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WEDNESDAY • FEBRUARY 21, 2024
Sugar Land to host Music Friendly Texas Community workshop on Feb. 28
The office of Gov. Greg Abbott, in conjunction with the Texas Music Office, and the city of Sugar Land Civic Arts Division will hold a hybrid Music Friendly Texas Community workshop on Wednesday, Feb. 28. File photo by Ken Fountain
Staff Reports The office of Gov. Greg Abbott, in conjunction with the Texas Music Office, and the city of Sugar Land Civic Arts Division will hold a hybrid Music Friendly Texas Community workshop on Wednesday, February 28, at 5:30 p.m., at Sugar Land City Hall, 2700 Town Center Blvd. North. The event will also be accessible virtually at https://bit. ly/TMO_SugarLand. The event will highlight the significance of music to the image of Texas brand and local economies, and the role of TMO in assisting communities, both large and small, in developing creative partnerships and fostering job growth. Acknowledging the substantial impact of the Texas music industry, which accounted for more than 192,000 direct and indirect permanent jobs and generated more than $26 billion in economic activity statewide last year, the governor in a press release emphasized the collaborative efforts with local leaders, such as those in Sugar Land, to provide the necessary tools for success. TMO Community Relations and Outreach Specialist Chip Adams will be present at the workshop to explain the Music Friendly Texas Community designation and its associated benefits, while answering questions from participants. “Art enriches lives, and music brings communities together,” Sugar Land Civic Arts Division Manager Sha Davis said in the release. “That is the primary goal of the Sugar Land Civic Arts Division -- to make ‘life better than you can imagine’ for all of our residents, and this is just one step closer to doing so!” TMO’s Music Friendly Texas program, introduced in 2016 as the first of its kind in the nation, provides Texas communities with a network for fostering music industry development. The Sugar Land workshop is a step in the certification process, and upon completion, Sugar Land will join other Texas cities with the Music Friendly Texas designation. Musicians, venues, and the general public are invited to join the workshop either online or in person at Sugar Land City Hall. The event can also be accessed via Facebook (https://fb.me/e/58OcLXTxl) or LinkedIn ( https:// www.linkedin.com/events/ sugarlandmusicfriendlytexashybr7162919287945412608).
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Scouting district salutes Fort Bend Master Gardeners By Karen Zurwaski Fort Bend County Master Gardeners not only nurture vegetables and other plants, but also encourage young men and women in Scouting to develop skills in horticulture-related programs and activities. For their efforts, the Texas Master Gardeners of Fort Bend County and Texas A&M AgriLife Extension along with the nonprofit’s Youth Activities Committee each recently received Certificates of Appreciation from the Coastal Plains District of the Sam Houston Area Council “for continuous support of Scouting.” Dr. Gregg Stephens, Coastal Plains District Advancement and Recognition
Committee chairman, said, “We give the award to community groups or individuals who step in and help our program.” Stephens said the award recognizes Master Gardener Everett Blanton and three other Master Gardeners who support the district’s Eagle Scout program by helping with an Eagle Scout project. In this case, Boy Scout Christian Mayorga created a “Little Free Library.” It was one of three libraries Christian created for his project. “We are very gratified to say that as of August 2023 a wonderful ‘Little Free Library’ now stands in the Demonstration Garden,” said Blanton, who cited the project as an example of
the FBMG’s Boy Scout initiative. “This was a project the FBMG wanted to create as one way of memorializing association members,” he said. The association accepted Christian’s design and plan. Christian’s family and Stephens nominated FBMG and YAC for the certificates for the second consecutive year. “We wanted to recognize Master Gardeners for their support of the Merit Badge class,” said Stephens, who added that the district extends from Sugar Land to the Gulf Coast. “The Certificate of Appreciation award is the highest honor the district can
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Boy Scout Christian Mayorga, second from right, earned the rank of Eagle Scout for establishing three “Little Free Libraries,” including one in the demonstration gardens of Texas Master Gardeners of Fort Bend County. L-R: Van Mayorga, Christian’s dad; Samuel Mayorga and Wyatt Mayorga, Christian’s twin brothers; Christian; and Penny Mayorga, Christian’s mother. Contributed photo
Precinct 3 commissioner candidates hold forum as early voting begins
Candidates for Fort Bend County Precinct 3 commissioner partici[ate in a forum hosted by the Fort Bend County Chamber of Commerce last week. L-R: Taral Patel, Abrahim Javed, Zeeshan Isaac, Allen Bogard, and incumbent Andy Meyers. Taral Patel, Abrahim Javed, Zeeshan Isaac, Allen Bogard, and incumbent Andy Meyers. Photo by Ken Fountain
By Ken Fountain KFOUNTAIN@FORTBENDSTAR.COM
With early voting in the March 5 primaries underway, candidate forums for Fort Bend County elective offices have been coming fast and furious in recent weeks. Last week, the Fort Bend County Chamber of Commerce held the latest in a series of such forums for perhaps the most politically significant race, that for Precinct 3 Commissioner. Previously for decades held by Republicans, Commissioners Court since 2018 has been held by a Democratic majority, with three members of that party and two from the GOP. Longtime incumbent Commissioner Andy
Meyers is one of those two Republicans, with Precinct 1 Commissioner Vincent Morales. The precinct’s boundaries were changed by a map pushed through by the Democratic majority in 2022. A Democratic win in November would tighten that party’s hold on the court. Meyers is being challenged by businessman Mike Khan in the Republican primary on March 5. Meanwhile, there are five Democrats vying for that party’s nomination for the seat. In alphabetical order, they are Allen Bogard, retired Sugar Land city manager Allen Bogard; nonprofit executive Abra-
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