VOL 10 No. 20
email: editor@ independent.com
Phone: 281-980-6745 50 cents
www.fbindependent.com ww .fbindependent.com
FORT BEND FAIR. BALANCED. INFORMATIVE. P. O.BOX 623, SUGAR LAND, TX 77487-0623
WEDNESDAY, MAY 17, 2017
Official newspaper of Fort Bend County & Missouri City
Houston Methodist Sugar Land Hospital to celebrate National Cancer Survivors Day
Houston Methodist Sugar Land Hospital Cancer Survivors Day Celebration 2016 Houston Methodist Sugar Land Hospital is joining nearly 15.5 million American cancer survivors celebrating the 30th Annual National Cancer Survivors Day® this year. Also being recognized are the many family members, friends and health care providers whose contributions to, and support of, cancer survivors help make the celebration possible. “Surviving cancer is more than just living. It’s an attitude about life and living each day to the fullest,” said Amy Sebastian-Deutsch, director of oncology services. “You will find our Cancer Survivor’s Day event filled with laughter, camaraderie, hope, compassion, faith, love and music as we honor cancer survivors for their strength and courage.” “National Cancer Survivors Day is a great opportunity for cancer survivors, caregivers, friends and family to come together and affirm there can be quality of life after a diagnosis of cancer,” added Clive Shkedy, M.D., medical director of radiation oncology.
Anyone living with a personal history of cancer – from the moment of diagnosis through the remainder of life – is a cancer survivor, according to the National Cancer Survivors Day Foundation®. Additionally, the foundation says that more people are surviving cancer than ever before, thanks to advances in prevention, early detection, treatment and follow-up care. Cancer, however, does come with many challenges, such as hindered access to cancer specialists and promising new treatments, inadequate or no insurance, financial hardships, employment problems and psychological struggles. “Despite these difficulties, cancer survivors can live active, productive lives with the support of other survivors,” said Shkedy. Houston Methodist Cancer Center at Sugar Land welcomes all local cancer survivors and one caregiver to join us as we honor cancer survivors. Entitled Survivors: Let’s Wipeout Cancer, the Cancer
Survivors Day Celebration and Resource Fair will have a tropical theme and be held Friday, June 2, from 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at Sugar Land Marriott Town Square. News anchor, Shern-Min Chow from KHOU 11 will emcee the event and this year’s keynote speaker is LaDonna Gatlin. Born into a “showbiz” family, Gatlin grew up performing with her brothers, the wellknown Gatlin Brothers. Her presentation, “Sometimes You Just Gotta Laugh!” will combine humor with music. Audience will also be able to have a tropical photo taken, and gain new knowledge through our resource fair. Recognizing the importance of wellness, you will be invited to participate in physical activity prior to enjoying a healthy Hawaiian style lunch. Feel free to wear a floral shirt, grass skirt or colorful lei. Registration is required. Register online at events.houstonmethodist.org/ survivorluncheon-sl or call 281274-7500.
