VOL 9 No. 31
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FORT BEND FAIR. BALANCED. INFORMATIVE. WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 3, 2016
P. O.BOX 623, SUGAR LAND, TX 77487-0623
Official newspaper of Fort Bend County, Missouri City & Sugar Land
Missouri City Police Chief participates in White House 21st Century Policing Briefing
KIDS’ STATE DINNER. Firs Lady Michelle Obama is flanked by Priya Patel, left, and her mother Stuti Patel, right, of Sugar Land at the White House. Priya Patel, a 5th grader at Commonwealth Elementary School in Fort Bend ISD is one of the 50 winners of the Healthy Lunchtime Challenge and her award winning recipe is Tex-Mex Veg-Head Lasagna. She is the daughter of Fort Bend County Associate District Judge Stuti Patel and Hiren Patel. Winners representing all U.S. states, five territories, and the District of Columbia attended a Kids’ “State Dinner” at the White House hosted by First Lady Michelle Obama on July 14. Left, Chief of Police Mike Berezin participates in the “Advancing 21st Century Policing Briefing” at the White House. Right: President Barack Obama addresses the audience of public safety officials during the briefing. Photo Courtesy of Missouri City. On Friday, July 22, Missouri recommendations outlined in the President Obama but to also learn City Chief of Police Mike Ber- report. from other communities through“I wanted to come by to make out the nation. Following the ezin traveled to Washington, D.C. to attend the White House sure that all of you knew how presentation, Chief Berezin and “Advancing 21st Century Polic- grateful the American people are representatives from other naing” Briefing, which included a for your service, how apprecia- tional public safety agencies parsurprise appearance from Presi- tive we are of your sacrifice. As ticipated in an open dialogue with a general proposition, you guys President Obama. dent Barack Obama. The briefing is part of an on- are not looking for the spotlight; “The President did a fine job going Executive initiative to seek you just want to do your jobs of expressing his support of the expertise from stakeholders and and keep your community safe,” efforts of law enforcement to preinput from the public through President Obama said . “And serve the values we all, regard“Listening Sessions, teleconfer- you also want to come home to less of any type of difference, your own families at the end of hold dear. All of us had equal opences and written comments.” On Dec. 18, 2014, President a tough day. And for you to put portunity to speak frankly about Obama signed an Executive yourself out there like that is challenges we face and many Order that established the Presi- one of the greatest gifts that you success stories and some failures dent’s Task Force on 21st Cen- could give your fellow citizens.” were discussed,” Chief Berezin The Missouri City Police De- said. tury Policing, which submitted an initial report to the President partment has strong communityoriented policing initiatives, and on March 2, 2015. The Department of Justice’s Chief Berezin’s participation in Office of Community Oriented the briefing provided the City Policing Services (COPS Office) with an opportunity to not only has since been implementing give input to the Task Force and
Growing menace of traffic deaths By BARBARA FULENWIDER The high temperatures in the Houston area have prevailed most of July and make drivers more irritated when baking in a hot vehicle that is snarled in traffic. Each year more people move to the Houston area but more roads don’t necessarily get built or enlarged fast enough to handle the increased number of vehicles on the roads. Throw all of the new construction that is going on into the mix and gridlock occurs. Tempers flare, multiple lane changes occur, speed increases
and result in more accidents. East Fort Bend County towns that are the most highly populated have vehicles crowding the roads. The heaviest traffic is on U.S. 90A and U.S. 59 and Hwy. 6 but there are plenty of other places in the towns of Sugar Land, Missouri City and Stafford where commuters have numerous accidents. In Sugar Land non-injury collisions totaled 1,202 in 2013, 1,604 in 2014 and 1,820 in 2015. Injury collisions in 2013 were 397; 376 in 2014 and 363 in 2015.
Fatal accidents on Sugar Land roads in 2013 involved six drivers and eight deaths. Three drivers and three deaths were recorded in 2014 and five collisions that resulted in five deaths occurred this past year. The three top collision factors are speed, lane changes that are unsafe and disregarding stop and go traffic signals, according to Sugar Land Police Department statistics. Top citation charges issued by officers in 2015 were for speeding 10 percent more than See TRAFFIC, Page 3
Sugar Land to present Public Art Plan for review
Sugar Land’s first public art plan will be presented for public review at a forum scheduled for Aug. 3, from 5-7 p.m., at Sugar Land City Hall, 2700 Town Center Blvd. North. The purpose of the Public Art Plan is to develop a comprehensive, multi-year public art plan that will further define the City’s vision for public art and outline efforts to achieve the City’s vision during the next 10 years. This will be done in accordance with the Cultural Arts Strategic Plan and Implementation Guide, a document adopted in 2014. Development of the public art plan began in September 2015. After a community-engagement effort that included an online survey, round table discussions, community presentations, stakeholder meetings and a town hall presentation, the plan has been developed to reflect the community’s vision.
Sugar Plum Market Committee members ready for a fabulous Preview Night! Front Row: SPM CoChairs, Danielle Hames and Katie Harris. Back Row: Hillary Watson, Heather Allen, Cara Millas, Heather Brown, Tracy Pipes, Taylor Connor, Jessica Miller, Caroline Bordelon, Amy Stine, Danielle Noonan, Jaynee Tierce, Michaela Brady, Stephanie Reilly, and Laura McGowen.
Ultimate Girls’ Night for Preview Party What could be better than a night of shopping with girlfriends, sampling delicious food and drinks, and helping to raise funds for some amazing charities? The Sugar Plum Market Preview Night is the perfect Girls’ Night Out! Patrons will enjoy a fun and festive evening (with a few surprises this year!) and be the first to shop the “Making Spirits Bright” Market. Presented by the Fort Bend Junior Service League (FBJSL) and Memorial Hermann, the 2016 Preview Night will be held Thursday, November 3rd from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. “This is our 6th year for Preview Night and we are excited for our guests to experience some big changes to the evening’s festivities,” said Monica
Henderson, Sugar Plum Market Co-Chair. “Our goal is to have the best Girls’ Night Out party in Fort Bend County, all while raising money for our community.” Tickets are $75 and include Thursday evening advance shopping, a Preview Night drink ticket, light hors d’oeuvres and Market entry Friday and Saturday. The Sugar Plum Market will also be open for General Admission on Friday, November 4th from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Saturday, November 5th from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The 16th Annual holiday shopping extravaganza, featuring more than 100 vendors, will take place at the Stafford Centre Performing Arts Theatre and Convention Center. As in
previous years, proceeds from the 2016 Market will benefit various Fort Bend County charities. Sponsorship and underwriting opportunities range from $250 to $10,000 with many benefits, including Preview Night tickets. The Sugar Plum Market’s title sponsor is Memorial Hermann. A limited number of Preview Night tickets ($75) and General Admission tickets ($12) will be available online at www.sugarplummarket.com beginning Sept. 1. General Admission tickets may be purchased at select local Randalls stores beginning Oct. 1, and also at the door during Market hours. For more information visit www.sugarplummarket.com or email information@sugarplummarket. com.