Missouri City leaders tout 'championship' mindset at annual address
By Ken Fountain KFOUNTAIN@FORTBENDSTAR.COM
Using a basketball theme, Missouri City leaders last week told a capacity audience of Fort Bend movers and shakers last week that the city is poised for championship status during the annual State of the City of Missouri City address.
In keeping with these sorts of events in recent years, Thursday’s event at the Houston Knayara Catholic Community Center was a multimedia affair, with Mayor Robin Elackatt giving his usual standup comedy act before an appreciative crowd, and outgoing District 3 Council member Anthony Moroulis bidding an emotional farewell. Moroulis is term-limited and will not be seeking reelection next year.
The city-owned Quail Valley City Centre, site of last year’s event, is shuttered for repairs and renovations following Hurricane Beryl. The event was hosted by the Fort Bend County Chamber of Commerce.
Elackatt, sporting a Michael Jordan jersey and coming on stage with a basketball, began the ceremonies with an extended riff roasting other elected officials in the audience. Among them was Sugar Land Mayor Joe Zimmerman, who laughed appreciably as Elackatt teased him about how Missouri City, unlike its larger neighbor, did not spend extra municipal dollars on a contract to clear up debris from Beryl.
And unlike last year’s event, in which Elackatt and City Manager Angel Jones emphasized how the city government was rebounding after several years of turmoil, this year the energy from the pair was completely focused on the positive.
“Our journey from vision to reality is a testament to the collective effort of our city’s remarkable team and resilient spirt of our residents,” Elackatt said.
In his own remarks, Moroulis paid tribute to his father, who recently died, and thanked his fellow Council members and city staff for their work during his tenure on the Council.
Jones came on stage dancing to join Elackatt for their tag-team-style address. Each of the other Council members and municipal department heads had their own time in the spotlight, either in person or by video remarks.
George being investigated for participation in fake hate scheme
By Ken Fountain KFOUNTAIN@FORTBENDSTAR.COM
Fort Bend County Judge
KP George, the county’s top elected official, is being investigated for participating in a social media campaign involving a former employee’s posting of false racist messages during George’s 2022 reelection campaign.
The Public Integrity Division of the Fort Bend County District Attorney’s Office on Wednesday executed a search warrant for cellular devices used by
George that could provide evidence that George directed or had knowledge that his former chief of staff, Taral Patel, was posting the racist messages under a false identity, “Antonio Scalawag.”
A spokesperson for the prosecutor’s office confirmed Monday (the Fort Bend Star’s print deadline) that George is not presently charged with a crime. In a written statement released Friday afternoon, George bemoaned the way the search warrant was executed and said he does not expect
to face any charges.
Patel is currently the Democratic candidate for the upcoming election in the Precinct 3 seat on Commissioners Court. He was set to be arraigned on Monday on four felony counts of online impersonation after having been arraigned September 13 on four related misdemeanor counts of online misrepresentation of identity. But the arraignment was reset to October 14. Incumbent Precinct 3 Commissioner Andy Meyers,
who is facing Patel in the race for the seat he has held for nearly three decades, has called on George to resign in light of the new allegations against him. A Republican long seen as the most conservative member of Commissioners Court, Meyers has often served as foil to George, a Democrat.
In an affidavit attached to the search warrant issued last week, Texas Ranger Louis Caltzontzint writes that the investigation of George stemmed from in-
According
Fall in Fort Bend
Manuel to serve as Grand Marshal of Fort Bend County Fair Parade
Community Reports
Fort Bend County’s largest and longest-running entertainment festival, the Fort Bend County Fair, officially kicks off this weekend after the conclusion of the everpopular BBQ Cookoff held September 20-21. Fort Bend County offices and libraries will be closed on Friday for Fair Day.
Three-time American Olympian Simone Manuel of Sugar Land will serve as Grand Marshal of the Fort Bend County Fair Parade, which will begin at 9 a.m. Friday at the historic Fort Bend County Courthouse
in Richmond and make its way west down Highway 90A to Jennetta Street in Rosenberg.
Manuel graduated from Austin High School and began her competitive swimming journey in Fort Bend County. She has won seven Olympic medals (two gold, four silver, 1 bronze) in her career. Most recently, in August at the Paris Olympics, Simone won silver in the women’s 4x100m freestyle relay and women’s 4x200m freestyle relay.
