the stadium site.”
A goal of the site selection will be to maximize economic benefi ts, energizing the area surrounding the stadium.
The stadium will be de-signed and operated as a com-munity destination enhancing the quality of life for Sugar Land residents.
In addition to the stadium serving as a community ame-nity, a conservative and prag-matic cost benefi t analysis performed by Conventions, Sports & Leisure Internation-al shows the project will pro-vide an annual benefi t to the community of $7.7 million or a return of $169 million over 30 years.
Based on this solid meth-odology, the stadium has the potential of attracting more than 300,000 visitors annu-ally, tourism that will also benefi t hotels, restaurants and other retail establishments.
The stadium will have a di-rect impact on the community by increasing the City’s sales tax and Hotel Occupancy Tax revenues by keeping local entertainment expenditures within Sugar Land and Fort Bend County.
The initial vision for minor league baseball was devel-oped by citizens serving on the Visioning Task Force, a group that established a goal to enhance entertainment and family-oriented opportunities within the community.
Funding for the project was approved by voters in Novem-ber 2008; based on continued community support, the City is working toward the devel-opment of a stadium and ex-amining its potential impact.
Sugar Land City Coun-cil approved on May 18 an agreement with Opening Day Partners, LLC to bring profes-sional minor league baseball to Sugar Land.
Stadium site selection by end of summer
BE FIT RALLY. Commonwealth Elementary won the Be Fit Rally for its high level of student participation in the Be Fit Challenge, presented by Children’s Memorial Hermann Hospital and the Houston Rockets. The rally featured a high-level performance and inspirational mes-sages from Rockets entertainment designed to inspire all students to be fi t. Children’s Memo-rial Hermann Hospital and the Houston Rockets present the Be Fit Challenge to Houston area schools to provide children with nutrition and activity tips. Children can also win prizes by participating in fun and educational activities. More than 200 students at Commonwealth Elementary participated in Be Fit Bingo by completing at least fi ve of 25 nutrition, physical fi tness and self-esteem activities. The Be Fit Challenge encourages parents to take part in their children’s healthy lifestyles. Revving up students at the Be Fit Rally were Clutch, the Houston Rockets mascot; Steven Ramirez, sports medicine coordinator at Memorial Hermann Sugar Land Hospital; Karen Chitty-Boe, marketing director at Memorial Hermann Sugar Land Hos-pital; Shawn Respert, director of player programs for the Houston Rockets; Toni Scott, nurse at Commonwealth Elementary; and Charmaine Hobin, principal at Commonwealth Elementary.
A graphic presentation of the sites.
By SESHADRI KUMARLocal governments are
stepping up across Texas to give taxpayers a transparent look at where their money goes.
The Comptroller of Public Accounts launched the Texas Comptroller Leadership Circle program in December 2009 to recognize local governments across Texas that are striving to meet a high standard for fi -
nancial transparency online. The comptroller is spot-
lighting those local govern-ments that are:
•opening their books to the public
•providing clear, consistent pictures of spending
•sharing information in a user-friendly format that lets taxpayers easily drill down for more information.
The Comptroller’s offi ce
has developed a free, self-scoring process that will be verifi ed by its Local Govern-ment Assistance Division.
The Comptroller then awards Leadership Circle designees with a certifi cate refl ecting their Circle Award level: Gold, Silver or Bronze.
“Gold” highlights those en-tities that are setting the bar with their transparency ef-forts.
Fort Bend County, the tenth largest county in Texas, has adopted a positive approach to fi nancial transparency. Cur-rently, the county’s Web site contains budgets since 2004, comprehensive annual fi nan-cial reports (CAFRs) since 2001, and check registers since February 2009.
New check register re-ports are added weekly af-ter the commissioners’ court
approves expenditures and checks are issued.
These documents were placed online by in-house staff without using specialized software.
All documents were con-verted into PDF fi les, which provide easy access for the public at minimal expense.
Fort Bend County fi rst de-cided which documents had the most useful information for the public, then deter-mined how to prepare these documents for online posting.
The commissioners’ court provided input on what they wanted in the disbursement report (check register), in-cluding a short description of the payment and year-to-date vendor totals, and these items were incorporated into the re-port.
Rather than being an added expense, having these docu-ments online has saved the
County gets gold for transparency
See TRANSPARENCY, Page 4
ECLIPSE SOCCER. Sign up for the fall season at www.eclispesoccerclub.com or by visiting one of the walk-in sites on Saturday, June 19. Registration for Eclipse Soccer Club’s fall 2010 recreational season is open now at www.eclipsesoccerclub.com. Parents can register their child by visiting the website or by attending walk-in registration on Saturday, June 19: 9 a.m. to noon at Club Sienna, 9600 Scanlan Trace in Sienna Plantation, Missouri City; 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. at the Eclipse Soccer Club offi ce at 4638 Riverstone Boulevard, Suite 200, in Mis-souri City (behind Kohl’s). Families can get more information from Eclipse staff and meet members of the Eclipse board.
June 14 is Flag Day, which marks the adoption of the Ameri-can Flag. Girl Scouts of all levels par-ticipate in fl ag ceremonies at Council events and out in the c o m m u n i t y , which means they must be well-versed in fl ag etiquette. From the start, girls learn how to handle the American fl ag, a skill they can take with them through the rest of their lives. See story on Page 4.
Flag Etiquette
Page 2 • INDEPENDENT • JUNE 9, 2010
Building homes of quality and distinction for over 40 years.
Plans, prices and availability are subject to change without notice. (10/08)
Not just oil, Pennzoil
THE TIME IS NOW,THE TIME IS NOW, THE WAIT IS OVERTHE WAIT IS OVER
Enjoy your Sport - Decrease your Chances of Getting Hurt
While I enjoy doing surgery, I have always believed the best approach to Sports Medicine is teaching my patients how to take care of themselves so they are less likely to get hurt in the first place. Why have surgery if you can avoid it?
The off-season is the time to prepare, and one size does not fit all. Let me evaluate your current physical conditioning and workout routine to help you develop a personalized training program to maximize your fitness for your sport.
Connor Duran and Mad-ison Taylor, left, fi fth-grade students at Sienna Cross-ing Elementary School, have been selected as delegates in Education in Action’s 2010 Lone Star Leadership Acad-emy-Dallas/Fort Worth sum-mer program.
Education in Action is a 501(c)(3) non-profi t organiza-tion dedicated to empowering young Texans to become in-formed and active leaders in their communities.
The organization accom-plishes its mission by pro-viding Texas students with experiential learning and leadership development op-portunities. The program se-
lects outstanding students in grades fi fth and sixth from across the state.
All participants must show commitment to community or school involvement, maintain an 85 or higher overall grade point average, and receive a teacher recommendation.
As Lone Star Leadership Academy delegates, Duran and Taylor will have the op-portunity to develop their leadership skills through ac-tivities, simulations, and visits to signifi cant Texas sites.
