Elkins alum, rapper donates tuition - Page 6
Last week's visit to Aki Steak and Sushi in Sugar Land provided a bit of nostalgia with colorful and tasty options. Read our review inside on Page 10. (Photo by Stefan Modrich)
WEDNESDAY • OCTOBER 14, 2020
Fort Bend / Southwest • Volume 44 • No. 9
Visit www.FortBendStar.com
Travis coach killed in Rosenberg shooting By Landan Kuhlmann LKUHLMANN@FORTBENDSTAR.COM
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Lauderdale
Hamilton
A football coach at a local high school died Saturday after being shot at a Fort Bend County sports complex. The Rosenberg Police Department said the victim was identified as 29-year-old Derwyn Lauderdale, who was a first-year wide receivers coach at Travis High
School in Richmond, according to Fort Bend ISD’s website. The shooting happened at Rosenberg’s Seabourne Sports Complex at 3701 Fountains Dr. after a youth sporting event, according to Rosenberg PD. Police said the alleged shooter is Houston resident James Hamilton, 28, who was arrested and charged with murder, according to Rosenberg
Police Chief Jonathan White. Hamilton is being held in the Fort Bend County Jail on a $500,000 bond, according to police. “What a sad set of circumstances that took place during this event. Children came to play a game they love, only to have it ruined,” White said in a news re-
SEE SHOOTING PAGE 5
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Mo City ballot error remedied By Stefan Modrich SMODRICH@FORTBENDSTAR.COM
Some Missouri City voters received mail-in ballots earlier this month with the wrong precincts that were missing the city’s municipal races. Early voting started Tuesday and is scheduled to last through Oct. 30, and Election Day is Nov. 3. Last Friday, Missouri City sent out a notice to residents following some reports of incorrect ballots. The city advised residents to “verify that they receive the correct ballot by ensuring that it has the city general and special election and that the precinct number on their voter registration card matches the one on the top right hand side of the mail-in ballot.” The incorrect ballots in question were sent to 25 registered voters in Missouri City and mishandled by a temporary worker on Oct. 1, Fort Bend County Elections Administrator John Oldham said. Due to the size of the ballots, they are folded by hand, not by machine, he said. Before noon Oct. 5, Oldham said his office was in touch with Maria Jackson, the city secretary for Missouri City, and the correct ballots were sent out to the appropriate voters. As an added precaution, Oldham said the county mailed out an additional 28 new ballots to voters whose ballots were handled by the same temp worker. Of those 28, Oldham said Monday afternoon that none of them had reported any issues with their ballot. He said those who were expecting the ballots that were sent out last week should have received them by now.
Oldham
SEE BALLOT PAGE 9
Stacey Williams, right, and her daughter Addison, 5, stand together next to the OutRun Hunger 5K lawn sign in Harvest Green. The virtual race raised $15,000 for the East Fort Bend Human Needs Ministry from Sept. 25-30. (Contributed photo)
Virtual 5K raises $15,000 for fight against hunger By Stefan Modrich SMODRICH@FORTBENDSTAR.COM
Hundreds of runners took to sidewalks, parks and trails for a virtual version of the third annual OutRun Hunger 5K Family Walk and Run, raising $15,000 for East Fort Bend Human Needs Ministry (EFBHN) from Sept. 25-30. The East Fort Bend Human Needs Ministry is a local nonprofit that provides assistance to families and individuals during times of temporary financial crisis. Stacey Williams, development director for EFBHN, knew the race would need to be different this time around due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
But she and title sponsor Harvest Green, a masterplanned community in Richmond, said they were determined to do whatever it took to launch a safe and successful race. For starters, that included slashing the race entry fee from $25 to $10. The ministry ended up surpassing its goal by $5,000. In 2019, the event raised $20,000. “We’re just trying to be cognizant of people’s financial situations right now, whether or not they’ve been laid off,” Williams said. “We tried to do that, and that really helped our cause.” Liz Hamm and her husband, Jabus Hamm, have participated in the OutRun Hunger 5K with their daughter Skylar, 9, and
their son Kai, 6 for each of the past three years. “This year was fun because we could run on our own schedule,” Liz Hamm said. “We hope that in the future we’ll continue to have the in-person event as well as the virtual option, so if people are out of town or they can’t make the 5K (they can do it on their own).” Hamm said she and her children wore T-shirts from the previous two races to boost awareness of the event and were proud to see neighbors completing their own virtual runs. “We made it a point to wear our T-shirts and go out into the community over the course of several days,” Hamm said. “We always were taking selfies
Aaron Marcynuk, left, and Justin Williams multi-tasked, racking up miles for the OutRun Hunger 5K Family Walk and Run while taking their children for a walk. (Contributed photo)
and the kids and I were going together. We posted on social media saying that we were looking forward to doing the run. It was fun seeing people
when we were out seeing other people wearing this
SEE HUNGER PAGE 5
County, state allowing local bars to resume services By Adam Zuvanich AZUVANICH@FORTBENDSTAR.COM
Local residents’ favorite watering holes are allowed to dust off their barstools and invite customers back inside. Fort Bend County Judge KP Judge announced Tuesday that the county’s bars, brewpubs and wineries would be allowed to reopen for on-site consumption on Wednesday, at no more than 50 percent of their building occupancies, per an executive order issued Oct. 7 by Texas. Gov. Greg Abbott. The governor is permitting those alcohol-
oriented businesses to welcome back customers in counties with low COVID-19 hospitalization rates, but only if county judges allow the reopenings within their jurisdictions. George released a statement Saturday saying he was considering whether to opt in to Abbott’s plan and in the process of consulting with local medical authorities and bar owners. “We already know that the tools in our toolbox like masking up, practicing physical distancing and avoiding mass gatherings are direct ways to combat COVID-19,” George said
George
Abbott
through a spokesperson. “Now, as Fort Bend County opens up bars and similar establishments – I encourage everyone to continue
to practice safe and smart guidelines.” Abbott’s order applies to counties with COVID-19 hospitalization rates at 15
percent or less for a period of at least seven consecutive days. As of Monday, 5.1 percent of all hospital patients in Fort Bend County were COVID-19 patients, according to the SouthEast Texas Regional Advisory Council. There have been a total of 16,912 cases of COVID-19 in Fort Bend, with the disease having caused at least 208 deaths among residents and 15,822 patients having recovered. The daily number of reported cases in the county has steadily declined since SEE BARS PAGE 5