The 4-1-2026 Edition of The Fort Bend Star

By Ken Fountain KENFOUNTAIN1@GMAIL.COM

“Look at me! Hello?”

During her victim’s impact statement to former Missouri City police officer Bladimir Viveros, who was convicted March 23 of three counts of aggravated assault by a public servant in the June 20, 2024 crash that killed her mother and brother and an unrelated man, Morgan Sims repeatedly scolded Viveros to look at her as he had been instructed. After about five hours of deliberations on March 26, jurors sentenced Viveros to 15 years in state prison for the third-degree felony. He faced from five to 99 years, or life, and was also eligible for probation. According to a spokesman for the Fort Bend County District Attorney’s Office, Viveros must serve at least half of his sentence before he can be considered for parole.

Viveros, 29, was convicted in the deaths of Angela Stewart, of Stafford, and her son Mason,

By Ken Fountain KENFOUNTAIN1@GMAIL.COM

A federal judge last week ruled that a Fort Bend County Sheriff’s deputy wrongfully arrested a self-styled “citizen journalist” for allegedly interfering during a welfare check while videotaping the incident for distribution on his social media channels.

In a three-day bench trial in July 2025, federal District Judge George C. Hanks, Jr. hears about two 2021 incidents involving interactions Justin Pulliam and members of the Fort Bend County Sheriff’s Office.

Pulliam, a Fort Bend County resident, has for many years been posting videos of encounters between county law enforcement officers and citizens and posting them on a YouTube channel called “Corruption Report” and other platforms. The videos often depict

have some bad news to report. After nearly a halfcentury, the Fort Bend Star is closing. The move is not entirely unexpected. You probably know that the media industry, particularly the newspaper business, has been in dire straits for many years, and that has been accelerating recently. A while back, I read a story in which it was reported that two newspapers on average close every week in the United States. And it’s not just print media that is in trouble – oncecutting edge digital news

sites like Buzzfeed and Vice have also felt the pinch.

Just two weeks a ago, CBS News announced that it was shutting down its venerated radio service, which had been the home of such journalism luminaries of Edward R. Murrow, Walter

Cronkite and many others. The causes of this decline have been well-documented, including the loss of advertising revenue to the Internet, especially to the big digital players like Google and Meta (parent company of Facebook), and the failure of leaders of legacy media to anticipate those changes and act quickly enough to meet them. There’s no need to regurgitate them here.

I came to the Fort Bend Star in November 2022. I’d been away from community journalism (with the exception of an occasional freelance piece) for about

a decade, working in business-oriented journalism, academia, and the nonprofit sphere. I was hired by two people with whom I’d worked before, and who were in the local leadership of the national media chain which bought the Star, and its sister paper The Leader in the Heights/ Near Northwest area, the previous summer. (Sadly, The Leaders also has been closed.)

During my journalism career, I’ve been a reporter, a copy editor and an online producer, but I had never been responsible for an entire newspaper before. The

prospect was extremely daunting, and I wondered if I’d even be able to put out my first edition. But I managed to that week (just barely), and the week after, and I’m proud to say that I’ve been able to do it every week since.

While I have had family connections to Fort Bend County for about three decades, I didn’t know much about the Star. Soon after starting, I began hearing stories about the paper and its founder, the late Beverly (“Bev”) Carter. I never knew

BASEBALL DREAMS

Dream League offers thrills

On a crisp early morning on Saturday, a couple hundred people filled the stands and surrounding area of two baseball fields at the First Colony Little League complex on Austin Parkway in Sugar Land.

All the accoutrements of a Little League game were present: the crack of the bat, the yelling from the stands, people eating concessions, and the screaming when a runner makes it home.

But these were no ordinary Little League games. This was the Dream Team League, part of the Challenger Division of First Colony Little League, where all the players are young people with developmental disabilities.

Celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, the Dream League provides a way for these players to have the a real-life, noncompetitive baseball experience that they may have seen their siblings or peers have, explained Sonny Johnston, one of the organization’s volunteer board members.

“I like to tell people we offer the excitement of the seventh game of the World Series every Saturday morning,” he said. The

Pulliam being confrontational with officers while in the course of their duties.

