8
Serving Highlands, Crosby, Huffman and Surrounding Communities since 1955 www.starcouriernews.com C R O S B Y H I G H L A N D S Star Star Star Courier Courier Courier VOL. 67, NO. 19 – 50¢ THURSDAY, MAY 7, 2020 © Copyright 2020 P.O. DRAWER 405, HIGHLANDS, TEXAS 77562 Now in our New Offices 1500 E. Wallisville Road Highlands, TX 77562 WESTON G. COTTEN Attorney at Law O. 281/421-4050 F. 281/533-6032 [email protected] 281-328-4377 TurnerChevroletCrosby.com Salute to our Nurses, Page 8 Omnix, Page 2 CRI Financial, Page 2 AUTO & HOME INSURANCE Jeremy Rosenkranz, State Farm Agent 440 S. Main Street, Highlands, TX 77562 281-426-3512 www.jeremyrosenkranz.com HOUSTON AREA TEXAS UNITED STATES WORLDWIDE COVID-19 Cases as of May 5, 2020 11,142 POSITIVE 271 DEATHS 3820 RECOVERED 32,879 POSITIVE 911 DEATHS 16,090 RECOVERED 3,628,824 POSITIVE 254,430 DEATHS 1,184,499 RECOVERED 1,192,119 POSITIVE 70,115 DEATHS 187,180 RECOVERED BIRTHDAYS May 7--Germaine Broussard May 9--Jimmie Dickey Tim Holton Vanessa Whittaker Elonda Cravatt May 11--Nancy Johnston May 12--Rusty Salters May 13--Judy Bailey Bobby Horn, Sr. Larry Koslovsky Michelle Lomanzoff ANNIVERSARIES May 8--Tim & Lisa Dammon May 10–Thomas & Eleanor Leibham May 12–Robert Smesny and Malba Stasney- Smesny EVENTS COVID-19 RESOURCES City of Houston Pre- Screening 832-393-4220 Harris County Ask a Nurse 713-634-1110 Harris County Pre-Screening 832-927-7575 or readyharris.org Harris County Mobile Tests 713-439-6000 MD Medical 1-888-776-5252 Methodist Hospital Download mymethodist app. As Governor Abbott expands opening of businesses, virus deaths increase These stories in the PRESS: • Chambers County Guidance for Public Visiting County Buildings • Chop Shop in Baytown ......And more, Page 3 New Pastor at St. Jude church Father Daniel Baguio HIGHLANDS – St. Jude Thaddeus Catho- lic Church has a new Pastor, Father Daniel S. Baguio, appointed on April 13, 2020. He is hap- py to serve God and his people in Highlands, specifically at St. Jude Thaddeus he said. Father Baguio was born in the Phillippines, on Mindanao island, in 1957 and educated near Manila. Originally pursuing a career in busi- ness and accounting, he was drawn to the church after a traumatic incident in his fami- ly when he was 22 years old and a college stu- dent. He tells of a family visit to a cemetery, but his young niece was critically hurt when run- ning across a street to get to the gravesite. Baguio picked her up and took her to the hos- pital, and with broken bones and heavy bleed- ing he did not expect her to live. At that moment, he asked God to save her life, prom- ising he would follow the priesthood if she lived. After her survival, he changed from his college to the seminary, Maryhill College of Theology. Father Baguio came to the U.S. in 2005, and his first assignment was a church in Houston, Notre Dame on Montrose Bou- levard. After that, he served at churches in Kingwood and Humble, and for the last 10 years has been pastor at two small churches, Our Lady of Perpet- ual Help in Sweeney, Texas and St. John the Apos- tle in West Columbia, Texas. When an opening at St. Jude became available this year, he applied, and after an interview with the Diocese, was appoint- ed to the church. In his career as a priest, he has had a pilgrim- iage twice to the Vatican to see the pope, and a visit to the Holy Land. He said that St. Jude Thaddeus is larger than the churches he pastored in Sweeney and West Co- lumbia. He is very enthusiastic to serve the High- lands community, and we are always in his prayers especially during these difficult times. He says his mission in Highlands is the salvation of souls. Due to the Coronavirus, Masses currently are being held on Sunday at 11:00 a.m. in English, and 1:00 p.m. in Spanish, until further notice. Seat- ing is limited to 25% of normal capacity to follow