Kendleton man sentenced for murder -- Page 2
Skeeters assistant trainer Shane Borchert is a mystery man to many fans. Read his story inside today's edition on Page 4. (Photo by Joe Southern)
WEDNESDAY • AUGUST 21, 2019
Jack’s
Fort Bend / Southwest • Volume 43 • No. 53
Suspect could be connected to multiple area burglaries By Landan Kuhlmann
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This man is believed to be connected with multiple Houston-area burglaries. (Photo from FBCSO)
Detectives from the Fort Bend County Sheriff’s Office are asking for help identifying a man they say stole $20,000 worth of designer sunglasses from a Richmond store earlier this month. The suspect could be linked to similar burglaries
in the Houston area. Deputies responded to a call in the 7700 block of West Grand Parkway South just before 4 a.m. Aug. 4 after an eyeglass store was burglarized, according to the FBCSO. Police say 79 pairs of sunglasses – brands ranging from Prada to Versace to Armani – were stolen overnight. Surveillance footage from the store showed a late-
model white Honda Civic pull up just after 3 a.m. and a male suspect enter the store. Police described him as having a thin build and thin mustache, wearing a navy blue and gray Astros baseball cap and with different-colored surgical gloves. According to police, the suspect also has a rosary
SEE SUSPECT, PAGE 6
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Fort Bend ISD makes grade in TEA ratings By Landan Kuhlmann LKUHLMANN@FORTBENDSTAR.COM
Many Fort Bend ISD schools received high marks in this year’s Texas Education Agency accountability ratings, while several area schools saw significant year-overyear improvement. Last Thursday, the TEA released its annual performance review of public schools and districts. The ratings measure academic performance at all levels according to three categories: student achievement, school progress and “Closing the Gaps,” which compares student groups based on differences such as race and ethnicity, economic status and special needs. Seventy-four of FBISD’s 77 campuses received
SEE GRADE, PAGE 7
Construction continues Monday at Fort Bend ISD's James Reese Career and Technical Center, the site where 95 sets of human remains were discovered last year. Talks between FBISD and Fort Bend County about reinterring the remains appear to have stalled. (Photo by Landan Kuhlmann)
Fate of 'Sugar Land 95' remains in limbo By Landan Kuhlmann LKUHLMANN@FORTBENDSTAR.COM
The 95 African Americans whose remains were unearthed during construction of Fort Bend ISD’s James Reese Career and Technical Center last year will have to wait at least a bit longer to return to rest. Talks of a potentially historic plan to return the remains to their original resting place have hit a snag as Fort Bend ISD and Fort
Bend County butt heads over legal issues. The “Sugar Land 95” are believed to have been part of Texas’s convict-leasing program that was in operation until 1911. FBISD announced in July that it had reached an agreement with the county to reinter the remains and transfer land ownership to the county so it could operate the cemetery. But County Judge KP George said last week that an agreement has not been reached.
Dupre
“We brought together a historic group of stakeholders, passed a bill with the
George
governor’s approval, and were incredibly close to finalizing a deal with the
school district,” George said in a statement. “The eyes of the nation are watching, and there is simply too much at stake.” In June, school district leaders joined with elected officials from the county, the state legislature and U.S. Rep. Al Green to reiterate a shared desire to appropriately honor the “Sugar Land 95” and celebrate the passage of House Bill 4179,
SEE LIMBO, PAGE 5
Grand at Aliana construction to begin in coming weeks By Landan Kuhlmann LKUHLMANN@FORTBENDSTAR.COM
Josh Friedlander of NewQuest Properties knows that with Fort Bend County expanding, there’s no such thing as too much shopping. In that vein, the area will soon see signs of another development in Richmond aimed at serving one of the nation’s fastest-growing counties and its customers. NewQuest Properties is set to begin work on the first phase of its planned 400,000 square-foot mixeduse development, coined the Grand at Aliana, in the
next few weeks. Friedlander said the company’s work began on the land at the northeast corner of West Grand Parkway South and Air-port Boulevard in 2017 before officially acquiring it in 2018. Anchors for the project – situated between the Aliana and Harvest Green subdivisions in Richmond – will include 24 Hour Fitness and Burlington Coat Factory along with Five Below and Ulta Beauty. Restaurants such as Jason’s Deli and Freddy’s Frozen Custard & Steakburgers, as well as service cen-ters such as Timewise
The Grand at Aliana, shown here in a rendering with confirmed tenants, will begin construction in the next few weeks. NewQuest hopes to have the first tenants open by the second quarter of 2020. (Rendering from NewQuest Properties)
and Express Oil, are also among confirmed tenants. There also will be green space between the restau-
rants for families to play and picnic. “To get this sort of center with strong anchors is
pretty special,” Friedlander said. “There’s not many of these power centers coming up these days.”
Friedlander said New-
SEE ALIANA, PAGE 2