Work begins on solar farm near Rosenberg - Page 2
Check out this week's installment of "Fun in Fort Bend" about the Texas Junior Theater Festival on Page 7. (Photo by Charles Tsang)
WEDNESDAY • JUNE 30, 2021 Check out
our FAMILY PACKS
Population growth spurs development in area By Matt deGrood MDEGROOD@FORTBENDSTAR.COM
online ordering & Curbside pick-up!
9920 Hwy 90A Suite #D-120 Sugar Land, TX 77478 832-532-7816
Art Camps
Now open for registration
in Sienna, First Colony, Sugar Land Parks & Rec, New Territory & Pearland Parks & Rec.
Visit www.FortBendStar.com
Fort Bend / Southwest • Volume 45 • No. 45
Brandan McGaughey is hard at work in the study as his wife, Jennifer McGaughey, shows off their pristine Missouri City home. Some of the furniture in the home theater room came with the house, and the kids just love the pool outside, Jennifer McGaughey said. If not for her explaining
Jennifer McGaughey looks out the window of her new Missouri City home. (Photo by Matt deGrood)
it, you wouldn’t know the McGaugheys are recent arrivals to Fort Bend County, having moved to their new home in the first week of April. The couple and their children moved after, in Jennifer’s words, everything seemed to point in the direction of Fort Bend. “It’s just convenient to get everywhere,” she said of Fort Bend. “It’s so nice.” The McGaugheys are hardly alone. Record num-
bers of people across the country are taking advantage of low interest rates and a newfound freedom to work from home to purchase homes in recent months. The unexpected trend has had numerous side effects, including a lumber shortage and skyrocketing home prices. But even amid that backdrop, Fort Bend County stands out in the speed and size of its population growth
in recent years. According to one analysis by HireAHelper, Fort Bend County is the second fastest-growing county in the United States. Between 2015 and 2020, the county’s population increased from about 715,260 to 839,706 residents, according to the report. “Fort Bend, up until the
SEE GROWTH PAGE 7
Razor's edge
contact
cstapleton@abrakadoodle.com
832.679.3238
Candy Chowdhury REALTOR
Asset Property Realty Buying, Selling, Investment, Rental Properties Full Service Property Management & Leasing Since 2002
281-201-2015
Luxury
Tree Service
• Tree Removal • Landscape Design • Tree Trimming • Mulching • Lot Clearing • Plant Grass • Hauling • Demolition • Stump Removal Free Estimates Insured
Call Omar
832-799-3811
Local officer indicted for alleged theft By Matt deGrood MDEGROOD@FORTBENDSTAR.COM
Kevin Kopps reacts after recording the final out of a May 9 game against the Georgia Bulldogs. The Sugar Land native finished the season as one of college baseball’s top pitchers, winning multiple national awards. (Photo courtesy of University of Arkansas Athletics)
Sugar Land native living out faith through baseball By Landan Kuhlmann LKUHLMANN@FORTBENDSTAR.COM
A former Missouri City police officer is being accused of taking money from Interim City Manager Bill Atkinson, court records show. A Fort Bend County grand jury on June 21 indicted William Keith Boyett, of Seabrook, who is charged with one count of theft of property between $750 and $2,500 and one count of tampering with government records with the intent to defraud or harm, according to court filings. Details contained in the twin indictments against Boyett are scant, and officials with Missouri City declined to comment about the pending criminal charges against the
Boyett
SEE INDICTED PAGE 7
Baseball and life are defined by failure or falling in some manner. In baseball, the best hitters make outs 70 percent of the time, the best pitchers give up a few runs every game, and injuries can derail a career. In life, failure can mean falling short of your own or someone else’s expectations. Kevin Kopps has seen some of those curveballs during his life, but has come back stronger each time – a trait he credits to his family and his Christian
faith, which has shaped much of how the Sugar Land native goes about both life and baseball. “My faith is the most important thing to me,” he said. “At first it was hard, because I wanted my own plans to happen in baseball and life. But I’ve found comfort in trusting in God’s plan.” The plans have come up aces lately for Kopps, 24, the University of Arkansas pitcher who on June 18 was named the winner of the 2021 Dick Howser Award – given to the national college baseball player of the year. The 6-foot, 200-pound right-hander is a finalist for the
2021 Golden Spikes Award. He was also the National College Baseball Writer’s Association’s 2021 Stopper of the Year after a season in which he posted a 0.90 ERA and struck out 131 hitters in 89.1 innings for the Razorbacks. However, there also have been lows for the senior hurler. An elbow injury sidelined him for the entire 2018 season and affected his performance the following two years, dragging out his college career and possibly lowering his stock as a Major League Baseball pros-
SEE BASEBALL PAGE 7
Kevin Kopps, second from right, stands with his sister Ashley, mom Michelle and father Rick with the Dick Howser Award trophy. (Contributed photo)
County's newest Boys & Girls Club opens in Mission Bend By Matt deGrood MDEGROOD@FORTBENDSTAR.COM
Jesse Zenteno, a member of Fort Bend County’s newest Boys & Girls Club, beamed as he walked up to the microphone. “Thank you for this club,” Zenteno, 8, of the Houston part of Fort Bend County, shouted happily, before momentarily forgetting what he was going to say. “And this awesome
Fort Bend County Precinct 2 Commissioner Grady Prestage, holding scissors, prepares for a ribbon-cutting at the county’s newest Boys & Girls Club.(Photo by Matt deGrood)
building!” A veritable who’s who of elected officials, scores of children and many officials with the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Houston gathered June 24 to celebrate the opening of the county’s newest club, a $6 million complex along Addicks Clodine Road. The Mission Bend Club actually opened in late 2020, but coronavirus pandemic restrictions meant those behind it had to wait
until June to officially celebrate the project, which was several years in the making, said Kevin Hattery, president and CEO of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Houston. The club has space for after-school care, labs for homework assistance and mentorship and space for sports and games, including a gym.
SEE CLUB 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