Fifth-graders delegates in 2010 Lone Star Leadership Academy
‘BLUE FORT BEND’The Fort Bend County Democratic Party will launch its
“A Blue Fort Bend in 2010” coordinated campaign with a toast to Fort Bend County Commissioner Grady Prestage, who has served Precinct 2 for 20 years, at 7 p.m., Friday, June 18, 2010. Event Honorary Chairman Commissioner Richard Morrison will be joined by Fort Bend County Democratic Party Chairman Stephen Brown, former Houston Mayor Bill White, U.S. Congressman Al Green and a host of statewide and local candidates as the Fort Bend Democratic Party kicks off the 2010 campaign season. The event will be held at Safari Texas Ranch, 11627 FM 1464, Richmond. For more information call 281-9978-5666 or visit www.fbcdp.org.
JUNE 9, 2010 • INDEPENDENT • Page 3
Community news
Suzette Peoples ABR, GRI , E-Pro, 21 years Professional
Realtor; Owner of Peoples Properties, a Real Estate & Property Management Co.; American Business
Women’s Association.
Mortgage Banker can do loans in less than 30 days! Call Suzette or email: [email protected]
Suzette Peoples Broker /Owner
21 years of experience!
Direct: 281-980-3322 www.peoplesproperties.com
SUGAR CREEK Great 1 story on huge corner lot. 3 bedrooms & study. Seller has updated carpet, tile paint in and out and roof replaced. Shows great and price already reduced to go fast in the low $200’s.
SUGAR LAND! Almost 2400sqft. 4 bedrooms 2.5 bath. Study and sitting/gameroom up. Owner spent over $62K on upgrades/improvements. Gourmet kitchen, tile/pergo thru-out no carpet. Priced in $200’s.
REDUCED
Built in 2006. Popular Perry 1 story home. 4 bed-rooms and both formals or study. 16’ tile and hardwood fl oors. Garage/game room. Covered over size patio. Playground & shed stays. Private Levee lot. Priced to go at $200,000.
SUGAR LAND REDUCED
POOL/SPA & WATERFALL! 2 story 4 bedrooms! Master down. All tile/real wood thru-out, no carpet. All located on culdesac street. Clements high school! Priced to go fast!
FIRST COLONY
Custom home in gated acreage commu-nity. Over 4000 sq.ft! One story with bonus room. Upgrades galore with hand scraped hardwoods thru-out. Gourmet island kitchen with granite and custom cabinets. Built-ins, 4 bedrooms, 4 full baths. Huge covered patio and 3-car garage. Price to go in the $500’s.
TELFAIR 1 story Village Builder home over 3100 sqft! Built in 2007. 3 bedrooms & study. Gourmet oversized island kitchen with granite.T ile and Hardwoods thru-out. Upgrades galore! Priced to go fast!
REDUCED
SALE
PENDING
FIRST COLONY
REDU
CED
FIRST COLONY
SUGAR LAND! Over 3300sqft! 4 bed-rooms 3.5 baths master and study down. Gameroom up. Gourmet island kitchen with granite and stainless steel applianc-es. Tile & wood. Priced to go $280’s.
Trendmaker home built in 2007. Over 4000sqft! 4 bedrooms 3.5 baths. master & study down & gameroom up. 3+ car & portechere! Upgrades galore! Close to Elem. & parks Priced to go fast $400’s
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Before
March 16, 2010- 6 pmApril 20, 2010- 6 pm May 18, 2010- 6 pm
Judy Hurta Domel was convicted by a jury on June 2, 2010 for stealing thousands of dollars from the Needville Independent School District.
Domel , a 59 year-old Needville woman, was charged with theft and misapplication of fi duciary property for stealing school cafeteria deposits for more than two years beginning in May 2002.
Domel was employed by the Needville Independent School District as the assistant superintendent’s secretary.
One of her responsibilities included verifying the daily receipts from four school cafeterias and depositing that money into the school district’s bank account.
But mounting defi cits in food service operations triggered the school district to retain an outside consultant for advice, Assistant District Attorney Scott Carpenter said.
The consultant observed that food service revenues were not in line with the number of students served.
The administration began investigating possible areas of concern and fi nally focused on the defendant.
A f t e r r e v i e w i n g h e r records, authorities discovered Domel altered and destroyed documents to conceal the theft.
Current and former cafeteria cashiers testified that they prepared bank deposit slips,
cafeteria accounting forms and coin sheets illustrating the number of students fed and the amount of money collected. Those forms were copied and retained at the campus offi ce while the originals were delivered to Domel along with the money for verification every afternoon.
The evidence further revealed that Domel destroyed the original cafeteria documents, created new deposit slips and accounting forms which showed less money earned at each school cafeteria, and pocketed the difference.
Between May 2002 and August 2004, Domel stole $117,000 in cash from the school district – most of which
she gambled away at Louisiana casinos.
Domel was tried in the 434th District Court before Presiding Judge James H. “Jim” Shoemake. Theft and Misapplication of Fiduciary Duty in this case are both third-degree felonies punishable by 2-10 years in prison and a fi ne up to $10,000.
Domel elected for the court to determine her punishment and a hearing has been scheduled for July 19, 2010. She is eligible for probation.
Assistant District Attorneys W. Scott Carpenter and Lesleigh Saunders prosecuted the case. Attorney Logene Foster represented the defendant.
Former Needville ISD employee convicted for stealing school funds
The evolving Federal reg-ulatory environment associ-ated with fl ood risks, as well as emergency management challenges created by Hur-ricane Ike, played a major role in the recent creation of the Fort Bend Flood Manage-ment Association.
FBFMA members repre-sent most Fort Bend County government agencies with fl ood management responsi-bilities.
FBFMA sponsored its fi rst annual “Flood Risk Reduc-tion Symposium” on June 4 in Sugar Land, with over 100 local offi cials and consultants in the audience.
The main focus of the group is protecting Fort Bend residents from fl ood risks as well as providing effective emergency management re-sources when necessary.
Among the featured speak-ers were Peter Rabbon, Di-rector, National Flood Risk Management Program of the U.S. Army Corps of Engi-neers (USACE), George Gru-gett, Executive Vice Presi-dent of the Mississippi Valley Flood Control Association (MVFCA), and Susan Gilson, Executive Director of the Na-tional Association of Flood and Stormwater Management Agencies (NAFSMA).
Elected offi cials also pre-sented, including keynote speaker U.S. Rep. Pete Olson, State Sen. Glen Hegar, State Rep. Charlie Howard, and Fort Bend County Judge Bob Hebert. They discussed issues such as pending regulations, the National Flood Insurance Program, and the need for coordinated activity by Fort
Bend fl ood management en-tities to address future crises associated with hurricanes or other emergencies.
Olson cautioned the audi-ence about the potential im-pact to Fort Bend County res-idents of President Obama’s draft Executive Order 11988, which affects implementation of the National Flood Insur-ance Program.
Hebert addressed the infl u-ence of the Council on En-vironmental Quality (CEQ), initially created years ago as a minor agency, now playing a far greater role in the opera-tion of other Federal agencies such as the EPA and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
Levee Improvement Dis-trict (LID) boards in Fort Bend County must ensure that they are proactively meeting
and addressing the standards required by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and FEMA to avoid any non-compliance consequences that could cost residents millions of dollars in mandatory fl ood insurance premiums, he said.
Hebert said, “Levee Dis-tricts can no longer afford to be passive agencies. We must understand the issues, debate our options, establish con-sensus opinions, and, most importantly, let our elected offi cials hear those opinions as they debate future fl ood plain or fl ood insurance leg-islation.”
