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VOL. 66, NO. 14– 50¢ THURSDAY, APRIL 4, 2019© Copyright 2019 P.O. DRAWER 405, HIGHLANDS, TEXAS 77562

Serving Highlands, Crosby, Huffman and Surrounding Communities since 1955www.starcouriernews.com

Now in our New Offices1500 E. Wallisville RoadHighlands, TX 77562

WESTON G. COTTENAttorney at Law

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281-328-4377TurnerChevroletCrosby.com

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✯IN THESTARS

EVENTSSAT., APRIL 6SPRING FLINGVENDOR &CRAFT FAIRApril 6th, 2019at Hargrave High Schoolfrom10:00 am - 3:00 pm.Contact Tiffany at tiffany@crosbychurch.com or call theoffice at 281-328-1310 formore information.

SUN. APRIL 7SPEEDBOAT RACESRacing returns! BaytownBoat Club at Clear LakeStreet in Highlands. 12pmto 5pm Sunday, April 7th.Fried Chicken Dinners,Snow Cones available.

TUE., APRIL 9COFFEE WITH A COPTuesday, April 9 from 9 amto 11 am at Hungry JackRestaurant, 14045 FM2100, Crosby, TX. 77532.

THUR, APRIL 11H/L CHAMBERLUNCHEONJoin the Highlands/Lynchburg Chamber fortheir regular monthlyluncheon and program, 12noon, Highlands Communi-ty Center. Call 281-426-7227 for reservations.

MON., APRIL 15CROSBY LIBRARYMEETINGThe Friends of the CrosbyLibrary will be having theirAnnual Meeting on April 15from 6:30 pm - 8:00 pm.The guest speaker will bePrecinct 3 JP Lucia Bates.The topic of the eveningwill be "The importance ofreading for all ages andcommunity relations". Thepublic is invited to attend.135 Hare Road, Crosby, TX77532. 832-927-7790.

BIRTHDAYSApr 4--Cory Hildebrand

Clydeen ValentineDenise HernandezRobert H. Sparks

Apr 5--Fred DunksApr 6--J.J. WorthenApr 7--Jean Oliver

Charlotte YatesApr 8--Thomas Earl Fabi

anMarie Engle

Apr 9-- Casie RussellDamon LayMitchell Thompson

Apr 10--Wendi Owens

ANNIVERSARIESApr 5- Randy & Rose

DonnellApr 9--Robert & Delana

MatthewsJoshua & KayleeBradley

Apr 10--Rod & AnitaDavis

These storiesin the PRESS:•San Jacinto DayFestival Cancel•Beach City Newsupdates•I-10 repairs update......And more, Page 5

CRCU CD Rates, p. 10CRI Financial, p. 3 Turner Chevrolet, p. 10

Explosion, fire at KMCO plant in Crosby

Barrett has economicdevelopment plans

AUTO & HOME INSURANCEJeremy Rosenkranz, State Farm Agent

440 S. Main Street, Highlands, TX 77562281-426-3512

www.jeremyrosenkranz.com

CROSBY – Shortly after11:00 a.m. Tuesday manythought their buildingshad been struck by a carbecause they were jarredviolently, but it was thethird of local plant fires ina couple of weeks, this timeat KMCO, L.L.C. and thistime it was deadly.

Two employees weretaken by ambulance tonearby Crosby Church forLifeflight helicopters topick them up. At least, an-other man was killed in theincident although at firstwas reported missing. Bypress time the names ofthe injured or deceasedhad not been released.

A firefighter indicatedthat the two injured em-ployees were in criticalcondition when found, hav-ing been burned over mostof their bodies.

No one would call thefire out before 5:00 p.m. al-though apparently consid-erably under more control

by 2:30 p.m. Crosby VFD was first onthe scene, followed by ESD#5, thenSheldon units. Crosby VFD encounteredlow water pressure (that same problemas had extended the fire in Deer Parkon March 17 and 18.) No less than 16fire tanker trucks of water from sur-rounding communities were brought into contain the flames.

According to John Foley, Presidentand Chief Executive Officer of KMCOL.L.C., “There was an incident result-ing in an ignition and fire today April2, 2019 at KMCO, LLC in Crosby, Tex-as. We are deeply saddened to confirmat this time that there have been inju-ries and one fatality. Those injured havebeen transported for medical treatment.Our hearts and prayers go out to theindividuals involved, as well as our firstresponders, employees, and our commu-nity.

We have activated the company’semergency response team and incidentcommand center. We are working withlocal first responders to extinguish thefire. We will give another update asadditional information becomes avail-able.

See KMCO EXPLODES, BURNS, page 10Smoke billows from the KMCO plant fire, as seen by theneighbors and first responders on Ramsey Road in Crosby.

JERRY BLUITT, speaking atRotary, about the BarrettStation Civic League andBarrett Station ManagementDistrict.

HIGHLANDS – JerryBluit, president of the Bar-rett Station Civic League,and the Barrett StationManagement District, ex-plained to the Rotary Clubwhat plans these organiza-tions had for economic de-velopment in theirgeographic area of respon-sibility.

Bluitt also took the op-portunity to review some ofthe history of the area, in-cluding the Mexican LandSee BARRETTDEVELOPMENT, page 10

US 90 wreck fatal

A SUV slammed into a US 90 guardrail on Saturday nighttaking the lfe of Jaime Calderon Jr. Calderon was dead atthe scene when deputies arrived at about 11:45 p.m. Awitness had contacted 911 upon seeing the car hit theguardrail then go over into the nearby median and seemedto disappear. Continued on Page 3

Star✯Courier / Press / NORTH CHANNEL✯STARPage 2 THURSDAY, APRIL 4, 2019

Attorney at Law

KAREN A. BLOMSTROM281-328-7311

Crosby, TX 77532

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✯ L I F E S T Y L E P A G E ✯

