The 06-19-24 Edition of The Fort Bend Star

Richmond man sentenced to 45 years for continuous child sexual abuse

A Richmond man was sentenced to 45 years in prison after agreeing to plead guilty to continuous sexual abuse of a young child, according to a news release from the Fort Bend County District Attorney’s Office.

Chad Alan Henry, 34, will serve the full sentence without the possibility of parole, according to prosecutors.

The child victim disclosed to her mother that she had been sexually abused by Henry multiple times, according to the release. The child’s mother immediately reported the offense to law enforcement and the Richmond Police Department launched an investigation.

While the case was pending, additional children disclosed that they were also sexually abused by Henry in Harris County. Henry was charged with two offenses of Super Aggravated Sexual Assault of a Child in Harris County. That offense applies to victims younger than 6 years of age at the time of the abuse.

Prosecutors in Fort Bend County and Harris County worked together utilizing a statute that allows offenses from other counties to be taken into consideration in sentencing to resolve the cases for the children and families victimized by this defendant, according to the release. Henry admitted his guilt to the Harris County charges in conjunction with his plea in the Fort Bend County case.

“The defendant hurt multiple children over the span of several years,” Assistant District Attorney Tristyl McInnis, lead prosecutor in the case, said in the release. “It took several agencies working together to find former and current victims in this case. The anguish inflicted by this defendant upon these children and their families is truly heartbreaking and I hope that this sentence can offer them closure.”

“This defendant gained the trust of the children he abused,” said Assistant District Attorney Melissa Munoz. who also prosecuted the case. “We are so proud of all the children that came forward and for the courage they showed to talk about what this defendant did to them. These kids put a stop to future abuse and future victims.”

The plea was entered before Judge Tameika Carter in the 400th Judicial District Court. Continuous sexual abuse of a young child is a first-degree felony punishable by 25 to 99 years or life in prison with no possibility of parole.

Authorities: Patel created false accounts to post racist attacks about himself

By Ken Fountain KFOUNTAIN@FORTBENDSTAR.COM

Taral Patel, the Democratic candidate in the upcoming election for Fort Bend County Precinct 3 Commissioner and a former chief of staff to County Judge KP George, is accused by law enforcement authorities of creating a fake Fakebook account, using the photograph of another Fort Bend County resident, in order to post false, racist messages about himself and others related to the campaign.

EDITOR’S NOTE:

Patel, 30, is also accused of creating an email account under another false identity to send fake messages about Andy Meyers, the Republican incumbent Precinct 3 Commissioner, and Abrahim Javed, one of four other Democratic candidates in the March primary. Patel scored a slim majority in the race and is slated to run against Meyers in November.

Patel was arrested by Texas Rangers at his Sugar Land residence Wednesday, according to the Fort Bend County District Attorney’s Office. The formal charges

are online impersonation, a third-degree felony, and misrepresentation of identity, a Class A misdemeanor. After being booked in the Fort Bend County Jail, he is free after posting two bail bonds totaling $22,500. An initial court date is set for July 22 in the 240th District Court.

Patel served as George’s chief of staff from 20192021. Before formally announcing his campaign in May 2023, he served for about two years in the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and in the Biden administration’s

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and George Mason University’s Antonin Scalia Law School. According to a 16-page affidavit released Thursday evening, Evett Kelly, an investigator with the Public Integrity Division of the Fort Bend County District Attorney’s Office, was contacted in October 2023 by Meyers, who requested an investigation of the source of social media

Ken Fountain, editor of the Fort Bend Star and author of this story, in October 2023 wrote a column that was rooted in Patel’s statements about purported racist comments about himself. Fountain addresses that column and the developments since in a column on Page 5

Smith lays out vision for FBISD at chamber event

Bend ISD from 2007-2012.

Six months into the job, Fort Bend ISD Superintendent Mark Smith laid out his vision for the district at a presentation to civic and business leaders at the Fort Bend Chamber of Commerce last week. Smith, who was named as the “sole finalist” for the superintendent role in December following the contentious ouster in December of former superintendent Christie Whitbeck, took the helm of the state’s sixthlargest public school district in January. Previously the superintendent of Duncanville ISD in the Dallas area, Smith, a Houston-area native, had previously served in executive roles in Fort

The Chamber of Commerce event was Smith’s first major public address since taking charge. He was joined by Kristin Tassin, who was elected to the FBISD board in May (after previously serving on the board, including as president) and being chosen by her colleagues as president in May.

Tassin, echoing the themes she discussed after being chosen president, said that under her watch, the district and its elected board would adhere to a renewed sense of accountability and cohesion after experiencing a few years of dysfunction that often spilled out into public view. Among Tassin’s priorities is building an effective “team of eight,” consisting

of the superintendent and the seven board members, increasing accountability through a board-driven audit system, and increasing board oversight of the district’s special education programs, which have recently been the subject of scrutiny by the Texas Education Agency.

