Nathan and Erica Nigrelli with 3-month old Elena share their amazing story with the media.

It was the day after Valentine’s Day, and Erica Nigrelli’s heart was full. She was living her dream: teaching, coaching and just four weeks away from the birth of her first child with husband and fellow Elkins High School teacher, Nathan.

In an instant, it all changed.

“Some students said, ‘Your wife is hurt’ and I went running into the classroom and she was laying on the floor,” Nathan recalled. “She wasn’t breathing and I just froze.”

What happened next would later be called a miracle by Erica’s family. With two lives hanging in the balance, three women, also Elkin’s employees, converged in the classroom, each possessing a unique skill that would ultimately save mother and child.

Athletic trainer and Fort Bend ISD CPR educator, June Tomlin heard about Erica’s collapse and immediately raced to the classroom.

“I cut off her shirt just as she took her last breath and I immediately started chest compressions,” said Tomlin. “And I didn’t stop.”

School nurse Jennifer Longoria, who had worked in a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit and teacher Maxine Reeves arrived. 9-1-1 was called and Reeves prepared the electronic defibrillator.

Shown from left, June Tomlin, Maxine Reeves and Jennifer Longoria are honored by Missouri City Fire and Rescue for their actions in saving the lives of Elena and Erica in February.

“We shocked her three times and on that last time we finally got a faint pulse just as the paramedics got there,” Reeves said.

Meanwhile, Tomlin continued with the chest compressions and Longoria monitored Erica’s vital signs.

“EMS saw that we had a rhythm going and that it was working so they let us continue what we were doing . We didn’t even have to talk to each other,” said Longoria.

When Erica arrived at the hospital her condition was critical. Doctors made the decision to do an emergency Cesarean section to try and save the baby.

“The doctors told me that Erica delivered post-mortem because she did not have a heart beat when they took the baby out,” Nathan said. “But I married a fighter and now I had a baby girl who was a fighter too.”

Doctors determined that Erica had hypertropic cardiomyopathy, more commonly known as athlete’s heart. It is a genetic condition with no obvious symptoms that can suddenly kill otherwise healthy people without warning. Doctors were able to get Erica’s heart beating again but gave her just a five percent chance of making it through the night.

Nathan says that a mother’s love for her child gave Erica the strength to survive that first night. Doctor’s inserted a pacemaker near Erica’s collar bone which helped regulate her heartbeat. She spent two weeks in the ICU; Elena spent 76 days in the NICU recovering from her traumatic birth. The family has been at home together for three weeks and are grateful to their “angels”.

“These three women came together with these special skills and they were able to use something as simple as CPR to save my life and to save Elena’s life,” Erica said. “Miracles exist. I’m here and I get to raise Elena and I can’t ask for any more than that.”

A well known consultant representing taxpayers on property tax appraisals lists “the government needs the money more than I do” as the top reason for not challenging an appraisal. Whether you’re going to do it or not is up to you, but the deadline to file a protest in Fort Bend County with the Fort Bend County Appraisal District is at the end of the month. Keep in mind that there’s the Memorial Day holiday on Monday, May 27, and the offices will be closed that day. So, if you intend to do it, the clock is ticking.

As for the government needing the money, it’s been said that if your house is worth $150,000 and the assessed value goes up by 10 percent, that would mean a $450 increase in property taxes. Imagine what else the local government entities could do if everyone contributed on the average an extra $450 in property taxes this upcoming year!

In other cases, one could argue along the same lines if an assessment remained the same and the property tax rates of the taxing entities, such as a city, municipal utility district, school district, etc., went up instead. That is what local taxing bodies do in this area. To fund x, y, and/or z, a property tax rate goes up. But, before that, there are public hearings.

As for the appraisal district, one of the more salient reasons to appeal has to do with exercising the option to appeal on unequal appraisals. A house could be assessed below market value but assessed unfairly compared to nearby houses, reveals one consulting source.

Remember, at this time through May 31st, one can still file an appeal online, by mail filing a notice to protest to the Fort Bend Central Appraisal District, 2801 B.F. Terry Boulevard in Rosenberg, or in person by submitting a completed notice of protest to be filed in the Rosenberg office…and if you protest, just know there won’t be stealth-like helicopters hovering over you house. That’s really a myth!

Strategic location, a highly educated workforce and diverse population have helped make Missouri City’s economic developments efforts stand out, according to Mayor Allen Owen who addressed a large crowd at the State of the City address held at Quail Valley Town Center on May 15.

“Seeing us lower the tax burden on the homeowner by increasing business growth is what we’ve been successful in doing,” Owen said.

