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Sugar Land shoots down mixed-use development
By Matt deGrood MDEGROOD@FORTBENDSTAR.COM
Ever since the Fort Bend County Medical Examiner’s Office was founded in 2019, county leaders knew it would need to expand and build its facility on plentiful land. There was a simple logic to it, after all. Fort Bend County is one of the fastest-growing counties in America and, with a bigger population, would come a greater need for
all sorts of services and more cases for investigators with the medical examiner’s office to handle, according to Stephen Pustilnik, the county’s chief medical examiner. Little did county officials realize, however, that the need to expand would come even sooner than expected, Pustilnik said. “Because Fort Bend County is growing so rapidly, we built in an area with enough land to handle 30-plus years of growth,” he said.
Ridge Point baseball ready for state moment
“However, our initial calculations were based on the number of cases we’d gotten over the last five years.” Fort Bend County, as investigators would soon discover, had no uniform policy for reporting deaths before the arrival of the medical examiner’s office in 2019, Pustilnik said. And that meant that many actual deaths hadn’t been accounted for in those initial calculations, he said. In 2018, for instance, data showed the county
received about 900 calls for service for a medical examiner, according to Pustilnik. But in the medical examiner’s first year of operation, it received about 2,100 total calls, he said. The county is in the middle of a $1.7 million expansion to the medical examiner’s facilities near the county fairgrounds, at 3840 Bamore Road in Rosenberg, according to Pustilnik. Last week, the commissioners court approved spending $100,000 to begin
some work on the project, according to county documents. The goal is to complete the project by 2023, Pustilnik said. The expansion will add a third office building that will include space for additional personnel as well as several other functions, such as space for an emergency operations center or classrooms and more, he said. County leaders had
SEE EXPANSION PAGE 7
Driven to win
By Landan Kuhlmann LKUHLMANN@FORTBENDSTAR.COM
By Matt deGrood MDEGROOD@FORTBENDSTAR.COM
Plans to build two multipurpose districts across 8 acres, complete with apartments, restaurants and retail, near the intersection of several major highways in Sugar Land have been shot down by the city amid concerns from some residents about the plan to include more apartments in particular. The city council in a 43 vote last month rejected a request to rezone about 8 acres near state highways 59 and 90 and Dairy Ashford Road from business office district to planned d e v e l opment district. Mayor Joe Zimmerman, who made Zimmerman the motion to reject the request, cited the fact the proposed project wouldn’t comply with a 2018 land use plan that envisions the area of town as a regional activity center. “We’ve had some difference of opinion over this,” he said. “That being said, it’s good that the U.S. has always been a nation where we can voice our opinions and still live together – that we can respect the opinion of others.” Houston-based development firm Kaplan Management Company had submitted plans to the city that would have used about 8 acres to build two separate districts at the site, according to documents submitted to the city. District A – which would have sat on about 6.2 acres – would have consisted of multi-family units along with a parking garage and 2,400 square feet of nonresidential space, according to planning documents. District B would have consisted of three buildings proposed as restaurants, along with
SEE DEVELOPMENT PAGE 7
As battery mate JJ Kennett put the sign down for a two-out, fullcount offering in the seventh inning of last Friday night’s regional final against Houston Strake Jesuit, Hunter Nichols said he was ready for the moment. Still, he said, not much compares - yet - to the feeling of actually clinching a trip to the state tournament. And Nichols did just that with his final pitch, blowing an 88 mile-per-hour fastball past the Crusaders’ last hitter to send the Panthers’ faithful into a frenzy. “As soon as I threw it, I knew out of my hand it was good,” Nichols said. “I saw him swing through it, and then it was just a rush of emotions after that.” Nichols’ 10th strikeout of the game was his biggest of the season, as the Panthers defeated the Crusaders 2-1 to punch their ticket to the state tournament. It is the second state berth in the last three postseasons for the Panthers (35-5), who will take on Southlake Carroll (32-8) in the state semifinal at 4 p.m. Friday at Dell Diamond in Round Rock. If they are victorious on Friday, the Panthers would play the winner of Rockwall Heath and San Antonio Reagan at 4 p.m. Saturday for the Class 6A state title. “If you had told me last year that I would’ve been here, I’d have thought you were crazy. But we worked our butts off all year for this,” Kennett said. “…We’d all been talking about the dogpile – it’s a moment you’ll never forget with all your brothers.” The Panthers emerged out of a tough Region III-6A bracket, a playoff run which has seen them sweep top-ranked Katy Tompkins in the
Carter roen rounds rst ase for a dou e in the rst innin of a re iona na a e a ainst ouston Stra e esuit ast Friday at arry and ori Schroeder ar at the niversity of ouston (Photo by Landan Kuhlmann)
regional quarterfinals in addition to taking out the Crusaders – the defending regional champions – last weekend. And as evidenced by both results and their outward confidence, the Panthers were unfazed by the draw. In fact, senior infielder Justin Vossos said they relished the gauntlet and that it prepares them even more for the competition in Round Rock. He called Tompkins one of the best lineups in the state and regional semifinal opponent Pearland one
of its deepest pitching staffs, while the Crusaders’ resume as defending regional champions spoke for itself. “We want to play the best, and there’s no reason to not want to play the best,” said Vossos, a Texas A&M commit who is the lone remaining member of the 2019 team which played in the state title game. “It makes you a better player, creates a more fun atmosphere and better games. We weren’t fazed by anything, though – we knew if we played our game that we’d be fine.” All about balance
The Panthers’ game, players said, is predicated on pitching, defense, and timely hitting – all of which have come up big at one point or another during the current run. Ridge Point’s pitching staff has been superb all postseason, allowing a grand total of 24 runs in 12 playoff games. Nichols and Kellen Gradisar have powered the Panthers’ staff, throwing a combined 65.2 innings in their 10 postseason starts while allowing just 15 com-
SEE RIDGE POINT PAGE 7
Parents, admins talk safety in local districts after Uvalde By Matt deGrood MDEGROOD@FORTBENDSTAR.COM
Parents and teachers across Fort Bend County are again thinking about the safety of their children after the recent shooting at an elementary school in Uvalde that killed 19 children and two teachers, with local school districts working to reassure them. Fort Bend ISD’s Board of Trustees, for instance, might consider adding items to this month’s
meeting agenda to discuss additional security measures, according to Sherry Williams, a spokesperson for the district. Superintendent Christie Whitbeck already wrote a letter to parents, assuring them safety was the district’s top priority. “And while no one can ever guarantee that nothing tragic will ever occur in any setting, we hope you will be able to take comfort in knowing our dedicated police department and robust safety
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measures are in place and are there ready to protect and serve every student and staff member in Fort Bend ISD,” she said.
FBISD was not alone in reaching out to speak directly to parents and families in the days after the May 24 shooting.
“As a father and superintendent, the events from… (Robb) Elementary School in Uvalde CISD are beyond heartbreaking,” Stafford MSD Superintendent Robert Bostic wrote. Bostic in a letter advised parents to talk with their children and said Stafford Police Department would increase its presence on campuses. The Stafford school district operates under the
SEE SAFETY 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