Fort Bend Independent 042518

email: editor@ independent.com

VOL 11 No. 17

Phone: 281-980-6745 50 cents

www.fbindependent.com ww .fbindependent.com

FORT BEND FAIR. BALANCED. INFORMATIVE. WEDNESDAY, APRIL 25, 2018

P. O.BOX 623, SUGAR LAND, TX 77487-0623

Official newspaper of Fort Bend County & Missouri City

Fiesta Forever at Early voting begins in city elections; meager public debate on candidates Sienna Plantation May 5

By SESHADRI KUMAR Early voting has begun for local city council elections.

The candidates’ campaign signs in yards and roadside and campaign literature in your mail box are the only visible markers of an election.

Of course, candidates flood Facebook pages with their paid ads.

Fort Bend ISD cancelled its election as the candidates Grayle James and Addie Heyliger were unopposed.

Missouri City City elections will be in November.

Other cities Arcola, Fulshear, Meadows Place, Rosenberg, Richmond, Stafford and Sugar Land have contested elections for mayoral and city council seats.

Other than what the candidates publicize about themselves, there is little public information about the candidates and what they stand for.

Some cities like Sugar Land, have posted brief profiles of the candidates. In some cities you would not even know the names of the candidates.

Usually, some candidate forums would be held for the public and this year that too is few and far in between.

While the Central Fort Bend

Chamber hosted a candidates forum for Rosenberg and Richmond, the Fort Bend Chamber of Commerce did not host any forum for Sugar Land candidates.

In Stafford, Fort Bend Democratic Party hosted a forum for city council.

For Sugar Land, Fort Bend Republican Women’s Club reportedly hosted a forum in Richmond after early voting started on Monday. The city elections are supposedly non-partisan.

In Sugar Land, initially Mayor Joe Zimmerman alone had an opponent, as Diana Miller filed for Mayor.

Councilmembers Mary Joyce and Himesh Gandhi filed for reelection and only Joyce drew an opponent.

Since Jennifer Lane filed for Joyce’s seat, Joyce withdrew her filing, after the close of nominations. Lane would also have been elected unopposed, but Farha Ahmed filed as a write-in candidate forcing an election.

Zimmerman’s campaign sent a press release soon after he filed for mayor and subsequently, Miller also sent a press statement explaining her platform. Ahmed too sent her press statement.

In the interest of fairness, this newspaper sent two emails to Lane requesting her to send a

statement on her platform, but none was received.

Eventually, this newspaper published her profile as posted on the city website.

Campaign Finance Reports, sometimes, throw light on who supports whom.

Sugar Land city website has campaign finance reports of all the candidates except that of Lane.

Inquiries revealed that Lane need not file the report after all.

Texas Ethics Commission guidelines provide her the option not to file the report due 30 days before the election day.

According to the Texas Ethics Commission “An opposed candidate is a candidate who has an opponent whose name is printed on the ballot. If a candidate’s only opposition is a writein candidate, that candidate is considered unopposed for filing purposes.

(Note: A write-in candidate who accepts political contributions or makes political expenditures is subject to the reporting requirements discussed in this guide.)”

Voters can know who contributed to Ahmed’s campaign, but Lane’s supporters may remain confidential.

Lane is a resident of newly

annexed Greatwood subdivision.

Since she filed against Joyce, it is reasonable to conclude she is running against Joyce’s platform. But her published statement is “The reason I ran for this position is simple, I have a passion to serve.”

Zimmerman in his 30th day report shows $57,860 in total political contributions, of which $4,149 was received from Jan. 1 to April, 4, 2018 and $12,765 was spent in the same period.

His advertising expenditure includes a full page ad for 2018 Chinese New Year in Chinese Daily News.

Miller received a total political contribution of $600 between Jan. 16 and April 5 and she has maintained a balance of $600.

She has spent $3,362 of her own money in political expenditures.

Gandhi received a total contribution of $13,976 from Jan. 1 to April 4. His political expenditures in this period totaled $8,389. He maintained a balance of $8,672.

Ahmed showed total political contributions of $953 and she loaned $5,000 to her campaign.

Her expenditures totalled $5,806 between Feb. 20 and March 26.

Councilmember Amy Mitchell’s letter to the city manager, Page 4

Feel the fiesta spirit at Sienna Plantation where a musical Cinco de Mayo celebration will get amigos and amigas dancing, Saturday, May 5, from 5-9 p.m. Musical performances by Yelba Heaton and Latin Fire, as well as Mariachi Los Gallitos, will be highlights of the event happening at Sienna’s Sawmill Lake model home park, 9803 Cameron Way. Latin-inspired food truck fare will be available for purchase and a margarita tent will have beverages for purchase for those ages 21 and up. Younger attendees will enjoy a pony carousel and rock wall. Mechanical bull riding and a beverage donkey add to the fun. Visitors are encouraged to bring chairs or blankets. Admission is free. Learn more at www. siennaplantation.com

Missouri City gets ‘Outstanding’ Don’t ‘Reimagine, but remember Alamo,’ says activist recognition for Online Transparency

Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar recently announced that Missouri City is among a select number of local municipalities to achieve recognition for its open citizen access through the Transparency Stars program.

The “Show Me City” received a star in the area of Traditional Finances, which recognizes entities for their outstanding efforts in making their spending and revenue information easily accessible online.

“My office, Financial Services and Communications partnered on this initiative, and the process was achieved through our newly redesigned website, which has a customized department homepage and a unique URL for Financial Services,”

City Manager Anthony Snipes said.

“Residents and stakeholders may now go to www.mctxfinance.com and easily access recent and past financial transparency documents such as City Budgets, Quarterly Investment Reports, Comprehensive Annual Financial Reports, check registers and more.”

Comptroller Hegar said that “by providing meaningful financial data in addition to visual tools and analysis of its revenues and expenditures, Missouri City has shown a true commitment to Texas taxpayers. This effort achieves the goals set by my office’s Transparency Stars program.”

He added: “I am pleased to

Moving Up or Scaling Down?

We Have Buyers Realtor Fees are negotiable Call me today for a quote Residential-AcreageCommercial Wayne Russell Broker Associate Re/Max Southwest 14905 Southwest Freeway Email: wayne@swfreeway.com Off: 281-207-5054 Cell: 281-814-6397 Fax: 281-242-6754 Licensed since 1968; Member of the Houston Association of Realtors; Access to MLS; Disregard if your home is currently in the market.

Southwest

award the ‘Show Me City’ a star for its accomplishments.”

The Comptroller’s office launched the Transparency Stars program in March 2016 to recognize cities, counties and school districts making important strides to greater government transparency. Local government entities can apply for stars in the areas of: Traditional Finances, Contracts and Procurement, Economic Development, Public Pensions, and Debt Obligations.

After receiving an initial star for Traditional Finances, remaining stars may be awarded in any order.

For more information on the program, including specific

guidelines and information on how to apply, visit the Comptroller’s Transparency Stars website.

The Transparency Star recognition is the latest in a string of recent financial successes for Missouri City.

Earlier this year, S&P Global Ratings, a division of Standard & Poor’s Financial Services LLC, upgraded Missouri City’s bond rating from AA- to AA “while affirming a stable outlook” for the municipality.

The increase of the Show Me City’s score “is great news for our first-class citizens, stakeholders and municipal employees who go above and beyond every day to achieve the City’s mission of delivering outstandSee TRANSPARENCY, Page 3

By SESHADRI KUMAR The Alamo Cenotaph, chapel and the plaza are in danger under the Texas Land Office’s $450 million “Reimagine Alamo” plan, but Alamo should be saved and remembered, not “reimagined,” says Ray Myers, president of the Kaufman County Tea Party and a passionate champion leading a campaign to ‘Save Alamo.’

Myers was a featured speaker at the Fort Bend Republican Patriots Club’s meeting in Sugar Land on April 19.

According to published reports, the Texas Land Office plan comes at an estimated cost of $450 million to reimagine.

Described as a public-private venture, the $450 million Alamo makeover has relied almost entirely on state and local tax dollars so far. The Legislature earmarked $100 million, tapping the state’s Rainy Day Fund to round out the appropriation. The city of San Antonio committed $38 million.

