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WEDNESDAY • AUGUST 16, 2023 JEANNE GREGORY REALTOR®, CRS, GRI, ABR
Fort Bend / Southwest • Volume 48 • No. 37 • $1.00
Fort Bend County imposes burn ban Staff Reports
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Fort Bend County Commissioner’s Court last week unanimously approved a 90-day outdoor burn ban for unincorporated areas of the county
tion and soil moisture. The drought index ranges from 0 to 800, where a drought index of 0 represents no moisture depletion, and an index of 800 represents absolutely dry conditions. As of August 8, Fort Bend County’s index was 651.
As the extreme heat continues and drought conditions progress, the risk for fire dangers increase. The Fort Bend County Fire Marshal’s Office has been monitoring the Keetch-Bryam Drought Index used to determine forest fire potential. The drought index is based on a daily water balance, where a drought factor is balanced with precipita-
After Interim Fire Marshal Justin Jurek made a presentation on index values and the continued forecast of extreme heat with no rain, Commissioner’s Court came to a consensus that circumstances present in the county can potentially create a public safety hazard. The Declaration and Order Prohibiting Outdoor Burning in Fort Bend
County states that no person burn or order another to burn any material outside of an enclosure designed to contain and capable of containing all flames, sparks, embers, cinders and ash produced by burning. Therefore, limits the use of open flames which includes burning trash, campfires, using burn barrels and any other open flame devices. County Judge KP George is authorized to sign an order rescinding the order if he determines, upon consultation with the Fire Marshal, that drought conditions or hazardous circumstances no longer exist.
Fort Bend County Commissioner’s Court has approved a burn ban for unincorporated areas of the county. Photo from Wikimedia Commons
George touts accomplishments, looks ahead during ‘State of the County’ address
Two men have been arrested for murder and/or tempering with physical evidence in the death of a Guy man, according to the Fort Bend County Sheriff’s Office. Fort Bend County Sheriff’s deputies arrested Austin Christopher Horn, 24, for murder and tampering with physical evidence (altering or destroying a human corpse), and Matthew Allen Dubec, 29, for tampering with physical evidence (altering or destroying a human corpse) in the death of Kevin Wayne Fojtik, 45, of Guy, according to a news release.
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Austin Christopher Horn, 24, is charged with murder and tampering with physical evidence in the death Guy man Kevin Wayne Fojtik. Courtesy Fort Bend Sheriff’s Office
Matthew Allen Dubec, 29, is charged with tampering with physical evidence in the death of Guy man Kevin Wayne Fojtik, 45. Courtesy Fort Bend County Sheriff’s Office
Fort Bend County Judge KP George gives the ‘State of the County’ address at the Houston Marriott Sugar Land last week. Photo by Ken Fountain
By Ken Fountain KFOUNTAIN@FORTBENDSTAR.COM
Fort Bend County Judge KP George and other officials laid out a case for the county as a growing, fast-evolving place to live and work during the annual “State of the County” address last week. The event, hosted by Central Fort Bend Chamber of Commerce and the Fort Bend Chamber of Commerce, drew a capacity audience of other officials and business leaders to an ornate ballroom at the Houston Marriott Sugar Land. George is a Democrat who was reelected to his second term last November. As noted in his introduction, as an In-
dian-American he is the first top elected official of South Asian descent of a county that has become known widely known as one of the ethnically diverse counties in the United States. George’s talk was interspersed the highly polished videos showing of the county’s history and present-day assets. Geroge also gave much of the approximately hour-long presentation to many other county elected officials and staff members who talked about their respective roles. “We can all be confident in the state of Fort Bend County today,” George said. “It is blessed with a diverse and talented population, a
strong workforce and business team, great schools, a key location and plenty of natural resources that make this great place that we call home.”
product stands at just over $33 billion, which he said reflects its diverse industrial base. The county’s economic growth was second in the state last year, he said.
Even with all those modern assets, George said, Fort Bend maintains “a smalltown appeal of a county and community where neighbors still look after each other.”
George said he and the other members of Commissioners Court have taken “significant steps” to attract even more new industry to the county and make it place that is more than a bedroom community for people working in other parts of the Houston region, but a place where people want to come to “live, work, and play.”
George noted the challenges that Fort Bend has had since his tenure began in 2019, notably several severe weather events, the COVID-19 pandemic and the economic downturn that followed. Currently, he said, the unemployment rate in Fort Bend is about 4 percent, the county’s gross domestic
“But I have to admit that over 65 percent of our workforce drive to Houston for employment,” he said. “We want to change that tra-
jectory and attract various industries and job opportunities right here in Fort Bend County.” Those efforts include improving the county’s infrastructure, including drainage, mobility and broadband access, he said, adding that he and the court are working to ensure that all the county’s residents, including in its most rural areas, will soon have access to broadband Internet. George mobility was the county’s “number one priority,” since it is a linchpin of maintaining Fort Bend’s quality of life. (Later that
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