In the fall of 2024, Hanks accepted the summary judgement ruling of a federal magistrate who found that Sheriff Eric Fagan violated Pulliam’s First Amendment rights when he ordered deputies to remove him from a July 2021 press conference at Jones Creek Ranch, which had been closed during the investigation of a body that was discovered there. In that portion of the ruling, Hanks was to make a ruling only on the amount of damages to which Pulliam was entitled.

The majority of last year’s trial focused on whether then-Sgt. Taylor Rollins of the patrol division violated Pulliam’s rights when he placed him under arrest shortly after arriving at the scene of a confrontation with a man known to suffer from mental illness at his family residence in December 2021.

After his arrest, Pulliam did not go to trial for several months, which ended in a mistrial when one juror held out for conviction. Pulliam testified that he felt “humiliated” by his treatment by both Fagan and Rollin in the two incidents, leading to a loss of self-esteem. He also testified that he has lost income because of the chilling effect the incidents has had on his willingness to continue his reporting activities.

At the conclusion of last July’s trial, Hanks, the judge, told the attorneys he expected to make a final ruling in fairly short order. But it wasn’t until last Thursday, March 26, that the ruling was issued.

Hanks ruled that Rollins, now a lieutenant in the sheriff’s office, had singled

whose car he slammed into while he was travelling at approximately 107 mph while responding to an armed robbery call on Missouri City’s Cartwright Road, a major thoroughfare, after dark without his siren or emergency lights on. The Stewarts, who were driving out of a shopping center parking lot, were celebrating Mason’s 16th birthday.

Hours after police and emergency vehicles responded to the crash, investigators discovered Michael Hawkins, 53, in the back seat of Viveros’s crashed and burning vehicle, calling for help. Hawkins was the resident of a nearby group home where he had been involved in an argument or fight that Viveros had responded to earlier. Hawkins was transported to Ben Taub Hospital in the Texas Medical Center with grave injuries, and later died after having never left the hospital.

During the punishment phase, prosecutors introduced evidence through both testimony and in documentation -- including text messages between him and a person they described as a “known associate” who was a drug dealer -- that in the months after the crash, Viveros had been discussing participating in interstate drug dealing and also human smuggling.

That associate, who was in custody in a holding cell outside the courtroom, refused to testify and threatened bailiffs with physical harm if they tried to bring him to the stand, prosecutors told 420th District Judge Surendran Pattel outside the presence of jurors. When they came back, a bailiff whispered the same message to Pattel.

They also introduced evidence that Viveros had had numerous infractions in his service with both the Missouri City and Bay City police departments, and had failed to be hired by the Rosenberg Police Office and the Fort Bend County Sheriff’s Office.

Defense attorneys had asked jurors to consider sen-

tencing Viveros to five years in prison, followed by a period of community supervision, also known as probation. Sims was the final and perhaps most powerful of four family members of the Stewarts and Hawkins who gave victim’s impact statements. Sims, a physical therapist who holds a doctorate from the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, noted the fact that she and Viveros were born only months apart and that were many other convergences in their lives.

After describing the extreme anguish she and the rest of the family had suffered since the crash, she left Viveros with a parting message: “Good luck in prison.”

Rodney Stewart, Angela’s husband and Mason’s father, who had testified during the penalty phase that he had seen himself was the rock of the family and was devastated that he hadn’t been able to protect his wife and child, told reporters outside the courthouse he was extremely disappointed by the sentence. He said it seemed that the jury felt that “five years” each of the three victims was sufficient.

Asked by how long it might take them to heal, the family members said in unison, “Never.”

Alice Bliss, Michael Hawkins’s mother, told reporters that she forgave Viveros and that her son was in a better place. “It’s in God’s hands,” she said.

Prosecutors said that they respected the jury’s verdict, although it was apparent they had wished the sentence was longer. They did not say how many years they would have preferred.

Members of the Viveros family, who saw the former officer being led off in handcuffs, did not speak to the media.

