A large ballroom at the Sugar Land Marriott was filled last Thursday with area go-getters eager to see the official ribbon-cutting for Plug and Play, a Silicon Valley startup accelerator company that recently chose Sugar Land to serve as the flagship of its Texas offices.
In November, Sunnyvale, Calif.-based Plug and Play, along with members of the City of Sugar Land Economic Development and Tourism team announced the move at the 2024 Silicon Valley Summit in Silicon Valley. The Sugar Land office is the company’s fourth location in Texas, joining offices in BryanCollege Station, Cedar Park outside Austin, and Frisco in the Dallas-Fort Worth region. The event had all of the hallmarks of a tech company roll-out, including company officials laying out their vision, an onstage panel discussion, and a series of startup pitches to close out the festivities.
Michael Olmstead, Plug and Play’s chief revenue officer, described the company’s philosophy as “stage agnostic,” meaning it invests in startups at any stage of their development. He said it uses an “equity-free” approach, meaning that it does not require entrepreneurs to commit a portion of their companies’ equity to Plug and Play. Plug and Play began in the early 1990s and now has 585 “corporate partners,” Olmstead said. These include Dell Technologies, Daikin, Microsoft, LG Chem, Shell, and Mercedes. Among the 35 partner companies in Texas thus far are names such as Rugged Robotics, Aircon, Goat Fuel, Rand & Style. Sugar Land Mayor Pro Tem Suzanne Whatley was joined onstage with Council members William Ferguson, Naushad Kernally, Stewart Jacobson, and Carol McCutcheon to take part in the ribbon-cutting with company officials and others. Whatley told the audience that when the city’s economic development first presented the idea of welcoming Plug and Play to Sugar Land, many of the council members were uncertain what it was all about. But with some persistence under a lot of questioning by Council, she said, the staff were able to convince them that it was going to be an ideal match. Officials have been talking for the past several years about making technology one of the major economic drivers for the city.
A panel discussion that focused on the startup
By Ken Fountain KFOUNTAIN@FORTBENDSTAR.COM
The Fort Bend ISD board of trustees voted Monday to allow the district to purchase a “sample” set of materials from a controversial state-approved elementary school language arts curriculum which critics say overemphasizes Christianity in its lesson plans.
The purchase is meant to allow district staff to review the so-called Bluebonnet curriculum with an eye toward either recom-
mending it or not to the board for full adoption by the district.
Fort Bend ISD currently uses its own board-approved language arts curriculum, including for elementary schools.
Last fall, the State Board of Education narrowly approved the so-called Bluebonnet curriculum for use in elementary schools across the state. Per a bill passed by the Texas Legislature in 2023, the curriculum has financial incentives attached for school districts which adopt it.
The Bluebonnet curriculum - the authorship of which has never been publicly disclosed - has received widespread criticism in Texas and elsewhere because it incorporates stories from the Judeo-Christian tradition, among other sources, in its lesson plans. Critics have said many of these lessons are textually inaccurate, and that the curriculum does not give adequate attention to other
orie Fairchild
By Juhi Varma SPECIAL TO THE STAR
Campaign season is in full swing in Fort Bend County.
On Saturday, Sugar Land’s University Branch Library was the site of a well-attended candidates’ forum for the Fort Bend ISD school board elections, organized by the faith-based nonprofit Disha. The FBISD school board has two open seats – Positions 3 and 7 – each with three candidates vying for the spot. The forum was moderated by Dr. Nik Nikam, a practicing cardiologist and 42-year Fort Bend County resident, and Jigisha Doshi, a Sugar
Land-based college counselor. Both Nikam and Doshi are parents of FBISD children. For Position 3, Afshi Charania, Angela Collins, and incumbent Rick Garcia are in the race. Position 7 candidates include Cheryl Buford, Allison Drew, and Angie Wierzbicki, as incumbent David Hamilton has chosen not to seek reelection. Five of the six candidates expressed dissatisfaction with the current board and outlined what they would do differently. The exception was Rick Garcia, the only incumbent in the race, who found himself in the challenging position of defending the board’s decisions and
refuting his opponents’ criticisms – all while articulating his own vision for the district.
Budget constraints: Why has FBISD been falling short of its commitments in the past few years?
“The state underfunds us… and we don’t have enough money, the only choice we have is cutting programs,” said Afshi Charania, a longtime Fort Bend County resident and Clements High School alumna. “When I went to school here, we had four high schools: Willow Ridge, Kempner, Clements and Dulles. Now we have about 12. We’re blessed, but with that has come
challenges as well … We need leadership to stand up for our children.” Charania said that rebalancing the district is a necessary but difficult step, as the current approach isn’t working, adding that the district’s financial challenges would likely worsen if the school vouchers proposal being considered in the Texas Legislature passed. She called for stronger leadership on the school board and emphasized the need to find cost- saving measures to avoid cutting programs or negatively affecting teachers.
The Fort Bend ISD board on Monday voted to purchase a “sample” set of the controversial Bluebonnet reading curriculum. File photo
Johnson Development breaks ground
Community Reports
Johnson Development recently broken ground on a 1,500-acre acquired last year from The George Foundation for a new Fort Bend County master-planned community, according to a news release.
