SUGAR LAND, TEXAS (July 30, 2013) – Sugar Land’s premier mixed-use development, Sugar Land Town Square, will celebrate its 10^th birthday this year by hosting a series of community events and giving away free prizes and retailer packages, including a $2,500 shopping spree at Sugar Land Town Square and a weekend stay at the Sugar Land Marriott Town Square. Attendees at these special birthday events can enter to win the $2,500 shopping spree package by signing up for Town Square’s free, weekly e-newsletter.

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July 30th 2013 Posted to Community News,Sugar Land Texas News |  Email This Post

Dr. Health E. Hound joined students at the hula hoop station.

Sugar Land, TX - (July 26, 2013) - Students enrolled at the Bilingual/English as a Second Language (ESL) Summer School Program at Armstrong Elementary School enjoyed a visit from Dr. Health E. Hound and other representatives of UnitedHealthcare during the school’s Wellness Wednesday event on July 24. The UnitedHealthcare representatives joined Armstrong summer school staff in promoting healthy lifestyles by involving students in physical activity and health lessons.

Felicia Holmes, Armstrong Elementary Summer School Principal; first-graders Martha Garcia, Maria Gomez, Jonathan Lara, Julio Diaz; and Diane McDonald, Summer School Coordinator.

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July 26th 2013 Posted to Health News,School News,Sugar Land Texas News |  Email This Post

Sugar Land, TX - (July 26, 2013) - The Fort Bend Junior Service League (FBJSL) is proud to announce Memorial Hermann Sugar Land (MHSL) will return as the Title Sponsor for the 2014 FBJSL Spring Fling (formerly FBJSL Charity Ball).

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July 26th 2013 Posted to Community News,Sugar Land Texas News |  Email This Post

Sugar Land, TX (July 26, 2013) - The construction on Dulles Avenue from U.S. Highway 90A to Avenue E, including intersections at Lexington Boulevard and Cartwright Road, is now complete. The Dulles Avenue improvement project is intended to improve the safety and mobility along Dulles Avenue.

Pictured (from left) are Sugar Land City Councilmembers Himesh Gandi, Harish Jajoo, Bridget Yeung and Joe Zimmerman; Mayor James Thompson; Assistant City Manager Steve Griffith; and Councilmembers Amy Mitchell and Steve Porter.

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July 26th 2013 Posted to Community News,Sugar Land Texas News |  Email This Post

Fort Bend, TX (July 25, 2013) - Brazos Bend Elementary School second-grader, Harvey Zhu, recently participated in the second annual Online National Chess Invitational Championship.

Harvey Zhu plans his next move

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July 25th 2013 Posted to School News,Sugar Land Texas News |  Email This Post

Richmond, TX (July 23, 2013) –In March, Fort Bend County Museum Association received reaccreditations with the American Alliance of Museums through 2022.

Candace Jones and Chris Godbold proudly display the Fort Bend County Museum Association's certificate of reaccreditation

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July 23rd 2013 Posted to Community News,Sugar Land Texas News |  Email This Post

Jessica Shockley shares how the disease has taught her to live in the moment

Written by Jessica Shockley | Photography by Sarah Crum Photography

SUGAR LAND, Texas (SLM) - In 2002, just three weeks before my wedding, I was told that I may have multiple sclerosis (MS). A week before the wedding, doctors confirmed it. MS is a disease whose course is unknown, and it affects each individual it plagues differently.

At the age of 26, my life changed forever. at year was one of the hardest of our lives. My husband and I had no idea what to expect. It is a testament to God that we made it through. I had visions of wheelchairs, canes, and walkers. The plans we had made for our lives would have to change. There was anger and sadness. There was fear, and years of plaguing myself with self-guilt as the disease began to run its course.

Jessica Shockley's family helps her cope with her multiple sclerosis

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July 20th 2013 Posted to Community Blog,Sugar Land Inspirations,Sugar Land Parenting |  Email This Post

How one non-profit is bringing health and hope to thirsty people around the world.

