Independent

FORT BEND

FAIR. BALANCED. INFORMATIVE.

Phone: 281-980-6745wwwww.fbindependent.com.fbindependent.com

P. O.BOX 623, SUGAR LAND, TX 77487-0623WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 6, 2010

VOL 3 No. 1

You don’thave to live

with pain

It’s time to start experiencing relief with a personalized treatment plan from our new comprehensive Back Pain program. Our skilled health team specializes in joint and back pain, off ering both minimally invasive surgical techniques and non invasive treatments.

To learn more, call 281.725.5225 or visit SugarLandBackPain.com.

Introducing the new Back Pain Programat Memorial Hermann Sugar Land.

MHH097001_StrGolf_FB_01.indd 1 10/12/09 3:39:49 PM

OH, WHAT A NIGHT. The Fort Bend Chamber of Commerce will kick off the New Year with its annual Chairman’s Ball on Saturday, Jan. 16 at 3 Sugar Creek Center in Sugar Land. The event is held each year to celebrate the incoming and outgoing leaders and volunteers of the Fort Bend Chamber of Commerce. An exciting and surprise-fi lled evening is planned with cocktails, followed by dinner, fabulous entertainment, awards and recogni-tions, and music and dancing to the coolest, hippest band around, Vanilla Pop! Consisting of Al Dente and Lester Moore, Vanilla Pop is part Vegas style lounge act, part satire and all fun. Do not miss this incredible night! Tickets are $99.95 per person or $999.95 for a corporate table of ten. Dress is cocktail chic. Las Vegas loungewear, feathers and pink tie are optional. Contact Ellen Bush for reservations: 281-491-0277 or [email protected]. Rehearsing for the gala are chamber directors Chris Breaux, left, Namita Asthana, Kolbe Curtice and Bridget Yeung.

By BARBARA FULENWIDER“Residents are extremely

concerned,” said former coun-cilwoman Eunice Reiter about the Metropolitan Transit Au-thority’s survey of an 84-acre site, south of Missouri City’s Fondren Park neighborhood.

Their concern is about a park and ride and eventually a com-muter rail station off of the Sam Houston Tollway and U.S. 90A that would create heavy traffi c on their two-lane neighborhood streets.

Reiter, a recently retired city council member who was just elected president of the Fondren

Park Community Improvement Association for the eighth time over some 30 years, said a sec-ondary concern of residents is noise.

Currently there is heavy veg-etation along the railroad track and the neighborhood houses which now muffl es some of the train noise. She said Metro will have to remove the vegetation if they decide to make an offer on the property they’ve just sur-veyed and that trains roll down the track every 30 minutes.

At December’s homeowner meeting, Missouri City plan-ning department personnel

“came with some maps and explanations and Councilman Bobby Marshall was there. He emphasized the fact that he was in favor of a park and ride of this nature in Missouri City but not necessarily at this location,” Reiter said.

“The city’s Angelou (Eco-nomics) study (done for Mis-souri City in 2003) projected it (commuter rail station) located west of the Beltway and that’s where it belongs,” Reiter said, “because there’s room there for transit oriented development. The current proposed location is isolated from any development

because it’s all residential.”John Haley, Metropolitan

Transit Authority vice presi-dent, infrastructure and service development, said their survey of the property is done but they have not made an offer to buy it. Right now, he said, his en-tity is “doing some research on the ownership” and after that “we’ll make a decision over the next few weeks” whether or not to make an offer on it.

“Our objective is to provide better service for Missouri City. If anybody has another idea we’ll look at it. I have done some conceptual work on vari-

Community airs concern over park and ride project

By SESHADRI KUMARA slew of candidates have

entered the Republican and Democratic party primaries for various local political offi ces for which the fi ling deadline ended on Jan. 4.

While local Republicans have some unforeseen con-tests, Democrats have fi elded candidates to most of the of-fi ces.

The notable primary con-tests in the Republican Party include Precinct 4 Commis-sioner, District Attorney, County Court-at-Law No.2, Justice of the Peace Pct. 1, Place 2, 268th District Court and Congressional Dist. 14.

Incumbent DA John Hea-

ley faces Nina Schaefer and Richard Raymond.

Incumbent Pct. 4 Commis-sioner James Patterson faces Steve Smelley.

District Judge Brady Elliott is challenged by Roxie Roll.

The County Court-at-Law No. 2 is an open seat for which Jeff McMeans and Rick For-lano have fi led.

CCL Judge No. 3 Susan Lowery has an opponent Lar-ry Thomas, but his fi ling has not yet been offi cially con-fi rmed.

JP Pct. 1, Place 2 incumbent Gary Geick is opposed by Mary Ward and Bob Thomas.

Dist. 14 U.S. Rep. Ron Paul has three opponents, Tim

Ganey, Gerald Wall and John Gay.

The incumbent county chair of the Republican Party, Rick Miller, has an opponent. Mike Gibson has also fi led for party chair.

For the Republican Party precinct chairs about 100 people have fi led for 90 posi-tions.

On the Democratic Party side, incumbent Dist. 27 State Rep. Dora Olivo faces Ron Reynolds.

For county judge, Rodrigo Carreon and Philip Atisedao-mo have fi led.

For JP, Pct. 1, Place 2, three Democrats, Aurelia Moore, R.J. Blue and Marty Rocca

have fi led.For JP, Pct.2, incumbent

Joe Clouser and Tony Sher-man have fi led.

Incumbent Democratic Par-ty Chair Elaine Bishop is chal-lenged by Stephen Brown.

Democrats have also fi eld-ed candidates for other posi-tions, but they are unopposed in the primary.

They are: State Rep. 26 Philip Andrews

240th District Court Fred-ericka Alllen

268th District Court Albert Hollan

CCL Judge No. 1 Milton Flick

CCL Judge No.2 Harrison Gregg

Commissioner, Pct. 2 Gra-dy Prestage

District Clerk Veronica Torres

County Clerk Korinthia Miller

County Treasurer K.P. George.

Incumbents in the Repub-lican primary who have fi led, but unopposed are:

U.S. Rep. Dist. 22 Pete Ol-son

State Rep. Dist. 26 Charlie Howard

State Rep. Dist. 28 John Zerwas

State Sem. Dist. 17 Joan Huffman

State Sen. Dist.18 Glenn Hegar

24oth District Judge Thom-as Culver

328th District Judge Ron Pope

434th District Judge Jim Shoemake

CCL Judge No.1 Bud Childers

CCL Judge No.4 Sandy Bielstein

County Judge Bob HebertDistrict Clerk Annie ElliottCounty Clerk Dianne WilsonCounty Treasurer Jeff Coun-

cil.The party primaries will be

held on March 2. Early voting for the prima-

ry will begin on Feb. 16.

Battle lines drawn for party primary elections

A special commemorative art piece was unveiled as part of Sugar Land’s 50th An-niversary Ceremony at the Sugar Land Marriott on Dec. 31.Above, the sculptor Joe Kenney, left, with Prabha Bala, chair of the sculpture subcommittee and Pat Pol-licoff, Sugar Land’s Director of Communications who co-ordinated the 50th anniversa-ry committees. The sculpture committee helped Pollicoff in working closely with the Austin-based artist from con-cept to inauguration, work-ing for a good part of 2009. The bronze sculpture in-cludes six panels put together as a hexagon mounted on a mahogany pedestal. Each of the panels in high relief de-picts the history and growth of Sugar Land from the Im-perial Sugar company town to what it is today. The top of the sculpture shows the city of Sugar Land’s seal. —Photo by SUNDARESAN BALA.

A spectacular Sugar Cube Drop depicted by a 3D laser show followed by brilliant fi reworks hail in the New Year. — Photos by RANDY KOZLOVSKY

Golden anniversary commemoration

ous alignments and that one (the 84-acre site) is a good lo-cation. We wanted some way to validate it, which is why we did the environmental work and preliminary surveying,” Haley said.

“We’ve been in various dis-cussions over the years about rail and park and ride. There probably will be other options in the future. This is one that came to our attention because one thing we looked at is a po-tential alignment for rail along the 90A corridor and space for a regional station of a signifi -cant size. We’re still at the point where we’re vetting the con-cepts. None of this has gone to the Metro board at this point.”

Scott Elmer, Missouri City director of public works, said, “Metro has hired AIA Engineers to do a traffi c impact analysis in conformance with the city’s re-quirements.” He also said that

Metro offi cials have said there “would be a Phase 1 of 1,500 parking spaces and conversion in the future to a commuter rail stop with the potential of 3,000 parking spaces.”

He also said, “The city would like to have something that fa-cilitates transit development and wants to encourage having some other uses adjacent to the transit stop. There is more va-cant land on the west side that could be used for commercial, so there’s more opportunity there for a mixed use facility with a rail station.”

Currently the project is un-funded, Elmer said “but will be voted on at Metro’s March board meeting.”

He believes Missouri City will be getting more informa-tion from Metro regarding the traffi c impact study, after that meeting.

FORT BEND

FAIR. BALANCED. INFORMATIVE.

Phone: 281-980-6745wwwww.fbindependent.com.fbindependent.com

P. O.BOX 623, SUGAR LAND, TX 77487-0623WEDNESDAY, January 6, 2010

VOL 3 No. 1

You don’thave to live

with pain

It’s time to start experiencing relief with a personalized treatment plan from our new comprehensive Back Pain program. Our skilled health team specializes in joint and back pain, off ering both minimally invasive surgical techniques and non invasive treatments.

To learn more, call 281.725.5225 or visit SugarLandBackPain.com.

Introducing the new Back Pain Programat Memorial Hermann Sugar Land.

MHH097001_StrGolf_FB_01.indd 1 10/12/09 3:39:49 PM

The Fort Bend Chamber of Commerce will kick off the New Year with its annual Chairman’s Ball on Saturday, Jan. 16 at 3 Sugar Creek Center in Sugar Land. The event is held each year to celebrate the incoming and outgoing leaders and vol-unteers of the Fort Bend Chamber of Commerce. An exciting and surprise-fi lled evening is planned with cocktails, followed by dinner, fabulous entertainment, awards and recognitions, and music and dancing to the coolest, hippest band around, Vanilla Pop! Consisting of Al Dente and Lester Moore, Va-nilla Pop is part Vegas style lounge act, part satire and all fun. Do not miss this incredible night! Tickets are $99.95 per person or $999.95 for a corporate table of ten. Dress is cocktail chic. Las Vegas loungewear, feathers and pink tie are optional. Contact Ellen Bush for reservations: 281-491-0277 or [email protected]. Rehearsing for the gala are chamber directors Chris Breaux, left, Namita Asthana, Kolbe Curtice and Bridget Yeung.

news

By BARBARA FULENWIDER“Residents are extremely

concerned,” said former coun-cilwoman Eunice Reiter about the Metropolitan Transit Au-thority’s survey of an 84-acre site, south of Missouri City’s Fondren Park neighborhood.