EDITORIAL Thought for food

RANDALLS – I’ll

nip in here and pick up my usual six-pack, a gallon of Blue Bell Cookies N Cream and…uh? It’s closed? Yep, closed tighter than a MAGA’s mind. There must be a sackers’ strike or there’s a cleanup on Aisles 1 through 34. The border is sealed so there are no avocadoes, limes or, probably, sackers. Later I discover that the suits in the store’s corporate headquarters had decided that I didn’t need any more Cookies N Cream. Has this happened to you, too? You make a list, get your Food Stamps and head out the door to grocery shop only to find your local Randalls or HE-B or taco food cart is closed.

I guess these captains of industry know what they are doing. (The Edsel, new Coke and Enron spring to mind.) They check their various stores’ incomes, business traffic and brazen daylight robberies and close the “underperforming” branches. Restaurants close shortly after their grand opening. But gro-

There’s a quote by speculative fiction author Ursula K. Le Guin that I think about sometimes. It isn’t my lock-screen, nor my life motto – but when I feel ashamed of a low test grade or my GPA, I reflect on it. There’s been many versions of it, but personally, I like this one the best; “There have been great societies that did not use the wheel, but there have been no societies that did not tell stories.”

Like a Bible verse, it reminds me that I am an important and talented person, who is worth the credit I earn. Some of the most influential people we know didn’t excel in math or sci -

FAREWELL FROM PAGE 1

her, but after doing some online research I learned a bit. One thing I learned was very interesting to me, personally.

Before starting the Star in the mid-1970s, she had been the journalism teacher and student newspaper advisor at Hastings High School in Alief, before I myself attended that campus and took journalism classes taught by her successor.

In my travels around Fort Bend, I’ve learned that Bev was a colorful character who made quite an impression. I won’t speak to the way Bev operated the paper. The Star has changed ownership twice since her passing in 2013. When I came aboard, my intention was to do the journalism the way that I was taught and the way I have endeavored to practice it throughout my career. Bev is to be applauded for the entrepreneurial spirit that led to her found a worthy community newspaper which has served this community for five decades.

Although I was somewhat familiar with Fort Bend, I had not been well-versed in the local political scene, or even most of the surrounding community. For me, Fort Bend remained very much the bedroom community it had long seemed to be. When I started, I had to build virtually from scratch a knowledge base and a contact list, a daunting challenge in itself.

But as I noted in my very first column, Fort Bend over the past couple of decades has become an extremely fascinating place. That’s due largely to its incredible diversity. Fort Bend is considered by many experts to be the most-diverse county in the country. With these demographic changes there has been a change in the political tenor of Fort Bend, from what was for a long time a solidly red county with blue pockets to one that is now decidedly

Lynn Ashby Columnist

ASHBY2@COMCAST.NET

cery stores are different. Today they are like a small town’s general store. I can not only buy my groceries but my wine and beer, also my beer and wine. They stock plates, gift cards, light bulbs and mops. Once I walked into an H-E-B the size of a dirigible hangar and noticed that to my left were groceries and to my right was everything else: plants, Tshirts, motor oil. It’s like my drug store. The drugs are on a shelf of Tylenol practically hidden in the far back, behind the electric plugs and rakes. This brings us to shopping. There is an art to the layout of our stores. Grocery chains put a great amount of thought into what is where. First, they want customers to be put in a good mood. When we enter a store we always go to the

right. There are the flowers and buckets of plants, soft and cheerful. We almost always pick up two items: eggs and milk. They are put in the back of the store so we have to pass by the cumquats and kale to get there. Products placed at eye level are more likely to be purchased, thus that is the prime real estate for high-profit items. Essential products –meats and breads are often positioned deeper inside the store. Lettuce and such can have a slight spray on them to look fresher and more appealing. Before shopping, make and take a list (along with your Food Stamps). Studies find we are more apt to just buy what’s on the list rather than wandering around looking for food that seems appealing.

All of this, obviously, takes us to a strip of stores at the corner of Houston’s El Dorado Blvd. and Galveston Road, south of Ellington Field. The anchor to this center was a Randalls where Boris Yeltsin had, by his own admission, an epiphany. It was on Sept. 17, 1989, when Yeltsin came to Houston. He had been fired as Communist Party boss of Moscow and visited America

for the first time. Yeltsin toured the Johnson Space Center, and on his way back to Ellington for a flight to his next stop, Miami, the life-long commie decided he wanted to visit an American store. His entourage came to this shopping center, possibly because there is a liquor store here. He entered Randalls.