“We are proud to be able to celebrate Simone’s accomplishments as an athlete and as a person who represents
Fort Bend County at an international level. We are so proud to have her be part of our big day and give her the honor of leading our parade. We cheered for her as she competed in Paris and now we cheer for her along our parade route” said 2024 Fort Bend County Fair President Alicia Casias said in a news release. The Fair’s mission is “Benefiting Youth, Promoting Agriculture, Supporting Education.” The fair association has awarded more than $250,000 this year to Fort Bend County students. Through October 6, artists representing the breadth of
the Texas music scene, from traditional country and Tejano genres, will take the main stage of the event at the Fort Bend County Fairgrounds in Rosenberg.
“Our entertainment lineup is packed with talent. We have artists making their debuts and a few returning to our Fair, but it provides music for all to enjoy,” Casias said.
Opening weekend includes a lineup of headliners making their fair debuts.
September 27’s headline will be Drake Milligan,
formation garnered in the search of social media and cell phone records of Patel after his was was arrested and charged in June.
to the affidavit, those records showed that Patel, under the pseudonym
“Antonio Scalywag” using a photo of an actual Fort Bend County resident, Patrick Ernst, to post racist comments on September 18 and September 26, 2022, when
Akshay Gupta and her daughter Ilesha, 2, check out the fall decorations on display.
Photo by Ken Fountain
Three-time American Olympian Simone Manuel of Sugar Land will serve as Grand Marshal of the Fort Bend County Fair Parade on Friday. Photo by SydG via Fort Bend County Fair Association
Missouri City Maor Robin Elackatt, holding a basketball, pumps up the excitement as
by Ken Fountain
Space Cowboys head to playoffs after beating Sacramento 8-3 on Sunday - Page 8
George was in the midst of his reelection campaign against Republican Trever Nehls, a former Precinct 4 constable. The comments included both profane and racist comments about George’s Indian-American heritage.
Text messages show that Patel asked George for his approval before the comments were posted, and that George directed hm to add verbiage to his own social media postings decrying the purported racist comments, according to the affidavit.
When George issued his wn social media postings about the racist comments and calling on Nehls to condemn them, they were reported widely by media outlets, including the Fort Bend Star. George went on to handily win reelection that November.
Earlier text messages in June 2022 between Patel, George’s former chief of staff who according to the affidavit was then a paid consultant to George in both his official and campaign capacities, indicate Patel told George he planned to use a “fake account” to counter social media messages about a burn ban
enacted by Commissioners Court that summer, according the affidavit, George responded with “Thank you.”
In the search warrant, investigators seek to seize cellular communication devices, including cell phones and a tablet, that George is believed to have used while traveling in three separate vehicles. Caltzontzint, the Texas Ranger, writes that he believes that devices contain evidence of the crime of Misrepresentation of Identity, a Class A misdemeanor under the Texas Election Code.
Caltzontzint writes that he believes that George acted to “solicit, encourage, direct, aid, or attempt to aid [Patel] to misrepresent his (Patel’s) identity in a campaign communication with intent to injure a candidate or influence the result of an election.”
On Friday afternoon, almost a full day after the search warrant was first reported by the Houston Chronicle, George released a statement saying he had “fully complied” with the search warrant on Wednesday “I was informed, by the Texas Rangers and the Fort Bend County District Attorney’s Office, that these items were requested as part of an investigation where
I am considered a witness, not a target. I have not been charged with any crime, nor do I expect to be,” George said in the statement. That belies the fact that the
“From the outset, I have been fully cooperating with the authorities. I’ve complied with them and provided the requested items. On the advice of my attorney, I neither can comment nor answer any specific questions at this time. I will continue to perform my duties as the County Judge which citizens of Fort Bend County overwhelmingly elected me to do. My focus remains on serving the residents of Fort Bend County to the best of my ability. I have 100% faith in the legal process and trust that once all the facts are reviewed, my name will be cleared,” he said. In his own statement on Friday, Meyers, the incumbent Precinct 3 commissioner, called on George to resign and for Patel to withdraw from the race.
search warrant states that George’s devices that prosecutors seized might contain evidence of a crime.