Tassin said she also wanted to improve upon the board’s listening to the concerns of teachers as part of a program to improve retention during a time when teachers across the state are switching districts or leaving the profession altogether.

Tassin said the district will begin a renewed

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Photos by Ken Fountain

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Chad Alan Henry, 34, of Richmond, has been sentenced to 45 years in prison without parole for continuous sexual abuse of a young child.

Courtesy Fort Bend County District Attorney’s Office

Taral Patel, the Democratic candidate for Fort Bend County Commissioner Precinct 3, is accused of creating phony social media accounts in order to post racist messages about himself, among other activities. Taral Patel campaign photo

Franklin named interim director of Fort Bend library system

Staff Reports

Fort Bend County Commissioners Court announced the appointment of Monique Franklin as interim director for the Fort Bend County library system on Tuesday. Franklin will oversee the daily operation of the library system until the library director position is filled.

Franklin has served as assistant library director for a year, serving under former director Clara Russell, who retired on June. She first j 7, according to a news release. She joined Fort Bend County Libraries in September 2011

district as its top executive, answerable to the elected seven-member board.

“Every day rises and falls with leadership,” Smith said, quoting author John Maxwell. Smith discussed his own leadership paradigm, which he titled “PAC,” an acronym for “Professionalism, Accountability, and Communication.” Another author who writes about leadership, Chris McChesney, will be the featured speaker at a special leadership summit hosted by the district this summer, Smith said. Smith described how when he took his role, he began with a “90-day plan” to map out his priorities going forward. Those priorities included improving relationships with the board, which Smith said he has addressed through a series of one-on-one meetings with each member. In recent months, particularly around Whitbeck’s departure, board relationships both in person and through news media and social media, have often been fraught.

Smith said he also has begun a series of “stakeholder engagement”

as adult collection development coordinator. Previously, Franklin worked for 10 years at the Harris County Public Library, where she served as children’s materials selection librarian. She has also worked as a children’s librarian at Houston Public Library and the Free Library of Philadelphia. She began her library career as a branch manager and youth services coordinator at St. Charles Parish Library in Destrehan, Louisiana, after receiving her master’s degree in library science from Louisiana State University.

sessions, including meeting with senior district staff members, teachers and community members. He said he wanted to explore new ways to focus on attracting and retaining “high-quality talent,” especially among the ranks of teachers. Particularly since the COVID-19 pandemic, Fort Bend ISD and many other school districts across the greater Houston region and elsewhere have struggled to retain teachers.

Among the priorities Smith addressed were continuing budget concerns for the district (on June 10, the board unanimously approved a $828.6 million budget for the 2024-2025 school year). Increased pressure on special education requirements and unfunded mandates from from the Texas Legislature were of particular concern, Smith said.

Also concerning, Smith said, was Gov. Greg Abbott’s continued focus on passing vouchers for private schools, which educators in public school districts have seen as a means of draining resources from the public education system. Smith noted that Abbott’s efforts in 2023 to get voucher legislation passed failed, but several

Legal Notice

Republican lawmakers who voted against that legislation were defeated by Abbot-endorsed candidates in the May primary election.

Smith also addressed the $136 million shortfall in Fort Bend ISD’s record 2023 record $1.26 billion bond referendum projects, which came to public light in February. Since then, Smith said, the district’s executive team has been able through a variety of measures to reduce the projected shortfall to $60 million. Additional reductions might be made by postponing some big-ticket projects, although Smith said those decisions have not yet been made.

“We have a great district,” Smith said, noting that Fort Bend ISD is one of the most diverse districts, in terms of demographics and socioeconomic status, in the state of Texas and the nation. The Dulles High School Academic Decathalon team, he noted, has advanced to the national competition for eight years running, finishing third this year.

The challenge, he said, is ensuring that that success continues and is expanded throughout the district’s diverse campuses.

Application has been made with the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission for Wine Permit by The Wine Man, to be located at 13003 Murphy Road, Suite N7 Stafford, Fort Bend, Texas.

Owner: David Maggard

Verti-Crete Houston, LLC, has applied to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) for an Air Quality Standard Permit, Registration No. 176289, which would authorize construction of a specialty concrete batch plant located at 953 Pheasant Valley Drive, Missouri City, Fort Bend County, Texas 77489. This application is being processed in an expedited manner, as allowed by the commission’s rules in 30 Texas Administrative Code, Chapter 101, Subchapter J. Additional information concerning this application is contained in the public notice section of this newspaper.

posts included in a press release and a campaign email sent out a month earlier by Patel’s campaign. The materials included screenshots of social media postings, with the names redacted, that contained racist and xenophobic remarks about Patel’s Indian heritage and Hindu faith.

According to the affidavit, Meyers told Kelly that he was able to locate the original, unredacted social media posts and saw that were attributed to two names: “Antonio Scalywag” and “Paul Rosentein.” Meyers told the investigator that those names had been associated with social media posts and emails attacking him before Patel entered the Precinct 3 race, when he was still living in the Washington, D.C. area, according to the affidavit. Meyers told Kelly that he had hired a private investigator, who was unable to locate any Fort Bend County residents with those names.

