FBISD resolves civil rights case from 2012: Page 9
Dallas Beeler returns to the Skeeters as Sugar land continues to lead the Atlantic League. See the story on page 6.
WEDNESDAY • AUGUST 1, 2018
Fort Bend / Southwest • Volume 41 • No. 50
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Toastmasters chartered in Missouri City By Donna Hill FOR THE FORT BEND STAR
Anyone who’s afraid to speak to an audience, even after hearing the standby advice to “pretend the audience is wearing… (insert article of clothing or clothing-optional part here),” and it still doesn’t help with the speaking jitters, check out the Toastmasters website where “Every Toastmasters story starts with a single speech.” Luckily, for aspiring speechmakers living in Missouri City, the time to be confident is now. A chartering ceremony on May 31 made Toastmasters official in Missouri City. An educational non-profit organization since 1924, Toastmasters International dedicates itself to empowering individuals to become more effective communicators, confident speakers and leaders. Membership exceeds 352,000, with more than 16,400 clubs in over 141 countries. Keith Romaine, a longtime Toastmaster member, along with President Robert “Jobby” Johnson, felt that with four Toastmaster Clubs in neighboring Sugar Land, surely they could start another Toastmasters group in Missouri City – particularly in Sienna Plantation. The planning for the new charter took more than a year, with several meetings, requisite paperwork, plus the official start-up OK from Toastmasters International headquarters in Englewood, Colo. Johnson, a 30-year member of Toastmasters, recalls first looking for a Toastmasters Club in the Show Me City. “When I arrived, I was sure there was a Toastmasters Club for a city this size. When I checked on Toastmasters International, there were no clubs here,” he said. He attended the Sweet Talkers Toastmasters Club in Sugar Land, yet it was always in his heart to start a club in Missouri City. Johnson credits a Christian songwriter, Matthew West, for spurring him into club starting action. “I heard his song ‘Do Something’ and the lyrics which stood out were ‘if not now, then when?’” he said. Johnson said membership is growing. “People want to become
SEE CLUB, PAGE 7
By Theresa D. McClellan THERESA@FORTBENDSTAR.COM
Even if the two governing bodies can’t work out their issues, the Stafford Municipal School District will have a police presence when school starts in August. This assurance came from both the Stafford Police Chief Richard Ramirez and Stafford MSD Board of Trustees President Christopher
Caldwell following an email announcement from the school district last week calling the city “irresponsible” for its July 25 decision to not fund three police officers as paid school resource officers. In that email, school board trustees blasted city officials saying they were caught off guard by the city’s decision to discontinue an old agreement that allowed the city to pay for school officers. “This is an unprecedented move
in the history of Stafford and one that works against the district’s commitment to safety. With less than a month until the 2018-2019 school year begins, the district was blindsided by an irresponsible decision that will affect our entire community,” the school communication said. One board trustee, school board Vice President Xavier Herrera, said in the email that he was “deeply troubled” by the decision. “Without a clear plan in place or
availability of discussion prior to the vote is consciously irresponsible,” Herrera said. “Playing politics in today’s climate places our students and staff in unnecessary danger,” Herrera added. But the police chief said he has been in talks with school superintendent since March. In June the new board president took over negotiations and
SEE POLICE, PAGE 5
Man blames golf course upgrades for flooded home Missouri City denies responsibility By Joe Southern JSOUTHERN@FORTBENDSTAR.COM
Like many people in Missouri City, Mitch Carter’s home flooded during Hurricane Harvey last year. With the exception of one of his next-door neighbors, Carter said no one else in his community got water in their house. He believes his home flooded as a direct result of the reconstruction of the 15th hole of the city-owned Quail Valley Golf Course in 2009. He claims the removal of a berm along FM 1092 and the elevation of the golf course cut off a drain that took water away from his property. “They cut the drain off and now my property is the drain,” he said. Missouri City denies any responsibility. “The City’s insurance company has determined that the damages or injuries to Mr. Carter’s property were not caused by any wrongful act, omission or negligence on the part of the City or any of its employees,” spokesman Cory Stottlemyer said in an emailed statement. “The City has no additional comments at this time.” Carter and his wife Yolanda have lived in Missouri City for 20 years. Their home is uniquely located in a cul-desac on Thunderbird Street. Their back yard abuts a lake on the right and the golf course on the left. Carter said there was a small pond on the golf course and the ground used to be level from his property to near the intersection of FM 1092 and Cartwright Road. After Missouri City pur-