For 20 minutes he wandered the aisles, and commented, “Even the Politburo doesn’t have this kind of choice. Not even Mr. Gorbachev.” He was particularly taken by the variety of meats and fish, and commented that if the Soviet people, who often waited in long lines for goods, saw U.S. supermarkets, there would be a revolution, and quipped that the bounty even tempted him to defect.

Between trying free samples of cheese and produce, he stopped people who were pushing carts to ask about the food they had selected and their cost. He observed sadly, “We don’t have this much meat in the Soviet Union.” A fellow shopper gave Yeltsin a yellow rose of Texas, and Randalls gave him a sack of goodies, to which the Russian said through an interpreter, “Is

this what you give to a starving Russian? You should add some soap. We need that, too.”

As Yeltsin asked the manager if special education was necessary to be a supermarket manager. Lev Sukhanov, a Yeltsin aide who accompanied his boss, wrote: “A turning point in Yeltsin’s intellectual development occurred during his first visit to the United States in September 1989, more specifically his first visit to an American Supermarket in Houston, Texas. The sight of aisle after aisle of shelves stacked with every conceivable type of foodstuff and household item, each in a dozen varieties, both depressed and amazed him. What we saw in the supermarket was no less amazing than America itself. I think it is quite likely that the last prop of Yeltsin’s Bolshevik consciousness finally collapsed after Houston …” In his autobiography, “Against the Grain,” Yeltsin describes the experience as “shattering.” “When I saw those shelves crammed with hundreds, thousands of cans, cartons, and goods of every possible sort, for the first time I felt quite frankly sick

with despair for the Soviet people. That such a potentially super-rich country as ours has been brought to a state of such poverty! It is terrible to think of it.” Lilia Shevtsova of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace wrote: “After Yeltsin visited that Houston supermarket he became a reformer.” Bill Keller, a former New York Times Moscow correspondent, wrote: “The prosperity, the rule of law, the freedom and efficiency [Yeltsin] witnessed in America, catalyzed his notions about the fraud of communism.” Within two years of his visit here, disillusioned by this experience, Yeltsin left the Communist Party and later, as president, banned the party and confiscated its property. He then ordered reforms in the Russian economy. Perhaps instead of standing in Berlin and demanding, “Tear down that wall,” President Ronald Reagan might have asked, “Paper or plastic?” Later I visited that Randalls. It was closed.

Ashby shops at ashby2@ comcast.net

The other kind of team spirit

ence. Maya Angelou, James Baldwin, Toni Morrison, Martin Luther King, Jr.. These public figures display that it doesn't take a degree in statistics or an 800 on a math SAT test to be talented and meaningful in society. It’s almost embarrassing, this discredit of the arts. Writing has been around since 3300 BCE, and the theatre arts? As long as 4,000 years ago. Yet in 2026, centuries after the

purple, with attendant consequences that have welcomed by some but not so much by others.

Fort Bend has a thriving economy, and it’s projected to grow to about 2 million new residents by 2040. The county now has a thriving art and cultural scene and is even becoming something of a haven for foodies. The county is also undergoing a shift from a historically rural and industrial community to a much more economically diverse one. Even with all that growth, we have economic, health, and other disparities that are ignored at the county’s peril.

All this is by way of saying that Fort Bend is a place that deserves great news coverage. The Star has had several competing news sources, and all of them do their part in providing a part of the picture of what’s happening here. With its projected growth and the economic, social, and political changes that are in store, Fort Bend can’t afford to become just another “news desert.” I’m confident that isn’t going to happen. The Star is going away, but other news outlets covering Fort Bend continue. Who knows, as fast as this place is growing, and with so much interesting happening here, maybe some new sources of news about this vibrant place will emerge. I’ll be watching with interest.

As I depart, I want to send out my thanks to the folks I’ve worked with most closely during my tenure at the Star. Among them: Frank Vasquez and Corey Turner, the former colleagues who hired me; Anqunette Williams, the Star’s general manager; Stefanie Thomas, who ran the digital operations for the paper and later became the editor of our sister paper, The Leader; Laura White, our lead designer; Rena Schmidt, who has long been the Star’s lead distributor, and many

first book or playwright, all you see are sports achievements and the endless celebration of athletic success, while creative accomplishments scarcely make headlines. Why must the works of storytellers, writers, and artists somehow seem worth less?