The first phase of the community, located off FM 2977 at Koeblen Road, will encompass 270 homesites, with a mix of 40-, 45-, 50and 60-foot homesites.
Model homes are expected to open in 2026. Planning is ongoing for amenity offerings in the first phase.
“This is a momentous occasion as we take the first steps to demonstrate our vision for a master-planned community that honors the legacy of this land,” Derek Goff, Johnson Development's vice president and general manager of the community.
“The George Foundation has entrusted Johnson Development with the purchase of the first significant parcel of land the nonprofit has ever sold. We are deeply honored by their confidence and are committed to being dedicated stewards of this
investment outlook in the county and in Texas. Moderated by Joey Sanchez, found and CEO of the business networking firm Cup of Joey, included Elizabeth Huff, the city’s economic developer; Jay Neal, associate chief operating officer and associate vice president of the UH Sugar Land and Katy campuses; Khalid Parekh, CEO of AMSYS Group; and Eric Engineer, partner with S3 Ventures.
Neal reminded the audience that UH Sugar Land is now the main location for the UH’s Division Technology within the Cullen College of Engineering, which will put in a natural fit for the city’s partnership with Plug and Play. The campus’s new Sugar Land Academic Building 2, adjacent to the Technology Building, is set to open in June.
“The city has been incredible in the fact they say the university as infrastructure,” Neal said. “It’s kind of a unique perspective, and it sets us up for success.”
remarkable property.”
The 81-year-old, Richmond-based foundation announced the decision to
Huff said the city had been looking for a technology firm to partner with for the past two years.
“Innovation is one of those focus area we thought was important for the city and for us to thrive,” she said. “We also knew we had an innovation ecosystem kind of embedded in our city, but it’s hidden. It’s not very well known.”
Huff said the city’s economic development staff met Plug and Play officials and visited the company’s offices in Cedar Park outside Austin, which has long served as the home of the state’s technology industry.
Plug and Play is planning on hosting two “cohorts” of entrepreneurs each year.
“There are going to be companies from all over the world that will come here. Will they stay here? Not all of them are going to, but hopefully they’ll love it here,” she said.
Huff said the city leadership’s focus on redeveloping the Imperial and Lake Pointe areas as mixed-use developments will go along with the city’s and Plug and Plays ambitions to attract young and ambitious people to the region.
the charitable distribution amounts required by the IRS. As a private foundation, IRS regulations require The George Foundation to distribute 5 percent of its total assets annually, which includes the asset value of the foundation’s vast land holdings.
sell the tract of land early last year, saying the sale was driven by its fiduciary responsibility to fulfill
“This transaction underscores our long-term commitment to supporting the citizens of Fort Bend County by ensuring we have the liquid assets we need to fulfill our charitable mission,” Ruthanne Mefford, Chair of the Board of Trustees of The George Foundation, said at the time. “In fact, The George Foundation is intent on awarding hundreds of millions of dollars to local scholarship recipients and nonprofit partners serving our community over the next century, and this transaction will help us realize this dream.”
The name of the community and builders will be
Staff Reports
A Fort Bend County jury took just seven minutes March 3 to convict a Fresno woman of the offense of Collision Involving Death in a 2021 hit-and-run which left a man dead, according to a press release from the Fort Bend County District Attorney’s Office.
Marlen Lemus-Marchorro, 47, will be sentenced in a hearing set for May 28 in the 458th District Court before Presiding Judge Maggie Perez-Jaramillo. Collision Involving Death in this case is a second-degree felony punishable by 2-20 years in prison and a fine up to $10,000.
According to Vehicular Crimes Chief Prosecutor Alison Baimbridge, LemusMarchorro was driving her 2020 Chevrolet Silverado southbound on FM 521 on January 3, 2021, at approximately 9 p.m.. She left the main lanes of traffic and struck a pedestrian, Enrique Lopez, who was walking along the shoulder after his truck ran out of gas. Lemus-
Marchorro fled the scene without attempting to help Lopez.
Deputies from the Fort Bend County Sheriff’s Office started an investigation with only vehicle parts found at the scene and were able to obtain vehicle information from a local dealership for LemusMarchorro’s vehicle, according to the release. Following these leads, the deputies located the mechanic who was fixing the vehicle.
After seizing the vehicle, deputies were able to match the vehicle parts from the scene with the missing parts on the seized vehicle. They then located LemusMarchorro through the registered owner of the vehicle Lemus-Marchorro admitted in investigators that she was driver in the crash that killed Lopez. Deputies also obtained DNA from the fender and hood of the defendant’s vehicle that matched the victim.
“This case likely would have gone unsolved without the dedication of the Fort Bend County Sheriff’s Office and the members of our Fort
announced later this year. Working with Johnson Development on the project are Clark Condon and Associates and LJA Engineering. The George Foundation community will be Johnson Development’s ninth community in Fort Bend County, marking a significant milestone during the company’s 50th anniversary celebration. With nearly 24,000 acres under development, the company is currently the largest developer of masterplanned communities in Fort Bend County.