André McDonald, Presi-dent of FBFMA, said, “The FBFMA membership consists of most of the local Fort Bend governmental agencies with the combined responsibil-
Fort Bend Flood Management Association holds symposium on reducing fl ood risk
ity of protecting over 130,000 people and $10 billion of as-sessed property value from fl ooding.
FBFMA recognized that there was a need to create a higher level of awareness about what is happening at the Federal level in regulations on fl ood management.
The purpose of this pro-gram was to provide critical information and education to offi cials, consultants, and pub-lic sector policy makers who are tasked with fl ood manage-ment responsibilities.
McDonald said FBFMA will continue to monitor all activity at both the Federal and state level related to fl oodplain and fl ood risk issues and will also sponsor future events.
FBFMA conference speakers and members inspect Fort Bend fl ood control works. (l-r)Fred Hicks, Hicks-Ray As-sociates; Ron McCann, President of LID # 11 (Greatwood); Glen Gill, LID #2; André McDonald, President of FBFMA; George Grugett, Exec-VP, MVFCA; Richard Sherrill, First Colony LID; Ed Thomas, Michael Baker Inc.
— Photo by Brenda Perry
Loving Friends will meet on June15 at the Terrace in Sugar Land at 5:30 p.m. The entertainment will be Joana Lequang speaking on perfumes and essential oils. She has written books and is knowledgeable on this subject. Loving Friends is a widow/widowers group open to all in the area. For more information and a $17 reservation, call Georgia at 281-438-5224 by June 10.
FORT BEND STUDENT ATHLETES RECEIVE BOOSTER CLUB SCHOLARSHIP. Four 2010 graduating seniors from Stephen F. Austin High School have each received $500 college scholarships from the Austin High School Athletic Booster Club. The students were selected based on their athletic and academic achievements, their commitment to community service as well as outstanding coach and teacher recommendations. They were announced at the AHS Athletic Booster Club Spring Sports Banquet in May. The recipients and their future universities are: (from left to right) Katherine Walker (the University of Miami), Brandon Salazar (Texas A & M University) and Princess Roberts (University of Houston). Not pic-tured: Colin Capello, (University of Texas at Austin).
Tuesday,
June 15, 2010, 6 p.m.
By RON PAULMost everyone agrees that
health care in the United States has major problems, the biggest problems relat-ing to skyrocketing costs. No one doubts the system is in need of reform. However, too many in Washington see tight-er government controls as the solution. In fact, the problems are rooted in past government controls that created more problems than they solved.
Ironically, laws and poli-cies in the 1970’s promoting Health Maintenance Orga-nizations (HMOs) resulted from desperate attempts to control spiraling costs. How-ever, instead of promoting an effi cient health care system, HMOs took far too much con-trol away from patients and physicians and gave it to the insurers. This excessive reli-ance on third-party payers in-stead removed incentives for insured patients to economize on health care costs, and al-lowed the problem to snow-ball. Furthermore, the third-party payer system created a two-tier health care system where people whose employ-ers could afford to offer “Ca-dillac” plans have access to top quality health care, while others face fi nancial obstacles in obtaining quality health care.
For these and other rea-sons, I introduced the Private Option Health Care Act last week. This bill places individ-uals back in control of health care by replacing the recently passed tax-spend-and-regulate health care law with reforms designed to restore a free mar-ket health care system.
First, the bill would provide all Americans with a tax credit for 100 percent of health care expenses. This tax credit is fully refundable against both income and payroll taxes. It would also allow individuals to roll over unused amounts in cafeteria plans and Flexible Spendings Accounts (FSAs). Next, it would provide a tax credit for premiums for high-deductible insurance poli-cies connected with a Health Savings Account (HSAs) and allow seniors to use funds in HSAs to pay for medigap policies. In addition, it would repeal the 7.5 percent thresh-old for the deduction of medi-cal expenses, and thus would make all medical expenses tax deductible.
This bill would also cre-ate a competitive market in health insurance by exercising Congress’s Constitutional au-thority under the Commerce Clause to allow individu-als to purchase health insur-ance across state lines. End-ing these state-imposed bans would create a competitive
national marketplace in health insurance.
The Private Option Health Care Act would also ensure that people harmed during medical treatment receive fair compensation while simulta-neously reducing the burden of costly malpractice litigation on the health care system. The bill achieves this by providing a tax credit for negative out-comes insurance purchased before medical treatment. This type of insurance would provide compensation for any negative outcomes without having to go through lengthy litigation or giving huge sums to trial lawyers.
Finally, the Private Option Health Care Act would low-er the prices of prescription drugs by reducing barriers to the importation of Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved pharmaceuticals. Under my bill, anyone wish-ing to import a drug simply submits an application to the FDA, which then must ap-prove it unless it is either not approved for use in the United States or is adulterated or mis-branded.
The Private Option Health Care Act allows Congress to correct the mistake it made last month by replacing the new health care law with health care measures that give control to individuals, instead of the federal government and corporations. Our health is too vital to allow for the typi-cal results of government in-terference and “fi xes”.
Ron Paul represents the 14th Congressional District in Texas.)
By JANICE SCANLANIt’s interesting how values
we once took for granted are slowly being superseded. On a Memorial Day trip to Fred-ericksburg, we visited the LBJ National Historic Site, which is an area contiguous to the LBJ State Park that takes you into the Johnson Ranch and fi rst Texas White House. The curators are restoring the Johnson home to what it was like in the 1960’s. And it’s in-teresting what 50 years have changed . . . not in technol-ogy. We all realize that im-pact.
No, I’m talking about in-timacy of space. How rooms were made for conversation and scaled to promote inter-action of the entire group. The fi ve rooms that have been restored as they were in the 60’s are modest and intimate by today’s standards. LBJ’s offi ce was really a bullpen of fi ve desks, including his. It was made for work, interac-tion and immediacy—keep-ing everyone “in the loop.”
The land, trees and Peder-nales River are what domi-nate the landscape, but the fi rst building you see after you cross the river to “the ranch” is a working Headstart school. A program LBJ was rightfully proud and considered it and education in general a corner-stone of making this country great. As we drove from site to site on the 700+acres, I kept thinking of a speech that a member of the Quail Val-ley Garden Club scholarship committee gave presenting our scholarship recipients. Cindy Calender said, “While
serving on this committee yields feelings of gratifi ca-tion, it also yields feelings of anguish and frustration. An-guish and frustration because there are so many deserving students in our community—we can’t help them all.”
I have to admit that the con-stant fund raising to support community service in beauti-fi cation and education some-times is overwhelming . . . but meeting these three young people, not only reaffi rmed my faith in young people, but also made it plain why we keep fundraising—and why so many other groups do so as well.
Young people are the prom-ise of America. And ensuring that young people get a good education, that doesn’t leave them hopelessly in debt, is becoming more diffi cult.
We are very proud of our scholarship winners and were surprised that they “hung out” with a bunch of old ladies as long as they did. Two of our recipients are Elkins High School Seniors.
Hailey Budnick plans to attend Wayland Baptist Uni-versity and major in Mo-lecular biology with Minors in Chemistry and Christian Leadership. Hailey is a swim-mer and is an offi cer for vari-ous honor societies and active in community organizations. She exudes energy.