CHURCH LISTINGSCrosby, Highlands, Huffman,Baytown

ANGLICAN CHURCH• Church of the Resurrection,meeting at Crosby BrethrenChurch, 5202 1st Street, Cros-by. 832-661-9693.APOSTOLIC CHURCH• First Apostolic Church of High-lands, 1211 S. Main St. High-lands. 281-426-4133ASSEMBLY OF GOD• Crosby Gospel Assembly, 633Kenning Rd., Crosby, 281-328-2516• First Assembly of God, 406 N.Magnolia St., Highlands, 281-426-3170• Gospel Lighthouse, 8218John Martin Rd., Baytown, 281-421-1168BAPTIST• Calvary Baptist, 2217 Huff-man Eastgate Rd., Huffman,281-324-3409• Highlands Baptist, 111 E. Ca-nal Rd., Highlands, 281-426-2470• Northeast Freeway Baptist,1635 Runneberg Rd., Crosby,281-328-2723• Unity Baptist, 2625 Broad Dr.,Highlands, 281-426-4223• Iglesia Bautista Comunidad,5323 Highway 90, Crosby, 281-421-9810. “Venid y te Harem-os Bien”BAPTIST-Missionary• Antioch Missionary Baptist,2500 Harris St., Highlands,281-426-6565.• First Missionary BaptistChurch, 301 Cypress Avenue,Crosby, 281-462-7634.• Mt. Zion Missionary Baptist,315 Nod, Crosby, 281-328-4650• True Vine Missionary Baptist,404 Oak Ave., Crosby, 281-328-7637• Shiloh Missionary BaptistChurch, 12418 Crosby Rd.,Crosby, 281-328-1851BAPTIST-Southern• First Baptist- Crosby, 615Runneberg Rd.,Crosby, 281-328-2564• First Baptist- Highlands, N.Magnolia at Wallisville, High-lands, 281-426-4551• First Baptist- Huffman, 25503FM 2100, Huffman, 281-324-1888• Northside Baptist, 317 Bar-bers Hil l Rd., Highlands,nsbchighlands.org• Second Baptist, 400 E. Wall-isville Rd., Highlands, 281-426-5557• Crosby New Hope BaptistChurch, 18319 FM 2100, Cros-by, 281-328-6086BRETHREN• Crosby Brethren, 5202 1st St.,Crosby, 281-328-2442CATHOLIC• Holy Family, 7122 WhitingRock, Baytown, 281-426-8448• Sacred Heart, 915 RunnebergRd., Crosby, 281-328-4871

• St. Martin De Porres, 12606FM 2100, Crosby, 281-328-4451• St. Jude Thaddeus, 800 S.Main St. , Highlands, 281-843-2422• St. Phillip the Apostle, 23083rd St.,Huffman, 281-324-1478CHURCH OF CHRIST• Church of Christ at WallisvilleRd., 1500 E. Wallisville Rd.,281-426-7557.• Crosby Church of Christ, 3737Hwy 90, Crosby, 281-328-3496• Highlands Church of Christ,214 Clear Lake Rd., Highlands,281-426-2742• Barrett Station Church ofChrist, 281-328-7882CHURCH OF GOD• First Pentecostal Church ofGod, 1328 Old Atascocita, Huff-man, 281-324-1518• Harvest Time Church of God,495 S. Diamondhead Blvd.,Crosby, 281-462-8060CHURCH OF GODIN CHRIST•�Mt. Rose Church of God inChrist, 13000 FM 2100, Cros-by, 281-328-1314EPISCOPAL• Church of the Resurrection,5202 Churhc St., Crosby.INDEPENDENT• Crosby Church, 5725 Hwy 90,Crosby and 30673 HuffmanCleveland Rd., Huffman, 281-328-1310• Huffman Church, 1707 Huff-man Eastgate Rd., Huffman,281-324-3705• New Covenant of Faith, 12217Holly Rd., Crosby, 281-328-1315• Restoration House, 1609Jones Rd., Highlands, 281-843-4000• Son Harvest, 2027 FM 1942,Crosby, 281-543-2860.LUTHERAN• Our Shepherd, 19704 FM2100, Huffman, 281-324-2422METHODIST• Crosby United Methodist,1334 Runneberg Rd., Crosby,281-328-2616• Highlands United Methodist,107 W. Houston St., Highands,281-426-3614• Lake Houston United Method-ist, 23606 FM 2100, Huffman,281-324-1541

NON DENOMINATION• Lifepoint Church, 9235 NorthHighway 146, Baytown, Tx.77523. �281-576-5452.

UNITED PENTECOSTALCHURCH• Pentecostals of Crosby502Pine at Hwy 90 Crosby, TX�77532(281) 328-5054. Sunday10 AM. Wednesday 7 PM. Pas-tor Kerry D. Lee

Channelview, Jacinto City,Galena Park, Houston

•Second Street Church ofChrist, 15821 2nd. Street,Channelview, TX. 77530.

www.2ndstreetchurchofchrist.com

ASSEMBLY OF GOD•Galena Park Assembly ofGod, 1211 2nd. St., GalenaPark, TX. 713-455-0836.BAPTIST•New Life Baptist Church ofEast Houston, 18570 VanRoad, Houston, 77049. 281-456-0082•Second Baptist Church, 191318th. St., Galena Park, TX. 713-672-9232.•Second Baptist Church, 10501Muscatine, Jacinto City, TX.713-674-8463.•St. Matthew Baptist Church,119 Fidelity, Houston, TX. 713-674-0062.•First Baptist Church, 1505 1st.St., Galena Park, TX. 713-455-1261.•Macedonia Baptist Church,1230 Maxnie Street, Houston,TX. 77049. 713-674-6607.BAPTIST-Southern•Dell Dale Avenue BaptistChurch, 402 Dell Dale Avenue,Channelview, TX. 281-452-3704.•South Drive Baptist Church,15229 South Drive, Channel-view, TX. 77530. 281-452-4500.•First Baptist Church of JacintoCity, 10701 Wiggins, JacintoCity, TX 77029. 713-672-2802.•Beaumont Place BaptistChurch, 13101 Ivydale Street,Houtson, TX. 77049.•First Baptist Church of Gale-na Park, 206 Woofle St., 77547.713-455-1261.CATHOLIC•St. Andrew Roman CatholicChurch, 827 Sheldon Rd.,Channelview, TX. 281-452-9865.•Our Lady of Fatima, 1705 8thSt., Galena Park, TX. 713-675-0981.CHURCH OF CHRIST•2nd. St. Church of Christ,15821 2nd St., Channelview,TX. -281-452-4049.•Channelview Church of Christ,1301 Sheldon Rd., Channel-view, Tx. 281-452-7129.•Galena Park Church of Christ,301 Holland Ave, Galena Park,TX. 713-455-0826.EPISCOPAL•St. Timothy’s EpiscopalChurch, 13125 Indianapolis St.,Houston, 713-451-2909.HOLINESS•Bible Missionary Church,10246 Fairfax St., Jacinto City.713-671-3500.METHODIST•Old River Terrace United Meth-odist Church, 16102 East Free-way, Channelview, TX.281-452-2861.•Galena Park United Methodist,1705 1st. St., Galena Park, TX.713-672-0245.•Holy Trinity United Methodist,13207 Orleans St., Houston,Tx. 713-453-7203.

