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Missouri City native Holmes supports U.S. Navy helicopter squadron By Ensign Joash Ward NAVY OFFICE OF COMMUNITY OUTREACH
SAN DIEGO – Petty Officer 1st Class Dustin Holmes, a native of Missouri City, serves the U.S. Navy assigned to Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron (COMHSMWINGPAC), according to a story from the military service. He graduated from Thurgood Marshall High School in 2008. Holmes joined the Navy 16 years ago. Today, he serves as an engineman. “I joined the Navy because I wanted to make something better of myself and be financially stable,” said Holmes. “I also wanted to have money for college. I’m in school right now, paying for it with the programs that are available to us. I wanted to set my life up to become the best version of myself, and realize my potential. I wanted to be a team player, financially stable and physically fit. At 18, I didn’t have the confidence and charisma that I have now, I got them from my time in the service.” Holmes said the skills and values needed to succeed in the Navy are similar to those he learned growing up in Missouri City. “I’ve learned how to turn nothing into something,” said Holmes. “That means turning the worst situation into a good situation. A lot of times in the military and in my life, I’ve had the mental fortitude to change that into a positive outcome. My hard work ethic and drive have helped me become something of myself. And, my football coached taught me good leadership skills. I wanted to carry those lessons on in the military.” According to Navy off ic i a l s, memb er s of COMHSMWINGPAC fly and maintain the MH-60R Sea Hawk helicopter, the Navy’s most advanced rotary wing maritime strike platform. The Navy MH-60R is able to perform many different missions. Some of the most common operations include strikes on maritime targets, submarine hunting and attack, electronic warfare, search and rescue, medical evacuations and supply support.
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Fort Bend / Southwest • Volume 49 • No. 38 • $1.00
Patel arraigned on misdemeanor charges By Ken Fountain KFOUNTAIN@FORTBENDSTAR.COM
With just weeks to go before Election Day, Taral Patel, the Democratic candidate for Fort Bend County Precinct 3 Commissioner, was arraigned Friday on four misdemeanor charges of online misrepresentation of identity in a Fort Bend County courtroom. He is set to be arraigned on four felony counts of online impersonation in another courtroom on September 23.
Patel was indicted September 3 by a Fort Bend County grand jury on the eight total charges related to his race for the commissioner’s court seat. Last week’s court appearance at the Fort Bend Justice Center in Richmond was Patel’s since the first charges were filed against him in June. Patel’s appearance on Friday was brief. After numerous other misdemeanor defendants had already checked in with the court, Patel, accompanied by his
Houston attorney Frank Yeveryno and another, unidentified man, walked into the courtroom and remained seated for only a few minutes before a court employee told him he was free to go. Patel, his attorney and the other man then briskly left the courthouse. He made no statements, either as he walked into the courtroom or left. A lawyer not associated with the case told reporters that such a brief appearance was not unusual for a first court appearance.
The indictments came after a nearly year-long investigation by the Public Integrity Office of the Fort Bend District Attorney’s Office and the Texas Rangers of Patel, a former chief of staff to County Judge KP George and Biden White House employee who scored a slim majority in a five-person Democratic primary in March. Patel, who is an IndianAmerican and a Hindu, was arrested and charged in June with felony and misdemeanor counts of online imperson-
ation and misrepresentation relating to allegedly creating another false Facebook account, under the name “Antonio Scalywag” and using a photo of another county resident, Patrick Ernst, in order to post false, racist messages about himself and others related to the campaign. In the November 5 election, Patel faces longtime Republican incumbent Andy
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Ridge Point High School alum wins nearly $300,000 on game show Community Reports A Fort Bend ISD alum recently won nearly $300,000 on the ABC game show “Press Your Luck.” Former Ridge Point High School student Gabby Metoyer might have gone on to win the $1 million grand prize or she might have lost everything, but she received some timely advice on stage, according to a news release from the district. Contestants on the show answer general trivia questions to earn chances to “spin” the big board hoping to land on spaces that bring them cash and prizes. However, if they “press their luck” and keep spinning they could land on a “whammy” which wipes out all cash and prizes they have accumulated. Metoyer was allowed to bring one advisor with her, and she chose her mother, Ermita, who told her, “It’s time to go,” at a crucial moment when Metoyer had to decide whether to press her luck or stop playing. Ermita Metoyer is a FBISD math and science educator who has taught at Sienna Crossing Elementary School for nearly 15 years. “I just wanted to reassure her that whatever she decided to do, I was with her but the whole time I was hoping she would certainly walk away because I felt she had gone there and achieved what she wanted to do,” Ermita Metoyer said. Gabby Metoyer’s haul from the show included