Their concern is about a park and ride and eventually a commuter rail station off of the Sam Houston Tollway and U.S. 90A that would create heavy traffi c on their two-lane neighborhood streets.

Reiter, a recently retired city council member who was just elected president of the Fondren Park Community Improvement Association for the eighth time over some 30 years, said a secondary con-cern of residents is noise.

Currently there is heavy vegetation along the railroad track and the neighborhood houses which now muffl es some of the train noise. She said Metro will have to remove the vegetation if they decide to make an offer on the property they’ve just surveyed and that trains roll down the track every 30 minutes.

At December’s homeowner meeting, Missouri City plan-

ning department personnel “came with some maps and explanations and Councilman Bobby Marshall was there. He emphasized the fact that he was in favor of a park and ride of this nature in Missouri City but not necessarily at this loca-tion,” Reiter said.

“The city’s Angelou (Eco-nomics) study (done for Mis-souri City in 2003) projected it (commuter rail station) located west of the Beltway and that’s where it belongs,” Reiter said, “because there’s room there for transit oriented develop-ment. The current proposed location is isolated from any development because it’s all residential.”

John Haley, Metropolitan Transit Authority vice presi-dent, infrastructure and service development, said their survey of the property is done but they have not made an offer to buy it. Right now, he said, his en-tity is “doing some research on the ownership” and after that “we’ll make a decision over the next few weeks” whether or not to make an offer on it.

“Our objective is to provide better service for Missouri City. If anybody has another

idea we’ll look at it. I have done some conceptual work on various alignments and that one (the 84-acre site) is a good location. We wanted some way to validate it, which is why we did the environmental work and preliminary surveying,” Haley said.

“We’ve been in various dis-cussions over the years about rail and park and ride. There probably will be other options in the future. This is one that came to our attention because one thing we looked at is a potential alignment for rail along the 90A corridor and space for a regional station of a signifi cant size. We’re still at the point where we’re vetting the concepts. None of this has gone to the Metro board at this point.”

The Metro board’s next meeting is in March.

“This location has our atten-tion because it works for rail service – it’s a way to get rail service out there -- what might be doable in the short term, meaning the next three to fi ve years. So we looked at that site as something that appears to be viable.”

Reiter said the city requested

that Metro offi cials meet with Fondren Park residents but so far that hasn’t happened.

Scott Elmer, Missouri City director of public works, said, “Metro has hired AIA Engi-neers to do a traffi c impact analysis in conformance with the city’s requirements.” He also said that Metro offi cials have said there “would be a Phase 1 of 1,500 parking spac-es and conversion in the future to a commuter rail stop with the potential of 3,000 parking spaces.” He also said, “The city would like to have something that facilitates transit develop-ment and wants to encourage having some other uses adja-cent to the transit stop. There is more vacant land on the west side that could be used for commercial, so there’s more opportunity there for a mixed use facility with a rail station.”

Currently the project is un-funded, Elmer said “but will be voted on at Metro’s March board meeting.”

He believes Missouri City will be getting more informa-tion from Metro regarding the traffi c impact study, after that meeting.

GOLDEN ANNIVERSARY COMMEMORATION. A special commemorative art piece was unveiled as part of Sugar Land’s 50th Anniversary Ceremony at the Sugar Land Marriott on Dec. 31.Above, the sculptor Joe Kenney, left, with Prabha Bala, chair of the sculpture subcommittee and Pat Pollicoff, Sugar Land’s Director of Communications who coordinated the 50th anniversary committees. The sculpture committee helped Pollicoff in working closely with the Austin-based artist from concept to inauguration, working for a good part of 2009. The bronze sculpture includes six panels put together as a hexagon mounted on a mahogany pedestal. Each of the panels in high relief depicts the history and growth of Sugar Land from the Imperial Sugar company town to what it is today. The top of the sculpture shows the city of Sugar Land’s seal. —Photo by SUNDARESAN BALA.

A spectacular Sugar Cube Drop depicted by a 3D laser show welcomed 2010 and bathed the city hall in kaleidoscopic lights followed by brilliant fi reworks to hail in the New Year and a new era for Sugar Land. — Photo by RANDY KOZLOVSKY

Community airs concern over park and ride project

Oh, What a night!

By SESHADRI KUMARA slew of candidates have

entered the Republican and Democratic party primaries for various local political of-fi ces for which the fi ling dead-line ended on Jan. 4.

While local Republicans have some unforeseen con-tests, Democrats have fi elded candidates to most of the of-fi ces.

The notable primary con-tests in the Republican Party include Precinct 4 Commis-sioner, District Attorney, County Court-at-Law No.2, Justice of the Peace Pct. 1, Place 2, 268th District Court and Congressional Dist. 14.

Incumbent DA John Healey faces Nina Schaefer and Rich-ard Raymond.

Incumbent Pct. 4 Commis-sioner James Patterson faces Steve Smelley.

District Judge Brady Elliott is challenged by Roxie Roll.

The County Court-at-Law No. 2 is an open seat for which Jeff McMeans and Rick For-lano have fi led.

CCL Judge No. 3 Susan Lowery has an opponent Larry Thomas, but his fi ling has not yet been offi cially confi rmed.

JP Pct. 1, Place 2 incumbent Gary Geick is opposed by Mary Ward and Bob Thomas.

Dist. 14 U.S. Rep. Ron Paul has three opponents, Tim Ganey, Gerald Wall and John Gay.

The incumbent county chair of the Republican Party, Rick Miller, has an opponent. Mike Gibson has also fi led for party chair.

For the Republican Party precinct chairs about 100 people have fi led for 90 posi-

tions. On the Democratic Party

side, incumbent Dist. 27 State Rep. Dora Olivo faces Ron Reynolds.

For county judge, Rodrigo Carreon and Philip Atisedao-mo have fi led.

For JP, Pct. 1, Place 2, three Democrats, Aurelia Moore, R.J. Blue and Marty Rocca have fi led.

For JP, Pct.2, incumbent Joe Clouser and Tony Sher-man have fi led.

Incumbent Democratic Par-ty Chair Elaine Bishop is chal-lenged by Stephen Brown.

Democrats have also fi elded candidates for other positions, but they are unopposed in the primary.

They are: State Rep. 26 Philip Andrews

240th District Court Fred-ericka Alllen

268th District Court Albert Hollan

CCL Judge No. 1 Milton Flick

CCL Judge No.2 Harrison Gregg

Commissioner, Pct. 2 Gra-dy Prestage

District Clerk Veronica Tor-res

County Clerk Korinthia Miller

County Treasurer K.P. George.

Incumbents in the Repub-lican primary who have fi led, but unopposed are:

U.S. Rep. Dist. 22 Pete Ol-son

State Rep. Dist. 26 Charlie Howard

State Rep. Dist. 28 John Zerwas

State Sem. Dist. 17 Joan Huffman

State Sen. Dist.18 Glenn Hegar

24oth District Judge Thom-as Culver

328th District Judge Ron Pope

434th District Judge Jim Shoemake

CCL Judge No.1 Bud Childers

CCL Judge No.4 Sandy Bielstein

County Judge Bob HebertDistrict Clerk Annie ElliottCounty Clerk Dianne WilsonCounty Treasurer Jeff Council.The party primaries will be

held on March 2. Early voting for the primary

will begin on Feb. 16.

Battle lines drawn for party primary elections

Building homes of quality and distinction for over 40 years.

Plans, prices and availability are subject to change without notice. (10/08)

Page 2 • INDEPENDENT • JANUARY 6, 2010

By BARBARA FULENWIDERCounty Court at Law No.

4 Judge Sandy Bielstein has denied Missouri City’s re-quest for a partial summary judgment regarding the tak-ing of the Quail Valley Coun-try Club (QVCC) property in June 2008.

People and entities request such because it saves major money if the parties in a law-suit don’t have to go to trial. Trouble is most of the time requests for partial summary judgments are denied. If the judge had made a decision on the legality of the taking by the city then the only question left would have been deter-mining fair market value.

Bielstein, in his order dated Dec. 14, said, “Having consid-ered the motion and response, the argument of counsel, and the applicable authorities, the court is of the opinion that the motion should be denied.”

Lawyers for the defendants Quail Valley Country Club, L.P., and Plainfi eld Specialty Holdings II, Inc., argued that “secret meetings, self dealing, abuses of power” are what “this eminent domain pro-

ceeding entails” and that it is “government at its worst.”

Specifi cally, the defendants say that the “city’s actions in taking the property were arbi-trary, capricious and fraudu-lent.”

They claim that Mayor (Al-len) Owen sabotaged QVCC’s “deal with The Quail Valley Fund.” The defendants claim the fund’s letters of intent “provided for a maximum pur-chase price of $10.75 million” and that “an agreement to fi -nalize the sale of the country club appeared imminent.”

The defendants’ response to the city’s request for a par-tial summary judgment says Owen, in an effort to stop any potential redevelopment of the county club, sabotaged the deal by starting the condem-nation process so the fund wouldn’t be buying QVCC for two to three times more than what some felt it was worth.

Defendants in their argu-ments against granting a par-tial summary judgment said the city did not have a plan for all 400 acres, noted that four council members live in

Quail Valley and that two did not fi le confl ict-of-interest af-fi davits prior to voting on the decision to take the property.

In reply, Missouri City fi led a response to the defendants’ response saying their argu-ments have no merit. As of now the jury trial is set for Jan. 26.

In other happenings, In-wood Forest residents, who had a suit against Inwood For-est Partners (IFP), got good news last month when a jury found in their favor.

Inwood Forest residents faced the same problem as Missouri City did – having a failing golf course in their midst that the owners wanted to sell for redevelopment.

The jury voted positively on three questions including the reimbursement of legal fees to the attorneys for the Inwood Forest Community Improvement Association. The defendants were repre-sented by J. Mark Breeding with Andrews Kurth LLP, the same law fi rm and attor-ney representing QVCC and Plainfi eld Specialty Holdings II, Inc.

No summary judgment in golf course caseFor the children who won’t

have Christmas because their parents can’t afford to buy them presents, the elderly who are shut in, the soldiers that cannot get home for the holi-days, and fi reman that have to work on Christmas... it may not have been a festive holi-day without Girl Scouts.