Mrs. Victoria Parker,HHS Art teacher, is happyto announce that SophieMcGregor received a GoldKey award and a SilverKey award for two digitalart entries, along withHope Pate who received aSilver Key award for herdrawing entry, for thisyear’s national competi-tion.

The Scholastic Art &Writing Awards is the na-tion’s longest-running,largest, and most presti-gious competition for cre-ative teens in both art andwriting. Through theAwards, students receiveopportunities for recogni-tion, exhibition, publica-tion and scholarships.

Former winners includeAndy Warhol, Sylvia Plath,Stephen King, RichardAvedon, Zac Posen, RobertRedford and Joyce CarolOates. This year’s Region-al Awards ceremony, spon-sored by the Harris CountyDepartment of Education,

Hargrave High S chool artstudents awarded at 2019scholastic art & writing ceremony

Hargrave HS Art students, Sophie McGregor (shownleft), and Hope Pate (shown right) received Gold andSilver Key Awards at the 2019 Scholastic Art & WritingAwards Ceremony in Houston, Texas. March 27, 2019

took place on March 27,2019 at the Ballroom atBayou Place in Houston,Texas. More than 5,400students from public, pri-vate and home schools sub-mitted Art in HarrisCounty, and 1,700 received

Gold & Silver Key awards.Those who received Gold &Silver Key awards hadtheir artwork displayed atSpring Street Studios inHouston. This is a remark-able achievement andmilestone for emergingartists.

✯THOUGHTS FROM

MARANATHA CHURCHBy Dr. Mark Trice

My family lives in thecountry. In fact, when wefirst moved out here wewere the only ones around.Bearing that in mind, youcan imagine how confound-ed we were when peoplesuddenly started showingup on our road one day,making active use of bin-oculars, cameras, and vid-eo cameras. Needless tosay, it didn’t take us toovery long to go ask themwhat in the world theywere doing.

Turned out our road waslisted as a primary locationto find a specific, rarewoodpecker. These peoplewere birders on the hunt,and they were persistent.I’m not just talking “let’sdrive out to Anahuac” per-sistent. Where some areconcerned, I’m talking,“Let’s leave our home inEngland and take a trip tothat tiny town in the US totrack down this featheredtreasure,” persistent. I’mnot talking a lazy way tospend an afternoon. I’mtalking eyes peeled and re-cording devices at theready.

They wanted to see thebird. They knew where it

was supposed to be found,and they were not leavingwithout making every ef-fort to find it. (The trulyfunny thing is that Dadhated those birds for allthe trouble they caused atthe barn, but that’s anoth-er story.) I don’t know howmany of them actually gotthe pictures and video theywere looking for, but if theymissed seeing the wood-pecker it wasn’t for lack oftrying. They’re a good re-minder of the type of peo-ple God expects us to be –persistent.

In Luke 11:5-11, Hegoes to great lengths tohelp us understand whatpersistence means. Firsthe tells of a man who bugshis neighbor at midnight,and keeps on pesteringhim until the poor guy fi-nally gets up to hand overthe needed loaves of bread.Then He gives us instruc-tion: “Ask, and it shall begiven you; seek, and yeshall find; knock, and itshall be opened unto you.”

According to theolo-gians, when God sayssomething three times youhad better pay attention.What Jesus is saying here,

in a nutshell, is, “Be persis-tent.” We live in a societythat gives up too easily. Ifthe drive-through line istoo long, we drive off. If thenew puppy isn’t housebro-ken right away, we “re-home” him. We have a hardtime sticking it out – what-ever “it” is.

We don’t know what itmeans to be so passionate-ly hungry for God’s pres-ence that we’re willing topay any price to experienceit. We’re not so determinedto grow into the men andwomen He wants us to bethat we will deliberatelypursue Him through HisWord, through church at-tendance, and throughfinding godly mentors. Butyou know what? That’swhat it takes.

We all have the samechoice. Be a casual Chris-tian, someone who has ac-cepted Jesus as Savior andstopped there, or learnwhat it is like to acceptHim as Lord and persis-tently, passionately seekout ways to make theirLord happy. This persis-tence will help us becometrue representatives of ourLord Jesus Christ.

The Czech Heritage So-ciety of Texas, HarrisCounty Chapter is prepar-ing for our Annual CzechSpringFest. We will holdour festival on Sunday,April 28, 2019. It will beheld at the SPJST Lodge#88, 1435 Beall St. Hous-ton, in the Heights Area.

This being our 24th An-nual Czech SpringFest, welook forward to having anoutstanding crowd with

Annual Czech SpringFest set April 28much entertainment andmany vendors selling theirwares. Our usual CountryStore and Sausage Boothwill be available. This yearwe will have a Czech Mar-ket selling decorative ac-cessories, books and otherCzech items. A small silentauction of boutique itemswill be adjacent to theCzech Market.

Craft Artist VladimirKlimis from the Czech Re-

public will be there to dem-onstrate his skill of woodcarving.

A traditional CzechSunday dinner will beserved from 11 am till 2pm.

Music will be providedby the Kovanda CzechBand from 11 am till 3 pmand The Texas legacyCzech Band will play from3 pm till 6:30 pm.

Persistence

BIBLE TRIVIAby Wilson Casey---

1. Is the book of Terebinth inthe Old or New Testament orneither?

2. What sprang up andshadowed over Jonah's headdelivering him from his grief?Hemlock, Gourd, Flowers, Figtree

3. From Judges 16, where didSamson tell Delilah that his greatstrength lies? Deep voice,Mighty arms, Long hair, Kindheart

4. Who married King Davidafter her evil husband, Nabal,died? Tamar, Abigail, Vashti,Sarah

5. Which man's name in thebook of Genesis means "hairy"?Seth, Cain, Abel, Esau

6. How many times does theword "Lucifer" appear in theBible (KJV)? 1, 13, 112, 666

ANSWERS: 1) Neither; 2)Gourd; 3) Long hair; 4) Abigail;5) Esau; 6) 1 (Isaiah 14:12)

Star✯Courier / Press / NORTH CHANNEL✯STAR Page 3THURSDAY, APRIL 4, 2019

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Pick-up overturns onJones Road in Highlands

The driver of thisoverturned pickuptruck confers withwrecker operatorDavid Kostka on amethod to right thetruck and get it intothe wrecker truckseen at left.