In the affidavit, Kelly writes that she located a “Antonio Scalywag” Facebook account with a profile photo of a man and a woman. Using Internet searches, she was able to locate a Facebook page of a user residing in Fort Bend County. She contacted the man, who told Kelly that the photo was of him and his wife, and that he had been contacted online by someone who told him that his image was being used by a fake account. The man told Kelly he believed the messages posted by the “Antonio Scalywag” account were harmful to his reputation.

Using other Internet and law enforcement tools,

Kelly writes, she was able to trace the false accounts to Patel’s cellular phone and to Internet provider addresses used by him, both in the Washington, D.C. area and at his Sugar Land address.

According to the affidavit, Patel’s alleged activities, which were made “with intent to injure a candidate or influence the result of an election.” stretched from September 2023 to May of this year.

On Thursday afternoon, Judge KP George, Patel’s former boss who endorsed him in the Democratic primary, issued a public statement about Patel’s arrest.

“As a public servant, I address the recent events involving a former employee with a deep sense of concern.

Recognizing the gravity of the situation, I emphasize the vital importance of upholding the principles of due process and impartial investigation,” George said in the statement.

“I trust that this matter will be examined without prejudice. I reaffirm my commitment to ensuring justice and accountability. I look forward to gaining a complete understanding of the circumstances surrounding this unfortunate incident,” he said.

On Friday, Fort Bend County Republican Party Chairman Bobby Eberle issued a statement of his own.

“The recent arrest of KP George’s right-hand man and former chief of staff, Taral Patel, is deeply concerning. Patel garnered widespread news coverage (like his former boss) for claiming that racist social media posts were made against him,” Eberle said. “Now, based on the arrest warrant and much like Jussie Smollett, it appears

that Patel used a fake Facebook account to send racist messages to himself and then blamed his political opponents.”

Smollett is a Black actor and singer who was convicted in 2022 on five charges of disorderly conduct for staging a racially motivated attack against him by white men in Chicago, purportedly to help advance his career. He was sentenced to 120 days in county jail. He is appealing his conviction.

“Whether Republican or Democrat, such tactics should be unequivocally condemned by all who value integrity and accountability in politics. This is not a partisan issue, and the good people of Fort Bend County should be able to trust that when allegations are made, they are sincere,” Eberle said.

Reached by phone on Saturday, Cynthia Ginyard, the outgoing chair of the Fort Bend County Democratic Party, told the Fort Bend Star that the party has not yet decided whether it will issue its own statement regarding Patel’s arrest. Ginyard, who decided not to seek reelection to her post was succeeded on Monday by Fred Taylor, who won the election in May.

Speaking on her own behalf, Ginyard said any allegations of criminal behavior are serious, “but we are all innocent until proven guilty.” In a Facebook posting, she said she “stands by” Patel. Ginyard would not speculate about what will happen with the party’s nomination of Patel. Any decisions made by the party are dependent on deadlines under the Texas Election Code, she said. Attempts to contact Patel for comment for this story were unsuccessful.

Monique Franklin has been appointed interim director of the Fort Bend County Libraries system. Courtesy

Offense quiet in 9-2 Sugar Land loss to OKC

By Amanda Perry

In what started as a close game through the fifth, the Oklahoma City Baseball Club (38-31) used a big sixth inning to top the Sugar Land Space Cowboys (45-24) in a 9-2 defeat on Sunday night at Constellation Field. Sugar Land’s magic number to clinch the first-half crown remains at four heading into the final six games of the half.

Oklahoma City struck first in the opening frame

with a two-out double from Trey Sweeney that scored Andrew Lipicus from first, but LHP Eric Lauer recovered to strike out Kody Hoese to end the inning. After the first, Lauer went on to retire nine of the next 15 batters he faced, striking out a season-high nine hitters in his five innings pitched, generating 13 swings-and-misses on 33 fastballs thrown. Luke Berryhill quickly knotted things back up in the bottom of the second when he knocked in Jacob Amaya from second on a

two-out base hit. After that, a combination of Oklahoma’s starter RHP Landon Knack, LHP Alec Gamboa (W, 1-2), RHP Kyle Hurt, and LHP Jack Dreyer shut down the Space Cowboys offense, stranding every baserunner Sugar Land had until the ninth. RHP Alex Speas (L, 3-2) came in for the sixth to try and follow up a great performance for Lauer and loaded the bases up with one out. To get the Space Cowboys out of a jam, RHP Logan VanWey came in and induced a foul pop-up from Chris Owings

Sugar Land's 'Summer of Sound' series to present chamber music on June 22

The Sugar Land’s Civic Art Division’s fourth week of the Summer of Sound 2024 will feature Monarch Chamber Players on June 22, from 7-10 p.m., at Oyster Creek Park, 4033 Highway 6.

