FBISD recognizes valedictorians, salutatorians -- Page 8
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Fort Bend / Southwest • Volume 43 • No. 41
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Area murder suspect remains on the run By Landan Kuhlmann LKUHLMANN@FORTBENDSTAR.COM
Wilbert Outlaw II, 22, of Missouri City, was found dead in Stafford the morning of Jan. 1, 2018. One of the suspects charged in his death, Giuseppe Briguglio, 20, is now on the run from authorities after police say he allegedly cut off his ankle monitor in
February. Briguglio, who previously went on the run during the initial murder investigation, failed to appear for a scheduled court appearance in Fort Bend County’s 240th District Court on Feb. 4 and has been missing ever since. Briguglio was charged with murder in connection with Outlaw’s death in January 2018 and indicted by a Fort Bend County Grand
Jury three months later. The victim’s father, William Outlaw, who has attended every court proceeding in the case, wants Briguglio back in custody. “This man needs to be caught, apprehended and incarcerated, and I believe he is a clear and present danger to society,” Outlaw said. “He’s
SEE SUSPECT, PAGE 4
Outlaw II
Briguglio
Voice for change
FBISD holding public hearing for tax rate on June 3 From Staff Reports
Fort Bend ISD will hold a public hearing on Wednesday, June 3 in the Board Room of the Administration Building 16431 Lexington Blvd., to discuss the proposed tax rate for the 2019-20 school year. Immediately following the public hearing, the board of trustees will convene in a special meeting to vote on the proposed tax rate. Following the adoption of the tax rate, the school district will publish notice and hold another public meeting before the school district adopts a budget, which must be finalized by June 30 each year. According to a news release from FBISD, after extensive discussions with the board of trustees about state funding uncertainty and the need to fund the district’s continued priorities, which include compensation increases for all staff members and support for all learners, district staff is recommending that the board call a Tax Ratification Election, or TRE, and adopt a Maintenance and Operations Tax Rate of $1.17 per $100 valuation and a debt service tax rate of $0.28 per $100 valuation. Members of the public are invited to attend the June 3 meeting to learn more about the budget development process and comment on the proposed tax rate. More information is available on the Fort Bend ISD website, www.fortbendisd. com/budgetdevelopment.
Scholarship organizer Sena Pierre (white dress) presents Stafford teen Daizha Moton her check for winning the recent Lyrics for Learning competition, along with celebrity judges and other winners. The 14-year-old Moton was chosen out of competitors from around the Houston area. (Contributed photo)
Teen making presence felt through performance By Theresa D. McClellan FOR THE FORT BEND STAR
The walls of 14-year-old Daizha Moton’s room are decorated with honor-roll awards, first-place ribbons, trophies and now a replica of her $2,000 scholarship check for songwriting. The recent Stafford Middle School graduate claimed first prize in the Lyrics for Learning competition on May 18, adding this as one of many accomplishments for a youngster who has been competing since she was 4. The scholarship Moton was awarded is to be applied to a two- or fouryear college. When she was just 3, Moton caught the eye of Oprah Winfrey with an audition tape exhibiting her photographic memory and oratory skills. Heady stuff for most. But this Missouri City singer, songwriter, actress, artist and
orator, who loves to create and perform, remains humble and even empathetic as she uses her skills to create a better place. With her song, “My Change is Gonna Come,” about the importance of uniting as one regardless of skin color or ethnicity, Moton wrote the lyrics while watching the news. “I thought about what is going on and to make things right, we need to come together,” Moton said. “Right means no more violence, no more fighting, everybody come together without regard to skin color or ethnicities.” Her lyrics and performance so impressed judges - culled Daizha Moton practices in her bedroom. She has been singfrom the 10 participating ing and writing songs since she was four years old. (Contribschool districts and celebrity uted photo) judges - she claimed first place in the middle school competi- competition is part of a stu- Queen.” The inaugural lyrics tion and was chosen to play dent empowerment program competition gave away scholthe lead in a video the orga- created by founder and di- arships, gifts and prizes to nizers created on bullying and rector Sena Pierre, who is elementary, middle and high suicide prevention. also head of a nonprofit or- school students. The Lyrics for Learning ganization called “You Are A JV McQueen of Missouri
City Middle School placed second to Moton, while Lake Olympia Middle School’s Alexa Castaneda was third. In the elementary school competition, the top three finishers were Elijah and Isaiah Williams of Ridgegate Elementary, Jermaine Betts of Briargate Elementary and Kendrea Lewis of Stafford Intermediate. Moton got involved after seeing a flyer for the competition while at her Stafford Middle School. The competition, held at the University of Houston main campus, featured celebrity judges including 2013 American Idol contestant Vincent Powell. “We had judges in the music industry, producers, fine arts directors from Katy, Cypress and Aldine,” Pierre said. “With their experience in the
SEE SONG, PAGE 10
Chen, Jackson battle in first-ever Stafford runoff election By Landan Kuhlmann LKUHLMANN@FORTBENDSTAR.COM
Two first-time Stafford City Council candidates will battle at the polls in a historic runoff election June 8 for the vacant Position 1 spot. Alice Chen and Auturo Jackson will soon be part of the fabric of Stafford’s history, with the election serving as the city’s first-ever runoff election. Jackson led the May 4 vote with about 49.4 percent (868) of the 1,758 ballots, while Chen garnered about 44.9 percent (790) of the ballots. Early voting for the runoff will take place May 28–June 4 at various locations around Fort Bend County. For more information on the election and voting locations, visit fortbendcountytx.gov/.
Chen
Jackson
Here is a rundown of the candidates:
Zoning Commission. “I love this city, and I know the great things we can achieve,” she said. “I promise to continue communication with the people of Stafford by leading them in important conversations about the needs of our city and the families. I want to care for our city wherever they are.” One of Chen’s primary
Alice Chen Chen has lived in Stafford for 30 years, working as a community activist, volunteer and small business owner. She has been Congressman Al Green’s community liaison since 2006 and also served on Stafford’s Planning and
focuses is on continuing to grow the Stafford Municipal School District footprint. “I want to support our school board, our school leadership so they have the funding and things they need in order to make our children the leaders of tomorrow,” she said. Another of Chen’s top priorities if elected would be expanding opportunities to minority-owned businesses and creating incentives for small businesses to begin structuring economic development projects and sustainable public infrastructure. She plans to accomplish this by a combination of developing community centers and commercial establishments. “I know that it’s not easy to compete against big companies,” she said. “That’s my goal, and I don’t
see that in the city right now.” Chen said access to affordable healthcare is another obstacle she would tackle if elected. “I want to expand access to low-cost healthcare in our city,” she said. “Our families deserve to have the resources they need to lead a healthier life.” Additionally, she said the biggest resident concerns she heard when knocking on neighborhood doors was what to do about the area’s stray cat population. Chen would like to find a way to get a no-kill shelter to find them homes while simultaneously creating a spay and neuter program. Above all, Chen feels as though she can draw on her experience as a community activist and volunteer to drive her vision of Stafford to fruition. “I know that as a city
councilwoman, I can do so much more. I can bring fresh, new ideas to support this city – I will work day in and day out for the benefit of my neighbors,” she said. “I am the only candidate in this race who can hit the ground running on Day 1, and I hope [the city] will join my team so we can make this vision a reality.” Auturo Jackson Currently serving as Senior Director of Contracted, Paratransit, and Vanpool Services for Houston METRO, Jackson has lived in Stafford since 1996. He was elected to Stafford MSD’s board of trustees from 2013-16 and remains employed as its senior director of transportation. Jackson also has served
SEE RUNOFF, PAGE 3