INSIDE | Fort Bend - Local Eats, p. 9
Opinion Boy Scouts provided a lifetime of adventure, but what now?
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Upcoming
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Sports @FtBendAthletics: Ridge Point holds off Travis 28-14 p. 11
WEDNESDAY • OCTOBER 18, 2017
Fort Bend / Southwest • Volume 40 • No. 9
Cleveland Browns defensive end Emmanuel Ogbah, a Bush High School graduate, puts pressure on Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson. See story, p. 11
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SBA offers low-interest loans to residents, businesses Agency has provided $1 billion in Texas since Harvey hit Compiled by Joe Southern JSOUTHERN @ FORTBENDSTAR.
(Photo by Joe Southern)
Gulf War veteran and former prescription drug addict Curtis Brown holds a copy of his new book, “PTSD: Programmed To Self-Destruct.”
Veteran helping victims of PTSD, addictions with book By Joe Southern JSOUTHERN @ FORTBENDSTAR.COM
Curtis Brown is a Gulf War veteran and a wounded warrior. Unlike so many of his military peers, he is not missing limbs, he is missing parts of his neck and spine and until recently he was losing his mind. He now has a mostly titanium neck and partial spine and a new grip on reality. For years Brown suffered from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), or as he calls it in the title of his new book, Programmed To SelfDestruct. In his book, as in his life, Brown wages war against an unseen enemy – opioid drug addiction. “This addiction was destroying my life,” he said. Brown was an E4 in the Army and served during the Gulf War in 1990-91 with the First Cavalry. He received two bronze service stars for his service, but while in Iraq he was exposed to chemicals that made him sick. In August of 1991 he was injured in a training accident and medically discharged. For 18 years he suffered with chronic pain, PTSD and an addiction to the pain relievers, muscle relaxants and antidepressants the doctors at his Veteran’s Affairs hospital kept prescribing him. “These psychotropic drugs put me in a Waco mental ward for a while,” he said. After 12 years, he and his wife, Heather, realized that the source of his pain was a broken neck and spine he suffered in the training accident. He had three surgeries at the VA hospital in Shreveport, La., but they were botched and made things worse. In 2010 he found a new doctor and again went under the knife. “My neck is 98 percent titanium,” Brown said. His neck and part of the lumbar region of his spine had collapsed. “The VA just wanted to push more and more strong meds on me,” he said.
★ SEE VETERAN, PG 6
Hurricane Harvey flooded nearly a fourth of Fort Bend County when it hit late August and many people are still struggling to recover. Although most Harvey survivors have gone or are going to FEMA disaster recovery centers, the U.S. Small Business Administration
(SBA) reminds people that they can also find help with them, not just business owners but homeowners and renters as well. “SBA helps businesses of all sizes, private nonprofits and homeowners and renters by providing low-interest direct federal recovery loans,” said Garth MacDonald, U.S. Small Business Administration’s Office of Disaster Assistance Public Information Officer.
He said loans as low as 3.305 percent for businesses, 2.5 percent for private nonprofits and 1.75 percent for homeowners or renters are available with terms up to 30 years. “We can loan for any uninsured or under-insured damages. For small businesses and most private nonprofit organizations, SBA can also offer low-interest Economic Injury Disaster Loans as well as loans for physical damages,” MacDonald said.
The SBA has offices at the two FEMA sites in Fort Bend County. One is in Simonton and the other is located at the Fort Bend County Sienna Annex, 5855 Sienna Springs Way, Room 111, Missouri City. MacDonald said there is no cost to apply and no obligation to accept any loan funds. Applicants don’t have to
★ SEE SBA, PG 2
Star's Senior Expo welcomes hundreds to Stafford Centre By Joe Southern JSOUTHERN @ FORTBENDSTAR.COM
The Fort Bend Star’s third annual Senior Expo is in the books, having welcomed approximately 800 guests who came to learn about products and services available locally for those in their golden years. “I am very pleased with the turnout,” said Star Publisher Jonathan McElvy. “We had many good, quality vendors and excellent speakers. We offered a real value for the time people spent with us.” The event was held Oct. 11 at the Stafford Centre and featured nearly 70 vendors and food provided by Clancy’s Public House, Off the Vine Bistro and Shipley’s Donuts. The vendors had booths highlighting everything from health and wellness to senior housing, medical, dental, wealth, retirement, entertainment, insurance, photo preservation and much more. Speakers provided guests with a wealth of information on a variety of topics. They included Michael Wilhelm and Sondra Ford of Trusted Senior Specialties, speaking about “Medicaring, Advocating, Creating Solutions.” Barbara Walker-Green
(Photo by Joe Southern)
Angela Gonzales of Trusted Senior Specialties shares information with visitors to the Senior Expo held last Wednesday at the Stafford Center. Also pictured from Trusted Senior Specialties are Keandra Austin and Jairo Salmeron. of Advanced Wealth and Retirement Planning Concepts, spoke about “Your New Retirement GPS! Learn how to minimize the four major risks of retirement.” Dr. Kota Reddy of Reddy Wellness Center, labeled his talk, “What’s in
your liver?” Faye Dreman and Brittany Jalomo of Watercrest at Katy and Shadow Creek Ranch, discussed “Retirement. Did you know…?” Platinum sponsors of the Senior Expo include Watercrest at Sugar Land Retirement
Living, Trusted Senior Specialist, and Advanced Wealth and Retirement Planning Concepts. Gold sponsors include Oyster Creek Assisted Living and Memory Care, Overture Sugar Land, Inspired Living, Capital Bank,
Consolidated Planning Group, TexanPlus, Evolution Rx, and Medwin Family Medicine and Rehab. Plans are already being made for the fourth annual Senior Expo, set for Oct. 10, 2018.
Apollo 11 exhibit launches national tour in Houston By Joe Southern JSOUTHERN @ FORTBENDSTAR.COM
Space Center Houston has brought Columbia and Challenger together under one roof. Not the remnants of the illfated space shuttles but rather the command modules of the first and last Apollo spacecraft that took men to the moon. Destination Moon: The (Photo by Joe Southern) Apollo 11 Mission exhibit The Destination Moon: The Apollo 11 Mission exhibit is now open at Space Center Houston, opened Oct. 14 at the space featuring Columbia, the command module that took Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Mi- center, the first stop on a four-city journey for the hischael Collins to the moon. Columbia is pictured next to a display of its hatch.
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toric spacecraft and related artifacts. The three-person capsule is on loan from the Smithsonian’s Air and Space Museum, where it has been on display continuously since completing a 50-state tour in 1971. Challenger, the Apollo 17 command module, also belongs to the Smithsonian but is on permanent display at Space Center Houston in the Starship Gallery.
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★ SEE APOLLO 11, PG 4
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