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Trill Burgers opens third Houston-area location in Missouri City By Juhi Varma CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Trill Burgers, a restaurant chain co-founded by Houston rapper Bun B, last week opened its third Houston-area brick-and-mortar location in Missouri City. The new restaurant is located at 20220 Fort Bend Pkwy, Suite 140, in the Fort Bend Town Center II, about 20 miles southwest of downtown Houston. “Opening a Trill Burgers in Missouri City is especially meaningful,” Bun B said in a news release. “This part of Houston is near and dear to me, so bringing our hometown restaurant to such a special place means more than I could ever say. We love this city and are grateful for every opportunity to bring our burgers to more members of the community.” Local elected officials attended the opening ceremony, where a bright red ribbon was cut amid a flurry of camera flashes. “I had the vegan burger, and it was very delicious,” said Texas Rep. Ron Reynolds, who presented a proclamation to Bun B at the ceremony. “Our community travels far to go and patronize the other restaurants. I have a lot of constituents that have traveled there, and this is a popular request to have it here in Missouri City.” “I’ve watched this construction build-out for months waiting for it to happen,” said Fort Bend County Precinct 2 Commissioner Grady Prestage. “We’ve got a big community in Fort Bend County that travels all the way into Houston to have one of these burgers. So we’re always trying to make sure that we have things out here in the suburbs.” The 2,800-square-foot restaurant seats 92 guests. It features a mural by North Carolina artist JEKS ONE, honoring local rapper Z-Ro. Trill Burgers is known for its simple menu and signature smashed burgers. The OG Burger, named “Best Burger in America” by Good Morning America in 2022, features beef patties, pickles, caramelized onions, Trill Sauce and American cheese on a potato roll. Other menu items include the Vegan OG Burger, the triple-patty Triple OG and Triple Vegan OG Burgers, singlepatty Lil G and Vegan Lil G Burger kids’ meals, and seasoned fries. The Trill Burgers team also includes restaurateur Andy Nguyen, marketing expert Nick Scurfield, and chefs Mike Pham (Michael Pham) and Fernando Valladares. “We’re a restaurant group based out of California,” said Valladares, who recently moved to Katy. “Andy had an idea of doing smash burgers, bringing something new to Houston. “Coming from fine dining, we are obsessed with quality, right?” said Pham. “That’s what we bring to the burger. As chefs, you can go wild with a burger, introduce a bunch of ingredients, but we went with a nostalgic approach to create a burger where we imagined how burgers
SEE TRILL PAGE 5
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Four aggravated robbery suspects recaptured after jail escape now charged Staff Reports Four suspects in an aggravated robbery at a CVS location who were apprehended on Sunday but were able to escape from the Sugar Land jail after one of them assaulted a jailer and later recaptured made their first court appearance on Monday, according to authorities.
The four suspects are: Edmound Guillory, 19; Desean Dillard, 17; Devontae Simon, 18; and Clayton Johnson, 17. All four appeared in the 400th District Court on Monday afternoon. They are each charged with three counts of aggravated robbery, one count of engaging in organized criminal activity, escape with the threat of
a deadly weapon, and one count of aggravated assault against a public official, according to court records. At the request of prosecutors, all four are being held in the Fort Bend County Jail without bond, according to the Fort Bend County District Attorney’s Office. Attorneys will be appointed to each suspect and no court dates are cur-
rently set, the office said. The robbery happened on Sunday, January 11 at approximately 1:56 a.m. when four young males entered the CVS located at 1410 Crabb River Rd, according to a press release from the Sugar Land Police Department.
SEE ROBBERY PAGE 2
HIGH SCHOOL VOLUNTEERS CLEAN SUGAR LAND’S HISTORIC SAN ISIDRO CEMETERY
Teens from the George Foundation Youth in Philanthropy Program joined members of the Exchange Club of Sugar Land and local elected officials on Saturday to clean up a historic Hispanic cemetery in Sugar Creek. Photo by Juhi Varma
By Juhi Varma CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Just beyond Sugar Creek Country Club, behind a tall, weathered wooden fence, lies San Isidro Cemetery – a lesser-known remnant of Sugar Land’s past. About 17 high school students spent their Saturday there, raking leaves and gently washing old head-
stones with soap and water. “This just shows the power volunteers – whether it’s Hurricane Harvey or Beryl or Winter Storm Uri, volunteers turn the tide, make things happen,” said former U.S. Rep. Pete Olson, who organized the cleanup effort along with other members of the Exchange Club of Sugar Land. “The San Isidro Cemetery is very historical and important to
the Mexican-American community,” said Sugar Land Mayor Carol McCutcheon, who joined the group during the morning cleanup. The teens are :service soldiers” from Youth in Philanthropy (YIP), a sought-after youth program focused on community service and volunteer work. “The program is very competitive, and they were selected based
on their leadership skills and also their interest in personal growth and community engagement,” said McCutcheon. “It teaches them the needs of Fort Bend County and how they can give back.” “We’ve also volunteered at Lunches of Love and Meals on Wheels,”
SEE VOLUNTEER PAGE 2
FBISD seeks public input on proposed school closures By Ken Fountain KFOUNTAIN@FORTBENDSTAR.COM
Fort Bend ISD is moving forward with the current round of rezoning – focusing on elementary schools – as the district this week releases an online survey to gather input from families before the initial proposed boundaries are released in late January for a final vote expected in March. At Monday’s agenda review meeting, the board of trustees heard from 30 members of the public speaking against the proposed closures or consolidations of several elementary schools that were first announced in a December 15 meeting. Those schools are Austin Parkway, Dulles, Fleming, Glover, Mission West, Ridgegate, and Sugar Mill. The proposed closings and consolidations are necessary, district officials and outside
