A Meadows Place man was sentenced late last month to life without parole in state prison for continuous sexual assault of a young child.
Robert Richard Tassin, 46, was also sentenced to 20 years each on two additional charges of sexual assault of a child, according to a news release from the Fort Bend County District Attorney’s Office. 268th District Court Presiding Judge Steve Rogers imposed the sentences. Tassin pleaded guilty to all three offenses on July 23. Assistant District Attorney Alycia Curtis presented evidence during a September 23 sentencing hearing that Tassin began sexually abusing a family member when the child was approximately 8 years old and continued the abuse for more than fourteen years, according to the release.
During this time, Tassin abused the victim on an almost daily basis and was able to keep the child quiet by convincing the child that sexual contact between an adult and child was “normal” and through what are known as “grooming techniques” and other forms of emotional abuse, according to the release.
“The breadth and magnitude of sexual abuse in this case was hard to comprehend,” Curtis said in the release. “All children deserve to feel safe in their homes, and Tassin betrayed his role as caretaker and protector, manipulating this child for almost fifteen years for his own sexual gain. I’m so proud of the child for their bravery in coming forward, and for helping to put Tassin where he belongs and unable to prey on any child for the rest of his life.” Curtis commended the Meadows Place Police Department for its investigation of this case, and expressed immense gratitude to Child Advocates of Fort Bend for the therapy services the agency has provided to the victim since the time the abuse came to light.
“Betrayal on this level is accomplished by a lack of humanity,” District Attorney Brian Middleton said. “To
By Ken Fountain KFOUNTAIN@FORTBENDSTAR.COM
Barring an appeal of a recent judicial ruling, attorneys for Fort Bend County could soon be defending a federal civil lawsuit in which a self-styled citizen journalist claims that Sheriff Eric Fagan and his deputies infringed his First Amendment rights as he gathered news for his social media accounts. A federal magistrate has already ruled that the sheriff violated the plaintiff’s rights.
Justin Pulliam, a Fort Bend County resident, has for several years been posting videos of encounters between county law enforcement officers and citizens and posting them on his Facebook account and a YouTube channel called “Corruption Report.” The videos often depict Pulliam being confrontational with officers.
In the lawsuit, originally filed in a Houston federal court in December 2022, Pulliam claims that Fagan infringed on his First
Amendment rights when he ordered deputies to remove him from the site of a July 2021 press conference at Jones Creek Ranch, which had been closed during the investigation of a body that was discovered there. News media reporters on the scene were asked to gather at the park’s entrance, but when Pulliam arrived, Fagan is heard on a video shot by Pulliam telling deputies that he was not part of the media and told them to escort him back to his car, about 80 feet
away.
Separately, the lawsuit argues that Sgt. Taylor Rollins violated Pulliam’s rights in December 2021 when he arrested him for refusing to step away from the scene of a welfare check of a man known by the department to have mental illness and who owned firearms. Pulliam and his attorneys assert that Pulliam was within his rights because the man’s mother had granted him permission to be on the property.
On September 25, U.S. District
signed an order in which
accepted the findings of U.S.
Judge Andrew M. Edison in a September 5 memorandum. In that memorandum and recommendations, Edison granted in part and denied in part a motion for summary judgement filed by Pulliam’s attorneys, who are with the Institute for Justice, a non-
FBISD nurse lauded for saving neighbor’s
Community Reports
Natalie Bostic, a nurse at Fort Bend ISD’s James Reese Career & Technical Center, has been awarded the Certificate of Merit from the American Red Cross, one of its highest honors, for saving her neighbor’s life on March
the annual vegetable/herb plant sale hosted each fall by the Fort Bend County Master Gardeners on Saturday, October 12. The sale will be open from 9 a.m. to noon or sold out at the Extension Education Center, 1402 Band Road in Rosenberg. Attendees are advised to
2, 2024. Lionel Perro collapsed while helping Bostic with yard work, and she immediately performed CPR, keeping him alive until paramedics arrived, according to a story on the FBISD website, fortbendisd.com.
heads
sweet and crunchy. They should be planted 5 to 6 inches apart in a bed or container that gets full sun. Plants will grow 6 to 8 inches tall. To help them, feed them two or three times during the growing season with fish emulsion or another high nitrogen fertilizer. To harvest, cut the whole vase-shaped little heads when they are plump and well filled out. Chop coarsely for delicious quick stir fries or braise in a little butter and
Bush High School nurse
Kimberly Holland nominated Bostic for the award.
Bostic said she doesn’t consider herself a hero, “just a person in the right place, at the right time, with the right skills.” CEO of the Texas Gulf
broth just until tender-crisp. Joi Choi is mild and sweet tasting and full of vitamins and antioxidants.