Other Fort Bend communities by Johnson Development include Sienna in Missouri City — the largest master-planned community to date in the history of Fort Bend County; Riverstone and Imperial in the Sugar Land region; Veranda and Harvest Green in Richmond; and Cross Creek Ranch, Jordan Ranch and Cross Creek West in Fulshear.
Bend community. It was a privilege to seek justice for Mr. Lopez’s family,” said Baimbridge, who tried the case with Assistant District Attorney Shane Hazelton. “Justice is many things to many people. Here, it is giving a voice to the deceased. And the detectives’ dogged determination gave Mr. Lopez that voice,” District Attorney Brian Middleton said.
Cutline: Marlen LemusMarchorro, 47, of Fresno, was convicted March 3 of Collision Involving Death in a fatal 2021 hit-and-run.
Courtesy Fort Bend County District Attorney’s Office
Johnson Development recently broken ground on
acquired last year from
The shot unheard around the morgue
HE COVID MU-
TSEUM – Step right this way, folks, but note the foot marks on the floor. Please stay at least six feet apart and keep your masks on. As you can see, we are running late. We had planned to open on March 11, the fifth anniversary of the day, March 11, 2020, when the World Health Organization declared that COVID-19 was a pandemic. Five years ago the Astros were in spring training, Greg Abbott was Texas governor and Donald Trump was president. So much has changed.
Until then, most of us had never even heard of COVID-19 or Covid-19. Even today, five years later, no one can decide if the word is all capitals [Editor’s note: Per the Associated Press Stylebook, the Fort Bend Star uses the all-caps form]. Nor can people decide where it originated, but we do know the virus was first reported in China on December 31, 2019. Not three weeks later, on January 19, 2020, a man who had just returned from Wuhan, China, to his home near Seattle, checked
Last week, my Facebook feed seemingly was filled with a stream of news stories with a common theme: under the Trump Administration’s crackdown on so-called “DEI” (for diversity, equity, and inclusion), web pages containing information about notable members of the U.S. armed services from diverse backgrounds were being scrubbed by the Department of Defense.
Among them: the Navajo Code-Talkers, members of that Native American tribe who used an encrypted version of their own language to send critical communications among U.S. Marines fighting in the Pacific theater during World War II; one of those code-talkers, Ira Hayes, who was one of the Marines who raised the U.S. flag atop Mount Suribachi after they captured Iwo Jima, as memorialized in a famous photograph and a statue in Washington, D.C.; and Jackie Robinson, who after serving in a tank regiment during Word War II returned to the U.S. to play baseball in the Negro Leagues before becoming the first Black player in the Major Leagues a decade later.
Earlier, there was a story about a training film used by the Air Force focusing on the Tuskegee Airmen, the all-Black fighter squadron that protected Allied bombing missions over Germany, which was removed. Other figures included in the DEI purge were Colin Powell, who served as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and later as Secretary of State under President George W. Bush, and Army Maj. Gen. Charles C. Rogers, the highest-ranking Black servicemember to earn a Congressional Medal of Honor for heroism during the Vietnam War. After the
Lynn Ashby Columnist
ASHBY2@COMCAST.NET
into an urgent care clinic after seeing reports about the outbreak. The next day the Centers for Disease Control, or CDC, announced that the 35-year-old patient, who had been experiencing a cough, fever, nausea, and vomiting, had tested positive for COVID-19. Well, we know what happened next. COVID-19 spread like, well, a pandemic. In Texas, no one seems to know exactly when or where it first hit because the virus was so new that the docs didn’t know what it was. The first documented case of COVID came to Texas on March 4 in Fort Bend County. The state recorded its first COVID death on March 17 in Matagorda County. In short order throughout the nation COVID changed everything. Notice this glass case. It
holds face masks just like you are wearing. At first when people were told to wear masks in public, no one was prepared. I mean most of us didn’t have masks unless we planned on robbing a convenience store. Do you still have yours? I’ll bet if you check around your house you’ll find a few in drawers. A lot of cars probably have masks in a cup holder or stuffed in the glove compartment. Gov. Greg Abbott had a problem with mask mandates – ordering them in state buildings, then making exceptions, then ordering them off. Today you can still buy disposal masks from a few bucks to a pack of 25 KN95 masks for $38. I seriously doubt they are selling any of them at any price. Here are some empty bleacher seats. Remember those sporting events with more people on the field than in the stands? The no-shows were not just in sports. Austin Mayor Steve Adler cancelled South by Southwest (or SXSW) for the first time in its 34-year history. Then-Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner, recently deceased, ordered the shutdown of the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. Here is a model of the Oval
Office. Why? President Donald Trump first opposed vaccine mandates, and refused to urge his supporters to be vaccinated, even though Republicans remained far less likely than Democrats to be protected. Trump was hospitalized with COVID in October 2020. His former chief of staff, Mark Meadows, later revealed that Trump was far sicker than the White House disclosed at the time. Trump later encouraged his fans to get vaccinated for COVID. In December of 2021, at a rally in Dallas, when he revealed he got a booster shot, he was booed. Then it was over, sort of. In May 2023 the World Health Organization (which we have since left) declared an end to the COVID pandemic and President Joe Biden ended national and public health emergencies for COVID. What had happened to us in those five lost years? What toll? Since the pandemic began until March 6, 2025, according to the CDC, the worldwide tally of cases reached 755 million and there were 6.8 million deaths. More than 1.22 million Americans have died from COVID. In Texas (so far), we have had 2,401,898 confirmed cases and 47,725 died. Harris
County had 1,320,367 cases and 11,691 deaths. Fort Bend County had 256,008 cases and 1,260 deaths. Here’s a map of Loving County, out in West Texas. It has a population of 64 people according to the 2020 census. It is the least populous county in the U.S. It reported 410 cases but no deaths.