guidelines from the state and county. Health officials want more testing, more tracking Sheila Jackson Lee, right, announces the seventh free drive-thru virus testing site, with the cooperation of UMMC, United Memorial Medical Center. The site is at Griggs Primary school, 801 Regional Park Drive, in the Greenspoint area. No screening is required, this is a drive-thru or walk-thru site. Speaking at the opening is Aldine superintendent LaTonya Goffney. HARRIS COUNTY – Two new sites for testing of the COVID-19 virus opened last week and this week, as health officials said that more tests are required to combat a rise in the count of affected per- sons and those who have died. Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee has led the effort for the last two months to get more test sites, and she was present for the opening of these two sites, along with Dr. Joseph Varon, the presi- dent of UMMC, the Unit- ed Memorial Medical Center, who has been pro- viding the medical person- nel and tests for these free sites. While the medical pro- fession is calling for more test sites, and warning that the virus pandemic is not contained or under control, Texas Governor Greg Abbott has expanded his order to open business- es to the public. On Tues- day, May 5th he added hair and nail salons, wedding venues, tanning salons, swimming pools, and on May 18 office buildings See COVID-19 VIRUS, page 8 and gyms may open, with appropriate restrictions on distances. The order also allows non-essential man- ufacturing to open. Abbott originally said that Phased openings would depend upon the rate of infections and deaths from the virus de- creasing, but data from last week indicates that Harris County and the state of Texas had its high- est number of deaths since the epidamic started. The governor did not comment on his decision to enlarge the opening of businesses, Local Free Food programs serve Pct. 2 Constable Sherman Eagleton and deputies gave away brisket tacos last Thursday at Frank’s Collision Repair just South of US 90 on FM 2100. The barbecue was cooked right outside the shop. HARRIS COUNTY PRECINCT 2 – Harris County Precinct 2 has three programs to distrib- ute food to those that need it on a first come first serve basis. The first thing to know is that most of the Harris County Community Cen- ters have been closed un- less there is a special program going on at one of them. For example who knew they were testing for Covid-19 at the Crosby Community Center last weekend? The only cen- ters still open are those that are centrally located within Precinct 2 such as Barrett Community Cen- ter, and J.D. Walker Com- munity Center. They are servicing Highlands and Crosby and Huffman, to obtain food in the drive through programs. Free Food Programs in- clude the Senior Home- bound Food Distribution Programs where about 300 meals are taken to the res- ident’s home a day if the senior registers online or by telephone and they are accepted. “Secondly, we are doing what we call brown bag lunches at Community Centers on Mondays and Wednesdays and at our three parks on Tuesday and Thursdays on a week- ly basis,” said Frida Villa- lobos, who heads the programs for Commission- er Adrian Garcia. “On Fridays we are of- fering “Free Hot Meals” at our Community Centers. We are contracting with local restaurants at the five community centers. So, each community center is offering 200 meals, so each business gets the op- portunity to bid for the project and then they bring the food and families can come on a first come first serve basis and they get their meal.” concluded Vil- lalobos. The registration website is hcp2.com and the tele- phone number for those lacking internet is (713) 274-2222. Also on social media on the Precinct 2 page, there is constant up- dating for changes and op- portunity. See Free Food Continued on Page 8