However, various heritage groups find the Texas Land Commissioner George P. Bush’s vision for rooftop restaurants in state-purchased buildings across Alamo Plaza distasteful. They oppose the idea of removing the Cenotaph monument from the grounds.

Myers gave a presentation on the status of Alamo plan, which he considers a Texas shrine and the imperative need to preserving “the cradle

Mike Rozell, left, president-elect of Fort Bend Republican Patriots Club, Mickey Mixon, director and Linda Mixon, secretary, with guest speaker Ray Myers. of Liberty for generations to until the legislature meets in January 2019, Myers said. come.”

The church and the Long Myers pointed out that to become a member of the Barrocks are in need of Alamo Endowment, the land immediate repairs and the office demanded a $250,000 Alamo should be handed over fee. The state legislature has to the State Parks, he said. appropriated $127 million for The old Post office should be designated as the official Alamo project.

The Alamo CEO makes Alamo Museum, he added The Patriots Club’s upcoming $2,000 a day and he lives in Ohio, Myers said. meeting, on Tuesday, May 15, Myers urged the community at 6 p.m will feature Maria to write to the state legislature Espinoza, National Director and and ask to cutoff the funds to Co-founder of the Remembrance the Alamo project until”we Project in Houston, and she will find out what the Bush land speak on “ The Negative Effect office is doing with the of Illegal Immigration.” money.”

The meeting will be held The Cenotaph should not be at the Atrium, 130 Industrial moved and no further action Blvd., Sugar Land. RSVP to should be taken on the project, FortBendRPC@gmail.com

Page 2 • INDEPENDENT • APRIL 25, 2018

CHAMBER EVENTS Breakfast in the Bend: May 1

Ribbon cuttings in April ISTAY Wireless opens

Ribbon Cutting: Anytime Fitness: May 1 Ribbon Cutting: Houston Federal Credit Union: May 4 RDC & Development Corporation of Richmond: Marketing and Advertising Luncheon: May 9 Infrastructure Committee Meeting: May 11 Success in 60: Workplace Safety: May 17 Ribbon Cutting: Pregnancy Resource Center: May 18 4120 Avenue H, Rosenberg, TX | Phone: 281-342-5364; http://www.cfbca.org/

Leadership alumni meet

ISTAY Wireless at 2217 1st Street , Rosenberg, TX 77471, the Metro PCS Authorized Dealer is serving Rosenberg and surrounding areas with the best in class prepaid cellular service.

Leadership alumni reunion: Trey Reichert, left, Jeff Tallas, Michelle Moore and JJ Clemence.

The Leadership Alumni Committee put on a wonderful Alumni Social on April 19 at Dry Creek Social Club on FM 359.

Dentists of Fort Bend

The Central Fort Bend Chamber, along with members of the community, welcomed State Representative Rick Miller-Texas District 26 at his new office location at 130 Industrial Blvd., Sugar Land, TX 77478 with a ribbon cutting ceremony on April 10. Rep. Miller provided a Chick-Fil-A breakfast to all attendees.

Breakfast in the Bend

A great big welcome to Dentists of Fort Bend at 10177 Grand Parkway, Richmond, TX 77407.

Quick Lane

The Veranda, a master planned community of Johnson Development in Richmond, hosted Breakfast in the Bend. Above, Kristin Weiss, chamber president, Cameron Goodman- Executive Director of Economic Development for Richmond, Trey Reichert of The Veranda and chairman-elect of the chamber and John Kennedy, chairman of the chamber.

2018 Richmond State of The City Address

QuickLane Katy Tire and Auto at 23301 Farm to Market 1093, Richmond, TX 77406 is now open. It is a sister of Legacy Ford QuickLane in Rosenberg. The shop services all makes and models. It has the Low Price Tire Guarantee on 13 major brand Tires! It is also the Home of the Life Time Brake Pads. Call 832-363-1344.

Richmond Mayor Evalyn W. Moore will address the City of Richmond at the State of the City on June 21. The luncheon will be held at Briscoe Manor located on FM 723 from 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Mayor Moore will discuss the latest improvements, infrastructure preparations, economic development and what the year has in store for the City of Richmond.

The luncheon will be hosted by the Central Fort Bend Chamber.

Sponsorships for the luncheon are as followed: Presenting Sponsor $2,000, Underwriter $1,000, and Corporate Table $500.

Registration is available now on the Central Fort Bend Website at www.CFBCA.org.

Contact Tiffany Davis at 281342-5464.

Cindy Reeves, secretary of the chamber board, left, and Riki Graves of CarrusCare ER.

INDEPENDENT • APRIL 25, 2018 • Page 3

NEWS

Central Fort Bend Chamber hosts candidates Pedro Ruiz sworn in forum for Richmond City Commission as County Court at Law #5 Judge

Matt Breazeale, right, introduces the candidates Carl Drozd, left, Terry Gaul and Carl Garcia.

By SESHADRI KUMAR The Central Fort Bend Chamber of Commerce hosted a candidates forum for the Richmond City Commission.

The forum hosted by the governmental affairs division of the chamber was held at the George Memorial Library on April 17 and Matt Breazeale, chairman of the division, moderated the discussion.

Position 1 candidates Terry Gaul and Carlos Garcia and Position 3 candidate Carl Drozd participated in the forum. Position 1 candidate Jesse Torres, incumbent, and Position 3 candidate Tres Davis did not attend.

Garcia, in his opening remarks said he grew up in the city and he cared about the city. His platform includes lower property, taxes, term limits, creation of single member districts, strengthening economic development, supporting the West Fort Bend Management

District, promoting green city and eliminating train noise with wayside horns.

Terry Gaul, a civil engineer, retired from Exxon, is married to Sandy McGee, owner of Sandy McGee’s Restaurant in Richmond.

Gaul mentioned his business experience and international travel as assets to his candidacy.

Balancing the budget and continuing to reduce the property tax are his priorities, he said.

Gaul also cited the challenge of managing growth, prudently, effectively and timely.

“We have good management tools. The city is doing above average job. There is room for improvement,” Gaul said.

Drozd was elected to city commission in 2016.

Drozd, a Richmond resident since 2004, is a retired career U.S. Army Officer with more than 20 years of active

duty service. He is married to Elizabeth Duff, a local attorney and business owner in Richmond.

The city of Richmond is in major crossroad, Drozd said and he would like to continue the exceptional quality of life provided by the city.

“We provide responsive services. We maintain the city’s unique heritage,” Drozd said.

“We have a tremendous history. I want to encourage businesses to help restore the historic properties,” he said.

On balancing the budget, Drozd he did not find any specific area for reduction, but said the city should draw more commercial projects and businesses to get sales tax revenue for balncing the budget.

Gaul emphasized the need for balanced budget and said a moderate debt is acceptable.

The city should avoid the temptation to borrow more

and more. The city should keep its debts low, he said.

Improving efficiency in various departments could help save money, Gaul said.

Garcia said he would rely on a city council workshop to get all the information needed and look closely at where the budget could be cut.

Asked what is the top issue for the city, Garcia cited property taxes, Gaul mentioned drainage and Drozd said managing the growth with an eye on city’s history.

Jesse Torres was on the Lamar ISD Board for 15 years.

Jesse was then elected to Richmond’s City Commission in 2014 for a one year term. He was reelected to that position for the current 3 year term.

Tres Dale Davis ran for mayor in 2017 against Evalyn Wendt Moore who got 70 percent of the votes and won.

Early voting has begun and the election day is May 5.

79 graves found in FBISD construction site, exploration continues

Two weeks ago Fort Bend ISD announced the discovery of a historic cemetery on the current construction site of the James Reese Career and Technical Center, located at University Boulevard and Chatham Avenues in Sugar Land. Initial reports indicated the discovery of several unmarked graves and early last week the number had risen to about 30. Archaeologists on site, in partnership with the Texas Historical Commission, have now reported the discovery of about 79 graves, and exploration continues.

As the initial exploratory process continues, there is still not enough evidence to identify the cemetery’s time frame or any indication of who is buried at the site.

Additional testing will

have to be done during the excavation process before experts can determine the history of the remains.

“We are honored to be a part of this discovery, as it will inform our rich history of Sugar Land and Fort Bend County. We hope that testing will give us the information we need to determine who is buried on this land and when they lived. This is a remarkable learning opportunity, not only for our students, but for our entire community,” said Dr. Charles Dupre, Fort Bend ISD Superintendent of Schools.