“While I respect the legal process, and willingly complied with the search warrant, I must express my deep disappointment in how this event was conducted. Had I been treated with courtesy and respect, I would have voluntarily surrendered the requested items in person to
best known for portraying Elvis Presley on the CMT series “Sun Records”. The Fort Worth native has recently toured at such locals as Canada and the United Kingdom. On Saturday, September 28, Del Rio’s favorite son, William Beckmann, will bring his unique sound and baritone voice. On Sunday, September 29, De Parranda will perform its brand of high-energy cumbia.
On Wednesday, October 2, Red - A Taylor Swift Tribute Band will take over the fairgrounds, along with
the Fort Bend County District Attorney’s Office. Instead, the aggressive and unnecessary approach used has fueled unwarranted speculation, led to public slander, and created an unsafe environment for both my family and me. I have retained legal counsel to ensure my rights are fully protected throughout this process,” he said.
Late on Monday, George released a second statement:
friendship bracelets and shimmer. “This is an exciting first for our Fair. To be able to host a Taylor takeover, we look forward to this Swifitie experience,” Casias said.
On Thursday, October 3, Zach Top will bring old-school country to the fair. On Friday, October 4, Jason Boland & The Stragglers. Boland is considered on of the leading ambassadors of the Oklahoma and Texas music movements. Randall King will return as a headliner on Saturday, October 5. The proud son of a truck driver, King is considered a leading voice in modern honky-tonk music. Rick Trevino will close out the fair on Sunday, October 6.
“The recent revelations reported by the Houston media are deeply disturbing. If these allegations are accurate, I call on Judge KP George to immediately resign as County Judge and for Taral Patel to withdraw from the Commissioner’s race. Such divisive and criminal actions have no place in Fort Bend County, the most diverse county in the United States,” Meyers said.
Meyers is thus far the only elected Fort Bend County official to call for George’s resignation. HIs Democratic colleague, Precinct 4 Commissioner Dexter McCoy, has previously called on Patel to withdraw.
Trevino’s career has spanned several decades, including fourteen chart-topping singles and he has charted fourteen singles. All concerts are included in the ticket price and are on sale at fortbendcountyfair. com.
Headliners:
9/27 – Drake Milligan
9/28 – William Beckmann
9/29 – De Parranda
10/2 -
Fort Bend County Judge KP George is being investigated for participation in a social media campaign
Fall in Fort Bend
Attendees of the Sugar Land Fall Fest enjoy a hayride on the streets of Sugar Land Town Square on Saturday. Photo by Ken Fountain
Photos by Ken Fountain
“Mr. Houston” performs on the steps of Sugar Land City Hall during the annual Fall Fest event.
Sophie Chocalas, 2, plays with oversized building blocks at Fall Fest. Children have their photo taken with two costumed characters at Sugar Land Fall Fest
Debbie Bulloch paints cowboy hats at Sugar Land Town Square.
Mike and the Middletones perform German folk music at the OktoberFest event at Missouri City’s Quail Valley City Centre.
The Bayou City Brass Band performs on the steps of Sugar Land City Hall.
A mother and her son check out the fun at the Board and Brush table.
EDITORIAL
Dem time for Democrats
“Ibelong to no organized party; I am a Democrat.” – Will Rogers. Nowhere is that famous quote more applicable than here in Texas. The Dems have lost every single statewide race since Ann Richards was elected governor in 1990. We have Texans old enough to vote who have never seen a Democrat in the Governor’s Mansion. Today all of our state’s leaders are Republicans – from governor down to land commissioner. And we keep electing and reelecting them. In 2022, in the last statewide elections, Gov. Greg Abbott received 54.8 percent of the vote to Beto O’Rourke’s almost 44 percent. Abbott won by better than 10 percent. In politics that’s a landslide. Lite Gov. Dan Patrick won by the same margin. Ken Paxton, our indicted, impeached attorney general, did the same. Former Louisiana Gov. Edwin Edwards once bragged: “The only way I can lose is if I’m caught in bed with either a dead girl or a live boy.” Most places in Texas all you need to lose is a D by your name on the
ballot. In the Texas Senate there are 19 Republicans and 12 Democrats. The House has 86 Republicans and 64 Democrats. Both of our U.S. senators are Republicans. We have 38 slots in the U.S. House of Representatives. Of these, 25 are GOPers and only 12 are Dems. The late Shelia Jackson Lee’s seat is open, but will probably be filled by a Dem. The last great hope for the donkeys was Beto O’Rourke in the 2018 U.S. Senate race against Ted “Cancun” Cruz. O’Rourke toured all 254 Texas counties, had $70 million in campaign contributions and received enormous national attention as a political underdog. He came within 2.5 percentage points of defeating Cruz. Next, Beto was a candidate for the Democrat presidential nomination in 2020, and, as mentioned, his party’s nominee for the 2022 Texas gubernatorial election. He bombed again and again. This time the Dem candidate for the Senate is Collin Allred, but every poll shows he is behind. You would think Allred would be doing better. Cruz is a serial embarrassment to Texans with a long string of cringe-
Lynn Ashby Columnist
worthy antics. Even his fellow Republican senators don’t like him. Remember, South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham said, “If you killed Ted Cruz on the floor of the Senate, and the trial was in the Senate, nobody would convict you.” He’s our senator, whoopy.