Monarch Chamber Players is a collective of Houston-based professional musicians dedicated to bringing classical chamber music out of the concert hall and into accessible community spaces. Founded in October 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Monarch performs more than 80 concerts annually, bringing classical music directly to Houston-area neighborhoods.

The ensemble’s mission is to make classical music accessible to all by performing in diverse venues such as parks, farms, gas stations, schools, traditional indoor venues and front porches. Monarch has been featured in prestigious concert series including Cypress Creek FACE Promenade Series, Houston Methodist Center for the Performing Arts Crain Garden Series, and

Bayou City Art Festival, as well as prominent Houston venues like POST HTX, Zilkha Hall, and the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. Collaborations with ensembles WindSync and Kinetic have enriched Mon-

professionals who perform with top orchestras worldwide and hold degrees from prestigious music conservatories, including Houston’s Rice University. Admission is free, and attendees are encouraged

arch’s past seasons, while special programming for holidays and cultural celebrations further diversifies their repertoire.

Monarch Chamber Players’ musicians – comprising winds, strings and percussion – are internationally acclaimed

to bring blankets, chairs, and picnic baskets to enjoy a relaxing evening of music. For the best parking experience, attendees are advised to park at Lost Creek Park, 3703 Lost Creek Blvd., and walk to Oyster Creek. There will be limited parking at Oyster Creek Park.

to get the second out. Jonathan Araúz then grounded one in the hole to shortstop Grae Kessinger, who made a great throw that just wasn’t picked cleanly at first for the out, driving in the go-ahead run for OKC. The next batter, Chris Okey, opened the game up with a grand slam to left-center field, putting OKC up 6-1. Hoese tacked on a couple more in the seventh for Oklahoma City on a two-run bomb to left and on a solo shot from James Outman in the eighth pushed the Baseball Club to a 9-1 lead.

In the ninth, the Space Cowboys got two on base from a single from Jesús Bastidas and a walk from Shay Whitcomb. A wild pitch moved both runners into scoring position and a

groundout from Kessinger scored one final run. Despite the loss, the Space Cowboys stole three bases, totaling 18 for the six-game set against Oklahoma City, the most in a series this season. Sugar Land Space Cowboys games can be heard on ESPN 92.5 FM or online at https://player.listenlive. co/47381 and seen on MiLB. TV, MLB.TV and Bally Live. Perry is a writer for the Sugar Land Space Cowboys, the Triple-A affiliate of the Houston Astros. This article is used by permission.

Missouri City library to host butterfly and hummingbird class on June 24

Fort Bend County Libraries’ Missouri City Branch Library will present a program on “Gardening for Butterflies & Hummingbirds” on Monday, June 24, from 2-3 p.m., in the Meeting Room of the library, located at 1530 Texas Parkway.

Fort Bend County Master Gardener Nancy Schafer will talk about plants that attract hummingbirds and different types of butterflies to gardens. She will also talk about the types of butterflies commonly found in this area, what they need to survive, and their preferred host and nectar plants. Get tips on how to make home gardens attractive to butterflies and hummingbirds.

To illustrate the butterfly’s life cycle, she will bring live examples of caterpillars that can be found in June. Examples of plants that attract butterflies and hummingbirds will be on hand, as well as a display box of pinned butterflies.

“Watching beautiful

butterflies and hummingbirds in our gardens can be a relaxing and educational activity for the whole family. Creating a habitat for them is not difficult and will be worth the effort,” Shafer said in a Fort Bend Master Gardeners press release. Schafer has been a Master Gardener since 2004, and she has a degree in Biology/Health for secondary education. The program is free and open to the public.

Texas Commission on Environmental Quality

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For more information, see the Fort Bend County Libraries website (www. fortbend.lib.tx.us), or call the Missouri City Branch Library (281-238-2100) or the library system’s Communications Office (281-633-4734). A list of plants in the FBMG Butterfly Garden at the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service’s Agriculture Center in Rosenberg can be found at fbmg.org/demonstrationgardens/butterfly-garden.

Consolidated Notice of Receipt of Application and Intent to Obtain Permit and Notice of Application and Preliminary Decision Air Quality Standard Permit for Concrete Batch Plants Proposed Registration No. 176289

