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Environmental advocates, EPA officials discuss Fort Bend County issues
Earthea Nance (center), regional administrator for Environmental Protection Agency Region 6, was one of several panelist from the EPA to attend the April 24 event. (Kelly Schafler/Community Impact) Several environmental advocacy groups and a state representative said they don’t believe the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality is doing enough to…
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Commissioners approve supplemental detention pay amid 125 vacancies in Fort Bend County Sheriff’s Office
Fort Bend County Commissioners Court approved an additional $110 per pay period for all detention center personnel. (Community Impact staff) As the county grapples with 125 first responder vacancies—mirroring national and statewide trends—the Fort Bend County Sheriff’s Office is working double time to ensure the community’s needs are consistently met.
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Former Fort Bend ISD employee isn’t to blame for bond shortfalls, report says
Administrators blamed a former employee for failing to share updated cost estimates. But a new report found that their failure to account for inflation led to budget overages. A Fort Bend ISD investigation found that a former employee was not to blame for budget shortfalls in a 2023 bond. The…
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Pecan Grove residents share concerns about taste and smell of water
RICHMOND – A community in Fort Bend County says they have concerns about the taste and smell of the water. “It’s not normal. We’ve lived here for 17 years, and we have never had the smell, the taste and skin issues that we are having now,” Tamara Lipani said.
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Fort Bend ISD trustee faces multiple opponents in re-election campaign as colleagues endorse other candidates
Trustee Kristen Malone has been openly critical of the school board, alleging others forced out the superintendent. Some board members have endorsed one of her opponents. A Fort Bend ISD Trustee is facing multiple opponents in her campaign for re-election as early voting continues this week. Trustee Kristen Malone is…
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Fort Bend County collecting bids for design, build of jail renovations
The Fort Bend County Jail will see renovations to its interior and exterior security. (Kelly Schafler/Community Impact) The Fort Bend County Jail will have increased security with entry renovations and additional fencing for the East and West Towers. The details. At an April 19 meeting, Fort Bend County commissioners approved…
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Arcola mayor receives threatening package containing noose, police say
The “threatening package” was sent to Mayor Fred Burton and contained a paper reading “Get out of the race now!!” along with the noose, according to investigators. The mayor of a small town in Fort Bend County received a package on Tuesday containing a noose and a letter demanding he withdraw from the city’s upcoming…
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Multimillion-dollar unlicensed money transmitter from Fort Bend County convicted
HOUSTON (KIAH) – A man who lives in Fort Bend County is facing time in federal prison for operating a money transmitting business without a license. Sameer Sami Rasheed, 55, was found guilty of unlicensed money remitting, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Since 2020, Salman, who is…
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Report: FBISD decisions, not a missing email, to blame for bond program overruns
Months after the news broke about a projected $136.2 million cost overrun for Fort Bend ISD’s record $1.26 billion bond program, a report of an outside investigation released Tuesday finds that the main culprits behind the overrun are the prior administration’s failure to account to new inflation costs while not incorporating changes in the scope…
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School Bus Driver Appreciation Day
Today is School Bus Driver Appreciation Day! We’re talking with Fort Bend ISD bus driver Jason Teague about his job and why he finds it rewarding.
