UH opens Technology College at SL campus - Page 4
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Fort Bend / Southwest • Volume 43 • No. 57
Visit www.FortBendStar.com
Railroad commission cites area petroleum company for foul odor From Staff Reports
A Fort Bend County petroleum company has been cited for noncompliance with a state rule after an unpleasant smell pervaded the air near Missouri City last week, according to a Sept. 13 news release from the city. Missouri City said it had been contacted by
citizens over a period of several days about a foul odor near the intersection of Fort Bend Parkway Toll Road and FM 2234, just outside city limits. The Railroad Commission of Texas investigated and found the smell to be caused by well operations from Viceroy Petroleum at 5526 McHard Rd. in Fort Bend County, according to Missouri City. The railroad commis-
sion issued Viceroy a citation for noncompliance with a state rule requiring gas releases to be burned in a flare for safety reasons, according to a Sept. 13 statement from railroad commission spokesperson Gaye Greever McElwain. “An inspector determined the source of the odor to be drilling and completion operations on the Viceroy Petroleum Cities Services Fee Lease Well
No 1951,” McElwain said in the statement, which was released by Missouri City. “Open top tanks on the lease have been emptied of fluid. The operator has altered the flow of fluids into covered storage tanks and is installing separation equipment so that any excess gas from the liquid may be flared.” McElwain said no spillage of fluids or impacts to groundwater in the area
were observed. The area where the foul odor was noticed is within a few miles of three Fort Bend ISD campuses as well as the Fort Bend Boys & Girls Club. “In this instance, county officials were in communication with the company and no precautions were advised for our schools and campuses,” FBISD spokesperson Amanda Bubela said in a statement.
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Stafford FD awarded federal grant By Landan Kuhlmann LKUHLMANN@FORTBENDSTAR.COM
Stafford’s fire department will soon be able to add more firefighters to its workforce to help serve the city’s residents. U.S. Sen. John Cornyn’s office announced Sept. 11 that the Stafford Fire Department was awarded a federal grant for $753,778.80 to increase its full-time staff by 60 percent and support its work. The Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grant provides direct funding to fire departments and volunteer firefighter organizations to help increase the number of trained firefighters. “As a department we are
SEE STAFFORD, PAGE 8
Andrea Hopkins with You’ve Got Maids of Sugar Land cleans a Sugar Land area home Tuesday morning. (Photo by Landan Kuhlmann)
Free cleaning a blessing for area woman battling breast cancer By Landan Kuhlmann LKUHLMANN@FORTBENDSTAR.COM
Lorna Broomfield, who owns a local housecleaning business, knows firsthand how chemotherapy treatments can drain energy from a person as they battle cancer. Sugar Land resident Susan Phillips is engaged in such a battle and unable to perform her typical housecleaning duties due to limited mobility following multiple surgeries. Broomfield is now helping Phillips through a nationwide partnership called “Cleaning For A Reason” that has connections in Fort Bend County. Cleaning For A Reason is a nonprofit organization that provides free housecleaning services to women undergoing cancer treatment. Since beginning in 2006, Cleaning For A Reason has partnered with maid services such as Broomfield’s You’ve Got Maids of Sugar Land to clean for more than 30,000 women in the United States and Canada. For Broomfield, the
cause hits close to home as her sister lost her battle with cancer in 2017. That experience inspired her partnership with Cleaning For A Reason. “I remember each time she completed a treatment, she always said she didn’t feel good for quite a few hours,” Broomfield said. “I just thought giving the gift of a clean home could provide a little bright spot in their day. They’re always so grateful for it, and they can focus just on themselves for just a quick minute without having to worry about it.” Enter Phillips, who is currently battling HER2positive – an aggressive form of breast cancer that has required multiple surgeries this year. Her home has been cleaned by Broomfield on multiple occasions. “Between battling infections from multiple surgeries and chemotherapy treatments, and then raising multiple teenagers, I’ve had a lot of things going on,” Phillips said. Broomfield and You’ve Got Maids provide women with two cleaners for two
You've Got Maids of Sugar Land franchise owner Lorna Broomfield (right) poses with team member Carla Broomfield. Since opening in 2018, the business has helped six women with breast cancer through Cleaning For A Reason. (Contributed photo)
hours for the entirety of a cancer treatment period, customizing the service to their individual cleaning needs. Since opening in Octo-
ber 2018, the business has provided service to six cancer patients. “When I heard all about what it was all about, the idea automatically attract-
ed me,” Broomfield said. “I thought it was a great way to give back to the commu-
SEE BLESSING, PAGE 3
Lighthouse Church expands to Sugar Land By Landan Kuhlmann LKUHLMANN@FORTBENDSTAR.COM
Though he grew up going to church, Keion Henderson never envisioned starting his own upon moving to Houston. He certainly didn’t foresee himself moving a ministry to Sugar Land. Now, though, the former college basketball player from Indiana is nearly a decade into heading up one of Houston’s fastest-growing churches. And it just planted roots in Fort Bend County, where Henderson’s Lighthouse Church has opened a Sugar Land location called Lighthouse
Lighthouse Church senior pastor Keion Henderson speaks at the grand opening of the church's Sugar Land campus. (Contributed photo)
South. “I never had a plan to start a church,” Henderson said. “(Sugar Land) was a full-circle moment.” Henderson is the se-
nior pastor at Lighthouse Church, which he started in 2009 with 100 members. It has grown to a community of more than 10,000. The new location is at 16305
Kensington Dr. in Sugar Land, where a ribbon-cutting ceremony was held Sept. 5. The church also has locations in central Houston
and Humble and is set to open Lighthouse West in Katy later this year. “I think it’ll be an added asset in Sugar Land to have another great entity that wants to give back to our community,” Sugar Land city councilman Naushad Kermally said. “It’s not just about the church, it’s about the community. They see an opportunity in all of Fort Bend County to have services here to benefit all of us down here.” Humble beginnings Henderson grew up in Gary, Indiana, and said he
SEE LIGHTHOUSE, PAGE 8