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WEDNESDAY • DECEMBER 7, 2022 JEANNE GREGORY REALTOR®, CRS, GRI, ABR
Fort Bend / Southwest • Volume 47 • No. 63 • $1.00
Prestage addresses infrastructure demands By Ken Fountain KFOUNTAIN@FORTBENDSTAR.COM
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Local man sentenced in fatal stabbing By Ken Fountain KFOUNTAIN@FORTBENDSTAR.COM
A jury convicted a Missouri City man of murder and sentenced him to life in prison, the Fort Bend District Attorney's Office said in a press release. Gregory Kennith Wise, 33, was sentenced on the day before Thanksgiving in the stabbing death of Brandon Yarbough in 2019. According to prosecutors, Wise and Yarbough both lived in the same area of Missouri City and frequented the convenience store where the crime occurred. On June 7, 2019, Yarbough was standing outside the store while the defendant was sitting outside a nearby business, according to the press release. They were outside for approximately 15 minutes before Wise attacked Yarbough and stabbed him 12 times with a knife, according to authorities. Yarbough died in front of the store and Wise fled to a nearby group home where he resided, according to the press release. Wise disposed of the knife and once home, changed his clothes and hid them in the closet. Police investigators recovered surveillance video from the store that recorded the stabbing along with images of the defendant inside the store an hour earlier. The store clerk recognized him as a regular customer, leading police to believe Wise lived nearby. Wise was ultimately located and arSEE SENTENCED PAGE 4
Wise
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As a county with a fast-growing population, Fort Bend needs to work harder and smarter to address the demands on the current infrastructure and the ones that loom ahead, Precinct 2 Commissioner Grady Prestage told an audience of business people and public officials last week. Prestage, fresh off his
most recent reelection victory in an office he's held since 1990, told a breakfast gathering at the Fort Bend Chamber of Commerce on December 7 that Fort Bend is simply growing too fast to hold onto the old ways of thinking about how to keep up. "This is a wonderful place. We have a real sense of community, and we're proud to live here," Prestage. But, he said, certain recent acts passed by
the Texas Legislature and signed by Governor Greg Abbott have impinged on counties' ability to pay for infrastructure improvements. He particularly pointed to Senate Bill 2, passed and signed into law in 2019, which moves the rollback rate reduction threshold for counties and cities with populations over 300,000 from 8 percent SEE DEMANDS PAGE 4
Precinct 2 Commissioner Grady Prestage discussed infrastructure issues last week at the Fort Bend Chamber of Commerce. (Photo by Ken Fountain)
On the horizon
There appear to be plans on the horizon for the Imperial Char House, the largest part of the Imperial Sugar Company that gives Sugar Land its name. (Photo by Kylelovesyou via Wikipedia)
Redevelopment plan in the works for Imperial Sugar Char House By Ken Fountain KFOUNTAIN@FORTBENDSTAR.COM
After several years of speculation about the fate of one of Sugar Land's most distinctive buildings, things may finally be coming into focus. In a Thursday press release, the City of Sugar Land announced that
Houston-based PUMA Development proposed to preserve and begin development of the Imperial Char House, the largest feature of the Imperial Sugar Company, which gave the city its name. PUMA, a Houstonbased boutique development firm specializing in creating experiencedriven, mixed-use com-
munities, has requested support from the city of Sugar Land and the Sugar Land Development Corporation (SLDC) toward preservation of the Char House and eventual development of the remainder of the Imperial Historic District. Sugar Land City Council and SLDC will be considering financial support of the project as it progresses,"
the press release states. Opportunities for public input will be available at two town halls co-hosted by PUMA and the City on December 8 and 15 at 5:30 p.m. at the Sugar Land Heritage Museum and Visitor Center, 198 Kempner Street. Additional opportunities for public input will be available via community meetings, email updates
and public hearings as the project progresses. Updates will also be posted at www.sugarlandtx.gov/ ImperialHistoricDistrict. "PUMA's vision for the remainder of the Imperial Historic District, similar to the city's Land Use Plan, is to develop a SEE IMPERIAL PAGE 4
Missouri City nonprofit receives $10,000 grant By Ken Fountain KFOUNTAIN@FORTBENDSTAR.COM
MONAT Gratitude has awarded Missouri City nonprofit Celebrating You Inc. a $10,000 grant as part of its $1 million pledge to close achievement gaps in underserved communities around the world, the organization announced in a press release. The
grant will help the organization grow its Youth Entrepreneurship and Financial Literacy Program in the Houston area. "Celebrating You Inc’s mission is to ensure all youth reach their full potential by empowering, equipping, and preparing them to be successful, productive citizens in our global society," states the press release. The grant is a result of
MONAT Gratitude’s ongoing efforts to support new and existing initiatives in arts and culture, youth sports and recreation, and youth entrepreneurship, according to the press release. In total, MONAT Gratitude has invested more than $500,000 in youth education programs across the globe so far in 2022. SEE GRANT PAGE 4
Missouri City nonprofit Celebrating You was recently given a $10,000 grant from MONAT Gratitude. (Contributed photo)