HCC, U.S. Government focus on Cybersecurity
A cyberattack that has infected computers in 150 countries continues to spread as experts try to determine who is responsible for the attack and how to stop it. The cyberattack started May 12 and has hit hundreds of thousands of computers in hospitals, government agencies, factories and other businesses. It is unclear how many computers in the United States have been infected. The attack began the day after a presidential directive to bolster cybersecurity was issued by the Trump Administration. The order signed by President Trump aims to prevent the hacking of government agencies and to enhance the protection of infrastructure, such as energy grids. The cyberattack and the presidential order came just weeks after Houston Community College (HCC) received a rare accolade for its cyber defense system. HCC was designated a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense 2-Year (CAE2Y) Education for
its cybersecurity program. HCC is the only community college along the Gulf Coast to receive the CAE2Y designation established by the National Security Agency and the Department of Homeland Security. HCC Chancellor Dr. Cesar Maldonado says the worldwide cyberattack and the presidential executive order demonstrates why the CAE2Y designation is so significant. “Our CAE2Y designation confirms the quality and value of HCC’s cyber security program,” Dr. Maldonado says. “Less than one per cent of all community colleges in the country have received this designation.” The cybersecurity program is part of the Digital and Information Technology Center of Excellence (COE) at HCC Southwest College. “CAE2Y means HCC meets the very highest federal standards for cybersecurity,” explains Dr. Doug Rowlett, the Dean of the COE. The presidential order is also
significant to HCC because it points to the sharply expanding need for cybersecurity professionals. As a CAE2Y institution, HCC is becoming highly regarded by employers seeking top notch cyber talent. Dr. Madeline Burillo, President of HCC Southwest College, predicts the number of jobs in the cybersecurity workforce will rise dramatically. “The number of open jobs will likely outpace the number of candidates qualified to fill them,” Burillo says. “By receiving the best education with the highest standards in this field, HCC graduates will be well-positioned to not only fill those jobs, but to rise through the ranks of cybersecurity professionals.” For more information on the HCC Digital and Information Technology Center of Excellence and the Cybersecurity Program, visit http://www.hccs. edu/centers/digital--information-technology/
By SESHADRI KUMAR The May 6 local election results were mostly uneventful as incumbents were returned to office as expected. However, elections in Sugar Land and Rosenberg defied the conventional wisdom, yielding surprise results. Let us take the only contested race in the city of Sugar Land. After the incumbent Dist. 4 Councilman Harish Jajoo decided not to seek reelection, three candidates were on the ballot, Sean Burnett, Carol McCutcheon and Qaisar Imam. Burnett has been on the city planning and zoning commission for several years and in this role, he has been as good as a city council member in making decisions. Further, Burnett was endorsed by Mayor Joe Zimmerman, former mayor Jimmy Thompson as well as the business community. Considering that the two challengers are newcomers and outsiders to city politics, one would have thought Burnett’s election was a foregone conclusion. That was not so and he finished third, leaving McCutcheon and Imam in the June 10 run-off. Burnett himself made strong efforts during the campaign to clear the perception that he was for big development and in favor of apartments. Some people may construe that last year’s controversy involving Tract 5 development in Telfair and the issue of semi-urban development, with a demand for amending the development code, was resolved
with the election of Zimmerman as mayor. Obviously, that conclusion is incorrect. The apartment issue is mainly a matter of concern for voters in District 4 and it does not have much impact on the rest of the city. Even in the mayoral race, Zimmerman won only in the runoff, where Jajoo’s support was by and large confined to his district. So the Telfair Tract 5 development played a part in the Dist. 4 election outcome now. Added to that mix was McCutcheon, who spearheaded a group of citizens against apartments in Telfair and she was offered an assurance by the then mayor and mayoral candidate that there would be no high-density apartments in Tract 5. Thus the city officials won over a section of people opposed to apartments. The same McCutcheon now placed her name on the ballot to oppose Burnett. Imam too made it a campaign platform to oppose apartments in Telfair and Jajoo endorsed him. Burnett got 576 votes. McCutcheon and Imam received 702 and 653 votes, respectively. Conventional wisdom is that the top vote getter should become the winner in the runoff. It all depends on whose supporters turn out for the runoff election and whether conventional wisdom will prevail is an open question. In Rosenberg, Bill Benton trounced the incumbent may-
or Cynthia McConathy. Both Benton and McConathy were council members for many years. Benton received 1023 votes, while McConathy got 470 votes. A third candidate, Edmund D. Samora got 313 votes. That Benton received an overwhelming number of votes against the incumbent mayor suggests that voters were clearly unhappy with the status quo or incumbency. That sentiment was also reflected in some of the propositions on the Rosenberg ballot. Proposition 1 was a measure to change the terms of the Mayor and City Council Members from the current two-year term to a three-year term. After the Mayor and City Council Members serve three (3) consecutive terms they may not run for a period of two years and eleven months from the date of the expiration of the third consecutive term. The proposition was defeated by three votes as 866 voted for and 869 voted against the proposition. Proposition 2, a measure to change the City of Rosenberg residency requirement from 6 months to 12 months for any candidate for Mayor or City Council Member, was overwhelmingly approved with 1,392 votes for and 334 against. Prop. 3, a measure to change the minimum age limit from 18 years of age to 21 years of age or older, on the first day of office, for a candidate for Mayor and City Council Member, See LOCAL, Page 3
Voters send a message in local elections