consultants say, primarily because after peaking at around 80,000 students a couple of years ago, enrollment is now declining due to a number of factors, and there are areas of the district where schools are either surpassing capacity or are underutilized. According to the district’s hired demographer, the district’s declining enrollment follows trends that have been affecting public schools across the state, and even nationally, going back to the 2010s and were exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic and growing competition from charter schools and other education alternatives. At Monday’s agenda review meeting, board members heard from about 30 members of the public, all of them objecting to
SEE FBISD PAGE 2
Fort Bend ISD this week is sending out an online community survey on the proposed boundary planning, which includes the potential closings or closures of several elementary schools. A final board vote is expected in March. File photo
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By late afternoon, 87 large bags of leaves had been collected and headstones sparkled. Photos by Juhi Varma
VOLUNTEER FROM PAGE 1
said Modupe Taiwo, a student at Lamar Consolidated High School. By late afternoon, 87 large bags of leaves had been collected, headstones sparkled and crisp new flags had been placed of the 35 veterans buried in the cemetery. Cementerio San Isidro is a private cemetery with deep historical ties to the region’s Hispanic community. It was established in the early 1900s for the internment of migrant Mexican farm workers and laborers of Sugar Land Industries, writes Mary de la Cruz in her essay “A piece of history that would not die: San Isidro Cemetery.” San Isidro is the Catholic patron saint of farmers and laborers. It was first designated as a burial ground in 1918 by Isaac Herbert Kempner, founder of Imperial Sugar, said Carmen Flores-Perez, San Isidro Cemetery association member. “Five acres of land was given – this part for the Hispanics and that part over there was for the African-Americans,” FloresPerez said. “My family has five generations of people buried here. My grandchildren always like to brag and say they have 26 family members buried here.” Because it is a private cemetery, the city is not responsible for its upkeep. Maintenance, including grass cutting, is handled by the cemetery association and funded through burial fees, Florez-Perez said. “We try to have two cleanings a year, one in the spring and one in the fall,” she said. Olson represented Texas’s 22nd congressional district from 2009 to 2021, which included much of southern Houston as well as the suburbs of Katy, Pearland, and Sugar Land.
ROBBERY
FROM PAGE 1
The suspects physically assaulted the store clerk before fleeing with a bag of cash, according to the release. The clerk sustained minor injuries and did not require hospital transport. T he Houston Police Department was notified, and a pursuit ensued, and one suspect was apprehended, according to the original release. Through coordinated efforts with HPD, all four suspects were taken into custody. In a later news release, the department said that at approximately 4:50 p.m., an SLPD jailer went to check on one of the four prisoners. When he opened the jail cell, he was assaulted, according
Crisp new U.S. flags were placed on the graves of the 35 veterans buried in the cemetery.
to the updated release. The suspect was able to release the other prisoners and they escaped. At approximately 6:20 p.m., the four suspects were located and taken back into custody, according to the release. The jailer was transported to a hospital and is in stable condition. “In less than an hour and a half, all four suspects were located and recaptured,” Sugar Land Police Chief Pete Lara said in a subsequent release. “For that reason, I would like to thank the Houston Police Department, Harris County Sheriff’s Office, Fort Bend County Sheriff’s Office, Rosenberg Police, Missouri City Police, DPS and the U.S. Marshals, and several other law enforcement agencies, for their collaborative efforts in recapturing the suspects.
“Thankfully, our Jailer is recovering at home with his family,” Lara said. “The incident is, currently, under criminal and administrative review. As always, when incidents like this occur, we review processes and procedures,” he said. “I was horrified to learn of the attack and escape yesterday,” District Attorney Brian Middleton said in a release. “As a certified peace officer myself, I respect how dangerous and difficult the job can be on any given day. But for that brazen violence to erupt while already in custody is exceptionally dangerous. I commend the valiant effort of law enforcement to quickly apprehend the suspects without further harm to themselves or our community.”
FBISD
FROM PAGE 1
one or more of the proposed school closings or consolidations. Most of the people who spoke out were parents of students at Sugar Mill Elementary in Sugar Land, which has a particular focus on serving students with special needs. Several other parents objected to the potential closing of Austin Parkway Elementary, a neighborhood school in Sugar Land’s First Colony community, and other schools. One of the speakers had a concern dealing with her family’s legacy: Nicole Glover, daughter of the late educator Edgar Glover, Jr., namesake of Glover Elementary in Missouri City. She said her father “dedicated his life to public education and believed that every child deserves a stable, supportive place to learn.”
“This school is more than a building, it is a community anchor,” she said. “Teachers know their students, families trust the school, and students feel safe and supported during the most formative years of their lives. Closing it would break those connections and disrupt progress that has already been made. My dad believed that education decisions must be made beyond spreadsheets. They must consider long-term impacts on children, families, and neighborhoods. I ask you to do the same here.” Later in the meeting, Deputy Superintendent Beth Martinez outlined the next steps in the rezoning process. The community survey is being sent out through email this week, Martinez said. The survey will include a link to an interactive map showing the proposed closures which families can use to see how they would be affected. The
survey will be open for public input through January 25 at 11:59 p.m. After that, there will be a specially called meeting of the board on February 9 where the public will be given the opportunity to comment on the proposed changes. That will be followed by board workshops on February 9, February 23, and March 9, Martinez said. A final vote by the board is expected later in March. Martinez advised parents to use the district’s “Let’s Connect” online tool (fortbendisd.com/LetsConnect ) to offer additional feedback. Other stakeholders are advised to use the district’s webpage devoted to the longrange boundary process (fortbendisd.com/attendanceboundaries) which includes the most up-to-date information. Find the full video of Monday’s meeting at fortbendisd.new.swag it.com / videos/371765.
PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENT Name of Competition
Four suspects in an aggravated robbery at a CVS location who were apprehended on Sunday but were able to escape from the Sugar Land jail after one of them assaulted a jailer and later recaptured made their first court appearance on Monday. File photo
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EDITORIAL A record of records
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ho is the world’s tallest living person? Who has eaten the most hot dogs? Where is the world’s hottest place? And, in case you’ve been wondering, which female ran the fastest Houston marathon dressed as a scientist? For answers we turn to Publishers Weekly’s list of nonfiction best sellers. At Number 8 is Guinness World Records, which has always been a bestseller. In this new edition we find the current world’s tallest person is Sultan Kösen from Turkey at 8 feet 2.82 inches tall. He has held this title since 2009. Joey Chestnut is the most prolific hot dog eater in history, having won the Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest 17 times. In 2025 he set a new record by consuming 70.5 hot dog during the contest. The hottest place in the world is Furnace Creek in Death Valley, California, which recorded a temperature of 134 degrees Fahrenheit in 1913. (This location has an average daily highest
Lynn Ashby Columnist
ASHBY2@COMCAST.NET
temperature of 115 degrees Fahrenheit.) It’s the highest temperature ever recorded on Earth. Guinness said the female who ran the fastest marathon dressed as a scientist, at 3 hours, 17 minutes and 31 seconds, was Tsatsral Battsengel of Mongolia, (attention ICE) during the 2025 Chevron Houston Marathon. She is a scientist in Lake Jackson, and is only one Texas record-setter. KXAN in Austin found several who made the newest edition. Example: The record for the longest walkway is 10 miles and 1,584 feet – the Galveston Seawall. Oldest male bus driver: Guinness said it is Raymond Hager, as verified in Wichita Falls, on May 13. At the time the re-
cord was broken, Hager, born Nov. 18, 1930, was 94 years and 176 days old. He has a spotless safety record. The most soft-shell tacos eaten in one minute is nine, according to Guinness. The record was set on September 20 by Miki Sudo at a Taco Cabana in San Antonio. According to Guinness, the tacos were made up of beans and cheese. Since we already know where the hottest place on Earth is, where’s the coldest place? It’s the Eastern Antarctic Plateau, where temperatures can drop to around 137.2 degrees. Ah, but this gets a bit tricky. That temp was taken by satellite (don’t ask), while the lowest natural temperature ever directly recorded was minus 128.56 degrees at Vostok Station in Antarctica on July 21, 1983. This note of who took the temps and how (satellite versus humans) brings us to an interesting point: Guinness won’t take anyone’s claim. Indeed, the organization employs investigators to verify the authenticity of the setting and breaking of records. The wannabes who claim to be the world’s shortest and tallest man and woman must be measured by a medical profes-
sional six times in a 24-hour period because humans shrink throughout the day as a result of spinal compression. Channel 13’s anchor, the late Dave Ward, told me that one day Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick came to the KTRK studios and he and Ward were chatting when Patrick asked Ward how long he had been at the station. Ward told him 50 years (probably “Since Thomas Edison was my cameraman”), and Patrick said Ward should submit his long tenure to Guinness. In June 2016, Ward was recognized by Guinness for having the longest tenure of any news anchor in the world at the same station in the same market. But only after a long and detailed investigation. He got a plaque. As of November 2025, the oldest validated living person was Ethel Caterham from the U.K., who celebrated her 115th birthday on August 21, 2025. The oldest person ever verified was Jeanne Calment of France, who lived to be 122 years and 164 days old. This is the kind of record that is subject to change. Years ago, as I recall, Guinness found a man in Bangkok who smoked a carton of cigarettes a day.
W
Eva K. Morris Youth Columnist
than my logic and I paid for it emotionally. From realizing that when things fall apart, people do not always see the full story. They see the headline. Sometimes, we start believing that headline ourselves. The truth is that mistakes are not moral failures and are instead the best evidence of being alive. We live in a world obsessed with rules, both spoken and unspoken. Rules about how to love, how to act, how to recover, and how long we are allowed to grieve or grow before we are expected to
be better. Rules that suggest once you have messed up, you must shrink. Be quieter. Be more careful. Be less yourself. Instead of letting mistakes teach us, we bury them. We live in fear of being exposed rather than transformed. We cover up, apologize without healing, move on without understanding, and call it strength. What we don't understand is that this is simply survival which we all deny and claim it to be strength. Real strength is sitting with what you did, who you were, who you want to become, and choosing growth over shame. It is recognizing that one moment does not get to rewrite your entire story unless you let it. A mistake can alter the course of a life, but not always in the way we fear. Sometimes it reroutes us toward clarity, toward boundaries, toward self re-
spect, and toward a version of ourselves that finally knows what it will and will not accept. Every new year, we pressure ourselves into the same lie. This will be the year I am perfect. No mess. No missteps. No heartbreak. No regrets. Perfection is impossible. It is inhuman. Mistakes are inevitable and so are wrong turns, broken relationships, and choices made with good intentions that still end badly. What matters is not whether we make them but what we do next. Do we let them harden us, or do we let them shape us? Do we allow them to convince us we are unworthy, or do we use them as proof that we are learning? Putting yourself first is not selfish. This is something that has become increasingly overlooked.
the leader Puzzlers.