in the PRESS - Phone: 713-266-3444 • Fax: 713-977-118

  • Upload
    others

  • View
    1

  • Download
    0

Embed Size (px)

Citation preview

Page 1: in the PRESS - Phone: 713-266-3444 • Fax: 713-977-118

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

YC R O S B Y

C R O S B YH I G H L A N D S

StarStarStar ✯✯✯ Courier Courier CourierVOL. 67, NO. 19 – 50¢ THURSDAY, MAY 7, 2020© Copyright 2020 P.O. DRAWER 405, HIGHLANDS, TEXAS 77562

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

WESTON G. COTTENAttorney at LawO. 281/421-4050F. 281/533-6032

[email protected]

TurnerChevroletCrosby.com

Salute to our Nurses,Page 8

Omnix,Page 2

CRI Financial,Page 2

AUTO & HOME INSURANCEJeremy Rosenkranz, State Farm Agent

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

www.jeremyrosenkranz.com

HOUSTON AREA

TEXAS

UNITED STATES

WORLDWIDE

COVID-19Cases as ofMay 5, 2020

11,142 POSITIVE271 DEATHS

3820 RECOVERED

32,879 POSITIVE911 DEATHS

16,090 RECOVERED

3,628,824 POSITIVE254,430 DEATHS

1,184,499 RECOVERED

1,192,119 POSITIVE70,115 DEATHS

187,180 RECOVERED

BIRTHDAYSMay 7--Germaine BroussardMay 9--Jimmie Dickey

Tim HoltonVanessa WhittakerElonda Cravatt

May 11--Nancy JohnstonMay 12--Rusty SaltersMay 13--Judy Bailey

Bobby Horn, Sr.Larry KoslovskyMichelle Lomanzoff

ANNIVERSARIESMay 8--Tim & Lisa

DammonMay 10–Thomas & Eleanor

LeibhamMay 12–Robert Smesny

and Malba Stasney-Smesny

EVENTS

COVID-19 RESOURCES

City of Houston Pre-Screening 832-393-4220Harris County Ask a Nurse

713-634-1110Harris County Pre-Screening

832-927-7575 orreadyharris.org

Harris County Mobile Tests713-439-6000

MD Medical 1-888-776-5252Methodist Hospital

Download mymethodist app.

As Governor Abbott expands openingof businesses, virus deaths increase

These storiesin the PRESS:• Chambers CountyGuidance for PublicVisiting CountyBuildings• Chop Shop inBaytown

......And more, Page 3

New Pastor at St. Jude church

Father Daniel Baguio

HIGHLANDS – St. Jude Thaddeus Catho-lic Church has a new Pastor, Father Daniel S.Baguio, appointed on April 13, 2020. He is hap-py to serve God and his people in Highlands,specifically at St. Jude Thaddeus he said.

Father Baguio was born in the Phillippines,on Mindanao island, in 1957 and educated nearManila. Originally pursuing a career in busi-ness and accounting, he was drawn to thechurch after a traumatic incident in his fami-ly when he was 22 years old and a college stu-dent.

He tells of a family visit to a cemetery, buthis young niece was critically hurt when run-ning across a street to get to the gravesite.Baguio picked her up and took her to the hos-pital, and with broken bones and heavy bleed-ing he did not expect her to live. At thatmoment, he asked God to save her life, prom-ising he would follow the priesthood if she lived.After her survival, he changed from his collegeto the seminary, Maryhill College of Theology.

Father Baguio came to the U.S. in 2005,and his first assignment was a church inHouston, Notre Dame on Montrose Bou-levard.

After that, he served at churches in Kingwoodand Humble, and for the last 10 years has beenpastor at two small churches, Our Lady of Perpet-ual Help in Sweeney, Texas and St. John the Apos-tle in West Columbia, Texas. When an opening atSt. Jude became available this year, he applied, andafter an interview with the Diocese, was appoint-ed to the church.

In his career as a priest, he has had a pilgrim-iage twice to the Vatican to see the pope, and avisit to the Holy Land.

He said that St. Jude Thaddeus is larger thanthe churches he pastored in Sweeney and West Co-lumbia. He is very enthusiastic to serve the High-lands community, and we are always in his prayersespecially during these difficult times. He says hismission in Highlands is the salvation of souls.

Due to the Coronavirus, Masses currently arebeing held on Sunday at 11:00 a.m. in English,and 1:00 p.m. in Spanish, until further notice. Seat-ing is limited to 25% of normal capacity to followguidelines from the state and county.

Healthofficials wantmore testing,more tracking

Sheila Jackson Lee, right, announces the seventh freedrive-thru virus testing site, with the cooperation ofUMMC, United Memorial Medical Center. The site is atGriggs Primary school, 801 Regional Park Drive, inthe Greenspoint area. No screening is required, thisis a drive-thru or walk-thru site. Speaking at theopening is Aldine superintendent LaTonya Goffney.

HARRIS COUNTY –Two new sites for testingof the COVID-19 virusopened last week and thisweek, as health officialssaid that more tests arerequired to combat a risein the count of affected per-sons and those who havedied.

Congresswoman SheilaJackson Lee has led theeffort for the last twomonths to get more testsites, and she was present

for the opening of thesetwo sites, along with Dr.Joseph Varon, the presi-dent of UMMC, the Unit-ed Memorial MedicalCenter, who has been pro-viding the medical person-nel and tests for these freesites.

While the medical pro-fession is calling for moretest sites, and warningthat the virus pandemic isnot contained or undercontrol, Texas GovernorGreg Abbott has expandedhis order to open business-es to the public. On Tues-day, May 5th he added hairand nail salons, weddingvenues, tanning salons,swimming pools, and onMay 18 office buildings

See COVID-19 VIRUS,page 8

and gyms may open, withappropriate restrictions ondistances. The order alsoallows non-essential man-ufacturing to open.