David Kronenberger will attend the University of Hous-ton Honors College and major in Epidemiology. His activi-ties include National Merit Finalist, thespian, swimming, working with Habitat for Humanity and he’s an Eagle Scout. For his Eagle Scout Badge, he completed a proj-ect for his church.
We’re a garden club, so contributing to that fi eld is important. Chris Von Kohn, who will be a senior Horti-culture major at Texas A&M, is our college recipient. One of Chris’ professors wrote, “Chris has progressed toward being a professional horticul-turist much more rapidly than most college students, and in many ways, he is a profes-sional already.” Yes, he is. He’s hybridized more than 50 daylilies and will be a summer intern at Ball Horticulture in Chicago in the plant breeding area. Chris captivated us with his pictures of his hybrids and his enthusiasm for gardening as a pastime, science and a business—being a partner in the family nursery business in Arlington.
The promise of these three young people, remind us that new challenges face us and that we need to encourage
By THOMAS PARR.M.D.Last summer, the Pacifi c El
Nino helped protect us from the extremely hot tempera-tures and Gulf Hurricanes that normally grace the Houston area. Unfortunately, many weather experts believe we could have higher than normal temperatures along the Texas Gulf coast this summer.
Over the last 23 years, I have noticed a correlation be-tween extremely hot summer conditions and an increase in orthopedic injuries the follow-ing fall. The reason is sim-ple. We stay inside with our air conditioning running full speed, doing as little physical activity as possible. Once the temperatures outside start to become more pleasurable, we can’t wait to get outside and start doing things again. The problem is our brains remem-ber how we did things before the summer heat, but our bod-ies do not. They will have lost their physical conditioning and sense of balance due to non-use during the hot, humid days of summer.
This can be avoided with a little awareness and some careful planning. And it needs to apply to the entire family.
Make a rule that there will be at least one hour of physi-cal activity every day for ev-ery member of the family. Pick activities that are fun and reasonable for your family, the ages of your children, and your lifestyle.
The early mornings, before about 8:30 a.m. are usually the coolest time of day for our area. That is an ideal time to
go for a walk, ride a bike, or go to the park to play. After some reasonable exercise, you can return home for breakfast and a shower before you start the rest of your day’s activi-ties.
If early morning isn’t your style, look for other activities which are reasonable in the summer heat, such as swim-ming lessons, time at a wa-ter park, or skating at a local skating facility. For younger children, apply water resistant sunscreen and let them play in the sprinkler.
Teenagers may also en-joy taking summer classes in dance or martial arts, or learn-ing a new sport. Many inex-pensive activities are avail-able at the local YMCA and at our numerous community recreational facilities.
The point is that children need to be active every day. While society looks at vend-ing machines and school lunches as potential causes for our growing children’s obesity problem, “The Ameri-can Journal of Public Health” reported in April, 2007, that the biggest weight gain in
children is often during the summer months away from school.
Parents need to set the ex-ample. My grandson says it is fun to go running with me, and my granddaughter has no interest in riding in the stroller while her brother and I run.
If either you or your child has a weight problem, look at the foods you have around the house this summer. By con-centrating on foods with few-er calories, and by reducing overall calorie intake by about the equivalent of a 2 oz bag of Fritos® or 4 Oreo® cook-ies a day, you or your child can lose about one pound in a week and a half. For chil-dren, losing only nine pounds during the summer months makes a big difference. For adults, one pound lost every 10 days for one year means a weight loss of 35 pounds! Re-member: you can eat more if you exercise more. There are a number of web sites on the internet and cell phone apps that will help you decide how to eat and how much to exer-cise.
And whatever you choose to do for physical activity, remember the importance of drinking large quantities of water each day. It is good for your body, and it is critical in preventing heat related ill-nesses, such as heat stroke.
Dr. Thomas Parr, an ortho-pedic surgeon in Sugar Land, can be reached at 281-491-7111.Visit www.tomparrmd.net for more information.
Many words are synony-mous with Girl Scouting, like cookies and camping. One of the most important skills Girl Scouts learn, however, is how to care for our country’s fl ag. Girl Scouts are often asked to perform fl ag ceremonies in the community, so being well-versed in fl ag etiquette is a must.
Flag Day, celebrated annu-ally on June 14, commemo-rates the adoption of the American fl ag. This holiday is a perfect opportunity for not only Girl Scouts but the entire community to learn how to honor one of the most recog-nizable American symbols.
To celebrate Flag Day 2010, Girl Scouts of San Ja-cinto Council offers some “must know” guidelines in fl ag etiquette, taken from the United States Flag Code:
Display the fl ag only from sunrise to sunset on buildings and on stationary fl agstaffs in the open. When patriotic ef-fect is desired, the fl ag may be displayed for 24 hours if properly illuminated during
the hours of darkness. The fl ag should be hoisted
briskly and lowered ceremo-niously.
The fl ag should be at the center and at the highest point of the group when a number of fl ags of States or localities or pennants of societies are grouped and displayed from staffs.
When fl own at half-staff, the fl ag should be fi rst hoisted to the peak for an instant and then lowered to the half-staff position. The fl ag should be raised again to the peak be-fore it is lowered for the day.
The fl ag should never touch anything beneath it, such as the ground, the fl oor, water or merchandise.
The fl ag, when it is in such condition that it is no longer a fi tting emblem for display, should be destroyed in a dignifi ed way, preferably by burning.
The Flag Code does not specify how the fl ag should be folded, but a standard fl ag will require 13 folds. To specify there should be two
lengthwise folds and eleven triangular folds, ending at the union.
Also, make sure your fl ag is dry prior to storing it, as mold can form in damp envi-ronments. For more in-depth information about fl ag eti-quette, GSSJC recommends visiting usfl ag.org. To request Girl Scouts to perform a fl ag ceremony for your organiza-tion, contact Mona Tolbert at 713-292-0361 or [email protected].
Girl Scouts of the USA is the world’s preeminent or-ganization for girls, with a membership of more than 3.7 million girls and adults. Girl Scouting builds girls of cour-age, confi dence, and char-acter, who make the world a better place.
Chartered by GSUSA to provide Girl Scouting lo-cally, Girl Scouts of San Ja-cinto Council is one of the largest Girl Scout councils in the country serving more than 72,000 girl members and 17,000 adults in 26 southeast Texas counties.
Girl Scouts offer fl ag etiquette tips
county money by reducing printing costs.
Amy Hartman of the county auditor’s offi ce stated: “Over the past few years we have found that including more information online makes it more accessible to the com-munity, granting agencies and other interested parties to view without having to send a hard copy of information. We are in the process of including all fi nancial statements online and not just the annual state-ment.”
According to Pamela Gub-bels, director of fi nance and investments, “I would say that important steps to consider in-clude, but are not limited to:
•involve all the correct peo-ple/departments;
•seek approval from the governing body (i.e., commis-
sioners’ court);•ensure all data to be re-
leased is subject to open re-cords guidelines (i.e., no personal, protected data is re-leased);
•make sure the reports are easy to locate and easy to un-derstand;
•maintain reports for mul-tiple years/cycles - as much as is practical; and
•keep up with posting cur-rent reports as quickly as is feasible.”
The best thing about trans-parency for the county and stakeholders, Gubbels says, is that “fi nancial transparency allows taxpayers to see how their tax dollars are being used.”
