07-28-2021 Edition of the Fort Bend Star

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Missouri City bond could be on November ballot - Page 2

Read the first installment of our Skeeters Spotlight series, on Bryan De La Cruz, inside on Page 5. (Photo by Landan Kuhlmann)

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Rise of Delta variant worries medical experts By Matt deGrood MDEGROOD@FORTBENDSTAR.COM

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Fort Bend / Southwest • Volume 45 • No. 49

A growing number of residents have checked themselves into Fort Bend County hospitals in recent weeks and been diagnosed with the Delta variant of COVID-19, setting off concern among physicians that this could be the beginning of another wave of coronavirus, according to health experts. But unlike previous waves

during the pandemic, this rise has been limited almost exclusively to people who have declined to receive the coronavirus vaccine, said Rita Obey, communications manager for Fort Bend County Health and Human Services. “As with the rest of the Houston region, Fort Bend County has seen a rise in cases,” Obey said. “The vast majority of these cases have been unvaccinated residents. Out of the 367,000-plus Fort Bend County residents who

Public health officials in Fort Bend County are concerned about a spike in COVID-19 infections and hospitalizations (Contributed photo)

have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19, four people who were 70-plus years of age and had comorbidities died from COVID-19.”

SEE VARIANT PAGE 7

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Local cities note uptick in violent crime By Matt deGrood MDEGROOD@FORTBENDSTAR.COM

Both Sugar Land and Missouri City have seen upticks in some violent crime categories in both 2020 and 2021, but they should be considered in their context, according to police officials in both communities. Violent crime increased in Missouri City in 2020, largely on the back of more aggravated assaults and robberies. But it’s important to understand it came after years of falling percentages, according to Chief of Police Mike Berezin. “I always tell people to try not to focus on the percentages,” Berezin said. “Look at the actual numbers.” Focusing on percentages can sometimes paint a misleading picture. For instance, Missouri City in 2020 saw two homicides, com-

Fort Bend Museum’s Ana Alicia Acosta looks on at public art displayed at the front of the newly-renovated museum. The museum reopened to the public on July 17 after closing for almost six months. (Photo by Matt deGrood)

Renovated museum depicts evolution of county By Matt deGrood MDEGROOD@FORTBENDSTAR.COM

Even approaching the newly-renovated Fort Bend Museum in Richmond, it’s easy for one to believe they’re about to enter some place in one of the world’s centers of culture – a New York, a Paris, a Tokyo. A comforting white exterior and glass doors greet visitors, and the entry is filled with local art and historical trinkets and T-shirts depicting Fort Bend County history. “This used to be basically a big brick box,” said Claire Rogers, the executive director of the Fort Bend History Association, which oversees the

Berezin

museum. The museum, 550 Houston St. in Richmond, reopened to the public July 17 after being closed about six months for

$2 million in renovations, according to Fort Bend History Association. The facility as it exists today, with its abundance of

See related column ...................

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building in April 2018, she said. The fire wasn’t terrible, but it began in the center of the museum, and the facility at the time had no windows and limited ways to get out, she said. “We decided that, before we attempted to build bigger and better, we needed to deal with what we already had,” Rogers said. “We wanted to

SEE EVOLUTION PAGE 7

Area dance instructor inspiring after cancer diagnosis By Landan Kuhlmann LKUHLMANN@FORTBENDSTAR.COM

SEE CRIMES PAGE 7

Lots of light and color dominate the Fort Bend Museum’s new exhibit space, pictured here. (Photo by Matt deGrood)

windows and brightly-lit interior, is a far cry from how it looked before, said Ana Alicia Acosta, the site manager. The museum’s association began in 1967 and built the facility that housed the museum in 1972, intending it to become a storage collection facility for the nearby Moore Home, Rogers said. By 1988, the facility had become a museum office that didn’t change much until recently, Rogers said. Trustees with the history association had contemplated building a dedicated museum elsewhere in the county as the organization celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2017, according to Rogers. But then a fire started in the museum

About three months ago, Cookie Joe Arthur learned she had Stage 2 breast cancer, just a short time after finding a lump during a self-examination. Ever since then, she’s been undergoing bi-weekly chemotherapy sessions as MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. The diagnosis and subsequent treatment would be a

challenge for anyone. But Arthur, 67, no stranger to overcoming obstacles in recent years, is hoping to use the setback to raise awareness of the disease causing some 281,550 new cases each year, she said. “I just want to use what could be a sad, challenging or despondent time and turn it around to say, ‘What can we do to make it useful and purposeful?’” she said. “This was given to me for a purpose – so I’ve got to make it purposeful.” On Aug. 13-14, Cookie Joe’s

Cookie Joe Arthur teaches a dance class on Saturday in Sugar Land. (Photo by Landan Kuhlmann)

Dancin’ School in Sugar Land, which Arthur founded more than 40 years ago, will partner with the Exchange Club of Sugar Land to host a two-day blood drive aimed at bringing a greater awareness to the

SEE INSPIRING PAGE 7

JERRY FLOWERS

Real Estate Agent, MBA, CNE, ABE Army Veteran (RET) • 832-702-5241 Jerry@dreamhomesbyjerry.com

4500 Highway 6, Sugar Land, TX 77478


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