In the distanceare a Sheriff’s depu-ty and the High-lands EMS and FireDepartment that re-sponded to this ac-cident.

The pickup truckdriver said that hewas travelling weston Jones Road,when the truck start-ed to accelrate on itsown, and he couldnot slow or stop it

with the brakes. The truck flippedover and landed in the ditch alongthe road.

The driver, a college student fromthe Highlands area, was not injured

inspite of the fact that histruck was totalled. He wastreated by EMS for small lac-erations, and not transport-ed. (Photo Star-Courier/Hoffman)

Highlands gameroombusted by Precinct 3

Passersby indicated that this game room located northernmost in Highlandshad grown in popularity substantially since it began paying out cash. Theyalso indicated this is not the first time law enforcement had stoppedoperation for some time.This encounter happened on March 29 at about5:15 p.m. K-9 Units from Baytown Police assisted in the raid.

Crosby manfound deceased

Newport girl foundalive and secure

On Tuesday afternoon,April 2, Harris CountySheriff ’s Office announcedthat a Newport residentthat had gone missing sinceMarch 29, was found to bein good condition and se-cure.

Residents had organizedsearches with ATVs, autos,boats, walk patrols andplenty of law enforcementthroughout Newport Subdi-vision and surrounding ar-eas.

Her family had said thatthe Crosby Middle Schoolstudent’s room was left in

Hannah Diaz foundwell by lawenforcement. Searchyields testimony tocommunity stickingtogether for children.

disarray but she had takenher backpack, laptop, andphone. They had no ideawhere she had gone.

Search crews with dogshad discovered that shehad walked from her roomto a nearby street and thenthe search went cold, as ifshe had gotten into a car.

Newport residents overthe weekend had made theGazebo the search central.A variety of searchers fromlocal families, experiencedsearchers, and law enforce-ment from those servingCrosby were inlisted.

CROSBY – A local fatherof two young girls wasfound deceased outsideRowdy Bucks on March 28at age 29.

Harris County Sheriff ’sDetectives closed the barand interviewed patrons in-side concerning what hadhappened for about threehours before an incident.

Dylan Wade Doskocillived not far from RowdyBucks and was popularlyknown throughout theCrosby community. Dylan Wade

Doskocil

US 90fatality,CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

Jaime Calderon Jr. was driving his2006 Jetta shortly before midnighton US 90 near Crosby-EastgateRoad located in the 7100 block onMarch 31 when the car careenedinto a guardrail. The car then cap-sized, slide down the median andcame to rest in the center of themedian. Apparently, he was notwearing his seatbelt and was par-tially ejected though the windshieldand outside of the vehicle. The ve-hicle rolled over and Calderon diedat the scene before help arrived.

US 90 shut down early WednesdayCROSBY – Traffic in-

vestigators shut down US90 Wednesday morningsometime after 4:00 a.m.when an accident was re-ported of a motocycliststriking a large dog.

According to witnessesthe motorcycle looked as ifit had been placed in acompactor and the dog didnot look good at all.

Harris CountySheriff ’sDeputies and Traffic In-vestigators did their dueduty looking all over tofind the motorcyclist.

The man that the mo-torcyle was registered towas later found in a localhospital with serious butless than life threateningwounds resulting from the

crash.Meanwhile back at US 90,

the search continued for sev-eral hours until it was final-ly decided that the ridermust have caught a ride witha passerby.

The accident took place atUS 90 near the northeastbound FM 2100 exit in Cros-by.

Star✯Courier / Press / NORTH CHANNEL✯STARPage 4 THURSDAY, APRIL 4, 2019

✯ O P I N I O N P A G E ✯

STATE CAPITALHIGHLIGHTS

By Ed Sterling

✯

RepresentativeCain calls forhearing toinvestigatethe ITC tankfire incident

(Austin, TX) Lastthurs-day,StateRep-resen-tativeBriscoeCainsub-mit-ted letters to theSpeaker of the House,Dennis Bonnen;Chairman PonchoNevárez, who leadsthe House Committeeon Homeland Securi-ty & Public Safety;and Chairman J.M.Lozano, who leadsthe House Committeeon EnvironmentalRegulation request-ing a joint-hearing onemergency responseand preventionmeasures pertainingto the fire at theIntercontinentalTerminals Company(ITC), an investiga-tion into the handlingof the incident, andits aftereffects.

RepresentativeCain commented,“The disastrousevents surroundingthe fire at ITC havebeen devastating toour community. Thenation has beencaptivated by dra-matic images offlames and smokeplumes, but ourcommunity has hadto deal with the veryreal questions aboutair and water qualitywhile waiting forinformation fromITC. Our communitydeserves transparen-cy and accountabilityas we recover fromthis incident. I thankSpeaker Bonnen,Chairman Nevárez,and Chairman Loza-no for sharing mysense of urgency ininvestigating thecritical issues inrelation to this eventand ensuring safetyfor our communityand all Texans. I alsothank the dedicatedfireman, emergencyresponse profession-als, industry part-ners, and communityleaders like MayorMouton for theiroutstanding servicein stepping up tomeet this challenge.”

Editor & Publisher..............................Gilbert HoffmanAssociate Publisher.....................Mei-Ing Liu HoffmanAssoc. Editor/Advertising Manager.....Lewis SpearmanAssistant Editor.........................................Julieta PaitaProduction Manager...........................Luis HernandezAsst. Production Manager............Gerardo HernandezEntered as Periodicals Class at Highlands Post Office, Highlands, TX 77562. Under the Actof Congress of March 3, 1879. Published 50 weeks per year, on Thursday, by GrafikpressCorp., 5906 Star Lane, Houston, TX 77057. Opinions in this paper are those of the au-thors, and not necessarily this newspaper’s. Any erroneous statement which may appearwill be corrected when brought to the attention of the publisher. Liability for errors islimited to the reprinting of the corrected version. Submissions are encouraged, in person,by mail, by Fax, or by email, to grafikstar@aol.com.