Sugar Land, Missouri City and Fort Bend ISD have post-ed their budgets on line, but they have not yet been rated by the Comptroller’s offi ce for transparency.
Offi cials with Missouri City and FBISD said they will now look into the program and de-cide if it is better than what they already have.
Visit http://www.texas-transparency.org/index.php for more information on Texas Transparency and those who won gold in this category.
Sugar Land spokesman Doug Adolph said:
“The majority of the infor-mation required to be recog-nized in the Texas Comptrol-ler Leadership Circle Program is already available to citizens on the City of Sugar Land website. However, the “check register” requirements of the program specify placing cer-tain content on the Internet without the necessary context needed to understand the data. As a result, the City chose not to include this information at this time and not apply for the program.”
TransparencyFrom Page 1
and support the promise of our youth who have the ener-gy to tackle those challenges. We need to remember that education and encouraging inventive minds from every segment of society has made America great -- our promise for the future.
Put patients and doctors back in control of healthcare
JUNE 9, 2010 • INDEPENDENT • Page 5
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State Auto’s new Prime of LifeSM Plan provides expanded insurance coverages and substantial premium discounts on auto and homeowners insurance for qualifying customers age 45 and over*! As part of the Prime of Life Plan, you’ll enjoy enhanced coverages for when you travel, anywhere in the U.S.A. or Canada. Call your State Auto agent today for more information.
How about a worry-free insurance plan especially for people age 45 and over?*
*Qualifying age and coverage enhancements/discounts vary by state.
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, Rosenberg Annex, 4520 Reading Road, Suite A, Rosenberg, TX 77471 for the following until THURSDAY, JULY 1, 2010 at 1:30 P.M. (CST). All proposals will then be opened in the Of-fi ce of the Purchasing Agent, Rosenberg Annex, 4520 Reading Road, Suite A, Rosenberg, TX 77471 and the names of the proposers made public. Propos-als received after the specifi ed time will be returned unopened.R10-102 – GENERAL CONTRACTOR SERVICES – FORT BEND COUNTY UNIVERSITY BRANCH LIBRARYA pre-RFP conference will be conducted on Thursday, June 17, 2010 at 10:00AM (CST). The pre-RFP confer-ence will be held at the Fort Bend County Purchasing Department located in the Rosenberg Annex at 4520 Reading Road, Rosenberg Texas 77471. All vendors are encouraged to attend.Lump sum 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 Agent Fort 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, Rosenberg Annex, 4520 Reading Road, Suite A, Rosenberg, TX 77471 for the following until THURSDAY, JUNE 17, 2010 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 Read-ing Road, Rosenberg, TX 77471. Bids received after the specifi ed time will be returned unopened.BID 10-097 – BRIDGE REPLACE FOR OLD RICH-MOND ROAD OVER RED GULLYA pre-bid conference will be conducted on Thursday, June 3, 2010 at 10:00AM (CST). The pre-bid confer-ence will be held at the Fort Bend County Purchasing Department located in the Rosenberg Annex at 4520 Reading Road, Rosenberg Texas 77471. All bidders are encouraged to attend.BID 10-098 – EXTENSION OF SOUTH POST OAK BLVD AND RECONSTRUCTION OF MCKEEVER ROADA pre-bid conference will be conducted on Thursday, June 3, 2010 at 11:00AM (CST). The pre-bid confer-ence will be held at the Fort Bend County Purchasing Department located in the Rosenberg Annex at 4520 Reading Road, Rosenberg Texas 77471. All bidders are encouraged to attend.Unit pricing is required; payment will be by check after products/services are rendered. Bonds are re-quired.Fort Bend County reserves the right to reject any or all bids.Signed: Gilbert D. Jalomo, Jr., Purchasing Agent Fort Bend County, Richmond, Texas
Directory Directory Directory Directory DirectoryAT Renovations, Inc.
101 Southwestern Blvd., Suite 230 Sugar Land, TX 77478
www.texansinsure.com (281) 277-7800
Basil Housewright, President
Insurance
FILM REVIEW: GET HIM TO THE GREEK
LEGAL NOTICEREQUESTS FOR STATEMENTS OF QUALIFICATIONSSealed Qualifi cation Statements will be received in the Offi ce of Gilbert D. Jalomo, Jr., County Purchas-ing Agent, Fort Bend County, Rosenberg Annex, 4520 Reading Road, Suite A, Rosenberg TX 77471 for the following until THURSDAY, JULY 8, 2010 AT 1:30 P.M. (CST).
Q10-104 – INDEPENDENT PROFESSIONAL AUDIT SERVICES
Fort Bend County reserves the right to reject any or all qualifi cation statements received.Signed: Gilbert D. Jalomo, Jr., Purchasing Agent Fort Bend County, Richmond, Texas
Cardiologist Sherman Tang, M.D., recently performed Fort Bend County’s fi rst-ever rota-tional atherectomy at Method-ist Sugar Land Hospital.
The procedure uses a tiny rotating burr that is coated with microscopic diamond crystals to safely remove plaque from narrowed or blocked arteries.
The burr is attached to a thin guidewire and is inserted into the artery via a catheter. Dr. Tang guides the burr to the blockage using an X-ray cam-era and an angiogram.
“Rotational atherectomy is a proven technology that ablates, or sands away, the diseased plaque in an artery with minimal side effects and without impacting healthy tissue,” says Dr. Tang. “It is like drilling a tunnel through the blockage.”
The diamond-coated burr is powered by air, and can be set at speeds of up to 180,000 revolutions per minute. As the rotat-ing tip moves through the narrowed artery, it scrapes away dis-eased plaque from the artery walls. Those plaque particles are smaller than red blood cells and are harmlessly carried away and eliminated by the body’s circulatory system.
Patients undergoing a rotational atherectomy often receive a stent, or narrow metal tube, at the location of the blockage to keep it from closing.
The procedure takes about two hours, and patients can be up and walking within six hours. “We keep the patient overnight for observation but most can go home the next day, and return to work within a couple of days,” says Dr. Tang.
The fi rst patient to undergo the procedure in Fort Bend, Bob-bie J. Davidson, was pleased with the relative ease of the rota-tional atherectomy.
“It is a real relief to know that Dr. Tang was able to clear the blockage in my artery,” says Davidson. “Plus, I didn’t feel any pain during the actual procedure and there was very little recovery time.”
To make an appointment with Dr. Tang or other cardiologists in your area, call Methodist Sugar Land Hospital’s physician referral line 281-274-7500 or visit MethodistSugarLand.com.
Methodist Sugar Land performs rotational
atherectomy
Tang
You have not seen a mov-ie like this is a while; maybe never. It is very cleverly writ-ten and directed by 33 year old Nicholas Stoller. The dia-logue is so full of pop culture that the script could only be produced by someone under 40. The young Stoller also at-tracted youthful, modish stars Jonah Hill and comedian Rus-sell Brand which was not a big stretch since all three collabo-rated on “Forgetting Sarah Marshall.”
Will the three of them make gold again? Will Scorsese team up with DeNiro?
Stoller, Hill, and Brand have found just the right mix for bi-zarre, out-of the-box comedy and they are destined to do the
dance again.Hill plays intern Aaron
Green who works for a LA music company headed up by Sergio (Sean “P Diddy” Combs) who intimidates all his underlings, but Aaron some-how screws up the courage to convince Sergio to bring Brit-ish drugged-out rocker Aldous Snow (Brand) to play at a ten year reunion at The Greek Theatre in LA.