Girl Scouts have huge hearts and are always ready to pitch in and help those in need. There are many ways to spend the holiday season. Girl Scouts from Rainbow Star Service Unit decided to put smiles on several people’s faces during the holiday sea-son.

Girl Scout Troop 28104 in an effort to bring some of the comforts of home to our military men and women serving in the War on Terror-ism, made care packages for soldiers in Afghanistan dur-ing their holiday party. Girl Scout Troops 721, 724 and 277 made holiday placemats from old holiday cards for the senior citizens at Silverado Senior Center to brighten up their holiday tables during this season. Brownie Troop 28083

Scouts show caring during the holidays

reused materials destined for the landfi ll (tissue paper and plastic bottle lids) to create a large assortment of unbreak-able ornaments for the tree at the Club in New Territory. Some of the girls from Troop 721, like Megan Whitworth, worked at Gifts of Love, sponsored by Parkway United Methodist Church and Second Mile Mission.

During this experience, Megan was able to use her newly learned Spanish to help the kids shop for a present for their parents. Girls from Troop 721 and 724 made two large platters of holiday

goodies and dropped them off at Fire Station #1 to help the fi reman who had to work on Christmas Day celebrate the holidays. They even dropped off some Girl Scout cookies to go along with the trays. Girl Scout cookies will be on sale soon - so look for them.

Scouts of San Jacinto and the Rainbow Stars Service Unit serve nearly 700 regis-tered girls and adults in New Territory- Sugar Land, Texas. Girl Scouts is a United Way Agency. To join in Girl Scout-ing in New Territory, contact Lisa Rickert at [email protected].

Troop 28083 with their ornaments

JANUARY 6, 2010 • INDEPENDENT • Page 3

Community news

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Learn more about of an array of courses, including but not limited to:

SUGAR LAND REDUCED

SUGAR CREEK Great 1 story on huge corner lot. 3 bed-rooms & study. Seller has updated carpet, tile paint in and out and roof replaced. Shows great and price already reduced to go fast in the low $200’s.

SUGAR LAND/COMMON-WEALTH. Over 4000sqft! 5 bedrooms 3.5 baths, game room, study/formal and extra room. Seller has updated carpet, tile granite counters, & more in 2009. Roof replaced too. Big yard. Price reduced to go $300’s.

Suzette Peoples ABR, GRI , E-Pro, 21 years Professional

Realtor; Owner of Peoples Properties, a

Real Estate & Property Management Co.;American Business

Women’s Association.

NEW LISTING

Mortgage Banker can do loans in less than 30 days! Call Suzette or email: [email protected]

SUGAR LAND

CITY OF SUGAR LAND ETJ! PERRY 2 story with master down and gameroom up. Huge cul de sac lot! Built in 2003. Tile and wood laminate fl oors thru out. 3 car dettached garage! Priced to go at $190,000.

FIRST COLONY

First Colony/Sugar Land! Over 3100 sqft 4 bedrooms 3 full baths. Bedroom/bath down. Game room up. All new interior/exterior paint 2009! New carpet and tile 2009! Reduced to go in the $200’s and $5,000 in closing costs. Seller spent over $32K getting house ready to sell.

REDUCED

REDUCED

Suzette Peoples Broker /Owner

21 years of experience!

Direct: 281-980-3322 www.peoplesproperties.com

FIRST COLONY/SUGAR LAND! Popular 1 story Emerald plan! Huge over size lot! 3 bedrooms and study! Huge island kitchen. Beautiful open plan! Great location and low taxes. Priced to go fast at $215,000.

SOLD

The Show Me City, Missouri City, continued to build on its past successes this year, stacking up more achievements, strength-ening the budget, standing proud with citizens and steering a course toward an even stronger future.

“Missouri City has a legacy of strength and success,” said May-or Allen Owen. “This year was no exception.”

The following achievements allowed the area to continue to stand out and shine:

BEST BUDGET. For the 21st year in a row, the Finance De-partment earned a Distinguished Budget Presentation Award for fi scal responsibility and sound fi nancial management.

TOP COPS. The Missouri City Police Department joined an elite group of 18 police forces across the State to attain “Recog-nized Law Enforcement Agency” status in Texas. The Department was evaluated on 161 Best Prac-tices standards to achieve this prestigious award.

SAFETY FIRST. For the second year, Congressional Quar-terly recognized Missouri City as one of the safest in America. The City ranked as the eighth safest in Texas and in the top 100 in the United States.

PRISTINE PARKS. The Houston-Galveston Area Coun-cil of Governments recognized two parks in their Natural Area Awards program: the Hunter’s Glen sprayground funded by the Blue Ridge West Municipal Util-ity District and Buffalo Run Park, which emerged from a water de-tention project to a beautiful 95-acre City park.

PERFECT PUTT. Ten months and an inaugural tee time later, the El Dorado Golf Course is back! The course is the dy-namic design of Golf Architect Jeff Blume, who oversaw work-ers moving 200,000 cubic tons of dirt, installing a complete ir-rigation system, building 78 sand traps and fi ve different tee boxes and the shaping of 18 Greens. The result: An exciting El Dorado.

PREMIER PREMIUMS. After meeting the high preven-tion standards of the National Flood Insurance Program, Mis-souri City received a “very good” Community Rating System Score of 7, placing residents in a strong position to secure lower fl ood in-surance premiums.

GOOD CENTS… The economic turbulence hit-

ting the nation hit home here, but fortunately it was not nearly as jolting for Missouri City. The following actions helped the City maintain its stability:

FISCAL FITNESS. Ever mindful of using tax dollars to provide excellent customer ser-vice to citizens, City offi cials

streamlined the 2010 budget to reduce spending by almost 5 per-cent from the previous year and to maintain stability. The blue-print also includes a $950,000 fund for contingencies.

TAX TIME. To generate the same amount of revenue from existing property as last year, City Council adopted a tax rate of 52.84 cents per $100 valuation that cut spending for maintenance and operations and devoted more tax revenue to voter-approved capital improvement projects to take advantage of the current low construction costs and inter-est rates. The tax-rate change was necessary because the City’s total taxable value last year for both residential and commercial prop-erty was almost fl at. Coupled with strong fi scal management, the decision allows the City to maintain its AA credit rating while tightening its spending belt and to assure the continuation of quality City services.

“It is never easy to increase taxes without showing the citi-zens why it is necessary. Taking care of an aging infrastructure, continuing to put Public Safety at the very top of our priorities, and yet tighten our belts in other ar-eas, was our goal,” Mayor Owen said.

PLANNING. The updated Comprehensive Plan and Trails Master Plan both were approved by City Council, following ex-tensive citizen involvement. The comprehensive plan sets the foundation of what the city will look like in the next 20 years and beyond, with the plan being up-dated every fi ve years. A citizen survey this past fall validated the Plan’s primary points, elements and direction. Survey respondents rated the top three most important quality of life factors to be: focus on crime prevention and secu-rity, limitations on the amount of rental housing, and community beautifi cation.

FUN. Annual traditions were honored again this year in the Show Me City. Funtastic celebra-tions that brought City offi cials and citizens together were the

Dad and Daughter dance, the 21st annual Bunny Hop, the 25th annual July 4th celebration, Na-tional Night Out, Boo in the Run and Snowfest.

WHAT’S NEW. The City also ushered in new property and pro-grams. The recreational options available to residents will expand with the purchase last November of eight acres of land at the site of the former Quail Valley Tennis and Fitness Center.

In January, the City will re-ceive statements of qualifi cations from interested fi rms to renovate or construct a new facility there that will serve the entire com-munity’s fi tness, leisure and rec-reation needs. Firms also will be submitting qualifi cations to replace the current Quail Valley Golf clubhouse and add a com-munity center.

A mid-year partnership took shape with 19 municipal utility districts in City limits and in the City’s extraterritorial jurisdiction agreeing to participate with Mis-souri City in a state-mandated groundwater reduction program. Because of subsidence in the re-gion, by 2025 these jurisdictions must reduce the groundwater they pump by 60 percent. Design of the $58 million surface water treatment facility is complete and bids go out for construction early in 2010. This cost-effective partnership minimizes the infra-structure that otherwise would be needed. This will ensure Mis-souri City water users have com-petitively lower water rates.

And another important bridge of communication was estab-lished with residents through the initiation of City-sponsored Homeowner’s Association meet-ings. The meetings have been a successful forum for staff, offi -cials and HOA board members to discuss issues and share ideas.

NEW BUSINESS. Though the U.S. Economy was dealt a bust, our bottom line was bal-anced by a business boom, sup-ported by national and interna-tional companies opening their doors here: Lowe’s opened a new store, building on the strong re-

tail corridor along Highway 6. Lufkin Automation signed as the fi rst tenant for the new Lakeview Business Park, with several more on the horizon; Global Geophysi-cal opened its corporate headquar-ters on Gessner Road; and busi-ness fl ourished in the commercial corridor in the northern part of the City. Additionally, Councilmem-bers approved a resolution in May to establish the nonprofi t Mis-souri City Recreation and Leisure Local Government Corporation, which helps the City acquire, im-prove, maintain and operate parks and recreation facilities, includ-ing the Quail Valley Golf Course.

GOING GREEN. The City also continued to enhance the quality-of-life for residents with these efforts: Partnering with CenterPoint in January to plant more than 30 power line-friendly trees in Ridgeview Park; plant-ing more than 200 trees donated by the Apache Foundation at In-dependence and Sta-Mo Parks to control erosion and fl ooding and provide a habitat for wild-life; designing a plan to transform the Texas Parkway/Cartwright Road Corridor into safe, naviga-ble “green areas” complete with sidewalks and landscaping and additional features in the future; and upgrading and maintaining its many parks and recreation areas through a continuation of the Mulch Madness and Junior Arborist volunteer programs and through Spring Clean-up, Arbor Day and Earth Week programs. The City also built the state-of-the-art sprayground at Hunter’s Glen Park that uses an effi cient recycled water system for irriga-tion; a similar process is used at the Quail Valley Golf Course.

THE FUTURE. Overall, 2009 was a good year for Missouri City. “There were so many posi-tive things that happened in 2009

for our City,” Mayor Owen said. And the City has great expec-

tations for 2010, he added: “We are on the edge of being an even greater place to live, work, and play. We begin 2010 with new prospects of large companies re-locating to our City, which will bring new employment opportu-nities as well as other develop-ment around those projects. Eco-

nomics will control the pace of growth in 2010. We are confi dent that we are working with com-panies and retail establishments that are somewhat less impacted by the economy. Housing starts in our newer subdivisions seem to be on pace at a rate better than other areas of the country. This is key to future retail develop-ment.”