“We appreciate the Texas Historical Commission for their expertise and guidance through the process, as well as Mr. Reginald Moore, whose passion for honoring our history brought to our

Transparency From Page 1

the City of Sugar Land.

“We evaluated the Comptroller’s program years ago and determined our local transparency efforts better met the high expectations of our residents.

“Our ongoing transparency efforts to publicly publish the City’s financial data online helps citizens perform detailed analysis on a range of issues including budget, capital projects, tax rates and debt, contracts, regular financial reports (including investment and sales tax reports), audited financial reports and more.

“Additional resources provide further clarity, including an interactive overview of the general fund budget, a goal measures performance dashboard, detailed citizen satisfaction surveys and the City’s annual audits.

“Sugar Land’s efforts to provide the high level of services our citizens expect were recently reflected in Citizen Satisfaction Survey results that are unprecedented for a Texas city.

“The city will continue to provide resources necessary to meet the unique local needs of Sugar Land.”

ing customer service to all members of our diverse community,” City Manager Snipes said.

“Additionally, the City’s sound financial management that went into earning this upgrade further reflects our capacity to meet financial commitments throughout time.”

In 2017, Missouri City residents voted to approve a change in the City’s Fiscal Year to Oct. 1 – Sept. 30. With the changes in the budget cycle, planning for Fiscal Year 2019 has already begun.

To ensure transparency throughout this new budget process and to educate citizens, staff has prepared a few frequently asked questions: http:// bit.ly/2EMXJpm. The City of Sugar Land does not figure in Transparency Stars program.

Asked if Sugar Land participated in the program, Sugar Land’s Director of Finance Jennifer Brown said: “Citizen engagement, accountability and transparency are important to

attention the possibility of archaeological artifacts in the general area. We recently invited Mr. Moore to tour the site, and we are all anxiously awaiting more information once exploration is complete.”

The District exhausted due diligence during the excavation phase of the project, and contracted a fulltime archaeologist on site to supervise the project.

During the observations, which included land clearing, trenching and excavations, there was no evidence of archaeological artifacts or remains found. During the next phase of the project, bones were discovered and the archaeologist was once again called out to review the findings.

While an initial review of

the bones did not indicate they were human, a subsequent review and analysis confirmed the remains were indeed human. This led to a perimeter search to determine if there were additional remains at the site, and several other interments were discovered.

This exploratory work will continue until a perimeter of the cemetery is determined.

Fort Bend ISD is in full compliance with construction permits and plans to continue to comply with any other permits required by the State.

Burial sites are regulated by the Texas Health Code.

Construction work continues on the James Reese Career and Technical Center in the areas not impacted by the archaeological work.

On April 16, Fort Bend County Judge Bob Hebert held the swearing in of County Court at Law Judge Pedro Ruiz. Judge Ruiz was appointed by Commissioners Court on April 3, 2018 to fill the vacated seat of the late Ron Cohen who was elected into office in 2016. Pedro will serve until the November 2018 election when voters will fill the remaining two years of Judge Cohen’s term.

Judge Hebert said, “Judge Ruiz is truly gavel ready. He has earned this judicial appointment through years of service in the Fort Bend District Attorney’s office, and over twelve years service as an Associate Judge of our State District Courts.”

Judge Ruiz was the Associate Judge serving Fort Bend County for the 240th, 268th, 400th and 434th Judicial District Courts for 12 years, retiring from the bench in 2015. Prior to serving as Associate Judge, he served in the Fort Bend County District Attorney’s office as an Assistant District Attorney for 12 years.

Judge Ruiz will cover County Court at Law 5 until the bench is filled by the voters this November.

Pictured Left to Right: Judge Pedro Ruiz; Ann Werlein, Administrative & Budget Manager; County Judge Robert Hebert NOTICE TO CREDITORS CAUSE NO. 17-CPR-030200 Notice is hereby given that Letters of Administration for the Estate of Nancy Ann Bylander, Deceased were issued on April 3, 2018 in Cause No. 17-CPR-030200, pending in County Court at Law No. 2 of Fort Bend County, Texas to Ruth Marie Bylander, Independent Administrator, 114 N. Willow St., Vermillion, South Dakota, 57069.

Claims may be mailed to the Administrator in care of Kimberly D. Moss, 3 Sugar Creek Center Blvd., Suite 100, Sugar Land, Texas 77478.

All persons having claims against this estate are required to present them within the time and in the manner prescribed by law.

If you have a secured claim against the estate, you must present your claim to the Administrator at the address listed above.

Coffee with a Cop May 8

The Richmond Police Department will hold a Coffee with a Cop event on Tuesday, May 8, 2018. The event will take place at the Whataburger located at 5400 FM 1640 in Richmond from 8:00 AM to 10:00 AM. Coffee with a Cop provides a unique opportunity for community members to ask questions and learn more about the department’s work in Richmond neighborhoods.

The majority of contacts law enforcement has with the

public happen during emergencies, or emotional situations.

Those situations are not always the most effective times for relationship building with the community. Some community members may feel that officers are unapproachable on the street. Coffee with a Cop breaks down those barriers and allows for a relaxed, one-on-one interaction.

No agenda or speeches, just a chance to ask questions, voice concerns, and get to know your officers.

Coffee with a Cop is a national initiative supported by The United States Department of Justice-Office of Community Oriented Policing Services.

Similar events are being held across the country, as local police departments strive to make lasting connections with the communities they serve.

The program aims to advance the practice of community policing through improving relationships between police officers and community members one cup of coffee at a time.

CHAVEZ CONSTRUCTION BUILDING

&

REMODELING

R5 House Additions R5 Refacing Int. & Ext. R5 Siding Finishes R5 Kitchens & Baths R5 Fascia & Soffit R5 Sheetrock Repairs R5 Int. & Ext. Paint

Free Estimates

832-306-0633

chavezconstruction07@gmail.com

FORT BEND FAIR. BALANCED. INFORMATIVE.

12551 Emily Court, Sugar Land, TX 77478 Mailing Address: P.O. Box 623, Sugar Land, TX 77478 Seshadri Kumar Publisher & Editor

www.fbindependent.com 281-980-6745

Fort Bend Independent, (USPS 025-572) is published every Wednesday (for a subscription rate of $20 per year) by Fort Bend Independent, LLC., 12551, Emily Court, Texas 77478.

Periodicals Postage Paid at Stafford, Texas.

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Fort Bend Independent, P.O. Box 623, Sugar Land, Tx 77487.

Page 4 • INDEPENDENT • April 25, 2018

REFLECTIONS

Looking forward....

By CAROLYN (VALENTOUR) BOWDEN Someone said, “Upon awakening each morning ask God, “What can I do for you this day?”

I never even thought about that question because I am a list maker and have an endless list of “unfinished” projects.

My days are always planned and usually there is “no room” to squeeze another thing in. It has to be on my calendar or it doesn’t happen.

Then a simple phone call one lovely January morning in 2004 “happened”. Having cancer was never on my “list of things to do.”

However, I immediately dealt with it like I do everything else. Instead of an emotional response with thoughts like, “why me?”, “am I going to die?”, and worrying about “I don’t have time for this!” I did my “usual thing.”

I automatically went into action that created 21 files and a detailed plan for how to deal with this “challenge.”

Bowden Five weeks later I sat with the doctors and laid out my research and my ultimate decisions.

(They said I should have gone to medical school.)

It never entered my mind to ask this question: “What can I learn from this situation, in which I find myself?” This is where it appeared to me that I was no longer in the “driver’s seat”.

As I look back, there were many “clues” as to the changes

in my life but I didn’t see them.

What evolved was I went from being just another cancer statistic to creating a “ministry.”

My journal about “facing death” started out to just be updates via email to friends and family. However, because my attitude was uplifting and I shared all the humorous incidents along the way, these emails were forwarded over and over to others who were fighting cancer.

I would get inquiries from people I did not know. I wouldn’t even know the person who had forwarded my journal to them. Some had questions, others just wanted to talk. They were all appreciative.

Leo Rosten states this best: “The purpose of life is not to be happy.

“The purpose of life is to matter, to be productive, to have it make some difference that you live at all.”

