WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 8, 2014

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

P. O.BOX 623, SUGAR LAND, TX 77487-0623

VOL 7 No. 2

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

Leaving a formidable legacy of leadership, Police Chief Joel Fitzgerald is moving on from the “Show Me City” to contin-ue his career as Chief of Police in Allentown, Pennsylvania.

During his 4 1/2-year tenure, Fitzgerald has been instrumen-tal in promoting transparency within the Missouri City Police department and has made great strides in fostering crime-pre-vention partnerships with the public.

Implementing innovative community-oriented and prob-lem-solving policing strategies, Fitzgerald worked with the force to achieve multiple suc-cesses, including earning the City national recognition for its safe streets.

In 2013, Missouri City was ranked as one of the top 20 safest cities in Texas by Safe Wise, a company that special-izes in security systems; and, the Department became the 26th Texas police department to receive re-recognized ac-creditation status from the Tex-as Police Chief’s Association. In acknowledging the accom-plishment, independent TPCA auditors noted that MCPD passed an expanded 165 stan-dards as part of the process.

“Achieving this is a result of the commitment and dedication that exists throughout the entire organization,” Fitzgerald said at a recent event held to honor his contributions.

“I have offi cers that are working here day in and day out, and they know what the level of expectation is here in Missouri City. We raised the level of expectation, and I’m very excited to have been part of the team here.”

Utilizing more than 22 years of comprehensive law-enforce-

ment experience, Fitzgerald was adept at strategic planning and instilling organizational accountability through COMP-STAT, intelligence-led polic-ing, training initiatives, proac-tive policies and community collaborations.

These efforts led the Mis-souri City Police Department to achieve “recognition” for stan-dards of operational excellence and to become a benchmark for agencies seeking to foster similar relationships with their communities.

“Chief Fitzgerald has brought a lot of new and inno-vative ideas to Missouri City,” said Missouri City Mayor Al-len Owen.

“He is known nationwide for his efforts, and a lot of people have been trying to hire him over the years. Allentown just touched home,” he said refer-ring to Fitzgerald’s East Coast roots.

Before coming to Missouri City, Fitzgerald was an es-teemed member of the City of Philadelphia Police Depart-ment where he gained signifi -

Are you looking for something meaningful to do in the New Year and interested in making a difference in the lives of children? Beginning February 3, Child Advocates of Fort Bend is offer-ing a week-long training class to train volunteers to advocate for abused and neglected children. This is one of two opportuni-ties in 2014 to complete the volunteer training class in a single week. Child Advocates of Fort Bend is a non-profi t agency dedi-cated to providing a voice for abused and neglected children in Fort Bend County. With an army of volunteers, Child Ad-vocates of Fort Bend currently serves more than 400 children each month through its Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) Program and Children’s Advocacy Center. Gearing up for training (L to R) are Metoyer Martin, Heather Rashid, Le-roy Hodge and Casey Davis. Volunteers must be over 21 years of age, complete an application and submit to background screen-ing. For more information or an application, contact Volunteer Services at 281-344-5100 or bknudson@cafb.org.

The Girl Scout Cookie Program begins door-to-door sales January 11. A new season brings with it a new cookie - Cranberry Citrus Crisps, a whole grain crispy cookie with tangy cranberry bits and citrus fl avor. The Girl Scout Cookie Program is the largest girl-run business in the world and teaches girls essential skills to succeed personally and professionally, including goal setting, decision making, money management, people skills and business ethics. When customers purchase a box of Girl Scout Cookies, they are enabling girls to become advocates for issues they are passionate about, sending a city kid from a low income household to camp or a girl overseas to learn about an archipelago, or helping girls purchase supplies to send care packages to soldiers serving overseas. Beginning February 21, Girl Scout Cookies will be sold at cookie booths outside of grocery stores and other retail venues. The cookie program ends March 30. Girl Scouts across the nation invite their communities to celebrate National Girl Scout Cookie Weekend, February 7-9, to highlight the real purpose of the $790 million Girl Scout Cookie Program: to teach girls fi ve essential skills, including goal setting, decision making, money management, business ethics and people skills.

Make a difference 2014

Missouri City Police Chief Joel Fitzgerald leaves; Mike Berezin appointed interim chief

Berezin

By SESHADRI KUMARNalco Company which be-

came Nalco Champion fol-lowing its recent merger with Champion Technologies Inc. in Fresno near here, will build a new headquarters in Sugar Land.

Last year, Nalco acquired 18.5 acres next to its existing facility in Sugar Land from the Imperial development tract. Now, Nalco Champion has re-vealed that it plans to build a 133,000-square-foot building at the 18.5-acre site, and the building will accommodate 1,000 Nalco Champion em-ployees, according to a report in the Houston Business Jour-nal. Some Nalco and Champi-on employees will relocate to the facility from other Houston and Fresno sites.

Nalco Champion also plans to renovate its exist-ing 45,000-square-foot Sugar Land offi ce next to the new headquarters building.

This existing facility will expand its research, develop-ment and engineering lab fa-cilities.

Nalco Champion is part of the Ecolab group of com-

panies, Headquartered in St. Paul, Minnesota, Ecolab de-velops and markets programs, products, and services for the hospitality, food service, healthcare, industrial, and en-ergy markets.

The Sugar Land operation is the headquarters for the Global Energy Services Division of the company.

Nalco is the world’s leading water treatment and process improvement company. Their products and services provide environmentally safe solutions to oil and gas customers in many areas of production such as water and air quality mat-ters.

The company employs over 500 people in Sugar Land lo-cated on U.S. Highway 90A. This location has been in ser-vice since the 1920s.

“This project will help us bring together our people as one team, creating a critical mass of industry knowledge and a research and develop-ment powerhouse to better serve our customers,” Steve Taylor, president of Nalco Champion and an Ecolab ex-ecutive vice president, was

quoted as saying in a state-ment.

“The new headquarters building and related renova-tion also reaffi rms our contin-ued commitment to the City of Sugar Land, where our com-pany has long held a corporate presence.”

Nalco Champion expects to complete the new headquarters building in late 2015, Houston Business Journal reports.

In 2011, the company be-gan evaluating site location alternatives for further expan-sion of its global research and development headquarters, as well as the permanent head-quarters for the Global Energy Services Division.

In October 2012, the city of Sugar Land approved an economic development perfor-mance agreement with Nalco. An incentive payment of $2 million was to be paid in 5 sep-arate payments of $400,000 for each performance obligation identifi ed in the Performance Agreement.

As a part of the agreement the company promised to make their expansion in Sugar Land by purchasing 18-acres, add-

ing a new 100,000 square foot offi ce building, relocating the existing Union Pacifi c Rail-road crossing to their existing corporate offi ce complex, re-locating switching operations on the property, and relocating warehouse property in order to reconfi gure the operations. These modifi cations will allow Nalco to increase their offi ce space and parking as well as provide for expansion oppor-tunities for their Research and Development activities.

According to city offi cials, the economic impact of this expansion to the City included the following benefi ts:

• Add 220 new jobs with an average salary of $80,000 over the next 10 years

• Capital investment of $33 million

• Use 5,000 Sugar Land ho-tel room nights annually

The incentive was to be di-vided into 5 payments with each payment being contingent on the successful completion of each phase of the improve-ments. However, all improve-ments and performance ob-ligations must be completed within 10-years.

Nalco confi rms plans to build new headquarters in Sugar Land

cant experience in narcotics enforcement and violent crime abatement. Expertise he gained there and partnerships he has built here have resulted in helping the City reduce major crimes by more than 32 percent over the past fi ve years.

“If you think about how he has pushed and motivated the Police department to be-come one of the premier law-enforcement agencies in this state, if not in the country, it’s an amazing thing,” City Man-ager Edward Broussard said. “He led the paradigm shift to-ward community-oriented po-licing. The community knows who the police offi cers are.”

Fitzgerald is a 2010 win-ner of the NAACP President’s Award for his community po-licing work, and has been hon-ored for exceptional service as Chief of Police in Missouri City by the Texas State House of Representatives (Bill-HR 2121).

“I’m amazed at how many people I’ve run across that have met Joel and how impressed they are with him and what he’s done in Missouri City,” Staf-ford Police Chief Bobby Krahn said. “In Texas, a cowboy who throws a big loop gathers in a lot of people, and he has defi -nitely done that.”

Before departing, Fitzgerald announced Assistant Chief of Operations Mike Berezin as Interim Chief.

Berezin, well-known for his leadership and exemplary ser-vice, was promoted to his as-sistant chief position in 2011 and was in command of the Patrol and the Criminal Inves-tigation Divisions. He began his law enforcement career with the Missouri City Police Department in January 1989 as a Patrol Offi cer.

Interim Chief Mike Berezin has an exemplary record of ser-vice and succeeds Fitzgerald.

Chief Berezin has served as Field Training Offi cer, Crime Scene Investigator, Patrol Ser-geant, Patrol Lieutenant and Captain of the Patrol Division. In that position, he oversaw the department’s respected community outreach program through which supervisors are assigned to attend homeown-ers’ association meetings and collaborate with residents on crime prevention measures.

In 1990 he was honored as “Offi cer of the Year” by the Fort Bend County 100 Club; the award was also bestowed on him in 2001 by the 100 Club of Greater Houston.

Berezin is a graduate of the Leadership Command College at Sam Houston State Univer-sity in Huntsville, Texas, and of the 236th Session of the FBI National Academy in Quan-tico, Virginia. Missouri City is currently conducting a na-tionwide search for the Police Chief position.

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 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. Application to Mail at Periodicals Postage Prices is Pending at Stafford, Texas. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Fort Bend Independent, P.O. Box 623, Sugar Land, Tx 77487.