Show Me City’s proud showing in 2009

A golfer is in the swing at the exciting El Dorado Golf Course.

By THOMAS J. PARR, M.D. When recovering from an

injury or surgical procedure, patients want to return to nor-mal as quickly as possible. Some factors that change the speed of healing are beyond one’s control, such as genetics or general health at the time of the injury or surgery.

However, other factors are completely within your con-trol, including nutrition, fol-lowing your rehabilitation program, and smoking.

Healing and good blood supply are inseparable.

The tissues of your body need the oxygen and other nu-trients provided through your circulatory system to live. In addition, platelets in the blood help stop bleeding and pro-mote early healing of dam-aged tissues.

Wounds and injuries also need a good supply of white blood cells to fi ght infection. Smokers or individuals who live with second-hand smoke are at an increased risk of de-veloping wound infections, even for very simple wounds. Worse, if an infection arises due in part to poor circulation, antibiotics needed to fi ght that infection may not be able to get to the damaged tissue.

There is no way to do sur-gery without making incisions through the blood vessels at the surgical site.

Surgeons try to be as care-ful as we can, and we also rely on surrounding blood vessels to provide a ‘little extra’ to the area to make up for the ones we have to cut.

This means that the other blood vessels need to be in good condition.

Cigarette smoke contains over 4000 chemicals, includ-ing 50 chemicals known to cause various types of cancer. The major ‘bad actors’ with respect to wound healing are nicotine and carbon monox-ide.

OpinionPage 4 • INDEPENDENT • JANUARY 6, 2010

Seshadri KumarPublisher & Editor

10701 Corporate Drive, #282, Staff ord, TX 77477Mailing Address: P.O. Box 623, Sugar Land, TX 77487

281-980-6745

Email: [email protected]

www.fbindependent.com

By RON PAULThis past week we cel-

ebrated the end of what most people agree was a decade best forgotten. New York Times columnist and leading Keynesian economist Paul Krugman called it the Big Zero in a recent column. He wrote that “there was a whole lot of nothing going on in measures of economic prog-ress or success” which is true. However, Krugman continues to misleadingly blame the free market and supposed lack of regulation for the economic chaos.

It was encouraging that he admitted that blowing eco-nomic bubbles is a mistake, especially considering he himself advocated creating a housing bubble as a way to al-leviate the hangover from the dotcom bust. But we can no longer afford to give promi-nent economists like Krugman a pass when they completely ignore the burden of taxation, monetary policy, and exces-sive regulation.

Afterall, Krugman is still scratching his head as to why “no” economists saw the housing bust coming. How in the world did they miss it? Actually many economists saw it coming a mile away, understood it perfectly, and explained it many times. Pol-icy makers would have been wise to heed the warnings of the Austrian economists, and must start listening to their teachings if they want solid progress in the future. If not, the necessary correction is go-ing to take a very long time.

The Austrian free-market economists use common sense principles. You cannot spend your way out of a recession.

You cannot regulate the econ-omy into oblivion and expect it to function. You cannot tax people and businesses to the point of near slavery and ex-pect them to keep producing. You cannot create an abun-dance of money out of thin air without making all that paper worthless.

The government cannot make up for rising unem-ployment by just hiring all the out of work people to be bureaucrats or send them un-employment checks forever. You cannot live beyond your means indefi nitely. The econ-omy must actually produce something others are willing to buy. Government growth is the opposite of all these things.

Bureaucrats are loathe to face these unpleasant, but obvious realities. It is much more appealing to wave their magic wand of regulation and public spending and divert blame elsewhere. It is time to be honest about our prob-lems.

The tragic reality is that this fatally fl awed, but widely accepted, economic school of thought called Keynesian-

ism has made our country more socialist than capitalist. While the private sector in the last ten years has experienced a roller coaster of booms and busts and ended up, nominal-ly, about where we started in 2000, government has been steadily growing, because Keynesians told politicians they could get away with a tax, spend and infl ate policy. They even encouraged it! But we cannot survive much lon-ger if government is our only growth industry.

As for a lack of regulation, the last decade saw the enact-ment of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, the largest piece of fi nan-cial regulatory legislation in years. This act failed to pre-vent abuses like those perpe-trated by Bernie Madoff, and it is widely acknowledged that the new regulations con-tributed heavily not only to the lack of real growth, but also to many businesses going overseas.

Americans have been work-ing hard, and Krugman rightly points out that they are getting nowhere.

Government is expanding steadily and keeping us at less than zero growth when infl a-tion is factored in. Krugman seems pretty disappointed with zero, but if we continue to listen to Keynesians in the next decade instead of those who tell us the truth, zero will start to look pretty good.

The end result of destroy-ing the currency is the wiping out of the middle class. Pre-venting that from happening should be our top economic priority.

(Ron Paul represents the 14th Congressional District in Texas.)

U.S. Rep. Ron Paul

Texas Straight TalkBy RUSSELL C. JONES

The City celebrated with the rest of the world last Thurs-day night when it said good-bye to 2009 and welcomed in the new year. Sugar Landers gathered by the thousands in Town Square, doing double duty by celebrating the city’s 50th anniversary of its incor-poration as well as the arrival of 2010. An outstanding laser light show played upon City Hall and the other buildings around the square, leaving impressions variously of the City Hall collapsing, rebuild-ing itself, opening and shut-ting its windows, and being invaded by dancing fi gures.

In the square itself roamed dinosaurs, a living fountain and about 7,000 people cel-ebrating in the cold night air. Packed into the adjacent restaurants were hundreds of revelers who were happy to stay near home to celebrate. Fireworks riveted the crowd twice, once early in the eve-ning when the kids were still around, and again shortly af-ter a giant sugar cube traced its way down the front of City Hall to announce the stroke of midnight.

The events capped off a year-long tribute to the city’s anniversary.

The proximity of the anni-versary date of December 30 to the end of the decade was enough of an excuse to com-bine both recognitions. With private donations paying for both the celebrations and a multi-sided bronze depicting the history of the city unveiled early in the evening, Sugar Land once again revealed it-self to be family-friendly and a great place to live.

Boxer’s ChallengersThis column recently be-

moaned the fact that economic conservatives have diffi culty getting past party primaries and to the general election, with the result that too often the only choices available to voters are social conservatives and big government liberals.

The California race for the U.S. Senate next year when Barbara Boxer will be up for reelection may be another ex-ample of how this dilemma plays out.

The economic conservative with convincing credentials in the race for the Republican nomination is former Hewlett-Packard chief executive offi -cer Carly Fiorina. While there are those who are shunning Fiorina as the “establishment candidate,” it is exciting when business people with private sector experience in dealing with the issues of taxation, regulation, employment, com-petition and capitalism take the risk of exposing themselves to the brutal glare of political light. Candidates like Fiorina offer an expertise that cannot

be found in other candidates.Fiorina seems to have her

head screwed on straight, re-cently promising that “my top priority will be bringing fi scal responsibility back to Wash-ington, creating jobs, reigning in government spending and reducing our national debt.”

Her opponent in the Repub-lican primary is state assem-blyman Chuck DeVore, who has won the support of a num-ber of traditional conserva-tives. Not surprisingly, DeV-ore’s chief criticism of Fiorina is that she is not “conservative enough,” meaning, of course, that she does not convincingly tow the social conservative line on the party’s litmus test issues. Historically, Republi-cans in California have needed the right end of the political spectrum, which comprises a major part of the party’s base, in order to achieve general election victories.

A Rasmussen poll in No-vember had Fiorina trailing Boxer 46% to 37% with De-Vore having only a slightly worse defi cit. DeVore’s strat-egy of emphasizing his con-servative bona fi des may get him elected in the Republican primary in June, but it is prob-ably not what is needed to de-feat Boxer. If any candidate is able to successfully take on Boxer, it will have to be one with national recognition and a reputation that will appeal to independents as well as Re-publicans.

Jones is the Mayor Pro Tem of the City of Sugar Land and serves as Councilman for Dis-trict 3. He was fi rst elected to the City Council in 2003. He owns a law fi rm and a title insurance company in Sugar Land.

The View From Sugar Land

Jones

Keynesianism delivers a decade of zeroNew year dawns in Town Square

Nicotine constricts blood vessels, reducing the ability to get oxygen, infection fi ght-ing agents, and nutrients to the body.

Carbon monoxide binds ir-reversibly to hemoglobin in blood cells, permanently pre-venting that molecule from exchanging carbon dioxide for oxygen in the lungs.

This further limits the amount of oxygen that can get to the body.

Since the average red blood cell survives for 120 days, the negative effects from just a single cigarette can last for four months!

To consider one specifi c example, inadequate blood supply and limited oxygen carrying capability can make it hard for the skin around the wound to heal.

The longer the skin takes to heal, the higher the risk of bacterial contamination of the tissues under the wound. Delayed wound healing can lead to really ugly, permanent scars.

Damaged muscle tissue will be similarly affected, and bacteria love to fi nd an area of dead muscle and move in.

Keep in mind, too, that it doesn’t matter how nicotine enters your body.

Nicotine, whether it is sup-plied by smoking, nicotine patches, nicotine gum, or chewing tobacco, seriously affects your body’s ability to

recover from an injury, a sur-gery, or an illness.

If you are planning any kind of surgery, your chances of having a good outcome will increase substantially if you avoid all nicotine for at least a month in advance and continue to avoid all nicotine for at least another month to six weeks after your opera-tion.

This includes avoiding sec-ond-hand smoke created by others in the household.

Long-time smokers may fi nd this to be an intimidating challenge, but the immediate benefi ts in recovery time will make the effort worthwhile. As an added bonus, if you can avoid smoking for that long, then you know you can kick the habit permanently!

For more information to help you or a loved one ‘kick the habit,’ visit www.whyquit.com and www.quit-smoking.

Dr. Thomas Parr, an ortho-pedic surgeon in Sugar Land, can be reached at 281-491-7111. Dr. Parr and his wife, Joannie, have been a team for well over 40 years and she has contributed to this article. Visit www.tomparrmd.net for more information.

Kick the habit, quit smoking

Parr

To the Editor:Despite the current bleak

economic conditions, many Missouri City residents like myself see a bright future for our City. Needless to say, that future doesn’t include follow-ing the defi cient leadership and stale ideas of the current city council. We need fresh ideas, a new path, creativity and innovation from our City Council Members to lead this City.

Our current council mem-bers would have city resi-dents believe that their future revolves around the develop-ment of the Quail Valley Golf Course. This direction is not only ill-advised but plainly lacks foresight and a careful study of the situation.

