2023
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Exchange Club of Sugar Land to hold three-day event marking Veterans’ Day - Page 2
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Rosenberg man sentenced to 35 years for sexual abuse of a child Staff Reports On November 2, 458th District Court Judge Chad Bridges sentenced a Rosenberg man to 35 years in prison after a jury convicted him of continuous sexual abuse of a young child on August 16. George Gonzales, 49, will serve his sentence day for day under Texas law.
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Fort Bend leaders tout county's economic prowess at Greater Houston Partnership event By Ken Fountain KFOUNTAIN@FORTBENDSTAR.COM
Fort Bend County is quickly becoming one of the economic powerhouses of the greater Houston region, a group of panelists agreed at an event hosted by the Greater Houston Partnership at the Sugar Land Mariott Hotel last week. The Greater Houston Partnership serves as the regional chamber of commerce. Bob Harvey, the organization’s soonto-retire president and
CEO, moderated the event, only the second regional program in its history. Last year, it held a similar event in Montgomery County, which with Harris and Fort Bend comprise the largest population centers in the region. During Harvey’s 11-year tenure, the partnership’s area expanded from 10 to 12 counties. In his opening remarks, Harvey said the nearly 900-square-mile Fort Bend County “leads the region in affordability, quality of life, educational attainment,
and population diversity.” As one of the fastest-growing counties in both Texas and the nation, almost 30 percent of its population is foreign-born, he noted. “This county’s strategic location, only 15 to 20 miles southwest of downtown Houston, make it an attractive destination for business,” he said. “Sugar Land in particular is emerging as a magnet for entrepreneurs and industry leaders alike.”
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Bob Harvey, CEO of the Greater Houston Partnership, left, moderates a discussion with Missouri City Mayor Robin Elackatt, Sugar Land economic development director Elizabeth Huff, Lamar CISD Superintendent Roosevelt Nivens, and Memorial Hermann Sugar Land Hospital Malisha Patel at the Sugar Land Marriott on Oct. 31. Photo by Ken Fountain
Sienna Art Festival See Page 6 - for more photos from the Fourth annual Sienna Art Festival
George Gonzales, 49, was sentenced to 35 years in prison for continuous sexual abuse of a child. Courtesy Fort Bend County District Attorney’s Office
Evidence presented at trial revealed that the child victim disclosed the abuse to a Fort Bend County Sheriff’s Crisis Intervention Deputy who responded to a mental health crisis at her home in August 2018, according to a press release from the Fort Bend County District Attorney’s Office. The child told the deputy she wanted to end her life to prevent her abuser “from going to jail for touching her.” Gonzales began sexually abusing the child when she was as young as 6 years old and continued to abuse her until the abuse was discovered when she was 13. During the punishment phase of the trial, Bridges heard testimony that while on bond, Gonzales was living with another woman and her two underage daughters, despite being ordered to have no contact with children. “1,898 days after this child made the brave choice to disclose her abuse, her abuser was finally brought to justice,” Assistant District Attorney and lead prosecutor Charann Thompson, said in the release. “I am so grateful to her for trusting our commitment to seek justice despite the delays. I also want to thank the Rosenberg Police Department and the Fort Bend County Children’s Advocacy Center for the roles they played in achieving this result.” “Parents need to be cautious with who they allow around their children. In many cases, the perpetrator is a family member, close family friend, or someone the child and family trusts. If you see something, say something,” Assistant District Attorney Melissa Munoz said. Continuous Sexual Abuse of a Young Child is a firstdegree felony punishable by 25 to 99 years, or life, in prison with no parole eligibility. The offense also requires lifetime registration as a sex offender.
Agnes Russo, an abstract artist from Katy, hangs some of her paintings near the start of the Sienna Art Festival. Photo by Ken Fountain
Fort Bend ISD launches strategic plan engagement effort By Ken Fountain KFOUNTAIN@FORTBENDSTAR.COM
Fort Bend ISD leaders, along with a cross section of students from the district, held the second of two town hall-style events last week as part of the district’s effort to create a new strategic plan. The November 1 Vision 2030 Summit drew about 50 people to the large auditorium at Hightower High School in Missouri City to hear from students and respond to questions posed by representatives of Engage 2 Learn, an outside consulting firm hired by the district in September to lead the strategic planning effort. Superintendent Christie Whitbeck said while the group’s hiring was approved by the Fort Bend ISD board in September, the planning for the new strategic plan began about a year ago. Vision 2030, as the effort is called, is described
A cross-section of Fort Bend ISD students participate in a town hall-style summit on the district’s strategic plan at Hightower High School on November 1. Photo by Ken Fountain
as “a part of a four-phased comprehensive process to engage current FBISD stakeholders to design, create, and implement a community-inspired strategic plan, centered on a vision for learning and anchored on the community’s highest hopes for all Fort Bend ISD students.”
At the outset of the event, Whitbeck told attendees that the effort would result in a document that would be put before the public to describe what those hopes would be going forward to the year 20230. The event was largely facilitators Thad Gitten and Janet Helmcamp of Engage
2 Learn, who first posed a series of questions to 17 students from various Fort Bend ISD schools and demographic groups about what how they experience school now, and how they would like to see that experience improved in the future. Many of the students emphasized in their answers that they learn best through group interaction and oneon-one time with their teachers rather than rote memorization emphasized in standardized testing. The students’ portion was followed by an interactive session with members of the audience answering questions posed by the facilitators through an online interface. The questions asked such questions as what education should look like in the next 20 years, what their hopes for the district were in the coming years, what skills were the skills necessary for students to be proficient in in the fu-
ture, and the proper use of technology in education in the future. Many of the attendees had very vociferous responses to the questions posed. The facilitators made clear that all of their responses would be recorded and be incorporated into the forthcoming strategic plan document. A community engagement report on the summit and other feedback will be presented to the Fort Bend ISD board at its December 13 meeting. Separate design, creation, and lead teams will work on the final document through March 21. The board will hold a workshop on February 8, followed by a public roll-out on April 3. The board is slated to vote on the final plan in May. Anyone within Fort Bend ISD can participate in an online survey, as well as learn more information, by visiting www.fortbendisd. com/vision2030.