Fort Bend Friends and Neighbors hosted a holiday cereal drive benefi tting the Fort Bend County Women’s Center. Over 75 boxes of cereal were collected at the social club’s Decem-ber membership meeting and coffee social. Fort Bend Friends and Neighbors is a women’s social and philanthropic 501(c)7

organization that promotes charitable, social and humanitarian projects within Fort Bend County. Club membership is open to all women residing in Fort Bend County. For more information visit www.fbfn.org or email vpmembership@fbfn.org. (L to R) - Nancy Frank, FBFN President; Charlotte Guettner, second VP Coffees; and Carole Kanusky, FBFN fi rst VP Luncheons.

Over 20 Communitiesin the Houston Area!

Apple, the Apple logo and iPad are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. App Store is a service mark of Apple Inc. Offers, plans, prices and availability are subject to change without notice. (12/13)

Firethorne from the $220s - $590s 1,600 - 3,000 sq. ft. (281) 693-46772,700 - 3,900 sq. ft. (281) 693-01502,500 - 4,700 sq. ft. (281) 347-10203,000 - 4,900 sq. ft. (281) 693-46923,400 - 5,600 sq. ft. (281) 693-4502

Pine Mill Ranch from the $240s - $550s2,200 - 4,100 sq. ft. (281) 391-71712,500 - 4,700 sq. ft. (281) 347-77712,900 - 4,900 sq. ft. (281) 347-21213,400 - 5,600 sq. ft. (281) 392-4322

Cinco Ranch from the $320s - $350s2,500 - 3,000 sq. ft. (281) 693-0022

Cross Creek Ranch from the $320s - $500s2,500 - 3,400 sq. ft. (281) 633-25552,800 - 3,800 sq. ft. (281) 238-09193,000 - 4,200 sq. ft. (281) 633-8500

Westheimer Lakes from the $210s - $270s2,100 - 2,900 sq. ft. (832) 222-2120

The Reserve at Brazos Town Center from the $270s - $370s2,500 - 4,700 sq. ft. (281) 238-0770

RiverPark West from the $240s - $340s2,100 - 3,600 sq. ft. (281) 344-0258

Aliana from the $270s - $380s2,100 - 2,800 sq. ft. (281) 207-90022,500 - 3,100 sq. ft. (281) 207-6656

Riverstone from the $330s - $530s2,200 - 3,400 sq. ft. (281) 778-21003,000 - 4,200 sq. ft. (281) 778-3840

Sienna Plantation from the $350s - $640s 2,500 - 4,200 sq. ft. (281) 778-15443,400 - 5,600 sq. ft. (281) 778-7800

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Creekmont from the $190s - $330s1,600 - 3,100 sq. ft. (281) 431-86002,500 - 4,200 sq. ft. (281) 972-9210

Southlake from the $270s - $650s2,500 - 4,700 sq. ft. (713) 340-01413,000 - 4,200 sq. ft. (713) 340-20194,200 - 5,300 sq. ft. (713) 340-2019

Southern Trails from the $280s - $410s2,500 - 4,100 sq. ft. (713) 413-88823,000 - 4,200 sq. ft. (713) 413-8882

Shadow Creek Ranch from the $210s - $400s1,800 - 3,000 sq. ft. (713) 436-78802,400 - 3,600 sq. ft. (713) 436-87513,000 - 4,900 sq. ft. (713) 436-1550

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Page 2 • INDEPENDENT • JANUARY 8, 2014

FORT BEND SPOTLIGHT

Varicose veins can be unsight-ly and may cause discomfort or pain. In some cases, they can even lead to serious health prob-lems.

Understanding more about varicose veins can help you de-cide how to better deal with them. Ulises Baltazar, M.D., board certifi ed vascular surgeon with Houston Methodist Car-diovascular Surgery Associates, answers some commonly asked questions.

Q: What are varicose veins?A: They are enlarged veins

that may be blue, red or fl esh-colored and occur most often in the legs. They may appear twist-ed and bulging and may be raised above the surface of the skin.

Q: What causes them?A: Varicose veins may be

caused by weak, damaged, de-formed or missing valves in the veins. Your leg muscles push blood back to the heart against gravity. Normally, valves in your veins keep your blood fl owing forward to return it to your heart. But if the valves aren’t working properly, blood can leak back into the veins and pool there. When backed-up blood makes the veins bigger, they can be-come varicose.

Q: How common are they?A: Varicose veins affect half

of people 50 years and older. They are more common among older people, people who are overweight or obese, those who sit or stand for long periods, and women.

Q: When should I see a health care provider about varicose veins?

A: You should seek treatment if varicose veins cause pain or aching; a vein is red, swollen, very tender or warm to the touch; the skin on your calf and ankle becomes thick and changes col-or, or has sores; a varicose vein begins to bleed; or your symp-toms interfere with your daily activities.

Q: How are varicose veins treated?

A: Varicose Veins are treated in the following ways:•Self-care— Getting regular ex-ercise that uses the legs; eating a low-salt, high-fi ber diet; main-taining a healthy weight; and el-evating your legs when resting may help ease pain and keep var-icose veins from getting worse. •Compression stockings— Over-the-counter or prescription-strength compression stockings squeeze your legs, helping blood

move more effi ciently.•Sclerotherapy— A doctor in-jects a solution into the veins that scars and closes them. In a few weeks, the veins should fade away, but additional treatments may be required. This procedure may be used for small or medi-um-size varicose veins.•Laser treatment— Very strong bursts of light are sent through the skin to the veins, making them slowly fade and disappear. This is usually only effective for small veins.•Catheter-assisted procedures— A doctor threads a tiny tube called a catheter into a vein, then uses either radiofrequency or la-ser energy (heat) at the tip of the

catheter to close off and seal the vein as the catheter is removed. This treatment is effective for large varicose veins.•Ambulatory phlebectomy— This is another surgical pro-cedure that involves removing veins through small incisions, but only the parts of the leg that will be pricked are numbed with anesthesia.•Vein stripping— A long vein is surgically removed through small incisions; general anes-thesia is often required. This procedure is usually reserved for very large veins. You don’t have to live with the discomfort and embarrassment of varicose veins. For an appointment with Dr. Baltazar, call 281-240-8400.

FREE VEIN SEMINARJoin us on Tuesday, January 21 at 6 p.m. for a free vein semi-nar at Houston Methodist Sugar Land Hospital’s conference cen-ter. Seminar will be presented by Dr. Ulises Baltazar, who will be speaking about the causes, symptoms, who is at risk, treat-ments and prevention of varicose and spider veins. Registration required. Call 281-274-7500 or register online at houston-methodist.org/events.

Free varicose and spider vein seminar

Ulises Baltazar, M.D.

JANUARY 8, 2014 • INDEPENDENT • Page 3

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believeth in him should not perish,

but have everlasting life. (John 3:16)

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The United Way of Greater Houston in partnership with Neighborhood Centers, Inc. will be providing FREE income tax preparation beginning Jan. 23 at the United Way Fort Bend County Service Center at 10435 Greenbough Drive in Stafford. Tax Center operating hours are Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays 10 a.m. – 7 p.m. and Saturdays 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. Clients are also able to take advantage of United Way SAVE, a tax time matched savings program that allows clients to save $100-$1,000 of their refund in a savings account until January 2015 and receive a 25% match on their savings. Clients are accepted as walk-ins on fi rst-come fi rst serve basis. Must meet income requirements. Call 281-207-2300 or 2-1-1 Texas/United Way help line for more information.

Elkins HS VIPS/PTO is holding a clothing drive fundraiser. Clean out your closets and drop off your items at the Lowes in Missouri City parking lot from 9 a.m-1p.m on Saturday, Jan. 18. Donate any condition USED or like new clothing (all sizes), tow-els, sheets, pillowcases, comforters, purses, belts, bags, small toys, stuffed animals, any fabric or material. The items will be sold to a textile recycling company to raise funds to beautify the Elkins HS patio and to purchase a digital marquee. Elkins PTO/VIPS is an organization working to help make Elkins HS the best it can be for our community and our students. Items can be donated before Jan. 18 at Elkins HS during school hours. To fi nd additional early drop off locations or for more information, visit www.elkinsvips.org

Sugar Land will partner with the Fort Bend Chamber of Com-merce to present a State of the City Address focusing on the City’s 2013 accomplishments. This is the sixth year that the City has presented an annual summary of activities to citi-zens.

The community is invited to attend the program to be held Jan. 24 at the Sugar Land Marri-ott Hotel and Conference Center, located at 16090 City Walk at the corner of U.S. Highway 59 and State Highway 6.

Breakfast will be served at 7:30 a.m., followed at 8 a.m. with a dynamic presentation of 2013 Sugar Land achieve-ments. Some of these include the following:

*In fiscal year 2013, Sugar Land announced several sig-nifi cant relocations, including Fortune 500 fi rms that operate internationally as well as other national and local fi rms. These combined projects will result in more than $23 million in new capital investment, 1,225 new and 150 retained jobs for the City and more than 266,000 square feet of newly constructed or newly leased space.

*Sugar Land approved a de-sign contract and a construction manager at risk agreement for a new performing arts center. The approximate 6,500-seat venue will be located on a por-tion of 38.5 acres of City-own property in the Telfair commer-cial district, southeast of U.S. Highway 59 and University Boulevard.

*The City’s new $69 million

surface water treatment plant near the intersection of Voss and Burney Road was complet-ed. The plant has the distinction of the being the largest capital improvement project ever com-pleted by the City.