Application. Verti-Crete Houston, LLC, has applied to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) for an Air Quality Standard Permit, Registration No. 176289, which would authorize construction of a specialty concrete batch plant located at 953 Pheasant Valley Drive, Missouri City, Fort Bend County, Texas 77489. This application is being processed in an expedited manner, as allowed by the commission’s rules in 30 Texas Administrative Code, Chapter 101, Subchapter J. AVISO DE IDIOMA ALTERNATIVO. El aviso de idioma alternativo en espanol está disponible en https://www.tceq.texas.gov/permitting/air/newsourcereview/airpermitspendingpermit-apps. This link to an electronic map of the site or facility’s general location is provided as a public courtesy and not part of the application or notice. For exact location, refer to application. https://gisweb.tceq.texas.gov/LocationMapper/?marker=95.526592,29.619497&level=13. The proposed facility will emit the following air contaminants: particulate matter including (but not limited to) aggregate, cement, road dust, and particulate matter with diameters of 10 microns or less and 2.5 microns or less. This application was submitted to the TCEQ on May 8, 2024. The executive director has completed the administrative and technical reviews of the application and determined that the application meets all of the requirements of a standard permit authorized by 30 TAC § 116.611, which would establish the conditions under which the plant must operate. The executive director has made a preliminary decision to issue the registration because it meets all applicable rules. The application, executive director’s preliminary decision, and standard permit will be available for viewing and copying at the TCEQ central office, the TCEQ Houston regional office, and at the Fort Bend Chamber of Commerce, 445 Commerce Green Boulevard, Sugar Land, Fort Bend County, Texas 77478, beginning the first day of publication of this notice. The facility’s compliance file, if any exists, is available for public review at the TCEQ Houston Regional Office, 5425 Polk Street, Suite H, Houston, Texas. Visit www.tceq.texas.gov/goto/cbp to review the standard permit.

Public Comment/Public Meeting. You may submit public comments or request a public meeting. See Contacts section. The TCEQ will consider all public comments in developing a final decision on the application. The deadline to submit public comments or meeting requests is 30 days after newspaper notice is published. Issues such as property values, noise, traffic safety, and zoning are outside of the TCEQ’s jurisdiction to consider in the permit process.

The purpose of a public meeting is to provide the opportunity to submit comments or ask questions about the application. A public meeting about the application will be held if the executive director determines that there is a significant degree of public interest in the application or if requested by a local legislator. A public meeting is not a contested case hearing. If a public meeting is held, the deadline to submit public comments is extended to the end of the public meeting.

Contested Case Hearing. You may request a contested case hearing. A contested case hearing is a legal proceeding similar to a civil trial in state district court. Unless a written request for a contested case hearing is filed within 30 days from this notice, the executive director may approve the application.

A person who may be affected by emissions of air contaminants from the facility is entitled to request a hearing. To request a hearing, a person must actually reside in a permanent residence within 440 yards of the proposed plant. If requesting a contested

case hearing, you must submit the following: (1) your name (or for a group or association, an official representative), mailing address, daytime phone number; (2) applicant’s name and registration number; (3) the statement “[I/we] request a contested case hearing;” (4) a specific description of how you would be adversely affected by the application and air emissions from the facility in a way not common to the general public; (5) the location and distance of your property relative to the facility; (6) a description of how you use the property which may be impacted by the facility; and (7) a list of all disputed issues of fact that you submit during the comment period. If the request is made by a group or association, one or more members who have standing to request a hearing must be identified by name and physical address. The interests which the group or association seeks to protect must be identified. You may submit your proposed adjustments to the application which would satisfy your concerns. See Contacts section.

TCEQ Action. After the deadline for public comments, the executive director will consider the comments and prepare a response to all relevant and material, or significant public comments. The executive director’s decision on the application, and any response to comments, will be mailed to all persons on the mailing list. If no timely contested case hearing requests are received, or if all hearing requests are withdrawn, the executive director may issue final approval of the application. If all timely hearing requests are not withdrawn, the executive director will not issue final approval of the permit and will forward the application and requests to the Commissioners for their consideration at a scheduled commission meeting. The Commission may only grant a request for a contested case hearing on issues the requestor submitted in their timely comments that were not subsequently withdrawn. If a hearing is granted, the subject of a hearing will be limited to disputed issues of fact or mixed questions of fact and law relating to relevant and material air quality concerns submitted during the comment period. Issues such as property values, noise, traffic safety, and zoning are outside of the Commission’s jurisdiction to address in this proceeding.

Mailing List. You may ask to be placed on a mailing list to receive additional information on this specific application. See Contacts section.

Information Available Online. For details about the status of the application, visit the Commissioners’ Integrated Database (CID) at www.tceq.texas.gov/goto/cid. Once you have access to the CID using the link, enter the registration number at the top of this notice. Contacts. Public comments and requests must be submitted either electronically at www14. tceq.texas.gov/epic/eComment/, or in writing to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, Office of the Chief Clerk, MC-105, P.O. Box 13087, Austin, Texas 78711-3087. Please be aware that any contact information you provide, including your name, phone number, email address and physical address will become part of the agency’s public record. For more information about this application or the permitting process, please call the TCEQ Public Education Program toll free at 1-800-687-4040 or visit their website at www.tceq. texas.gov/goto/pep. Si desea información en Español, puede llamar al 1-800-687-4040.

Further information may also be obtained from Verti-Crete Houston, LLC, 931 Pheasant Valley Drive, Missouri City, TX 77489-1322 or by calling Ms. Anna De La Garza, Principal Consultant, Edge Engineering and Science at (832) 772-3000.

