Sugar Land, TX News (February 24, 2014) - Calling Fort Bend County “an economic miracle,” Texas Secretary of State Nandita Berry met with county leaders earlier this month to celebrate the well-earned success and bright future of Fort Bend County.

Texas Secretary of State Nandita Berry praised Fort Bend County’s success and dubbed it an “economic miracle” during a recent visit with local officials.

Starting with an aerial tour via helicopter, Berry was given a true “overview” of growth in Fort Bend County. Berry was accompanied in the aircraft by three local growth experts: Sugar Land Mayor James Thompson, Sugar Land’s Economic Development Director Regina Morales, and Jeff Wiley, President and CEO of the Greater Fort Bend Economic Development Council.

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February 24th 2014 Posted to Community News,Sugar Land Texas News |  Email This Post

Sugar Land, TX News (February 18, 2014) - Eighth-grade students in Fort Bend ISD are exploring career paths as they take part in Annual Career Day programs at their campuses.

Pictured at Bowie Middle School (from left) are: Kyle Alencar, Lorenzo DeCamps, Principal Chris Morgan, Hannah Callison, Grace Renfrew, teacher Lori Sartain, and Shelby Reagan.

Career Day gives students the opportunity to interact with area professionals to receive first-hand knowledge of various career industries and learn about the preparation needed to pursue desired careers. Students also have the opportunity to increase their awareness of extended learning opportunities, such as service learning and internships.

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February 18th 2014 Posted to School News,Sugar Land Texas News |  Email This Post

Sugar Land, TX News (February 13, 2014) Fort Bend ISD - As a courtesy to parents who are interested in having their students apply to academies, Fort Bend ISD has re-opened the application process at six high school academies. FBISD also reminds parents and students of the approaching deadline for applying to the GT Academy at Quail Valley Middle School.

Spaces are still available at the following two academies:

• International Business and Marketing Academy at Bush High School
• Digital Media Academy at Hightower High School

Students who have not committed to another academy are encouraged to look into the exciting opportunities offered at these two academies and submit an application.

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February 13th 2014 Posted to School News,Sugar Land Texas News |  Email This Post

Sugar Land, TX News (February 11, 2014) - Fort Bend ISD congratulates students who were named winners in the School Bus Safety Poster Contest, sponsored by the Texas Association of Pupil Transportation. FBISD’s Hodges Bend and Lake Olympia Terminal staff judged poster submissions from students in their service areas.

The first-place winners have advanced to the regional competition, which will be held on April 8 during the Gulf Coast Association of Pupil Transportation’s business meeting. Regional winners will advance to the state competition, held in June.

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February 11th 2014 Posted to School News,Sugar Land Texas News |  Email This Post

Sugar Land, TX News (February 11, 2014) - The Texas Recreation and Park Society (TRAPS) named Sugar Land Director of Parks and Recreation Jim Browne its “East Region 2014 Parks and Recreation Director of the Year.”

Browne was recognized for professional leadership, public service and quality-of-life enhancements in Sugar Land. The award was presented Jan. 25 at the East Region TRAPS Workshop.

Under Browne’s leadership in Sugar Land, the City opened the Imperial Park Recreation Center, a facility that includes a full gymnasium, an exercise room, two multipurpose rooms, a video gaming room, a kitchen and a beautiful patio/garden area.

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February 11th 2014 Posted to Community News,Sugar Land Texas News |  Email This Post

Fort Bend ISD program offers hands-on mass media opportunities to students

Written by Lorrie Crow Kimble | Photography by Chelsea Janacek

Sugar Land, TX News - Assisting a professional wedding photographer. Creating a video game. Designing business logos. Running a TV news broadcast and even planning a career as sportscaster for ESPN. These are a few of Hightower High School’s Digital Media Academy (DMA) students’ hopes for the future.

Open to all high school students in Fort Bend ISD, DMA is a two-program track academy that offers students the ability to work in both digital filmmaking and broadcasting, and digital graphics and 3D animation. Students meet every other day on a block schedule and earn college credit. Six students took time to share their academic experiences and future goals in digital media.

