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Two landlords have been indicted by a Fort Bend County grand jury for allegedly using fraudulent documents to receive CARES Act funds from the county.
As a kid, Maverick Thigpen said he was always tinkering and trying to figure out how things worked. But it wasn’t until the suggestion of his high school pre-calculus teacher that his interest in STEM was piqued.
Against all odds, the love story of Missouri City’s Chad and Ellen Bishop is an example of Fort Bend County’s growing fondness for diversity.
A Richmond man has been arrested and accused of fatally shooting his father early Thursday morning, according to police.
The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, which was scheduled for May 4-23, has been cancelled because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, according to a Wednesday news release from rodeo officials.
Nathan VonMinden has never been to space. He was just 3 years old on Jan. 28, 1989, when the U.S. space shuttle Challenger exploded a minute into its launch from the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida.
The Fort Bend Junior Service League (FBJSL) is accepting applications for its annual educational scholarships aimed at helping Fort Bend County women pursue higher education.
More than a dozen Fort Bend ISD students recently had their artwork selected to advance in the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo’s annual art show, according to a news release from the district.
The Rosenberg Railroad Museum and The Black Cowboy Museum have partnered to showcase the “Pullman Porter Exhibit,” which opens Friday and runs through May 31.
In some ways, Brooke Billedo’s life is like that of many other 14-year-old girls. The eighth grader at Reading Junior High loves to read, swim, play piano and hang out with her dog, Leo, a goldendoodle.
The Fort Bend Junior Service League (FBJSL) is accepting applications from local qualifying 501(c) (3) nonprofit organizations to be considered as a "Core Placement" for the organization's 2021-23 league years, according to a news release from FBJSL.
Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, Chris Williams has helped to donate over 145,000 meals in neighboring Harris County.
By Landan Kuhlmann LKuhlmann@fortbendstar.com The Farmers Market Partners-Missouri City market will open its 2021 season from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. this Saturday, Jan. 16 at 5855 Sienna Springs Way in Missouri City. Billed as a “local hub” for vendors and farmers to showcase their products and produce, the Farmers Market Partners-Missouri City market is in its […]
By STEFAN MODRICH smodrich@fortbendstar.com Jan Kolk and her husband, Kevin Kolk, were at a crossroads when he retired from Fort Bend ISD in March of last year. She was still teaching at Alief ISD, but wanted to find a way for her and her husband to spend more of their free time together doing things […]
Four Fort Bend County families had to spend another Christmas without loved ones who remain imprisoned in Venezuela. The U.S. government gave those families a belated holiday gift Wednesday, granting their wish for meaningful action that might help their husbands, fathers, brothers and uncles finally return home. The U.S. Department of the Treasury announced that […]
By STEFAN MODRICH smodrich@fortbendstar.com They work long, grueling hours, looking death in the eye, out of sight and perhaps even out of mind during a pandemic that has gripped the globe for most of the last year. Unpredictability is the norm, and 4½ hours is a good night’s sleep. Gym shoes are worn in the […]
From Staff Reports The Fort Bend Junior Service League (FBJSL) members presented a check for $8,000 of the proceeds from its recent Sugar Plum Marketplace to Child Advocates of Fort Bend (CAFB) on Dec. 15. According to a news release from CAFB, the funds will be used to help with virtual trainings for volunteers and […]
By Landan Kuhlmann LKuhlmann@fortbendstar.com For most of us, 2020 has been different than other years. We had become accustomed to waking up in the morning, grabbing a cup of coffee and heading to work – though for the last nine months, that may have simply meant heading back to the bedroom or kitchen table or […]
By Landan Kuhlmann LKuhlmann@fortbendstar.com As a local community center serving as a food distribution site during the COVID-19 pandemic prepares to transition its avenue of distribution, it has reached a milestone. Richmond’s Mamie George Community Center (MGCC) recently surpassed 2 million pounds of food distributed to the community during the nine months of the pandemic […]
By STEFAN MODRICH smodrich@fortbendstar.com One of Houston’s most beloved local characters has been a holiday mainstay for more than 40 years. He wears a zoot suit and prefers a low rider to a sleigh and a fedora to a stocking cap. And he goes by “Pancho Claus” instead of St. Nick. Richard Reyes, an actor, […]
By STEFAN MODRICH smodrich@fortbendstar.com Law enforcement officials arrested Zheng “Miranda” Zhou, 53, of Missouri City, and Kun “Bruce” Liu, 40, of Sugar Land on Dec. 14 on charges of alleged involvement in international trade fraud violations stemming from an alleged decade-long scheme involving tires from China, according to a Dec. 15 news release from the […]