Notice Issuance Date: June 5, 2024

The Sugar Land’s Civic Art Division’s Summer of Sound concert series will present Monarch Chamber Players at Oyster Creek Park on June 22. Courtesy Monarch Chamber Players

Fort Bend County Libraries’ Missouri City Branch Library will present a program on “Gardening for Butterflies & Hummingbirds” on Monday, June 24. Photo by Leroy Shafer via Fort Bend Master Gardeners

Ken Fountain Editor

By Ken Fountain KFOUNTAIN@FORTBENDSTAR.COM

Last week I received a very special package in the mail: my brand-new edition of “The Associated Press Stylebook.” It’s the 57th edition of the tome since it was first published in 1953 and the first since I took on this role at the Fort Bend Star.

As you might infer from the title, the Stylebook is published by the Associated Press, the nonprofit newsgathering cooperative that began around the time of the Mexican-American War. Aimed primarily at the AP’s own reporters and editors, it has long been regarded by many journalists as the bible of their profession. Many news organizations use it as their primary style guide, often in conjunction with their own in-house rulebooks. It’s the one I have used for the majority of my journalism career.

Keeping in style

Until last week, I had been relying on the last edition I purchased more than a decade ago when I last worked full-time for a newspaper. (In between, I had worked in other communication capacities as well as done some freelancing.) While that was serviceable, there have been numerous changes in AP style since. When I had some question in my mind about a particular usage, I could usually find the latest updates through an Internet search. When I received the package, I opened it almost as if it were a birthday gift. (My birthday actually is in September, just in case you’re thinking of going shopping.) It happened to be on Monday, which is the day I’m putting the print edition together, so I was able to make immediate use of it on some word usage questions. For instance, in writing the lede of this column, I checked to be sure that the word “bible” is not capitalized unless you’re referring to the Old or New Testaments. On the other hand, “Internet” is always capitalized.

While the Stylebook serves much like a dictionary/miniencyclopedia, showing the AP’s preferred spellings and punctuation and definitions of certain words and concepts, it’s much more than that. It’s an invaluable guidebook for

how reporters and editors should think about not just those things, but also the topics they cover which they can convey to a general news audience. This new edition reflects many of the kinds of difficult conversations our society must face. And over the decade since I bought my previous one, you may have noticed, we’ve been having a lot of those conversations. That previous edition, published in 2011, had 461 pages. The new one clocks in at 502.

And it’s not just a matter of length. The new edition has broken out many of the concepts embedded in those conversations mentioned above into separate chapters, with detailed descriptions of the concepts and explanations for many of the style changes that have been made. Those new chapters include Inclusive Storytelling, Artificial Intelligence (alas, I find no entry for “Skynet”), Criminal Justice, Health and Science, Religion, and many others. There are very detailed entries for “race-related coverage”, “gender, sex and sexual orientation,” “obesity, obese, overweight,” and the like. “Coronaviruses,” something you may have heard of, has a detailed entry. (Spoiler alert: the disease’s official name is “COVID-19”.)

One of the most welcome chapters of the new edition

for me is the last one, titled “The AP Statement of News Values and Principles.” As mentioned, I had been away from full-time news reporting for more than a decade when I decided to return to this, ahem, lucrative profession. As I wrote in one of my early columns, I felt a little rusty. This chapter, although written specifically for AP journalists, provides an essential primer on the ethics (yes, Virginia, most journalists do have them) and best practices of the profession. One of the parts from my earlier edition that is missing is its 41-page “Briefing on Media Law,” which I’ve referred to often since taking this role. So it looks like I’ll be holding onto the older one for a while. Since we’re on the topic of journalism ethics, it’s incumbent upon me as editor to shift gears a bit and address something that’s come up since I began writing this column. In October 2023, I wrote a column headlined “There’s no place for hate in Fort Bend politics.” The gestation of that column was an email I received from the campaign of Taral Patel, then one of several Democratic candidates for Fort Bend County Precinct 3 Commissioner. In the email, Patel, an Indian American and a Hindu, decried several purported social media post-

ings from people who opposed his candidacy. The purported postings attacked Patel’s racial and religious background in very ugly terms. The story was picked up by a couple of Houston-area media outlets. As the lead news reporter for the Star, I did not write a news story. But I did use it as the basis for the column, for which I talked briefly with Patel, mostly to confirm that he is Hindu, which had never come up before in my coverage of his campaign. The column began with a long discussion of my own longstanding interest in world religions. I didn’t refer to Patel’s allegations until the ninth paragraph of a 16-paragraph piece, and only for two of those.

As we report elsewhere in the Fort Bend Star, last week we learned that Patel has been arrested and charged on felony and misdemeanor counts of online impersonation and misrepresentation.

Following an investigation by the Fort Bend County District Attorney’s Office’s Public Integrity Division and the Texas Rangers (the investigative arm of the Texas Department of Public Safety), Patel is accused of creating a fake Facebook account using a photograph of another county resident. He is accused, among other things, of using that account to create

the very postings he decried in the email I and other news outlets received.