The Pak Choi - Joi Choi is one of 20 varieties of vegetables that will be available at the Saturday sale along with eight varieties of herb plants. Learn more at 2024-Fall-VHS-BWBooket-Final-9-24-2024.pdf (fbmg.org)
Fort Bend County Master Gardeners Steve Schmerbeck, Carol Gaas, and Blanca Walsh help raise 20 varieties of vegetable plants and eight varieties of herb plants for this weekend’s sale.
Coast American Red Cross Shawn Schulze presented Bostic with her certificate, signed by the President Joe Biden, along with a medal and pin for her bravery.
“Natalie is definitely a hero,” Schulze said. “We don’t give these awards out lightly.
I couldn’t be prouder.” Schulze told her “someone is still walking the earth because of the work of your hands.” Perro expressed his gratitude.
“I’m glad just to be here,” he said. “God brought me back for a reason.”
Judge George C Hanks, Jr.
he
Magistrate
Robert Richard Tassin, 46, of Meadows Place, has been sentenced to life in prison for continuous sexual assault of a young child. Courtesy Fort Bend County District Attorney’s Office
Natalie Bostic, second from right, a nurse at Fort Bend ISD’s James Reese Career & Technical Center, has been
Cross, one of its highest honors, for saving the life of Lionel Perro (second from right). Courtesy Fort Bend ISD
profit group that advocates for several causes, among them First Amendment rights.
In his discussion of the issues at play in the lawsuit, Edison cites the Fort Bend Sheriff’s Office’s media relations policy, approved by Fagan, which defines what kinds of entities or people are considered part of the media.
“For purposes of this General Order this term does not generally include social media, “ Edison writes, adding in a footnote that social media includes such platforms as Facebook and YouTube.
Later in the memorandum, Edison cites several key First Amendment cases decided by the U.S. Supreme Court over several decades, including the landmark 2010 case Citizens United v. FEC, in which the high court ruled that public entities are not allowed to make distinctions about what kinds of people or entities are protected by the First Amendment with regards to newsgathering activity.
“Pulliam argues that Fagan removed him from the press conference because he is a social-media journalist operating on YouTube and Facebook, as opposed to a journalist working for a traditional news outlet, such as a newspaper or television station. That distinction, Pulliam says, is improper. Pullam is correct,” the magistrate writes.
If and when the case goes to trial, Edison writes, it should focus solely on the amount of damages Fort Bend County owes Pulliam.
Turning later to the December 2021 arrest of Pulliam, Edison writes that based on contradictory deposition testimony in the case, it remains unclear whether Rollins was justified when he asked Pulliam to step away from the scene because of security concerns. “A jury should weigh in on the veracity of that explanation,” he writes.
Edison further ruled that another deputy, Detective Robert Hartfield, should be dismissed from the case because he is entitled to qualified immunity in his actions following Fagan’s order to remove Pulliam from the press conference. He also
denied Pulliam’s motion for summary judgment in First Amendment retaliation claims against Rollins and Fort Bend County.
Either Pulliam or the named defendants can appeal various aspects of the ruling to the Fifth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans. In a phone interview, Fagan told the Fort Bend Star that the ruling is being reviewed by the Fort Bend County Attorney’s Office, which will decide whether to appeal the ruling. But, Fagan said, his policy is not to infringe anyone’s First Amendment rights.
A status conference in the case is set for November 1.
REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS
Drymalla Construction Co. LLC (CM at Risk) is soliciting Qualifications/Proposals from Subcontractors for the New Lamar CISD Administration Building. Qualifications and Proposals are due at 2:00 PM on Wednesday November 6, 2024, at the office of Drymalla Construction Co., 608 Harbert, Columbus TX 78934, via fax 979-732-3663, or email bids@ drymalla.com. For information on how to obtain copies of the Request for Qualifications/ Proposal documents call 979-7325731 or email Jason Labay at jason@drymalla.com Documents will be available online October 8, 2024, at the following link: https://cloud.drymalla.com/index.php/s/4Nwqsx5wFCtjQR5
REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL
Drymalla Construction Company, LLC (CM at Risk) is soliciting Qualifications/Proposals from Subcontractors/Suppliers for the Lamar Consolidated ISD Campus #8 – Infrastructure – GMP 1 Clearing and Grubbing Package. Project consists of clearing and grubbing of approximately 155 Acres of the Lamar CISD Campus #8 sites. The scope of work is defined by the drawings and specifications issued. Qualifications/Proposals are due at 2:00 PM on Wednesday, October 16, 2024 at the offices of Drymalla Construction Company, LLC, 608 Harbert, Columbus, Texas 78934, via fax 979-732-3663, or email to bid@drymalla.com. NO PHONE BIDS WILL BE ACCEPTED. A virtual pre-proposal meeting will be held October 3, 2024 at 3 PM. Access to this meeting is included in the Project Manual. For information on how to obtain copies of the Request for Qualifications/Proposal documents call 979-732-5731, or email Sharon Fisher at sfisher@drymalla.com.