Problem: Snow is utterly unreliable so Sergio sends the uninitiated intern to London to retrieve and escort the crazy rocker to LA via “The Today Show” in New York. Before the fi rst deadline is missed, Aaron and Aldous are knee deep in wine, women and
song... and a little heroin.This is a raunchy show and
is not appropriate for your Sunday school class fi eld trip. If you wonder “what’s this world coming to?” then go see this decadence that audiences must comprehend because they laughed loudly and of-ten.
Jonah Hill gets top billing in this soon-to-be blockbuster and his performance would be legendary, but for the stupen-dous performance by Russell Brand.
Mick Jagger could not have played this foggy, char-ismatic, womanizer any bet-ter. I’m sorry, Mick, I didn’t mean it; we all know that you could have done it better. I
know you read my reviews so I apologize, Mick.
But Brand’s Aldous Snow is epic and will be remem-bered as the quintessential whacked-out rock star with profound problems on top of a soulful heart.
And the poster child for the need to stay sober. Also, I would be remiss if I didn’t give a shout out to my girl Elizabeth “Mad Men” Moss who was charming as Aaron’s signifi cant other, and I hate to be remiss. Fun fl ick. Rock ‘n Roll.
Grade 89. Larry H. sugarlaw@larryharrison.
com larryhmoviereviews.com
By BARBARA FULENWIDERThe 2010 Jeep Wrangler
has 68 years of history behind it and is an American icon. Various historians believe that without it America and its allies would not have won World War II. These days the Jeep Wrangler is offered in three models: Wrangler Sport, Sahara or Rubicon. With any one of them buyers get best-in-class off-road capability in an open air sport utility ve-hicle.
For 2010 the Wrangler got more refi nements that include a new and improved soft-top system, which makes it easier to remove for that open-air experience. The simplifi ed re-moval system eliminates the need to untuck and tuck the side rails when opening and closing the top.
The Jeep Wrangler is pow-ered by a 3.8-liter V-6 engine, which makes 202 horsepower and 237 lb.-ft. torque and is paired to a standard six-speed-manual or optional four-speed automatic transmission.
The Wrangler Unlimited Sahara 4x4 gets an estimated 15 miles to the gallon in city driving and 19 on the high-way.
The Sport and Sahara mod-els are equipped with a part-time, two-speed transfer case with a 2.71:1 low-range gear ratio. An optional limited-slip rear differential provides extra
torque and grip during slip-pery, low-traction situations, such as driving over sand and gravel.
The Wrangler Rubicon comes with an off-road two-speed transfer case with a 4.0:1 low-range gear ratio, electric front and rear axle lockers, an electronic sway bar disconnect and 32-inch off-road tires. The Wrangler can also be equipped with skid plates, tow hooks and 32-inch tires.
The test drive Wrangler was the Sahara, which has eye-catching good looks and travels city streets and free-ways with class and pizzazz. It features the Jeep heritage seen in every WWII movie ever made.
Today’s much improved far more comfortable Jeep Wran-gler sports the classic round headlamps, seven-slot grille, wide wheel fl ares, exposed forged hinges, fold-down
windshield, sport bar, remov-able tops and doors and wash-able interior.
Jeep spoke folks claim that their Wrangler is the only true 4x4 convertible on the road. The standard soft top provides options for open-air driving and the three-piece modular hard top provides a second, easy open-air option.
The interior of the Jeep Wrangler Sahara provides plenty of space for four adults and their baggage. Cargo vol-ume behind the rear seats to-tals 17.1 cubic feet and 56.5 cubic feet behind the front seats.
The Jeep Wrangler Sahara has a torsionally stiff frame and a 95.4-inch wheelbase, which contribute to the Jeep’s smooth ride and quiet cabin.
Advanced shock tuning, a heavy-duty powertrain and body mounts isolate keep the vibrations at bay.
Safety features include hill-
start assist, available trailer-sway control, anti-lock brake system, brake assist, lower an-chors and tethers for children, electronic roll mitigation, electronic stability control, an energy-absorbing steering column, seat-mounted side air bags, side-impact door beams and a tire pressure monitoring system.
New conveniences and features include such options as a navigation system with a phone connection, six-disc stereo, MP3 player, SIRIUS Satellite Radio and power windows and door locks, which are designed so that the doors can be easily removed.
“Four Wheeler” magazine editors have named the Jeep Wrangler Rubicon the best 4x4 vehicle of the decade and the four-door Wrangler Un-limited Rubicon the decade’s most signifi cant 4x4 vehicle.
With all optional equipment the base price of the Wran-gler Unlimited Sahara 4x4 is $28,905. Add-ons increased the price to $36,655, includ-ing destination charge.
Optional equipment in-cluded the chrome edition group, dual top group, premi-um chrome group, trailer tow group, supplemental front seat mounted side air bags, engine block heater, automatic trans-mission, 6.5-inch touch screen display, media center and the three-piece hard top.
POLICE AND FIRE ACADEMY GRADUATES. Eighteen residents graduated from Missouri City’s Citizens’ Police & Fire Academy on June 1 in a ceremony at the Public Safety Headquarters that featured Police Chief Joel Fitzgerald handing out certifi cates along with a delicious spaghetti dinner served up by members of the Missouri City Police & Fire Auxiliary. The graduates received hands-on training during the seven-week academy that included searching for suspects, making a traffi c stop and fi rearms instruction. Participants also watched a staged SWAT operation and witnessed the City’s Dive Rescue Team in action. Excited graduates gather for a class portrait. Pictured, left to right in the front row: Mayor Allen Owen, Division of Emergency Preparedness Chief John Sheffi eld, Police Chief Joel Fitzgerald, Andrew Zinn, Rhonda Johnson, Mark Liss, Mi-chael Torres, Aurise and Stewart Bain (holding hands), Heidi and Bill Trainor (standing behind the Bains), Deana Cull, Jack Chiles, Penelope Hazlewood, Alan Trott, Roy Wilson, Police Department Community Liaison Offi cer Dan Flagg and Charles Anyanwu. Standing on the fi re truck, left to right: Wayne Croft and his son Michael. Graduates not pictured are Amy Rob-inson and Nichole Cheeks. “The things I learned were priceless,” graduate Roy Wilson said. “I saw this as an opportunity to step up for my three children so they would understand that the Police Department is helpful as well as the Fire Department. We’ve got to stick together in the community and keep everybody safe.” Penelope Hazlewood, another academy graduate, said, “I was thrilled to be up close and personal with the Police Department and Fire Department. I had seen the sign advertising the academy for years and fi nally decided to take the plunge and I’m so glad I did it.” The graduates are now eligible to join the Missouri City Police & Fire Auxiliary and/or the Citizen’s Response Team. — Photo is courtesy of Missouri City.
Kevin Chen, a student at Clements High School, was selected as a member of the 2010 U.S. Physics Olympics Team.
He was one of 20 students selected from approximately 3,300 student scholars from across the U.S. to become a member of the U.S. team af-ter having completed a rigor-ous exam process that began in January 2010.
The U.S. Physics Olym-piad Program was started in 1986 by AAPT to promote and demonstrate academic excellence.