As the “Criminal Justice” section of my new AP Stylebook reminds me, “(a) fundamental principle of the criminal justice system is that all people accused of crimes are presumed to be innocent until they have been proven guilty in court.” At this very early stage, it’s unclear whether or when a trial in Patel’s case will occur, or how the charges will affect Patel’s nomination in the Precinct 3 race, which will be decided in November. As editor of the paper and author of the column mentioned above, I stand by the basic theme of that column as reflected in its headline. But I do regret that its impetus was derived from information that at this point is, at best, considered suspect. Because I am the lead news reporter who must strive to objectively cover both the legal case and the campaign, I cannot opine on either at this time. Rest assured, I will do so when the time is appropriate. But I would amend the column to add this: just as there’s no place for hate in Fort Bend County (or anywhere else, for that matter), there’s also no place for fake hate.

Fountain is stylish at KFountain@fortbendstar.com

George Memorial library to host naturalization records class on June 22

Community Reports

Staff from Fort Bend Coun-

ty Libraries’ Genealogy and Local History Department will focus on resources that help people find out about where their families originated in a class titled “Family-History Research: Naturalization Records,” on Saturday, June 22,

from 10:30 11:30 a.m. in the Computer Lab at George Memorial Library, 1001 Golfview, Richmond.

Knowing the history of how naturalization records and laws have changed over the years can help familyhistory researchers find and sort through valuable information. Library staff

member Carol Beauchamp will explain how to access these records. She will also provide insight into the types of information that can be obtained from them. The program is free and open to the public. Seating is limited, however, and reservations are required. To register online at the library’s website

(www.fortbend.lib.tx.us), click on “Classes & Events,” select “George Memorial,” and find the program. Participants may also register by calling the library at 281-341-2608, or by visiting the library’s Genealogy & Local History Department. Those who are interested in more local-history or geneal-

Leading Orthopedic Care to KEEP YOU MOVING

ogy resources are encouraged to join the Family-History Research FBCL Facebook group page. Managed by the Genealogy & Local History department at George Memorial Library in Richmond, the group page is an interactive, online forum for sharing genealogy tips and resources, as well as local-history stories.

Our sports medicine specialists can help keep your body in motion.

At Houston Methodist Orthopedics & Sports Medicine, we know every movement matters. Our board-certified sports medicine specialists in Sugar Land offer:

The latest imaging and technology

• Advanced nonsurgical treatments

Minimally invasive procedures

• State-of-the-art physical and occupational therapy

Whether you’re suffering from simple aches and pains or dealing with a complex injury, we can get you back on your feet — and keep you moving.

speak several languages and encompass many faiths, all are welcome. For more information call 281-277-2200 and ask for ESL information. You may also email ESL@grandparkway. org MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND CONCERT HONORS FALLEN HEROES

The Exchange Club of Sugar Land presents “A Night to Remember” on Sunday, May 26, at 7:05 p.m. The patriotic concert features a brass band, Grammy winning singers, ballet dancers and a 30-member chorus. The concert takes place in Sugar Land Town Square, in front of the City Hall Façade. Bring a chair and join us!

“A Night to Remember” is FREE and open to the public. Canned food donations are encouraged for East Fort Bend Human Needs Ministry

LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS OF FORT BEND

The League of Women Voters of Fort Bend, a nonpartisan organization, will provide voter registration and education events prior to the Feb. 5 deadline to be a registered voter in the March 5 Primary election. Locations, dates, and times include: (1) Wednesday, 1/24 -- Fort Bend YMCA, 4433 Cartwright Rd, Missouri City 7:30am - 12:30pm and 57pm; (2) Thursday, 1/25 -- First Colony Library 3:30 - 5:30pm; (3) Sat., 1/27 -- Cinco Ranch Library 10:30am - 1:30pm and University Branch

Library 11am - 2pm; (4) Tuesday, 1/30 and Wednesday, 1/31 -- WCJC

Sugar Land, Brazos Hall, 9am - 2pm; (5) Thursday, 2/1 -- ThriftWise, 501 Hwy 90E, Richmond -- 10am - 1pm. Register to vote, update your current voter registration, and get nonpartisan voting information at any of these events, or contact lwvfortbend@gmail.com.

NO HOCUS POCUS IN MUSIC MAGIC CLASS FOR 6 & 7-YEAR-OLD BOYS!

Young boys need music in their life for mental, physical and emotional growth and the best place to receive quality music instruction is with the Fort Bend Boys Choir of Texas! They offer Music Magic, an eight-week music enrichment class for six and seven-year-old boys. The Fort Bend Boys Choir of Texas, currently in its 42 nd season, brings music alive with the use of movement, musical games, singing and other child-centered activities. Boys learn about pitch matching and rhythm awareness in addition to developing large muscle coordination, increased focus and better musicianship. Music Magic helps boost brainpower, sparks creativity and forges strong connections with others. No auditions are necessary for the class – just a love of music and singing! Serving as Music Magic director is Founder and Artistic Director William R. Adams who leads this class on Tuesday evenings from 6:30 p.m. – 7:15 p.m., beginning March 19 and ending May 14 at the First United Methodist Church Missouri City, 3900 Lexington Blvd., Missouri City. Music Magic will then sing at the Fort Bend Boys Choir’s annual Spring Concert on Saturday, May 18! Classes are limited in size so please call the choir office at (281) 240- 3800 to pre-register or visit their Music Magic web page at https://fbbctx.org/our- programs/music-magic/. Be sure to stop by their Facebook page for the latest on the Fort Bend Boys Choir's Music Magic class and the organization's public performances.