LEGAL NOTICE
RecNation RV and Boat Storage unit contents are being sold to satisfy a landlord’s lien. Sale to be held at www.storagetreasures.com from 10/10/24 12pm to 10/28/24 12pm. Clean up deposit is required. Seller reserves the right to withdraw the property at any time before sale. Unit items sold to highest bidder. All spaces contain household items unless otherwise noted. TXHOU11- 18103 West Little York Rd, Katy, TX 77449: Michael Kamis; Baiyang Zhao; Michael Stoppelberg (2)
so easily cast aside human decency, to abandon your responsibility, and to sacrifice a child’s dignity, is reprehensible. You fail that child, and you fail human-
ity. And when we call you to answer, we will seek justice in measures. And survivors will recover what was taken from them.” Continuous Sexual Abuse of Young Child is a firstdegree felony punishable by 25 to 99 years or life in prison with no parole.
Sexual Assault of a Child is a second- degree felony punishable by 2 to 20 years in prison. Both offenses require lifetime registration as a sex offender. Child Advocates of Fort Bend can be contacted at 281-344-5100 or through the website, ww.cafb.org.
Dulles Avenue, Stafford, TX 77477
A federal lawsuit in which a citizen journalist claims that Fort Bend County and Sheriff Ed Fagan violated
Space Cowboys’ Storey named Pacific Coast League Manager of the Year
By Amanda Perry APERRY@ASTROS.COM
Sugar Land Space Cowboys Manager Mickey Storey was named last week the Pacific Coast League Manager of the Year as announced by Minor League Baseball. This is the first Manager of the Year honor in Storey’s career. Also last week, six members of the 2024 Sugar Land Space Cowboys were named Pacific Coast League All-Stars as announced by Minor League Baseball. They are outfielder Pedro León, designated hitter Shay Whitcomb, starting pitcher AJ Blubaugh, starting pitcher Colton Gordon, starting pitcher Ryan Gusto and reliever Wander Suero.
This season, Storey guided the Space Cowboys to both the first and second half Pacific Coast League titles, compiling a 93-56 record, the most wins in Minor League Baseball in 2024. The 93 wins were the most in a single season in the Pacific Coast League since 1981, when the Albuquerque Dukes won 94 games. Sugar Land also led Minor League Baseball in road victories this season, collecting 48 wins away from Constellation Field. In the postseason, Storey led the Space Cowboys to a sweep of the Reno Aces in their best-of-three series, guiding Sugar Land to their first ever Pacific Coast League Championship, outscoring Reno 19-4 in the series. Sugar Land then took down the Omaha Storm Chasers 13-6 in the one-game Triple-A National Championship to claim their
first Triple-A Championship title. The Pacific Coast League title was the first full-season title for Storey, who guided the Surprise Saguaros of the Arizona Fall League to a title in 2022.
Storey has managed Sugar Land for all four seasons that the club has been an affiliate of the Houston Astros, compiling a 302275 record in the regular season. The former Astros’ and Blue Jays’ pitcher collected his 400th career managerial victory on May 14, 2024, with a 16-7 win over Albuquerque and has a career record of 467-390, having managed Sugar Land (2021-current), Round Rock (2019) and Quad Cities (2018).
León slashed .299/.372/.514/.886 in 118 games with Sugar Land, hitting 25 doubles, two triples and 24 home runs with 90 RBI, 78 runs scored and 29 stolen bases. He was fifth in the Pacific Coast League in RBI, tied for fifth in total bases (241), sixth in hits (140), seventh in batting average, eighth in stolen bases and OPS and ninth in home runs and slugging percentage. The 26-year-old had his contract selected by the Astros on July 30 and debuted on August 3 with Houston, playing in seven games at the Major League level this season.
Whitcomb hit .293/.378/.530/.908 in 108 games with the Space Cowboys in 2024, knocking 19 doubles, two triples and 25 home runs with 91 RBI and 73 runs scored while swiping 26 bases. He was one of just three players in
Minor League Baseball to hit at least 25 home runs and steal at least 25 bases in 2024 and set a single-season Space Cowboys franchise record with his 91 RBI. The 26-year-old infielder had his contract selected by the Astros on August 16 and spent the remainder of the regular season with Houston. At the time of his promotion, Whitcomb led the Pacific Coast League in RBI and was second in total bases (219) and home runs while sitting fourth in OPS and fifth in hits (121). By the end of the season, Whitcomb still finished among the top 10 in the Pacific Coast League in many categories, sitting fourth in RBI and OPS, tied for sixth in home runs, seventh in slugging, ninth in average and OBP and tied for tenth in stolen bases. After being optioned to Sugar Land on September 27, Whitcomb was named
the Triple-A National Championship Game MVP and was also named to the MiLB Awards All-MiLB Prospects First Team on Monday.