Abbott originally saidthat Phased openingswould depend upon therate of infections anddeaths from the virus de-creasing, but data fromlast week indicates thatHarris County and thestate of Texas had its high-est number of deaths sincethe epidamic started. Thegovernor did not commenton his decision to enlargethe opening of businesses,

Local Free Food programs serve Pct. 2

Constable Sherman Eagleton and deputies gaveaway brisket tacos last Thursday at Frank’sCollision Repair just South of US 90 on FM 2100.The barbecue was cooked right outside the shop.

HARRIS COUNTYPRECINCT 2 – HarrisCounty Precinct 2 hasthree programs to distrib-ute food to those that needit on a first come first servebasis.

The first thing to knowis that most of the HarrisCounty Community Cen-ters have been closed un-less there is a specialprogram going on at one ofthem. For example whoknew they were testing forCovid-19 at the CrosbyCommunity Center lastweekend? The only cen-ters still open are thosethat are centrally locatedwithin Precinct 2 such asBarrett Community Cen-ter, and J.D. Walker Com-munity Center. They areservicing Highlands and

Crosby and Huffman, toobtain food in the drivethrough programs.

Free Food Programs in-clude the Senior Home-bound Food DistributionPrograms where about 300meals are taken to the res-ident’s home a day if thesenior registers online orby telephone and they areaccepted.

“Secondly, we are doingwhat we call brown baglunches at CommunityCenters on Mondays andWednesdays and at ourthree parks on Tuesdayand Thursdays on a week-ly basis,” said Frida Villa-lobos, who heads theprograms for Commission-er Adrian Garcia.

“On Fridays we are of-fering “Free Hot Meals” atour Community Centers.

We are contracting withlocal restaurants at thefive community centers.So, each community centeris offering 200 meals, soeach business gets the op-portunity to bid for theproject and then they bringthe food and families cancome on a first come firstserve basis and they gettheir meal.” concluded Vil-lalobos.

The registration websiteis hcp2.com and the tele-phone number for thoselacking internet is (713)274-2222. Also on socialmedia on the Precinct 2page, there is constant up-dating for changes and op-portunity.

See Free FoodContinued on Page 8

Page 2: in the PRESS - Phone: 713-266-3444 • Fax: 713-977-118

Star ✯ Courier / Press / North Channel STARPage 2 THURSDAY, MAY 7, 2020

✯ C O M M U N I T Y N E W S ✯

Jack Noonan B.B.A., T.R.E.B., E.A.

CRI FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT COMPANYA DIVISION OF CORPORATE RECOVERY, INC.

TAX PREPARATION & CONSULTATIONAll Federal, State, Foreign & Individual, Partnerships,Trusts, Estates, Corporations (C,Sub S & Limited Liability)

& Payroll Tax Returns,Intuit Pro-Advisors,Service All Businesses & Individual Taxes

Specialists in getting late filers into I.R.S. ComplianceBusiness Solutions for New Tax Rules, Regulations and Tax AuditsDebt Consultation and Bankruptcy Protection as a Solution to your Debts

Other Services RenderedBookkeeping, Computer Systems, Financial Management,

Investments, Payroll, Property Rendition,Real Estate & Business Brokerage

Normal Business HoursMonday through Friday 8:30 a.m. to Noon – 1:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Saturday By AppointmentASK FOR YOUR FREE COPY OF OUR INCOME TAX ORGANIZER

JACK NOONAN, B.B.A., TREB, E.A. & STAFFIRS Enrolled License # 2018 – 65282

6400 FM 2100 North Main, P.O. Box 1428, Crosby, TX 77532-1428Telephone (281) 328-1755 Fax (281) 328-5280

E-mail: [email protected]

Maximum Tax Savings

281-328-5869

Home Health Care

CROSBY’S HOME

TOWN HOME CARE

Skilled Nursing, Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy,Speech Therapy, Medical Social Worker, Home Health Aide,

Hospice Services*Physical Therapy Position Available

CALL TODAY TO SEE IF YOU QUALIFY FOR MEDICAREFUNDED HOME HEALTH CAREPhysical Therapy Position Available

Locally owned and Operated by Tabatha and Jonathan Brady

Non-Discrimination PolicyNo client shall be, on the grounds of race, color, national origin, age, sex, disability or handicap,

sexual orientation, marital status, religion or status with regard to public assistance or veteran status,excluded from admission to services through Omnix Health Care Services, Inc.

