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Fort Bend commissioners approve calling for legislature to ban open-carry guns in libraries By Ken Fountain KFOUNTAIN@FORTBENDSTAR.COM
Fort Bend commissioners on last week unanimously approved a legislative agenda item calling for the banning of people openly carrying guns in public libraries after an earlier, more restrictive version failed in the previous meeting. The item, which was put forward by Precinct 4 Commissioner Dexter McCoy was one of several items on the county’s official “wish list” of policies for the upcoming session of the Texas Legislature, which officially begins January 14. Usually such resolutions by local elective bodies are approved without controversy. In 2023, the Republicancontrolled Legislature passed a bill, signed by Gov Greg Abbott, which prohibited counties from banning the carrying of firearms, including concealed ones, in their public libraries, which had been a longstanding practice by many library systems. The law also required counties to remove already existing signs prohibiting weapons from libraries. Earlier this year, the Fort Bend Commissioners Court voted to comply with the new restrictions. When the county’s legislative affairs consultant laid out the legislative priorities in a November meeting, the item on guns in libraries quickly led to heated discussion. McCoy, a Democrat, said the item was a commonsense call for libraries to go back to being a place free of the dangers of weapons. McCoy, a father, said that it was particularly important that libraries, as places where children regularly frequent, be made more safe. The item he put forward called for the Legislature to ban all firearms, whether concealed or openly carried, from libraries. But Precinct 3 Commissioner Andy Meyers, a Republican strenuously objected, saying he did not believe that libraries should be seen as a “soft target” for people wishing to do harm. He also said that in the current climate in Austin, where the Republican majority in both chambers and Abbott have long been loath to put restrictions on weapons, the item had scant prospects for success. When the legislative priorities came up for an actual vote two weeks later, McCoy made a motion that all five items be voted on in a single vote. Meyers vociferously objected to that motion, saying doing so would make it appear to legislators that Fort Bend County was “serious” about getting any its priorities enacted. When the item came to a vote, McCoy and Precinct 2 Commissioner Grady Prestage, also a Democrat, voted in favor, while Meyers and Precinct 1 Commissioner Vincent Morales, also a Republican, voted against. County Judge KP George, a Democrat, abstained, preventing a majority vote.
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Sugar Land approves stricter public speaking rules in wake of protests over Israel-Hamas war By Ken Fountain KFOUNTAIN@FORTBENDSTAR.COM
Nearly a year after people began passionately calling unsuccessfully for the Sugar Land City Council to issue a resolution calling for a ceasefire in the Israeli-Gaza conflict, often testing the limits of the city’s stated public comments policy, the council last week unanimously passed a resolution imposing far more restrictive limits on residents’ ability to speak on topics not on the posted agendas. People began addressing the
council in early 2024, several months after the October 7, 2023 attack by the Palestinian group called Hamas in Israel which resulted in the deaths of nearly 1,200 Israelis and others and the kidnapping of more than 200 others. That was followed by the retaliatory war by Israel in Gaza which to date has led to the deaths of more than 45,000 Palestinians, the majority of them civilians, most of them women and children. Since then, people demanding that the council pass a ceasefire resolution or that the city
otherwise censure Israel have continued to speak week after week. Often that has included accusations that the council members were acting out of racial animus, as well as occasional outbursts of profanity and chants of “Free Palestine.” In May, Mayor Joe Zimmerman announced that the council would return to its original policy of restricting public comments to action items on the posted agenda, which the city had relaxed
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Supporters of Palestine hold signs at the back of the Sugar Land City Council chamber on December 17. Photo by Ken Fountain
Entrepreneur Gardin makes and sells skin care bars while helping others
Fort Bend entrepreneur Laura Gardin sets up to sell her homemade skin care bars and costume jewelry at a vending event at a brew pub in downtown Houston. Gardin began making soap to help alleviate her daughter’s skin condition. Photo by Dayna Worchel
By Dayna Worchel SPECIAL TO THE STAR
There are three things in this world about which Fort Bend entrepreneur Laura Gardin is most passionate: making soap, loving her family, and helping people in her community. Gardin discussed how and why she came to create her business “Laura’s Soap Boutique,”while unloading her soap and display tables, along with some costume
jewelry, from her SUV to prepare for a vending event at a downtown Houston brew pub on a recent Sunday. “I started it about 14 years ago because my daughter Lisa, then aged 4, had eczema and nothing the dermatologist gave her was working,” said Gardin, adding that she was also looking for an opportunity to stay home with her two young children, including son Russel Jr. after working full time in the mortgage
industry. Both children are now adults. So, in her kitchen, with husband Russel’s blessing, Gardin began creating unscented soaps with ingredients to help her child’s eczema, an inflammatory skin condition. It took a lot of trial and error at first to get the formula right. But once she did, there was no looking back, and her “Feel Better” line of soap for sensitive skin was born. The soap helped her daughter’s skin
feel better, and Gardin knew she was on to something. She said she started off slow, selling at farmer’s markets on weekends, learning the ins and outs of the business and how it worked. Gardin’s husband, two children, and her late mom, Dorothy Murphy, each helped build the business their own way. Her husband manages purchasing, orders ingredients, and does bookkeeping and taxes. Her kids helped her make labels for
the soap, and Murphy would go with her to selling events to help talk with potential customers. “A big part of me doing this was my mom. She loved it, and we started it together. She was shy and it gave her a chance to meet people,” Gardin said. She prefers not to call her product a soap, but a skin care bar. “I am 100 percent
SEE GARDIN PAGE 5
Harris to stay on as Missouri City police chief STAFF REPORTS
In a surprise announcement Friday, the City of Missouri City said that Police Chief Brandon Harris, who earlier this year announced his attention to resign, has decided to stay on the job. “As the year comes to a close, Missouri City is proud to announce that Police Chief Brandon Harris will continue to lead the Police Department, ensuring stability and sustained progress for our growing and diverse community,” the city said in a press release. Harris, who has served in the Missouri City police de-
partment full-time for three decades, was appointed to the chief's slot in January after the retirement of longtime chief Mike Berezin in May 2023. “Earlier this year, Chief Harris shared his intention to retire after decades of distinguished service, while expressing his openness to reconsider if the City did not identify a successor, who could build on his legacy of excellence,” the city said in the release. “Following this, an extensive recruitment process was launched, resulting in a conditional offer being extended to an exceptionally qualified candidate
who met the expectations of the community, City Council, leadership team, departmental employees, and the City Manager.” “However, the candidate ultimately chose to remain with their current agency after receiving a promotion and a competitive counteroffer,” the release said. The city therefore asked Harris to reconsider his retirement. “Chief Harris has been an integral part of Missouri City’s transformation into one of the fastest-growing and most vibrant communities in Fort Bend County,” said City Manager Angel L. Jones.
“His participatory leadership, dedication to public safety, and ability to inspire his team have been instrumental in the department’s progress. We are thrilled that he has agreed to remain in his role for the next three to four years and continue leading us forward.” “I am honored to continue serving the community I care deeply about and to lead the outstanding men and women of the Missouri City Police Department,” said Harris. “Together, we will continue to build on the department’s strong foundation and ensure the safety and well-being of every resident.”
Missouri City Police Chief Brandon Harris, who earlier this year announced his intention to resign, has agreed to remain in the role, the city announced Friday. File photo by Ken Fountain