Fort Bend ISD alum Gabby Metoyer is seen as a contestant of the ABC game show “Press Your Luck” with host Elizabeth Banks. Courtesy Fort Bend ISD
$199,000 in cash and $100,000 in prizes that show producers personalized especially for her – including an ultimate birthday bash to include 100 guests and a year of fitness sessions with a personal trainer who works with the Houston Texans. “The whole experience was amazing and even if I had lost everything it still would have been an insanely incredible experience,” Gabby Metoyer said, still enthusiastic months after taping the episode. “During the taping, I was so glad it was cold in the studio because I felt nervous and hot,” Gabby Metoyer said. Taping day began at 8 a.m. with a practice round, then it
Ermita Metoyer beams as she watches her daughter, Gabby, participate in a taping of the ABC game show “Press Your Luck.” Courtesy Fort Bend ISD
was off to hair, wardrobe and makeup. There were assistants standing by to attend to her every need.
“I felt like a celebrity,” she said. Gabby Metoyer’s “Press Your Luck” episode kicked off the show’s sixth season. It aired in July and she and her mother were sworn to secrecy about the outcome until the show was broadcast. They were not even allowed to tell Gabby’s dad and sisters how she fared on the show. When they all watched the episode together and saw how well Gabby Metoyer did, “the room erupted,” she said. Gabby Metoyer made it onto the show by answering a call for contestants on Instagram. Being a fan of the show’s host, actress Elizabeth Banks, the recent college grad said she knew
she had to apply. She sent in a video, thinking nothing would probably come of it, but she was stunned to get a call the very next day. After auditions, including a Zoom call, the show flew Gabby and her mom to Los Angeles. She said the two of them shared a special field trip while there for the show. Ermita Metoyerwas in the inaugural class of Teach for America educators and her first assignment was in South Central LA. She was teaching at the school when the Rodney King riots erupted in 1992. Ermita Metoyer took her daughter to her old school’s neighborhood where she also used to live. “It looked like nothing had changed,” she said. “The kids we saw in the area looked the same as the kids I taught decades ago.” Gabby Metoyer said it was a special moment that “felt like a homecoming” for her mother and her. Gabby Metoyer works as a consultant for the Veterans Affairs department and as she contemplates the possibility of future TV opportunities, she said she might look into being a contestant on “The Bachelor.” But for now, she is keeping her day job and managing her winnings wisely. She plans to “take a big chunk out” of her student loan debts and purchase a home of her own. “We are really proud of her,” her mother said. “Press Your Luck” airs Thursday nights on ABC at 7 p.m.
Houston-area home sales slump in August Staff Reports
Petty Officer 1st Class Dustin Holmes credits his upbringing in Missouri City for his success in the U.S. Navy. Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Isaiah Williams
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As the summer temperatures climbed in August, Houston’s housing market experienced a cooldown. The slower sales volume enabled inventory to expand and prices to moderate, creating a positive landscape for home buyers, according to the Houston Association of Realtors (HAR). According to the HAR’s August 2024 Market Update, single-family home sales across the Greater Houston area declined 8.3 percent
year-over-year. The HAR Multiple Listing Service (MLS) recorded sales of 7,340 units compared to 8,006 last August. Inventory expanded from a 3.2-months supply to 4.5 months, which is the highest since September 2012. The luxury segment ($1 million+), which represents 4.1 percent of all home sales in August, had the strongest performance, with a 2.0 percent increase in sales. All other housing segments experienced slower sales in August. Homes priced between $100,000 and $149,000
saw the biggest decline, with closings down 13.2 percent year-over-year. That segment made up just 2.2 percent of the overall market. The average price of a single-family home edged up by 0.9 percent to $421,912 while the median price declined slightly, 0.3 percent, to $336,940. “Although sales have slowed, the Houston housing market is still in good shape,” said HAR Chair
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