*Baseball attendance at Con-stellation Field exceeded pro-jections and was the highest in the Atlantic League. In 2013, attendance for baseball and non-baseball events was 55 percent higher than originally projected with more than 478,000 attend-ees. Constellation Field realized a signifi cant increase in usage for special events in 2013 with more than 88,000 attendees for non-baseball events that in-cluded festivals, charity events, sports tournaments, company events and corporate meetings. A feasibility study performed in 2009 projected average annual attendance for ballgames and non-baseball events of 300,000 visitors. Using this benchmark study data, City planners fore-cast an annual benefit to the City of $7.7 million or a return of $169 million to the economy over 30 years.

Priorities during 2014 will include a continued develop-ment of a performing arts center; implementation of 2013 voter-approved bond projects (i.e., hike and bike trails, Brazos River Park and a festival site); drainage and land-use updates; and the creation of a Sugar Land Fire Department ambulance transport system.

Register for the State of the City Address at www.fortbend-chamber.com.

The Land Use Forum -- a six-part speakers’ series highlighting land-use topics such as housing choices, development of activity centers and redevelopment of aging commercial areas in Sugar Land -- is scheduled to begin Jan. 15.

The series is open to the public and will include discussions im-portant to the City’s ongoing efforts to update its Land Use Plan, a document that provides policy guidance and identifi es future efforts necessary to accomplish the City’s land use goals and objectives.

The fi rst three sessions will be held at Sugar Land City Hall, 2700 Town Center Boulevard Drive, at 6 p.m., and will cover the following topics:

.A Changing City: Demographics and the Marketplace - Jan. 15

.Attracting Employers to Sugar Land - Jan. 29

.Town Square and Beyond: Creating Places for Community - Feb. 12The presentations will highlight areas important to the near- and

long-term future of Sugar Land and will include featured speakers, community roundtable discussions and opportunities to provide input.

Details about future forums covering “Housing Choices for a Successful City,” “Mobility and Land Use” and “Sustaining Vi-brant Communities Through Redevelopment” will be announced in the near future.

For more information about the Land Use Plan update and the upcoming Land Use Forum series, visit www.sugarlandtx.gov/landuseplan or email longrangeplanning@sugarlandtx.gov.

Senior Field Trip to Coushatta Casino Resort on Feb. 25

On Tuesday, Feb. 25, Missouri City will offer seniors in the area a chance to enjoy a day of fun at the Coushatta Casino Resort.

Citizens interested in participating in the City’s annual Senior Field Trip will meet at the Recreation and Tennis Center, 2701 Cypress Point Dr., at 7:30 a.m. and will return at 8 p.m. The trans-portation cost for this exciting trip is $10, and interested citizens can sign up at the Recreation and Tennis Center.

The Coushatta Casino Resort, located in Kinder, Louisiana, fea-tures a 100,000-square-foot gaming fl oor, six fabulous restaurants, live entertainment and more. For more information, visit www.coushattacasinoresort.com.

All trip participants are responsible for their expenses and the trip will require walking short distances at the casino.

For more information, visit the City website: www.missourici-tytx.gov.

The University of Texas MD Anderson Regional Care Center in Sugar Land sponsors the Breast Friends Focus and Support group for Fort Bend and surrounding communities, and the next meeting will be Tuesday, Jan. 14.

The breast cancer support group is hosted at the St. Luke’s Sugar Land Hospital campus and takes place on the second Tuesday of each month from 6:30 to 8 p.m.

Meetings are open to all breast cancer patients or sur-

vivors, regardless of where they are receiving or received treatment.

Breast Friends facilitator Lori Lord, MSN, RN, a nurse navigator at the M.D. Anderson Regional Care Center in Sugar Land, schedules speakers for the monthly meetings who support, uplift and empower patients as they go through this challenging time.

After the brief presentation, a group discussion follows as well as a question and answer period and light refreshments.

MD Anderson physicians from the Regional Care Center in Sugar Land attend each meeting to answer questions.

Meetings take place in the first floor conference room of the St. Luke’s Sugar Land campus at 1327 Lake Pointe Parkway.

No preregistration is required. For more information contact Lori Lord at 281-566-1857.

The MD Anderson Regional Care Center in Sugar Land, located on the campus of St. Luke’s Sugar Land Hospital,

provides specialized surgical, medical and radiation oncology services; outpatient chemo-therapy; social work counseling; and onsite pharmacy, nutrition, pain management and labora-tory services.

For more information about the event, visit www.Facebook.com/MDAndersonSugarLand. To learn more about the MD Anderson Regional Care Cen-ter in Sugar Land, visit www.MDAnderson.org/SugarLand.

Sugar Land breast cancer support group “Breast Friends” to meet Jan. 14

Sugar Land Land Use Forum begins Jan. 15

Sugar Land to address 2013 accomplishments, vision for the future

Free income tax preparation

ABWA Fort Bend ChapterNew Year, New Location

Jan. 9, Sugar Land Marriott in Town SquareLocated 16090 City Walk (59 @ HWY 6)

Burning Pear Restaurant.Special guest speaker Gaylyn Devine

National Secretary Treasurer.Networking 5:30 - 6:30 pm

Meeting 6:30 - 8:00 pmSpecial guest speaker Gaylyn Devine National ABWA Secretary Treasurer.

Contact: Donna_Carlisle@yahoo.com

Scholarship Applications are available to be filled out and submitted by Feb. 10, 2014. A transcript which includes the Fall 2013 classes must be ordered from the University. Applications can be found on our website: http://fortbendmoms.aggienetwork.com.

Please contact Barbara Nachlas 281-242-7743 Or Debbie Cortez 281-491-5287. Next meeting is on Jan. 13, at 7 p.m. at the Imperial Park recreation Center, 234 Matlage Way, Sugar Land.

Clean out your closets for Elkins High School VIPS/PTO

Aggie Moms scholarship application

Lacrosse is the fastest grow-ing sport in Texas and the oldest sport in North America. It was played by Native Americans across much of the continent since before Columbus. Today, the sight of children sprinting across green fields cradling lacrosse sticks is not an uncom-mon one, especially not in local Sienna Plantation, and certainly not to head coach and co-found-er of the Panthers Lacrosse Club, Glenn Reitman.

Reitman says “Lacrosse is growing quickly in Texas be-cause it’s fast paced, exciting, and is a lot of fun.” Others have commented that due to the ath-leticism required, it is attracting some of the best junior athletes in the area. The Sienna Panthers Club is one of the most rapidly expanding clubs in the state with over 200 players including

a newly formed girl’s team. The league is run entirely

by devoted volunteers consist-ing of 30 coaches and three administrators who work hard to ensure that the league runs smoothly and that it provides an excellent experience for the players. In addition to the fun and excitement Lacrosse fosters,

it creates other opportunities in the form of college scholarships and even professional careers.

One of the best aspects of the Club is that it encourages its players and families to be in-volved in the “lacrosse family”. This fosters a sense of unity, community, and instills in the players a sense of honor, pride,

sportsmanship and hard work. When you combine the ex-

citement and challenges of the sport with the care and devotion being poured into it, one can readily appreciate why so many families fall in love with the sport.Visit www.1-extradollar.org.

—By Lauren Guzaldo

Sienna’s Panther Lacrosse

By BARBARA J. CARLSONSome ponder, “So what

happened that Obamacare be-came such a mess? What went wrong?”

Others say, “It’s a success!” From a business perspective, well, it was a failure from the start.

Where did the CBO collect its data as to the future decade costs?

The CBO has grossly fore-casted inaccurate numbers for, well, far too long with no ac-countability.

The essential planning nev-er happened in instituting gov-ernment’s historically mas-sive “business model” called Obamacare.

No one weighed the impor-tance of Project Management and its success in the business arena. Corporations are forced to consider Enterprise Envi-ronmental Factors, such as government regulations that must be adhered to while this “project” never did.

Critical questions were nev-er asked in the initial planning process.

Critical questions should have been utilized from what is known as “Expert Judg-ment” in the Project Manage-ment world.

Key Factors:(1) We had the opportunity

in our very own backyard to reach out to the smartest soft-ware gurus and technology wizards for this project, yet not one of them was utilized. Instead, an outside company (with a failed record) was giv-en our country’s costliest and most intellectual project.

The key stakeholders (with the most at risk and invest-ment) would have not accept-ed their private data not only to be potentially distributed on a global scale but also now a

haven for hackers and identity theft because of multiple secu-rity breaches that weren’t put into place with 10-year-old software.

Because of a total lack of expertise, communication and an experienced Project Man-ager, this project has only be-gun to allow “transparency” into a problem that will evolve into crisis mode.

(2) Insurance experts weren’t approached. Any in-surance expert would have ad-vised that basing the costliest model on the youth funding this project (or dependency) was, well, a failed objective from the start.

Industrywide actuarial data proves why the youth’s rates are low. They are often the healthiest and thus rewarded for their health (least risk), but they also consider themselves the “invincible” population and don’t take insurance seri-ously during their youth.

Expecting this demographic to “pick up” the bulk of the cost of the most mismanaged and costliest government proj-ect was, well, Project Man-agement 101 failure from the start.

(3) Fuzzy Math at its worst. Key stakeholders would have demanded accountability ear-

ly on. If a supposed 30M were to now have healthcare (which is already covered under Med-icaid) but 5M have now lost their coverage and doctors are already fl eeing their prac-tices or downsizing their cli-ent base, the project model is grossly failing. Objectives are not being met.

A project that runs in nega-tive numbers is doomed to fail.

Shifting the CBO’s $17T “estimate” of Medicare dol-lars (paying insured) to now Medicaid (unpaid noninsured) in unfunded liabilities over the next decade, well, is beyond absurd fi scal irresponsibility and has created a failed proj-ect. A successful project in the business world ends positive-ly. It should come as no sur-prise that Medicaid will reach crisis level.