How thankful I am that God led me down this “path” and more thankful that I went.

Sugar Land Councilwoman takes issue with City Manager Following the controversial decision by Sugar Land City Manager Allen Bogard not to place the agenda items requested by Councilmembers Mary Joyce and Carol McCutcheon and City Manager Allen Bogard’s response to this newspaper, Councilwoman Amy Mitchell sent the following letter to Bogard last week: “Good morning, Allen: I am troubled by the response to Kumar.

On March 5, 2018, we received an email from Allen unilaterally declaring that he deemed resolution 15-08 null and void.

This was in direct response to a citizen requesting that we comply with the Resolution and allow for public comment during the workshops.

This email did not invite any response and while I disagreed with Allen and his ability to unilaterally declare a council enacted resolution null and void, I admit that I did not respond.

While not responding, I believe that declaring 15-08 null and void merely reinstated the prior resolution of 14-01. I believe there were some minor differences between 14-01 and 15-08 they were essentially the same.

As such, whether under 1508 or 14-01, we should permit public comment at workshops on workshop items. I am unclear why we have not been doing so, especially when the purpose of the workshop is to determine what path we feel a particular item might need to go.

I personally believe that public comment can only enhance our discussion and ensure that we are contemplating all perspective on a given issue.

Allen’s response to Kumar makes it clear that a response to his pronouncement on March 5, 2018 is required. For the record, I believe we have a protocol that should be followed by all.

That being said, if council chooses to at times disregard a particular portion of the protocol, this does not give the City Manager carte blanche to ignore the protocol nor to declare the protocol null and void. In my opinion, only City Council may declare its protocol null and void. To date, City Council has not done so.

As such, I believe the protocol is still in effect. Even if the City Manager could declare it null and void, all that would do is reinstate the protocol immediately preceding 15-08.

Mitchell As such, I believe that 1.

Public comments on agenda items should be heard at Workshops and 2.

If two City Council members request an item to be put on the agenda, it should be put on the agenda.

The latter has been a long standing custom which was argued at length by, and enacted by, prior City Councils. I am unaware of any circumstance where the request of two members to place an item on the agenda was denied.

I understand that Council members Joyce and McCutcheon specifically requested an item be added to tonight’s agenda.

I have no opinion on the item they requested. I do have an opinion on their absolute right to do so, and the City’s obligation to respect this request.

The agenda request should have been put on tonight’s agenda.

There was nothing about the request which warrants denial and certainly, I can see nothing about the request which would result in the Council in not conducting its business in an orderly fashion. We are all professionals. We are all elected. To suggest we do not conduct ourselves in an orderly fashion on an agenda item is an affront to all of us.

Finally, I reviewed the Feb. 27 Workshop, wherein the record reflects that there was Council consensus to post videos, after the meetings, of the budget workshops and the 4th Tuesday workshop meetings held in the Cane Room.

Your email of April 12 references the Feb. 27 Workshop, stating, “At that time, there was not a Council consensus...Subsequently, staff received direction from the City Council to bring the item back at a future date for a second workshop, with the City Manager present”. For the record, I don’t recall this nor did I see this in the record. Please advise as to when Council took this

position.

I am greatly troubled by the disrespect given to Councilmember Joyce. She is an elected official. She has a right to have her voice heard, and whether or not we agree with her position, we can, and should, discuss any issue properly being raised. I do not understand why an issue would be postponed until after she is no longer serving.

We all need to work together for the good of the City. As I previously said, we need to be respectful of each other. We all have a voice and each voice should be heard.

Accordingly, while I have no particular position on the issue being raised by both Councilmember Joyce and McCutcheon, I respectfully join in their request that this be put on the next agenda – whether workshop or regular agenda.

Amy Mitchell Sugar Land City Council District 3.”

Editor’s note: Councilwoman Mitchell joins the other two council members in objecting to the city manager’s usurping the privileges of elected councilmembers.

But the plea of three duly elected councilmembers and the perceived complicity of four others, including the mayor, leaves no avenue for redress of the grievance.

With the city attorney being quoted as validating the city manager’s actions, (See the accompanying letter on this page) the councilmembers have to file a lawsuit to enjoin the city manager to comply with their request. That is going to be futile, costly and unwise. There will be no immediate remedy.

Chances are that the minority councilmembers can lose the lawsuit as well.

It is regrettable that the mayor and city council knowingly or unknowingly let their own legitimacy undermined by acquiescing to the city manager’s actions, thereby setting bad precedent.

If the shoes were on any of the majority council members, would they have allowed this episode?

If the mayor did not want the agenda items proposed by the two councilmembers, he could have defeated them by tabling the item or voting it down, but should have let the item be placed on the agenda.

An unseemly spectacle could have been avoided if the council had followed its protocol.

In the end, this is a clear reflection on the leadership or lack thereof. There is no other way to spin it.

MIKE’S MONOLOGUE Funny thing about stories; people can get very stirred up about them

By MICHAEL GRANTO Consider all the creation stories from cultures over the globe. Why there are some folks, who, if you don’t believe their version of the story, will happily cut off your head and mount it on a pike. Imagine that.

Back when stories were something I put the kids to bed with, we used to take regular trips every summer to a place not far away, called Lewiston, New York, where, for a few weeks in midsummer, the town held a festival in a place called Artpark.

Guest artists from all over the country showed up, selling their wares; there’d be jewelers making wonderful, shiny, sparkly creations right in front of your eyes, a few of which sometimes found their way home adorning my wife’s or daughter’s wrists or necks.

There’d be metalworkers, fashioning wondrous creations in their forges; leather-workers on sturdy wooden benches making handbags, belts, and vests, painters displaying paintings that looked so great we sometimes wanted one of each; glassblowers who had their furnaces right on scene, and worked so you could see exactly how they did what they did, and made it look so easy you believed you could do it, but you never asked to try.

And, perhaps most wondrously of all, there would be storytellers. When my wife first mentioned the storytellers, I pooh-poohed the idea in my head, thinking, more or less, “I’ve got a decent job with a good corporation, I am on the way up, and the last thing I need is fairy tales.” But, trying to be a good dad, I said that, yeah, maybe the kids would enjoy it, so we went. My wife had said something about a “Brother Blue” being there.

There was a clearing in the middle of the woods, with logs laid around to make a small amphitheater, and a small, low stage at the front, with a plain, sturdy dark wood chair sitting slightly off-center. There were seats enough on the logs for maybe fifty folks, and about half of them were occupied.

Sitting in the chair was a rather short, thin, slightly built black man, whose blue clothing was adorned with all manner of designs, the most prominent features of which were clouds of blue butterflies, large and small.

This was “Brother Blue.”

Granto Brother Blue was a storyteller; a storyteller in the manner of the elders and griots on the African savanna, telling creation myth stories around the night fires. He was no ordinary storyteller, and these were no ordinary stories. Every single one had a moral, a point, a lesson to be learned, and those lessons were clothed in characters, and phrasing, and voice, and emphasis, straight out of Brother Blue’s heart and soul.

Our favorite character from his tales was something, maybe someone, called “Muddy Duddy.” Now, we were never exactly sure what or who Muddy Duddy was, because he was never exactly described, but we knew his favorite thing to do was to wiggle through the mud with “...his nose, and his toes, and his elbows...,” and we knew he heard the sound of a harp coming from the earth.

By the end of every story, we knew he was us.

I made very sure we went to Artpark a couple of weekends each summer for years. I simply had to listen to Brother Blue. One day, sitting on a sun-dappled log in that small amphitheater, I had my small daughter on my lap, and she was quietly half-dozing, halflistening to Brother Blue. I held up one of my hands so that the sun wouldn’t shine in her eyes.

Brother Blue pointed us out, which wasn’t hard to do, since I was wearing what got to be my Artpark “uniform of the day:” A set of multicolored “Mork and Mindy” suspenders, and a slightly going-to-seed beige tee shirt that I refused to throw away because of the magnificent lion’s head that covered the front, from collar bone to belly button, and worked us into his story.

He said, “You see that? That daddy is keeping the sun out of his daughter’s eyes, so she can listen and rest, and dream peacefully. He even looked up at the sun and glared at it, as though to say, ‘How dare you interrupt my daughter’s doze?’