GRAFIKPRESS is publisher of community newspapers, including Highlands STAR-CrosbyCOURIER; Barbers Hill Dayton PRESS; Northeast NEWS; North Forest NEWS, North Chan-nel STAR. Combined circulation of these newspapers exceeds 50,000, Readership exceeds110,000 according to industry standards. We also print dozens of school, ethnic, andgovernment publications on contract. Call for information to 713-977-2555.

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Barbers Hill✯Dayton PRESS

Star✯CourierStar✯Courier

AUSTIN — Last week,with 60 days remaininguntil the end of the 140-day regular session of the86th Texas Legislature, theHouse and Senate vaultedcloser toward finalizing astate budget.

On March 27, the Houseof Representatives voted149-0 in favor of HB 1, itsversion of the state budgetfor fiscal years 2020 and2021. The lower chamber’sbill allocates some $251billion to cover the twoyears and puts $9 billionmore than the current bud-get into education reform,including a teacher pay in-crease and pension fund-ing, and property taxreform.

SB 1, the Senate’s ver-sion of the state budget, isscheduled for more early-April hearings in the Sen-ate Finance Committeebefore coming to a Senatefloor vote. SB 1, like HB 1,presently contains some $9billion for education re-form and a property taxbreak. Since mid-January,the committee chaired bySen. Jane Nelson, R-Flow-er Mound, heard morethan 750 witnessespresent public testimonyin 25 meetings, helpingmembers craft a bill thattotals more than 1,000pages. Nelson broke downthe $9 billion as follows:

— Almost $4 billion foran across-the-board teach-er pay raise of $5,000;

— $2.3 billion in addi-tional money for non-sala-ry public education reform;and

— $2.7 billion for prop-erty tax relief.

SB 1 is expected to passsoon in the Senate, andshould it do so, a confer-ence committee of Houseand Senate members mustmeet to reconcile differenc-es in the two versions ofthe state budget. Nelsonand four other senatorsappointed by Lt. Gov. DanPatrick, along with HouseAppropriations CommitteeChair John Zerwas, R-Richmond, and four Housemembers appointed bySpeaker Dennis Bonnen,will make up the confer-ence committee. After theversions are reconciled,both chambers will put themeasure to a final vote. Ifpassed, the budget wouldthen be forwarded to Gov.Greg Abbott for final ap-proval.

Bill would raiseexemption

The Senate PropertyTax Committee on March26 considered legislation toincrease the homesteadexemption for local schoolproperty taxpayers by

WASHINGTON, DC– March 27, 2019 –Congressman DanCrenshaw (TX-02) andCongresswoman AnnWagner (MO-02)introduced the NewParents Act in theHouse that creates avoluntary option forpaid parental leave byallowing parents to usea portion of their SocialSecurity after the birthor adoption of a child.Specifically, the billprovides parents withthe flexibility to usetheir benefits in a waythat works best fortheir household. Manyparents, especiallythose with low in-comes, will be able tofinance three months ofleave, or longer, underthe New Parents Act.

U.S. Senators MarcoRubio (R-FL) and MittRomney (R-UT) intro-duced companionlegislation in theSenate.

“It is rare that we getthe chance to drastical-ly improve the lives ofhard-working familieswith no long-termimpact on ourbudget,”said Cren-shaw. “By givingfamilies temporaryaccess to future fundswhen they’re growingtheir family, we arehelping Americanswhen they need itmost. This will be alife-changing option.”

“As a mother, agrandmother, andsomeone who hasemployed many newmoms and dads, I knowthat having a baby isboth joyous and chal-lenging. We have putforth a responsible paidfamily leave policy thatallows new parentsflexibility to spendmore time with theirchildren during one oflife’s most precious andexceptional moments.

House, Senate continue tomove closer to passing budget

$10,000.SB 5 and Senate Joint

Resolution 71, a proposedconstitutional amendmentby the committee’s chair,Sen. Paul Bettencourt, R-Houston, would ask votersin November to approve anincrease to the amount ofproperty value that a ho-meowner can exempt from$25,000 to $35,000.

He said the increasewould cut the averageproperty tax bill in Texasby about $125 per year andthe state would be able tocover the loss in revenue toschool districts by usingproceeds from oil and gasproduction taxes thatwould otherwise have goneinto the Economic Stabili-zation “Rainy Day” Fund.

Bettencourt said thefund has enough in it tojustify the diversion. "I per-sonally view the (RainyDay Fund) as full becausewe're looking at values upto $15.66 billion at the endof the biennium withoutany withdrawals," he said.

Lawmakers ask formore

Texas transportationinfrastructure is not keep-ing up with growth, and tomake matters worse, theLone Star State receivesless than any other statecompared to what it paysinto the federal HighwayTrust Fund.

To request a better rateof return, all 38 membersof the Texas congressionaldelegation joined in aMarch 26 letter to thechairs and ranking mem-bers of the Senate Environ-ment and Public WorksCommittee and HouseTransportation and Infra-structure Committee.

The delegation’s letternotes the 95 cents on thedollar returned to Texas infiscal 2019 amounts to a

loss of up to $940 millionin taxes paid by Texas mo-torists and taxpayers. Incontrast, according to Fed-eral Highway Administra-tion figures, Alaskareceived $6.78, New York,$1.33, and California,$1.16.

"Texas has been denieda fair return on federal fueltaxes for far too long. It isimperative that an equita-ble share of these funds beallocated to improvingtransportation systemsright here in Texas,” saidGov. Abbott. “I urge Con-gress to put an end to thisfunding inequity,” he add-ed.

Senate OKsharassment bill

Any employee of a pub-lic or private universitywho sees or learns of anincident of sexual harass-ment, assault, rape, datingviolence or stalking wouldbe required to report it tothe institution’s Title IXcoordinator under SB 212,which was unanimouslyapproved by the TexasSenate on March 26.

According to the SenateNews Service, the legisla-tion by Sen. Joan Huffman,R-Houston, also would re-quire the coordinator tomake regular reports tothe university presidentregarding the number ofcomplaints and the statusof investigations.

The president, in turn,would have to make a re-port to the universityboard of trustees every se-mester of the number, dis-position and status ofcomplaints and investiga-tions, the findings thereof,and the disciplinary ac-tions taken. This reportwould be public informa-tion but would not identi-fy any person. Thelegislation still must passthe House and be signed bythe governor to becomelaw.

Crenshaw joins Wagner,Rubio, Romney inintroducing paid familyleave option

Importantly, thislegislation gives newparents the option ofpaid parental leavewithout raising taxesor burdening smallbusinesses,” Wagnersaid.

