High school football teams move on in playoffs - Page 5
Sugar Land's annual Holiday Lights are back at Constellation Field. See more about what is planned for this year's event in our story on Page 2. (Photo from Facebook)
WEDNESDAY • NOVEMBER 24, 2021
Book your Holiday Party With Us 281.240.3060 • 12821 SOUTHWEST FWY
LasHaciendasGrill.com
dec. 18th 9pm-1am
Live Entertainment by the band “TNT”
Jack’s NEIGHBORHOOD PUB!
281-498-3410
11720 Wilcrest • Houston, Tx. 77099 CALL FOR DETAILS
Sheriff's office hopes DNA tech can solve cold case And residents now communicate instantaneously on smartphones and the internet. For all the technological advances and the rapid growth and development in Fort Bend County since 1973, the one thing that hasn’t changed is the mystery surrounding Hawkins’ death. Investigators with the Fort Bend County Sheriff’s Office are now hopeful
By Matt deGrood MDEGROOD@FORTBENDSTAR.COM
Much has changed in the decades since deer hunters in 1973 first found the remains of Julie Esther Hawkins, 16, in a wooded area near Clodine Road and FM 1464. What was once a remote part of Fort Bend County is now filled with housing developments.
Hawkins
sheriff’s office a $10,100 grant that investigators are using to incorporate advanced DNA technology into the search for Hawkins’ killer. Detectives in 1973 quickly determined Hawkins was strangled to death, said Jacqueline Preston, spokesperson for the sheriff’s office.
SEE COLD CASE PAGE 7
Local business wins big on 'Shark Tank' By Matt deGrood MDEGROOD@FORTBENDSTAR.COM
By Landan Kuhlmann LKUHLMANN@FORTBENDSTAR.COM
Fort Bend County friends Melissa Harrington, left, and Emily Castro recently won an investment offer on the popular television series "Shark Tank" for their work on a seafood delivery service called Fish Fixe. (Contributed photo)
Melissa Harrington and Emily Castro have been best friends for a long time, from the time they first met on the soccer pitch at Texas A&M University to their years spent as next-door neighbors after both moving to Houston. But most recently, the duo has been hard at work on their business dream – an online premium seafood delivery business that ships frozen fish across the country and includes guidance on how to prepare the food, called Fish Fixe. Harrington, who lives in Sugar Land, and the Katy resident Castro have been working on expanding the business since launching it in 2017, and recently received a major boost after appearing last week on ABC’s popular television series "Shark Tank." “It was such a rush,” Castro said. “You’re going in, it’s the biggest pitch of our lives. We don’t remember parts of it.” The Fort Bend County business partners took part in a somewhat dramatic Nov. 12 episode. Castro and Harrington went into the presentation seeking a $200,000 investment for about 8 percent equity in Fish Fixe. Initially, shark Kev-
in O’Leary was the only one to make an offer to the Fort Bend County friends, under which he would provide the investment for 33.3 percent equity in the company. Harrington and Castro made a counteroffer of 25 percent, but O’Leary declined, and then shark Lori Greiner offered to invest at the 25 percent mark. Harrington and Castro quickly agreed. Beyond successfully pitching their business on a nationally-known television show, the appearance on "Shark Tank" has also been a game-changer for Harrington and Castro in several other ways, they said. For one, Castro achieved her dream of appearing on the show, being a longtime fan of it, she said. “I’d always dreamed of appearing on it,” she said. “Before this, when I was working in a fulltime job, I’d always watch 'Shark Tank' in my free time.” Their appearance never would have happened without Harrington’s help, Castro explained. Back in college, Castro played as a sweeper, or defender on the Aggies’ team, while Harrington was a striker. That mentality – of a goal-scorer and defensive-minded player – also define their
SEE SHARK TANK PAGE 7
FBISD votes to rescind district mask mandate By Matt deGrood MDEGROOD@FORTBENDSTAR.COM
SEE THANKSGIVING PAGE 7
that new advances in DNA technology might finally help them crack the case that has eluded a conviction for 48 years, detective Scott Minyard said. "This may be a cold case, but that doesn't mean it can't be solved," Minyard said. "Especially with the advances in technologies available to us today." A nonprofit organization recently gave the
Fish fanatics
Holiday fun abounds in Fort Bend As Thanksgiving approaches, there are plenty of activities for Fort Bend County residents of all ages, persuasions and passions to enjoy on the holiday itself and during the days leading up to it. One of the most prominent events in the area will be the Fort Bend Interfaith Community’s sixth annual Interfaith Thanksgiving service, which was set to be shown on the FBIC's Facebook page starting at 6:30 p.m. Monday. It can also be viewed after the fact on the organization's YouTube channel. The annual celebration will bring together representatives from 12 different faith communities in the county, such as Christ Church Sugar Land, Congregation Beth El in Missouri City, Ismaili Council for the Southwestern United States, Hindus of Greater Houston and Sikh Community of Fort Bend County. This year’s theme is “Together in Gratitude." The event was scheduled to feature readings, songs, poems, dances and prayers from 12 different faith communities, including Christian, Muslim, Jewish, Sikh, Buddhist and Hindu. For more information on the Fort Bend Interfaith Community and its mission, visit the organization’s website at fbictx.org/. Children’s Discovery Center hosting holiday activities The Fort Bend Children’s Discovery Center at 198 Kempner St. in Sugar Land was set to begin hosting Great Gobbler WonderWeek, a full week of Thanksgiving-related activities from Tuesday through Saturday, with the exception of Thanksgiving
Visit www.FortBendStar.com
Fort Bend / Southwest • Volume 46 • No. 14
Fort Bend ISD’s board of trustees last week voted to rescind the district’s short-lived mask mandate, despite it not having been in effect for more than three months. The agenda item calling for a discussion on the district’s mask mandate drew about 20 speakers and again illustrated
the deeply partisan divide that has grown in both Fort Bend County and across the country over the issue of masking during the COVID-19 pandemic. “We don’t want your protection,” said Allison Morris, one of the parents who spoke at Tuesday’s board meeting. “We want choice. And masks are hurting my daughter’s learning.” Trustees needed to
readdress the district’s mask mandate because of a recent federal judge’s ruling that declared Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s executive order banning mask mandates violated Americans with disabilities laws, Board President Dave Rosenthal explained. “We need to provide guidance to district administration on how to proceed from here,” he said.
Rosenthal
series of events surrounding masks in FBISD. The board in a narrow 4-3 vote in August opted to institute a mask mandate, becoming one of a growing number of Texas school districts to do so, in defiance of Abbott’s executive order banning mask mandates. Several counties and school districts took the
The board’s decision last week is the latest in a
SEE MANDATE PAGE 7
JERRY FLOWERS
Real Estate Agent, MBA, CNE, ABE Army Veteran (RET) • 832-702-5241 Jerry@dreamhomesbyjerry.com
4500 Highway 6, Sugar Land, TX 77478