Yes, Texas is definitely a Republican stronghold, so much so that presidential candidates don’t bother campaigning here, and come only for the money. The line is that Texas is both parties’ ATM. In the 2016 presidential elections, Donald Trump beat Hilary Clinton in Texas by more than 5 percent of the vote. In 2020, Trump beat Biden by almost 6 percent, so we’re a battle-free state. How the mighty have fallen. Democrats ran Texas longer than the communists
ran the Soviet Union, longer than the PRI ruled Mexico. This is the party of Sam Rayburn, who controlled the House while Lyndon Johnson ran the Senate for years. In those days, we made out like a bandit: dams, roads, most of our military bases were spared from closing, and can we ever forget NASA? (More aptly named the Johnson Space Center.)
What happened to the Texas Democratic Party? Where are their Johnsons and Rayburns? The collapse could be traced to July 2, 1964, when President Johnson signed the 1964 Civil Rights Act and supposedly later said to his aide, Bill Moyers, “It is an important gain, but I think we just delivered the South to the Republican Party for a long time to come.” I say “supposedly” because historians can find no such quote, but it was a good prediction as the elephant took over the South. In Texas, such Dem leaders as Phil Graham, John Connally and Rick Perry switched sides with the explanation: “I didn’t leave the Democratic Party, it left me.” Today any realistic Texas pol who wants to be elected statewide or even in
any of the 232 of the 254 counties that voted for Trump in the last presidential election has to run as a Republican. OK, let’s say you are the chairman of the Texas Democratic Party, masochist that you are, and need to start winning. In the current presidential campaigns we keep hearing that the outcome will be decided by – take your pick – Gen Zers, Latinos, Blacks, suburban housewives or Pennsylvanians. That’s all self-important twaddle, but I suggest you start nominating Gen Z, Black Latinos who just moved here from Pennsylvania. Campaign on being anti-abortion, pro-guns and charter schools. You are for a balanced budget which should be cut except for the military which needs more funds to build whatever weapons are produced in your district. You have the backing of Friends of Smog, the NRA, Swifties and God (a Christian god, of course). You are against Haitians who consume dogs, cats and geese, excluding gardeners, maids and those who work in both restaurants and construction. But Dem candidates have a tremendous obstacle: Texas Republicans. They have run
our state so well that our public school teachers are overpaid and thousands of applicants are desperately trying to land jobs in Texas classrooms. Our air and water are crystal clear. Convicts approve living in un-air conditioned cells during an August afternoon. We have almost no power outages. Led by the GOP, Texas has a record that is the envy of other governments – Chad and Somalia, for instance. What are we to do? On one hand Texas voters had the thoughtful, cheerful Republican Party of Ronald Reagan and Ike Eisenhower. It has been hijacked by meanspirited extremists bullying their way through scandals and corruption and, of course, it works. They have succeeded wonderfully well. On the other hand we have the Democrats of Larry, Moe and Curley whose ineptness, disorganization, lack of leadership and meaningful opposition clearly renders the Dems worthless. To quote another observation by Will Rogers: “Democrats are the only reason to vote for Republicans.” Ashby is running at ashby2@comcast.net
Sportscaster Brett 55. Wild mango 56. The woman 57. Afflicted 59. Look furtively 60. Large integer