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Fort Bend County residents can appeal 2024 property appraisals
Fort Bend County property appraisals have begun to be distributed and can be appealed. (Courtesy of Fort Bend Central Appraisal District) The Fort Bend Central Appraisal District has begun distributing property appraisal notices via mail, and residents have until May 15 to appeal local values. “The market appears to have…
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Investigation into Fort Bend ISD bond shows leaders failed to adjust for inflation between 2022, 2023 proposals
The investigation showed administration leaders made a “conscious decision” to not increase cost estimates for anticipated compounding inflation on projects between the 2022 and 2023 bond proposals. (Dave Manning/Community Impact) A law firm’s investigation shows Fort Bend ISD’s $132.6 million shortfall for its May 2023 bond was primarily…
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New EPA air quality standards could impact Katy area
Experts said transportation-related sources can contribute to fine particulate matter, a pollutant the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recently tightened standards on, pushing Harris County to nonattainment. (Kelly Schafler/Community Impact) Harris County and nine other Texas counties don’t meet the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s new national air quality standards for fine…
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Report finds that FBISD decisions, not a missing email, to blame for bond project overruns
Months after the news broke about a projected $136.2 million cost overrun for Fort Bend ISD’s record $1.26 billion bond program, a report of an outside investigation released Tuesday finds that the main culprits behind the overrun are the prior administration’s failure to account to new inflation costs while not incorporating changes in the scope…
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Fort Bend ISD trustee Kristen Malone responds to board statement regarding TEA complaint
Fort Bend ISD Trustee Kristen Malone, who filed a complaint with the TEA in December, has come under fire from President Judy Dae and the board executive team. (Ken Conkle/Community Impact) In a statement April 22, Fort Bend ISD trustee Kristen Malone confirmed she filed a complaint with the Texas…
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Girls Scouts learn about birds, bees at Master Gardeners class
After spending a recent Saturday morning learning about birds and bees, the girls in kindergarten through third grade talked of going home to do their homework. For the Daisy and Brownie Girl Scouts, that homework meant hanging the bird feeder and the home they made for bees and then recording what the birds eat over…
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Early voting begins in May 4 local elections
Early voting began Monday in several Fort Bend County-area elections, including major municipal and school district board races. Early voting continues through April 30, with Election Day on May 4. In Fort Bend ISD, there are two positions on the board of trustees in contention. Four candidates are vying for…
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George to offer ‘State of the County’ address on April 30
Fort Bend County Judge KP George will present his annual “State of the County” address on Tuesday, April 30 at the Houston Marriott Sugar Land, 16090 City Walk Sugar Land, beginning at 7:30 a.m. According to a news release, George will “address the County’s accomplishments, progress and future.” George,…
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Sheriff’s office warns of phone-call scams
The Fort Bend County Sheriff’s Office was recently informed of an ongoing federal jury duty scam targeting local residents, according to a social media post. Scammers have been contacting residents and impersonating personnel from the Fort Bend County Sheriff’s Office demanding immediate payment to avoid a warrant being issued for their arrest for citation fines.…
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Houston man receives 45 years in 2018 stabbing death in Katy
A Fort Bend County jury on April 16 sentenced a Houston man to 45 years in prison after convicted him of murdering a friend of his estranged wife in 2018. Godson Olayiwola Akran, 44, was charged in the stabbing death of Taofeek Anifata during an argument in his wife’s Katy home, according to a news…
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Fleetwood Zach
“She is like a cat in the dark /And then she is to darkness / She rules her life like a fine skylark / And when the sky is darkless / All your life you’ve never seen / Woman taken by the wind / Would you stay if she promised you heaven” – Fleetwood Mac,…
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Fort Bend Sheriff’s Office warns of scammers impersonating deputies, asking for money
Callers are impersonating deputies and telling victims they need to pay fines to avoid an arrest. The Fort Bend County Sheriff’s Office is warning residents of a new federal jury duty scam where callers are impersonating cops. They’re calling Fort Bend residents and asking them for money to avoid an…
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Needville fire: House fully engulfed in flames, says FBHSEM
NEEDVILLE, Texas – A house fire in Needville has lanes blocked as emergency officials work to extinguish the flames. Fort Bend County Homeland Security and Emergency Management reports a fully engulfed structure fire at a home at 14402 Texas Highway 36 South in Needville. There have been no reports of…
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Timeline unclear for next steps in Grand Parkway loop though Fort Bend, Brazoria counties
Elsewhere in Sugar Land, work continues at the intersection of the Grand Parkway and Hwy. 90A. (Kelly Schafler/Community Impact) When the Grand Parkway will extend from Sugar Land into Brazoria County is unclear, with management of the road’s remaining development split between two entities: Fort Bend County and the Texas Department of Transportation.