He don’t care that it’s the sun, the biggest thing in the solar

system; that’s his little girl’s doze, and he is doing what daddys have done ever since there have been daddys to do it.”

I nodded at Brother Blue, and he nodded back and smiled.

Brother Blue was much like the anchovies and the pepperoni on a pizza: He was the savory, the tastiness, the ingredients that were what eating pizza is all about. He taught us about stories by telling them. No matter what the story, two things were always true: the theme, the lesson, the pith of the story remained unchanged; and the story was never told exactly the same way twice.

Listening to him tell stories was like listening to Miles Davis play; there were riffs and phrases, and twists of melody that couldn’t be duplicated, but the the song was always, always there. He taught me about stories experientially; by making me experience them, and those lessons have stayed with me for nearly fifty years.

Imagine my surprise when one week, my wife handed me one of his business cards. A business card for a storyteller?

What next? Then I read it.

This was not just Brother Blue; this was Dr. Hugh Morgan Hill, complete with a Harvard PhD. It was also a surprise to me, therefore, when one of the other storytellers, a plain vanilla guy, whose name I don’t even recall, but who in my memory looks a lot like John Denver, told me, in one of his stories, what the attraction is that stories had for me, and why stories are important.

This plain vanilla guy, this bread of the pizza, not a lot of flavor, but a lot of substance, taught me something else I needed to know about stories: He taught me by defining their attraction, and that lesson also has stayed with me for nearly fifty years.

He said, “The reason we are attracted to stories, the reason they hold us so, is that when we’re gone, all that’s left of us is our story.”

(Granto is a United States Marine Corps veteran of Vietnam, awarded the Purple Heart. For over 24 years, he worked for the University of Miami Medical Campus Security Department, and retired in 2014. He moved to Missouri City, with his wife to be closer to her daughter. He can be reached at mikegranto@hotmail.com.)

LETTER Sugar Land City Attorney covers up for City Manager To the Editor: Sugar Land City Councilwoman Mary Joyce asked the City Attorney to provide a legal opinion on the City Manager’s nullification of Resolution 15-08 on Council Protocols, including referencing the applicable articles of the Sugar Land City Charter and the Adopted City Council Resolutions.

The City Attorney responded based on a “recollection” from the February 27th Council workshop, which is attached.

Her “recollection” mirrors that of the City Manager, who wasn’t even there.

No legal basis whatsoever was cited to justify his overreach of power.

Why would the City Attorney rely on an incorrect “recollection” when she had the minutes and the recording of the meeting at her fingertips?

It’s called conflict of interest.

The City Attorney needs to report to City Council, not the City Manager.

(The writer is anonymous.)

INDEPENDENT • APRIL 25, 2018 • Page 5

NEWS

Houston Metro buses to ply in Missouri City

By BARBARA FULENWIDER If all works out well, Metro will begin bus service in Missouri City sometime this summer and it will only cost residents the ticket to ride.

Actually, Missouri City residents have been paying Metro a penny out of sales tax receipts since 1978 “and haven’t gotten anything for it except projects, street signs and crosswalks,” said Mayor Allen Owen at Missouri City’s April 16 council meeting. “We’ll be doing a lot of talking about this.”

Jim Archer, Metro’s director of service planning, scheduling and evaluation, told council he has been meeting with the city staff about offering Metro bus services to Missouri City. It would be a community connector service, he said, that offers more flexibility and connects residents to the current Metro service area.

It offers three options to passengers: ride from two anchor locations, call in and request a Metro lift pickup at a specific time and make a subscription service call for a repeated Metro lift pickup.

Archer said Metro establishes a zone and passengers can ride anywhere in that zone for a base fare of $1.25. Three

Missouri City Metro routes will connect with three Fondren routes: 73 Fondren, 98 Briargate and 170 Texas Medical Center. Bus 170 will provide a 30-minute, one way ride directly to the medical center, Archer said.

The service will start with two 12-seat buses that have been branded to meet Missouri City requests so the buses stand out. Metro service hours will be 14 hours, 7 days a week with fares at $1.25 per ride. It compares to the current Fort Bend Transit service of 9 hours a day, five days a week for $1 a ride and has estimated trips of 20,000 annually.

The buses will not go through neighborhoods unless a rider requests a Metro lift from their home. Requested destinations for the two 12-seater buses are Home Towne Senior Living, Missouri City Hall/library and Houston Community College, Oyster Creek Senior Living, Walmart, HEB, Target, Kroger, Kelsey-Seybold and Methodist emergency/Aldi.

Rollout, Archer said, is expected to be Aug. 26 with two 12-seat buses with seat belts and space for two wheelchairs.

“We want to do an early rollout so people have a chance to

try the service rather than wait until we announce it,” Archer said.

Service for the community connector is included in Metro’s budget for this year, Archer said. “The proposal as it now stands is Metro would cover the costs.”

Since the agenda item was on a resolution, Missouri City resident Monica Riley stepped to the podium and told council that she has concerns and one of them was there hasn’t been “any community input as far as having this transportation system in Missouri City. I’m not sure you’ve gotten the approval of Missouri City citizens on this. I don’t approve of it at this time.

“I have lots of concerns and questions about it: are the buses stroller friendly and friendly to small children and elder passengers?” She also said she doesn’t want buses traveling through neighborhoods.

“I want to keep our neighborhoods family friendly. I hope y’all would hold off until we get more community feedback,” Riley said.

Councilman Jerry Wyatt said, “Citizens voted to pay to have Metro in Missouri City. It will operate just like

Fort Bend ISD names the 2018 District Teachers of the Year

Fort Bend buses. It isn’t going through neighborhoods unless you have a specific need and call for a lift. It’s more economical to use Metro than the Fort Bend buses. The decision to use Metro was made a long time ago.”

Riley said citizens still have a lot of questions about it and that she “wants to keep Missouri City a more family, friendly type of environment.”

Councilman Jeffrey Boney said, “This is a pilot to see if this is good for Missouri City.

Over time we will continually look at how this goes. The city is getting basically nothing for now” from the dollars it now sends Metro. “This is a long overdue service that a lot of our residents need and who can’t afford to have a car. This will be an added value to many of our residents.”

Riley asked if people who live outside of Missouri City can use the service and Wyatt said, “Metro can’t limit who can ride. If you can pay you can ride.”

Then Boney said, “Sixty percent of our citizens currently work outside of Missouri City. A lot of our people carpool.”

Owen said, “We have a ser-

vice today on Hwy. 6 at Fort Bend Toll Road where people go to park and ride. Riding that bus is a lot cheaper than parking at the medical center.”

Boney said, “We do take community input seriously.

We vetted this, asked the tough questions and I think we’re doing the right thing for Missouri City.”

Then Councilman Chris Preston said, “If we need to make changes in the future, we can make them as we see fit.

We may change the stops” for instance.

With all said, the motion to approve a resolution granting consent and approval to Metro was unanimous.

After the meeting, Owen said, “In the beginning we paid in the penny to Metro and then asked for money for projects like the widening of streets, bridges, sidewalks, street signals, school crossing lights and anything that has to do with mobility.

“Since we were not getting our fair share of the project money we were paying in, we and two other larger cities in Metro renegotiated our contract a number of years back to get the half penny back and we do our own projects. It meant

we would not ask Metro for any funding for those projects,” the mayor said.

Now nine other towns of the 14 multi-cities that are in Metro have done the same thing, Owen said.

“We have never asked for bus service and have actually denied it in the past. Now we have Houston Community College and three large employment centers in the city and are asking for limited bus service.”

He also said the buses will not go through Missouri City subdivisions but will be on specific routes along Beltway 8, Gessner, Texas Parkway, Cartwright, FM 1092 and Hwy. 6. “We already offer bus service from the Kroger Center on Hwy. 6 at the Fort Bend Toll Road that goes to and from the medical center daily and that will continue.

“Fort Bend County offers a similar service to parts of Houston already so it is nothing new. The difference is our service will be specific for our citizens’ needs. We will be providing more information about this service when we get closer to rolling it out,” the mayor said.

Leslie Haack named deputy superintendent of LCISD At its regular April meeting, the Lamar CISD Board of Trustees approved Leslie Haack to be the District’s first Deputy Superintendent of Support Services.

Haack opened George Ranch School as principal in 2009.

