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VOL 12 No. 48
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FORT BEND FAIR. BALANCED. INFORMATIVE. WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2019
P. O.BOX 623, SUGAR LAND, TX 77487-0623
Official newspaper of Fort Bend County, Missouri City & Stafford
Scientists attempt to find the names of the Sugar Land 95
Sugar Land bans vaping where smoking is prohibited
The use of electronic cigarettes and vaping devices is now banned anywhere smoking is prohibited in the city of Sugar Land. The city adopted an ordinance on Sept. 17 re-defiining what smoking means. Smoking means: (1) inhaling, exhaling, burning, or carrying any lighted cigar, cigarette, pipe, or other lighted tobacco product, or (2) inhaling, exhaling, or carrying any heated e-cigarette. Tobacco bar means a bar in which the on-site sales or rental of tobacco products and smoking accessories (including e-cigarettes) for consumption or use on the premises exceeds 20 percent of gross revenues and into which entry is restricted to individuals 21 years of age and above. Any person found guilty of violating this ordinance will be fined not more than $500 for each offense. Sugar Land used the opportunity provided by the 86th Legislative session’s Senate Bill 21 to make this change. The state law increased the age limit for smoking from 18 to 21, but the bill did not re-define smoking to include e-cigarettes. However, other cities have adopted similar ordinances. Missouri City in 2016 expanded smoking regulations to include e-cigarattes, after Fort Bend Community Prevention Coalition approached the city council to ban e-cigarettes in public places where smoking is prohibited. In Sugar Land, credit for this ordinance goes to Dulles High School student and Youth Sector Representative for Fort Bend Community Prevention Coalition, Mehul Mittal. Mittal requested the amendment, bringing his concerns to the attention of Sugar Land City Councilman Himesh Gandhi. Gandhi ultimately proposed the changes to the city’s ordinance, which were adopted in September of 2019. “The adoption to amend the smoking ordinance to include e-cigarettes will protect our youth and communities from the dangers of vaping and its related health consequences,” said FBCPC Coalition Coordinator Payal Patani.
By SESHADRI KUMAR While politicians and community activists are battling with Fort Bend ISD over the future of the abandoned cemetery called Sugar Land 95, the scientific community is engaged in genuine efforts to identify the skeletal remains found at the site where the James Reese Technical and Career Center now stands. All the controversy notwithstanding, the school district is preparing to do what is inevitable and imperative, namely, return the remains to their original resting place. Archaeologists believe the individuals buried at the See Sugar Land 95, Page 4
Bush High team aces Samsung Solve for Tomorrow Contest Congratulations to Bush High School’s (BHS) Team ANN-Tech on being named a state finalist in the 10th annual Samsung Solve for Tomorrow Contest. This is the second consecutive year that the BHS team has been named a state finalist. The team is among only 300 selected from a pool of more than 2,000 entries nationwide. The competition encourages students in grades 6-12 to use STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) skills creatively to solve a community challenge. Team ANN-Tech – which includes BHS sophomores Nolan Nguyen, Rodrigo Cabrera, Noel Obi and Ayah Said – created the Soteria bracelet, a multi-faceted alert system that helps prevent the death of children and adults. Team ANN-Tech received gift cards from Energy Houston for making it to nationals for the Annual Shell The digital bracelet was Oil Sea Perch Underwater Robotics competition this summer. ANN-Tech was named a top 3 out of 12 Texas teams to make it on the national stage. Rodrigo Cabrera, Nola Nguyen, Ayah Said, and Noel Obi. See BUSH, Page 3
NATIONAL ADOPTION DAY. The Lavallies family was one of many families celebrating National Adoption Day in Fort Bend County on Friday morning. A total of 19 children were adopted during the celebration. Shown at front L to R are: Yasmine, Princeton, Sophia and Jaqueline. Back row L to R: Zach, Janet and Natalia. Story on Page 3.
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