Spiritual leader 62. Keeps us warm
Type of account
Cheek
dOwn
1. Helps you get there 2. Plant 3. Apron
Everybody has one
Conditions of balance
Fit
Island in Lake Michigan 8. True firs
Operates
Approves food
Tell on 14. __ mater, one’s school 19. Low prices 23. Brazilian river 24. Et-__
25. Supervises interstate commerce
Occurs naturally
Sprinted
Shock therapy
Decide
Lodging
Singer DiFranco
Kazakhstan river
1920’s woman’s hat 39. Corpus __, Texas city
40. Helps kids 41. Tires have this 42. Physical attraction 44. Goddess of wisdom
45. Made of wood 46. The top 47. Automatic data processing system 48. Exchange
Swiss river 52. Prejudice 53. Napolean came here
54. Big guys grab these (abbr.)
Mickey’s pet
“I can pull up by the curb / I can make it on the road / Goin’ mobile / I can stop in any street / Invite in people that we meet / Goin’ mobile / Keep me moving, mmm” - The Who, “Goin’ Mobile”
Igrew up in a city with a monstrous transit system. The modes included buses (both gas and electric powered), streetcars and even those pulled by underground cable. It was actually a glorious option to make it anywhere within an hour to two. Granted, my “Big City” was only about seven miles across, but like most cities, also surrounded by thriving suburbs and smaller municipalities. And that required a visionary regional transportation system. What’s resulted began as a plan to link dozens of smaller towns with the big one and each other. And it’s made that particular slice of America feel closer and more compact, like how a shoe tightens more snuggly around your foot as you pull the laces.
The fact that Fort Bend County has no major intrapublic transit service is a
Regret is an overwhelming emotion. It is in the quiet moments of your life that it sneaks up telling you all those wrong decisions, how you should have picked the other way, and that your life would have been so much better if you had.
Most of my life, I have lived in the shadow of regret, replaying mistakes over and over in my mind and wondering how things might have turned out if I had just done things differently. But over time, I learned something more recently that altered how I view regret.
Regret is not only unproductive, it also denies a big part of being human. We learn and grow through our mistakes.
Mark Garay Columnist
MARKGARAY426@GMAIL.COM
sin. Highway 6 is ripe for riding. Grocery stores line its corridors. Health clubs are situated in strip malls. Hospitals, clinics, repair services and vacuum sellers alike. If you have no car in our fair towns and don’t ride a moped or a bike, you just might feel disadvantaged.
More than 55 percent of the world’s population lives in heavily suburban areas. And such concentrations may be made to feel claustrophobic without an objective way out.
The best transportation system in the world is laid out in Hong Kong, rated number one in a 2023 ranking by Modeshift.com . The Hong Kong Mass Transit Railway serves 166 stations. And despite the challenges its high ridership demands pose (Hong Kong has the highest utilization rate in the world), the trains are inexpen-
Changing rolls
sive and very reliable. Oslo, Norway, Stockholm Sweden and Zurich Switzerland are close behind.
The U.S. Department of Transportation cites traffic safety and air quality as two leading arguments for modern transit investment. But it’s the intangibles that we might overlook. During the 1980s and 90s, my own grandfather took a bus to meet his friends from the old country. They gathered every morning at a little cantina in San Francisco’s Mission District to speak the traditional El Salvadoran dialect and reminisce about Central American times gone by. That bus was absolutely essential to his daily routine. And I truly believe his morning ritual extended his life. I doubt he would have gone every day without an affordable ride.
Fort Bend created its transportation department in 2005. Today, it does offer Park and Ride options into Houston, but as far as I can tell, few other options. Park and ride after all, requires a car. Those rides take you to downtown Houston, Greenway Plaza, the Galleria area and the Medical Center. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority or METRO, provides Park-and-
Ride service to the Medical Center and point-to-point service within Missouri City, which is part of its service area. Last April, the HoustonGalveston Area Council voted to allocate $500 million for Fort Bend to develop 15 transportation infrastructure projects. And our need has never been greater. In 2010, our county population stood at 542,000. By 2020, the number had grown to 791,000. And this year, we stand at 900,000 strong. Projections are pegging, highlighting the need for advanced planning. More people, more pollution. Higher and higher vehicular concentrations along our bloated roadways. TxDOT calls State Highway 99 from Fry to Morton Ranch Road among the most congested in the entire state.