She became Lamar CISD’s Executive Director of Secondary Education in 2015.

Prior to arriving at Lamar CISD, Haack was the principal of Sealy High School and an associate principal, assistant principal, teacher and coach in Katy ISD. She is a graduate of the University of Kansas and has a master’s from Prairie View A&M University.

As Deputy Superintendent of Support Services, Haack will oversee the following departments: Maintenance & Operations, Facilities & Planning, Child Nutrition, Technology and Transportation.

(L to R) Elementary Teacher of the Year Finalists: Alicia Garcia – Cornerstone Elementary, Michele Janke – Sienna Crossing Elementary, Leigha Bishop – Lakeview Elementary, Gigi Shadid – Colony Meadows Elementary, Abraham Martinez – Meadows Elementary, Laura Hicks – Patterson Elementary Fort Bend ISD announced the names of the 2018 District Elementary and Secondary Teachers of the Year at its annual Teacher of the Year awards dinner and program, held April 19 at Safari Texas Ranch. Leigha Bishop of Lakeview Elementary is the 2018 District Elementary Teacher of the Year; and Shaughn Thomas of Lake Olympia Middle School is the 2018 District Secondary Teacher of the Year. ”It is truly a humbling experience to be among so many talented, committed and dedicated educators – I know they represent our entire corps of

teacher,” said Dr. Charles Dupre, Superintendent of Schools. “We are proud and appreciative of their efforts, and it is an honor to recognize them for their leadership in the classroom.”

A PreKindergarten teacher at Lakeview Elementary, Bishop has seven years of teaching experience.

Early in her career, she realized teaching is more than reading, writing and math.

She earned a Masters Degree in School Counseling and Clinical Mental Health Counseling to equip herself with the skills and knowledge to better assist her students.

(L to R) FBISD Superintendent Dr. Charles Dupre, Rookies of the Year: Courtney McKeever – Sullivan Elementary, Cielo Sanchez – Oyster Creek, Ashley Shamburger – Sugar Land Middle School, Joseph Chen – Elkins High School, Ruthelen Robinson – Willowridge High School

Thomas is an AVID teacher at Lake Olympia Middle School, and has taught for four years. He believes educators should be innovative and evolve to meet their student’s needs. He wants his students to be excited every day when they enter his classroom, so he continues to adopt non-traditional learning techniques.

As FBISD’s 2018 Teachers of the Year, Bishop and Thomas each received a commissioned piece of art, a monetary gift, a Chrome Book from the Fort Bend Education Foundation and a special Teacher of the Year ring, courtesy of the Balfour Company.

Thanks to a new partnership with the District, Sewell Automotive Company will provide Bishop and Thomas with an Audi to enjoy over the summer and a Perry’s Steakhouse gift certificate.

The two honorees will advance to the regional Teacher of the Year competition, with a chance of advancing to the Texas Teacher of the Year Program.

Along with each Campus Teacher of the Year, FBISD also honored its 11 Teacher of the Year finalists and six District Rookies of the Year.

(L to R) Secondary Teacher of the Year Finalists: Katie Anselmo – Kempner High School, Edwina Breaux – Hightower High School, Hannah Enad – Elkins High School, Shaughn Thomas – Lake Olympia Middle School, Jeremiah Pojah – Crockett Middle School Among the finalists were Elementary level – Gigi Shadid (Colony Meadows Elementary), Alicia Garcia (Cornerstone Elementary), Leigha Bishop (Lakeview Elementary), Abraham Martinez (Meadows Elementary) and Laura Hicks (Patterson Elementary) and Michele Janke (Sienna Crossing Elementary); and Secondary level – Jeremiah Pojah (Crockett Middle School), Shaughn Thomas (Lake Olympia Middle School), Hannah Enad (Elkins High School), Edwina Breaux (Hightower High School) and Katie Anselmo (Kempner High School).

The 2018 District Rookies of the Year included: Lexi Watts (Madden Elementary), Cielo Sanchez (Oyster Creek Elementary), Courtney McKeever (Sullivan Elementary), Ashley Shamburger (Sugar Land Middle School), Joseph Chen (Elkins High School) and Ruthelen Robinson (Willowridge High School).

(L to R) FBISD’s Secondary Teacher of the Year Shaughn Thomas and Elementary Teacher of the Year Leigha Bishop

Page 6 • INDEPENDENT • APRIL 25, 2018

AUTOMOBILE: Toyota RAV4 Hybrid City of Missouri City ORDINANCE NO. O-18-08 AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY OF MISSOURI CITY, TEXAS, CHANGING THE ZONING CLASSIFICATION OF APPROXIMATELY 5.66 ACRES OF LAND TO R-1 SINGLE-FAMILY RESIDENTIAL DISTRICT; DESCRIBING SAID 5.66 ACRES OF LAND; AMENDING THE ZONING DISTRICT MAP OF THE CITY OF MISSOURI CITY; PROVIDING FOR AN AMENDMENT TO THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN; PROVIDING FOR REPEAL; PROVIDING A PENALTY; PROVIDING FOR SEVERABILITY; AND CONTAINING OTHER PROVISIONS RELATING TO THE SUBJECT. I, Maria Jackson, City Secretary of the City of Missouri City, do hereby certify that the foregoing is a true and correct copy of the caption of said Ordinance No. O-18-08 approved on second and final reading by the City Council at its regular meeting held on April 16, 2018, as the same appears in the records of my office. /s/ Maria Jackson City Secretary

CONSTABLE SALE Under and by virtue of a Writ of Execution and/or Order of Sale issued on October 30, 2017 by the 400th JUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT of Fort Bend County, Texas in Cause# 17-DCV-242253 in favor of the plaintiff - NORTH MISSION GLEN ESTATES HOMEOWNERS ASSOCIATION, INC., Plaintiff, recovered judgment amount for the sum of$ 12,857.93++++ costs as taxed on said execution and/ or order of sale and further the sum of executing the same.

I have levied on February 13TH, 2018 and will offer for sale on the day of May 01, 2018 at the County Court house steps of Fort Bend County, Texas in the city of Richmond, Texas between the hours of Ten O’clock A.M. and Four O’clock P.M., and all rights, title, interests, and claims which the said Defendant (s)- GINA L. PENN had of in or to the following described Real Property situated in Fort Bend County, Texas; Legal Description: LOT TEN (10), IN BLOCK ONE (1), OF MISSION GLEN RESERVES, SECTION THREE (3), AN ADDITION IN FORT BEND COUNTY, TEXAS, ACCORDING TO THE MAP OR PLAT THEREOF RECORDED UNDER SLIDE NO. 1302/B OF THE MAP/PLAT RECORDS OF FORT BEND COUNTY, TEXAS. TIME: SALE TO BE HELD AT OR ABOUT 10:00 A.M. PLACE: 301 JACKSON ST., WILLIAM TRAVIS BUILDING, 1ST FLOOR MEETING ROOM, RICHMOND TEXAS 77469.

TERMS: CASH

CONSTABLE SALE Under and by virtue of a Writ of Execution and/or Order of Sale issued on July 20, 2016 by the 434th JUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT of Fort Bend County, Texas in Cause# 15-DCV-227939 in favor of the plaintiff- MISSION BEND SOUTH CIVIC IMPROVEMENT ASSOCIATION Plaintiff, recovered judgment amount for the sum of $ 5,707.71 ++++costs as taxed on said execution and/or order of sale and further the sum of executing the same.

I have levied on February 20TH, 2018 and will offer for sale on the day of May 01, 2018 at the County Court house steps of Fort Bend County, Texas in the city of Richmond, Texas between the hours of Ten O’clock A.M. and Four O’clock P.M., and all rights, title, interests, and claims which the said Defendant (s)- LORRAINE ALEXANDER had of in or to the following described Real Property situated in Fort Bend County, Texas; Legal Description: LOT EIGHT- SEVEN (87), IN BLOCK FOUR (4), OF MISSION BEND SOUTH, SECTION FOUR (4), ACCORDING TO THE MAP OR PLAT THEREOF RECORDED IN VOLUME 22, PAGE 22 OF THE MAP RECORDS OF FORT BEND COUNTY, TEXAS; 7426, SAN LUCAS, HOUSTON, 77083 (THE “PROPERTY”).