This next exhibition shows our current situation. The dirty little – and totally ignored – secret is that COVID is still around. In 2023, the latest stats available, COVID caused or contributed to 76,446 deaths in the U.S., and it continues to remain the highest cause of deaths among people 85 and older. Even after five years the pandemic has changed our lives – maybe forever. We now know the word “pandemic.” Workers like to work from home, and “hybrid work” has entered our vocabulary.
During COVID, restaurants went bankrupt by the tens of thousands and even today many are barely hanging on or finally are going under. But Americans have discovered they like both groceries and fixed meals delivered to their doorsteps. That convenience may be here to stay. We
‘Flagging’ of our heroes
Ken Fountain Editor
removals received a lot of negative publicity, the Pentagon admitted that it had made “mistakes”, and some, but certainly not the majority, of these web pages have since been reinstated.
We’ve talked before about the Trump Administration’s fixation on stamping out DEI and how it might impact programs here in Fort Bend County. I didn’t expect to revisit the issue so soon, but after seeing this wave of stories, I recalled something: here in Fort Bend, we remember our own recipient of the Congressional Medal of Honor, Macario Garcia, the first Mexican-American to be so honored.
I will admit that until recently, I didn’t know much about Garcia. I’d heard his name and knew of his award, but that was about it until August 2023, when I wrote a preview story about a reception held in his honor by American Legion Post 942, based in Sugar Land. It took me a while to find authoritative sources on his life story until I struck upon his profile on the Texas State Historical Association website.
Garcia, who was born in Mexico in 1920, emigrated with his family to Texas three years later, with the family ultimately making their way to Sugar Land, where they worked picking crops. Garcia was drafted into the Army in 1942, in the midst of World War II, and two years later, according to the TSHA profile, “singlehandedly assaulted two German machine-gun emplacements
that were blocking his company’s advance.” Already wounded, Garcia crawled toward the machine-gun nests and killed six German soldiers, captured four others, and destroyed the nests with hand grenades. For his actions, President Harry Truman presented him with the Medal of Honor in 1945. Garcia also received the Purple Heart and the Merito Militar, the Mexican equivalent of the Medal of Honor.
After the war, Garcia returned to Sugar Land, and even though he initially received the hero’s welcome he’d earned, he soon after was met with the same discrimination people with his background had long received. In 1946, he was refused service at a Richmond restaurant, sparking a fight with the owner that led to his arrest by police. Public outrage over the incident ultimately led to the charges being dismissed. Despite later becoming a U.S. citizen, Garcia would continue to face discrimination, including in employment, before taking a job as a counselor in the Veterans Administration, from which he retired.
In doing additional research for this column, I learned that Garcia was one of the guests of honor at an event held by the League of Latin American Citizens at Houston’s Rice Hotel where President John F. Kennedy and First Lady Jackie Kennedy were feted the night before the president was killed in Dallas. Garcia ultimately moved with his family to Alief and died in a car accident in 1970. He is buried in the National Cemetery in Houston.
Garcia’s story is an exemplar of all this is wrong in particular with the Defense Department’s ham-handed war on DEI. In February, Pete Hegseth, Trump’s newly installed defense secretary, told an audience at the Penta-
NOTICE TO DEBTORS AND CREDITORS CAUSE NO. NO. 25-CPR-042024
gon that “the single dumbest phrase in military history is ‘our diversity is our strength’.”
Hegstette is himself a veteran, having served as a major in the U.S. National Guard, including one tour of duty in Iraq, before becoming widely known as a weekend host on FOX News. But as a Navy veteran who served aboard an aircraft carrier with a very diverse crew, I believe it is his comment that is supremely stupid. It’s the very fact that the people cited above, and countless others, achieved great things despite the discrimination they often faced that makes their stories so inspiring.
Take the example of the Navajo code-talkers. The fact that they spoke in their own language is what made them so vital in World War II. Native American languages evolved in a hemisphere that had no connection to the rest of the world. Japan itself was a fairly isolated society, even up to the World War II era. So it was virtually impossible for Japanese troops to decipher the code-talkers’ communications, giving American soldiers an incalculable advantage in the bloody island-hopping campaign that would ultimately end the war in the Pacific.
I remember seeing and admiring “Flags of Our Fathers,” the excellent 2006 film directed by the famously “woke” Clint Eastwood, which told the story of the Battle of Iwo Jima and Ira Hays’s struggles after he returned home, similar in many ways to those faced by Macario Garcia. (Interestingly, Eastwood directed the equally moving “Letters from Iwo Jima”, which told the story of the battle from the point of view of the Japanese.)