There are now plans to broaden park and ride options. Highway dollars are earmarked for road widening projects. Fort Bend also provides curb to curb transportation services by appointment through its Demand Response program. But those are not dedicated runs and can include extra stops to pick up more people along the way. County
services also include some non-emergency medical transport for people who need dialysis, for example. As far as busses, street cars or city shuttles are concerned, nada. And that’s the way it will probably stay for a while. I spoke to Fort Bend County transportation chief Perri D’Armond. She says bus lines have always been in the conversation. But funding is at the behest of Houston Metro which, despite operating a few lines that poke into Fort Bend, has no immediate plans for broader transit plans our way.
Still, even if Fort Bend had the money it won’t get, the infrastructure that won’t get built, and the busses ready to roll that aren’t there, there is still the issue of who will drive them. Ford Bend ISD can’t even get enough people to drive our kids, let alone a wider public ridership. D’Armond says the county simply can’t compete with private sector employers like Amazon, which recently opened up shop. The insufficient number of driver candidates is clearly going to the highest bidder, she says. And Fort Bend can’t even get a seat at the auction. Until we do, brush up on your Uber
Rethinking regret
Since we were very young, we have been taught to view mistakes as something to be avoided. At school mistakes are marked in red ink, the color of failure. Most career missteps are frowned upon, if not entirely disallowed. In our personal relations, we fear a single wrong word will irrevocably damage the relationships that exist in those connections. All this pressure to be perfect engraves a mindset in which mistakes come as evidence of personal
Elackatt touted the city’s recent efforts toward enhancing economic development. “If you look at Missouri City today, it doesn’t look like it did four or five years ago,” he said. Amidst the cheerleading, there was some actual news from the event. A representative of M.D. Anderson Cancer Center stood up to announce that the renowned medical center would soon be opening a facility in Missouri City. Details were not available by the Fort Bend Star’s deadline.
shortcomings, and thus regret becomes an almost inevitable companion. But what if we viewed mistakes not as failures, but as a needed part of learning? After all, to be human is to be imperfect. We are not born with all the answers, nor are we ever in possession of all the answers no matter how much we learn or experience. Mistakes are bound to happen because life is unpredictable and complex. Any idea that we can make perfect decisions all of the time is not only unrealistic; it’s harmful because it creates an expectation that no person could ever live up to.
I have made plenty of mistakes in my life - from small, everyday errors to larger, life-altering decisions. Those mistakes I carried with shame for a really long time. What
I did not provide myself was the opportunity to learn from them, to treasure them as part of my growth. What I do now know is that every decision we make, whether it works out the way we would like or not, holds the seed of growth. Mistakes are not detours from the path - they are the path. They shape us, they mold us into the people we become, they inform our decisions about our future lives, they deepen the way we come to understand ourselves and others and the world in which we live. To regret mistakes would be to deny ourselves the lessons which might be learned from them.
Of course, learning from mistakes does not mean we should be reckless or dismissive of the consequences of our actions. Looking in retrospect
to my own mistakes and experiences, I felt now was the time to release the regret since holding it was not helping me. It was not making me a better person or leading me to better decisions. Instead, it kept me in the past, replaying scenarios when I already could do nothing about what transpired. There is value in thoughtful decision-making and accountability. But when things do not happen the way we expect, it is better to ask ourselves this: What can I learn from this? How can this experience help me in my growth? These are the questions that bring transformation into our being, way more than getting caught up in the ‘what ifs’. In the end, regrets do nothing to alter the past. It only stands in the way of fully embracing
etiquette. Column Veggies: What’s yellow, 8 feet tall and narrowly avoided death in outer space? I recently found “I Am Big Bird”, a delightful look at the man behind the feathers. Caroll Spinney created the Sesame Street character and this documentary traces his story, his accomplishments and the psychology of Big Bird’s inspiration to children from the 60s forward. There was so much I wanted to know, like how he operates the bird costume. And my suspicions were confirmed. It reveals Spinney as a very humble man. And the script also includes rare production footage, interviews with Jim Henson and film of the troupe’s worldwide travels. Big Bird’s soul belongs to a really nice guy, even though he wears his hair like the Dutch Boy on the paint cans. And yes, Spinney and Big Bird had a reserved seat in the Space Shuttle Challenger before getting bumped by a high school teacher. “I am Big Bird” was released in 2015, but it holds up nine years later. You can stream it on Peacock.