Pct. 2 provides freeBrown Bag Lunch

Goose Creek CISD willhold virtual graduationceremonies for the fourhigh schools this year dueto social distancing guide-lines to prevent the spreadof COVID-19. The eventswill take place during thedates and times originallyscheduled and will includetraditional aspects of grad-uation ceremonies as wellas some creativity, such asallowing seniors to person-alize the slides that will beshown as their names areannounced.

IMPACT Early CollegeHigh School’s virtual grad-uation ceremony will be at7 p.m. Thursday, May 21.Virtual graduation cere-monies will be Saturday,May 23, for the other threehigh schools - Ross S. Ster-ling High School at 10a.m., Goose Creek Memo-rial High School at 2:15p.m. and Robert E. LeeHigh School at 6:30 p.m.The ceremonies will bestreamed atwww.gccisd.net.

“While this is not theway we planned to end theschool year and celebrateour Class of 2020, I want

First cash distributionshave been made to appli-cants to Harris CountySmall Loan Program thatwas championed by Com-missioner Garcia

Harris County, TX —Today, May 5, 2020, HarrisCounty CommissionerAdrian Garcia, along withprogram administratorsfrom Houston-GalvestonArea Council are proud toannounce that the first setof cash disbursementshave been made to success-ful applicants to the Har-ris County Loan Program.

The Program was devel-oped by CommissionerGarcia’s office and ap-proved by CommissionersCourt on April 7th. Lessthan 4 weeks later, money

Initial lifelines for HarrisCounty Small Businesseshave arrived

in the form of forgivableloans has begun flowing toqualifying applicants.

The first batch of busi-nesses have already re-ceived or will receive theirloans shortly. These loanscan be forgivable if certainconditions are met. In to-tal, around more than 600local small businesses areexpected to receive loans.

“I am extraordinarilypleased with how fastwe’ve gotten these lifelinesinto the hands of our localsmall businesses,” Com-missioner Garcia said. “Fora program to be designedfrom scratch to money inbank accounts in less thana month exemplifies thestrong leadership localgovernment has taken dur-

ing this pandemic. We’veproved that we are oftenthe best option to movemost quickly to respond toresidents’ needs. I alsowant to thank the finefolks at Houston-Galveston Area Council forstepping up and acting fastfor the people of HarrisCounty.”

“We’re moving as quick-ly as possible to navigatethe applicants through theunderwriting and reviewprocess, and to get fundsdistributed to these busi-nesses that are in direneed,” said Omar Fortune,program manager of theHouston-Galveston AreaLocal Development Corpo-ration.

GCCISD to hold virtualgraduation ceremonies

Paola Santos, a graduating senior from IMPACTEarly College High School, who also is receivingan associate degree from Lee College, is a proudmember of the Class of 2020.

Photo by Carrie Pryor-Newman

them to know how proudwe are of their accomplish-ments as well as of theirresilience and understand-ing as they face the disap-pointment of not havingthe opportunity to partici-pate in several of theirrites of passage as seniors.As always, the safety of ourstudents and their fami-lies, as well as that of ourstaff, is our top priority,”

said Dr. Randal O’Brien,Goose Creek CISD super-intendent. “After meetingswith principals and seniorleadership teams and withinput from students, wedecided to take a creativeapproach to honoring ourseniors with virtual cere-monies, senior videos, andyard signs to make gradu-ation a positive experiencethey will remember.”

Every Tuesday and Thursday from 12:00 pm - 1:30 pm, Harris County Precinct 2distributes free lunch for all ages in a drive-thru style and on first come, first servebasis.This week distribution will be at Cloverleaf Park, 825 Beacon St., Houston,77015; Baytown Soccer Park, 4700 Village Ln., Baytown, 77520 and at Bay AreaAnnex, 16603 Buccaneer Ln., Houston, 77062.

Precinct 3 finds jacked cars

The Precinct 3 Constable’s Office located a series of vehicles and equipmentreported stolen in Channelview on Monday morning. Deputies recovered4 stolen vehicles and a mini excavator this morning (only 3 pictured) inthe Sheldon / Channelview area. Deputies are investigating to see if theseauto thefts are connected. These are expected to be related to an organizedcrime operation and have not yet been determined to relate to a chopshop interdicted in McNair early this week.

