VOL 7 No. 9
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FORT BEND FAIR. BALANCED. INFORMATIVE. WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2014
P. O.BOX 623, SUGAR LAND, TX 77487-0623
Official newspaper of Fort Bend County, Missouri City & Sugar Land
Republicans face tough choice in Blending medicine and media, Lt. governor race Dr. Sanjay Gupta ‘educates’ audience By SESHADRI KUMAR The Republican primary voters face a tough choice in the March 4 race for Texas Lieutenant Governor. At a candidates forum hosted by the Spirit of Freedom Republican Women of Fort Bend County PAC on Feb. 21 at the Sugar Creek Baptist Church in Sugar Land, all the four candidates ably outlined their conservative credentials as impeccable and sought to show how each one was a notch better than the others in their commitment to conservative values. Incumbent Lt. Governor David Dewhurst had to defend his record even as the other three sought to impugn Dewhurst in the successful filibuster of Democrats which catapulted Sen. Wendy Davis to a celebrity status, resulting in her run for Texas governor. One of the eight questions asked at the forum included the following: Because as Lt. Governor you will serve as president of Texas Senate, how do you plan to avoid the shenanigans that the Democrats imposed during the House Bill 2 vote to ever happen again? Dewhurst said he would do away with the two-thirds rule and go for a simple majority. Sen. Dan Patrick said he would not select any Democrat as committee chair. “We are conservatives with a majority. We have to run the show and not let the Dems run the show,” he said regarding the Senate. Texas Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson said he would role the tape of the riot that night and every Democrat who incited the crowd would not be the committee chair or may not even get the committee membership. Patterson called them “political terrorists.” Texas Agricultural Commissioner Todd Staples said this is a serious issue about governing. “We need leadership” that does not enable a liberal become a national celebrity, Staples said. “I will not allow liberals to run our state,: he said. Asked what steps will you take to protect the integrity of the electoral system and how would you persuade both parties to follow your lead, in light of the Battleground Texas reportedly attempting to use legally protected information to get voters, Dewhurst said it is an outrageous act and it is a “partisan, illegal activity.” Dewhurst said he has sent a letter to the secretary of state to treat this as a criminal matter and ask the attorney-general to investigate. Patrick said Attorney General Eric Holder’s officials grilled Texas officials for eight hours over the Photo ID bill. Because of the voter ID law, the ballot box is somewhat protected, but the mail-in ballot is still somewhat at risk, he said. Also, Patrick said he would go to the Democratic territory and educate the voters on how the Republicans will lift them up more than their party. Patterson said criminal investigation needs to be undertaken by the local District Attorneys or the attorney-general.
Lisa Poynor, left, CEO of Fort Bend Regional Council on Substance Abuse and State Rep. Dr. John Zerwas, M.D.; Lisa Poynor with guest speaker Dr. Sanjay Gupta, and Daniel Menendez, Board Member, Fort Bend Regional Council on Substance Abuse. Dr. Zerwas received the Helen Cordes award presented by the Fort Bend Regional Council on Substance during the fifth annual award dinner in Sugar Land on Feb. 20. The award honors an individual who has given time, experience and expertise to FBRC. Dr. Zerwas, with his influence on the Texas Legislature helped increase funding by $30 million for the cause, after nearly two decades of no funding increase for substance abuse programs. Photo Larry Pullen.
David Dewhurst, left, Todd Staples, Jerry Patterson and Dan Patrick. Staples described the Battleground Texas movement as ACORN 2.0. He said he will fund the attorney-general in a focussed manner to go after voter fraud and voter abuse. “We need high information voters, not low information voters,” he said. What is the first tangible thing you will do to secure our Texas border, the candidates were asked. Dewhurst said he would spur funding for the “24/7 surge,” investing tax dollars in enhanced technology to protect the border. Patrick said he would provide top priority funding for border security. State guards are ready to step up and he would help the border counties who face a problem with bodies of hundreds of illegal immigrants. He will also increase the technology for border protection, Patrick said. Securing the border is the no. 1 priority of the government, Patterson said. He will dedicate the necessary resources for protecting the target, the assets and the law en-
forcement, Patterson said. Staples said he will follow up on the “Operation Drawbridge” plan, he helped implement along with the Texas DPS. Since January 2012, Operation Drawbridge has made a strategic and sustained impact on cartel narcotic and human smuggling with hundreds of cameras along the border. Staples also touted his sixpoint plan Secure our borders; Enforce existing laws; Document all immigrants; Mandate and Maintain country of origin application for United States citizenship; Reform failed visa system for guest workers and international day laborers; and Ports must be modernized for the efficient flow of legitimate goods and services. All the candidates vowed to oppose the introduction of C-Scope curriculum in Texas schools and prevent the infringement of American sovereignty by the United Nations or UNESCO, which is set to designate the Alamo and other missions in the San Antonio area as World Heritage sites. See FORUM, Page 3
Amazing Longhorn race
By SESHADRI KUMAR Sanjay Gupta, a neurosurgeon and an assistant professor of neurosurgery at Emory University School of Medicine and a media personality on healthrelated issues, best known as CNN’s multiple Emmy award winning chief medical correspondent, won the hearts and the minds of the audience with his keynote address at the fifth annual Helen Cordes Award Dinner, hosted by the Fort Bend Regional Council on Substance Abuse in Sugar Land on Feb. 20.. Gupta narrated the story of a doctor and a journalist, with gripping details and humorous interludes. People in medicine and media have many things in common. They both educate people, Gupta said. In both professions, there is lot of hard work. Credibility is important both for a journalist and a doctor, he said. In his college days, Gupta said, he was a terrible speaker, but it was interesting to add another skill set. He compared the TV camera to a patient and cautioned: “You should know what you are talking about, particularly, very important to those who hear it. Show appropriate compassion. Be self-deprecating, make fun of yourself.” The job a journalist is remarkable. “We do this because these stories do make a difference. Health stories are relatable worldwide,” Gupta said. Covering a war requires a different skill set, he added. Gupta narrated the interesting story of how he carried his passport and wallet, secured by duct tape to his waist, when he