Owen touted the city’s double digit increase in commercial growth over the past five years. He attributed it to the success of public/private partnerships in attracting several new companies including Niagara Bottling, the second largest bottler in the nation and Ben E. Keith Foods which is Missouri City’s largest employer.

Twin Star Bakeries, Bimbo Bakery, Allied Group and CNC Manufacturing are also building new facilities or expanding existing facilities in the city’s business parks. Currently the city’s economic development office is working with a food manufacturer to purchase 20 acres for a distribution facility.

“All of this stuff we’ve talked about is over $500 million dollars worth of new business to the city,” Owen said. “But more importantly, it is over 1,500 new jobs.”

The city also opened its second Walmart, a Dunkin Doughnuts, a Raising Cane restaurant and is preparing to open their second hotel. In addition, Fort Bend Brewing Company is fully operational and now has their products in grocery stores and area restaurants.

“We want our work force to live here, shop here and go to our restaurants,” Owen said. “Hopefully as many of those businesses get running in the Gessner and Lakeview corridor we’ll start seeing even more restaurants and retailers move in.”

Owen also gave special recognition to Bob Graf, the city’s Economic Development Coordinator who is retiring in June.

The mayor addressed the formation of a Bond Exploratory Committee which is organizing efforts to put a bond referendum on the ballot for next year to help pay for aging infrastructure. The city still has $27 million worth of bond money and will spend that on street and drainage projects.

The opening of a new animal shelter, the expansion of the Oyster Creek trail system, the re-opening of the El Dorado bridge and the installation of flashing yellow lights at certain intersections were also highlights in Owen’s address. Improvements to Highway 6 include new turn lanes and turn signals and new dynamic message boards.

“I know some of you might not like the esplanades. They may be inconvenient. But eliminating the suicide lanes saves lives,” Owen said.

Later in the year and into 2014, Owen told attendees they can expect to see the expansion of Lexington Boulevard begin and $3.3 million in improvements to Texas Parkway.

Though no one ran against Mayor Leonard Scarcella and councilmembers Wen Guerra, Felecia Evans-Smith, and Fred Woolridge in the May election, at last week’s City Council meeting they each spoke for a moment to thank the citizens of Stafford for their ongoing support before taking the oath of office. Mayor Scarcella addressed the audience of the upcoming challenges and opportunities facing Stafford over the next two years.

• Transformation at Stafford MSD. The 49.9 million dollar bond project that was approved in May of 2011 will be completed this September of 2013, bringing a “very unique” situation as the district makes their mark as a top rated school.

• Commuter rail. The Mayor is “still fighting the good fight 13 years later.” There will be much more on this topic as the second track is installed later this summer.

• Technology weak spots. Stafford has some areas that are technologically challenged. This could be a very costly fix, but one the Mayor is determined to address.

• Enhance City’s economy. Fortunately this is an area that Stafford is very strong at. However keeping this in their vision plan and attending to matters such as sustaining their Class 1 ISO rating will keep insurance costs low.

• Texas Instruments’ property. Redevelopment of this 192 acres will be huge for Stafford. The Mayor stated that he has met with several developers that have the resources, knowledge and vision to create an attractive city center. (Though he stressed that the final decision remains with T.I.)

• Bring quality retail to FM 1092 and Highway 90A. Improvements to these areas on these convenient roadways will enhance not only the City’s economy, but residents’ quality of life.

• Work on aesthetics of Stafford. Plans are ongoing to add attractive landscaping that will thrive in the area, while enforcing zoning requirements.

• Commercial zoning changes. Next month on the planning and zoning committee agenda is the topic of changing a commercial area to a residential area. This should be a lively debate and citizens of Stafford are encouraged to attend.

• Reduction of lot size. Currently homes are built on 72K sf. The Mayor stated that for some people who would like to downsize, this area is too large. He would like to consider a smaller area for the potential of patio homes and townhouses.

• Protect and maintain zero city property taxes. Eliminated in  1995, the City of Stafford receives at least 3 calls per month from other cities asking how they do it.

• Promote Stafford Centre. Looking forward to their 10 year anniversary next March, 3 million people will have gone through the doors of this performing arts complex and convention center.

• Debt free in 2014. Currently the City only owes $235K. With cities across the nation in debt and facing potential bankruptcy, this is an accomplishment of fiscal responsibility to be proud of.

Stuffed animals, candles and flowers outside of a community pool in Greatwood to honor a five-year old boy who drowned on Friday.

A kindergarten student at Dickinson Elementary School drowned in a Greatwood community pool on Friday, May 19 during a private birthday party.