Blubaugh made all but one appearance with Sugar Land, going 12-4 with a 3.83 ERA in 27 outings, 25 starts, throwing 124.2 innings with 128 strikeouts. The right-hander gave up three runs or less in 23 of his 27 outings and turned in six quality starts during the season. He led the Pacific Coast League in wins, was fourth in strikeouts and eighth in innings pitched. Among qualified pitchers in the Pacific Coast League, Blubaugh was second in ERA, third in batting average against (.250) and fourth in WHIP (1.35). He was named the Pacific Coast League Pitcher of the Week once during the season, was selected to the MLB
All-Star Futures Game in 2024 and started Game One of the Pacific Coast League Championship Series, hurling 5.2 innings while giving up just two runs on three hits with six strikeouts, receiving the win in Sugar Land’s 14-2 victory over the Aces.
Gusto spent the entire season with Sugar Land and combined to go 8-6 with a 3.70 ERA in 29 appearances, 26 starts, hurling 148.1 innings while striking out 141 hitters. The 25-year-old led the Pacific Coast League in strikeouts, was second in innings pitch and tied for fifth in games started. Among qualified pitchers, Gusto led the Pacific Coast League in ERA while sitting second in batting average against (.242) and WHIP (1.27). He turned in 10 quality starts and was at his best from the beginning of June through the end of the season, going 8-5 with a 2.08 ERA in his last 18 appearances, giving up just 25 earned runs in 108.0 innings with 98 strikeouts, a 0.96 WHIP and a .199 batting average against. Gusto was named the Pacific Coast League Pitcher of the Month for July and had his contract selected by the Astros on September 29.
Despite missing the first month of the season, Gordon put together a remarkable year with Sugar Land, going 8-2 with a 3.94 ERA in 25 appearances, 24 starts, spinning 123.1 innings with just 39 walks and 124 strikeouts. The southpaw was fifth in the Pacific Coast League in strikeouts and ninth in innings pitched.
He reached qualifying status in his final start of the regular season and finished first among qualified pitchers in batting average against (.238) and WHIP (1.22) while sitting third in ERA behind Gusto and Blubaugh. The lefty delivered seven quality starts in his season with Sugar Land and was named the Pacific Coast League Pitcher of the Week twice. Including his start in the Triple-A National Championship Game, the Space Cowboys went 21-4 in games started by Gordon in 2024. Suero wrote his name into the Pacific Coast League history books in 2024, becoming the single season saves leader in league history, going 37 for 39 in save opportunities in 2024, surpassing the previous record of 34 saves. Overall, Suero went 7-1 with a 2.66 ERA in 67 relief appearances, throwing 67.2 innings with 71 strikeouts while holding opponents to a .197 batting average against. Including the postseason, Suero converted his final 31 save chances with the Space Cowboys, with his last blown save coming back on May 25. In games in which Suero pitched, Sugar Land went 61-8, and the right-hander led Minor League Baseball in appearances and saves in 2024.
Perry is a writer for the Sugar Land Space Cowboys, the Triple-A affiliate of the Houston Astros. This article is used by permission.
HOUSTON METHODIST LEADING CARE
THE TV – “Fortytwo percent of union members prefer Harris and of those, 28 percent are Blacks who live in battleground states and 9 percent are…” “A new poll shows Ted Cruz is 49 percent and Colin Allred is trending upwards with 45 percent among college educated shepherds and…” “Pundits cite a poll among…” Enough! It is an election year and we are awash with polls, particularly of the presidential persuasion. Are they accurate? Do they really matter? Who cares? Well, let’s look at the avalanche of these polls and make up our minds as to whether we should grab the remote and change to the Rat Catchers Channel.
These days we constantly see network newscasts with a pollster pushing buttons beside a map lighting up one state or another to show that the polls are “trending” (that’s the buzzword) upwards or downwards compared to a similar poll taken the week before or maybe that morning. In the
EDITORIAL
Figuring out polls apart
Lynn Ashby Columnist
ASHBY2@COMCAST.NET
presidential election, voters are trending like mad. The Democrats were doomed to defeat with poor Joe (“Octogenarian”) Biden while Donald (“Septuagenarian”) Trump was dusting off his “2025” plans to deport 12 million immigrants and fire every federal worker who didn’t wear a MAGA cap. As we know, Joe was made to walk the podium and Kamala Harris headed the ticket. Up went the Dems’ chances. Now, every breathless map-pointer on TV is telling us that Harris is trending upwards among Alaskan Hispanics, both of them. At the same time, Trump is trending downwards with Alaskan surfers, but he explains it’s low tide. It is often said the only poll that counts is the one on
Election Day. Still there are dozens if not scores of polls –the number of organizations that conduct national election polls more than doubled between 2000 and 2022 – but the most quoted are those done by The New York Times and Siena College, CNN, 538, Quinnipiac University, the Marist Poll and each TV network hires its own polling company.
