Space Cowboys falter in tough series - Page 3
Meadows Place secures funding - Page 2
WEDNESDAY • JULY 12, 2023 JEANNE GREGORY REALTOR®, CRS, GRI, ABR
Fort Bend / Southwest • Volume 48 • No. 35 • $1.00
Fort Bend officials lead task force to arrest fugitives Staff Reports
SOUTHWEST
713-854-0923 Each Office Independently Owned & Operated
Fort Bend officials urge caution with increased Cycllospora case
Visit www.FortBendStar.com
The Fort Bend County District Attorney’s Office, partnered with the U.S. Marshals Gulf Coast Violent Offenders and Fugitive Task Force, recently completed a five-week operation to locate and arrest fugitives, the Fort Bend County District Attorney’s Office said at a press conference on Monday. 80 felony warrants were executed against 50 individuals during the operation, according to officials. Arrests were made throughout Fort Bend County and the greater Houston area, and one in North Carolina. The charges included aggravated assaults, sexual assaults, crimes against children, weapons
and drug crimes, and murder. More than one-third of the fugitives were located in Fort Bend County. The goal of Operation Hawthorn, which ran from May 3 through June 9, was to target suspected gang members and violent offenders with outstanding warrants and collect criminal intelligence and to reduce crime in Fort Bend County, the officials said. Five firearms were recovered, $9,855 was seized, along with more than 10 ounces of marijuana. Seven documented gang members were also arrested, according to officials. “Operation Hawthorn was implemented to suppress crime in our community by targeting known violent offenders and gang members.
Fort Bend County District Attorney Brian Middleton, center, is joined by other law enforcment officials during a press conference outlining the results of Operation Hawthorn. Courtesy Fort Bend County District Attorney’s Office
We will continue to conduct these type of operations to maintain safety and set a tone that we will not stop our pursuit of fugitives and violent offenders,” Fort Bend County District Attorney Brian Mid-
dleton said in a press release. The Fort Bend County Constable Precinct 4, Fort Bend County Constable Precinct 3, Fort Bend County Sheriff’s Office Warrant/K9 Division, Houston Police Department
South Gessner Crime Suppression Unit, Houston Police Department Southwest Crime Suppression Unit and Houston Police Department Central Crime Suppression Unit assisted in the operation.
Fort Bend commissioners look toward attracting new industrial development
Staff Reports There have been reports of an increased number of cases in the region of Cyclospora, a non-lifethreatening gastrointestinal illness caused by an intestinal parasite, according to Fort Bend County Health and Human Services. Officials are urging residents to take precautions this summer while preparing food containing fresh vegetables and fruit, cooking, and spending time outdoors. According to a press release from the department, increased cases of Cyclosporiasis tend to occur seasonally between the months of April and August and symptoms tend to appear between two to 14 days. Cases have been associated with the consumption of fresh produce, including, but not limited, to fresh cilantro, raspberries, basil, snow peas, and mesclun lettuce. Cyclospora infects the small intestine (bowel) and usually causes watery diarrhea, with frequent, sometimes explosive, bowel movements. Other common symptoms include loss of appetite, weight loss, stomach cramps/pain, bloating, increased gas, nausea, and fatigue. Vomiting, body aches, headache, fever, and other flu-like symptoms may be noted. If you have symptoms of cyclosporiasis, see your healthcare provider. Fort Bend County Health and Human Services’ epidemiology team is investigating the cases and reminds residents that some gastrointestinal illnesses can spread quickly, especially during the summer. Wash your hands with soap and water thoroughly for at least 20 seconds before and after preparing food. Wash all fruits and vegetables before eating, cutting, or cooking. Wash all cutting boards, utensils, and surfaces to avoid cross-contamination If you or a loved one experience any of these symptoms, please reach out to your healthcare provider. For more information, visit cdc. gov/parasites/cyclosporiasis.
Fort Bend Commissioners Court discusses creating an industrial development committee during its June 27 meeting. The matter was expected to be taken up again this week. Courtesy Fort Bend County Precinct 3 office
By Ken Fountain KFOUNTAIN@FORTBENDSTAR.COM
On Tuesday (after the Fort Bend Star’s print deadline), Fort Bend Commissioners Court was expected to vote on an initiative from Precinct 3 Commissioner Andy Meyers for the creation of a committee that would evaluate county policies and make recommendations on how to attract new industrial development. “The Fort Bend Economic Development Council explains that the county has missed several opportunities to attract and land major industrial operations, and the well-paying jobs that come with them, because Fort Bend County did not have an industrial site ready and available,
or one that could be easily and quickly developed (i.e. shovel ready),” Meyers writes in his agenda item. “Over the past couple of years as companies pursue re-shoring and nearshoring, the industrial and commercial site-selection process continues to evolve with significantly shortened project timelines. Fort Bend County needs to adjust to this new reality.” Meyers and county officials first broached the idea in a workshop discussion during the court’s June 27 meeting. During that discussion, representatives of the Fort Bend Economic Development Council, a nonprofit organization not directly related to the county, and Carlos Guzman, the county’s appointed
economic development director, laid out the obstacles the county has had attracting new industry and laid out a set of “tools” that the county could implement to overcome those obstacles. Among those tools, as proposed by Meyers and the other officials, are an industrial development corporation, industrial development districts, and so-called “Super Districts” that would combine the powers of several different types of districts. Many of these would require enabling legislation in the Texas Legislature. Meyers, a Republican who is up for reelection in 2024, has long championed bringing new industrial businesses into the county. In recent talks, he has discussed his vision for mak-
ing Fort Bend County more than a bedroom community in the greater Houston area, but a place where more residents actually work. Immediately following the June 27 workshop discussion, Meyers moved to have the proposed committee, which would consist of him and Democratic Precinct 2 Commissioner Grady Prestage, who was not present at the meeting. Meyers said that he had already discussed the item with Prestage, who told him he was on board. But Fort Bend County Judge KP George and Precinct 4 Commissioner Dexter McCoy, both Democrats, said they wanted to hold off on a vote. George in particular said he wanted to have Prestage present so that the full court
could have a wider discussion of the proposed committee. McCoy, meanwhile, noted that his district, centered around the Richmond area, is more rural than Meyers’s own largely urbanized district. Since his district would be the likely home of most of the new industrial development, he said, he believed he should have a more active role in the committee’s discussions. Both men, however, said they were not opposed to the proposed committee itself, and thanked Meyers for leading the way on the discussion. Acknowledging that a 2-2 split vote was in the offing, Meyers withdrew his motion for a vote on the committee so that it could be heard in this week’s meeting.