Now, despite this column being in favor of the right-sided mind, it’s only right I include everybody. And “everybody” can relate to statistics, right? Catering to the analytical group, salaries for STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) majors start around $61,000, while salaries for humanities majors start around $45,000. However, by age 40, that gap closes. History and social-science majors average

other business side staffers. I also want to thank the contributing writers I’ve been fortunate enough to work with, including columnist Lynn Ashby (one my earliest journalism idols) and Mark Garay, feature writers Dayna Worchel, Juhi Varma, and Marianne Horton, arts and culture writers Janet Sue Reed and Ryan Lee Reed, and contributing sports writers Taylor Fletcher and Cory Byrnes. I’m especially proud to have been able to feature the work of the Star’s very talented youth columnists Eva K. Morris, Grace Hu, Makenzi Cannon, Parker Nicholas, Misha Khurram and Caleb Kirkpatrick, and youth sports photographer Kathy Aung.

I have to give a special shout-out to Landan Kuhlmann, whose name is well-known to readers of the Star, which he once served as lead reporter. While serving as editor and reporter of The Leader, the indefatigable Landan also continued to write the Star’s sports coverage and for many months laid out the paper. He has since moved on to become the editor of another community newspaper in South Texas. When I came aboard, Landan was immeasurably helpful in helping me keep the Star going. And, of course,I want to thank you, dear reader, and all of the people I’ve met in Fort Bend who have welcomed me since I took on this role. After better getting to know the county and its many kind folks, I can attest that this is a great place to be. As we like to say, I’ll see you around the Bend.

I’ve mentioned before that I’m something of a scifi geek. I’ll leave you with a quote from one of my favorite books, “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy”: So long, and thanks for all the fish.

Fountain is at large at kenfountain1@gmail.com

about $131,000, compared to $124,000 for their engineering and computer science counterparts. The real cherry on top is the top skills which employers desire (writing, problemsolving, teamwork) are coming straight from the humanities field. So, it’s easy to understand why high school graduates would lean towards STEM majors, when they’re being told that STEM is the only way to be successful. You can be successful in painting, writing, filming, directing, creating. It wouldn’t be my column if I didn’t end up talking about myself midway, now, would it? I believe I am a right-brained person, and so is nearly half of the world’s population.

This means that instead of learning through charts, graphs, and lectures, I retain information through experiences, reading, and observing. America has an extensive track record of grouping people and labeling them, but we don’t need to get into that today. Despite trying to represent everyone, the majority rules - and instead; we get courses revolving around math and science. It doesn’t matter to your school district how well you write or create, as long as you can divide fractions. If we don’t encourage creativity and innovation over repetition and practiced movements, how will we progress as a society? We will have no books to read and no movies to watch. Everything will be uniform

and redone repeatedly because our future generations will become so accustomed to just doing as they’re toldadd these numbers, subtract those. No one will be able to think for themselves. Math and science-focused people are absolutely important in a functioning society by contributing to inventions and technology which help develop and form new ideas. Yet, these ideas won’t matter ten years from now if there is no one to record them now. Disregarding fine arts and english talents in the present will impact our future society greatly, because without creativity, we are nothing.

Cannon is a Ridge Point High School student, class of 2028, a volleyball player, and a member of Jenni's Rescue.

LAWSUIT FROM PAGE 1

out Pulliam for arrest, while allowing two social workers to remain on the scene, because he was antagonistic toward Pulliam and what he was saying while filming the incident.

“Rollins lacked probable cause to arrest Pulliam,” Hanks wrote in the decision.

“Rollins arrested Pulliam for protesting his exclusion from the Kraft property and in furtherance of an unconstitutional policy of intimidation and exclusion.

“Speech alone does not constitute the offense of interference with public duties,” Hanks wrote.

“Pulliam did not cross the line between filming the police and hindering the police. He was engaged in a clearly established, constitutionally protected activity on private property – where had permission to be and record. Pulliam was not a hazard, was not too close,

and did not impede Rollins’s or other officers’ ability to perform their duties.”