By STEFAN MODRICH smodrich@fortbendstar.com The Sugar Land Police Department (SLPD) is investigating the assault of a 46-year-old Sugar Land woman that police said occurred Nov. 5, according to surveillance video. During a news conference Wednesday at SLPD headquarters, SLPD Sgt. Matt Levan and the Tejani family said Fort Bend County Crime Stoppers (FBCCS) is offering […]
By Landan Kuhlmann lkuhlmann@fortbendstar.com Fort Bend County authorities say they are looking into a shooting in Rosharon last weekend that left two teenagers dead and another hospitalized. A spokesperson for the Fort Bend County Sheriff’s Office (FBCSO) said the victims, 15-year-old Devin Massey and 17-year-old Jonathan Massey, were pronounced dead at the scene. The FBCSO […]
By STEFAN MODRICH smodrich@fortbendstar.com Another alleged victim of a former Richmond salon employee who was arrested Nov. 19 and indicted on charges of indecency with a child by sexual contact has been identified, according to the Fort Bend County District Attorney’s office. The DA’s office said Sergio David Chavarria, a Houston resident, was an employee […]
By STEFAN MODRICH smodrich@fortbendstar.com A group of retired teachers in Fort Bend County has found a variety of ways to give back to the community during the COVID-19 pandemic. Fort Bend-Harris Retired Educators (FBHRE) is a local unit of the Texas Retired Teachers Association (TRTA), an organization of retired public-school employees. The group is composed […]
By Landan Kuhlmann LKuhlmann@fortbendstar.com Two key players in Fort Bend ISD’s fine arts programs were selected to statewide offices for their respective specialties last month. The district announced Monday that Fine Arts Director James Drew was elected as a board member for the Texas Music Administrators Conference (TMAC), while Assistant Director of Fine Arts for […]
By STEFAN MODRICH smodrich@fortbendstar.com Stafford MSD made an investment of $2.3 million to implement a 1-to-1 ratio with a goal of ensuring each of its students would have a device on which they could learn remotely. But the COVID-19 pandemic necessitated that the district’s two-year technology rollout plan to provide every student an iPad needed […]
By STEFAN MODRICH smodrich@fortbendstar.com The economic decline that has resulted from the COVID-19 pandemic has spared few organizations, and nonprofits large and small in Fort Bend County are among them. “We recognize that during this (pandemic) that all the nonprofits are struggling,” Deacon Jones said. “We’ve got over 2,000 (nonprofits) in Fort Bend County alone. […]
By STEFAN MODRICH smodrich@fortbendstar.com Liddie Owens is a woman of ambition and action. The Rayville, Louisiana native grew up with 12 siblings and through her role as a senior pastor at Let’s Go Higher Ministries, has lived a life of service in the Greater Houston community and abroad. “I’m a country girl from the south,” […]
By STEFAN MODRICH smodrich@fortbendstar.com While Black Friday and Cyber Monday have come and gone, online shopping is increasingly a part of the holiday shopping experience. Fewer people are choosing to venture out among crowds of people in malls and shopping centers due to the COVID-19 pandemic. But with the convenience of one-click orders and scrolling […]
By Landan Kuhlmann LKuhlmann@fortbendstar.com Beginning Dec. 11 and running through Jan. 4, Fort Bend County residents can go online to participate in Child Advocates of Fort Bend’s annual Christmas Home Tour. Each year, the tour showcases select homes in Fort Bend County that have been decorated and spruced up with Christmas cheer as a way […]
By Landan Kuhlmann LKuhlmann@fortbendstar.com Area families looking for a little cheer and craving the feeling of heading to the movies can do both with an upcoming holiday movie series in Sugar Land. The city of Sugar Land announced Nov. 25 that it is partnering with Spectrum to celebrate the holidays with […]
By Landan Kuhlmann LKuhlmann@fortbendstar.com The City of Rosenberg will host a series of holiday events beginning this week to get residents in the Christmas spirit. Beginning Thursday, Dec. 3 from 5-8 p.m., downtown Rosenberg will be home to “Holiday Nights: A Small Town Christmas Experience.” As part of a partnership between the Rosenberg Arts Alliance […]
By Landan Kuhlmann LKuhlmann@fortbendstar.com The annual Riverstone Holiday Market has been forced online this year due to COVID-19, but there are still plenty of ways for Fort Bend County residents to get their Christmas shopping finished. Through Dec. 13, shoppers can browse the market’s website at riverstone.com/residents-holidaymarket to find custom jewelry, apparel for adults and […]
By STEFAN MODRICH smodrich@fortbendstar.com At Houston’s Southwest edge in the Ridgemont neighborhood in the Fort Bend County portion of the city, you’ll discover Doña Leti’s Restaurant & Bar, one of the area’s most fascinating collections of Latin American cuisine. I had some trouble finding the place at first, because the restaurant, which had its grand […]
By STEFAN MODRICH smodrich@fortbendstar.com The weekend before Thanksgiving is among the busiest time of year for nonprofit and charitable organizations, particularly food pantries and food banks. That hasn’t changed during the COVID-19 pandemic, even though groups like Quincy Collins’ Families Helping Families Houston (FHF) have been forced to adapt their distribution methods. The backbone of […]