They all generally come up with the same results and, thankfully, some news programs give us, in effect, a poll of the polls. Each poll has “a margin of error.” Translated, it means, “We may be wrong.” There are also focus groups in which eight voters explain who they are going to vote for and why. That tells us exactly nothing. And we have exit polls, but they aren’t much good since they tell us what has already happened.
In the past there have been some real polling bombs. Perhaps the best known is the 1948 presidential race between Harry Truman and Thomas Dewey. Every poll showed Dewey the winner. The Chicago Tribune even ran a huge three-word headline: “Dewey Defeats Truman,”
which Truman proudly held aloft for the photographers.
More recently we have the polling debacle of 2016. I could not find a single poll which called Trump ahead of Hillary Clinton. Two observers, after checking the polls, put Hillary’s chances of victory at 99 percent. My favorite toe-stubbing was by The New Yorker. It loved Hillary because she checked all the right boxes: a woman thriving in a man’s world, a liberal and she was from New York. In one article prior to the election, they ran something like “when Clinton takes office.” If I had been the editor handling that story I would have changed it to some weasel words like “might take” or even “should take.” Then in the off-year elections of 2022 a “red tide” would propel the GOP into victory. It was more like a blue wave.
To rectify these glitches in hopes they still get the business – polls are very expensive – the pollsters have changed the way they operate. Phone calls on land lines don’t count as much since so many people have changed to smartphones. Also, people lie to the pollsters, and the best
Less is less
example is what is called the “shy Trump effect.” After the 2016 missed call, observers speculated that Trump supporters might have been reluctant to say they were voting for Trump – then did. And polls only tell us which candidate the voters prefer – the popular vote. In the 2000 and 2016 presidential elections the national popular vote winners (Al Gore and Hillary Clinton) lost the election in the Electoral College to George W. Bush and Trump. So most voters said they were going to vote for Gore and Hillary, and they did exactly that. The polls were correct, but it didn’t matter due to the – roll of drums – Electoral College where our president is actually chosen, no matter who we want. These recent errors have turned many off believing in polls, but still they come at us. Why? There is no alternative.
It’s all the office-seekers have. The polls determine where they campaign or need to.
It’s where they spend their money. (Notice how, compared to battleground states, we see very little local – as opposed to national – presidential campaign ads here in deep-
red Texas.) What’s the difference in a poll and a survey? I think a survey is used by businesses who ask, “What kind of car do you drive?” “Where would you like to take a vacation?” You would not take a poll to determine people’s choice of soup. But sometimes politicians take a survey to see how to stay in office. Years ago my congressman, Bill Archer, a decent Republican conservative, would send out a survey: “Do you support owning a gun in self-defense if a mad communist breaks into your home and threatens you with a bloody axe?” “Should we protect the oil and gas industry from those who would destroy our economy?” “Should we abolish the Defense Department?” I never heard of the results of those surveys but I can guess. To solve this predicament of what polls tell us, one poll found that if Trump loses, most voters (me) feel we will be embroiled for months to come with charges of voter fraud. Stand by for next January 6.
Ashby polls at ashby2@ comcast.net
“Yeah- Hey yeah / I want to travel south this year / Ah, whoa whoa / Won’t prevent safe passage here / Why you act crazy? Not an act maybe?” - Alice in Chains, “I Stay Away”
t was a late afternoon.
II’d only arrived in Helena, Montana a few months before. I was still green. Only property tax stories, environmental issues and the occasional graffiti blight. During my first three months as a new television news reporter, I’d covered a forest Frisbee tournament, the search for a guy who was breaking into homes and stealing only the left-side pillow cases, and the grand openings of car dealerships and new museum exhibits. The challenge here was to dig up news, not just display it. And it didn’t end there. 1989 was a pre-digital world. And like the pioneers from yesteryear who toiled the soil and drank from freshwater streams, I had to muscle my way through the bad parts of working in small-market television.
On this particular day, I
FMark Garay Columnist
was completing my assignment for the evening news. I recall feeling good. I was starting to understand the basics of how TV news worked. My piece didn’t air for another 90 minutes. So I ducked outside for a quick smoke. When I got back to the newsroom, I heard something over the police scanners I hadn’t heard before: an emergency call. There had been a shooting reported at nearby Carrol College. I had never covered a breaking story like this before. I grabbed a camera, got into a van, and drove to the campus eight minutes away. It was total confusion when I arrived. There was still an active search for the man who’d shot two cafeteria workers, one of them fatally.