During the entire Project Management cycle, the key stakeholders—the American public in this instance—are required to be apprised of the risks they have “invested” in the project.

Not only did Congress not write the entire law before it was passed but didn’t bother to read it, digest its devastat-ing effect and broadcast such to all of its shareholders, but then its Project Managers (White House and Kathleen Sebelius and her staff) refused to keep the American people apprised of what was transpir-ing.

In retrospect, if this proj-ect had been run as a business model in the real world, this project would have been shut down long ago because it was failing from the start.

Honesty and integrity are key characteristics that a Proj-ect Manager must possess in order to build the trust and

have an excellent working re-lationship with its key stake-holders.

Proper testing before launch wasn’t conducted, multiple meetings over the entire three years were void, communica-tion was void and hiring and working with experts never occurred.

If a Project Manager had testifi ed before the Energy and Commerce Committee, call-ing for an investigation of her very own project, well, in the business world, Kathleen Se-belius would no longer be an employable Project Manager.

The Project Manager’s con-tinual “extensions” of a project date is inexcusable and virtu-ally guarantees its failure. Key stakeholders in the business world would have demanded accountability long ago.

What key stakeholder in any single business model would authorize such a mas-sive project with the worst mismanagement possible, exorbitant costs of $400M so far in getting a website up and halfway running, and a running tab that is still murky with the end result that their rates already have tripled (and will continue to escalate) and the key stakeholder will no longer be in charge of his/her medical decisions with a man-dated annual cost?

Every key stakeholder in the business world would fi re the Project Manager and its entire staff immediately, law-suits would be swirling with possible criminal charges and demand for repayment of their investments would be ful-fi lled.

This failed project needed to be shut down long ago. For comments, contact Bar-bara J. Carlson at bcarlson@fbindependent.com.

By BASIL HOUSEWRIGHT, JR.Today more than ever, Tex-

ans have many options when it comes to buying homeowners insurance. It pays to take ad-vantage of companies compet-ing for your business and shop around to fi nd the best policy to meet your insurance needs. These tips will help you do just that:

Shop AroundBefore you sign on the dot-

ted line, get quotes from sever-al providers and compare pre-miums. You may ask friends and colleagues for referrals or enlist the help of an Indepen-dent Insurance Agent who can present policy and price op-tions from several companies. Remember to consider more than cost when choosing an insurer. Policy coverage and customer service should be a priority as well.

Determine Your Coverage Needs

You should buy enough coverage to avoid a major fi nancial loss if your home and belongings are com-pletely destroyed and have to be replaced or rebuilt. Since construction costs change, homeowners should reassess “replacement costs” annually to be sure they’re fully cov-ered. Buying a policy which has too low of coverage limits to cover the current replace-ment cost of your home could lead to a fi nancial disaster if you suffer a major loss. Avoid Insurance Agents selling very low coverage limits, as this is very unprofessional advice.

Rethink Your DeductibleA deductible is the pre-

determined amount you pay

before the insurance company starts to pay for your loss. To keep your premiums as low as possible, you should choose the highest deductible you can afford in case of a loss.

Ask About DiscountsMany companies offer dis-

counts if you proactively pro-tect your home against a loss. You may get a lower premium if you have a home security system, smoke detectors, fi re extinguishers or an impact resistant roof. You may also qualify for a discount if you buy your auto, fl ood and homeowners insurance from the same provider.Know the Cost Factors for

Insurance PremiumsSeveral factors can affect

the cost of your premium, including the county where you live, the level of fi re pro-tection available such as the distance to the closest fi re sta-tion, the construction type and condition of your home, and current construction costs. Se-vere Texas weather, fraud, and the rising cost of lawsuits also drive up the cost of insurance in Texas.

Maintain Good CreditCredit information is one

of many factors used by most insurers to determine insur-ance premiums because of the proven relationship between credit and the risk of claimed losses. It is important to main-tain good credit and monitor your credit history.

You can get a copy of your credit report by contacting the three main credit bureaus:Experian www.experian.comEquifax www.equifax.comTransUnion www.transunion.com

Make Common Sense Claims

Once you’ve chosen an in-surer, remember that insur-ance is for major losses, not regular maintenance of your home. Taking care of your house and using common sense with claims will keep your premiums in check.

Ask for HelpAsk for help from local In-

dependent Insurance Agents and their customer service representatives who are there to help you choose the best policy for your home. Don’t be afraid to ask questions, as your home is most likely your largest single investment so it is wise to insure it properly.

Basil Housewright is man-ager of Texans Insurance & Financial Group, Inc a local Independent Insurance Agen-cy operating in Sugar Land since 1991. He can be reached at (281) 277-7800, Fax (281) 277-7801, E-Mail – basil@texansinsure.com. For additional insurance info visit www.texansinsure.com.

Page 4 • INDEPENDENT • JANUARY 8, 2014

OpinionINSURANCEShopping for homeowners insurance

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GUEST COLUMNA business perspective on‘Affordable healthcare’

Deron Harrington an-nounced on Jan. 6 that he plans to seek election for Po-sition 4 of the Fort Bend ISD Board of Trustees.

Harrington said, “As a Trustee, I will work tirelessly to fully reconnect the district back to the values held by the true owners of this district, --- this community. In addi-tion, I will proactively work to foster trust and teamwork while performing this posi-tion with a servant’s heart. I am well aware of the sig-nifi cant challenges facing FBISD but I fi rmly believe we can unlock the potential of this school district and I am fully committed to work-ing on that.”

Harrington, 45, has been married to his wife, Dede, over twenty-two years. They have lived in Sienna Plan-tation over fourteen years. They have two children who are attending FBISD and one daughter who is a recent graduate of FBISD. Dede Harrington is an educator and currently teaches Kin-dergarten within FBISD.

Deron further stated “The very nature of a school board

Deron Harrington to seek FBISD School Board

at large position 4

Dawn Zell Wright, a com-munity leader in Fort Bend County, devoted Republican, and experienced attorney, has announces her campaign for the Offi ce of District At-torney.

Dawn and her husband, Greg, are residents of Fort Bend County and proud par-ents to Rebekah, (age 8) and Nicholas, (age 5).

Dawn is the principal of Zell Wright Law Offi ces, PLLC in Richmond, Texas, practicing Criminal Law, in-cluding felony, misdemeanor, juvenile, and post-conviction law.

In addition, Wright has more than 10 years of ex-perience handling Human Resources and Labor/Em-ployment matters. Accord-ingly, Wright is up for the challenges of managing an offi ce of over 100 employees and making the tough, but ap-propriate decisions that have to be made as the head of an agency tasked with prosecut-ing those who threaten the safety of the community we all enjoy.

“It’s about justice and fair-

Dawn Zell Wright challenges John Healey in Republican Primary

Wright

ness,” said Wright. “Holding the Offi ce of Dis-

trict Attorney requires being tough on crime, but that tough-ness must be met with fair-ness. Currently, the District Attorney’s Offi ce has sat by while other counties have been proactive in ensuring accused citizens’ rights. For example, when John Healey was noti-fi ed by The Texas Department of Public Safety that one of its analysts falsifi ed thousands of reports, calling into question hundreds of Fort Bend County convictions, he did nothing while the District Attorneys in our adjoining counties took

great measures to right the wrong those harmed by the falsifi ed reports suffered, in-cluding long prison sentences where no credible evidence existed.

“Hiding evidence, selective prosecution and a ‘conviction at any cost’ mentality is what led to the wrongful conviction and 25 years of incarceration Michael Morton endured in Williamson County. If we don’t take immediate action, our county risks repeating the injustice bestowed upon Mr. Morton.

“While fairness is a principle of utmost importance in met-ing out justice, the rights of vic-tims and the cost to the taxpay-ers must also be kept in mind. Right now, the wheels of jus-tice are at an almost stand-still.

“It’s not unusual for a defen-dant awaiting trial in Fort Bend County to spend at least two years in our County Jail, a cost borne by the taxpayers, and agonizingly endured by crime victims. Trials should be had in a year or less. Justice must be served swiftly and effi cient-ly to ensure our citizens’ safety and prosperity.

“Our county needs a District Attorney who ensures the in-tegrity of the prosecutorial pro-cess,” Wright said. “That pro-cess requires the discretion to demand the stiffest sentences for our most dangerous crimi-nals while balancing the need for fairness and understanding for those who make mistakes. I’m running for District Attor-ney because it is time for the District Attorney’s Offi ce to be fair, balanced and dedicated to protecting the citizens of Fort Bend County.”

election calls on the commu-nity to perform its solemn re-sponsibility to elect well quali-fi ed and genuine candidates to carry out productive oversight that guides our professional educators for the benefi t of our children and this community. I am respectfully requesting the voters of this community for the opportunity to contrib-ute in that necessary and vital role.”

Deron Harrington is an At-torney and Certifi ed Public Accountant. He has twenty-three years of professional ex-perience serving in executive and fi nancial roles within fi ve FORTUNE 500® organiza-tions, in public accounting, and in the practice of law. He founded Harrington, Carbone & Allison, LLP, a CPA fi rm specializing in tax compliance and operates the Law Offi ce of Deron R. Harrington.

Mr. Harrington holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration from Oklahoma State Univer-sity and a Juris Doctorate from South Texas College of Law. He is a member of numerous professional organizations and has served nine years in the U.S. Army Reserve and Na-tional Guard. Deron and Dede, have served, and continue to serve, in various pro-bono, volunteer, and faith-based roles in support of children.