AMERICAN LEGION POST 942

311 Ulrich Street, Sugar Land meets the fourth Tuesday of each Month at 7:00 pm. All Veterans are welcome.

LOVING FRIENDS IS A GROUP OF WOMEN AND MEN WHO ARE WIDOWS AND WIDOWERS THAT MEET MONTHLY FOR LUNCH, FRIENDSHIP, AND SOCIALIZATION

Lunches. are planned for the fourth Tuesday of the month at various local restaurants. Please contact Bobbie Tomlin at {281} 967-0718 For more information about us and to learn about this month’s planned lunch. We hope to meet you soon.

QUAIL VALLEY GARDEN CLUB

The Quail Valley Garden Club is very busy, not only with meetings, but with some fun “stuff” for our members and the community. Please find our fall schedule of events that the QVGC will be involved with this fall leading up to the holidays.

FBJSL IS ACCEPTING CAF GRANT APPLICATIONS

We provide grants of up to $5,000.00 to charitable causes serving Fort Bend County with requests to fund a critical need, pilot a program, or expand a significant service to the community. If your agency or organization is interested in applying for a CAF grant, please visit the Request Support page of the FBJSL website (www.fbjsl.org/request-support). All applications should be submitted via e-mail to brccom@fbjsl.com

THE SANCTUARY

FOSTER CARE SERVICES

We are a child placing agency that provides wrap around care support for foster children and foster families. We provide free therapy services, 24 hr. crisis intervention, respite/alternative care services and community-based support. For more info, www.sanctuaryfostercare.org

ALIEF AARP CHAPTER 3264

Meets the first Thursday of every month at 10:00 a.m. at Salvation Army Church, 7920 Cook Road, Houston, TX 77072. Educational Program/ Entertainment at each meeting. Bus Trips every month. Seniors 50 and above invited. Call 281-785-7372 for more information.

SUGAR LAND ROTARY CLUB

Sugar Land Rotary Club, the nation’s oldest community service organization, wants you to be its guest at a meeting that could turn out to be the best fit for getting involved with a local, non-political, humanitarian service organization with a global presence to satisfy your passion. We’re on a quest for new members! Call or email Dean Clark, 469-8502424, dean7351@gmail.com. We’re a friendly group that meets once a week for lunch.

FT. BEND ACCORDION CLUB

Meets on the 4th Sunday of every month from 2:pm - 4:pm at: CHRIST CHURCH SUGAR LAND (in the Chapel) 3300 Austin Parkway, Sugar Land, TX 77479 FREE and Open to the Public! We welcome everybody! If you play accordion, beginners to professional and would like to play Call, Text or email: Vince Ramos Cell: 281-204-7716 vincer.music@gmail.com.

LITERACY COUNCIL OF FORT BEND COUNTY

We enhance lives and strengthen communities by teaching adults to read. We need your help. Literacy Council is actively recruiting Volunteer Tutors to provide instruction for English as a Second Language (ESL) Levels 0-5, three hours a week. For more information, call 281-240-8181 or visit our website www.ftbendliteracy.org.

GIVE A GIFT OF HOPE

Give a Gift of Hope one-time or monthly. Your help provides access to therapies and services children with autism might otherwise go without. Please consider Hope For Three in your Estate, Planned, or Year-End Giving. Register now, or learn more about exciting events: www.hopeforthree.org/events.

DVD-BASED ADULT SUNDAY SCHOOL CLASS WITH NO HOMEWORK REQUIRED

Weekly class designed to help you understand and appreciate the Bible by giving you a better sense of the land and culture from which it sprang. The class meets at 9:30 am every Sunday at First Presbyterian of Sugar Land (502 Eldridge Rd.). For more information call 281-240-3195.

EXCHANGE

EXCHANGE, America’s Service Club, always welcomes guests and is in search of new members! Various Fort Bend clubs exist and can accommodate early morning (7 a.m.), noon and evening meeting time desires. For more info, contact Mike Reichek, Regional Vice President, 281-575-1145 or mike@reichekfinancial.com We would love to have you join us and see what we are all about!

MISSOURI CITY AARP CHAPTER 3801

Meets the second Monday of every month at 11:30 a.m., at 2701 Cypress Point Dr., Missouri City Rec Center. Lunch, education, and entertainment. All seniors over 50 invited. For more information, call 713-8595920 or 281-499-3345.