Missouri City is not a recre-ational hot spot by any stretch of the imagination and the benefi ts and positive aspects of life in Missouri City have nothing to do with its sports opportunities.

The Quail Valley Golf Course has never been a mon-ey maker due to the course layout, access, and the com-petitive market.

By continuing to focus on and invest money into the Golf Course, the city leaders foster (an expensive) hope and illusion that will never materialize.

The city will never golf its way to being a better com-munity and to tie the City’s future to golf’s uncertain prospects is misguided and foolish. Moreover, there are better, citizen supported ways

to ensure that Missouri City recaptures its status as one of the country’s best communi-ties to live in.

In a recent poll, city resi-dents graded public safety as their top priority. Recently, the city was rated as one of America’s safer communi-ties and this should be touted and advertised in all city press releases and fostered by ag-gressive city council action. Unfortunately, the city coun-cil didn’t get this message. It is a signifi cant tribute to our police department that both the Sugar Land and Stafford police departments operate at much higher sworn person-nel to population ratios than Missouri City. Stafford’s ratio is actually twice that of Mis-souri City’s and Sugar Land has 146 sworn offi icers ver-sus Missouri City’s 79 sworn offi cers.

So, why hasn’t the Mis-souri City Council acted upon this knowledge and ensured that we will continue to have a safe community and why hasn’t the city council com-mitted appropriate amounts of city funds to this effort?

Please examine City Coun-cil minutes for the past year. Apparently, golf is a higher priority for our present city council members. Crime is increasing in Missouri City and we need Council Mem-bers who not only recognize that crime is an issue but take positive and substantial steps to foster public safety.

In recent conversations with friends from other cities in the

U.S., I found that Missouri City is light years behind oth-er cities in terms of its internet access, telephone provider ac-cess, and cable access. These technology upgrades could have a signifi cant impact on Missouri City’s future. Ac-cess to information is vital to our children’s educational de-velopment and to the careers and futures of Missouri City’s residents.

Missouri City’s neighbor-hoods could be on the cutting edge of communication ac-cess but they aren’t.

Technology innovations have been ignored by the city council in favor of the same cable and other contracts. With a few million dollars that was spent on the Golf Course, the City could easily revolution-ize the City’s technology and infrastructure. But, we need innovative, fresh thinkers for these type of changes.

Beautifi cation of the com-munity was another signifi cant priority for the City according to the citizen poll. This beau-tifi cation could certainly be a city government initiative, our streets and the trees and land-scaping that surround them are controlled, taken care of and owned by the city. The city recently committed a to-ken $150,000 to improve the Texas Parkway corridor. Are we supposed to applaud when the city has spent over $7 mil-lion to put new fairways on the QVGC?

The 98 percent of City resi-dents who don’t live on the fairways of QVGC would very much appreciate Council Members voting for substan-tial measures to beautify our streets, medians and parks. Many Missouri City residents have a vision of the city with well landscaped roadways with trees and beautiful me-dian strips but that will never happen with city council pri-orities as they are now.Howard MolineMissouri City

Letter New ideas, fresh path needed

FBRC inaugural recognition luncheon

Fort Bend Regional Coun-cil on Substance Abuse, Inc. will hold their Inaugural Rec-ognition Luncheon honoring Helen Cordes with a Lifetime Achievement Award. The event will take place on Thurs-day, Feb. 11, 2010 at Safari Texas Ranch. Sponsorships are available and range from $5,000 to $1,000. Individual tickets are $80. Sponsorship levels and forms are available online at www.fortbendcoun-cil.org or by contacting Laura Richard, FBRC Development Director at 281-433-3363.

INDEPENDENT • JANUARY 6, 2010 • Page 5

2008 FORD RANGER XLT SUPER CAB BLACK A38558 Classic Chevrolet 23,056 miles 877-351-3803 $15,288

2006 GMC SIERRA 1500 ONYX BLACK CREW CAB SL2 315063 Classic Chevrolet 45,971 miles 877-351-3803 $16,769

2008 CHEVROLET EXPRESS SUMMIT WHITE CARGO VAN 142154 Classic Chevrolet 23,680 miles 877-351-3803 $14,988

2007 CHEVROLET AVALANCHE LT 1500 SILVER BIRCH METALLIC 284970 Classic Chevrolet 58,966 miles 877-351-3803 $22,975

2008 GMC Sierra 2500HD 4x4 White 202266 Classic Chevrolet 29,663 miles 877-351-3803 $33,988

2009 Buick LaCrosse CXL Dark Slate 243984 Classic Chevrolet 15,911 miles 877-351-3803 $19,350

2006 Acura TL Black Pearl 4-dr 6 cyl. 047858 Classic Chevrolet 62,077 miles 877-351-3803 $20,488

2005 MINI Cooper Jet Black hatchback L12033 Classic Chevrolet 56,568 miles 877-351-3803 $14,988

2010 Chevrolet Camaro Red 2-dr Coupe A9133261 Classic Chevrolet 3,943 miles 877-351-3803 $37,900

2008 Cadillac Escalade EXT White 8G199806 Classic Chevrolet 25,869 miles 877-351-3803 $47,977

2006 Toyota RAV4 Sport White 000779 Classic Chev-rolet 59,357 miles 877-351-3803 $15,488

2008 Chevrolet Corvette Black 134389 Classic Chev-rolet 800 miles 877-351-3803 $42,988

2007 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 LTZ Gray 547748 Clas-sic Chevrolet 26,183 miles 877-351-3803 $29,988

2004 Dodge Dakota SXT White 690185 Classic Chev-rolet 64,965 miles 877-351-3803 $9,988

2009 Chevrolet Impala LT Black 119477 Classic Chev-rolet 29,522 miles 877-351-3803 $15,588

2006 Scion tC 2dr Coupe Dk. Red 280514 Classic Chevrolet 10,062 miles 877-351-3803 $15,988

2008 Chrysler Sebring LX Conv. White 209556 Classic Chevrolet 43,424 miles 877-351-3803 $12,956

2008 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 LT1 Red 240258 Clas-sic Chevrolet 28,224 miles 877-351-3803 $17,988

2005 Chevrolet SSR LS Truck Silver 119812 Classic Chevrolet 42,432 miles 877-351-3803 $24,988

2007 Dodge Charger SXT Black 826647 Classic Chev-rolet 45,365 miles 877-351-3803 $14,588

2008 Ford F-150 Supercrew 4x4 Silver A81289 Classic Chevrolet 29,150 miles 877-351-3803 $29,488

2004 GMC Sierra 1500 SLE Silver 164890 Classic Chev-rolet 47,720 miles 877-351-3803 $19,988

2004 Nissan Altima 4Dr Pewter 113299 Classic Chev-rolet 93,911 miles 877-351-3803 $8,988

2007 GMC Sierra 1500 Ext. Cab White 606169 Classic Chevrolet 55,544 miles 877-351-3803 $21,988

2009 Pontiac Vibe 1.8L 4Dr Wagon White 430168 Clas-sic Chevrolet 29,661 miles 877-351-3803 $15,988

2006 Nissan Maxima 3.5 SE 4Dr Lt. Gray 840317 Classic Chevrolet 40,636 miles 877-351-3803 $16,575

2007 Lexus ES350 4Dr Dk. Red 041304 Classic Chevro-let 70,908 miles 877-351-3803 $24,988

2008 Chevrolet Silverado 2500HD LT Silver 129692 Classic Chevrolet 4,769 miles 877-351-3803 $39,988

2008 Chevrolet Silverado 2500HD LT Gray 151373 Classic Chevrolet 5,002 miles 877-351-3803 $37,100

2009 Chevrolet Silverado 2500HD LT White 127951 Classic Chevrolet 319 miles 877-351-3803 $41,988

2008 Chevrolet Silverado 3500HDWhite 215477 Clas-sic Chevrolet 26,150 miles 877-351-3803 $36,988

2009 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 LT Black 195004 Clas-sic Chevrolet 3,156 miles 877-351-3803 $39,450

2000 Chevrolet Silverado 1500LS Pewter 339575 Clas-sic Chevrolet 72,074 miles 877-351-3803 $8,988

2008 Volkswagen New Bee-tle Salsa Red 409143 Classic Chevrolet 6,794 miles 877-351-3803 $18,990

2008 Toyota Avalon 4Dr Sil-ver 290811 Classic Chevrolet 35,169 miles 877-351-3803 $19,988

2008 Ford Ranger XLT Su-per Cab Black A38558 Clas-sic Chevrolet 23,056 miles 877-351-3803 $15,988

2008 Chevrolet Cobalt LS 4Dr Red 232670 Classic Chevrolet 36,239 miles 877-351-3803 $10,988

2008 Chevrolet Silverado LT Gray 151373 Classic Chevrolet 5,002 miles 877-351-3803 $37,100

2009 Chevrolet Tahoe LT Gray 103518 Classic Chev-rolet 16,411 miles 877-351-3803 $34,888

2008 Ford Ranger XLT Su-per Cab Black A38558 Clas-sic Chevrolet 23,056 miles 877-351-3803 $15,288

2008 Chevrolet Suburban LT 1500 Silver 207374 Clas-sic Chevrolet 33,740 miles 877-351-3803 $29,988

2004 Chevrolet Suburban LT 1500 White 298298 Clas-sic Chevrolet 88,862 miles 877-351-3803 $15,988

2008 GMC Sierra 2500HD SLE Z71 Red 160926 Classic Chevrolet 29,051 miles 877-351-3803 $39,988

2008 Ford F-150 Lariat White B17879 Classic Chev-rolet 35,401 miles 877-351-3803 $29,988

2008 Chevrolet Avalanche LTZ Black 174015 Classic Chevrolet 2,819 miles 877-351-3803 $38,988

2008 Chevrolet Express Ext. Van White 177235 Classic Chevrolet 33,150 miles 877-351-3803 $19,688

2002 Chevrolet Tahoe LT Red V-8 299232 Clas-sic Chevrolet 102,428 miles 877-351-3803 $10,688

2007 Chevrolet Silverado Classic Beige 112766 Clas-sic Chevrolet 118,353 miles 877-351-3803 $13,488

2005 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 Red 247800 Classic Chevrolet 28,787 miles 877-351-3803 $18,988