A mass shooting had never happened before in this small town, and it showed. If local authorities were trained in handling an active murder scene, they showed no signs. Zero search grids. No police tape. Media crowding in from nearby towns. A cafeteria floor covered in blood and evidence unrecorded. People walking all over without direction. Finally, a command and media center began setting up in a separate part of the campus. As we were escorted there, armed police officials screamed for everyone to hit the ground. No one had noticed the armed murderer hanging out in a tree outside the area where we had staged. The gunman, in fact, had been lying with his rifle a few feet from where I’d been standing as I recorded the chaos around me. I had no idea. I ran back to the area, and captured police dragging him from under the tree. His name was John Gayles. He was eventually convicted and sentenced. Other than being blackout drunk that day, I still don’t know why he did it. As I said, the world was very different, operationally and otherwise. The camera I
grabbed that day was SVHS, or super-VHS. It was a tape -loaded device, bulky, big and heavy. It looked like a cargo ship for the Imperial fleet in Star Wars. The tapes were the same size as the ones from Blockbuster, so I don’t know what made them super. Point is, it was uncomplicated but hard to handle. There was no hint that anything digital was on the way. For lack of a better term, today we might even call those old tape-based devices a brick-and-mortar version of what now exists invisibly. I never minded shooting or editing my own stories. I liked the control.
A few years later I got hired at a shop that had professional photographers, saving me the trouble. Cameras there employed BETA-tape technology. It was a smaller format with presumed better quality, but it was still a tape. The bottom for television news didn’t fall out alongside the introduction of digital technology. It has faltered directly as a result of it. When local TV revenues began declining because people chose to watch news on YouTube, personnel cuts were forthcoming. I was told being a good reporter
was no longer good enough. In order to keep my job, I’d have to go back to shooting and editing on my own. And there’s the rub.
I was watching a recent news report about a neighborhood commercial space. And I noticed how the reporter had so obviously shot the story himself. There were no two-shots of the reporter walking with his interview subject. Most of the interviews were done on the fly, with subjects continuing to work and speaking simultaneously to the camera, and so forth. The reporter in this case was never seen, and that puts us all at a disadvantage. Some of the juiciest information I ever got always happened after the interview, as the crew was packing up. That was the time I used to casually grill someone without being obvious. The fact that they weren’t on camera relaxed them. Oftentimes, they were gearing up to leave and would often surrender sensitive facts just to get out the door. I needed that extra body there to get an edge. And I could usually ingratiate myself as my cameraman went off for a few minutes to
get some shots. Two are better than one when it comes to local news gathering. Most people won’t notice the changes, the slow erosion of quality in how your local news is covered, as the industry reduces costs by eliminating the one thing they need to compete. Has the digital age made everything easier and better? Hardly. It’s true we can order groceries without leaving the house. Catch a ride with someone we don’t know. And listen to music without a trip to the mall. But in so many other ways, the digital tissue left over after the digital blast is looking for some legit bone with which to reattach. I first heard about the Internet in 1991. Thirtythree years isn’t enough time for even the best of us to fully find ourselves. We shouldn’t expect technology to be any different.
A side note: I’m searching for the best egg salad sandwich in Fort Bend County. Write me if you know a good place.
Garay can be reached at MarkGaray426@gmail.com
Quick question: Are Taylor Swift lyrics poetry?
ourteen-time Grammy winner, the billionaire music artist needs no introduction. With just the listings of a few well-known albums, organized by popularity – “Lover”, “Reputation”, “Midnights”, “Folklore”, “1989” – who I’m referring to: the one and only Taylor Swift. She has captured millions’ hearts with universally relatable (and often autobiographical) song lyrics, versatile genre transitions, and catchy, jammable beats. Most fans can vaguely agree that out of the pool of popular artists, Swift is more focused on the lyrical quality of her songs. Some might even consider her lyrics poetic, to a degree. But the age-old question still stands: Is she a poet? With the new release of “The Tortured Poet’s Department”, many wonder what she considers herself. She hasn’t come outright to claim to be a poet,
nor deny it. Interestingly, I stumbled down the rabbit hole after coming across dedicated Swiftie @maria.hopeofitall’s Instagram account. Most of her page consists of her lipsyncing to Taylor Swift while arguing that her lyrics are poetic. Then, if that much is true – tying it back to school and academics – would it be appropriate to analyze her lyrics in a Literature class?
As someone who grew up listening to Swift (I wouldn’t exactly call myself a Swiftie, but I could name a few dozen songs off the top of my head if prompted), I wanted to get others’ opinions on the subject – especially those less familiar with her.
Namely, Clements High School English teacher Glenys McMennamy, who
shared her thoughts on the artist’s sweeping appeal to the masses.
“Some of the appeal is that people follow her experiences because they’re interested in the narrative behind it,” McMennamy said. “It’s not just about this kind of universal joy or heartbreak – they know and are interested in the behind-the-scenes details. She has a style of a lot of puns and playful shifting and phrasing.”
While McMennamy hasn’t used any Taylor Swift lyrics in class, she has used BTS’s “Baepsae”. Like many students, McMennamy is a big K-pop fan.
“I think teachers sharing their interests with students to remind them – which is a very Taylor Swift kind of thing actually – that it’s okay to just be excited and like what you like and that celebrating something that gives you joy is a natural and healthy thing to do,” she said. “We’ve had assignments where they’ve looked at song lyrics they’re familiar with to
go on a deeper dive into them. I think there’s a lot of value there.”