“Our economicpolicies have leftyoung, working fami-lies behind at a timewhen our marriage andchildbirth rates arefalling. It is time torealign our economicpolicies in support ofAmerican families,which is why I amproud to re-introducethe New Parents Act,”Rubio said. “My legisla-tion does not raisetaxes or expand bu-reaucracy. This optionwould be available toworking and stay-at-home moms and dadsalike giving youngparents much neededflexibility in how theychoose to use theirmoney for their familyleave.”

“There are only twostates where births areoutpacing deaths, andone of them is my homestate of Utah. Thatmeans a lot of Utahfamilies are havingchildren, and it alsomeans added expensesfor those families,”Romney said. “In Utah,and throughout theUnited States, amajority of workingparents do not get paidwhen they take time offfrom work after thebirth or adoption of achild, which can meandepleted savings, creditcard debt, and studentloan defaults. The NewParents Act will giveparents the flexibilityto take time off fromwork with pay duringthe first weeks of theirchildren’s lives, with-out growing our nation-al debt, raising taxes,or creating a newentitlement program.”

VOL. 24, NO. 14 – 40¢ © Copyright 2019 P.O. BOX 2351, MONT BELVIEU, TEXAS 77580THURSDAY, APRIL 4, 2019

ROUND-UP

Barbers HillDayton PressBarbers HillDayton Press✯

Serving Mont Belvieu, Dayton, Baytown and surrounding communities since 1995

INSIDE: CRCU CD Rates

Call toArms

This event is being heldat the VFW HALL POST 912located at 8204 N. Main,Baytown, TX. 77521 onSaturday, Apri, 6, 2019 from11 am to 5pm. Food will beserved and also if you bringmore then one guest it is$10 a plate and if you wishto contribute to the eventyou may also bring a plate.This event is to help buildmembership and help bringback interest in themeetings to the chapters inthe Harris County Area.Interest in these meetings islow and membership isdropping off so they askyou members and newmembers to please come tothis event. Any questions,please contact Tom Harperat 936-994-6564 duringbetween 11 am to 6 pmdaily until the event.

Programs atSam &Carmena GossLibrary

These are the eventstaking place at the Sam andCarmena Goss MemorialBranch Library the week ofMarch 24, 2019.

These are the eventstaking place at the Sam andCarmena Goss MemorialBranch Library the week ofApril 8, 2019.

•Tuesday, April 9 -Baby & Me, 10:00 am (ages0-24 mos)

•Tuesday, April 9 -Movie Day Spider-Man:Into the Spiderverse, 4:30pm (all ages)

•Wednesday, April 10 -Tween DIY Bracelet, 4:00pm (ages 7-11 yrs)

•Thursday, April 11 -Kids Easter Party, 4:00 pm(ages 0-11 yrs)

•Friday, April 12 -Storytime, 10:30 (ages 0-5yrs)

Call 281-576-2245 toregister.

April Events atthe JonesPublic Library

Wednesday - April 10- 10 AM 4 PM -FreeIncome Tax Preparation

The VolunteerIncome Tax Assistance(VITA) Program offersfree tax returnpreparation andelectronic filling to lowand moderate-incomeindividuals and families.This free service is aninitiative of the Tax LawSociety at South TexasCollege of Law Houston.For general information,call 936-258-7060. For taxquestions, call 713-646-2921.

Thursday - April 11th- 5:30 PM - Poetry Slamat the Library

Join them from 5:30 to7:00 PM at “The Blue WallCafe” - also known as thelarge study area in theJones Public Library - for aone night only pop upPoetry Slam.

There will be a coffeebar and snacks for guestsand performers when youarrive sign up for aperformance slot. Spaceavailable for up to 20performers.

Bring an original piece,share one of your favoritepoems, or choose a poemfrom one of their books ondisplay.

Jones Public Library islocated at 801 S. ClevelandSt., Dayton, TX 77535. Call936-258-7060 with anyquestions.

BAYTOWN — (March29, 2019) — No one is im-mune to pelvic pain. Whileit may be more common inwomen than men, pelvicpain can occur at virtual-ly any time in a person’slife.

People who suffer frompelvic pain may experi-ence urinary incontinence(leakage), increased uri-nary frequency, difficultyemptying the bladder andpelvic pain during sexualactivity. Their symptomsmay keep them from en-joying daily activities dueto pain or worry aboutfinding a bathroom at amoment ’s notice. Butthere is hope.

In addition to surgicaloptions, women with pel-vic pain or urinary incon-tinence may find reliefthrough pelvic floor mus-cle training (PFMT). Thistherapy targets the mus-cles that control conti-nence and sexual functionand support internal or-gans. PFMT is frequentlythe first line of treatmentfor women suffering withthese conditions.

Dr. Paul Redman, anobstetrician-gynecologistat Houston MethodistBaytown Hospital, sayspelvic pain and urinaryincontinence in women ismore common than manyrealize. “Urinary inconti-nence can affect women ofall ages, especially womenage 65 and older,” Redmansaid.

During the initial ap-pointment, your doctorwill discuss your medicaland personal history, aswell as any symptoms, todetermine how pelvic painis affecting your life. Theymay also perform a vagi-nal or rectal exam to de-termine if PFMT can helpyour condition.

Women often use Kegelexercises to strengthenpelvic floor muscles to dealwith urinary incontinence.But a common mispercep-tion related to pelvic floortherapy is that it only in-volves Kegel exercises.While PFMT strengthen-ing exercises are impor-tant , pe lv ic phys ica ltherapists at HoustonMethodist Baytown’s Out-patient Physical TherapyClinic use a variety of

2019 Festival originallyscheduled for April 13

The March 17 tank farmfire at the ITC facility re-mains an ongoing situa-tion that has closed theSan Jacinto BattlegroundState Historic Site and theSan Jacinto Museum ofHistory since the emergen-cy situation began. At thepresent time, access to thearea surrounding the siteis restricted to emergencypersonnel involved in thecleanup. All preparationsneeded for a successfulFestival & Battle Reenact-ment by necessity, havebeen halted.

“While the situation isimproving, we do not knowwhen conditions will allowfor the public to return tothis hallowed ground,” saidLarry Spasic, San Jacinto

San Jacinto Day Festival &Battle Reenactment cancelleddue to ITC facility fire

Museum President. “Ouroverriding concern is, ofcourse, the safety of ourguests and the partici-pants involved as well asthe animals used in the re-enactment and our educa-tional venues. Because ofthe ongoing efforts of thecleanup and remediationof the pollution in the wa-terways and grasslands inand around the San Jacin-to Site and continuing un-certainties, we feel it isbetter to act proactivelythan reactively to these cir-cumstances.”