Or let’s talk about the Tuskeegee Airmen. In large part, the discrimination they faced back home made these Black soldiers (the Air Force was then part of the Army)
To those indebted to or holding claims against the Estate of DEBORAH ANNE DAVIS, deceased:
RICHARD G. DAVIS, having been duly appointed Independent Executor of the Estate of DEBORAH ANNE DAVIS, deceased, late of Missouri City, Fort Bend County, Texas, by the Judge of the County Court at Law Number Two of Fort Bend County, Texas, on March 3, 2025, hereby notify all persons indebted to said estate to come forward and make settlement, and those having claims against said estate to present them to said Independent Executor within the time prescribed by law, at the following address:
RICHARD G. DAVIS
Independent Executor of the Estate of DEBORAH ANNE DAVIS, Deceased c/o ZACHARY G. DAW
ScottHulse P.C.
P.O. Box 99123
El Paso, Texas 79999-9123
have also found that we enjoy watching movies at home. Hello, Netflix. In March of 2020, 55 million American children stopped going to school. Today educators say those students are still behind in learning. There is another change. Many Americans no longer trust private or government health experts. This is the business card of Dr. Peter Hotez, a local hero. He is the Dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine, Professor of Pediatrics and Molecular Virology and Microbiology at Baylor College of Medicine, Co-director of the Texas Children’s Center for Vaccine Development and Texas Children’s Hospital, Endowed Chair of Tropical Pediatrics. By the time he introduced himself, the pandemic was over. But Dr. Hotez and other experts were criticized and harassed. When Dr. Anthony Fauci, then the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, had to get bodyguards, you know there’s a problem. Many of those same Americans won’t get vaccinated. This brings us to bird flu and measles.
Ashby got shot at ashby2@ comcast.net
particularly motivated to volunteer as fighter pilots, one of the most dangerous duties they could have performed as they escorted bombing raids over Germany. Colin Powell, a man whom I admired ever since I served under him during the first Persian Gulf War, was the son of Jamaican immigrants who during the Vietnam Era saw the military as one of the few arenas that someone from his background could distinguish himself. The list goes on. I don’t know if there were any Defense Department web pages devoted to the story of Macario Garcia. If there were, there’s a high likelihood that they may also have been removed. You can find his
profile on the website of the Congressional Medal of Honor Society, which is not run by the DoD. Here in Fort Bend, we do give him his proper due, even if it was somewhat belated. That includes a Fort Bend ISD middle school named after him, a historical marker in Rosenberg, and his framed portrait in a place of honor under the rotunda of the Fort Bend County Courthouse in Richmond. The next time you’re there, take a look and offer him your gratitude. Fountain pays his respects at KFountain@fortbendstar. com
Editor’s note: Links to many of the sources used in this column can be found in the online version at fortbendstar.com.
TO ALL INTERESTED PERSONS AND PARTIES: Julpit, Inc., has applied to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) for an Air Quality Standard Permit, Registration No. 174419, which would authorize Construction of a permanent concrete crusher located from the intersection of Texas Highway 6 and FM Road 521, go south on FM Road 521 for approximately 3.8 miles and turn right onto the site, Juliff, Fort Bend County, Texas 77583. Additional information concerning this application is contained in the public notice section of this newspaper.
Medal of Honor recipient Macario Garcia, of Sugar Land, is seen in this portrait in the Fort Bend County Courthouse.
Photo by Ken Fountain
Libraries to host tax preparation assistance in April
Community Reports
Fort Bend County Libraries will again host representatives from the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP), who will provide free income-tax-preparation assistance for low-income taxpayers at several locations in the Fort Bend County library system through April 15. Income-tax forms are not available at the libraries.
The following information should be brought to the session if possible: a photo ID; Social Security card(s) for self, spouse, and all dependents; last year’s tax return; W-2, 1099s, and any other compensation received in 2024; unemployment compensation statements; and any other documents that are necessary to complete your return.
The schedule is as follows:
• George Memorial Library, 1001 Golfview, Richmond; Room 2A (Appointment required: 281-342-4455):
• Saturdays, April 5 and 12, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
• Mondays, April 7 and 14, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
• Thursdays April 3 and 10, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
• Sugar Land Branch Library, 550
FBISD FROM PAGE 1
faith traditions.
Monday’s 5-2 vote – with Position 1 Trustee Angie Hanan and Position 4 Trustee Shirley Rose-Gilliam voting against – came after the board voted, by the same margin, to approve a motion by Position 5 Trustee Sonya Jones to limit each board member’s speaking time on the item to two minutes. At a workshop meeting last week, when the Bluebonnet item was first presented to the board by staff, discussion of Bluebonnet among the board members kept the meeting going almost to the midnight hour.
Just as at last week’s meeting, several members of the public spoke against the Bluebonnet curriculum, with no members of the public speaking in favor of it.