Jaden Nwokedi, who would have turned six next month, was found unconscious in the shallow end of the pool at Winding Brook Drive and Shadow Bend. A lifeguard was on duty at the time.

The Fort Bend County Sheriff’s Office said Nwokedi’s lips were blue when he was pulled out of the water and the lifeguard began CPR. A nurse who was attending the party helped the lifeguard until rescue crews arrived.

Nwokedi was transported by LifeFlight to Memorial Hermann Medical Center with rescue crews performing CPR on the boy the entire time. Nwokedi was pronounced dead at the hospital.

A candlelight vigil was held for him in Greatwood on Sunday night.

Nwokedi had played two seasons of tee-ball at Rosenberg National Little League. The league will plant a tree in his honor on May 30 at 7 p.m. at Seabourne Creek Sports Complex.

Flags will also fly at half-staff during all All Star Games played at RNLL in June and July.

A memorial service will be held Saturday, May 25 at Holy Rosary Catholic Church in Rosenberg.

At the May SMSD Board Meeting, Trustee Virginia Rosas asked that the continuing education and travel expenses for each board member be placed on the agenda. After it was explained by Dr. Hindt that as a new board member, a minimum of 10 hours of continuing education was required, and for existing board members, 5 hours, Ms. Rosas called for more prudent spending on attending these workshops and conferences. “We are an economically disadvantaged district. Under the circumstances we should minimize what we use. And I think the people should know where their money is going.”

At this time there is no limit of funds the board of trustees can use; however, Ms. Rosas would like to change that. She announced that after checking with several other districts, she learned their board members are given a flat amount of $3,000 per trustee to spend on continuing education courses. Additionally, she would like to take it one step further. “Personally, if I don’t use my $3,000, I don’t want anybody else to have the remainder. I want it to go back to the fund. When I ran, my platform was that I would be accountable for funds.”

After Trustee Rosas concluded her thoughts, a lively discussion ensued amongst the other board members. Trustee Cindy Hoelscher agreed and added, “This is a place where we can trim” so that money can go to other places like supplies and keeping taxes low. A counter-point was made by Trustee Etienne Zak that “Professional development is critical” adding that board members are unpaid volunteers and they “have to train ourselves to be fully informed.” Most of the trustees stated that they must “agree to disagree” on this topic and decided to table it for the upcoming workshop, but Virginia Rosas has a very good point – if the district is being asked to make a budget and stick to it, shouldn’t the same apply to the board of trustees?

*Both board members attended the National School Board Association (NSBA) conference in April. Their expenses have been finalized but the number of hours they earned are not recorded as of this date.

Photo by Jennifer Smith
Dr. Randal Glenn of Fort Bend Dental Associates (Center) is flanked  (L-R) by partners: Doctors Brian Machart, Jim Condrey, Retired Partner Dr. Tony Singletary and newest partner Dr. Dwight Peccora.

Dr. Randal Glenn of Fort Bend Dental Associates  was installed on May 16, 2013 as the President of the Greater Houston Dental Society (GHDS) founded over one hundred years ago. The GHDS is the local component of the Texas Dental Association (TDA) and the American Dental Association (ADA) and is the fourth largest local component society in the United States with a current membership of over 1,600.

Dr. Glenn is also one of  Fort Bend County’s Historical Commissioners and in his installation address to his colleagues and guests he noted,  ”History is important because in order to chart a path for the future, we need to know from where we came.  We in dentistry are intimately connected with our history. The trials and tribulations of our previous generations are echoed in our voices today. The issues faced by our dental forefathers of 1904, the year this Society was founded, sound as if they were lifted from the pages today’s GHDS Journal of  2013.”

Dr. Glenn also talked about mentorship and his remarks could be applied to almost any profession:  “Sometimes being a mentor is accidental.

Younger dentists, dental students or even pre-dental students may be watching you, how you deal with patients, how you treat your employees, the quality of work you provide,  how you conduct yourself professionally. Your standing in your community, your education, your experience, your character, , is most certainly a model for others. Bear that in mind as you go through your day. You can play a vital role in someone else’s life…And it isn’t always pre-planned. You may be the accidental mentor!”

Glenn ended his remarks to the GHDS by saying, “We stand on the shoulders of many great people, men and women who have worked tirelessly and unselfishly to elevate the profession of dentistry from the depths of an unprofessional, many times barbaric trade to one of the most respected and honored professions in this country. Be Ethical. Be Professional. Treat as you would want to be treated.”

Shown are Fort Bend Junior League members, who are the faces of our women’s health campaign.