Answers found in this week’s ANSWERS Classified FOUND ONsection PAGE 6
SUDOKU
1. Cuts off a branch 5. 13th Hebrew letter 8. “Hair” producer Joseph 12. Giraffa camelopardalis 14. Indicates near 15. Capital of Samoa 16. Roving adventurously 18. Help 19. Deafening 20. Spanish neighborhood 21. Portable computer screen material 22. 20th Hebrew letter 23. “Blue Bloods” lead actor 26. Scholarly 30. Raleigh NC river 31. Alongside each other 32. Electronics Support Module 33. Dogma 34. New Deal statesman Harold 39. A corporationÕs first stock offer 42. Slender tower with balconies 44. Young eel
Incidentally, in Dublin I visited the Guinness Brewery. Don’t bother. It’s the World’s Worst Brewery Tour. Anyway, after Beaver created the idea, twin brothers Norris and Ross McWhirter co- founded the book in August 1955. (Tragic note: Ross McWhirter was assassinated by two members of the Irish Republican Army in 1975, because McWhirter had offered a 50,000-pound reward for information that would lead to the capture of members of the organization.) Two Irishmen are in a Boston pub, and one says to the other, “I can tell you’re from the old country. So am I. County Cork. Went to St. Michael’s Catholic School. And you?” The other Irishman says, “Glory be. I’m from County Cork, too. Went to St. Michael’s. Me father was a blacksmith.” The first one says, “What a coincidence. And so was mine!” A customer asks the bartender, “What about those two? Amazing.” The bartender sighs. “It’s the O’Reilly twins, drunk again.” That is the Worst Guinness Joke Ever Told. Ashby is a record at ashby2@compast.net
New year, new us
e spend so much of our lives trying to learn which parts of ourselves are acceptable to show and which ones we must hide. We realize early that a single mistake can cast a shadow so long it feels permanent. One wrong choice. One misread moment. One accident that suddenly reframes us in a negative light, turning something human into something people label as dangerous or bad. What is terrifying is not just the mistake itself, but how quickly the world decides who we are because of it. I have learned this not from theory, but from experience. From loving too deeply. From trusting the wrong people. From moments where my heart moved faster
aCrOss
The next year investigators checked on his smoking habit. He was dead. We discussed earlier that the Guinness is on the Publisher’s Weekly’s bestseller list, and this is standard. The first edition topped the bestseller list in Britain by Christmas 1955. The following year the book was launched internationally, and as of the 2026 edition, it is now in its 71st year of publication, published in 100 countries and 40 languages. The book began as a way to cut down on fistfights in Irish pubs. On Nov. 10, Sir Hugh Beaver, managing director of the Guinness Breweries, went on a shooting party in Ireland. After missing a shot at a golden plover, he began arguing over whether the golden plover or the red grouse was the fastest game bird in Europe. (The plover is faster, but neither is the fastest game bird in Europe.) He realized that a reference book might settle the argument and knew that other questions were debated nightly among the public (pub drunks), but there was no book to settle arguments about records. A book answering such questions might prove successful.
46. Deviation from the normal 47. CBS police drama 49. Cliff 50. Resting place 51. Island in Venice 56. 1981-82 Sec. of State 57. Young man 58. Skylighted central area 59. Oily skin disorder 60. East northeast 61. 1945 Crimean conference city 62. Transfer property 63. Used to be United __ 64. Daze
dOwn
1. Murderers Leopold & ___ 2. Southern veggie 3. Henry’s 6th wife 4. Practice fight 5. Dinners 6. Hermaphrodite 7. Centers 8. Fathers (Spanish) 9. For each one 10. SW Belarus city 11. Australian slang for a kiss 13. Ability to begin
17. Short whistle blasts 24. Were introduced 25. Glowing quality 26. Ingest 27. Relative biological effectiveness 28. Footed vase 29. River in NE Scotland 35. English Univ. river 36. Malaysian Isthmus 37. Soft-finned fish 38. Eyelid infection 40. Fred & Wilma’s baby 41. New __, Louisiana city 42. Tse-tung or Zedong 43. Hindu weather god 44. ___ May, actress 45. Hauled laboriously 47. One suspender 48. More peculiar 49. N. Central African country 52. Macaw genus 53. Rhythmic swing or cadence 54. Ballerina skirt 55. Arabian sultanate
It is OK to say no and put yourself first. This is a lesson we all must learn. To put yourself first does not mean to harm others, but rather choosing honesty over approval, growth over comfort, and self-respect over being wanted at any cost. It means understanding that you deserve the same compassion you so freely give to others. Even when you stumble, even when you disappoint yourself, you are still allowed to stand back up without carrying lifelong guilt. We have to stop living as if our worth is determined by how much we give, how much we sacrifice, or how well we meet everyone else’s expectations. We are not defined by our worst moments. We are defined by what we do with them. Let the mistake be a mirror, not a prison. Let it teach you where your boundaries
are. Let it show you how strong you can be when you stop running from yourself. Let this year not be the year you aim for f lawlessness, but the year you choose authenticity, forgiveness, and courage. Because becoming who you are was never meant to be painless; It was meant to be true. Embrace your choices, learn from your mistakes, and find yourself. Morris is a Ridge Point High School student, class of 2027, a varsity tennis player, and an active member of JCC Maccabi Houston. If you are a Fort Bend County high-school-age student (public, private, charter, or homeschool) who might be interested in becoming a Youth Columnist, please send an email to editor@fortbendstar.com.