Mike Watson, a representative of the Missouri City NAACP and a Columbia University law school graduate, said he opposed Bluebonnet on many grounds, starting with the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
“The First Amendment states that no state shall establish religion. It’s basically, we’re all free to practice whatever religion we desire, or not to practice a religion,” he said.
Secondly, Watson said, that as an Alabama native, he was offended by the fact that the Bluebonnet curriculum is said to misconstrue the famous “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” authored by Civil Rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
“Just remember Fort Bend is perhaps the most diverse county in the United States of America. It’s certainly the most diverse in Texas,” he said. “Diversity is our strength. Please remember that. And we live in a beautiful mosaic.”
When the Bluebonnet item came up for discussion - after the vote to limit speaking time - Hanan touched on many of the concerns she raised the previous week.
“I continue to say these are very unbalanced and biased materials,” she said, adding that she felt many of its lessons were not appropriate for the targeted age groups.
“It does not align with the [district’s] profile of a graduate, especially a compassionate citizen. We are working to get our high school
The income-tax-preparation assistance is free and open to the public. For more information, see the Fort Bend County Libraries website (www.fortbendlibraries.gov) or call the library system’s Communications Office (281-633-4734).
kids to be culturally aware and embrace differences. This does not do that,” she said. “I would not like to spend even $9,000 on having anyone review these materials.”
Position 7 Trustee David Hamilton, one of the board’s most conservative members, began his own brief remarks by cautioning that they were not meant to imply that any of his fellow board members were Communists, but only offering a “history lesson.”
During the Cold War era in the 1960s, several Soviet spies who defected to the U.S. and provided officials a list of “45 goals” that Communists had to subvert American society. Among them, Hamilton said, was “to soften the curriculum” and take religion out of public schools.
Jones used her time to explain that by voting to purchase the materials, the board was not adopting the Bluebonnet curriculum, but only so that the administration could review it.
Position 3 Trustee Rick Garcia, who had expressed some ambivalence. about Bluebonnet at the earlier meeting, said he was glad the board was not adopting Bluebonnet at this time.
“It’s very, very controversial,” he said. “We’re a very diverse district, and the last thing we need is something that’s going to divide the community.” Despite his concerns, Garcia said, he was in favor of reviewing the materials while watching how other districts which have adopted it are faring.
Board President Kristin Tassin, bringing the discussion to a close, said it was the board’s responsibility to govern, not to manage. The board was simply voting to purchase the materials in order to allow the district staff to review it to make a future recommendation.
“I really don’t understand why it’s controversial to allow the administration to review something that is new,” she said. “Because if we didn’t do that, we can’t say that we allowed them to look at everything and make an informed decision.”
No timeline was offered on when the administration would make any recommendation on Bluebonnet. The district is currently auditing its own curriculum that is already in place.
You are being sued in this Wayne County Circuit Business Court by the plaintiff, Digital Access, LLC, for breach of contract. You must file your answer or take other action permitted by law in this Court at the court address of 2 Woodward Ave., Detroit, MI 48226 on or before April 16, 2025. If you fail to do so, a default judgment may be entered against you for the relief demanded in the complaint filed in this case.
Debrah A. Miller, Esq. 1660 N. Telegraph Rd. Dearborn, MI 48128
LEGAL NOTICE
Application has been made with the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission for a Wine and Malt Beverage Retailer’s Permit (BG) with a Food & Beverage Certificate by Omere Investments, LLC dba - Wings N’ Wine to be located at 18732 University Boulevard, Sugar Land, Texas. Partners of the corporation are Jerome Reuben, Gbubemi Bafor and Dr. Benjamin Wowo.
LEGAL NOTICE
Application has been made with the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission for a Mixed Beverage Permit with a Food & Beverage Certificate (MB) by J2 + L2 Enterprises, LLC dba – The Perfect Shot, to be located at 18730 University Boulevard, Sugar Land, Texas. Partners of the corporation are Lois and Jerome Reuben.
Texas Commission on Environmental Quality
AMENDED NOTICE OF APPLICATION FOR AN AIR QUALITY STANDARD PERMIT FOR PERMANENT ROCK AND CONCRETE CRUSHERS
PROPOSED AIR QUALITY REGISTRATION NUMBER 174419
APPLICATION. Julpit, Inc.,1020 West Loop N, Suite 200, Houston, TX 77055-7255 has applied to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) for an Air Quality Standard Permit, Registration Number 174419, which would authorize construction of a permanent concrete crusher. The facility is proposed to be located from the intersection of Texas Highway 6 and FM Road 521, go south on FM Road 521 for approximately 3.8 miles and turn right onto the site, Juliff, Fort Bend County, Texas 77583. This link to an electronic map of the site or facility’s general location is provided as a public courtesy and not part of the application or notice. For exact location, refer to application. https://gisweb.tceq.texas.gov/LocationMapper/?marker=-95.48469731779099,29.4559 78708265913&level=18. This application was submitted to the TCEQ on October 25, 2023. The executive director has determined the application was technically complete on March 21, 2025.
