Yee-haw! It's time to rodeo in Houston: Page 4
The Hightower girls basketball team advances to state playoffs. See page 5.
WEDNESDAY • FEBRUARY 27, 2019
Fort Bend / Southwest • Volume 43 • No. 28
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Sugar Land 95 to stay
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Fort Bend ISD agrees to drop lawsuit, negotiate with county
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By Joe Southern JSOUTHERN@FORTBENDSTAR.COM
The Fort Bend ISD Board of Trustees announced Friday that it will halt legal actions to relocate the 95 bodies found at a construction site and will negotiate to have Fort Bend County take over the cemetery. Re-burial of the skeletal remains – dubbed the Sugar Land 95 – has been debated ever since they were exhumed last summer following the accidental discovery of the cemetery last February during construction of the James Reese Career and Technical Center. Following several community meetings the school district and the City of Sugar Land reached an agreement that would allow the remains to be reinterred nearby at the Imperial Prison Farm Cemetery. The district went to district court to begin proceedings to have the cemetery designation removed from the site so the remains could be relocated, but several community activists protested, saying they should remain where they were found. Fort Bend County Judge KP George, a former FBISD trustee, urged the county to get involved in the case. Following a unanimous vote of the commissioners court, George and the county attorney were authorized to negotiate with the
school district to turn the portion of the site containing the cemetery into a memorial park and cemetery. The FBISD trustees on Feb. 18 voted unanimously on a similar motion to negotiate with the county. The lawsuit, however, remained until FBISD Board President Jason Burdine announced last week that the lawsuit would be stopped. “We appreciate and welcome the county’s recent commitment to work with the district toward a solution that preserves the story and memory of those buried on this historic site,” he said in a statement. “In order to show our good faith and commitment to working toward a comprehensive solution, the district will halt all further court action while we explore all available options with the county. The district’s plan to build the portion of the building that is within the cemetery area has been cancelled.” The Sugar Land 95 are the remains of 95 victims of the state’s convict labor leasing program who were buried in an unmarked cemetery between 1879 and 1910. It was essentially a state-sanctioned form of slavery where blacks were arrested on minor offenses and trumped up charges and leased out by the prison system for hard labor. In this case, they presumably worked at sugar plantations for Imperial Sugar. Although activists are pleased that the school district and county
Items found during excavation of the Sugar Land 95 cemetery last summer are displayed at the cemetery site. The remains of the victims of the convict labor leasing program will remain in the cemetery following an agreement between the Fort Bend ISD and Fort Bend County. (Photo by Joe Southern)
are in negotiations, they still remain pessimistic that something could go wrong. Samuel Collins, who is on the board for the National Trust for Historic Preservation, served on the state board of review for the Texas Historical Commission, and is currently a commissioner with the Galveston County Historical Commission, said the district has halted but not stopped legal action. “They’ve suspended it during negotiations but if the negotiations fall through the lawsuit is still out there,” he said.
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He recommended that the district not try to raise money from the sale of the property to the county. “They should probably deed it for a dollar,” he said, noting that taxpayers are the ones who ultimately foot the bill. Reginald Moore, founder and president of the Convict Labor Leasing Project, was pleased with the announcement by the school district.
SEE CEMETERY, PAGE 8
State of the City address is Thursday From staff reports FOR THE FORT BEND STAR
Legislature told oil, gas continue to boom in West Texas By Richard Lee FOR THE FORT BEND STAR
Recent discoveries of massive energy reserves in West Texas will only enhance the already booming energy industry in the state according to testimony offered before the Senate Committee on Natural Resources and Economic Development last Wednesday. As part of the first meeting of the session, newly named chair, Granbury Sen. Brian Birdwell, invited all three Railroad Commissioners to brief lawmakers on the status of the state’s oil and gas industries. Despite its name, the agency has nothing to do with rail in Texas but rather oversees the state’s largest industry, which accounts for almost a third of state gross product. That seems likely to continue, or even grow, following discovery of what the U.S. Geological Survey called the largest continuous oil and gas potential ever. “The good Lord has given the state of Texas in the last two years, the largest discovery of oil and gas in the history of the world,” said Commissioner Wayne Christian. The reserve found in the Wolfcamp Shale and Bone Spring Formation in West
SEE GAS, PAGE 8
Valley Lodge Trail Ride Association members make their annual trek toward the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo last Wednesday as they head south on FM 359 toward a rest stop at Christ's Church Foster Creek. The church, located at the former Wild West promises, provided treats for the riders and their escorts. Children were also invited to meet the riders and pet the horses. (Photos by Joe Southern)
(Left) Shelley Richard of Sugar Land takes a cell phone photo of her daughter Ava, 4, petting a horse. (Above) Ashley Gage talks about the horses with some of her friends.
Sugar Land Mayor Joe Zimmerman and City Manager Allen Bogard will deliver the 11th Annual State of the City Sugar Land at 11:30 a.m. on Feb. 28 at the Sugar Land Marriott Hotel and Conference Center. Lunch will be served at 11:30 a.m., followed by Zimmerman and Bogard talking about Sugar Land’s accomplishments goals. and The event is hosted by the Fort Bend Chamber of Commerce. “As the City Zimmerman of Sugar Land approaches its 60th anniversary in December, we look forward to sharing a dynamic presentation focusing on our many accomplishments over the past year and our vision for the future,” Zimmerman said. “Sugar Land’s rich history has been defined by exceeding expectations, investing in services that meet the needs of our citizens and anticipating new challenges. Throughout our remarks we will emphasize our commitment to doing things differently in Sugar Land – a mindset we simply call the ‘Sugar Land Way.’ It’s a commitment to doing things in a way that creates pride in our home town and inspires confidence in local government.” Some of these include the following: • The city’s ongoing efforts to improve mobility and connectedness throughout Sugar Land; • The focus on keeping Sugar Land safer than ever before as evidenced through the city’s historically low crime rate and sustained investments in facilities and including infrastructure, drainage; • The city’s efforts to listen
SEE CITY, PAGE 2