TIME: SALE TO BE HELD AT OR ABOUT 10:00 A.M. PLACE: 301 JACKSON ST., WILLIAM TRAVIS BUILDING, 1ST FLOOR MEETING ROOM, RICHMOND TEXAS 77469.

TERMS: CASH

Gary Majors, Constable Fort Bend County Precinct Two By: Sergeant C. McRae #132 Deputy Constable

Gary Majors, Constable Fort Bend County Precinct Two By: Sergeant C. McRae #132 Deputy Constable

CONSTABLE SALE Under and by virtue of a Writ of Execution and/or Order of Sale issued on December 07, 2017 by the 458th JUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT of Fort Bend County, Texas in Cause# 17-DCV-245493 in favor of the plaintiff- WINFIELD LAKES HOMEOWNERS ASSOCIATION, INC. Plaintiff, recovered judgment amount for the sum of $6,127.36 ++++costs as taxed on said execution and/or order of sale and further the sum of executing the same.

I have levied on February 23rd, 2018 and will offer for sale on the day of MAY 01, 2018 at the County Court house steps of Fort Bend County, Texas in the city of Richmond, Texas between the hours of Ten O’clock A.M. and Four O’clock P.M., and all rights, title, interests, and claims which the said Defendant (s)NATHANIEL D. ENDSLEY JR. had of in or to the following described Real Property situated in Fort Bend County, Texas; Legal Description: LOT SEVEN (7), IN BLOCK TWO (2), OF WINFIELD LAKES NORTH, ONE (1), A SUBDIVISION IN FORT BEND COUNTY, TEXAS ACCORDING TO THE MAP OR PLAT THEREOF RECORDED UNDER PLAT NO. 20150075 OF THE PLAT RECORDS OF FORT BEND COUNTY, TEXAS; MORE COMMONLY KNOWN AS 2626 COTTAGE STEP TRAIL, FRESNO, TEXAS 77545 TIME: SALE TO BE HELD AT OR ABOUT 10:00 A.M. PLACE: 301 JACKSON ST., WILLIAM TRAVIS BUILDING, 1ST FLOOR MEETING ROOM, RICHMOND TEXAS 77469.

TERMS: CASH Gary Majors, Constable Fort Bend County Precinct Two By: Sergeant C. McRae #132 Deputy Constable

CONSTABLE SALE Under and by virtue of a Writ of Execution and/or Order of Sale issued on March 01,2017 by the 240th JUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT of Fort Bend County, Texas in Cause# 17-DCV-238482 in favor of the plaintiff- NORTH GLEN ESTATES HOMEOWNERS ASSOCIATION, INC. Plaintiff, recovered judgment amount for the sum of $ 5,657.88 ++++ costs as taxed on said execution and/or order of sale and further the sum of executing the same. I have levied on March 12TH, 2018 and will offer for sale on the day of May 01, 2018 at the County Court house steps of Fort Bend County, Texas in the city of Richmond, Texas between the hours of Ten O’clock A.M. and Four O’clock P.M., and all rights, title, interests, and claims which the said Defendant (s)- RICARDO VALENCIA & YELILA S. VALENCIA had of in or to the following described Real Property situated in Fort Bend County, Texas; Legal Description: LOT NINETEEN (19), IN BLOCK ONE (1), OF MISSION GLEN ESTATES, SECTION FOUR (4), A SUBDIVISION IN FORT BEND COUNTY, TEXAS, ACCORDING TO THE MAP OR PLAT THEREOF RECORDED UNDER SLIDE NO. 1537/A OF THE PLAT RECORDS OF FORT BEND COUNTY, TEXAS AND MORE COMMONLY KNOWN AS 8315 ASH GARDEN COURT, HOUSTON, FORT BEND COUNTY, TEXAS 77083 (THE “PROPERTY”).

TIME: SALE TO BE HELD AT OR ABOUT 10:00 A.M. PLACE: 301 JACKSON ST., WILLIAM TRAVIS BUILDING, 1ST FLOOR MEETING ROOM, RICHMOND TEXAS 77469. TERMS: CASH Gary Majors, Constable Fort Bend County Precinct Two By: Sergeant C. McRae #132 Deputy Constable

CONSTABLE SALE Under and by virtue of a Writ and /or Order of Sale issued on January 2nd, 2018 by the COUNTY COURT AT LAW 4 of Fort Bend County, Texas in Cause# 17-CCV060781 in favor of the plaintiff- QUAIL GLEN HOMEOWNERS ASSOCIATION, INC. Plaintiff, recovered judgment amount for the sum of$ 3,428.88 ++++ costs as taxed on said execution and/or order of sale and further the sum of executing the same.

I have levied on February 28TH, 2018 and will offer for sale on the day of May 01, 2018 at the County Court house steps of Fort Bend County, Texas in the city of Richmond, Texas between the hours of Ten O’clock A.M. and Four O’clock P.M., and all rights, title, interests, and claims which the said Defendant (s)- CHARLES J. VERSEA & ANGELA D. LYLES had of in or to the following described Real Property situated in Fort Bend County, Texas; Legal Description: LOT TWO (2), IN BLOCK TWO (2), OF CORRECTED PLAT OF QUAIL GLEN SUBDIVISION, SECTION TWO (2), A SUBDIVISION IN FORT BEND COUNTY, TEXAS ACCORDING TO THE MAP OR PLAT THEREOF RECORDED IN VOLUME 25, PAGE 8 OF THE PLAT RECORDS OF FORT BEND COUNTY, TEXAS; COMMONLY KNOWN AS 17214 FOXFIELD DRIVE MISSOURI CITY, TEXAS 77489.

TIME: SALE TO BE HELD AT OR ABOUT 10:00 A.M. PLACE: 301 JACKSON ST., WILLIAM TRAVIS BUILDING, 1ST FLOOR MEETING ROOM, RICHMOND TEXAS 77469.

TERMS: CASH Gary Majors, Constable Fort Bend County Precinct Two By: Sergeant C. McRae #132 Deputy Constable

CONSTABLE SALE Under and by virtue of a Writ of Execution and/or Order of Sale issued on November 10, 2016 by the 434th JUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT of Fort Bend County, Texas in Cause# 16-DCV-234651 in favor of the plaintiff- GREAT OAK SOUTH HOMEOWNERS ASSOCIATION, INC. Plaintiff, recovered judgment amount for the sum of$ 6,538.00 ++++costs as taxed on said execution and/or order of sale and further the sum of executing the same. I have levied on March 23rd, 2018 and will offer for sale on the day of May 01, 2018 at the County Court house steps of Fort Bend County, Texas in the city of Richmond, Texas between the hours of Ten O’clock A.M. and Four O’clock P.M., and all rights, title, interests, and claims which the said Defendant (s)- Javier Vazquez & Lalisha Vazquez had of in or to the following described Real Property situated in Fort Bend County, Texas; Legal Description: LOT FIVE (5), IN BLOCK FOUR (4), OF GREAT OAKS SOUTH SECTION TWO (2), AN ADDITION IN FORT BEND COUNTY, TEXAS, ACCORDING TO THE MAP OR PLAT THEREOF RECORDED IN SLIDE NO. 2315/A AND 2315/B, OF THE PLAT RECORDS OF FORT BEND COUNTY, TEXAS (THE “PROPERTY”) ALSO KNOWN AS 7334 WINDING CANYON LN, HOUSTON, FORT BEND COUNTY, TX 77083 TIME: SALE TO BE HELD AT OR ABOUT 10:00 A.M. PLACE: 301 JACKSON ST., WILLIAM TRAVIS BUILDING, 1ST FLOOR MEETING ROOM, RICHMOND TEXAS 77469.

TERMS: CASH Gary Majors, Constable Fort Bend County Precinct Two By: Sergeant C. McRae #132 Deputy Constable

By BARBARA FULENWIDER The Toyota RAV4 has for two decades taken its owners on countless urban, suburban and off-the-beaten-path adventures.

For 2018, Toyota added a new Adventure grade and the LE model now comes as a hybrid that gets an EPA-estimated 34 mpg in city driving.

All 2018 RAV4 grades are equipped as standard with Toyota Safety Sense, which combines the pre-collision system with pedestrian detection, lane departure alert with steering assist, automatic high beams, and radar cruise control.