2008 Chevrolet Avalanche LTZ Black 174015 Classic Chevrolet 2,819 miles 877-351-3803 $38,988

2008 Chevrolet Equinox LT Dk. Blue 057471 Classic Chevrolet 54,469 miles 877-351-3803 $17,488

2008 Nissan Altima 2.5SL 4Dr Tan 502920 Classic Chevrolet 14,218 miles 877-351-3803 $18,488

2006 Nissan Maxima 3.5 SE 4Dr Lt. Gray 840317 Classic Chevrolet 40,636 miles 877-351-3803 $16,575

2008 Toyota Avalon 4Dr Sil-ver 290811 Classic Chevrolet 35,169 miles 877-351-3803 $19,988

2008 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 LT1 Red 240258 Clas-sic Chevrolet 28,224 miles 877-351-3803 $17,988

2008 Chevrolet Express LS 3500 White 177235 Classic Chevrolet 33,150 miles 877-351-3803 $19,688


2008 Cadillac Escalade EXT White 8G199806 Classic Chevrolet 25,869 miles 877-351-3803 $47,977

2009 Chevrolet Impala LT Black 119477 Classic Chev-rolet 29,522 miles 877-351-3803 $15,588

2006 Acura TL Black Pearl 4-dr 6 cyl. 047858 Classic Chevrolet 62,077 miles 877-351-3803 $20,488

2009 Buick LaCrosse CXL Dark Slate 243984 Classic Chevrolet 15,911 miles 877-351-3803 $19,350

2009 Cadillac DTS Crys-tal Red 4-dr sedan 138220 Classic Chevrolet 3,868 miles 877-351-3803 $33,912

2010 Chevrolet Camaro Red 2-dr Coupe A9133261 Classic Chevrolet 3,943 miles 877-351-3803 $37,900

2005 MINI Cooper Jet Black hatchback L12033 Classic Chevrolet 56,568 miles 877-351-3803 $14,988

2007 Dodge Charger SXT Black 826647 Classic Chev-rolet 45,365 miles 877-351-3803 $14,588

2008 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 LT Silver 119195 Clas-sic Chevrolet 29,405 miles 877-351-3803 $24,988

2008 Volkswagen New Bee-tle Salsa Red 409143 Classic Chevrolet 6,794 miles 877-351-3803 $18,990


2002 Chevrolet Tahoe LT Red V-8 299232 Clas-sic Chevrolet 102,428 miles 877-351-3803 $10,688

2008 Chevrolet Suburban LT 1500 Silver 207374 Clas-sic Chevrolet 33,740 miles 877-351-3803 $29,988

2007 Lexus ES350 4Dr Dk. Red 041304 Classic Chevro-let 70,908 miles 877-351-3803 $24,988

2008 Chrysler Sebring LX Conv. White 209556 Classic Chevrolet 43,424 miles 877-351-3803 $12,956

2005 Chevrolet SSR LS Truck Silver 119812 Classic Chevrolet 42,432 miles 877-351-3803 $24,988

• INDEPENDENT • JANUARY 6, 2010

Community Calendar

WINTER MINI-TERMSand SPRING SEMESTER 2010

REGISTRATION

Winter Mini-Term begins December 21(Register November 1 through December 17)

Spring semester classes begin January 19, 2010(Register November 1 through January 16)

WHARTON • SUGAR LAND • RICHMOND • BAY CITY EL CAMPO • PALACIOS

wcjc.edu1-800-561-WCJC

WCJC is an E.O.E. institution.

Kites of all shapes and sizes will adorn the sky of Sugar Land Memorial Park, 15300 University Boulevard, on Sat-urday, Jan. 16, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., as the City celebrates its fi rst ever Cultural Kite Fes-tival.

Activities and entertain-ment will include an opening ceremony of kites, a minia-ture kite museum showcasing the diversifi ed history of kite making, kite fl ying lessons and competitions and various cultural performances.

Also planned is a kite-mak-ing workshop where children can build their own kites and take them home as memora-bilia. Walk-around characters, such as Ben Franklin, will pro-vide atmosphere and a sense of connection to the history of kite fl ying in the United States.

A variety of popular cuisine and refreshments will be sold by local restaurants.

And there will be plenty of space for free fl ying kite lovers or those who prefer to stroll around and just enjoy the magnifi cent view and en-tertainment.

Kite fl ying is a popular ac-tivity and sport in many coun-tries around the world, and it’s sure to be a local hit as Sugar Land represents a mixture of cultures and diversity.

Residents of all backgrounds and ages will be able to enjoy the festival and will not have to leave the City to participate in the activities.

For more information, con-tact the Sugar Land Parks and Recreation Department at 281-275-2885 or visit www.sugar-landtx.gov.

Award-winning Fort Bend Theatre launches their Winter Acting classes for ages eight through eighteen. Classes will be held on Saturday mornings beginning Jan. 16, and end-ing March 6, 2010 at 2815 N. Main, Stafford. Each ses-sion teaches stage acting tech-niques, including pantomime, improvisation, vocalizations, and characterization and cul-minates with a performance for family and friends. The cost is $200, payable by a $50 non-refundable deposit. For more information visit www.fortbendtheatre.com, or call 281-208-3333 to register.

U.S. Rep. Pete Olson, (R-Sugar Land) will speak at the Fort Bend Chamber of Com-merce Governmental Rela-tions Meeting on Monday, Jan. 11, at 445 Commerce Green Boulevard, Sugar Land from 11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m.

Hear Olson’s New Year’s resolutions and his goals and visions for 2010. How does he plan to work with his Con-gressional peers to move this country forward and serve the interests of Texas’ 22nd congressional district? Ol-son will outline his priori-ties and objectives for the New Year and answer any questions you might have.

Make reservations on-line at www.FortBendChamber.com or email Ellen Bush at [email protected] or call 281-491-0277. Tickets are $15 for Chamber members and $25 for prospective members.

U.S. Rep. Pete Olson

Acting Classes

Bargain Book SaleFriends of First Colony

Branch Library, 2121 Aus-tin Parkway at Grants Lake, Sugar Land, will hold their monthly bargain book sale Sat. Jan. 9, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Good condition only. Books, CD’s, DVD’s (no magazines or encyclopedias) may be do-nated during regular library hours and are tax deductible.Children’s items are especially needed. Call 281-416-0936.

THE STATE OF TEXASCITATION

BY PUBLICATIONTO: SHARON BARILE UNKNOWN HEIRS AT LAW OF EVANGELINE M. BARILENOTICE:You have been sued. You may employ an attorney. If you or your attorney do not fi le a written answer with the clerk who issued this citation by 10:00 a.m. on Monday next following the expiration of forty-two days from the date of issuance of this citation, same being January 25, 2010 a default judgment may be taken against you. Said answer may be fi led by mailing same to: District Clerk’s Offi ce, 301 Jackson, Richmond, Texas 77469, or by bringing it to the offi ce. Our street address is 401 Jackson Street, Suite105. We are located on the fi rst fl oor of the courthouse building. The case is presently pending before the 434TH JUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT of Fort Bend County sitting in Richmond, Texas, and was fi led on August 17, 2009. It bears cause number 09-DCV-174173 and is styled:BAC Home Loans Servicing, LP FKA Countrywide Home Loans Servicing, LP vs Sharon Barile, Glenda Barile Salazar and the Unknown Heirs at Law of Evangeline M. Barile In Re: 507 Colony Lake Estates Drive, Staff ord, Texas 77477.The name and address of the attorney for PLAINTIFF OR PETITIONER is:MARK G. TOHABIBARRETT DAFFIN FRAPPIER TURNER & ENGEL, LLP15000 SURVEYOR BOULEVARD, SUITE 100ADDISON, TX 75001972-386-5040The nature of the demands of said PLAINTIFF OR PETITIONER is as follows to-wit: PLAINTIFF BAC HOME LOANS SERVICING, LP FKA COUNTRYWIDE HOME LOANS SERVICING, L.P, ITS SUCCESSORS AND ASSIGNS BY AND THROUGH ITS AnORNEY OF RECORD, MARK G. TORABI OF BARREn DAFFIN FRAPPIER TURNER & ENGEL, LLP, 15000 SURVEYOR BLVD., ADDISON, TEXAS 75001, 972-386-5040, BROUGHT SUIT AGAINST DEFENDANTS SHARON BARILE, GLENDA BARILE SALAZAR AND THE UNKNOWN HEIRS AT LAW OF EVANGELINE M. BARILE, TO ENFORCE THE VENDOR’S LIEN ON AND ASSERT SUPERIOR TITLE TO THE PROPERTY LOCATED AT 507 COLONY LAKE ESTATES DRIVE, STAFFORD, TEXAS 77477 AND LEGALLY DESCRIBED AS: LOT TWENTY-NINE (29), IN BLOCK FOUR (4), OF COLONY LAKE ESTATES, SECTION ONE (1), A SUBDIVISION IN FORT BEND COUNTY, TEXAS, ACCORDING TO THE MAP OR PLATTHEREOF RECORDED UNDER SLIDE NO(S). 2452/B AND 2453/A, BOTH OF THE PLAT RECORDS OF FORT BEND COUNTY, TEXAS.

If this Citation is not served, it shall be returned unserved. Issued under my hand and seal of said Court, at Richmond, Texas

DISTRICT CLERK ANNIE REBECCA ELLIOTT

Fort Bend County, Texas

By: Deputy District Clerk JOSIE PLATZTelephone: 281-633-7613

Simple OrganizationDear Lisa,

While, I thoroughly enjoy and am very thankful for all the gifts, my kids received too many gifts from family and friends. They already had way too many things that they weren’t even playing with. Now, I have to fi gure out where I am going to put these away. What kind of organizing ad-vice can you give me?

Signed overwhelmed

Dear Overwhelmed,I know exactly what you

are talking about. I remember on one occasion I tried to tell my mother-in-law to not buy as much for the kids. Unfor-tunately, it was not received well.

One solution that she came

up with as a compromise was to not buy as much for her own children. Funny thing is most children do not play with more than half of their toys. They see and want it, but then they usually gravitate to only a couple of things. I believe that children can be just as overwhelmed with too much stuff.

My suggestion to you would be to fi rst observe over the next couple of weeks which toys your children are “truly” playing with.

Be honest. Most of the time, the moms are more interested in their children having all of these toys and crafts.

Next, consider either do-nating some of the toys or put them in the attic. If the child

at a later time ask for the toys (most will not even remember) then you can give it back.

Once you have extra room, it should be easier to put things away.

Consider having the toys stored in one room. If your children want to play in a dif-ferent room, have them put everything away when they are fi nished.

If you have an organizing question, you can contact Lisa at [email protected].

Lisa Giesler is a Professional Organizer and a member of NAPO (National Association of Professional Organizers). Visit her at www.atimeand-placeforeverything.org

To the Editor:Every year we go through

this. First we close out the old year with the obliga-tory refl ection and then look ahead with hope for the new.