With an abundance ofcaution, the difficult deci-sion has been made to can-cel the 2019 San JacintoFestival and Battle Reen-actment scheduled forApril 13th. All involved aredeeply saddened that this

important tradition willnot occur for only the sec-ond time in nearly 35years.

“Thank you to everyonefor their continued supportduring this tough time.The staff of the San Jacin-to Battleground, San Ja-cinto Monument andBattleship Texas look for-ward to the recovery phaseof this emergency so wecan again serve the peopleof Texas,” said William Ir-win, Superintendent of theSan Jacinto State HistoricSite. We all look forwardto the reopening of thepark and the museumwhen conditions permit.

For updates on the Mu-seum & Park reopening,please visitw w w . s a n j a c i n t o -museum.org/Visit_Us/.

Therapy helpsrelieve pelvic pain

Dr. Paul Redman

methods to help relax andstrengthen pelvic floormuscles.

Michelle Jernsletten, apelvic physical therapist atHouston Methodist Bay-town, says therapists usea variety of techniques, in-cluding posture and bodyalignment adjustments,behavior retraining, man-ual therapy, and bowel andbladder retraining.

“Pelvic physical thera-pists are uniquely skilled,trained and certified to ad-dress the specific symp-toms of each patient andcreate an individualizedregimen of exercises andtherapeutic techniques toaddress the underlyingproblems of the condition.We also give patients thetools to help them managetheir symptoms,” Jerns-letten said. “Patientsshould know that pelvicmuscles can be strength-ened so they don’t have toput up with leakage whenthey cough or sneeze andthe muscles can be trainedto relax to relieve pain.”

Dr. Olubayo Tojuola,urologist at Houston Meth-odist Baytown Hospital,says he also prescribesPFMT for men sufferingwith pelvic pain or urinaryincontinence.

“The training may beespecially beneficial formen before a prostatecto-my—surgery to remove allor part of the prostategland—because it relievesthe severity of symptomsin the three months aftersurgery , ” Tojuola ex-plained.

With April designatedas National OccupationalT h e r a p y A w a r e n e s sMonth, Houston Methodist

Baytown hosts a free pel-vic health seminar onTuesday, April 30 from 6to 7 p.m. in the conferencecenter classroom. For moreinformation and to regis-ter, visithoustonmethodist.org/events, or call 281-428-2273.

For more information onthe range of therapies of-fered at Houston Method-ist Baytown’s OutpatientPhysical Therapy Clinic,call 281-420-6840. If youare experiencing pelvicpain, leakage or other uri-n a t i o n i s s u e s , v i s i thoustonmethodist.org/bay-town, or call 281.428.2273to schedule an appoint-ment with a urology or OB/Gyn specialist at HoustonMethodist Baytown Hospi-tal.

About Houston MethodistBaytown Hospital

Houston Methodist Bay-town Hospital has provid-ed Baytown and EastHouston with quality med-ical care since opening itsdoors in 1948. The hospi-tal has grown throughoutthe years with the commu-nity, providing comprehen-sive care at all stages oflife. As a health care lead-er, the hospital is proud tohave a fully integrated res-idency program focused oneducating and inspiringfuture practitioners. To-day, Houston MethodistBaytown provides some ofthe most advanced and in-novative procedures whilenever losing focus on com-passionate and patient-c e n t e r e d c a r e .Houstonmethodist.org/baytown.

Hello, Neighbors!Comcast Project is BACKON!

After some diligentefforts from AldermanRyan Dagley, we havebeen informed that theproject to bring Comcastcable to the rest of BeachCity is back on. Mobiliza-tion by the contractor willbe starting within twoweeks. They plan to haveall cables installed byJune of this year. I knowthat we have been letdown in the past but Ifeel this is the real dealthis time. I will keep youup to date as I learnmore.Beach City to Show Ap-preciation

The City Council plansto adopt and presentResolutions of Apprecia-tion to Jackie Young andGregg Moss at the April23rd Council Meeting forthe critical rolls theyplayed in stopping theplacement of toxic dredgematerial in Beach City.Ms. Young is the ladywith THEA that notifiedCommissioner RustySenec of the permitrequest posting. Mr. Mossis the Channelviewresident that informedJackie Young of the noticehe received from USACEregarding the Dredgingpermit request. I inviteeveryone to attend andthank them personally. Iplan to recess ourmeeting after the presen-tation to allow you anopportunity to meet andthank them. My wife hassuggested that thecitizens donate to a giftbasket for each of them. Ithink this would be agreat gesture. We cancollect/store items at thecity office. I would likethis to be organized andpresented by privatecitizens. Would someonelike to step up and take

Dr. Olubayo Tojoula

Beach City’sMayor updatescommunity

charge? We need a cut offdate of April 18 to collectitems for the baskets.City Office will closeearly

The City office willclose at 1:00pm onThursday, April 4th dueto maintenance workbeing done on the floorsof the CommunityBuilding. The office willreopen on Monday, April8th at the normallyscheduled time.Fisher Road Construction

There have beennumerous questionsregarding the construc-tion work being done atthe west end of FisherRoad. I requested ameeting with TGS lastmonth and was able tomeet with them alongwith CommissionerCombs on March 20th.The TGS reps sharedwith us their plans forthe upgrade and entranceinto TGS. They haveexpressed that they wantto be good neighbors andexpect their design willkeep traffic flowing asefficiently as possible.The plans show there tobe a 4 lane boulevardbetween Hwy 99 andfisher with a turning laneonto Fisher. There will bestop signs on Fisher.After expressing ourconcern about traffic fromBeach City having to stopand then wait for anopening to turn right,they agreed to put anacceleration/merging lanethat we would turn rightonto. I know that we allwould prefer to keepthings the way they arebut we have no controlover the inevitablegrowth in this area. I amthankful that TGS willlisten and consider ourconcerns as we may haveother issues in the future.

Jackey Lasater,Mayor, Beach City

Contract let forI-10 Bridge repair

TxDOT uses a special crane extension to examine therepairs required to the damaged column under the I-10 bridge at the San Jacinto River. TxDOT reportedthat they had let a $810,000 contract for the repair work,which is expected to take at least two months afterwork starts.