Hanks enjoined the Sheriff’s Office’s 2022 written policy that treats reporters using primary social media differently than journalists who report for traditional media outlets. He also ordered that Pulliam’s name be added to all county or Sheriff’s Office media list for press conference notifications and press releases, something Fagan said at trial that he had already done. The judge also ordered that the office return all of Pulliam’s property that had been seized during the welfare check incident.

Hanks awarded Pulliam just over $75,000 in compensatory damages; equipment replacement costs, reputational, humiliation, and mental health damages; and criminal attorneys’ fees for the charge against him that ended in a mistrial.

Pulliam, reached by phone, told the Fort Bend Star that he felt “vindi -

cated” and relieved by the ruling, especially since Hanks cited his own videos as evidence favoring his case in his ruling. Pulliam, who continues his citizen-journalist activities online, said that the ruling was especially important in the “current climate,” referring to recent activities interactions between protestors and citizen journalists like himself and officers of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Christie Hebert, of the Libertarian-leaning advocacy group Institute for Justice, who served as Pulliam’s lead attorney, told the Star that the ruling was an important victory in defending the First Amendment’s provisions for freedom of speech and the press. Efforts by the Fort Bend Star to contact Fagan and the Fort Bend County County Attorney’s Office (which defended the Sheriff’s Office), for comment were unsuccessful.

Fort Bend ISD to hold job fair on April 11

Community Reports

Fort Bend ISD will hold its annual district-wide job fair on Saturday, April 11 at the James Reese Career and Technical Center (12300 University Blvd. Sugar Land) from 11a.m.–1 p.m.

Interested candidates can view current positions and register to attend the event at fortbendisd.com/ talent search.

FBISD is looking to hire:

• Teachers

• Campus and District Administrators

• Paraprofessionals

• Central Office Staff (in areas

such as Teaching and Learning, Social Emotional Learning (SEL) and Enrichment, police, HR, information technology (IT) and other education and noneducation categories)

• Support Services (such as custodians

and facilities staff, crossing guards, bus drivers, cafeteria specialists and Extended Learning staff members)

Please note, registration will close on Friday, April 4 at 11:59 p.m. but on-site registration will be available the day of the event.

Famous poets to 'visit' George Memorial Library on April 11

Community Reports

Special “guests” will be returning to Fort Bend County Libraries’ George Memorial Library in April for National Poetry Month. Library visitors will have an opportunity to interact with some of their favorite poets in a theatrical experience that is sure to delight poetry lovers of all ages.

“Walking in Verse: An Interactive Poetry Experience” is an immersive live- performance event that will take place on Saturday, April 11, from noon-3 p.m., at George Memorial Library in Richmond.

Actors from The Live Oak Playhouse will portray iconic poets, such as Frida Kahlo, Maya Angelou, Emily Dickenson, William Shakespeare, Phillis Wheatley, Kit Marlowe, Christine de Pizan, and more. Children will even have an opportunity to meet Mother Goose and be treated to some rhyming fun.

Refreshments and smallstage performances by individual poets will rotate in the Bohachevky Gallery. While alternating turns in

the spotlight in the Gallery and in the first-floor lobby, the actors will bring the poets to life, recite their poetry, and interact with visitors who will be able to converse with them as if they were speaking to the poets themselves. The refreshments are generously provided by The Live Oak Playhouse.

The Live Oak Playhouse is a nonprofit community-theater group, based in Missouri City, that is dedicated to enriching the lives of their audiences by presenting entertaining, thought-provoking experiences, first-hand involvement, and arts education.

Directed by Stacy A. Bakri, the strolling players bring a variety of acting experiences to the theater group, forming a kaleidoscope of passions and visions that evolve and transform the group into a living, ever-changing masterpiece.

The event is free and open to the public. For more information, see the Fort Bend County Libraries website (fortbendlibraries. gov) or call the library system’s Communications Office (281-633-4734).

After half a century of sharing your stories and being part of this community, we close this chapter with heartfelt gratitude to our loyal readers and supporters.

Thank you for letting us be part of your lives—our pages may end, but the stories and connections will live on.

league provides each player with a full uniform, at no cost, to enhance the experience, Johnston said.