How often have we looked back and found that little has changed locally, espe-cially in the political realm.

Last years local and na-tional recession appears to be continuing unabated as we look at an unemployment rate in the county of about 8.5 percent, well up from the 5.5 percent of a year ago.

Naturally many of our lo-cal political leaders won’t emphasize these negatives or the facts that our ad valorem (property taxes) increased in this down economy on aver-age by almost 11 percent mak-ing us one of the most highly

taxed counties in the U.S., ac-cording to the tax foundation, and the leader in Texas for this not so coveted crown, nor will they mention the huge jump in home foreclosures county-wide or increasing crime.

During recent yearly re-views, by organizations like the Fort Bend County Eco-nomic Development Coun-cil and many of their backed politicians, all we seem to be reading is how bright and “rosy” everything is.

I guess we shouldn’t bother to look more closely at some of these issues as we move into a bright and “rosy” new year.

If we did we might start ask-ing questions and looking at connections as well as projects that won’t help many of the is-sues that impact our quality of life here in Fort Bend, such

as the unsustainable develop-ment of high density housing (apartments) and low end re-peat commercial and indus-trial development all fi nanced with our taxes and bond debt as older areas empty out.

So rather than bleeding more facts about challenges we must face in our communi-ty and the importance of inde-pendent elected offi cials that focus on those already living here, I think it is better to wish everyone the best and urge them to get involved as more local elections are approaching on March 2 and again in May.

Turn-out has been tra-ditionally low, but there is always hope and that is one commodity that is usu-ally free (not always though).

Chris Calvin

The Fort Bend Genea-logical Society will meet on Saturday, Jan. 9 at 10 a.m. The meeting will be held in the Genealogy Room at the George Memorial Library, located at 1000 Golfview Drive, in Richmond. Ms. Emily Croom will be hosting a Question and Answer ses-sion. Croom is a nationally noted genealogy lecturer and author. Anyone interested in genealogy is invited to attend. For more information, con-tact Frances at 281-762-8029.

Join the next South West Area Professional Express Network meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 19, 11 a.m. - 1 p.m. Fea-tured speaker, Minerva Pérez is the creator and executive producer of Latina Voices: Smart Talk. She is an Emmy nominated broadcast journal-ist and former News Anchor in Houston, Los Angeles, Phoe-nix, Dallas and San Antonio. SWAPEN is a business net-working group whose goal is to bring together business women of diverse occupations and to provide opportunities for them to help themselves and others to grow personally and professionally through leadership, education, net-working support, and national recognition. For more infor-mation visit www.swapen.org.

Sugar Creek Garden Club

The Club’s monthly meeting will be held Jan. 21 at Sugar Creek Country Club. Social hour begins at 9:30 and the meeting begins at 10. Joel Kempfer, Horticultural Man-ager, Brookwood Community, will speak about “Houston Area Heat-Proof Color,” Plants that Work in Extreme Condi-tions. For information, call Ai-leen Flack, 281-242-8488.

Merry MinistriesMerry Ministries (www.

merryministries.com) expand-ed its weekly women’s bible study to both morning and eve-ning gatherings last Septem-ber and had a great response to the additional night class. Women of all ages are invited to join in the study of the New Testament Books of 1 & 2 Timothy when we begin the new semester Jan. 12 and 13. Merry Ministries meets in the Sanctuary at Sugar Land First United Methodist Church (431 Eldridge Road). To register call 281-491-6041 or Barbara Conklin at 713-817-5153.

The Fort Bend Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution will meet Wednes-day, Jan. 13, at 10 a.m. in Wesley Hall of the Sugar Land United Methodist Church. Our Speaker’s topic is “Nutri-tion for Women.” There will also be a display of handcraft-ed items. Members and pro-spective members are invited to attend. Call Kyleen at 281-499-3007 for more details.

Presentation of fi ndings and park development options for the former Executive Nine property, part of the Quail Val-ley Parks Project will be held on Tuesday, Jan. 12 from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at the Community Center in the City Hall Com-plex at 1522 Texas Parkway. The community will have the opportunity to comment fol-lowing the remarks. Three po-tential priority elements for the property have been identifi ed: Water features; Open/passive area for trails, paths, green space and benches, and; Lim-ited activity areas not adjacent to homes potentially for play-ground, fi tness equipment, pa-vilion and parking. The fi nal park plan will be reviewed by the Missouri City Parks Board and by the City Council. The plan will be implemented in phases, with work on the fi rst phase potentially beginning as early as the spring 2010. For more information, call 281-403-8500 or visit www.mis-souricitytx.gov.

Memorial Hermann Sugar Land Hospital will host a free Back and Joint Pain Symposium on Saturday, Jan. 16 from 10 a.m. until noon in Conference Rooms A-C at the hospital. This educational and interactive symposium features leading Hous-ton orthopedists and pain management specialists addressing joint and back pain symptoms, causes, treatment options and recovery. Presentations also will cover the importance of pre-vention and highlight treatment options ranging from therapy to breakthroughs in minimally invasive surgery. Symposium at-tendees will have the chance to register to win great door prizes. The event is free, but reservations are required. To reserve your space, call 281-725-5225. Featured physicians include Moham-med Etminan, M.D., Michael Kent, M.D., and Ioannis Skaribas, M.D.

Mazal Group of Hadassah

The Mazal Group of Hadas-sah will meet for Coffee and Conversation on Friday, Jan. 22, at 10 a.m. at the home of Maro-lyn Block, Sugar Creek. Call Sue at 281-545-2229 for questions. Hadassah supports health care and medical research throughout the world. Guests are welcome.

Get involved in local politics

Back and joint pain symposium

Professional Women

Meeting on parks

The Spirit of Freedom Re-publican Women’s PAC will hold its fi rst annual meeting, on Jan. 15, 11 a.m. at Spring Creek Barbecue, 4895 High-way 6, Missouri City, Texas. (Dulles and Highway 6). Lunch at your expense. The program features a candidate’s

Spirit of Freedom Republican Women

DAR Meeting

Genealogy meeting

forum with Fort Bend County District Attorney’s race and be-gins at 11:30 a.m. A brief club meeting will follow. Member-ship dues collected. For more information contact Tina Gib-son at 281-491-6599.

Sugar Land hosts kite festival

Free seminarsCome and meet Drs. Ponce de Leon, Kulvinder Bajwa, and Sheilendra Mehta on the third Wednesday of every month starting in January at 6:30 p.m. at Methodist Sugar Land Hospital, located in Confer-ence Room A&D in the Main Pavilion. The doctors will present the latest information on Lap-Band surgery and an-swer your questions. Seating is limited. Call 281-274-7500 to reserve your seat. Seminar Dates: Jan. 20, Feb. 17, March 17, April 21, May 19, June 16, July 21, Aug. 18, Sept. 15 and Oct. 20.

Neck PainDrs. Jeffrey B. Wood and

Anthony J. Muffoletto, or-thopedic spine surgeons with Methodist Orthopaedic Specialists of Texas, will be leading cervical/neck pain seminars on Tuesday, Feb. 9, and Tuesday, Feb. 23. The one-hour presentations be-gin at 6:30 p.m. and will be held at Methodist Sugar Land Hospital, Conference Room A&D. Refreshments will be served. Seating is limited.Call 281-274-7500 to register.

JANUARY 6, 2010 • INDEPENDENT • Page 7

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By JANICE SCANLANA few sunny days ago

while working in the gar-den I noticed all the holly berries starting to turn red. True to the Gulf Coast, this is always promptly after Christ-mas. I now associate orange and burgundy as much with Christmas as I do red and green. No, this isn’t because of UT and A&M. It’s because that’s when what limited fall colors we have occur.

The turning red berries signal an interesting bird ac-tivity. And it creates quite a commotion in my front gar-den. The fi rst time I heard it, I supposed it was the Mock-ingbirds and Crows fi ghting for territory.

However, I didn’t hear the crows so I went outside to see what was happening. Did I get a sight! The holly ber-ries had fermented and the Mockingbirds were attempt-ing to keep the “tavern on the green” to themselves. To do so they were engaging in some aerobatics that would impress the Blue Angels’ pre-cision jet fl ying team.

Soon quite a bird crowd

gathered. I suppose like happy hour. While my pair of Cardinals did a fairly good job of getting their share of the f e r m e n t e d berries, the Mockingbirds were mak-ing it hard for them and all the birds.

But the longer their berry imbib-ing occurred so did the eff ec-tiveness of the dive bombing aerobatics. After a few more minutes the Mockingbirds were downright drunk and wobbly. Fairly soon they had completely lost their com-petitive edge from their usu-al aggressiveness.

Sadly, this story reminds me of the report of the Texas appointed Select Commis-sion Report on Texas Higher Education and Global Com-petitiveness.

Readers, we’re going backwards. In fact, younger

Texans are less edu-cated than older Tex-ans: Only 30.7% of Texans ages 25-34 have an associ-ate degree or higher c o m p a re d to 33.7% for those 35-44; 34.3% for those 45-54;

and 33.5% for . . . you get the

picture. A failure to reverse this trend will mean a steady decline in the state’s per cap-ita income because we won’t be able to compete with bet-ter educated workforces for the best jobs tomorrow.

But it doesn’t start with higher education.

Our school dropout rate is exploding. 93 youngsters drop out of school every hour of every school day.

Moreover, our science, math and technology faced a tremendous blow in 2007, with science and

math teachers leaving Texas schools at an alarming rate. Since Texas is ranked 35th in teacher pay, this is quite un-derstandable. Consequently, our Texas schools have a higher percentage of out-of-fi eld teachers in science and math and the percentage is double (40%) in high drop-out schools.

Do you remember fondly any of your sub-standard teachers much less any of their subject matter?

This is not about building new or more buildings. It’s about improving teaching and curriculum. In past opin-ion pages, parents working in engineering, medicine and other science related fi elds report this disparity in Fort Bend science and math education: we have a few great teachers, but too many who are not qualifi ed or sup-ported with curriculum.

And it’s the best teachers who make subjects relevant and exciting. It’s time for us to leave happy hour if we want Texas to be competitive.

Reach Janice at [email protected].

Scanlan

Fort Bend Junior Service League accepted a check from Eclipse Soccer Club in the amount of $6,772, rep-resenting the results of the club’s fundraising campaign to support breast cancer awareness month in Octo-ber.

The League will use Eclipse’s donation and that of other partnering organi-zations, including Methodist Sugar Land Hospital, to fur-ther the community’s fi ght against breast cancer.