To learn more about Deron Harrington visit http://www.deron4fbisd.com. The elec-tion for the FBISD Board of Trustees is Saturday, May 10. Early voting is April 28 through May 6.

Harrington

INDEPENDENT • JANUARY 8, 2014 • Page 5

News

A Program for Everyone

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NOTICE OF CONSTABLES SALE

THE STATE OF TEXAS

COUNTY OF FORT BEND

By virtue of an Order of Sale issued out of the Honorable 400TH DISTRICT COURT of FORT BEND County on the 19TH day of DECEMBER, 2013, by the Clerk thereof, in thecase of FORT BEND COUNTY VS. JAMES BELL, ET AL in Cause # 13- DCV-205316

and to me, as CONSTABLE directed and delivered, I will proceed to sell, at 10:00 0’ Clock AM on the 4th day of February, 2014, which is the fIrst Tuesday of said month, at the Fort Bend County Justice Center Parking Garage, 1418 Eugene Heimann Circle, Richmond, Texas, Level I of the Parking Garage at the South End, West Corner, near Stairway “B” of the Courthouse of said FORT BEND County, in the City of RICHMOND, Texas, the following described property, to wit: TRACT 1: GEO: 7835000070090901

LOT 9 IN BLOCK 7 OF THE CITY OF ROSENBERG, A SUBDIVISION IN FORT BEND

COUNTY, TEXAS, ACCORDING TO THE MAP OR PLAT THEREOF RECORDED IN

VOLUME ‘P’, PAGE 16 OF THE MAP RECORDS OF FORT BEND COUNTY, TEXAS.

Levied on 20TH December, 2013 as the property of GERTRUDE DAVIS AKA GERTRUDE FREELON DAVIS, CLEMONS DAVIS AKA CLIMON DAVIS, JAMES BELL to satisfy a judgment amounting to $1,081.13 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 CITY OF ROSENBERG, FORT BEND COUNTY, FORT BEND COUNTY DRAINAGE DISTRICT, LAMAR CONSOLIDATED INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT AND FORT BEND COUNTY GENERAL FUND.GIVEN UNDER MY HAND THIS 20th day of December, 2013.

A.J. DORR, CONSTABLE , PRECINCT 1, FORT BEND COUNTY, TEXASBy CPL. MIKE BEARD, DEPUTY

NOTICE OF CONSTABLES SALE

THE STATE OF TEXAS

COUNTY OF FORT BEND

By virtue of an Order of Sale issued out of the Honorable 400TH DISTRICT COURT of FORT BEND County on the 19TH day of DECEMBER, 2013, by the Clerk thereof, in the case of NEEDVILLE

INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT

VS. SALOMON HERNANDEZ, ET

AL in Cause # 12- DCV-200255 and to me, as CONSTABLE directed and delivered, I will proceed to sell, at 10:00 0’ Clock AM on the 4th day of February, 2014, which is the fi rst Tuesday of said month, at the Fort Bend County Justice Center Parking Garage, 1418 Eugene Heimann Circle, Richmond, Texas, Level I of the Parking Garage at the South End, West Corner, near Stairway “B” of the Courthouse of said FORT BEND County, in the City of RICHMOND, Texas, the following described property, to wit: TRACT 1: GEO: 0449000000020906

11.25 ACRES OF LAND OUT OF

A 94.649 ACRE TRACT OF LAND

IN THE DAY LAND AND CATTLE

COMPANY SURVEY, ABSTRACT 449,

AS RECORDED IN VOLUME 2569,

PAGE 1365 OF THE DEED RECORDS

OF FORT BEND COUNTY, TEXAS

AND IN THE C. LONGLEY SURVEY

ABSTRACT 739.

Levied on 20TH December, 2013 as the property of SALOMON HERNANDEZ, YOLANDA HERNANDEZ, to satisfy a judgment amounting to $3,547.72 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 NEEDVILLE INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT, WHARTON COUNTY JUNIOR COLLEGE, FORT BEND COUNTY DRAINAGE DISTRICT, FORT BEND COUNTY GENERAL FUND AND FORT BEND COUNTY LATERAL ROAD AND FLOOD CONTROL.

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

GIVEN UNDER MY HAND THIS 20th day of December, 2013.

A.J. DORR, CONSTABLE , PRECINCT 1, FORT BEND COUNTY, TEXAS

By CPL. MIKE BEARD, DEPUTY

The Spirit of Freedom Republican Women’s Club will host Ryan Johnson. The meeting will take place Fri-day, January 17th, at Sugar Creek Baptist Church Cha-pel at 13213 SW Freeway, Sugar Land from 11 a.m to 1 p.m. An RSVP is required by Wednesday, Jan 15th. The cost of lunch is $7 (cash or check payable that morning). Please specify if you plan to eat or just attend to info@spiritof-freedomwomen.com or call or text President Debbie Fancher at 281-543-3195.

Ryan Johnson serves as an ambassador for Alliance De-fending Freedom ministry. Al-liance Defending Freedom is a servant ministry building an alliance to keep the door open for the spread of the Gospel by transforming the legal system and advocating for religious liberty, the sanctity of life, and marriage and family. Recog-nizing the need for a strong, coordinated legal defense against growing attacks on re-ligious freedom, more than 30

Baptist Church approximately 14 years. He also serves as a Precinct Chairman for the Re-publican Party in Fort Bend County. During his tenure, he has served on various com-mittees and chaired the Voter Registration and Outreach Committee. He has also at-

tended several State Conven-tions as a delegate.

For upcoming meetings or more information about the club check SFRW’s website www.spiritoffreedomwomen.com or email Debbie Fancher at info@spiritoffreedomwom-en.com

prominent Christian leaders launched Alliance Defending Freedom in 1994. Over the past 18 years, this unique legal ministry has brought together thousands of Christian attor-neys and like-minded organi-zations that work tirelessly to advocate for the right of peo-ple to freely live out their faith in America and around the world. Mr. Johnson has been married for 21 years to Val-erie and they have three chil-dren. He and his family have been members of Sugar Creek

Johnson

Ryan Johnson, Ambassador for Alliance defending freedom to speak at Spirit of Freedom meeting

Fort Bend County Crime Stoppers, Inc. will pay a cash reward for information lead-ing to the arrest and convic-tion of two subjects who shot and killed a dog on New Year’s Eve.

At 3:40 p.m., Tuesday, Dec. 31, 2013, deputies were called to an address in the 19200 block of Beechnut St. in the Richmond area con-cerning the shooting death of the caller’s dog.

The dog’s owner said he was walking his 4-year-old Labrador Retriever along a retention pond in the unde-veloped area when two peo-ple approached the man and his dog on four-wheel ATVs. He said they were not more than 10 feet away from him, but were close to the dog. He was stunned when the driver of the red four-wheeler pulled a silver-colored gun and shot the dog. The dog was only wounded and was whining, and then the suspect shot the animal one more time.

The two suspects sped past the dog’s owner and took off toward Beechnut Street.

The dog’s owner loaded his pet into his truck, but the Lab died on the way home.

The fi rst suspect is de-scribed as wearing a red jacket and a red helmet and riding a red ATV.

The second suspect was wearing a camoufl age jacket and a green helmet and his ATV was green. The dog’s owner could not determine race or age since the two sus-pects’ faces were covered.

However, he said both had full riding gear, including rid-ing boots made for ATVs.

Information which leads to the apprehension and fi ling of charges on the suspects in-volved could earn a reward of up to $5,000.

Call Fort Bend County Sheriff’s Offi ce at 281-341-4665, Fort Bend Crime Stop-pers, Inc. at 281-342-TIPS (8477) or text plus the tip to CRIMES (274637). Tips also can be submitted online at www.fortbend-tx-crimestop-pers.org. All calls to Crime Stoppers are anonymous.

Reward offered for catching dog killers

The BetterInvesting Hous-ton Chapter Southwest Model Club will meet Thursday, Jan. 16, from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. The meeting will be held in the HEB community room (530 Hwy. 6, Sugar Land, Univer-sity Blvd. and Highway 6) The Model Club is an operat-ing club where members of the club will make decisions every month on buys-holds-sells, as well as provide edu-cational programs. The club will be led/assisted by direc-tors of the BI Houston Chap-ter. Additionally, it is open to all BI members, as well as the public. BetterInvesting was founded in 1951 with the mission to provide a program of sound investment informa-tion, education, and support that helps create successful lifetime investors. Anyone who has an interest in build-ing wealth is encouraged to attend. For more information, contact Joe Parks: joep@biv-ab.betterinvesting.net or visit www.betterinvesting.org.

Investing club meeting

FORT BEND REAL ESTATE

Meadows Place • Meadowhollow • 4/2/2

$154,500$154,500

Meadows Place • Dorrance • 4/2/2

$156,000$156,000

Meadows Place•Sturdivant•4/2.5/2

$159,900$159,900

Anita Milne281-413-9732

Beard Realty Group

Parkglen • Whittingham • 3/2/2

$99,000$99,000

Meadows Place • Brighton • 3/2.5/2Meadows Place • Meadowhollow • 4/2/2

$159,900$159,900

Knowledgeable! Experienced!Hardworking!Competitive!