The Dream Team is divided into two age groups, from 6-18 and from 15 to early adulthood. With the help of several sponsoring organizations and businesses, all the players participate at no cost, Johnson said.

According to the organization’s website, each game is two innings and lasts about an hour. Defensive outs are called, but are not recorded.

Along with the players, a big part of the excitement is provided by Angels of the Outfield, mostly high school students who cheer on each players as they bat, run the bases, and especially when they make it to home plate. Officially known as Challenger Buddies in the Little League organization. the Angels provide a continual stream of encouragement to the players.

The national Little League organization has for many decades had such teams. Donna Danto, one of the co-founders of Dream Team and a current board member, said that the original impetus was during a trip she took out of state wit her son Chet, then 11. They came across a similar organization and enjoyed some of the games. As they

were returning home to Sugar Land, Danto said, her son said, “Mom, we should have that here.”

When the league began, it had two teams. This year, through the help of sponsors, the league has 10 complete teams, according to Johnston. His wife, Anne, is also a board member who volunteers during games. On the field Saturday were the Rangers and the Cardinals. Lawrence Duhon excitedly gave the play-byplay with a megaphone from behind the fence near home plate.

Players remain at bat until they make a hit, and gleefully run to first. All along the way, Angels shout encouragement, and somehow each player makes it home.

Among the volunteer umpires is Traci Duez, who has has twice served as umpire in the Little League World Serries, in 2023, 2025. The Dream League itself

was selected for the 2015 Little League World Series Challenger Division exhibition game. Duez said she loves volunteering for the Dream Team each hear. “I love baseball, and this is baseball, she said. Among the standout players on Saturday was Lucas Hale. Now 20, he has been participating in the Dream League since the age of 8. “I love it,” Lucas said in the Rangers dugout after scoring a run. Asked what he loved about it, he was succinct. “Everything,” he said. The 2026 season continues through August at the First Colony Little League complex at 3232 Austin Parkway, Sugar Land. The Senior Allstar Game vs Lamar Challenger will be Sunday, March 29 at Constellation Field. For more information, visit the Dream League website at firstcolonydreamleague.com/ home.

Answers found in this week’s Classified section ANSWERS FOUND ON PAGE 6

Empathy can fade quickly in environments where everyone is wrapped up in their own insecurities, identities, and shifting social roles. Middle school is one of the clearest places where that happens. It’s an age defined by conflict Empathy can fade quickly in environments where everyone is wrapped up in their own insecurities, identities, and shifting social roles. Middle school is one of the clearest places where that happens. It’s an age defined by conflict – internal and external – and kids often cope by dismissing or minimizing the emotions of others. In that setting, calling someone “oversensitive” becomes a shortcut for avoiding discomfort, respon-

Being sensitive isn't a flaw

sibility, or understanding. I saw it happen constantly in my own sixth-grade year, in a tiny school where everyone knew each other’s siblings, habits, and reputations, and where the cafeteria was barely bigger than a classroom. Cliques formed naturally, almost automatically, and once they did, they were nearly impossible to cross. When new rules were introduced to stop food sharing because of allergy concerns, everyone was assigned seats. My small group of unathletic friends ended up together,

but one friend, someone who had lived in the town her whole life and carried a reputation she never quite escaped, placed across the room. People often called her dramatic or attentionseeking, even though most of her “big reactions” were just the clumsy emotional expressions of a middle schooler still learning boundaries like the rest of us. At first, she handled the separation well and even started befriending the more popular girls near her. She talked about it constantly, excited to finally feel included in a school where social roles were usually set in stone.

But after a few weeks, she was moved again for talking too loudly. I remember her sitting at her new seat with her head down, hands folded over her lunchbox, trying not to cry. When I

went over to comfort her, another girl rolled her eyes and said she was “just upset she can’t sit with her friends” and that she was “being oversensitive.” As if her disappointment didn’t count. As if the hurt she felt was somehow less real because someone else wouldn’t have reacted the same way. That moment wasn’t unique. I saw the same pattern everywhere. A boy who got upset after having his clothes wrinkled was told to “man up.” A girl who cried when her science project was knocked off the table was mocked for “making everything too much.” Another student who froze during a class presentation was whispered about for “overreacting” when she asked to sit down. Even adults sometimes brushed off genuine hurt with a quick

“they were just teasing!” unintentionally teaching us that vulnerability was embarrassing and that emotions were something to hide. There’s no one to fault for these particular reactions and these weren’t examples of kids being inherently cruel. It’s a result of children being absorbed in their own problems causing people to make their perceptions reality. They were examples of kids navigating a chaotic stage of life without the emotional tools to understand one another. It’s easier to label someone “too sensitive” than to consider why they feel the way they do. It’s easier to laugh at someone’s reaction than to acknowledge that you might have hurt them. And it’s easier to dismiss someone’s feelings than to risk being vulnerable yourself.