Complementing the safety package are standard hill-start assist control and rear backup camera, and optional blind spot monitor with rear cross traffic alert. I believe both of the latter are must haves. They are available on XLE, Adventure, and SE grades and come standard on Limited, Platinum, and SE Hybrid grades. Other standard equipment on the 2018 RAV4 is brake assist with traction control, electronic brake-force distribution, enhanced vehicle stability control, brake assist, and anti-lock brakes.

Non-hybrid RAV4 grades are powered by a 176-horsepower dual-overhead cam 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine with dual variable valve timing with intelligence. It’s teamed with a standard six-speed automatic transmission, and EPA fuel economy estimates start at 23 mpg city/30 mpg highway.

The RAV4 hybrid grade has an electronic on-demand allwheel-drive system with intelligence as standard. A second, independent electric motor drives the rear wheels when needed to

help maintain optimal traction.

The 2018 RAV4 Hybrid combines output from a 2.5-liter Atkinson-cycle four-cylinder engine and a small hightorque electric motor through its transaxle. Combined the RAV4’s two motors make 194 horsepower and is the quickest in the RAV4 line -- zero to 60 mph in 8.1 seconds.

The hybrid system varies power between the gas engine and electric motor, or combines both as needed, all seamlessly.

Regenerative braking changes the electric motor to a generator that captures the kinetic energy of the still-turning wheels when the brake is applied and stores it in a battery pack.

The ECO mode optimizes throttle response and air conditioning output to help prioritize fuel economy. Under certain conditions the RAV4 in EV mode will run solely on the electric motor for up to 0.6

miles at speeds below approximately 25 mph.

All RAV4 gas models are equipped with trailer sway control. For maximum traction capability in all conditions, the RAV4 gas models offer dynamic torque control AWD system. It continuously monitors and actively governs torque distribution to the rear wheels, as needed.

The MacPherson strut front suspension and double-wishbone style multi-link rear suspension allow the RAV4 to run smoother.

The SE grades get sporttuned shock absorbers and coils for enhanced sport driving.

Limited and Platinum grades feature 18-inch 5-spoke super chrome alloy wheels with P235/55R18 all-season tires.

The RAV4 has grown over the years so there’s more room for five adults. Cargo space is 38.4 cubic feet behind the rear

seat and with the 60/40 split rear seats folded, expands to 73.4 cu. ft. Rear seatbacks recline and rear privacy glass is standard.

A boatload of high-tech includes the standard Entune Premium JBL Audio with integrated navigation and app suite, five-door smart key system, foot-activated hands-free power liftgate with jam protection, and bird’s eye view camera with perimeter scan.

The standard Entune Premium JBL Audio with integrated navigation and app suite system brings music to life with 576 watts pumped through 11 JBL speakers and a subwoofer.

The RAV4 is Toyota’s smallest SUV. It is good looking, has upscale manners and the Hybrid Limited has been pure pleasure to drive.

The MSRP is $34,030 and with options and delivery came to $38,700.

Graphic Novel Day

Harper Fort Bend County Libraries will celebrate the art and authors of the graphic-novel literary world on Sunday, May 6, from 1:30 to 4:00 p.m, at George Memorial Library in Richmond. The “Graphic-Novel Day” family event will feature special guest appearances and book signings by popular graphic novelists Mike Maihack, Charise Harper, and George O’Connor.

Families are welcome to dress up as their favorite superheroes for the event. Each child will receive a free comic book as part of the National Free Comic Book Day celebration.

Co-sponsored by the Friends of the George Memorial Library and Bedrock City Comics, the event is a great opportunity for fans of children’s graphic novels to interact with a variety of literary creators. Books will be available for sale and signing in the first-floor lobby of the library throughout the afternoon.

A portion of the sales will benefit the Friends of the Library organization.

The graphic novelists will also make appearances in the Meeting Room of the library to talk about their individual experiences as graphic-novel creators. Hear about their love of the genre, how they began writing graphic novels, and how their characters came into being.

From 1:30 to 2:15 p.m, Charise Harper will talk about her graphic-novel series, Crafty Cat, Fashion Kitty, and Just Grace. An author/illustrator of more than 50 books for children, Harper has also been a freelance editorial illustrator for many

George O’Connor national magazines and newspapers, created a weekly comic strip that ran in multiple alternative newspapers, and earned a business degree in Marketing.

From 2:15 to 3:00 p.m, Mike Maihack will talk about his award-winning series, Cleopatra in Space, published by Graphix/Scholastic. Enjoyed by readers of all ages, the series follows the adventures of young Cleopatra, who was zapped away as a teenager from her home era of 52 BC and thrust into the future, where she must battle against the evil Xaius Octavian to become the savior of the Nile galaxy. Cleo must learn what it takes to be

the great leader she is destined to become while still trying to figure out how she’s ever going to pass her classes, make friends, avoid detention, and all of the other important things that come with being a reckless, fifteen-year-old future queen of the universe.

A graduate of Columbus College of Art & Design, Maihack is also the creator of the popular webcomic, Cow & Buffalo, and has contributed to a number of other books, such as Jim Henson’s The Storyteller, Sensation Comics Featuring Wonder Woman, Parable, Cow Boy, and Geeks, Girls, and Secret Identities.

From 3:00 to 3:45 p.m, George O’Connor will talk about his Olympians graphicnovel series, which retells the classic Greek myths in comics form. O’Connor is also the author of several picture books for children, including the New York Times bestseller Kapow!, Ker-Splash, Uncle Bigfoot, and Sally and the Some-thing.

The event is free and open to the public. For more information, call George Memorial Library at 281-342-4455 or the library system’s Communications Office at 281-633-4734.

George Memorial Library is located at 1001 Golfview in Richmond.

INDEPENDENT • APRIL 25, 2018 • Page 7

Again!

Resort-style Amenities Waterside Living New Homes from the

$ 330 s-Millions

6

i Un B

LJ

v l v ersit y d.

Pk wy.

S ME HO 0s K AR $40 WM the NE

m fro

DAR DAR ARLING R NG PATIO HOMES RLING OMES from the $450s

LINN G EW AT MIO frforomm P A K O ththee RH $$4555 MES 00s s

Model HOmes!

THE MANORS PATIO HOMES from the $300s

PERRY HOMES from the $360s

TAYLOR MORRISON PATIO HOMES from the $360s

SITTERLE PATIO HOMES from the $370s

EMERALD HOMES from the $380s

MERITAGE HOMES from the $420s

TAYLOR MORRISON from the $430s

WESTIN HOMES from the $460s

PERRY HOMES from the $470s

TAYLOR MORRISON from the $470s

TAYLOR MORRISON from the $640s

DARLING HOMES from the $700s

DARLING HOMES from the $700s

WESTPORT HOMES from the $1 Millions

8 Ft .B en dP kwy

59

Williams Trace

90

17 Beautiful Pre mie r Re alty Ser vice s

EASY ACCESS to US-59 and FORT BEND PKWY.

STROKE SEMINAR JOIN US FOR AN INFORMATIONAL SEMINAR Thursday, May 3 | 6 p.m.

Although stroke is the fifth leading cause of death in the U.S. — and the leading cause of disability — many Americans cannot identify the symptoms or risk factors for stroke. We invite you to learn about: • Prevention • Risk factors • Symptoms Rony Ninan, MD Neurologist

REGISTRATION REQUIRED Register online at events.houstonmethodist.org/stroke-sl or call 281.274.7500.

16655 Southwest Fwy. Brazos Pavilion Conference Center Sugar Land, TX 77479

Page 8 • INDEPENDENT • APRIL 25, 2018

2.018

COME TO

GALLERY FURNITURE

A ND P U R C H A S E A $ 3 ,0 0 0 M AT T R E S S A N D B OX INC LU D I N G T E M P U R-P ED I C A N D T H E F INA L B A S EB A L L C H A M P I O N S H I P S E R I E S VERSUS THE TEAM FROM THE OTHER LEAGUE IN 2018

BUY IT

6 0 0 6 N O R T H F R E E WAY

TODAY, GET IT TODAY

7 2 2 7 W E S T G R A N D PA R K WAY S O U T H

281-407-6581 W W W.G A L L E R Y F U R N I T U R E .C O M

2 4 1 1 P O S T O A K B LV D.