stayed in the war zone. During an emergency, he had to run only with his boxers on and was rescued subsequently. Gupta discussed substance abuse from a neuroscience perspective and explained what happens to the brain. He alluded to what is known as Area 25, a section of the brain’s cerebral cortex. The region is the site of deep brain stimulation studies in treating depression. Results of Area 25 Study offered hope for Patients depression. This region is considered as a governor for a vast network involving areas, which influence changes in appetite and sleep; affect the mood and anxiety; plays an important role in memory formation; and some parts of the frontal cortex is responsible for self-esteem. This region is particularly implicated in the normal processing of sadness. New studies consider obesity as a brain function. Though one knows overeating can cause obesity, the brain triggers the urge to eat. Addiction to the cues of the substance like when walking by the bar, the urge to drink or while walking down the smoking lounge, the urge to smoke arise. Automatic behavior starts. It is a fascinating area of neuroscience, Gupta said. Where do you go from here? Narcan, a substance that can reverse the effects of heroin and medical opiates, is saving lives. It is effective, easy to administer and cheap. Can first responder use it and if addicts use it, will it encourage more drug use are among lingering questions. It is controversial like the clean needle program. But,
Gupta said he was curious as to where the society goes. During the VietNam war, 15 to 20 percent of soldiers were addicted to heroine and relapse rate among the soldiers was 90 percent. A few years later, follow up studies showed that the relapse rate among the veterans was 5 percent because circumstances and environment changes. Environmental behavior is interlinked to addiction. How to disrupt the behavior is critical. Simple disruptions can make profound difference, he said. Prescription drug use is a bigger problem than heroine. Accidental prescription drug overdose occurs every 19 minutes. 80 percent of the painkillers in the world are consumed in the U.S. The problem is more systemic than people realize, Gupta said. Gupta told a moving story of how the journalist in him had to wear the hat of a surgeon and save the live of Jesus Vidana, who had a bullet embedded in his brian. He was dying, just outside Baghdad in a desert tent. As a neurosurgeon, Gupta was asked to step back from his journalist’s role to look at the gunshot wound to the head. Shortly thereafter, he was removing a bullet from Vidana’s brain with Black & Decker drill. Within an hour, Jesus Vidana had been treated, operated on and was recovering just outside the operating room. I found a profound sense of purpose in saving Vidana’s life. It is gratifying job to be able to tell the story that would have an impact on you, Gupta said.
Missouri City to vote on $40 million bond
Ready for this year’s challenge are Lamar CISD’s Reading Junior High students Hyatt Hogan, Lauren Burkett, Jason Montgomery and Ibby Sheikh. Reading Junior High PTO is presenting “The Amazing Longhorn Race,” a fundraiser for Reading Teachers & Departments on Saturday, March 29, 10 a.m–1 p.m. at ARJH Campus. $15 per person / $30 per team of two. Teams of two must decipher clues leading them through 12 crazy challenges that will excite taste buds, get hearts racing and put minds in overdrive. Prizes will be awarded for most points, Fastest Time, Best Teamwork and Best SWAG! Register online at readingPTO.org or pick up forms at the ARJH front office. For more information contact Lisa Keeling, fundraising chair at fundraising@readingpto.org. Sponsorship, donation and volunteer opportunities are available by contacting Sofia Sheikh at president@readingPTO.org.
By BARBARA FULENWIDER Missouri City City Council has approved a $40 million bond referendum that will be on the May 10 ballot. The vote was 5-2 with council members Don Smith and Yolanda Ford voting no. If voters approve the fourpart referendum $6.5 million will go for drainage projects; $5.7 million for facilities; $5 million for Fire Station No. 6 and $22.8 million for mobility improvements. Assistant City Manager Scott Elmer told council that the bond money for drainage will mitigate flooding in the Willow Waterhole Watershed. The $5.7 million is primarily for city hall with replacing the roof, the biggest and most necessary expense. Another $300,000 was initially in
Proposition 2 for a re-imaging study of city hall but after a great deal of discussion it was moved to mobility. The $5 million in Proposition 3 will build the city’s sixth fire station and buy a fire truck for it. Elmer said of the $22.5 million total for mobility, $8.2 million will be the city’s match for Fort Bend County mobility projects in Missouri City. Another $8.8 million will pay for street rehabilitation, $3 million will go for sidewalk replacement and $2.5 million for monuments, irrigation and landscaping along Texas Parkway and in Hwy. 6 medians. Smith then said he had some problems with the amounts that will be spent to repair certain streets and in particular LaQuinta. He said, “My
constituents are telling me we need to do more on my side of town and I have to be extremely vocal about it.” Ford followed Smith by saying, “The way the bond money works is just for a category. It is not assigned to projects so the projects can change.” Smith said he is just looking at the dollar factor and where the money is going to be spent. Elmer explained that the numbers for various mobility projects “are based on today’s construction dollars” and that all streets listed as critical will be removed and rebuilt. Mayor Allen Owen noted that “the streets on the plans are failing because they are the oldest. We’ve got to look at the fact that the city is aging faster than we want it to.” See BOND, Page 3