This year’s event is orga-nized by the Croatian Physi-cal Society and the University of Zagreb as the co-organizer, under the fi nancial support of the Ministry of Science, Edu-cation and Sports of the Re-public of Croatia and the City of Zagreb.
As a member of the U.S. Physics Olympics Team, Chen was required to attend an intensive, 10-day train-
ing camp at the University of Maryland.
The training camp offered a crash course in the fi rst two years of university physics. Students learned at a very fast pace and had the opportunity to hear about cutting-edge re-search from some of the com-munity’s leading physicists before completing a series of exams.
At the end of the train-ing camp, fi ve of the team members were chosen as the
Traveling Team to represent the U.S. Team at the 41st In-ternational Physics Olympiad to be held in July in Zagreb, Croatia. Chen did not ad-vance to the Traveling Team, but is honored to be among the original 20 students se-lected to represent the 2010 U.S. Physics Olympics Team.
“All twenty students who participated in the training camp are champions. They have tested themselves with the best of their peers for ten days and have proven to be an exceptional group of young people,” said War-ren Hein, Executive Offi cer of the American Association of Physics Teachers, which sponsors the team.
“We are proud of them all and are confi dent that the fi ve Traveling Team members will continue the tradition of suc-cess for the United States as they represent the U.S. Phys-ics Team in Zagreb.”
Community happeningsPage 6 • INDEPENDENT • JUNE 9, 2010
CANCER SURVIVORS AT OAKBEND. OakBend Medical Center in Richmond hosted the 5th annual National Cancer Survivor’s Celebration on June 2. This year’s survivor ceremony theme was “The Journey That Brings Us Here.” Dr. Douglas Thibodeaux was the keynote speaker for this event and a blessing was bestowed upon all survivors in attendance. The guest enjoyed a reception that followed. Survivors are listed from botton left to right: Lavelle Alkine, Geri Bandish, Janice Harris, Janet Knox (OakBend Nurse Director), Maria Hernandez, Mildred Reed, Maria Trevino, Janice Bartos, Francisca Villarreal, Wanda Sanchez, Maxine Farley (face partially displayed), Roland Hinojosa, Dr. Bushra Cheema (OakBend Medical Oncologist & Hemotologist), Gaynell Blahuta, Florence Holesovsky, Dr. Amirali Popatia (OakBend Medical Oncologist), Ethel Arrington, Ellis Glueck, Cody Siebert, Anton Kelner, Susan Morales, Jan Thibodeaux, Dr. Douglas Thibodeaux (OakBend physician and cancer survivor).
Above, Triathletes are in the pool and awaiting their start during the 2009 Memorial Her-mann Sugar Land Triathlon. A classic swim-bike-run course that includes wide pool lanes, a divided four-lane boulevard and shaded neighborhoods awaits participants in the 13th annual Memorial Hermann Sugar Land Triathlon on Sunday, June 27. The open event will fi eld 800 triathletes from beginners to professionals, ages 8 and older. The short sprint triath-lon begins at First Colony Aquatic Center at 7 a.m. with a 300-meter, dual-start pool swim. It is followed by a 10-mile bike ride and a three-mile run that includes two water stations and plenty of oversight by Sugar Land police. “With our focus on sports medicine and or-thopedics, it’s important for us to be actively engaged in sports activities like this triathlon, so we can promote healthy lifestyles,” said Memorial Hermann Sugar Land CEO Jim Brown. Proceeds from the triathlon benefi t Rainbow Room, First Colony Swim Team and Cenikor. Finish Line Sports is serving as race coordinator. The registration deadline is June 15. Cost is $75 for individuals and $110 for relay teams. For additional information and to register, visit www.signmeup.com and link through Event Calendar.
Memorial Hermann Sugar Land hosts Triathlon on June 27
Texana Center held its fi rst Annual Reaching for the Stars Awards Ceremony at the Fort Bend Country Club on May 25. Affairs with Flair provid-ed wonderful refreshments for this great occasion.
With over 90 in attendance, the atmosphere was buzzing with excitement as the win-ners were announced with a drum roll and the traditional opening of the envelope.
The winners include:Volunteer of the Year - Dr.
Suzanna Cruz, who has do-nated her time and energy to all the holiday activities, in-cluding serving foods, bring-ing treats, making photo port-folios for our individuals and taking photographs at nearly every event at the Learning
Center at Sugar Land. Contract Work – Company
of the Year - Safi na Offi ce Products, who have provided contracts for the Learning Centers for over 13 years.
Supported Employment Employer of the Year - The Kroger Company, Rosenberg, who has employed individu-als with intellectual & devel-opmental disabilities for the past 30 years.
Supported Employment Manager of the Year - Mike Childs, Manager of the Krog-er Marketplace in Rosenberg. He has worked with our indi-viduals for close to 15 years.
Champion of Behavioral Healthcare of the Year - Judge Brady Elliott, who was in-strumental in establishing the
Mental Health Court in Fort Bend County.
Major Supporter of Texana Center - The George Founda-tion, who gave Texana a $1.5 million challenge grant which led to us receiving another $1.3 million, so far.
Other awards given were Volunteer Organization of the Year - Bay City VFW Post #2438, who has supported people in our Learning Cen-ter programs for more than 30 years; Supported Employ-ment Employee of the Year - Kathy Schultz, who works with Pizza Hut in Hempstead and Media Publication of the Year- Fort Bend Herald for all the articles they have pub-lished about Texana in the past year.
Mylana Hearn, a ninth-grade student at Marshall High School, has set a high
athletic standard for upcom-ing freshmen athletes to meet. She is the fi rst freshman in
Freshman Track Star at Marshall High School
the history of Marshall High School to advance to the 5A UIL State Track and Field Meet and compete in an in-dividual event.
On May 15, Hearn com-peted in the Girls Triple Jump 5A event at state and placed 6th. Hearn advanced to the state meet after earning 28 points at the district meet. At the District Meet, she placed 1st in the High Jump event, 1st in Triple Jump, 3rd in Long Jump, and 5th in the 100-Meter Hurdles.
Hearn is coached by Head Girls’ Track Coach, Benita Smith. Hearn is pictured on the right.
Texana Center awards announced
Clements student qualifi es for 2010 U.S. Physics Olympics Team
Chen
On May 26, Andrew Suter of Clements High School received the Accepting the Challenge of Excellence Award from the Exchange Club of Sugar Land. This award recognizes high school seniors who have overcome great physical, emotional, and social obsta-cles to succeed in the class-room. This recognition serves as a powerful example to all stu-dents that hard work and per-severance really do matter. Andrew has excelled in aca-demics and athletics since the illness and unexpected death of his older sister, Kelly in 2006.