Action Oriented!MilneAnita@yahoo.com

$157,500$157,500

Also forLease

Reduced

Reduced

SOLD SOLDFor All Your Real Estate NeedsCall Arlene Rolsen CRS, Realtor

(281) 414-8400www.ArleneRolsen.com

First Colony SL•$1,499,000•4/31/2/3 38CB Riverstone SL•$1,199,000•5/5+11/2/3 4CC

Telfair SL•$1,050,000•5/41/2/3 7514T

Page 6 • INDEPENDENT • JANUARY 8, 2014

Meadows Place • Meadowhollow • 4/2/2

$154,900$154,900

Meadows Place • Dorrance • 4/2/2

$156,000$156,000

Covington West • Greenway • 4/3/2

$172,500$172,500

Anita Milne281-413-9732

Beard Realty Group

Sharpstown • La Rouche • 4/2/2

$139,000$139,000

Meadows Place • Brighton • 3/2.5/2Meadows Place • Meadowhollow • 4/2/2

$159,900$159,900

Knowledgeable! Experienced!Hardworking!Competitive!

Action Oriented!MilneAnita@yahoo.com

$157,500$157,500

Reduced

SOLDFor All Your Real Estate NeedsCall Arlene Rolsen CRS, Realtor

(281) 414-8400www.ArleneRolsen.com

First Colony SL•$1,499,000•4/31/2/3 38CB Riverstone SL•$1,199,000•5/5+11/2/3 4CC

First Colony SL•$179,000•2/2/Condo4144GTelfair SL•$1,050,000•5/41/2/3 7514T

LEGAL NOTICEREQUESTS FOR STATEMENTS OF

QUALIFICATIONS

Sealed Qualifi cation Statements will be received in the Offi ce of Gilbert D. Jalomo, Jr., County Purchasing Agent, Fort Bend County, William B. Travis Annex, 301 Jackson, Suite 201, Richmond, TX 77469 for the following until THURSDAY, JANUARY 16, 2014 AT 1:30 P.M. (CST). All submissions will then be opened in the Offi ce of the Purchasing Agent, Travis Annex, 301 Jackson, Suite 201, Richmond, TX 77469 and the names of the fi rms made public. Submissions received after the specifi ed time will be returned unopened. Solicitation and any and all addendums will be posted on Purchasing Agent’s website located at www.fortbendcountytx.gov Q14-025 – PROFESSIONAL SERVICES RELATED TO ROADWAY, DRAINAGE AND INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS

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

PUBLIC HEARING NOTICEThe Commissioners Court of Fort Bend County, Texas has set a public hearing at 1:00 p.m. on Tuesday, January 28, 2014 for Texana Plantation, Section 4, Partial Replat No. 1, Precinct 3. The hearing will be held in the Commissioners Courtroom at 401 Jackson Street, Second Floor, Richmond, Texas.Under state law, you the owner, have certain rights with respect to the proposed replat. Should you wish to exercise your right, you may be heard at the planned public hearing. You may contact Chris Kalkomey with Charles Kalkomey Surveying Inc at 281-342-2033 for information prior to the hearing.

Submitted by,Dianne WilsonFort Bend County Clerk

CAUSE NO. 12-CCV-049529

THE STATE OF TEXAS

TO: MOSES TAKU AYUK, DEFENDANT,

GREETING:

YOU (AND EACH OF YOU) ARE HEREBY COMMANDED TO APPEAR before the Honorable county Court at Law 3 of Fort Bend County, Texas, at the Courthouse being located at the Fort Bend County Justice center, 1422 Eugene Heimann Circle, in the City of Richmond, Fort Bend county, Texas, by fi ling a written answer at or before 10 o’ clock A.M. of the Monday next after the expiration of 42 days from the date of issuance of this citation, same being the 6th day of February 2014, to Plaintiff ’s Petition fi led in said Court, on the 19th day of November 2012 in this Cause, numbered

12-CCV-049529 on the docket of said Court and styled: Lucrecia Ruiz vs

Moses Taku Ayuk allegations as shown in said petition now on fi le in the Fort Bend County Clerk’s Offi ce.The offi cer executing this Writ shall promptly serve the same, according to requirements of law and the mandates hereof, and make due return as the law directs.ISSUED AND GIVEN UNDER MY HAND AND SEAL of said Court at offi ce, this the 19th day of December, 2013.

DIANNE WILSON, COUNTY CLERK,FORT BEND COUNTY, TEXAS

30 JACKSON , SUITE 101RICHMOND, TEXAS 77469-3108

By Lydia Esparza, Deputy

You have been sued. You may employ an attorney. If you or your attorney do not fi le a written answer with the clerk who issued this citation by 10:00 A.M. on the next Monday next following the expiration of 20 days after you were served this citation and petition, a default judgment may be taken against you.The name and address of the Plaintiff ’s attorney is:

Henry Ha Trinh

Dinh Law Firm PC

7001 Corporate Dr., Suite 280

Houston, TX 77036

281-879-0447

Fort Bend County Libraries’ First Colony Branch Library will present an “Introduction to Zumba Gold Fitness” on Sat-urday, January 18, beginning at 11:00 a.m, in the Meeting Room of the library, located at 2121 Austin Parkway in Sugar Land. Zumba instructor Cyndia Rodriguez will present a basic introduction and demonstra-tion of this popular new Latin-inspired dance-fi tness program.

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING

NOMINATION OF NOBLE DRILLING SERVICES, INC

FOR TEXAS ENTERPRISE ZONE PROGRAM

Notice is hereby given that the City Council of the City of Sugar Land, Texas,

will hold a Public Hearing to receive and hear all persons desiring to be heard

on an Ordinance nominating Noble Drilling Services, Inc. 13135 South Dairy

Ashford Suite 800, Sugar Land, Texas 77478 for the Texas Enterprise Zone

Program. Tax rebates, grants, enhanced municipal services, job training

services, streamlined permitting, promotional and marketing services, and

other incentives may be discussed at this hearing. Interested persons shall

be entitled to speak and present evidence for or against the nomination.

ONE (1) PUBLIC HEARING SHALL BE HELD AT SUGAR LAND CITY COUNCIL

CHAMBER, 2700 TOWN CENTER BOULEVARD NORTH DURING CITY

COUNCIL MEETING, 6:00 P.M., JANUARY 21, 2014, AT WHICH ALL PERSONS

INTERESTED IN THE PROPOSED NOMINATION SHALL BE GIVEN AN

OPPORTUNITY TO BE HEARD.

DETAILS OF THE PROPOSED NOMINATION MAY BE OBTAINED FROM THE

CITY OF SUGAR LAND OFFICE OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, 2700 TOWN

CENTER BOULEVARD NORTH, SUGAR LAND, TEXAS, 77479, MONDAY

THROUGH FRIDAY FROM 8:00 O’CLOCK A.M. TO 5:00 O’CLOCK P.M., OR CALL

(281) 275-2229 FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION.

NOTICE TO BIDDERS

MEADOWCROFT BOULEVARD PAVING AND INTERSECTION

IMPROVEMENTS

The City of Sugar Land seeks bids for furnishing all labor, material, and equipment, and performing all work required for the following project in the City: CIP PROJECT NAME: Meadowcroft Boulevard Paving and

Intersection Improvements

CIP PROJECT NUMBER: ST0802

LOCATION OF WORK: Intersection of Meadowcroft Boulevard and First

Colony Boulevard, Sugar Land, TX 77479

Plans, specifications, and bidding documents may be obtained for free by registering with Public Purchase www.publicpurchase.com or plans are available by contacting Jason Poscovsky, Contracts Manager, jposcovsky@sugarlandtx.gov Sealed bids in triplicate, one (1) original and two (2) copies, shall be delivered to the City of Sugar Land, Office of the City Secretary, 2700 Town Center

Boulevard North, Suite 122, Sugar Land, Texas, 77479, on or before 11:00

a.m. on Thursday, January 30, 2014, at which time bids will be publicly opened and read. Bids received after the opening date and time will not be considered.A non-mandatory pre-bid meeting for all interested parties will be held 2:00

p.m., Thursday, January 16, 2014, Brazos Room, City Hall, 2700 Town Center

Boulevard North, Sugar Land, TX 77477.

Questions regarding this bid must be received by Monday, January 20, 2014 on

or before 5:00 P.M. Please contact Al Flores, P.E. at Dannenbaum Engineering Corporation, (713) 520-9570. al.flores@dannenbaum.com.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 ninety (90) calendar days after the bid opening date and time.

Glenda Gundermann, TRMC, CMCCity Secretary

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING

PERMANENT ZONING 29.3 ACRES

IMPERIAL BOULEVARD AND STADIUM DRIVE

PERMANENT ZONING 29.3 ACRES NORTHWEST CORNER OF IMPERIAL

BOULEVARD AND STADIUM DRIVE FROM PLANNED DEVELOPMENT (PD)

DISTRICT (GENERAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN) TO PLANNED DEVELOPMENT

(PD) DISTRICT (FINAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN – IMPERIAL BALLPARK DISTRICT

TRACT E).

PLANNING AND ZONING COMMISSION WILL HOLD ONE (1) PUBLIC HEARING

6:30 P.M., JANUARY 23, 2014 AT WHICH ALL PERSONS INTERESTED IN THE

PROPOSED REZONING SHALL BE GIVEN AN OPPORTUNITY TO BE HEARD.

CITY OF SUGAR LAND CITY COUNCIL CHAMBER; 2700 TOWN CENTER

BOULEVARD NORTH.

DETAILS OF THE PROPOSED REZONING MAY BE OBTAINED BY CONTACTING

THE CITY OF SUGAR LAND DEVELOPMENT PLANNING OFFICE (281) 275-

2218 OR BY EMAIL PLANNING@SUGARLANDTX.GOV.

Vicinity Map:

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING

SPECIAL EXCEPTION 1502 MEADOW GLADE COURT

SPECIAL EXCEPTION TO THE REAR YARD SETBACK REQUIREMENT,

1502 MEADOW GLADE COURT, LOT 34, BLOCK 2, MEADOW LAKES SECTION

ONE, IN THE STANDARD SINGLE-FAMILY RESIDENTIAL (R-1) DISTRICT.