Written by Susanna Donald | Select photography courtesy of Living Water International

SUGAR LAND, Texas (SLM) - It all began in 1990, when a group of 36 people from Sugar Creek Baptist Church went on a mission trip to Mombasa, Kenya, and saw firsthand how desperately the people needed clean water.

The team tried to drill a well, but they were unsuccessful. A group of three men - Harry Westmoreland, Gary Evans, and Gary Loveless - returned to Kenya, but there was still no water. When it seemed the project was destined to fail, Westmoreland made one final attempt, this time equipping Kenyan nationals to drill. The water that erupted from that borehole signaled the birth of Living Water International.

Living Water International is a non-profit organization based in Stafford that works to bring clean water to poverty-stricken countries and share the message of Christ

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July 18th 2013 Posted to Community Blog,Healthy Sugar Land,Sugar Land Inspirations |  Email This Post

Sugar Land Town Square named six semifinalists to advance in its eighth annual Sugar Land Superstar competition.Pictured (L-R) are Brayln Medlock, Taylor Breedlove, Reagan Johnson, Dani Beale, Jenea’ Brown and Kelsey Morrow. For more information, visit SugarLandTownSquare.com.

SUGAR LAND, TEXAS (July 16, 2013) – In the second round of its eighth annual Sugar Land Superstar competition, Sugar Land Town Square judges named six lucky semifinalists who will advance to the finale in August. The American Idol-like singing competition features local talent ages 14 and up.

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July 18th 2013 Posted to Community News,Sugar Land Texas News |  Email This Post

Sugar Land, TX (July 17, 2013) - A citizens’ bond committee recently recommended a $50 million bond election for four quality of life parks projects.

A public hearing will be held on Aug. 6 during a regularly scheduled City Council meeting, and a November election with three propositions is expected to be called on Aug. 20.

Mayor James Thompson and City Manager Allen Bogard formally announced plans for the bond election during Sugar Land’s State of the City event on Jan. 18. A citizens’ bond committee was formed in February.

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July 17th 2013 Posted to Community News,Sugar Land Texas News |  Email This Post

Cool down this summer with fresh, crisp salads from these Fort Bend restaurants.

Written by Tonya Ellis

SUGAR LAND, Texas (SLM) – Nothing’s better for dinner on a hot, summer day than a cool, crisp salad. Fort Bend restaurants take salads beyond the ordinary lettuce and veggies and make them sensational. We found seven you will definitely want to try.

Add chicken to The Cheesecake Factory's fresh vegetable salad for a filling and well-balanced meal

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July 17th 2013 Posted to Community Blog,Healthy Sugar Land |  Email This Post

Although fairly common, secondary infertility is rarely spoken about. After one or more successful births, many families find themselves unable to conceive. Courageous Fort Bend couples share their stories of overcoming the stigma associated with this perplexing diagnosis.

Written by Meagan Clanahan | Select photography by Taryn Burnett

SUGAR LAND, Texas (SLM) – Secondary Infertility infertility is a secret emotional and physical battle that millions of couples wage every year. It is the inability to get pregnant or maintain a pregnancy following the conception of other biological children. There can be numerous causes. “This is one of the most challenging problems that we face in our practice,” says Sugar Land ob/gyn, Dr. Lorelei Capocyan.

While discussions of primary infertility have become more commonplace, couples going through secondary infertility may feel more hesitant to speak out for fear of judgment. “We also have to be very compassionate with these women due to the psychological impact of the problem,” says Dr. Capocyan.

Jennifer and Jeff Dye had no trouble conceiving their son Andrew but suffered from secondary infertility before being blessed with their younger son, Thomas

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July 16th 2013 Posted to Babies & Tots,Community Blog,Healthy Sugar Land,Sugar Land Inspirations,Sugar Land Parenting |  Email This Post

Sugar Land, TX (July 16, 2013) — The 24th Annual Shrimp Boil broke fundraising records, drew comparisons to a family reunion, and launched a new awareness campaign for The Rose, the nonprofit breast health organization covering Houston and 24 counties.