Fort Bend libraries showcase virtual author talks
WORD SCRAMBLE Fort Bend County Libraries is showcasing a virtual author talk series each month featuring bestselling, award-winning, and highly acclaimed authors from around the world. The featured writers and thought leaders will cover a wide range of fiction and nonfiction genres. The free, virtual series takes place two to three times a month and includes the opportunity to ask questions to the author. A complete list of upcoming talks and past recordings is available on Fort Bend County Libraries’ Virtual Author Talks website at https://libraryc.org/fortbendlibraries. Remaining author talks for January include: Nature, Art, and Service as Medicine with Journalist Julia Hotz, Journalist and Award-Winning Author of The Connection Cure, Tuesday, January 20, at 1 p.m. Secrets and Second Chances with Liz Moore, New York Times Bestselling and Award-Winning Author of The God of the Woods and Long Bright River, Wednesday, January 28, at 1 p,m. All events are free and open to the public. For more information or to register for the author talks, visit libraryc.org/ fortbendlibraries or call 281-633-4734.
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GHP highlights regional economic forecast for 2026 Staff Reports Editor's note: In its “Economy at a Glance” report for January, the Greater Houston Partnership – the regional chamber of commerce – highlights its 2026 employment forecast for metro Houston. U.S. Employment The U.S. labor market has slowed down from the dramatic pace of growth experienced in the immediate pandemic rebound. Between 2021 and 2023, the U.S. added an average of roughly 4.7 million workers each year as the economy went into overdrive to recover lost jobs. By 2024, the job growth rate came back to earth with a more typical 2.1 million jobs added during the year. In 2025, job growth slowed even further, falling below the pre-pandemic trend with just 1.3 million jobs added as the labor market encountered new headwinds. Macroeconomic conditions shifted early in the year, with greater business uncertainty on issues like trade policy, interest rates, and the growing prominence of new A.I. technologies. Many businesses responded to this unfamiliar landscape by pulling back on expansion and hiring, choosing instead to emphasize cost discipline and improving the productivity of existing workers. As a result of these shifts, monthly U.S. job openings fell from 7.7 million to 7.2 million between January and August, while layoffs held steady at about 1.7 million over the same period. In other words, the job market slowdown simply reflects less hiring and not more firing. This is different from a recessionary pattern:
the labor market is still expanding, just modestly, with employers pulling back on new hiring while holding on to the workers they already employ. Even as terminations remain low, the U.S. unemployment rate has ticked up from an average of 4.0 percent in 2024 to 4.2 percent in 2025 as new job seekers enter a workforce with fewer available openings. The U.S. unemployment rate overall averaged at 6.2 percent in the decade before the pandemic – the lower rates of around 4.0 percent during the past few years are unusual over the longer course of U.S. history. So, while national unemployment rates have ticked up slightly in 2025, they remain below long-term norms. The conditions that led to a slower job market are unlikely to fade quickly. Job growth should remain positive but subdued through the opening months of 2026, with a rebound possible later in the year. The national unemployment rate is expected to rise slightly, though it should remain below 5.0 percent. U.S. Economic Output Despite the softening labor market, economic output has continued to expand through the first half of 2025. Gross domestic product (GDP), the broadest measure of U.S. output, grew with the nation producing almost 24 trillion dollars of goods and services for the 12 months ending in Q2 2025. The GDP growth rate briefly turned negative in Q1 (-0.6 percent) as tariff uncertainty prompted firms to stockpile imported inventories and temporarily displace domestic production. However, growth rebounded quickly to 3.8 percent in Q2, before hitting an impressive
4.3 percent in Q3. Bureau of Labor Statistics data shows U.S. manufacturing output rebounded in Q2 with 2.4 percent growth after a Q1 decline, led by greater productivity in durable goods. A renewed focus on productivity, cost discipline, and the adoption of new AI technologies suggest that economic output will continue to outpace job growth. However, without broader business expansion and additional hiring, these forces are more likely to support moderate growth than to ignite a period of rapid acceleration. While this trajectory may be slower than what we have become accustomed to in recent years, it still represents forward momentum with relatively low odds of a recession. An October 2025 Wall Street Journal survey of economists puts the probability of a U.S. recession in the next 12 months at 33 percent. That figure is higher than the 22 percent reported in January, but lower than the peak of 45 percent reached in April, when uncertainty over trade policy was at its highest. A snapshot of Houston While the broader U.S. economy faces mounting challenges and energy markets show signs of softening, Houston has several strengths that help keep the regional economy resilient. It currently has the fastestgrowing economy of any major
U.S. metro: from 2021 to 2023, Houston’s GDP surged 25.1 percent, the strongest gain among the 20 most populous metros. That growth rate was nearly double the pace seen in leading coastal economies such as New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. Houston’s dynamism stems from several key strengths, beginning with its diverse industrial base. While the “Energy Capital of the World” title is well earned, the region is far more than an oil and gas hub. Over recent decades, Houston has broadened its economy, with major job gains in health care, advanced manufacturing, and professional and technical services, among other sectors. With shifting trade policies inf luencing more onshoring, Houston could capture even more of this activity. Houston also benefits from a young and growing population. It is the youngest major metro in the U.S., with more than one in four residents under age 18. Over the past decade, the region has added more than one million residents, a 20.1 percent increase. Among the nation’s 20 largest metros, only Orlando grew faster at 26.7 percent, though Houston’s gains of roughly 1.3 million people were far larger in absolute terms. In 2024, Houston led all major metros in both birth rates and net migration, attracting newcomers from across the country and