Garay can be reached at MarkGaray426@gmail.com
the present and continuing on with the wisdom gained. Not living with regrets does not necessarily mean that one does not live with mistakes; it means a person lives in the thought that mistakes are an essential part of the journey of humanness. Mistakes are how we learn, how we evolve, and how we ultimately become the people we are meant to be.
Morris is a Ridge Point High School student, class of 2027, a varsity tennis player, and an active member of JCC Maccabi Houston. If you are a Fort Bend County high-school-age student (public, private, charter, or homeschool) who might be interested in becoming a Youth Columnist, please send an email to editor@ fortbendstar.com.
Eva k. Morris Youth Columnist
Sugar Land Mayor Joe Zimmerman, center, laughs as Missouri City Mayor Robin Elackatt teases him about hurricane debris removal.
Missouri City Mayor Robin Elackatt welcomes City Mangar Angel Jones to the stage. Photo by Ken Fountain
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.
EMMY-NOMINATED FORT BEND BOYS CHOIR HOLDING AUDITIONS
The Fort Bend Boys Choir is seeking talented young boys who like music and singing. If know of one, encourage him to audition for our award-winning and Emmy-Nominated Fort Bend Boys Choir! No experience is necessary and boys should be around eight years of age or older with an unchanged voice. Auditions are by special appointment at the First United Methodist Church Missouri City, 3900 Lexington Blvd., Missouri City, TX. Visit the Fort Bend Boys Choir’s webpage at www. fbbctx.org or call (281) 240-3800 for more details about auditions. Ben-
efits as a choir member include greater self-esteem and self-confidence, better work ethic and a sense of belonging and community. A boy’s voice has an expiration date so it is important to audition when boys’ voices are still unchanged. Auditions are free!
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, 832-9874193, dean7351@gmail.com We just started a new evening club also. Contact me for more info.
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.
RICHMOND/ROSENBERG ALZHEIMER’S CAREGIVER SUPPORT GROUP MEETING
Please join us on Thursday, October 3, at 7:00 p.m. for our monthly meeting. We will be meeting in Room 105, the Gathering Room, at St. John’s UMC in Richmond. St. John’s is located at 400 Jackson Street. We are looking forward to an open discussion this meeting. Caregivers, please feel free to bring your ideas to discuss with the group. Alzheimer’s Association support groups, conducted by trained facilitators, are a safe place for caregivers and loved ones of people with dementia to: Develop a support system. Exchange practical information on challenges and possible solutions.
Talk through issues and ways of coping.
• Share feelings, needs and concerns.
Learn about community resources.
Just a reminder that support groups create a safe, confidential, supportive community and a chance for participants to develop informal mutual support and social relationships. They educate and inform participants about dementia and help participants develop methods and skills to solve problems.
Please visit our group’s Facebook Page: Richmond Alzheimer’s Support Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/RichmondRosenberg AlzheimersSupport/ or visit https://www.facebook.com/groups/ alztexprograms to learn more about the Houston and Southeast Texas Chapter’s Care and Support page, Questions may be sent to: gallowkj@ earthlink.net
Space Cowboys head to playoffs after beating Sacramento 8-3 on Sunday
By Amanda Perry APERRY@ASTROS.COM
SACRAMENTO, CA –
Down two headed into the eighth, the Sugar Land Space Cowboys (93-56, 44-30) scored seven runs in the final two innings to seal their last regular-season win with a score of 8-3 against the Sacramento River Cats (80-70, 36-39) on Sunday afternoon at Sutter Health Park. The win is their 93rd of the season, marking the most victories in the Pacific Coast League since the 1981 Albuquerque Dukes, who finished their season with 94.
RHP Aaron Brown started the game with a 1-2-3 first inning but lost an eight-pitch at-bat to the lead-off batter in the second, giving up a solo shot to Andrew Knapp. However, it was the only hit the starter gave up in his 4.0
innings of work, his best outing as a Space Cowboy. It was not long before Sugar Land knotted it up in the top of the third when Miguel Palma singled to start off the frame. The next pitch, Pedro León slammed a double of the wall in left center, sending Palma around the horn to score the tying run. After scoreless appearances from RHP Ray Gaither and RHP Shawn Dubin, RHP Logan VanWey came in for the bottom of the seventh. The righty let the first two batters reach on a single and a walk. Hunter Bishop popped out on a bunt attempt for the first out, and Brett Auerbach drew a walk to load the bases for the River Cats. VanWey got the strikeout of Will Wilson to bring him to a total of 98 on the season. With two outs and a 2-2 count on Christian Koss,
VanWey hit Koss with a fastball upstairs to force in the go-ahead run. RHP Forrest Whitley (W, 4-1) came in for the final out and worked a 3-2 count on Trenton Brooks before issuing a walk to bring in another run for Sacramento. Whitley eventually got Luis Matos to fly out, ending the inning.
