VOL 3 No. 33
Phone: 281-980-6745
www.fbindependent.com ww .fbindependent.com
FORT BEND FAIR. BALANCED. INFORMATIVE. WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 18, 2010
The Mississippi Kite is a medium-sized hawk about 12-14 inches long. It is various shades of gray, but may appear black and white. Juveniles have some brown streaks underside. What is unusual is its beak. It’s not the normal hooked beak we associate with raptors. That’s because it is an insect eating hawk that has a long, thin bill for flycatching. It normally migrates through this area. However, there is at least one nesting pair on the Oyster Creek section of the Quail Valley Golf Course. In the Texas Panhandle, Louisiana and Mississippi, it’s known to live year around. However, many migrate to central South America to winter. It nests in trees and prefers open woodlands near water. It is a long-winged hawk so it has graceful gliding ability. Visit http://traction.typepad.com/ birds to learn more. —Photo by Margaret Sloan.
1,000 children ‘Walk with Pride’ This year, over 1000 children in Fort Bend County will “walk with pride’ to their first day of school in a brand new pair of shoes thanks to the generosity of The Exchange Club of Sugar Land and Payless Shoe Stores. Children left their parents at the door and took the hand of an Exchange Club volunteer to be measured and guided along the aisles of floor-to-ceiling racks of shoes. Each child had the opportunity to choose the shoes of their dreams to run, dance and skip to school in. Five-year-old Jesus found the perfect pair of Star Wars themed tennis shoes with lights, seven-year-old Jasmina danced in her sparkletoed, heart encrusted flats, and 15-year-old James found the exact pair of Vans he was hoping for. Visit www.ecsl.org for more details. Right, Members of the Exchange Club of Sugar Land celebrate a successful Saturday morning by helping over 1000 area children choose their free school shoes.
‘Budget shortfall would be less than projected $18 billion’ By SESHADRI KUMAR Texas is the only state in the nation which added net jobs in 2009 and the state is No. 1 in the nation for business relocation. “We have a business friendly environment and we are holding the line on spending. But transportation infrastructure is an impediment,” State Sen. Tommy Williams said last week. Williams was the guest speaker Friday, Aug. 13, at the Central Fort Bend Chamber Alliance’s August Business Luncheon at Safari Texas Ranch in Richmond. Williams was recently appointed Chairman of the Senate Committee on Transportation and Homeland Security. While the state’s finances are
healthy and the budget shortfall is likely to be far lower than the projected $18 billion, there are no funds to build new roads or to maintain the highway system, Williams said. The gas tax, part of which is dedicated to the Permanent School Fund, is dwindling because of increased gas mileage of new vehicles. “With every crisis, we have an opportunity to change the way and chart a new path for transportation funding,” he said. After a scathing indictment of the Texas Department of Transportation management by the Sunset committee, the agency needs to be reshaped and its size reduced, Williams said. The Legislature has come to
grips with the needs of urban and suburban areas. Autonomy for the local governments to build toll roads is one step in that direction, he said. Williams said S.B.792 would not kill toll roads, but help toll revenue remain in the region where it is generated. Also, TxDOT districts will be realigned to ensure better management. Commenting on the increasing Medicaid costs for indigent care, Williams said already 85 percent of health and human services budget goes for Medicaid. “I am not ready to put the grandma under the bridge. We can’t afford Obamacare. It is an expansion of Medicaid and will accelerate the spending.”
Cattle Rustling: Sienna mascot rescued
Sienna Plantation’s Carolyn Williams and Jaime Virkus welcome Cornelia back home after missing for five days.
Right, Dr. Mike Kessler, Ray Wathen and Larry Pullen, on the floor. They sat down and they can’t get up! Three seniors from the Exchange Club of Sugar Land laugh about requiring help getting up after a sit-down break at the club’s annual Walk With Pride event at Payless Shoe Store in Rosenberg on Aug. 14.
Williams said delivering better care, while reducing the cost at the same time will be a solution. “We are not going to spend less, but slow down the growth,” he said. Earlier, Williams said the projected budget shortfall would not be $18 billion as reported. That projection assumed that sales tax revenue would fall drastically, but sales tax revenue has registered a modest increase. Also, that projection was based on adding no new services and assumed no new revenue. The projection does not take into account the $10 billion rainy day fund. The state will pay for text books next year and Texas is the only state that provides text books to students, Williams said. About $1 billion that was transferred from general fund to the PSF will be freed up next year. Sienna Plantation’s beloved mascot, Cornelia, went missing the weekend of August 7th from her home at the Sienna HomeFinder Center. After a community-wide plea complete with a reward for her safe return was issued, police received an anonymous 911 call on August 10th that resulted in the location of the missing bovine. Cornelia was found safe, and somewhat sound, in a new neighborhood being developed in Sienna’s Shipman’s Landing. She was returned to her home at the Sienna Plantation HomeFinder Center Wednesday morning. Susie Goff, Sienna’s marketing director, was thrilled with the mascot’s safe return. “Cornelia is a little banged up. She has a broken horn, but all in all, she is in good shape, and we are so happy to have her
Sugar Land’s Superstar 2010
The final round of Sugar Land Superstar 2010 attracted a large crowd to Sugar Land Town Square on Aug. 14. (L-R) Mary Sarah Gross in third place, winner Chase Nease and Toni Davis in second place. back where she belongs.” Cornelia, a part of the 2001 Houston Cow Parade, was purchased by the Johnson Development Corporation community at a charity auction to help promote the Sienna Great Corn Maze in 2002. As the official ambassador for the Great Corn Maze, Cornelia traveled throughout Fort Bend County to schools
and public events promoting the event benefiting the Fort Bend YMCA. After helping raise thousands of dollars for charity, Cornelia retired to the Sienna HomeFinder Center where she has greeted visitors for the past nine years. Now that she’s back home where she belongs, Cornelia will continue her role welcoming guests to Sienna Plantation.
10701 Corporate Drive, #282, Stafford, TX 77477 Mailing Address: P.O. Box 623, Sugar Land, TX 77487 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., 10701 Corporate Dr., #282, Stafford, Texas 77477. Periodicals Postage Paid at Stafford, Texas. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Fort Bend Independent, P.O. Box 623, Sugar Land, Tx 77487.
U GA R
ND
www.NameSugarLandsTeam.com
FS
LA
Name Your Team and Be a Big Winner!
CI T Y O
Birds of Fort Bend
P. O.BOX 623, SUGAR LAND, TX 77487-0623
TEXAS