Two TxDOT engineers, in the bucket at the end of thespecial crane, inspect the column that was struck bya tug boat, and severed the column into two pieces.Only two of the four lanes above are in use until therepairs are complete. Westbound traffic is severelyimpeded. (photos courtesy KTRK)

Star✯Courier / Press / NORTH CHANNEL✯STARPage 6 THURSDAY, APRIL 4, 2019

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Please join us in welcoming new member Platinum Copier Solutions.They are located at 3930 FM 1960 East, Humble, Tx 77338. Pleasegive them a warm welcome to our ever growing community as theywould love to hear from everyone.

Bart Cobb (second fromleft), principal of GeorgeWashington CarverElementary andElementary Principal of theYear for Goose Creek CISD,receives an iPad fromMacie Schubert (secondfrom right), businessdevelopment manager forCommunity ResourceCredit Union, at a recentmeeting of the GCCISDboard of trustees.Congratulating Cobb areDr. Randal O’Brien (left),GCCISD superintendent,and Pete Pape (right),president of the GCCISDboard of trustees.

GCCISD Elementary andSecondary Principals of the Year

Michael Curl (second fromleft), principal of CedarBayou Junior School andSecondary Principal of theYear for Goose Creek CISD,accepts an iPad from MacieSchubert (second fromright), businessdevelopment manager forCommunity Resource CreditUnion, at a recent meetingof the GCCISD board oftrustees. Dr. Randal O’Brien(left), GCCISDsuperintendent, and PetePape (right), president ofthe GCCISD board oftrustees, congratulate Curl.

Photos by Carrie Pryor-Newman

Please join the Crosby Huffman Chamber of Commerce in welcomingNew Member Camp Gladiator. Give Diane a call at 832-597-2119for Newport Elementary workouts or Scott Holder at 281-733-7144for Crosby Middle School workouts. Congratulations to both ofthem.

Please join us in welcoming Energistics Inc. to our Chambercommunity. Contact Wendy Rivas at 713-253-6650 orwendy.rivas.energy@outlook.com for all your energy needs. She isvery knowledgeable in her field and would love to help you saveMONEY!

Crosby-Huffman Chamberof Commerce welcomesnew members

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EXTENDED

We apologize for any in-convenience to residents inthe vicinity. The well-beingof our people, neighborsand the environment re-main our top priorities.”

Later company officialsreported that a fire wastouched off by isobutylenethen accelerated by etha-nol and ethyl acrylate, atransfer line blazed, itcaught a tank afire and thetank started a nearbybuilding blazing that waspacked with dry chemicals.

Early on, someone toldreporters that the plantwas under evacuation dueto a leak before an explo-sion. It was likewise re-ported that employeeswere leaving under alocked gate before an ex-plosion.

KMCO L.L.C. had theirproblems before. Certainlythis reporter will ever re-member the events ofChristmas Eve 2010 whenthree were killed in one ofthe least reported fatalityaccidents in history. Thir-ty nine violations werefound resulting in fines of$132,680.

Corporate agents plead-ed guilty to criminalcharge of violating the fed-eral Clean Air Act in 2016.A plea agreement docu-ment stated that a plantemployee made false en-tries in logs of air testingof tanks that were known

to be leaking chemicals.Another employee thenused those falsified logs tosubmit reports to the fed-eral and state environmen-tal authorities. Thedocument says the viola-tion went on between 2008and 2012. Before, U.S. En-vironmental ProtectionAgency cited KMCO forfailing to comply with reg-ulations on its risk-man-agement plan, fining thecompany $2,700.

But Foley was dedicat-ed to usher in a new safetypriority, many of the safe-ty precautions were evi-dent when KMCO avoidedmany problems associatedwith Hurricane Harveydue to preparation.

It had started improvis-ing safety but since lastAugust, three notices of vi-olation of a federal clean-air act were filed by theEPA.

Residents who live with-in 1 mile of the plant hadreports issued to stay in-doors with their windowsclosed and heating andcooling systems turned off.Many in those neighbor-hoods indicated they hadnot heard the reports.

Crosby ISD, Channel-view ISD and Sheldon ISDstudents and staff shel-tered in place at all theircampuses. That would lat-er be lifted and parentswere allowed to pickup

KMCO Explodes, burns,CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

their children.Commissioner Adrian

Garcia sends his heartfeltcondolences to the familyof the employee whopassed away during theKMCO plant fire in Cros-by. He is praying for aspeedy recovery of the twoemployees who sustainedinjuries and are currentlyin area hospitals. The inci-dent prompted a shelter-in-place order for residentswithin a 1-mile radius,which was lifted at about3:15pm.

As precaution, Commis-sioner Adrian Garcia willkeep the following parks/facilities closed throughthe night: Crosby Park,Crosby Sports Complex,Crosby Community Cen-ter.

The EPA indicates thatno toxic levels of gas havebeen detected, yet.

KMCO CEO John Foleyat Press Conference onTuesday.

Flames and black smoke rise from the KMCO plant about noon on Tuesday.(Photo courtesy KPRC).

Barrett development plans,CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

Grants that were thefoundation of Crosby, Bar-rett Station, and the High-l a n d s / L y n c h b u r gcommunities. Barrett Sta-tion was formed from theland grant of ReubenWhite, which extended asfar as the Sterling-WhiteCemetery.

Bluitt says there arefour organizations commit-ted to “giving back” to theircommunity. They are theCivic League, the Manage-ment District, the Ministe-rial Association, and theMUD 50 District.The Civ-

ic League was formed in1954, the ManagementDistrict in 2015 with thehelp of legislators HaroldDutton and John Whhit-mire. Now Bluitt is peti-tioning the Legislature toform a TIRZ, or Tax Incre-ment Redevelopment Zone,to raise money from in-creasing property values tobe used for community im-provements.

Bluitt sees the Manage-ment District improvingthe Quality of Life for res-idents in five “lanes.”

These are Street Lights,

Scholarships, Trash Pick-up, Lee College affiliation,and a plan to build newhousing in Barrett.

Bluitt is a dynamic per-son, with broad experiencein Viet Nam, a graduate ofPrairie View University, along time employee of IBMworking on the NASASpace Station.

He has spent 16 yearsleading the civic league,with skill training in tech-nology for young persons,and he reports a successwith 28 of 31 graduatesnow holding jobs at NASA.