Methodist Sugar Land Hospital is hosting a community open house for its Breast Center on Thursday, May 23, from 5 to 7 p.m. The public is invited to attend, tour, interact with staff, see how new imaging technology works and learn what’s new in helping meet the community’s breast health needs.

New to the Breast Center in the last year are molecular breast imaging, a fourth mammography unit and a breast care navigator.

Molecular breast imaging (MBI) was added last summer making Methodist Sugar Land Hospital’s Breast Center the first in the greater Houston area to have the technology. The low dose MBI is a secondary diagnostic tool for women whose mammograms show suspicious findings or are difficult to interpret. This is especially applicable to women who have dense breast tissue, which is estimated to be 40 percent of mammography patients.

A fourth mammography unit was installed in the Breast Center last fall to meet the growing demand from patients and reduce wait times for appointments.

The Breast Care Navigator assists patients who have been diagnosed with breast cancer, serving as a resource expert, helping them understand treatment options, coordinating appointments, and attending care conferences and discussions about the patient’s treatment. Maria Socci, a registered nurse with specialty training in oncology, joined the Breast Center in this role early last year.

The Breast Center opened in 2009 and moved to the new location off Town Center Boulevard on the Methodist Sugar Land Hospital Campus in 2011.

Join us for our Breast Center open house on May 23! We will have tours, refreshments, a free gift for attendees and fabulous door prizes. To RSVP, call 281-276-8568 or email SLRSVP@tmhs.org.

By Elsa Maxey 

In spite of the light voter turnout, “dismally low,” said one resident, the outcome of Saturday’s General and Special Election of May 11th has a host of winners, a runoff in Missouri City, and just about all the propositions on the ballots passed.

Fort Bend ISD Trustee Position 3 has Jim Rice keeping his board seat garnering a little over 70% of the votes in that race. FBISD Trustee Position 7 incumbent Dave Rosenthal of Missouri City also kept his seat with 56.5% of the votes in a race among four candidates. Community feedback about the FBISD school district is positive these days “with the hiring of a new superintendent” and with the outcome of the elections, “there is a chance that this is the beginning for real change in this school district.”

Five candidates running for three positions on the Stafford Municipal School District board of trustees turned out three winners, reelected incumbents Greg Holsapple and Ed Castillo along with newly elected trustee Arturo Jackson for three year terms.  Lamar Consolidated School District winners are newly elected trustees Kathryn E. Kaminiski and Kay Danziger, relected incumbent Frank W. Torres, and newly elected Anna M. Gonzales, Trustees for District 1, 2, 3 and 6, respectively.

Meadows Place’s election win has Kelle K. Mills with almost 59% of the votes ousting incumbent John C. Whiteman in the race for Alderman, Place 5.  Alderman Place No. 4, Terry J. Henley, ran unopposed and kept the seat.

In Missouri City, there will be a runoff between Yolanda Ford and incumbent Bobby Marshall for the District A Council position.  Councilmember Don Smith, the incumbent won his seat for District B. Councilmembers Robin Elackatt and Floyd Emery ran unopposed and will continue to represent Districts C and D, respectively.  All 15 city charter propositions passed.

The City of Arcola will soon seat Greg Abarr, Thomas Hilton, and Rosie T. Rojas on the city council.  All three won their member at large races among a total of eight candidates.  Arcola also passed a proposition for the use of sales tax proceeds for infrastructure relating to water supply facilities.

In the county seat of Richmond, the two propositions on the ballot passed relating to the home rule city charter. The City of Rosenberg’s ballot had 11 propositions with two of them failing.  One of them was for the deletion of a city charter section that would abolish the Department of Health and Sanitation. Mayor Vincent Morales, Jr. ran unopposed and will continue to serve in that role.  Council At Large Position 1 incumbent William Benton won his seat; incumbent Cynthia McConathy won the At Large Position 2; Jimmie Pena ousted Juan Salazar for Council District 1; District 2 will have a new councilmember, Susan Kroll Euton, who will replace Joe G. Segura; and a runoff will take place for the District 4 seat between George Arroyos and Amanda J. Bolf. Dwayne Grigar ran unopposed and will keep his District 3 council seat.

Two Emergency Services Districts (ESD), 4 and 6, each placed a proposition on the ballot and one of them failed.  ESD 6 was not authorized for creation along with a levy for taxing purposes.  Fort Bend County Municipal Utility District 2’s proposition passed for an operation and maintenance tax.

Propositions were also on voting ballots impacting Kendleton, Needville, the Village of Fairchilds, the Village of Pleak, Beasley, East Bernard, Orchard, Thompsons, and other areas.

For a review of the Fort Bend Elections Administration Cumulative Report of the May 11th election, visit fortbendstar.com