Literature student Landrey Woods is of a similar standing. Woods said that although he doesn’t “have a super personal interest” in Swift’s music, he considers her “pretty ubiquitous.”
“Generally, I’m of the opinion that high school English classes serve the purpose of, first of all, introducing students to things they wouldn’t have run into otherwise, and showing them new and interesting ways of thinking about literature,” Woods said. “And you can argue that teaching Taylor Swift lyrics would be a good way to do the second thing, to introduce concepts of literary criticism with a subject with which the student’s already familiar. Everyone knows you don’t need a teacher to tell you who Taylor Swift is, but you might need a teacher to tell you who Jonathan Swift is.”
While McMennamy chose BTS, Clements High School
AP Literature teacher Brian Russow has used a Taylor Swift song in his class. It was an earlier lesson in the year on word choice, for which Swift is especially known.
“This one was about poetry analysis, and so I wanted to start that off with a real focus on the author’s intention behind choosing words,” he said.
“I think that’s a good spot to start because everything else after that, an image or a simile, they’re all made of words, so if you can talk about a single word, you can add that to any discussion about a larger device.”
Russow said he likes to start with “something simple or accessible” which song lyrics are perfect for. For that lesson in particular, he chose a song from Swift’s “Midnights” album. “They were enthusiastic,” Russow said. “That’s really what I’m trying to do with that. Get them a little enthusiastic and a little excited about the idea. After that, we didn’t stay with song lyrics. We did go to some more tradi-
tional poets like Robert Frost, Philip Larkin.” He said the end goal is “[to make] them a little more confident to try it with more traditional poetry.”
“That skill with Taylor Swift could be applicable with Shakespeare, with the most prestigious of all the literary canon,” Russow said. “That’s the direction that [English/ Language Arts] in general is headed, is towards more diversity, more accessibility, less of a literary canon, of tradition. Typically that’s been seen as being pretty much dominated by old, dead, white men.”
Hu is a Clements High School student, class of 2026, and an aspiring journalist and author.
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.
Grace Hu Youth Columnist
ONGOING
ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE GRAND PARKWAY BAPTIST CHURCH
In conjunction with the Literacy Council of Fort Bend Bend County, GPBC will offer ESL classes on Tuesday nights from mid August 2024 through May 2025. We are located at 12000 FM 1464 Richmond across from Austin HS. Our students 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
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. Benefits 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, 832-987-
4193, 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
Review: ‘Twelfth Night’brings Shakespeare back to the George in fine form
By Ken Fountain KFOUNTAIN@FORTBENDSTAR.COM
Back in August, I wrote a column about seeing the latest iteration of the Houston Shakespeare Festival at Miller Outdoor Theatre in Hermann Park. In the column, I waxed philosophically about my lifelong love of the Bard’s work, stretching from the first play I read of his, “MacBeth,” in eighth-grade, to my Navy years and my return to Texas from California in the mid-1990s.
In the column, I related how at that time, Houstonarea Shakespeare buffs were able to see four free plays during the summer - from the Houston Shakespeare Festival and the Fort Bend County Libraries system’s own Shakespeare-by-theBook festival. Those plays, then produced by Houston Community College’s theater department, were presented at the Jodie E. Stavinoha Amphitheater at George Memorial Library in Richmond.
I also noted that I’d last heard of the festival when I wrote a story about that year’s production of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” for a start-up newspaper in Katy way back in 2005. Little did I know then that that would be the festival’s last production for quite some time. And little did I know when I wrote that column in August that the event would soon be returning.
I’m happy to report that after a nearly two-decade-long hiatus, Shakespeare-by-the-Book has returned to Fort Bend with the latest rendition of “Twelfth Night,” one of Ol’ Will’s most dependably popular romantic comedies. Presented by The Live Oak Playhouse, a brandnew professional company based in our own neck of the woods in Missouri City. Never having heard of them before, I didn’t have any firm expectations, but the performances were very good and the staging and set design made good use of the amphitheater’s somewhat constrained space. And, of course, the script wasn’t half-bad.
“Twelfth Night”, written somewhere between 1601 and 1602, tells of twins Viola and Sebastian, who are shipwrecked and separated in the ancient kingdom of Illyria. Viola, a strong-willed and resourceful young woman, disguises herself as a young man named Cesario to serve as page to the powerful Duke Orsino, to whom she takes a fancy. Orsino, meanwhile, is in love with his haughty neighbor, Countess Oliva, and sends Viola (er, Cesario) as an intermediary in his attempt to woo Olivia. Instead, Oliva takes a shine to young Cesario (er, Viola). Meanwhile, Sebastian is involved in misadventures with Antonio, a sea captain who is also a wanted criminal. At the same time, various members of Viola’s coterie are involved in their own set of hijinks, mostly centering on bringing Malvolio, Olivia’s foppish and
pretentious steward, down a notch or two.