ZONING BOARD OF ADJUSTMENT WILL HOLD ONE (1) PUBLIC HEARING

5:00 P.M., JANUARY 22, 2014 AT WHICH ALL PERSONS INTERESTED IN THE

PROPOSED SPECIAL EXCEPTION SHALL BE GIVEN AN OPPORTUNITY TO

BE HEARD. CITY OF SUGAR LAND CITY COUNCIL CHAMBER; 2700 TOWN

CENTER BOULEVARD NORTH.

DETAILS OF THE PROPOSED SPECIAL EXCEPTION MAY BE OBTAINED BY

CONTACTING THE CITY OF SUGAR LAND DEVELOPMENT PLANNING OFFICE

(281) 275-2218 OR BY EMAIL PLANNING@SUGARLANDTX.GOV.

Vicinity Map:

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING

SPECIAL EXCEPTION 4114 MEADOW EDGE DRIVE

SPECIAL EXCEPTION TO THE REAR YARD SETBACK REQUIREMENT,

4114 MEADOW EDGE DRIVE, LOT 22, BLOCK 1, WILLIAMS GLEN SECTION

ONE, IN THE STANDARD SINGLE-FAMILY RESIDENTIAL (R-1) DISTRICT.

ZONING BOARD OF ADJUSTMENT WILL HOLD ONE (1) PUBLIC HEARING

5:00 P.M., JANUARY 22, 2014 AT WHICH ALL PERSONS INTERESTED IN THE

PROPOSED SPECIAL EXCEPTION SHALL BE GIVEN AN OPPORTUNITY TO

BE HEARD. CITY OF SUGAR LAND CITY COUNCIL CHAMBER; 2700 TOWN

CENTER BOULEVARD NORTH.

DETAILS OF THE PROPOSED SPECIAL EXCEPTION MAY BE OBTAINED BY

CONTACTING THE CITY OF SUGAR LAND DEVELOPMENT PLANNING OFFICE

(281) 275-2218 OR BY EMAIL PLANNING@SUGARLANDTX.GOV.

Vicinity Map:

PUBLIC NOTICE OF TEST OF

AUTOMATIC TABULATING EQUIPMENT

AVISO PUBLICO DE PROBAR

EL EQUIPO TABULAR AUTOMATICAMENTE

Notice is hereby given that the automatic tabulating equipment that will be

used in the Primary Elections to be held on March 4, 2014, will be tested on

January 16, 2014 at 9:00 a.m. at the Fort Bend County Elections Department,

4520 Reading Road, Rosenberg Texas to ascertain that it will accurately count

the votes cast for all offi ces and on all measures.

Por lo presente se da aviso que el equipo para tabular automáticamente que

se usará en la elecciones primarias el 4 de Marzo del 2014 se probara el 16 de

Enero del 2014 a las 9 a.m. en el Departamento de Elecciones del Condado de

Fort Bend, 4520 Reading Road, Rosenberg Texas para determinar si el equipo

contara con exactitud los votos para todos los puestos ofi ciales y sobre todos

los medidas.

/s/ John Oldham

Fort Bend County Elections Administrator

Administrador de Elecciones del Condado de Fort Bend

THE STATE OF TEXASCITATION BY PUBLICATION

TO: ALL UNKNOWN HERIS OF EVA DEAN CALHOUN, DECEASED, AND ANY AND ALL UNKNWON PERSONS CLAIMING AN INTEREST IN THIS LAND, ADDRESS UNKNOWN.NOTICE: You have been sued. You may employ an attorney. If you or your attorney do not fi le a written answer with the clerk who issued this citation by 10:00 AM on the Monday next following the expiration of forty-two days from the date of issuance of this citation, same being February 17, 2014, a default judgment may be taken against you. Said answer may be fi led by mailing same to: District Clerk’s Offi ce, 301 Jackson, Richmond, Texas 77469, or by bringing it to the offi ce. Our street address is 1422 Eugene Heimann Circle, Richmond TX 77469. We are located on the fi rst fl oor of the Justice Center building.The case is presently pending before the 400th JUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT of Fort Bend County sitting n Richmond, Texas, and was fi led DECEMBER 23, 2103. IT bears cause No. 13-DCV-211548 and is styled: Marta L Peraza and Maria Cruz Perez vs All Unknown Heirs of Eva Dean Calhoun, Deceased; and Any and All Unknown Persons Claiming any interest in This LandThe name and address of the attorney for PLAINTIFF OR PETITIONERS is:BRENT LANEBEARD & LANE PC12841 JONES ROAD, STE 100HOUSTON TX 77070281-897-8848

The nature of the demands of said PLAINTIFF OR PETITIONER is as follows to-wit:THIS IS A SUIT BY PLAINTIFF TO ESTABLISH OWNERSHIP TO THE PROPERTY BY ADVERSE POSSESSION. A DESCRIPTION OF THE PROPERTY IS AS FOLLOWS: ALL OF LOT FOUR (4), BLOCK ELEVEN (11), OF RIDGEWOOD ESTATES, STREET ADDRESS: TEAKWOOD, FRESNO, TEXAS 77545.If this Citation is not served, it shall be returned un served. Issued and given under my hand and seal of the said Court at Richmond, Texas, on this the 30th day of December, 2013.

DISTRICT CLERK ANNIE REBECCA ELLIOTT,

Fort Bend County, TexasBy Deputy District Clerk RACHEL

CRISLERTelephone: (281) 238--1960

THE STATE OF TEXASCITATION BY PUBLICATION

TO: ALL UNKNOWN HEIRS OF L H PARKER, DECEASED, AND ANY AND ALL UNKNOWN PERSONS CLAIMING AN INTEREST IN THIS LAND.NOTICE: You have been sued. You may employ an attorney. If you or your attorney do not fi le a written answer with the clerk who issued this citation by 10:00 AM on the Monday next following the expiration of forty-two days from the date of issuance of this citation, same being February 17, 2014, a default judgment may be taken against you. Said answer may be fi led by mailing same to: District Clerk’s Offi ce, 301 Jackson, Richmond, Texas 77469, or by bringing it to the offi ce. Our street address is 1422 Eugene Heimann Circle, Richmond TX 77469. We are located on the fi rst fl oor of the Justice Center building.The case is presently pending before the 400th JUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT of Fort Bend County sitting n Richmond, Texas, and was fi led DECEMBER 26, 2103. It bears cause No. 13-DCV-211553 and is styled: Raquel Hernandez vs All Unknown Heirs of L H Parker, Deceased; and Any and All Unknown Persons Claiming an interest in This LandThe name and address of the attorney for PLAINTIFF OR PETITIONERS is:BRENT LANEBEARD & LANE PC12841 JONES ROAD, STE 100HOUSTON TX 77070281-897-8848The nature of the demands of said PLAINTIFF OR PETITIONER is as follows to-wit:THIS IS A SUIT BY PLAINTIFF TO ESTABLISH OWNERSHIP TO THE PROPERTY BY ADVERSE POSSESSION. A DESCRIPTION OF THE PROPERTY IS AS FOLLOWS: ALL OF LOT EIGHT (8), BLOCK SEVEN (7), OF GULF VIEW ACRES, A SUBDIVISION IN FORT BEND COUNTY, TEXAS, ACCORDING TO THE MAP OR PLAT THEREOF AS RECORDED IN VOLUME 349, PAGE 614 OF THE MAP AND/OR PLAT RECORDS OF FORT BEND COUNTY, TEXAS AND KNOWN BY STREET ADDRESS OF 5819 JERRY ST., ROSHARON, TEXAS 77583.If this Citation is not served, it shall be returned un served. Issued and given under my hand and seal of the said Court at Richmond, Texas, on this the 30th day of December, 2013.

DISTRICT CLERK ANNIE REBECCA ELLIOTT,

Fort Bend County, TexasBy Deputy District Clerk RACHEL

CRISLERTelephone: (281) 238-1960

NOTICE OF CONSTABLES SALE

THE STATE OF TEXAS

COUNTY OF FORT BEND

By virtue of an Order of Sale issued out of the Honorable 400TH DISTRICT COURT of FORT BEND County on the 19TH day of DECEMBER, 2013, by the Clerk thereof, in thecase of CITY OF ROSENBERG VS. CAVAZOS,IGNACIO, ET AL in Cause # 08- DCV-

162755 and to me, as CONSTABLE directed and delivered, I will proceed to sell, at 10:00 0’ Clock AM on the 4th day of February, 2014, which is the fi rst Tuesday of said month, at the Fort Bend County Justice Center Parking Garage, 1418 Eugene Heimann Circle, Richmond, Texas, Level I of the Parking Garage at the South End, West Corner, near Stairway “B” of the Courthouse of said FORT BEND County, in the City of RICHMOND, Texas, the following described property, to wit: TRACT 1: GEO: 7835000380130901

LOT THIRTEEN (13), IN BLOCK THIRTY-EIGHT (38), IN THE TOWN OF ROSENBERG,

FORT BEND COUNTY, TEXAS, ACCORDING TO THE PLAT OF SAID TOWN SHOWN

OF RECORD IN VOLUME ‘P’, PAGE 146 OF THE DEED RECORDS OF FORT BEND

COUNTY, TEXAS.

TRACT 2: GEO: 7835000380140901

LOTS FOURTEEN (14) AND FIFTEEN (15) IN BLOCK THIRTY-EIGHT (38) OF THE

CITY OF ROSENBERG, FORT BEND COUNTY, TEXAS, ACCORDING TO THE PLAT

OF SAID CITY OF ROSENBERG, APPEARING OF RECORD IN VOLUME P, PAGE 146

OF THE DEED RECORDS OF FORT BEND COUNTY, TEXAS.