By STEFAN MODRICH smodrich@fortbendstar.com Ray Younkin’s musical journey began when he heard his first Bruce Springsteen album at age 7. Almost 34 years later, the Sugar Land resident has become an accomplished performing and recording artist, working as a soloist and with multiple bands. One of those bandmates was Houston’s Anita Kruse, a recurring collaborator […]
By STEFAN MODRICH smodrich@fortbendstar.com This year’s The Thankful Ones Turkey Trot in Pecan Grove will look different. But founder Matthew Martin is eager to try to make the event safe for all involved as he and his nonprofit strive to aid in the adoption of children whose parents have been afflicted by addiction or substance […]
By STEFAN MODRICH smodrich@fortbendstar.com My dad has had — and maintains to this day — the somewhat idiosyncratic tendency, in my view, to insist upon our family using dishes and silverware for any takeout order or pizza delivery, no matter how fast or casual the food order. Perhaps it was a way of reminding my […]
By STEFAN MODRICH smodrich@fortbendstar.com Amid an increase in the number of COVID-19 patients requiring hospitalizations in Fort Bend County, area hospital CEOs wrote a letter Nov. 17 urging county residents to exercise caution and limit family gatherings for Thanksgiving, a sentiment shared by County Judge KP George. The letter was signed by Chris Siebenaler, CEO […]
By STEFAN MODRICH smodrich@fortbendstar.com A Richmond resident is among seven alleged participants in a scheme to obtain approximately $16 million in forgivable Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans guaranteed by the Small Business Administration (SBA) under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, according to a Nov. 17 news release from the U.S. Department […]
By Landan Kuhlmann LKuhlmann@fortbendstar.com The City of Richmond announced Nov. 18 that Jerry Jones has been hired as the city’s newest director of economic development. He brings more than 12 years of experience with workforce development, neighborhood revitalization and regional outreach, according to a news release from the city. “The city of Richmond as well […]
By STEFAN MODRICH smodrich@fortbendstar.com Fort Bend County District Attorney Brian Middleton and the Richmond Police Department announced Nov. 19 the arrest and indictment of a Houston man on charges of indecency with a child by sexual contact and failure to comply with a sex offender’s duty to register. Sergio David Chavarria, a Houston resident, was […]
By STEFAN MODRICH smodrich@fortbendstar.com Fort Bend ISD superintendent Charles Dupre announced Monday he plans to resign by December 2021, prompting an outpouring of reactions from parents, teachers and community members across the district. Many parents expressed concerns on Facebook about the timing of the announcement, which comes amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and 17 days […]
By STEFAN MODRICH smodrich@fortbendstar.com Before the COVID-19 pandemic, Fort Bend County residents had numerous ways to showcase their cultural and spiritual diversity through festivals and commemorations of holidays and other significant events. Now, the Fort Bend Interfaith Council (FBIC) is rallying to flex its muscles of religious heterogeneity virtually as it prepares for its sixth […]
By STEFAN MODRICH smodrich@fortbendstar.com Ruben Amaya turned 17 years old in 1964 and changed the course of his life with one decision. “I gave myself a birthday present,” Amaya said. “I dropped out of high school and I joined the Marine Corps.” From boot camp in San Diego to Vietnam, where he transferred in August […]
By STEFAN MODRICH smodrich@fortbendstar.com When Richmond’s Quincy Collins was a young boy growing up near Downtown Houston, his grandparents helped to feed homeless people nearby. “They would make large pots of beef stew,” Collins said. “They would just go by and wherever they saw someone who they felt needed something to eat, they would feed […]
By STEFAN MODRICH smodrich@fortbendstar.com WattBridge, a subsidiary of Missouri-based energy solutions provider ProEnergy, announced Nov. 10 it would be building a power station near the Braes Bayou. The facility will be built at the intersection of Lockwood Road and Smithers Lake Road in Thompsons, 15 miles south of Sugar Land. The project will include a […]
By STEFAN MODRICH smodrich@fortbendstar.com As the sun began to dip behind the woods along the Brazos River, cars lined up in droves at Heritage Park in the Sienna neighborhood of Missouri City for the Nov. 6 showing of “Smallfoot.” Dozens of cars, most of them filled with families, packed the park for the 2018 animated children’s movie […]
By Landan Kuhlmann LKuhlmann@fortbendstar.com Later this month, one of Fort Bend County’s bustling mixed-use hubs will allow the area’s children to virtually visit Santa for Christmas, making their wishes known even during the COVID-19 pandemic. On Nov. 27, the square will be home to the debut of Dallas-based Flight School Studios’ MAGI·SPHERE, a technology that […]
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