FBJSL is working with the American Cancer Society in an ongoing, collaborative ef-fort to provide fi nancial sup-port for programs and ser-vices designed to improve quality of life, provide access

to early detection and treat-ment, and diminish suff ering for Fort Bend County breast cancer patients.

Eclipse raised the money through their inaugural Score for the Cause fund-raiser, which had two com-ponents.

The soccer club sold pink Score for the Cause t-shirts, which brightened up Lost Creek Park as club members proudly sported them on the fi eld for their October matches. As title sponsor for Eclipse and as a partner-ing organization with FBJSL for promoting breast cancer awareness, Methodist Sugar Land Hospital led the way in uniting the three groups. Those interested in part-

nering to raise funds to further breast cancer treatment and awareness is encouraged to contact FBJSL at [email protected] or 281-636-6272.

Front Row: Rick Safi er – Eclipse Soccer Club, Brigit Engleman – FBJSL President, Melissa Hayslip – FBJSL Past President, Steve Alexander - Eclipse Soccer Club. Second Row: Kaelyn Stolhand – Methodist Sugar Land Hospital, Angela Byrd – Methodist Ortho-paedic Specialists of Texas, Mac McCallum – Eclipse Soccer Club, and Janet Leatherwood – Methodist Sugar Land Hospital.

Eclipse Soccer helps FBJSL

• INDEPENDENT • JANUARY 6, 2010

Julie’s Cakes 3424 FM 1092 #230

Missouri City, TX 77459 (281) 261-8229

Julie Clifton, Owner

Fort Bend Dental Associates, PA 5819 Highway 6 S. #230 Missouri City, TX 77459 www.ftbenddental.com

(281) 499-3541 Dr. James D. Condrey, DDS

Robert L. McClendon, M.D.14825 Southwest Freeway

Sugar Land, TX, 77478281-240-6000

Thomas Lomonte DDS 12122 Murphy Road Stafford, TX 77477

www.drthomaslomonte.com (281) 530-1440

Amber Patterson

Bombay to Beijing14025 Southwest Freeway,

Suite 501, Sugar Land, TX 77478281-242-4242

Indian & Chinese Cuisine

Dish Network/Direct TVA-One International

9220 Hwy 6 South, Suite DHouston, Texas 77083

281-493-1888

Directory Directory Directory Directory Directory

KenWood & Associates, PC Certifi ed Public Accountants

One Sugar Creek Center Blvd. #300 Sugar Land, TX 77478

www.kenwoodpc.com (281) 243-2300Mr. Kenneth J. Wood, President

Minuti Coffee 1535 Hwy. 6, Suite A

Sugar Land, TX 77478 www.minuticoffee.com

(281) 265-3344 Ardavan Motamedi, CEO

A.Y. Shukla, M.DNeurologist

15200 SW Fwy., #395Sugar Land, TX 77478

281-565-8005

Lake Olympia Animal Hospital 3603 Glenn Lakes Lane, B2

Missouri City, TX 77459-4719 www.lakeolympiaanimal.com

(281) 499-7242 Terry J. Dobson, DVM

Shea Essence Day Spa 203 Century Sq. Blvd. Sugar Land, TX 77478 www.sheaessence.com

(281) 242-2878 Theodora Vandyke, CEO

Stafford Chiropractic Clinic 2434 S. Main

Stafford, TX 77477 (281) 499-2424

Dr. John A. Felker, DC, PC

The Woodhouse Day Spa 4855 Riverstone Drive, Suite 110

Missouri City, TX 77459 www.sugarland.woodhousespas.com

(281) 208-9119 Roland Benavicles, Owner

First Colony Aquatic & Rehabilitation Center

20403 University Blvd., Suite 100 Sugar Land, TX 77478

(281) 325-0188 Sean M. Hayes, PT CSCS,

Dennis Halford, DDS, MS 4503 Sweetwater Blvd. Sugar Land, TX 77479

(281) 980-8351

Dr. Shel Wellness and Medical Spa 1437 Highway 6, Suite 100

Sugar Land, TX 77479 www.drshel.com (281) 313-7435

Dr. Shelena Lalji, Medical Director

Hartford Services, Inc. 741 Dulles Avenue, Suite D

Stafford, TX 77477 www.hartfordservices.com

(281) 261-3333 Mitch Rahim, President

Foot Centers of Texas 3533 Town Center Blvd. S, #200

Sugar Land, TX 77479 www.foodcentersoftexas.com

(281) 240-3338 Shetal-Nicholas Desai

Thomas Parr, M.D.Orthopedic Surgeon14090 SW Fwy #130

Sugar Land, TX 77478281-491-7111

Aveda Concept Salon Eben & Day Spa 15510 Lexington, Suite G

Sugar Land, TX 77478 www.salonebenanddayspa.com

(281) 980-5160 Dario G. Beistegui, Owner

Texas Spine & Neurosurgery Center, 20403 University Blvd. #800

Sugar Land, TX 77478 www.txsnc.com (281) 313-0031

Rajesh K. Bindal, MD

Richmond Bone & Joint Clinic, P.A. 15035 Southwest Freeway

Sugar Land, TX 77478 www.rbjc.com (281) 344-1715

Cheryl Bertrand, Physician Liaison

Hrbacek & Associates,P.C.130 Industrial Blvd., Suite 110

Sugar Land, TX 77478lawfi [email protected]

281-240-2424

Genesis Day Spa and Salon 16255 Kensington Drive Sugar Land, TX 77479 www.spagenesis.com

(281) 265-6001 Sonnie Gohel, Owner

Dr. Richard F. BarrettBarrett Chiropractic Clinic

281-499-4810www.barrettchiroclinic.com

Sandersen & Knox LLP , Accountants130 Industrial Blvd., Suite 130

Sugar Land, TX 77478 www.SKBTexas.com

(281) 242-3232 Alan Sandersen, CPA, Partner

Flowers by Adela 3756 Cartwright Road

Missouri City, TX 77459 www.fl owersbyadela.com

(281) 499-5593 Mrs. Ramona Ohl, Owner

Lexington Boulevard Animal Hospital 2627 Cordes Drive

Sugar Land, TX 77479 www.lexingtonpethospital.com

(281) 980-3737 Dr. Sandy Seamans, DVM

Flowers by Adela 925 Eldridge

Sugar Land, TX 77478 www.fl owersbyadela.com

(281) 242-4020 Ms. Ramona Ohl, Owner

JAVANI Med Spa 3527 Highway 6, Suite 250

Sugar Land, TX 77478 www.javanimedspa.com

(281) 491-1151 Afreen Pappa, MD, CEO

Texans Insurance & Financial Group, 101 Southwestern Blvd., Suite 230

Sugar Land, TX 77478 www.swinsure.com

(281) 277-7800Basil Housewright, President

Kalologie Skincare 15890 Southwest Freeway, Suite 200

Sugar Land, TX 77478 www.kalologie.com

(281) 265-0880 Christine Reyes, Manager

Gillen Pest Control 1012 Morton Street

Richmond, TX 77469 www.gillenpestcontrol.com

(281) 342-6969 Gary L. Gillen, President

Man’s Best Friend7260 Highway 6, Suite 100 Missouri City, TX 77459 www.mansbestfriend.com

(281) 499-0700 Kelly Frankie, General Manager

Kas Saranathan, M.D.16659 S.W. Fwy,#481Sugar Land, TX 77479

713-771-3831Cardiologist

Cupcake Cafe 16525 Lexington Blvd., Suite 160

Sugar Land, TX 77479 www.cupcakecafeofsugarland.com

(281) 242-2744 Gary McSweeney, Owner

Just for $10 a week you can list your business in this

directory.Minimum 13 weeks

commitment for $125;

26 weeks for $250

and 52 weeks for $500.

Call today 281-980-6745

or email [email protected]

Physicians

Dentists SpaEateries

Flowers

Accountants

Pets

Chiropractors

Foot Specialist

Orthopedics

Nik Nikam, MDSugar Land Heart Center16659 S.W. FWY, #361Sugar Land, TX 77479

281-265-7567www.sugarlandheartcenter.com

Charlotte Alexander, MDOrthopedic Surgeon14090 SW Fwy #130

Sugar Land, TX 77478281-265-4264

InsuranceSatellite TV

A/C, Plumbing

Pest control

Attorney

HAPPY NEW YEAR

This was a complete sleep-er to me. Friends recom-mended this movie because they thought Carey Mulligan turned in an Oscar-worthy performance. I was willing to give them the benefi t of the doubt so I sat down to watch this British story of a 16 year old girl circa 1961 fall in love with an older man and possi-bly forgo her plans to attend Oxford.

This is why we should lis-ten to our friends. Ms. Mul-ligan’s performance made me reassess my vote for Best Actress. Currently, my vote is going to Carey Mulligan for her portrayal of Jenny the stu-dent in an all-girl high school in England who has “class...beauty...and cleverness.”

After I saw this movie, the Houston Film Critics Soci-ety held their annual awards

ceremony on December 19th and their Best Actress Award for 2009 went to Carey Mul-ligan. Told you so. Ms. Mul-ligan is only 24 years old and has a fantastic career in front of her. Remember that you heard it here fi rst.

As an aside, she had a co-starring role in this year’s “Brothers” starring Tobey Maguire and Jake Gyllen-haal.

Alfred Molina skillfully plays her nervous, overpro-tective father who falls prey to the same charm of the older man (Peter Sarsgaard - age 38) that caused Jenny to swoon. This movie is quite different than other movies playing in your local theatres so I hope you can fi nd it in a theatre near you so you won’t get caught on Oscar night say-ing “who the heck is Carey

Film Review : An EducationMulligan?” Her wide range of emotions from the naïve teenager to the sophisticated young woman who went to jazz clubs and dog races as well as overnight trips to Par-

is with the “older man” was superb. Glad I saw it.

Rock ‘n Roll.Grade 90. Larry H.Email to [email protected]

LONESTAR BLUEGRASS BAND. The Friends of the Arts Committee, First United Methodist Church, Missouri City pres-ents its fi rst concert of the new year, the Lonestar Bluegrass Band. Bluegrass was inspired by the music of Appalachian immigrants from the United Kingdom and Ireland. It has hints of blues and jazz, making it popular with many folks in the U.S. and abroad. The band has a lot of fun playing tunes by Clapton, Wonder, and Starr, as well as tunes of their own. You will be clappin’ along when you hear them take off! The concert will be held Jan. 9, at 4 p.m. in the church chapel at First United Methodist Church, 3900 Lexington Blvd. in Missouri City. The concert is free to the public. Love offerings will be accepted. For more details call 281-499-3502 or e mail [email protected].

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