Clements' Menzie wins regional teaching honor- Page 3
Missouri City's Logan Shields was picked for the Perfect Game 12U Select Baseball Festival in Georgia. Read his story inside today on Page 6. (Contributed photo)
WEDNESDAY • AUGUST 12, 2020
Fort Bend / Southwest • Volume 44 • No. 52
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Coronavirus outbreak kills 19 at nursing home By Landan Kuhlmann LKUHLMANN@FORTBENDSTAR.COM
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The Paradigm at First Colony nursing home in Missouri City was hit with a COVID-19 outbreak at the facility, which left 19 of its residents dead. (Photo by Landan Kuhlmann)
A recent outbreak of COVID-19 at a Missouri City nursing home has left 19 of its residents dead, according to a news release from the city. The city said Fort Bend County data provided on Wednesday reported 38 total cases of COVID-19, the infectious disease
caused by the new coronavirus, at Paradigm at First Colony nursing home at 4710 Lexington Blvd. Additionally, 24 staff members have also been infected. Mayor Yolanda Ford called the outbreak “harrowing” and said it emphasizes the continuing severity of COVID-19, which had infected 10,021 county residents as of Monday afternoon, according to Fort Bend
County. At least 113 county residents have died from the disease, while 4,351 patients have recovered, according to county data. Missouri City does not have local oversight of nursing homes within city limits, according to Ford. She said that responsibility falls to the state.
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County fair canceled because of pandemic By Stefan Modrich SMODRICH@FORTBENDSTAR.COM
The Fort Bend County Fair, which was originally slated to take place Sept. 25-Oct. 4, has been canceled for the first time since World War II due to the COVID-19 pandemic. “After careful consideration for the health and safety of our community and fairgoers, the difficult decision was reached after months of discussions and
The Pacific Coast Tacos outdoor patio area, shown here in October 2019, could soon be expanded as the restaurant considers taking advantage of a city of Sugar Land initiative aimed at helping local restaurants recover from the economic impact of COVID-19. (Photo from Facebook)
Sugar Land allowing restaurants to expand outdoor dining By Landan Kuhlmann LKUHLMANN@FORTBENDSTAR.COM
Restaurants in the city of Sugar Land could soon be able to expand their outdoor dining capacity in an attempt to help them cope with the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. That is a blessing for some in the hospitality industry, such as Pacific Coast Tacos situated in Lake Pointe Town Center. Restaurants across Texas have been forced to reduce their indoor dine-in
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SEE FAIR PAGE 4
allow restaurants in the municipality to temporarily expand their outdoor dining areas, including by using space in their parking lots. The city said it will work with businesses to maximize onsite capacity while keeping diners safe in accordance with federal and state guidelines. "I'm excited that we've identified a new and innovative opportunity to support our business community," City Manager Michael W. Goodrum said. "Our top priority will
always be the safety of our citizens, but we must also work with our businesses to ensure the economic health of our city. … This pandemic may not be over soon, so we must be prepared to work together for our common good." Nicole Solis, Sugar Land’s assistant director of environmental and neighborhood services, said an area business reached out to the city July 14 inquiring about providing additional possibilities for outdoor seating, which is not calculated as part of
the 50 percent maximum capacity allowed for an establishment under Abbott’s order. “They were looking for ways to make their customers a little more comfortable coming in while allowing them to serve more customers,” she said. The idea has been welcomed by those in the restaurant industry, including Pacific Coast Tacos. Espinosa said
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Missouri City toddler turns TikTok fame into TV appearance By Stefan Modrich
This year's county fair has been canceled over COVID-19. (File photo by Joe Southern).
capacity to 50 percent of their building occupancies under an executive order by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott. “When he first reopened the state (in May), we were flourishing and getting our numbers back up,” Pacific Coast manager Carlos Espinosa said. “Then when the (mask mandate) came in (late June), it slowed everything down again for us.” According to a news release, Sugar Land’s city council passed an ordinance Aug. 4 that will
Missouri City’s Cannon Crawford has a way with words. His parents, Jaime and Will Crawford, have been documenting their young son’s growth and development through the lens of TikTok, where he has become a sensation. “He has quite the per-
Are you
sonality,” Jaime said. “He’s pretty hilarious. He’s not even (2 years old) yet, so the words he uses are pretty advanced usually (for his age).” Jaime began using the social media application to showcase Cannon’s dance moves in March, when she captured him performing the Baby Shark dance, which is based on a viral video created by Pinkfong,
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a South Korean education company. On June 20, Jaime’s account surged into the social media spotlight when she posted her son trying to pronounce the name of one of his favorite foods – tomatoes. The post garnered 6.8 million views, 1 million likes and caught the attention of CBS, which reached out to the Crawfords and included their video on the show it
produces called “The Greatest #AtHome Videos.” The video featuring Cannon aired on CBS last Friday. “It definitely blew up a lot more than we were anticipating,” Jaime said. “But I guess people just love to hear babies try to say words that (the babies) can’t (say
SEE TODDLER PAGE 8
Jaime and Will Crawford with son Cannon. (Contributed photo)
Learn more about Sweet Cash and support Sugar Land businesses at AllInForSLTX.com