Levied on 20TH December, 2013 as the property of IGNACIO CAVAZOS, LUPE CAVAZOS, VIVIAN GUTIERREZ, SANDRA PEREZ, LORNA DANACHES, LEONARDO PEREZ, to satisfy a judgment amounting to $21,355.93 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 CITY OF ROSENBERG, FORT BEND COUNTY, FORT BEND COUNTY DRAINAGE DISTRICT, LAMAR CONSOLIDATED INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT AND FORT BEND COUNTY GENERAL FUND AND FORT BEND COUNTY LATERAL FLOOD CONTROL.GIVEN UNDER MY HAND THIS 20th day of December, 2013.

A.J. DORR, CONSTABLE , PRECINCT 1, FORT BEND COUNTY, TEXASBy CPL. MIKE BEARD, DEPUTY

INDEPENDENT • JANUARY 8, 2014 • Page 7

FILM REVIEW — August:Osage County

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Mosaic Community Covenant Church, The Way, Embassy Covenant Church and Access Seventh-day Adventist Church, united to host a Christmas dinner for 16 underserved families from Briargate Elementary on Dec. 23 at Mosaic Community Covenant Church. After dinner, there was a candlelight service followed by Ms. Maclin, Principal of Briargate Elmentary, acting as “Santa” while distributing wrapped gifts for each child. There were approximately 100 church members and Briargate fami-lies who attended this blessed event. The event was uplifting to all families who attended. Each of the 16 Briargate families also received $50 gift cards to Walmart through generous donors. Top left, Pastor Carlos Jones II (The Way Church), Rev. Mark Jackson (Briargate PRC Coordinator), Pastor Ed Lee (Mosaic Church), Valerie Maclin (Principal Briargate Elementary), Pastors Mallory and Janice Cranford (Embassy Covenant Church). Top right, Left to Right- Tonya Wise (Mom), Tyrell Wise Pre-K (seated in mom’s lap), Tony Wise (2nd grade), Tracy Wise (Kindergarten), and Alice Lee; Right Polly Gifford, Principal Maclin, Pastor Ed Lee, Marcus Boudreaux (4th grade).

The First Baby for 2014 in Fort Bend County was born at Me-morial Hermann Sugar Land at 1:05 a.m. on Jan. 1, 2014.- Above,mother Diem Tran with baby girl Tran.

When a great script meets great acting, we have a Best Picture of 2013. I haven’t made my fi nal decision on the Sugar Awards by Larry H. (coming late January), so I reserve the right to choose an-other movie as my Best Pic-ture of the year, but I’m just saying that currently Meryl Streep has done it again and should garner her eighteenth nomination. That’s an amaz-ing feat, but let’s get back to Osage County.

Screenwriter Tracy Letts has created the Weston Fam-ily from Osage County, Okla-homa, who will be forever remembered as one of the outstandingly dysfunctional families in literary history. This movie about the lives of a mother (Streep) and her three daughters (Julia Rob-

erts, Juliette Lewis, and Ju-lianne Nicholson) is adapted from Letts’ play.

After you’ve seen this mov-ie, and you will see it sooner or later, you will be convinced and fully appreciate that Tracy Letts is a woman. And that conclusion will be wrong. But Mr. Letts certainly is in touch with his feminine side.

In 2008, Letts was awarded a Tony for Best Original Play for “August: Osage County” and the Pulitzer Prize for Dra-ma.

Now that his beloved Weston Family has made it to the big screen, I suspect that he will fi nd room on his man-tel for an Oscar.

Meryl Streep plays the nas-ty matriarch, Violet Weston, who is under the infl uence of her pain pill addiction

throughout the fi lm. Watch-ing Streep deliver her lines, with and without a wig, is a privilege.

Is she the best ever? Yes. I recommend that you pay close attention to her hair and make-up, and her costumes, and her ever-present cigarette smoking, and her eyes, and her expressions, and her body movement. And that’s all I can think of.

Julia, Juliette, and Juli-anne, as the three Weston daughters, were worthy of being on the same set with Streep. Julia Roberts has the second lead and she once again demonstrates that she is an exceptional actress, and is no longer just relying on her looks even though at age 46 she still has those beautiful, big lips and piercing eyes.

When a movie cooks as well as this extraordinary picture does at all levels, the actors benefi t from a seamless chem-istry, and usually performanc-es rise to the occasion. When the “funeral dinner” scene al-lows all of the actors to appear on the screen at the same time, Letts’ characterizations of his Oklahoman Weston Family is remarkable, and exhibits his genius use of the English language and quick-witted ex-changes without a bobble.

Sam Shepard, Dermot Mul-roney, Chris Cooper, Margo Martindale, Ewan McGregor, Abigail Breslin, Benedict Cumberbatch, and Misty Up-ham will now list this movie at the top of their resume be-cause they will want to remind everyone of some of their best work.

The acting is so good that I will say no more; you decide. And fi nally, let’s give huge praise to Director John Wells who has heretofore been known for his work on “ER” and “The West Wing.”

Welcome to the Big Time, John. Happy 2014! Rock ‘n Roll.Grade 94. Larry H. larryhmoviereviews.com

By BARBARA FULENWIDERWith its affordable price

starting at $17,195, seating for fi ve, rally-inspired driving dynamics, cutting-edge user technology, advanced safety features, reliability and a fun-to-drive nature, the Lancer compact sports sedan has long been one of Mitsubishi Mo-tors’ best-selling vehicles.

For the 2014 model year the Mitsubishi Lancer re-ceived a variety of new stan-dard and available features that include:

New audio system (stan-dard on Lancer ES)

* New 6.1-in. touchscreen display audio system (stan-dard on Lancer SE AWC, GT & Ralliart)

* New MMCS navigation system with 7-inch high-defi -nition touch panel, voice com-mand, 3D mapping, point-of-interest information, real-time traffi c, and Mapcare

* New HD Radio (standard on Lancer SE AWC, GT & Ralliart)

* New SIRIUSXM satellite radio with 3-month subscrip-tion (standard on Lancer SE AWC & GT)

* New rearview camera (standard on Lancer SE AWC, GT & Ralliart)

* New seats and seating surface fabric (standard on Lancer GT)

* New 5-spoke 16-in. al-loy wheel design (standard on Lancer SE AWC) Pow-ering the entry-level 2014 Lancer ES is the 2.0-liter DOHC 4-cylinder engine which makes 148 horsepow-er and 145 lb.-ft. torque. A short-throw 5-speed manual transmission makes shifting a pleasure while an avail-able continuously-variable transmission (CVT) offers the convenience of automatic transmission-like operation with improved fuel economy. The CVT-equipped Lancer ES achieves an EPA rating of 34 mpg on the highway.

The Lancer ES model packs a a number of ameni-ties into a 4-door at a sensible price point.

Included at no additional cost to the consumer are the aforementioned new audio system, along with air condi-tioning, remote keyless entry, auto-off halogen headlights, anti-theft engine immobilizer, power door locks and win-dows with driver-side auto down and exterior design el-ements that include a chrome grille surround, sculpted side air dams and clear and black taillights.

All 2014 Mitsubishi Lancer models boast a comprehensive list of standard safety technol-ogies that include advanced

dual-stage front air bags with occupant seat position sen-sor; side-impact head protec-tion curtain air bags (front and rear), and front seat-mounted side air bags.

Also, driver’s side knee air bag, anti-lock brakes with Electronic Brake-force Dis-tribution, Active Stability Control with Traction Con-trol Logic and a Tire Pressure Monitoring System.

One rung above the ES trim level is the Lancer SE AWC, which includes Mitsubishi’s All-Wheel Control all-wheel drive system for robust han-dling and improved traction in adverse driving conditions.

The Lancer SE AWC in-cludes a fuel-effi cient yet more powerful 2.4-liter 4-cyl-inder engine that produces 168 horsepower and an ad-vanced continuously-variable transmission (CVT).

Standard equipment in-cludes heated front seats and side view mirrors, 16-inch al-loy wheels, 6-way adjustable driver’s seat, anti-theft alarm system, power windows, mir-rors and door locks, and ap-pointments that include a chrome upper and lower grille surround and black and beige trim seating fabric.

The 2014 Lancer GT mod-el has an aggressive-looking front fascia, 18-inch alloy wheels, sport front bucket seats, special GT-tuned sus-pension, a rear spoiler, and the 168 hp 2.4-liter 4-cylinder en-gine mated to a 5-speed man-ual transmission. A high-tech continuously-variable trans-mission (CVT) with INVECS-III and Sportronic shifting with steering wheel-mounted paddle shifters is also avail-able.

Other equipment included

on every Lancer GT are auto-matic climate control; auto-off halogen headlights; chrome front grille surround; FAST-key electronic entry and start system; and FUSE Hands-Free Link System with USB port.

The 2014 Lancer Ralliart provides pavement-pound-ing performance thanks to a 237 horsepower 2.0-liter tur-bocharged and intercooled MIVEC-equipped inline-4 engine and rapid-shifting 6-speed automated manual Twin-Clutch Sportronic Shift Transmission. The engine make 237 horssepower.

The Mitsubishi Lancer GT four-door sedan was the test-ed vehicle and it was loaded with standard equipment. It provided a comfortable, fun drive, good mileage and plen-ty of space. The MSRP was $21,445.

AUTOMOBILE: Mitsubishi Lancer

Page 8 • INDEPENDENT • JANUARY 8, 2014

2013 GHBA Developer of the Year