PUBLIC COMMENT. Written public comments about this application may be submitted at any time during the public comment period. You may submit public comments either in writing to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, Office of the Chief Clerk, MC-105, P.O. Box 13087, Austin, Texas 78711-3087, or electronically at www14.tceq. texas.gov/epic/eComment/. Please be aware that any contact information you provide, including your name, phone number, email address and physical address will become part of the agency’s public record. The deadline to submit public comments is 30 days after newspaper notice is published.
RESPONSE TO COMMENTS. A written response to all relevant comments will be prepared by the executive director after the comment period closes. The response, along with the executive director’s decision on the application, will be mailed to everyone who submitted public comments and requested to be added to the mailing list. The response to comments will be posted in the permit file for viewing.
The executive director shall approve or deny the application not later than 30 days after the end of the public comment period, considering all comments received within the comment period, and base this decision on whether the application meets the requirements of the standard permit.
CENTRAL/REGIONAL OFFICE. The application will be available for viewing and copying at the TCEQ Central Office and the TCEQ Houston Regional Office, located at 5425 Polk St Ste H, Houston, Texas 77023-1452, during the hours of 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, beginning the first day of publication of this notice. The application, including any updates, is available electronically at the following webpage: https://www.tceq.texas.gov/permitting/air/airpermit-applications-notices
INFORMATION. For more information about this permit application or the permitting process, please call the Public Education Program toll free at 1-800-687-4040. Si desea información en Español, puede llamar al 1-800-687-4040.
Further information may also be obtained from Julpit, Inc., 1020 West Loop N, Suite 200, Houston, TX 77055-7255, or by calling Mr. Edgar Olivares, Project Manager at 832-715-3398.
Notice Issuance Date: March 21, 2025
Mechanical Engineer (Sugar Land, Tx)
Prvde dsgn recommendations for polymeric rotary seals using Elastohydrodynamic methodology. Conduct Elastohydrodynamic analysis of elastomeric rotary seals to understand their behavior under different operating conditions. Investigate & perform root-cause analysis reltd to the non-conformance & corrective action. Dvlp process descriptions, & maintenance procedures. Perform imprvmnt activities & collaborate w/ project mangrs to dvlp a EHL methodology specifically dsgnd for polymeric seals to improve the accuracy of simulations. Perform Dry Contact analysis of elastomeric & polymeric rotary seals to evaluate their performance under static conditions. Conduct Thermal, Fluid, & Structural analysis on equipment that utilizes rotary seals to determine their reliability & performance overtime. Requirements: A master’s
When the mic was passed to him, Garcia quickly asserted that the board had strong leadership and a record of having made tough decisions on behalf of students.
He acknowledged the challenge of school vouchers and confirmed the board’s request for more funding.
“We’re underfunded, that is true,” said Garcia. “State hasn’t seen an increase in basic allotment since 2019. We had to go for a tax rate election a couple of years ago to give teachers a raise, put an officer at every elementary school, and to get out of a very dire situation with the Texas Education Agency, [since] we were in danger takeover by the TEA.”
Garcia said that what the district couldn’t do in the previous four years was accomplished by new superintendent Dr. Marc Smith in five or six months after he began in January 2024.
Elementary School 55 had to be eliminated from the bond due to missteps by the former administration, he said.
Garcia explained that while the former administration resisted audits, the district was now conducting them, including audits for the curriculum, bond, and special education.
“We will have to press the state for more funding,” Angela Collins said. “My fear with the vouchers and all of that is because special education is still underfunded, and a lot of the special education funds come from federal (funds) that we are going to be even further behind in funding for special education, so we are going to have to advocate to the state and receiving more funding.”
A longtime Fort Bend County resident, Collins is a parent, grandparent, active church member, and has cared for many children over the years. She has a background in finance working in oil and gas for many years,
according to her campaign website.
How do you ensure that the curriculum in Fort Bend ISD remains relevant and aligned with modern educational standards, and what role do teachers play in making that happen?
Garcia said the district had been conducting audits, meetings, and surveys to ensure the curriculum was relevant and that students were learning what they needed.
“We have to get input,” he said. “It’s dangerous to just bring in something brand new, roll it out and see what happens. In a district as large and diverse as ours, we do have roundtables with teachers.”
Collins said teachers were overworked, not only with teaching but also with what he called “fluff work”, or administrative tasks. Many teachers felt uncomfortable filling out questionnaires honestly due to fear of retaliation, Collins said.
‘Professional development is the second-best way to recruit and retain teachers – of course, the first is salaries,” said Angie Wierzbicki, a 15-year Fort Bend County resident with two children in the school district.
The district must provide teachers with direct professional development opportunities, allowing them to attend conferences and gain hands-on experience, Wierzbicki said. While cost- effective, training the trainer isn’t enough; teachers need the autonomy to grow and meet students’ diverse needs, she said.
Allison Drew, who previously served on the board from May 2019 to December 2020, said that during the COVID-19 pandemic the district came up with an asynchronous curriculum and innovative solutions to offer courses at different schools where staff were not available.
“While I was on the board,
we were writing our own curriculum,” said Drew, who also works as a “study buddy” for underprivileged kids. “There are things that we can do to support our students by creating different pathways for them to go into careers. Not all our not all of our students will go directly to college.”