—Photo by Ed Lee
Anjum Faraz (L) receives ACE Award from Helga Zauner (R) youth chairman of the Sugar Land Exchange Club.On May 19, Anjum Faraz of Kempner High School received the Accepting the Challenge of Excellence Award from the Ex-change Club of Sugar Land. Anjum has Scoliosis, but that has not stopped him from excelling in school and serving the com-munity. He is truly a role model to his fellow students. The Exchange Club of Sugar Land meets every Wednesday morning at 7 a.m. at the Sweetwater Country Club. —Photo by Ed Lee
2010 ACE award winners
SOUTH WEST AREA PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZA-TION. Join the SWAPEN meeting on Tuesday, June 15, at the home of Rhonda Walls, 707 Salerno (Venetian Estates) Sugar Land. 11 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. Networking and 11:30 a.m - 1 p.m. - Meeting. Glenn Smith, owner of The Growth Coach Hous-ton, will be the guest speaker. SWAPEN is a business network-ing group whose goal is to bring together business women of diverse occupations and to provide opportunities for them to help themselves and others to grow personally and profession-ally through leadership, education, networking support, and na-tional recognition. SWAPEN meets the third Tuesday of every month at Sugar Creek Country Club in Sugar Land, 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. For more information, visit www.swapen.org
Front, Dee Koch, left, Willie Greer, Suzanna Cruz, Susan Lee; Rear, Bob Haenel, left, John Null, Bill Jameson, Brady Elliott, Jeff Robertson, Richard Thompson, and Mike Childs.
JUNE 9, 2010 • INDEPENDENT • Page 7
Offer requires Agreement and AutoPay with Paperless Billing. Restrictions apply.
Sun & Mon NightSun & Mon Night — — KIDS EAT FREEKIDS EAT FREE 2 Kids Free with an Adult Purhcase after 5 p.m.Tues Night — FREE CHIPS& QUESO OR GUACAMOLE With an adult purchase after 5 p.m.,Wed Night — FAJITAS X 2 $14.95 1lb of meat with all the trimmings & chip and salsa after 5 p.m,Meet us after the game! KIDS IN UNIFORM KIDS IN UNIFORM EAT FREE WITH ADULT PURCHASEEAT FREE WITH ADULT PURCHASE
281-499-4682 3424 FM 1092 Township Center Missouri City
Girl Scout Elizabeth Bess of New Territory wanted residents – especially children — in the community to be educated on pet care. She wrote an article for a local paper explaining what to do for your pets during hurricanes. She made dog bag posts for local parks and taught several boys and girls how to make these. She also did an animal food drive for the local animal shelters and trained 19 younger girls how to make dog beds for the local shelters. Thus, Bass, a member of Girl Scout Troop 486 of Rainbow Stars Service Unit, earned the Gold Award, the highest achievement given by Girl Scouts of the USA.
Girl Scout earns gold
Bill Cannon, Kristi Bajjali and Julie Moise RE/MAX Fine Prop-
erties’ Mario Rios and Minesh Patel, last week announced the arrival of new Sales Associates Ju-lie Moise and Bill Cannon to their family of Realtors.
Moise and Cannon will be partnering with vet-eran Top Producing agent Kristi Bajjali forming “Kristi Bajjali and Team.”
Moise is a native Housto-nian raised on the north side of town and has a Bach-elors degree in Business from Sam Houston State University. She has over 18 years of experience in sales and business admin-istration working for some of Houston’s top CFO’s in the oil and gas industry.
Moise started her ca-reer in the housing in-dustry working for New-mark Homes, assisting the CIO and back up support for the CEO and CFO.
Once leaving Newmark Homes she had the opportu-nity to work with accounting and marketing services for both residential and com-mercial Real Estate agents. She has been assisting Kris-ti Bajjali since the summer of 2009 and is now ready to hit the ground running with her own transactions.
Cannon was born and raised in South Texas and attended Texas A&M Uni-versity with studies in Business Management.
Before becoming a Re-altor, Cannon created a successful company which he owned and op-erated, Training Wheels.
This company provided dealership and automo-tive manufacturers consult-ing in operations, sales, and processes. Cannon is also a certifi ed PADI Dive Master, and Master Scuba Diver, and travels through-out the Caribbean and South Seas. He and his wife are also working together to establish the PBGV Club of Texas and are involved in fostering rescue dogs.
Cannon brings over 35 years of buying and selling experience to his real estate career.
Additionally, he has been involved personally with numerous remodeling and new construction projects, as well as land development that has given him a wealth of experience to share with clients. He looks forward to representing clients in the Houston, Katy and Fort Bend area, as well as rural tracts in the country when possible.
“We are pleased to have such a high caliber team join our family of Realtors” says Co-Owner Minesh Pa-tel. “Kristi Bajjali has built a tremendous business from repeat and referral clients, and she is dedicated to the
RE/MAX Fine Properties welcomes ‘Kristi Bajjali and Team’
long-term development of our community to help people achieve their home buying and selling goals.
“By adding Julie and Bill to her team, Kristi is de-termined to continue and expand her level of ser-vices to our community.”
For more information on Kristi Bajjali or her team, visit www.KristiBajjali.com or call 281-433-4462.
Page 8 • INDEPENDENT • JUNE 9, 2010
L EADING M EDICINE ®
Join Us For Our Free Summer Seminar Series:
Attendees will receive a free colorectal screening kit to take home.
Seating is limited. To RSVP call 281-274-7500.
THERE’S FINALLY SOMETHING BOTH MEN AND WOMEN AGREE ON… Methodist Sugar Land Hospital.
Methodist Sugar Land Hospital is once again Leading Medicine in Fort Bend County, this time in the area of Colon and Gynecologic Cancer.
Colorectal cancer is the third most-common cancer, but is highly
treatable when detected early and even preventable with the removal
of polyps. A colonoscopy is recommended at age 50 for individuals
at risk of developing colon cancer, and it should be given even earlier
if you have a family history of colorectal cancer.
A family history of breast or gynecologic cancers also puts women
at a greater risk for cancer. However, the earlier it’s found, the
more treatable it is. Annual Pap and pelvic exams are potent
protective measures.
Call 281-274-7500 to reserve your seat at our free colorectal or
gynecologic cancer seminars.
Watch this delightful fairy tale from The Brothers Grimm come to life in Award-Winning Fort Bend Theatre’s production of Twelve Danc-ing Princesses, to be per-formed June 12 - 27, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday at 10 a.m. and on Saturdays and Sundays at 3 p.m. at 2815 N. Main St in Stafford.
This traditional fairy tale tells the story of the twelve beautiful, young princesses with a mysterious secret that the king is desperate to dis-cover.
Tickets are available now on the FBT website www.fortbendtheatre.com and are only $8. For more informa-tion, call 281-208-3333.
Princess Periwinkle (Syd-
12 Dancing Princesses come to Fort Bend Theatre
nie Brown) tells her sister Princess Camelia (Skyler
Underwood) their secret in Twelve Dancing Princesses.
Pictured above are outgoing board memebers of Tri-City Women’s Club. This was at the May meeting at Sugar Creek Country Club. Seated left to right-Alma Villarreal, Nancy Frank, Bet Cooper, Harriett Ransbottom, Dolores Patterson, Brenda Stevenson. Second row standing-Sue Adam, Grace Wallace, Elaine Aleman, Cherie Kiernan, Connie Kaleta, Arlene Rivenes, Diane Schuler, Bobbie Tomlin, Julie Beu, Connie Pace, Shirley Beu, Norma Smith, Wanda Kolk-horst, Cindy Corbett, Mary Abbott, Linda Diez, Trish Piper, Marcia Hollingshead. Tri-City is open to all women in the area. The next meeting will be on Sept. 14 at Sweetwater Country Club. For more information, contact Cherie at 281-499-4067.
