2023
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Sugar Land named Music-Friendly Texas Certified Community - Page 6
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First Colony library to host program on creating mandalas Community Reports Fort Bend County Libraries’ First Colony Branch Library will present a special Young Adult program for teens (grades 9-12), “Create Your Own Mandala,” on Saturday, November 2, from 1 a.m.-12:30 p.m., in the Meeting Room of the library, 2121 Austin Parkway in Sugar Land. Young Audiences of Houston teaching artist Cindy Ventura will share the emotional healing benefits of weaving and creating mandalas. Often used as an instrument for meditation or focusing attention, a traditional mandala is a square containing a circle, and the entire design is symmetrical and balanced. They are commonly seen woven with threads, painted, or etched in sand. The word mandala itself means “circle” in Sanskrit. Creating mandalas allows participants to express emotions through colors, shapes, and the combinations they employ. The process opens the channels of intuition, perception, and active meditation. In this workshop, Ventura will demonstrate different weaving techniques used to create a mandala. Participants will create a weaving piece (Ojo de Dios) following the ancient technique. Meditation and healing music is incorporated into the class. Ventura is a bilingual visual artist, yoga instructor, and holistic therapist with an educational background in psychology, yoga, and ancestral fabrics. Made possible by the Friends of the First Colony Branch Library, this program is free and open to teens in grades 9 through 12. Seating is limited, however, and reservations are required. To register online at the library’s website (www.fortbend.lib. tx.us), click on “Classes & Events,” select “First Colony Branch Library,” and find the program. Participants may also register by calling the library (281-238-2800), or by visiting the library.
Young Audiences of Houston teaching artist Cindy Ventura will present a program for teens on creating mandalas at the First Colony library on Nov. 2. Courtesy Fort Bend County Libraries
Fort Bend / Southwest • Volume 49 • No. 44 • $1.00
Kendleton mayor agrees to resign to avoid trial By Ken Fountain KFOUNTAIN@FORTBENDSTAR.COM
On October 22, the day he was set to be tried on charges of abuse of power and failure to provide public information, Kendleton Mayor Darryl K. Humprhey, Sr. reached an agreement with Fort Bend prosecutors to dispose the charges in return for his resignation from office at the beginning of January and paying restitution to a local business owner. According to a news re-
Kendleton Mayor Darryl K. Humphrey, Sr., agreed to resign on Jan. 1, 2025 in an agreement with Fort Bend County prosecutors in exchange for having abuse of power charges dismissed. In this file photo, Humphrey is depicted at an event in August. File photo by Ken Fountain
lease from the Fort Bend County District Attorney’s of f ice Humph rey was charged with Abuse of Official Capacity for “allegedly subjecting a Kendleton RV Park owner to unlawful water and sewer charges and for failing to comply with that same RV Park owner’s 2021 and 2022 requests for public information.” Humphrey was indicted for failing to provide the request information in December 2022 and for abuse of power in July, ac-
cording to court records. The terms of the agreement are that Humphrey is to resign his office by January 1, 2025, and return all his city-owned property at that time. Humphrey is barred from running for office until the expiration of his current term in 2026, according to the release. Additionally, he is to pay $5,000 in restitution to Todd Doucet, the RV park owner, for attorney fees
SEE KENDLETON PAGE 2
Sugar Land Holiday Lights opens November 15
Sugar Land Holiday Lights will be held from Nov. 15 through Jan. 5 at Constellation Field, home of the Space Cowboys. Courtesy Sugar Land Space Cowboys
Community Reports Sugar Land Holiday Lights, now in its 11th year, will be held November 15 through January 5 at Constellation Field, the home of the Sugar Land Space Cowboys. Sugar Land Holiday Lights, presented by Houston Methodist, transforms the ballpark into a holiday wonderland with over 3.5 million lights, a 40-foot light up tree, lights shows, numerous themed displays, nightly photo opportunities with Santa Claus until December 23, holiday vendors and more. New for 2024 is a Synthetic Ice Rink on the field each night of Sugar
Land Holiday Lights. Sugar Land Holiday Lights opens on Friday, November 15 for an opening weekend until Sunday, November 17. After a closure from November 18 through 21, Sugar Land Holiday Lights returns on Friday, November 22 and runs every night until Sunday, January 5, 2025, including Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Christmas Night, New Years Eve and New Years Day. Sugar Land Holiday Lights runs from 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm for most Sunday through Thursday nights and from 6:00 pm to 10:00 pm for most Friday and Saturdays. All military, active and
retired, can receive a discounted ticket with proof of a military ID at the Regions Bank Ticket Office for all Sugar Land Holiday Lights dates. Returning daily promotions include Lights & Leashes presented by Hollywood Feed (November 17, 24, December 1, 8, 15 and 22), Goodwill Mondays (November 25, December 2 and 9), Silver Bells Tuesdays (November 26, December 3 and 10) and Family Ticket Pack Wednesdays (December 4, 11 and 18). There will be three Center Field Cinemas during Sugar Land Holiday Lights run, with "Elf" showing on December 4, "The Grinch" on
December 11 and "The Santa Clause" on December 18, with each movie starting at 6:45 pm. The schedule features a pair of giveaways with an Orion Reindeer Bobblehead Giveaway to the first 1,000 attendees on Sunday, November 17 presented by Planet Fitness and a Light Up Cowboys Hat Giveaway to the first 1,000 attendees on Saturday, December 14. Educators receive a free ticket and a discount on additional tickets on Teacher Appreciation Night on Wednesday, November 27 with proof of a school email. Other individual theme nights include Sensory Friendly Night on Tuesday,
December 3, Astros Night on Thursday, December 5 with Orbit, the Shooting Stars and the Commissioners Trophy on site, Scout Night on Saturday, December 7 and Ladies Night on Friday, December 20. Special for New Years Eve presented by Planet Fitness, Sugar Land Holiday Lights will be open until midnight with New Years Eve Fireworks at midnight presented by Houston Methodist. In the Regions Bank Club will be the third annual New Years Eve Ball presented by Planet Fitness. More information, including on how to purchase tickets, can be found at sugarlandholidaylights.com.
Law enforcement conducts 'zero tolerance' operation in Fresno Staff Reports
First Colony Branch Library will present a special Young Adult program for teens called “Create Your Own Mandala,” on November 2. Courtesy Fort Bend County Libraries
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On September 10-11, the Fort Bend County District Attorney’s Office led a zerotolerance crime reduction operation in Fresno in response to complaints from residents regarding illegal activity, according to a news release. District attorney investigators, police officers, deputy constables, and
state troopers worked together as a force multiplier to target street-level criminal activity in a systematic effort to reduce crime within the small community of Fresno, near the city of Arcola. During the operation, 271 traffic stops were conducted, and 11 suspects arrested – including two wanted fugitives. Authorities also recovered one firearm and
over 200 grams of narcotics. “Community policing encourages collaboration be-
tween law enforcement and the community to address crime and social issues,” District Attorney Brian M. Middleton sa8d in the release. “Residents expressed their concerns at town hall discussions hosted by Precinct Two Commissioner Grady Prestage, and we developed this operation in response. And we will repeat our efforts until the residents feel safer and violators are
held accountable. Criminals in Fort Bend County are on notice that we are coming and will be relentless in our pursuit of justice.” Other participating agencies included the Precinct 3 and Precinct 4 Fort Bend County Constables’ Offices, the Texas Department of Public Safety, Houston Police Department, and the Missouri City Police Department.
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