around the globe. Unlike retiree destinations such as Florida, most people move to Houston to work, supplying a steady pipeline of young talent that will help power the region’s workforce in ’26 and beyond. Forecast Predictions The Partnership forecasts that metro Houston will add 30,900 positions in 2026, reaching a record 3.52 million jobs by the end of the year. Although this falls below Houston’s recent average of roughly 50,000 jobs added annually, it is broadly in line with the muted national outlook described above. Lower oil prices will remain a headwind and weigh more heavily on our region. Even so, Houston’s young, skilled workforce and strong pipeline of major new projects should help offset energy sector pressures and keep regional growth on pace with the nation. The strongest job gains are expected in health care, construction, public education, public administration, professional and technical services, and restaurants and bars. Most of these sectors serve Houston’s growing population and feature work that is more labor-intensive and difficult to automate. In contrast, sectors that are strongly linked to upstream oil production, like oil and gas extraction, manufacturing, and administrative
support services, are projected to weaken and shed jobs as lower oil prices curb new drilling, revenues, and business expansion. Houston’s outlook for 2026 reflects a year of steady, sustainable progress. While job growth may be slower during the start of the year, the region is still expected to reach a new employment record of over 3.5 million jobs by yearend, evidence that Houston remains on solid footing even in a cooler national economy. Houston has repeatedly shown it can adapt, diversify, and emerge stronger from periods of uncertainty. With solid fundamentals in place, the region is well positioned to navigate what may be a modest year and accelerate once national conditions improve. The trajectory remains positive, and Houston’s long-term story is still one of strong growth and opportunity. Note: The geographic area referred to in this publication as “Houston,” “Houston Area” and “Metro Houston” is the ten-county Census designated metropolitan statistical area of Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX. The ten counties are: Austin, Brazoria, Chambers, Fort Bend, Galveston, Harris, Liberty, Montgomery, San Jacinto, and Waller. Find the full “Economy at a Glance” report at houston. org/houston-data/economy-ata-glance-january-2026. Read the Fort Bend Star's coverage of the Greater Houston Par tn ership's Houston Economic Forecast event in December at fortbendstar. com/business_real_ estate/ ghp-region-to-see-slowingeconomic-growth-in-2026/ ar t i c l e_ 4 a 0 72 6 6 8 -1f 8 6 4957-b10c-c0378eeb5ff9.html.
Fort Bend Extension Service collecting unsolicited seed packages Community Reports Fort Bend County residents who receive unsolicited packages of seeds are being asked to bring them to the Fort Bend County office of The Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service at 1436 Band Road, Rosenberg. Jody Taylor, County Extension A gent – Horticulture for Fort Bend County, said the county is serving as a deposit site “as
a public service to residents of Fort Bend County and so that the Fort Bend Extension Service has awareness of any unsolicited seed packet received by residents of the county.” When the county receives seed packages it will report it to the TDA and follow their disposition instruction, he said. Thus far, the Extension Service hasn't heard of any Fort Bend residents receiving the seed packages, he added.
The seed packages are part of a statewide issue reported by Texas Department of Agriculture officials. According to a January 5 news release from the department, “Since February 2025, TDA has collected seed deliveries at 109 locations across the Lone Star State, totaling 1,101 packs of unsolicited seeds. While small in appearance, these packages represent a serious and ongoing threat to the nation’s agricultural
biosecurity.” If you receive an unsolicited package, do not open its contents, say TDA officials. Instead, state officials ask that residents contact the TDA at 1-(800) TELL-TDA. You may also bring them to the Extension Office, and they will report it to TDA a properly dispose of them. TDA first became aware of the issue in February 2025 when a Clute resident received an unsolicited package
sent from China, containing unidentified seeds and an unknown liquid, according to the TDA news release. TDA responded by warning Texans “to exercise extreme caution if they receive packages of unknown origin.” Texas A g r icu ltu re Commissioner Sid Miller is quoted in the news release as saying, “The possible introduction of an invasive species to the state via these seeds poses real risks to Texas families
and the agriculture industry. We need everyone to report these packages when they arrive so the contents may be gathered and disposed of properly.” Officials in Ohio, Alabama and New Mexico also have reported residents receiving unsolicited seed packages. The TDA is working closely with federal partners to collect, test, and safely dispose of all unsolicited seed packages, said Miller.
Fort Bend County residents who receive unsolicited packages of seeds are being asked to bring them to the Fort Bend County office of The Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service in Rosenberg. Courtesy Texas Department of Agriculture
F O RT B E N D S TA R.C O M
THE STAR
See us online www.FortBendStar.com
Wednesday, January 14, 2026 • PAGE 5
Local elected officials attended the opening ceremony last week of Trill Burgers, the chain’s third restaurant in the Houston area. The chain was co-founded by Houston rapper and entrepreneur Bun B. Courtesy City of Missouri City
TRILL
FROM PAGE 1
were first created. It’s such a simple burger, there’s the bun, meat, cheese, pickle, sauce, so quality and harmony make a big difference, right? So less is more is our approach.” The Missouri City location also serves Trill Lemonade, the brand’s fan-favorite freshsqueezed lemonade, available in Classic, Strawberry, and iced tea-blended Arnold Palmer flavors. The recipe premiered at the 2025 Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. Trill Burgers is open seven days a week: 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday-Thursday and 11 a.m. to midnight Friday-Sunday, with drive-thru service until midnight at all locations. The Missouri City location marks the latest step in Trill Burgers’ rapid expansion. The first restaurant opened in
Houston’s Montrose district in June 2023, followed by a second location in April 2025. “This is our first original buildout,” Bun B said in a promotional video. “Every other location was a conversion of an existing restaurant. This one reflects our true vision for the future of Trill Burgers.” A fourth location is slated to open later this year at 7616 Westheimer Road in Houston. “There is definitely going to be one more that’s going to open next year between February and March that’s going to be Westheimer and Hillcroft so targeting the southwest side Houston and Alief, because sometimes it could be a little far for them to go from Alief to Shepherd,” said Bun B. “We’re trying to properly position Trill Burgers in the city to make it accessible to as many people as possible.” Varma can be reached at juhi.varma@gmail.com.