chased the golf course and raised the hole to street level, it left the course sloping down toward the enlarged pond – which was dug out to provide dirt for the elevation – and the homes to the south, primarily Carter’s home. “There was a certain amount of water that went to the lake and a certain amount of water that went to the drain. Now the drain doesn’t get the water,” Carter said. “They have a very good drainage system there but the water can’t get to it… My house didn’t used to be the low area. They made the land higher than my house.” For the first few years after the golf course was improved, the Carters didn’t have any problems. When the area did flood, the water never reached their property, and if it did, only the outer edge. They did notice the water encroaching more and more, but after the floods of 2015 and 2016, they felt they were safe. They felt safe enough that when Hurricane Harvey approached last year they had their children and grandchildren come over so they would be dry. On the night of Aug. 27 water breached the walls and eventually filled the house with a foot of water. They fled the house in the middle of the night in a panic. “We called for help but the city would not come,” Yolanda Carter said. She said the next day a city truck came by, but the driver simply took a photograph and left. Within a few days the Carters discovered that their next-door neighbor’s home got a couple inches of water. The
Mitch and Yolanda Carter stand in the back yard of their home on Thunderbird Street with the 15th hole of the Quail Valley Golf Course in the background. They claim that when the city redesigned the hole it closed off access to a drain, forcing floodwaters toward their house. (Photo by Joe Southern)
neighbors on the other side stayed dry, as did the other homes in the neighborhood. Water flowed through the Carter’s property and flooded Thunderbird Street. “It’s worsened since Harvey,” Carter said. “A lot of dirt has been washed out.” Nearly a year later the Carters are still recovering. Some of the walls in their home are still stripped of drywall. “We’ve made a lot of progress but we’re not finished,” Carter said. “We haven’t been back in our own beds in about a year.” Last fall the Carters retained the services of attorney Steve Fernelius who wrote the city detailing the problem and demanding $100,000 payment to cover some of the expenses the Carters incurred from
SEE FLOOD, PAGE 5
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‘When Life Grabs You By The Baseballs’ is true story of rise, fall, and redemption By Joe Southern JSOUTHERN@FORTBENDSTAR.COM
Jon Peters of Missouri City is a typical middle-aged man, raising two kids, active in church, and working a good job in the oil and gas industry. Oh, and he also happens to hold the national record for most consecutive wins by a high school baseball pitcher with 53. In his career at Brenham High School he was 54-1 and led the Cubs to three state championships. On May 8, 1989, he became the first high school baseball player to be featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated magazine. It all went downhill from Jon Peters of Missouri City holds a copy of his new book, “When Life Grabs You By The Baseballs.” (Photo by there. There was the suicide atJoe Southern)
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tempt the night before the record-breaking game and the career-ending surgeries on his arm. Although he was recruited by Texas A&M, he never played a game of college baseball and lost the dream of
playing in the Major Leagues. He did coach some at the college level and even married his college sweetheart. That was in 2003. Six years and two kids later the marriage was over. “I had recently gone through a divorce and I couldn’t stop drinking vodka,” he said. “I felt worthless and wanted to die.” He became an expert at concealing his drinking problem from everyone but himself. “I hid everything,” he said. His experience as a highprofile athlete taught him to keep his problems low-key. “Even in high school I saw how professional athletes messed up and it got smeared everywhere,” he said.
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