Dorothy Gibbons, CEO of The Rose, with State Representative Mary Ann Perez

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July 16th 2013 Posted to Community News,Health News,Sugar Land Texas News |  Email This Post

Sugar Land, TX — (July 16, 2013) — Methodist Sugar Land Hospital has a new name.

Effectively immediately, Fort Bend’s leading health care institution is now known as Houston Methodist Sugar Land Hospital. The Methodist system, now Houston Methodist, changed its name to differentiate its hospitals from approximately 80 other Methodist hospitals across the country.

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July 16th 2013 Posted to Health News,Sugar Land Texas News |  Email This Post

Fort Bend County (July 15, 2013) - Fort Bend County Sheriff Troy Nehls has teamed with Child Advocates of Fort Bend to co-locate detectives investigating child abuse cases at their Children’s Advocacy Center in Rosenberg. The Children’s Advocacy Center works directly with child victims of abuse and facilitates the collaboration across law enforcement, the District Attorney’s Office and CPS to ensure that all partners work as a team on these very critical cases. Both the DA’s Office and CPS currently have their child abuse prosecutors and investigative units, respectively, located at the Child Advocates of Fort Bend facility.

Detective Marcia Cox of the Fort Bend County Sheriff’s Office and Child Advocates of Fort Bend Executive Director Ruthanne Mefford. Back row, L to R are: Detective Jerret Nethery of the Fort Bend County Sheriff’s Office, District Attorney John Healey, Child Advocates of Fort Bend’s Children’s Advocacy Center Program Director Fiona Remko and Sheriff Troy Nehls.

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July 15th 2013 Posted to Community News,Sugar Land Texas News |  Email This Post

Fort Bend Volunteering

• American Legion 4520 Hwy. 36 S. Rosenberg, TX 281-232-9224
• American Red Cross Fort Bend County 2610 B.F. Terry Blvd. Rosenberg, TX 281-342-9480
• Brazos Bend Guardianship Services P.O. Box 72 Rosenberg, TX 281-232-7701
• Child Advocates of Fort Bend 5403 Ave. N Rosenberg, TX 281-344-5130
• Colonial Oaks Assisted Living and Memory Care 13825 Lexington Blvd. Sugar Land, TX 281-305-0129
• DePelchin Children’s Center 10435 Greenbough Dr. Houston, TX 281-261-0083
• East Fort Bend Human Needs Ministry 435 Stafford Run Stafford, TX 281-261-1006
• Exchange Club of Sugar Land 4800 Sugar Grove Blvd. Stafford, TX 281-275-2344
• Fort Bend Cares, 832-392-1983
• Fort Bend County Women’s Center 905 Third St. Rosenberg, TX 281-344-5759
• Fort Bend Family Health Center 400 Austin St. Richmond, TX 281-342-4530
• Fort Bend Family YMCA 4433 Cartwright Rd. Missouri City, TX 281-499-9622
• Fort Bend Habitat for Humanity 13570 Murphy Rd. Stafford, TX 281-403-0708
• Fort Bend ISD Education Foundation Angels of Education 16431 Lexington Blvd. Sugar Land, TX 281-634-1000
• Fort Bend Seniors Meals on Wheels 281-633-7049
• Fort Bend Young Life 402 Brooks St. Sugar Land, TX 281-313-7636
• Fulshear Simonton Fire Department 30626 Fifth St. Fulshear, TX 281-346-2800
• Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center 4949 Sweetwater Blvd. Sugar Land, TX 281-313-1122
• Houston Methodist Sugar Land Hospital 16655 S.W. Fwy. Sugar Land, TX 281-274-7500
• Houston Museum of Natural Science Sugar Land 13016 University Blvd. Sugar Land, TX 281-313-2277
• Keep Sugar Land Beautiful 119 Brooks St. Sugar Land, TX 281-313-5752
• Literary Council of Fort Bend County 12530 Emily Ct. Sugar Land, TX 281-240-8181
• Lunches of Love Rosenberg, TX 281-342-8321
• MD Anderson Cancer Center - Regional Care 1327 Lake Pointe Pkwy. Sugar Land, TX 713-745-9940
• Memorial Hermann Sugar Land Hospital 17500 W. Grand Pkwy. S. Sugar Land, TX 713-222-2273
• OakBend Medical Center 6350 Hwy. 90A, #600 Sugar Land, TX 281-238-7870
• Oasis Lifestyles Senior Living 11919 W. Airport Blvd. Stafford, TX 281-240-1707
• Pecan Grove Volunteer Fire Department 727 Pitts Rd. Richmond, TX 281-341-6677
• Pregnancy Resource Center of Fort Bend County 4203 Ave. H Rosenberg, TX 281-232-2375
• Richmond Fire Department 112 Jackson St. Richmond, TX 281-232-6871
• Rosenberg Fire Department 1012 Fifth St. Rosenberg, TX 832-595-3600
• Second Mile Mission 1135 Hwy. 90A Missouri City, TX 281-261-9199
• Silverado Senior Living 1221 Seventh St. Sugar Land, TX 281-201-1510
• Stafford Volunteer Fire Department 2710 S. Main Stafford, TX 281-261-3977
• St. Luke’s Sugar Land Hospital 1317 Lake Point Pkwy. Sugar Land, TX 281-637-7000
• Suburban Sugar Land Women 713-256-7953
• T.W. Davis YMCA 911 Thompson Hwy. Richmond, TX 281-341-0791