Trill Burgers, the homegrown, award-winning smashed burger concept from Houston rapper and entrepreneur Bun B, opened its third location in Missouri City last week. Contributed photo
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THE STAR
PAGE 6 • Wednesday, January 14, 2026
See us online www.FortBendStar.com
Deadline is noon every Friday. Limit entries to the “5 Ws” Who, What, When, Where, and Why. Email to editor@fortbendstar.com
FOR NON-PROFIT EVENTS
FORT BEND COUNTY MASTER GARDENERS FRUIT TREE SALE
Fort Bend County Master Gardeners are asking you to circle February 14 on your calendar. That’s when they will hold their annual fruit/citrus tree sale in Barn H at the Fort Bend County Fairgrounds, 4310 Texas 36 in Rosenberg. The sale will be open from 9 a.m.-noon or until sold out and will feature an estimated 75 varieties of fruit trees, berries and tropicals/subtropicals. A list of trees at the sale will be available soon. Give a gift that grows for Valentine’s Day!
ONGOING
QUAIL VALLEY GARDEN CLUB
In conjunction with the Literacy Council of Fort Bend Bend County, Grand Parkway Baptist Church will offer ESL classes on Tuesday nights from mid-August 2025 through May 2026. We are located at 12000 FM 1464, Richmond, across from Austin High School. Our students speak several languages and encompass many faiths, all are welcome. For more information call 281-277-2200 and ask for ESL information. You may also email ESL@grandparkway.org
EMMY-NOMINATED FORT BEND BOYS CHOIR HOLDING AUDITIONS
The Fort Bend Boys Choir is seeking talented young boys who like music and singing. If know of one, encourage him to audition for our award-winning and Emmy-Nominated Fort Bend Boys Choir! No experience is necessary and boys should be around eight years of age or older with an unchanged voice. Auditions are by special appointment at the First United Methodist Church Missouri City, 3900 Lexington Blvd., Missouri City, TX. Visit the Fort Bend Boys Choir’s webpage at www.fbbctx.org or call (281) 240-3800 for more details about auditions. Benefits as a choir member include greater self-esteem and selfconfidence, better work ethic and a sense of belonging and community. A boy’s voice has an expiration date so it is important to audition when boys’ voices are still unchanged. Auditions are free! 311 Ulrich Street, Sugar Land meets the fourth Tuesday of each Month at 7:00 pm. All Veterans are welcome.
Lunches. are planned for the fourth Tuesday of the month at various local restaurants. Please contact Bobbie Tomlin at {281} 967-0718 For more information about us and to learn about this month’s planned lunch. We hope to meet you soon.
The Quail Valley Garden Club is very busy, not only with meetings, but with some fun “stuff” for our members and the community. Please find our fall schedule of events that the QVGC will be involved with this fall leading up to the holidays.
ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE CLASSES AT GPBC
AMERICAN LEGION POST 942
LOVING FRIENDS IS A GROUP OF WOMEN AND MEN WHO ARE WIDOWS AND WIDOWERS THAT MEET MONTHLY FOR LUNCH, FRIENDSHIP, AND SOCIALIZATION
FT. BEND ACCORDION CLUB
Meets on the 4th Sunday of every month from 2:pm - 4:pm at: CHRIST CHURCH SUGAR LAND (in the Chapel) 3300 Austin Parkway, Sugar Land, TX 77479 FREE and Open to the Public! We welcome everybody! If you play accordion, beginners to professional and would like to play Call, Text or email: Vince Ramos Cell: 281-204-7716 vincer.music@gmail.com.
LITERACY COUNCIL OF FORT BEND COUNTY
We enhance lives and strengthen communities by teaching adults to read. We need your help. Literacy Council is actively recruiting Volunteer Tutors to provide instruction for English as a Second Language (ESL) Levels 0-5, three hours a week. For more information, call 281-240-8181 or visit our website www.ftbendliteracy.org.
FBJSL IS ACCEPTING CAF GRANT APPLICATIONS
We provide grants of up to $5,000.00 to charitable causes serving Fort Bend County with requests to fund a critical need, pilot a program, or expand a significant service to the community. If your agency or organization is interested in applying for a CAF grant, please visit the Request Support page of the FBJSL website (www.fbjsl.org/request-support). All applications should be submitted via e-mail to brccom@fbjsl.com.
THE SANCTUARY FOSTER CARE SERVICES
We are a child placing agency that provides wrap around care support for foster children and foster families. We provide free therapy services, 24 hr. crisis intervention, respite/alternative care services and community-based support. For more info, www.sanctuaryfostercare.org
ALIEF AARP CHAPTER 3264
Meets the first Thursday of every month at 10:00 a.m. at Salvation Army Church, 7920 Cook Road, Houston, TX 77072. Educational Program/Entertainment at each meeting. Bus Trips every month. Seniors 50 and above invited. Call 281785-7372 for more information.
SUGAR LAND ROTARY CLUB
Sugar Land Rotary Club, the nation’s oldest community service organization, wants you to be its guest at a meeting that could turn out to be the best fit for getting involved with a local, non-political, humanitarian service organization with a global presence to satisfy your passion. We’re on a quest for new members! Call or email Dean Clark, 832-987-4193, sugarlandrotaryclub5890@gmail.com We just started a new evening club also. Contact me for more info.
GIVE A GIFT OF HOPE
Give a Gift of Hope one-time or monthly. Your help provides access to therapies and services children with autism might otherwise go without. Please consider Hope For Three in your Estate, Planned, or Year-End Giving. Register now, or learn more about exciting events: www.hopeforthree.org/events.