Hightower Digital Media Academy students Kennedy Miller, Kelsea Tanaka, Enoma
Osakue, Robyn Marie Pereira, and Danielle Castillo

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February 06th 2014 Posted to Community Blog,Sugar Land Education |  Email This Post

Former Houston Texans linebacker and Fort Bend resident, Chester Pitts, competes on The Amazing Race

Written by Tonya Ellis

Sugar Land, TX News - When he retired from the NFL in 2010, former Houston Texans linebacker Chester Pitts thought his days of enduring physical trials in front of millions were over. Then his old teammate Ephraim Salaam asked him to be his partner on the 23rd season of The Amazing Race.

“I thought he was kidding,” Pitts says with his famous dimpled grin. “Five minutes later, I got a call from the show.”

The Amazing Race is an Emmy award winning reality TV series that pits 11 pairs of contestants against each other in a competition spanning the globe. Teams race to complete mental and physical challenges, traveling through four continents and nine countries. Each week, those last to complete the challenge are eliminated. The winning team receives $1 million.

Chester Pitts II and Ephraim Salaam were Houston Texans teammates from 2006 to 2009 and recently partnered
together on CBS’ The Amazing Race
Photo by Cliff Lipson/CBS Broadcasting Inc.

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February 05th 2014 Posted to Community Blog,Sugar Land Worklife |  Email This Post

Peace Nails I Spas
11920 Hwy 6 S. #1600, Sugar Land, TX
281-933-7322
www.peacesugarland.com
Peace Nail Spa offers several manicure and pedicure services, hydrafacial,
Inglot 02M laser hair removal, eyelash extensions, and offsite hair and makeup (bridal and special events).

February 04th 2014 Posted to Banners |  Email This Post

Sugar Land resident battles blizzards and nearly loses his limbs during a trip to Nepal

Written by Rina C. John | Photos courtesy of Peter Fenelon

Sugar Land, TX News - Peter Fenelon and his college buddies were far away from the Texas heat when they got stuck in the mountains of Nepal during a blizzard in 2012. The snow slowed the hikers down and eventually forced them to stop at a remote rest area.

“The only heating we had was a small fire stove in the main room of a tea house,” Fenelon says. “The rooms were so cold that even a water bottle froze overnight.” The next day, the group continued their hike. “The snow completely covered the trails and continued to come down,” says Fenelon. “It was only going to get more difficult and dangerous as we continued up the mountain.”

What should have been an eight-hour hiking journey, ended up taking 15 hours. Fenelon says his feet went numb 45 minutes into the climb. When the group reached their destination, he removed his boots and noticed his socks were wet. “I took my socks off, and my feet were freezing. I had little pieces of ice on my toes,” he says.

Peter Fenelon (second from left) and his friends Chad Hutchinson, Jim Mazzo, and Thomas Owens fought blizzard conditions and frigid temperatures during their hike

He still wasn’t too worried because he didn’t feel any pain. “It wasn’t until the next morning when I woke up with swollen feet that I became nervous,” says Fenelon. (more…)

February 04th 2014 Posted to Community Blog,Sugar Land Inspirations |  Email This Post

Sugar Land, TX News (February 4, 2014) - KDC, one of America’s leading commercial real estate development and investment firms, and The Johnson Development Corp. announced today an agreement to market and develop 55 acres of commercial land in the master-planned community of Imperial, the largest remaining development opportunity in Sugar Land, Texas.

“We are excited to partner with a world-class developer, The Johnson Development Corp., to market these sites in Imperial for Class A, build-to-suit office space,” said William Peeples, KDC’s Houston Partner. “There is a tremendous demand for new office space in the area, both for headquarter locations and smaller, middle-market tenants.”

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February 04th 2014 Posted to Community News,Sugar Land Texas News |  Email This Post

The Morrises share their harrowing journey of becoming the adoptive parents of two beautiful girls

Written by Crystal Rawls | Photography by Tanya Radoff

Sugar Land, TX News - You never forget the date,” says Sienna resident Allyson Morris. “June 15, 2004.” She was eight weeks pregnant with her son, Elijah, and had gone to the doctor for a routine blood test. But there was something wrong. Either her body was treating the baby as an infection, or she had developed chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML).

“I started screaming at the doctor. I was hysterical,” says Morris. For two weeks, Allyson and her husband, Trevor, anxiously waited for the results. “June 29,” she says. It was the date doctors gave her five years to live - and only if she had an abortion.

After the Morrises lost their son Elijah, they were inspired to adopt their two daughters, Ella and Eva

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February 03rd 2014 Posted to Community Blog,Sugar Land Inspirations |  Email This Post