July 12th 2013 Posted to Volunteering |  Email This Post

A series of instructional classes on Swedish Weaving will take place at Fort Bend County Libraries’ First Colony Branch Library, 2121 Austin Parkway in Sugar Land, on eight consecutive Saturdays, beginning August 3 and continuing through September 21, from 2:00 to 4:00 pm, in the library’s Conference Room. Interested needle crafters may attend individual sessions or the whole series. All experience levels are welcome.

Eileen Appel

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July 10th 2013 Posted to Community News,Sugar Land Texas News |  Email This Post

Sugar Land, Texas (July 10, 2013) - Thirty-three Fort Bend ISD teachers, representing all grade levels, were among the first graduating class of the Apple Core Teacher Academy, hosted by the District’s Educational Technology Department. The teachers completed approximately 20 hours of professional development on various Apple software and hardware. As part of their training, they explored social media networks Edmodo and Twitter, and created original projects featuring applications such as Keynote and iMovie, as well as components learned in an iTunesU course.

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July 10th 2013 Posted to Community News,School News,Sugar Land Texas News |  Email This Post

Missouri City, Texas (July 9, 2013) - A total of 42 tennis enthusiasts braved the sweltering heat to compete in the First Annual Doubles Tennis Tournament held atMissouri City’s Recreation andTennisCenter,2701 Cypress Point Drive, on June 28 through June 30.

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July 09th 2013 Posted to Community News,Sugar Land Texas News |  Email This Post

July 8, 2013 (Richmond, TX) – Every day approximately 10,000 people turn 65. This means the senior community is rapidly growing and OakBend Medical Center is taking the increasing number of seniors seriously. On October 17^th OakBend presents “Patchwork of Life…Putting the Pieces Together”, an event designed to help bring an ACE Unit (Acute Care for the Elderly) to its Jackson Street location.

The ACE Unit is the first of its kind in Fort Bend County and will be dedicated to serving only geriatric patients. Utilizing the most recent research on geriatric care, OakBend will design the unit and, manage its operations, to prevent the loss of physical and mental abilities that can occur in the elderly when hospitalized.