But the truth is that sensitivity isn’t a flaw – it’s a spectrum. Everyone has a different threshold for hurt, frustration, excitement, or disappointment. What feels small to one person might feel enormous to another, and both experiences are valid. Calling someone “oversensitive” doesn’t make them stronger; it just teaches them to silence themselves. In a world struggling with empathy, silencing emotions is the last thing we need. No one should be shamed for expression, because they are what make us human and part of what allows us to understand one another at all.

Khurram is a Ridge Point High School student, class of 2028, an officer in Varsity LD Debate, and an enjoyer of historical fiction.

MCTX Chalk Fest returns on April 11

Community Reports

That’s

The MCTX ChalkFest will be held April 11, from 11 a.m.-7 p.m. at the Recreation & Tennis Center, 2701 Cypress Point Drive, Missouri City. Artists from Missouri City and throughout the greater Houston area and beyond will be at ChalkFest creating their masterpieces with chalk. Attendees can enter in the Picasso Youth Competition, play games, and sing and dance to the live music. Food trucks will be available for attendees to purchase items.

New this year will be the Color Fun Run, a pre-event fun run where racers will get covered in colorful powder along the route. All ages welcome, preregistration required, $10 per racer. The run begins at 9:30 a.m. All this year will be the Dynamic Duo Nerf Challenge ($15 per pair of adult and child) and the Ducky Drop ($5 per “ducky hunter”).

Returning this year is the Youth Creators Market, a youth farmers market for middle or high school students to sell their own homemade goods.

Learn more and register at childrensentrepreneurmarket.com/event/ missouri-city.

Deadline is noon every Friday. Limit entries to the “5

RICHMOND/ROSENBERG ALZHEIMER’S CAREGIVER SUPPORT GROUP MEETING

Please join us on Thursday, April 9, at 7 p.m. for our monthly meeting. We will be meeting in Room 105, the Gathering Room, at St. John’s UMC, 400 Jackson Street, Richmond. We are looking forward to an open meeting this month. We encourage caregivers to bring any ideas they would like to discuss.

Just a reminder that support groups create a safe, confidential, supportive community and a chance for participants to develop informal mutual support and social relationships. They educate and inform participants about dementia and help participants develop methods and skills to solve problems. These support groups give caregivers and others impacted by Alzheimer’s and dementia a place to connect and share with one another. The Richmond/Rosenberg Alzheimer’s Caregiver Support Group is for caregivers only. There are online support groups for people who are in the early stages of Alzheimer’s. You can contact alz.org to learn more about those particular support groups.

Please visit our group’s Facebook Page: Richmond Alzheimer’s Support Group: facebook.com/groups/RichmondRosenbergAlzheimersSupport/ or visit facebook.com/groups/alztexprograms to learn more about the Houston and Southeast Texas Chapter’s Care and Support page. Questions may be sent to: gallowkj@earthlink.net

ONGOING

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 self-confidence, 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!

AMERICAN LEGION POST 942

311 Ulrich Street, Sugar Land meets the fourth Tuesday of each Month at 7:00 pm. All Veterans are welcome.

LOVING FRIENDS IS A GROUP OF WOMEN AND MEN WHO ARE WIDOWS AND WIDOWERS THAT MEET MONTHLY FOR LUNCH, FRIENDSHIP, AND SOCIALIZATION 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.

QUAIL VALLEY GARDEN CLUB

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.

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 281-785-7372 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.

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.

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.

Wine, Food and Fun. Raffle, Silent Auction, Live Auction, Children’s Area, Sauce Competition, Entertainment. NEW this year the “Strut Your Sauce” Fashion Show.