Get the picture? If not, no matter. As with most of Shakespeare’s plays, written during the reign of Queen Elizabethan I, it can sometimes be hard to follow the convoluted plots or penetrate the language. But when in the hands of performers who are really committed, audiences remain entertained and can follow along fairly readily.
As often happens with these kinds of productions, this version of “Twelfth Night”, directed by Joseph “Chepe” Lockett, is moved to a different setting than you night expect - in this case, a beach resort in the 1980s. Much of the action takes place in and around a surf shop. For those of us who remember the decade, the neon-and-pastel clothing, looking like something out of a low-budget “Miami Vice” episode, along with the snatches of wellknown ‘80s pop songs, bring an enjoyable whiff of nostalgia. I’ll say this for the ‘80s: compared to today, the culture wars then were at a somewhat low ebb.
As mentioned, the performances are uniformly first-rate. The central relationship of the piece is that between Viola (er, Cesario) and Oliva, and actors Sofia Uribe and Renata Santora Smith bring a lot of comic gusto to this gender-bending not-quite-romance. Smith, it turns out, is returning to the George after appearing in that 2005 production of “Midsummer Night.” Uribe, especially, handles Viola’s humorous character shifts involving her dual identities very deftly. It’s perhaps ironic that in a time of rising controversy over the appropriateness of school li-
brary books, often centered around discussions of gender and sexual identity, the works of Shakespeare (usually) remain largely above the fray. The fact that in his day all of the female characters were by law performed by male actors must have brought the gender-bending to a high boil.
There are several outlandish characters in “Twelfth Night,” but Malvolio is in a league of his own. Were it not for his unctuousness, you almost feel sorry for how this most put-upon character is put in his place. Ahmad Hernandez brings the perfect mix of ridiculous foppery and pathos to Malvolio, especially in the scene involving his wearing yellow stockings.
I’ll say no more.
All in all, Saturday’s production marked a welcome return of the Bard to
the George’s stage after a much-too-long drought. The production concludes this Saturday and Sunday, beginning at 1:30 p.m. each day.
If I have one quibble, it’s this: back in the ‘90s, when I first encountered Shakespeare-by-the-Book, the plays were performed in the evening. I’m not sure why this return engagement is being held in daytime, but spending a couple of hours sitting in a concrete amphitheater on an early-fall day in southeast Texas can be tad daunting. The crew and volunteers admirably provided free water, and during intermission there is a food truck available providing snow cones. But if you go this weekend, make sure you take precautions.
Patrons are encouraged to bring stadium seats or cushions. Beach and lawn
chairs are allowed only in two designated rows of the amphitheater, and space is available strictly on a firstcome, first-served basis. Glass bottles and alcoholic beverages are not permitted.
Community Reports
Fort Bend County Libraries' Mamie George Branch Library, located at 320 Dulles Ave. in Stafford, will close temporarily beginning Thursday, October 10, for repairs to the front parking lot. The library will remain closed until repairs are complete, according to a news release.
Books, CDs, and DVDs that have been checked out may continue to be returned to the temporary book-drop located behind the Mamie George Branch Library, even while
If you go, make sure you download the online playbill (the QR code is on flyers posted below the stage), and check out the display of vintage Shakespeare-by-the-Book performances in the George’s Bohachevsky Gallery. George Memorial Library is located at 1001 Golfview Drive in Richmond.
the library is closed.
The pick-up location for items that have been requested and placed on hold for pick-up at the Mamie George Branch Library will temporarily default to the Sugar Land Branch Library, 550 Eldridge, until the Mamie George Branch Library re-opens.
"We want to remind everyone that they still have access to many library resources online 24/7," Monique Franklin, Assistant Library Director, said. "The library's resources that can be accessed
Fountain crosses his garters at KFountain@fortbendstar. com
through our website - such as the databases, Homework Help, Ask-a-Librarian chat, OverDrive ebooks, the Hoopla digital movie and music collection, and other online services - will still be available from any computer outside the library that has an Internet connection."
For more information, see the Fort Bend County Libraries website (www.fortbend.lib. tx.us) or call the library system's Communications Office (281-633-4734).
Countess Olivia (Renata Santora Smith) tries to woo Oliva (Sofia Uribe), in disguise as Cesario in the Shakespeare-by-the-Book production of “Twelfth Night” at the George Memorial Library. Photos by Ken Fountain
Patrons prepare to watch the Live Oak Playhouse’s production of William Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night” at the Jodie E. Stavinoha Amphitheater at George Memorial Library.
Countess Oliva (Renata Santora Smith) reacts to her steward Malvolio’s (Ahmad Hernandez) attempts to impress her in the Shakespeare-by-the-Book production of “Twelfth Night” at George Memorial Library.
The Mamie George Branch Library in Stafford will temporarily close this week for repairs to the parking lot. Courtesy Fort Bend County Libraries