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July 08th 2013 Posted to Health News,Sugar Land Texas News |  Email This Post

Sugar Land, TX (July 5, 2013) - Houston Community College (HCC) District VII Trustee Neeta Sane, successful entrepreneur and community leader, has been awarded the Greater Houston Service Award from Volunteer Houston 2013. The Service Award honors individuals who change Houston through their acts of service, such as Sane’s Fort Bend International Festival, where she successfully brings over 5,000 people together to celebrate the multi-ethnic communities that make up today’s face of America. She also founded and manages Positronic Systems, a successful software development and consulting company specializing in innovative fraud-prevention and payment processing systems.

July 05th 2013 Posted to Community News,Sugar Land Texas News |  Email This Post

Fort Bend Parents share the joys and blessings of raising multiples

Written by Taryn Burnett | Select photography by Lara Massey

Being a parent of multiples requires structure and support, but many Fort Bend families have learned that sometimes it’s just blessings multiplied.

Identical twins Danielle and Madison Burke with their fraternal triplet, Rachel

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July 03rd 2013 Posted to Uncategorized |  Email This Post

Bernice Dickey shares her story of returning to a joyfilled life after experiencing an overwhelming loss

Written by Bernice Dickey | Photography by Amanda Cortez

SUGAR LAND, Texas (SLM) - On Jan. 31, 2002, I woke up a wife and mother of two beautiful little girls. That evening, I was a widow and a single parent of one infant daughter. A car accident killed my husband my 10-year-old daughter and left my 1-year-old, Miriam, with second- and third-degree burns. I learned about this terrible tragedy by watching the 6 o’clock evening news.

Bernice Dickey learned about the tragic car accident that killed her husband and daughter from watching the 6 o'clock news

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July 03rd 2013 Posted to Community Blog,Sugar Land Inspirations |  Email This Post

Written by Jennifer Heath | Select photography by Rhonda Kuykendall

SUGAR LAND, Texas (SLM) – When 10-year-old Sawyer Pennington visited Memorial Hermann Sugar Land Hospital, she noticed something unusual about all the games and toys in the children’s area of the hospital: They were all items the pediatric patients had to use and then give back. There was nothing the children could keep for themselves while they were being treated. Sawyer decided to change that.

Sawyer Pennington holds some of the toys she purchased for pediatric patients at Memorial Hermann Sugar Land Hospital

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July 03rd 2013 Posted to Community Blog,Sugar Land Inspirations |  Email This Post

Sugar Land, Texas - July 3, 2013 - The Honor Roll School in Sugar Land is pleased to announce that Ms. Cinnamon Baldwin, a science teacher for fifth and sixth grades at the school, was selected from across the nation for the prestigious LiftOff Summer Institute professional development program, which was held at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas from June 23 through 28.

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July 03rd 2013 Posted to School News,Sugar Land Texas News |  Email This Post

Sugar Land, Texas — Methodist Sugar Land Hospital has been recognized as a top-performing hospital in Xerox’s 2012 Midas+ Platinum Quality Award program, based on clinical results across a wide range of measures.

Methodist Sugar Land Hospital was one of just a handful of national award-winners in its size category. More than 600 hospitals nationwide participated in the program, and top performers were announced in early June at a presentation in Tucson, Arizona.

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July 02nd 2013 Posted to Health News,Sugar Land Texas News |  Email This Post

Sugar Land, Texas - Fort Bend County Social Services will be holding registration for the Walk with Pride shoe program on July 9, 2013 at the Rosenberg Civic Center, 3825 Hwy 36, Rosenberg, from 6:00 pm to 7:30 pm.

Each child who is eligible for the program will be invited to a participating Payless Shoe store location to pick out a new pair of shoes on August 18th. Deadline for applications is August 2, 2013.

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July 02nd 2013 Posted to Community News,Sugar Land Texas News |  Email This Post

Sugar Land, TX – Sugar Land artist Savannah Berry, a contestant on the 2013 season of The Voice and a member of Team Blake Shelton, will perform at Sugar Land’s Star Spangled Spectacular.

Savannah Berry

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July 02nd 2013 Posted to Community News,Sugar Land Texas News |  Email This Post