2023
READERS’ CHOICE
Space Cowboys claim finale against Tacoma - Page 5
GET SEEN CALL 713-371-3600
ADVERTISE HERE! WEDNESDAY • AUGUST 6, 2025
Fort Bend / Southwest • Volume 50 • No. 32 • $1.00 Visit www.FortBendStar.com
FBISD’s Rosharon-area residents (again) protest Tassin says proposed concrete-crushing plant she will soon revisit vacant Position 5 By Ken Fountain
KFOUNTAIN@FORTBENDSTAR.COM
It was a case of “second verse, same as the first” as – nearly a year after the first public hearing over a proposed concrete-crushing plant in the Rosharon area – an almost identical hearing was held last week. The setting was the same as that August 2024 hearing, a large auditorium in the Restoration City Life Center, a large church complex near the proposed facility off of FM 521 in an unincorporated part of Fort Bend County. Most of the players were the same as well, including representatives of Julpit, Inc., a private entity formed in 2023 to build the facility and technical and legal representatives of the Texas Commission on Environmental
Sonya Jones, who in May announced she was resigning from her Fort Bend ISD board position, speaks as a “sitting” member of the board at a public hearing last week. Photo by Ken Fountain
Quality. And the reaction was identical: fierce opposition from residents and public officials to the building and operation of a plant that company officials say when operational will crush up to 200 tons of concrete per hour for up to 2,640 hours per year. According to the company, spay bars would be used to wet down the concrete to keep dust from being emitted and that a tree line around the property would remain in place so that the facility’s operations could not be seen from outside. Among other concerns, opponents say the plant would emit harmful amounts of socalled particulate matter into the area, which
SEE ROSHARON PAGE 4
With a line of public speakers behind him, Sienna Point resident Mike Walls speaks in opposition to a proposed concrete-crushing plant in the Rosharon area during a public hearing last week. Photo by Ken Fountain
LIVE RAPTORS DRAW CROWD AT FORT BEND LIBRARY EVENT
By Ken Fountain KFOUNTAIN@FORTBENDSTAR.COM
Just two days after announcing that the Fort Bend ISD Position 5 trustee position would remain vacant until next May’s election, board president Kristin Tassin last week announced that she would soon revisit the issue. The announcement came after vociferous pushback on social media and in media interviews from residents of the district’s “east side” that they would be without representation for a year following the resignation of then-Position 5 Trustee Sonya Jones. Jones, one of the most conservative members of the previous board, abruptly announced her resignation on social media immediately following the May elections, in which she was not a candidate. Jones later attempted to “rescind” her resignation, but the board formally accepted it at its June 9 agenda review meeting. Tassin announced then that the board would appoint a new member to replace Jones, The district sought community members to apply to serve the remainder of Jones’s term, which expires in May 2026. The deadline for applications was July 7 and trustees were to have reviewed the applications between July 8 and July 21. The board was to have announced the selected appointee on July 28, and that person would have begun serving August 4. But at that July 28 meeting, Tassin announced that the board, now comprised of six members, was not able to reach a consensus on a replacement. Therefore, she said, the board had decided to leave the position vacant until next May’s election. That announcement was greeted by much derision on social media channels devoted to Fort Bend ISD, particularly among residents of the district’s “east side.” Many of them said the decision meant that that part of the district would be under-represented on the board for nearly a year. Late on the evening of July 30, the district sent out a new statement from Tassin, in which she recounted Jones’s resignation.
SEE FBISD PAGE 4
Brazos the owl, one of three non-releasable raptors recently brought to the University Branch Library by Mary Anne Morris, now lives at the Wild Bird Adventures sanctuary and serves as an educational ambassador. Photo by Juhi Varma
By Juhi Varma SPECIAL TO THE STAR
Fort Bend County Libraries hosted a special wildlife program titled “Get WILD for Raptors” on Saturday at the University Branch Library in Sugar Land. The hour-long event featured live raptors and attracted a capacity audience of families, children, and residents interested in wildlife conservation. The program was led by Mary Anne Morris, co-founder of Wild Bird Adventures, a nonprofit that cares for injured birds of prey that can no longer
survive in the wild. “Wild Bird Adventures is a special place where I take care of birds that can’t go back to living in the wild, and we visit schools and libraries and hospitals and nursing homes teaching why birds are so important,” she said. “We cannot live on the planet Earth without birds. The scientists figured out that if all the birds disappeared, the Earth would be destroyed in three months.” Raptors include owls, hawks, ospreys, eagles, and kites – all known for hunting with their talons rather than their beaks.
Morris brought with her three non-releasable raptors – Brazos the owl, Rivera the swallowtail kite, and Hammy the broad-winged hawk. All three birds were permanently injured and can no longer fly, so they live at the sanctuary and serve as “educational ambassadors”, Morris said. “Barn owls love to eat all kinds of different things, insects, big bugs, and they love crawfish,” she said “They have incredible eyesight, which helps them to maneuver through their forest habitat after dark and help them to find their prey. But they also rely on their hearing. They have huge ear
holes, and they can hear a mouse under snow, under grass.” Behind her, an illustrated chart displayed raptor species native to the area and highlighted the challenges these birds face, especially from increasing human encroachment. Rivera, a swallowtail kite found injured on Riviera Street in East Houston, suffered a shoulder injury – possibly from a power line or vehicle collision – that left her unable to fly. “If you’re a kite, you catch your prey
SEE RAPTORS PAGE 4
P. Terry’s opens third regional location in Richmond’s Aliana neighborhood By Juhi Varma SPECIAL TO THE STAR
Austin-based P. Terry’s Burger Stand has opened its newest location in Richmond’s Aliana neighborhood, marking its third outpost in the Greater Houston area and second within the city of Richmond. The menu includes all-natural Black Angus beef burgers, hand-cut fries, crispy chicken sandwiches and milkshakes. Breakfast sandwiches are also served daily until 11 a.m. “Richmond is a thriving, fastgrowing community and we are
thrilled to be a part of the growth,” said Monty Montgomery, P. Terry’s vice president. “Richmond’s continued development with excellent connectivity to surrounding areas, and proximity to major thoroughfares make it a strategic location for expanding our footprint in the Greater Houston area.” The new P. Terry’s at 10305 W. Grand Parkway South opened on July 21, just a few miles from the first Richmond location on FM 723.
SEE P. TERRY PAGE 4
Though it’s only been open just over a week, the new P. Terry’s location in Richmond is already a hit – on Sunday afternoon, a steady stream of cars wrapped around the building in a seemingly endless line. Photo by Juhi Varma