Cheryl Buford, who has more than 10 years of teaching experience and currently tutors at Blueridge-Briargate, said “I want to make sure that teachers have the opportunity to chart their own professional development, that we have master teachers, teacher coaches who can help the younger teachers as well.” She called the new Willowridge-Super Neighborhood 41 tutoring initiative a “gamechanger.”
“It allows the community as seat at the table with the senior administration. It’s holding the senior administration accountable for benchmarks,” she said. “The community is involved recruiting tutors so that it’s a village that is going to support the Willowridge feeder pattern.”
The discussion shifted to the controversial Bluebonnet learning curriculum, currently under review by the administration. As Texas’ first reading and math textbooks developed since the passage of House Bill 1605 in 2023, it has faced community pushback, most recently at the March 17 school board meeting, for its Biblical references and perceived lack of inclusivity toward other religions.
All candidates except Garcia opposed the Bluebonnet curriculum, while Garcia declined to comment, citing the board’s ongoing review.
Early voting for the upcoming Fort Bend County elections is scheduled from April 22 to April 29, with Election Day on Saturday, May 3.
Varma is a freelance writer. She can be reached at juhi. varma@gmail.com
degree in mechanical eng’g. Mail Resumes to HR, Kalsi Engineering, Inc, 745 Park Two Drive, Sugar Land, Tx, 77478.
ELECTION FROM PAGE 1
Hang Pham of Houston finishes up a portrait of a winged figure.
Brittany Sumner of Houston works on a picture of a moonwalking astronaut.
Marcos Hernandez, of Huffman, works on a picture of an astronaut.
Keenan Pierson, of Conroe, works on a portrait of a scary creature.
Rebekah Tee, an art teacher at YES Prep North Side in Conroe, finishes a portrait of a cartoon figure. Many of Tee’s students also participated.
Rachel Delarosa, of Pasadena, puts some finishing touches on a forest scene.
Kimberly Herring, of Houston, paints a character from the movie “Slumberland.”
Nasha Scott, of Houston, works on a portrait of a jazz musician.
Addison Tan, of Houston, works on her piece on the theme of overcoming adversity.
A finished portrait of a young ballerina.
Danielle Johnson of Houston works on a floral scene.
The Fourth Annual MCTX ChalkFest was held Saturday at the Missouri City Recreation & Tennis Center. Artists from throughout the greater Houston area and beyond filled the parking lot of the Missouri City Recreation & Texas Center for the fourth annual MCTX ChalkFest. This year’s event also included the Children’s Entrepreneur Market, which teaches young people about entrepreneurship.
Photos by Ken Fountain
Candidates for Fort Bend ISD board Positions 3 and 7 speak at a forum hosted by the nonprofit Disha on Saturday. From left: Afshi Charania, Rick Garcia, Angela Collins, Angie Wierzbicki, Allison Drew, Cheryl Buford. Photo by Juhi Varma
Deadline is noon every Friday. Limit entries to the “5 Ws” Who, What, When, Where, and Why. Email to editor@fortbendstar.com FOR
ONGOING
ABRACADABRA! MUSIC MAGIC FOR 6 & 7
YEAR OLD BOYS STARTS MARCH 18!
The Emmy-Nominated Fort Bend Boys Choir of Texas is offering Music Magic, an 8-week music enrichment program for six- and seven- year[old boys. The class meets from 6:30-7:15 p.m. on Tuesdays starting March 18 and ending on May 6, 2025. Music Magic brings music alive through the use of movement, musical games, singing and other child-centered activities. Boys learn about pitch matching and rhythm awareness in addition to developing large muscle coordination, increased focus and better musicianship. To find out more about Music Magic, visit: https:// fbbctx.org/our-programs/music-magic/.
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.
BOOK YOUR BOOK YOUR APPOINTMENT APPOINTMENT TTODAY! ODAY!
America’s
MISSOURI CITY AARP CHAPTER 3801
Meets
over 50 invited. For more information, call 713-8595920 or 281-499-3345.
MASTER GARDENERS OFFER KIDS CAMP
Youths entering grades 3-5 can have fun this summer learning about gardening by attending Earth Kind Kids Camp, sponsored by Fort Bend County Master Gardeners.
The July 21-24 day camp will cover the topics of gardening, horticulture and environmental science through different high-energy projects that help the youths learn about seeds, plants, rain and other topics between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. each day.
Registration is open for the camp, which will be in Building D at the Fort Bend County Fairgrounds, 4310 Texas 36 in Rosenberg. The camp is limited to the first 25 paid participants. Register at https://agrilife.org/ftbend4h/event/2025earthkindkidscamp/ The fee is $85. Registration includes all materials, snacks and a T-shirt.
For more information, contact Brandy Rader at Brandy.Rader@ag.tamu. edu
HOUSTON METHODIST LEADING CARE
We offer a full spectrum of care, including:
• Primary care physicians for you and your family, providing personal care and service
• Specialists with innovative treatments and customized programs for all conditions, including cutting-edge orthopedic, cancer and neurological care
• Collaborative teams of experts using the newest technologies and latest research