DVD-BASED ADULT SUNDAY SCHOOL CLASS WITH NO HOMEWORK REQUIRED
Weekly class designed to help you understand and appreciate the Bible by giving you a better sense of the land and culture from which it sprang. The class meets at 9:30 am every Sunday at First Presbyterian of Sugar Land (502 Eldridge Rd.). For more information call 281-240-3195.
EXCHANGE
EXCHANGE, America’s Service Club, always welcomes guests and is in search of new members! Various Fort Bend clubs exist and can accommodate early morning (7 a.m.), noon and evening meeting time desires. For more info, contact Mike Reichek, Regional Vice President, 281-575-1145 or mike@reichekfinancial. com We would love to have you join us and see what we are all about!
MISSOURI CITY AARP CHAPTER 3801
Meets the second Monday of every month at 11:30 a.m., at 2701 Cypress Point Dr., Missouri City Rec Center. Lunch, education, and entertainment. All seniors over 50 invited. For more information, call 713-859-5920 or 281-499-3345.
Area offers many ways to celebrate Martin Luther King, Jr. Day By Juhi Varma CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Fort Bend residents can celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day with a variety of events this weekend and on Monday. The slain civil rights leader was born on January 15, 1929, but the federal holiday is observed nationally on the third Monday in January with parades, ceremonies, and community events. For Fort Bend residents willing to travel about 30–40 minutes, one highlight is the unified Martin Luther King Jr. Day Parade in downtown Houston. The event features community groups, marching bands, floats, faith leaders, and civic organizations. It begins at 10 a.m. and is free and open to the public.
teer at the local vegetable garden and help cultivate fresh, healthy food for everyone. When: January 17, 10 a.m.- 1 p.m. Where: Bates Allen Park, 630 Charlie Roberts Ln., Kendleton Find out more: signupgenius.com / go/10C0E4DABAA29A3FCC25-61504460-lucilles#/
NAACP Missouri City’s Annual Martin Luther King scholarship breakfast 2026 The community event honors Dr. King’s legacy and includes fundraising for student scholarships. When: January 19, 8.30 a.m. (Seating begins at 8 a.m.) Where: Quail Valley Golf Club, 2880 La Quinta Dr, Missouri City 30th Annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Tickets: $60 (General admission) Celebration Learn more: naacpmissouricityvicinity.org/ Families can celebrate Dr. Martin Luther mlkbreakfast King Jr.’s legacy with interactive activities, crafts, story sessions at the Fort Bend Fort Bend Family YMCA Children’s Discovery Center. Make peace Around 10-15 volunteers are needed to orgaflowers, dove garlands, and dream art. This nize and sort clothes and miscellaneous items event is part of the 30th Annual MLK Day at Thriftwise Resale Shop benefiting the Fort Celebration hosted by Children’s Museum Bend Women’s Center. No age restriction. Houston in partnership with the Fort Bend When: January 19, 12 noon- 2 p.m. Children’s Discovery Center. Where: ThriftWise Richmond, 501 Highway When: January 17, all day 90A East, Richmond Where:198 Kempner St., Sugar Land To volunteer and for more information, conLearn more: cmhouston.org/news/30th- tact Tamara Garcia, tamara.garcia@ymcahouston.org. annual-martin-luther-king-jr-day-celebration Find out more: ymcahouston.org/ Kendleton Farm MLK Day of Service mlk-day-of-service Community members are invited to volun-
Worship Directory FORT BEND COUNTY
CHRIST CHURCH SUGAR LAND • 281-980-6888
STAFFORD CHURCH OF CHRIST • 281-499-2507
A United Methodist Community 3300 Austin Parkway • Sugar Land, TX 77479 Rev. Dr. Daniel Irving, Senior Pastor Sunday Schedule 9:30 am Blended Worship 9:30 am Sunday School for all ages 11:00 am Traditional & Contemporary Worship www.christchurchsl.org
402 Stafford Run Rd. -Stafford, 77477 Stephen Higley, Preacher Sunday Bible Study 9:30 am Sunday Worship 10:30 am Wednesday 7:00 pm www.staffordcoc.com
PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH • 281-240-3195
502 Eldridge Rd. -Sugar Land, TX 77478 Reverend Dr. Fred Seay, Pastor Sunday Worship In Person 11:00 am / Nursery Available Worship Online on YouTube www.fpcsl.org
Scripture of the week
For the plans I know I have for you declares the Lord. Plans not to harm you but to prosper you. To give you hope and a future. Fort Bend residents can celebrate Martin Luther King, Jr. Day with a variety of events this weekend and on Monday. Public domain photograph via Wikipedia
CHURCH OF CHRIST
METHODIST CHURCH
NON DENOMINATIONAL
OMEGA FIRE MINISTRIES • 832-598-8144 13155 Westheimer Rd. Suite 123, Hou. 77077 Sunday: 1st Service - 9am 2nd Service 11am. Friday: Prayer & Deliverance 7pm. Tuesday: Bible Study 7pm. www.ofmhouston.org
MIRACLE CONFERENCE FREE EVENT Font Bend Epicenter. 28505 Southwest FWY, Rosenberg TX 77471 Apostle Johnson Suleman Pastor Benny Hinn Grupo Barak performing live Oct. 28th - 6pm Healing Service Oct. 29th & 30th - 9am & 6pm Service. Register at www.ofmhouston.org
Introduce Your Congregation to the Community with a listing in our Worship Directory
Call Anqunette for more information
713-371-3600
- Jeremiah 29:11
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WORD SCRAMBLE NAtioNAl
CRyptO fun
Answers: A. park B. monument C. recreation D. travel
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