Facing a two-run deficit headed into the top of the eighth, Jesús Bastidas made it a one-run game with a solo shot that sailed 405 feet out of the ballpark against RHP Evan Gates. Gates allowed back-to-back singles from León and Zach Dezenzo, and his day ended as LHP Raymond Burgos (L, 2-2) came in to try and get the River Cats out of a jam. During an at-bat with Cooper Hummel, León and Dezenzo attempted a double steal, but
Sugar Land library to host program on dementia on Sept. 30
Community Reports
Fort Bend County Libraries’ Sugar Land Branch Library will present an informational program, “Understanding Alzheimer’s & Dementia,” on Monday, September 30, from 6:30-7:30 pm, in the Meeting Room of the library, located at 550 Eldridge.
Ryan Gant of the Fort Bend
County Health & Services department will provide an overview of Alzheimer’s Disease and other dementias. Attendees will learn about risk factors, the stages and progression of the disease, FDA-approved treatments, and more.
Attendees will gain a better understanding of the disease from dementia experts and hear perspectives
from individuals living with the disease, as well as from their care partners.
The program is free and open to the public. For more information, see the Fort Bend County Libraries website (www.fortbend. lib.tx.us) or call the Sugar Land Branch Library (281238-2140) or the library system’s Communications office (281-633-4734).
a great throw from the catcher Blake Sabol caught Dezenzo at second. Hummel eventually drew a five-pitch walk to put runners on the corners for Quincy Hamilton. Hamilton tapped a weak grounder to the left side, and the outfielder was out at first but allowed León to race home to score the tying run. The next batter, Tommy Sacco Jr., lined a double down the right-field line, and Hummel sprinted home for another run, breaking the tie at 4-3.
RHP Luis Contreras (H, 15) hurled a quick threeup-three-down bottom of the eighth, and the Space Cowboys offense went back to work in the top of the ninth. With one out, Palma doubled on a line drive in the rightcenter gap and advanced to third a few pitches later a wild throw from RHP Clay
Helvey. Bastidas then drove in his second run in as many innings on a base hit to left field. León reached on a single to put runners on first and second for Dezenzo. Dezenzo bounced a slider a few feet in front of the catcher Sabol, whose throw flew way over the first baseman’s head to bring two more runs across the plate and send Dezenzo to second base. With the bases loaded after a pair of walks, Sacco Jr. came through again with a sacrifice fly to allow Dezenzo to tag up and score, making it 8-3 Sugar Land.
For the final time this regular season, RHP Wander Suero came in for the ninth inning and struck out the first two batters he faced. Wilson ripped a double on the first pitch of the at-bat to put a man in scoring position for Sacramento. Christian Koss
then lined a cutter for a base hit to center, sending Wilson around third to try and score, but Jacob Melton launched a strike to the plate to gun down Wilson for the final out of the regular season, giving the Space Cowboys an 8-3 win.
The Space Cowboys return home this week to take on the Reno Aces in the first series of the Pacific Coast League Championship. 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.
Leading Medicine in SUGAR LAND
Methodist Welcomes Ashley Ngo, DO
Ashley Ngo, DO, is a family medicine physician whose goal is to empower patients to take control of their health and lead them on a path of disease prevention. She is committed to working with her patients to develop a healthy lifestyle.
She joins Houston Methodist Primary Care Group at Sugar Land, where she will be seeing new and existing patients in person and virtually.
Her expertise includes:
• Acute and chronic care
• Annual physicals
• Health screenings • Minor procedures
Osteopathic manipulative medicine (OMM)
Schedule online at houstonmethodist.org/pcg/sugar-land or call 713.394.6638
The Sugar Land Branch Library will present an informational program, “Understanding Alzheimer’s & Dementia,” on Monday, September 30. File photo by Ken Fountain