Page 3: in the PRESS - Phone: 713-266-3444 • Fax: 713-977-118

VOL. 25, NO. 19– 40¢ © Copyright 2019 P.O. BOX 2351, MONT BELVIEU, TEXAS 77580THURSDAY, MAY 7, 2020

Barbers HillDayton PressBarbers HillDayton Press✯

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

ROUND-UP

CORVID-19CASES

CHAMBERSCOUNTY

As of May 4, 2020------------------Tested-885

Recovered-37Hospitalized-1------------------

East Chambers-5Med Chambers-7

West Chambers-33---------------------

Mont BelvieuFood pantryneeds help

The Mont BelvieuFood Pantry is in needof a number of items torestock their pantry dueto the increaseddemand caused by theCOVID-19 impact onour economy. JohnEversole, the BCVFDPresident and currentVolunteer of the Year,has organized somevolunteers to collectfood in Beach City andnearby to help the FoodPantry on Friday April24th beginning at10:00AM. They will becollecting along theroute that the BCVFDfollows for Santa on theBay each year. Johnasks that you just leavea box or bag at the endof your driveway by10:00am and someonewill come by and pick itup. Here is a list of itemsthat are needed themost: Spam, cannedspaghetti sauce,spaghetti pasta, pintobeans in bags, rice inbox or bags, elbowmacaroni, mixedvegetables, ramennoodles, tomato sauce,cream of mushroomsoup, cream of chickensoup, pancake mix,syrup, 18 ounce oatmealand grape jelly.

By Susan Passmore

With plans for virtualgraduation ceremonies un-derway for Goose CreekCISD seniors due to con-cern for the safety of stu-dents, their families, anddistrict staff, Dr. RandalO’Brien, Goose Creek CISDsuperintendent, also rec-ommended a face-to-faceceremony option to allowstudents to walk across thestage to receive their diplo-mas. Students are invitedto participate in both.

“We felt it was necessaryto hold virtual ceremoniesso that students who areleaving for the military orfor summer college classescould be certified as grad-uates and receive their di-plomas,” O’Brien said.“Results of a surveyshowed that 70 percent ofthe seniors who respondedwanted to be able to walkacross a stage in front offamily and friends to re-ceive their diplomas andwould be able to attend anevent in the summer. Withsafety as our top priority,after meetings with cam-pus leadership teams andcentral administrationstaff, we decided to hold aceremony in July, contin-gent on our ability to fol-low safety protocols at thetime of the event. COVID-19 is a moving target, andwe cannot predict what liesahead, but we hope the sit-uation will be under con-trol by that time.”

Seniors, then consideredgraduates, will be contact-ed by their senior sponsorsand administrators follow-ing the virtual ceremoniesafter a date is set to allowthem to RSVP for the face-to-face ceremonies, whichwill likely be held at a lo-cal venue. The ceremonieswill be a little more casualthan traditional gradua-tion ceremonies, and pro-vided safety guidelines canbe followed, families maywatch their students walkacross a stage and be con-gratulated by administra-tors and board members.

Meanwhile, students,teachers, school adminis-trators and district admin-istrators are hard at workto make these unique vir-tual ceremonies meaning-ful to graduates. Theceremonies can be viewedat each high school’s origi-

Some county officeswill have a l imitedopening on May 4, 2020.The following guidanceshall apply:

1. No public allowedat the main courthousein Anahuac until fur-ther notice;

2. Any county officeopen to the public is byappointment only;

The following officeswill be open by appoint-ment only:

• County Clerk (WestAnnex location only);

• D i s t r i c t C l e r k(West Annex locationonly);

• Libraries (pickuponly);

• Tax Assessor –Only Anahuac officeopen, drive throughonly 8:30am-4:30pm;

• Health Department– Anahuac locationonly;

BAYTOWN — (May 1,2020) — Emergencies arestill emergencies—evenduring the COVID-19 pan-demic. If you're experienc-ing concerning symptomsthat require immediatemedical attention, don't letyour fear of catching COV-ID-19 keep you from head-ing to the emergency room.

During a pandemic, it’seasy to let fear and anxi-ety take over to the pointthat you may push the restof your health to the side.But it’s crucial that you totake acute illnesses as se-riously as the coronavirus.Houston Methodist Bay-town Hospital provides thefollowing information onseeking emergency care

Police investigatechop shop in McNair

This truck’s VIN number showed it is a stolen vehicle.

On May 4, 2020, HarrisCounty Sheriff ’s Office,District 3 Tactical Unitsresponded to an informa-tion call to a residence inthe 6800 block of FrankRd. in east Harris County.

Deputies found the res-idence and an adjacentbuilding unoccupied, butobserved more than a doz-en vehicles in differentstages of being dismantled.

Investigators were ableto check the Vehicle Iden-tification Number (VIN) onthe vehicles and foundthey were all reported sto-len.

Auto Theft investigatorscontacted Baytown Police

Investigators and met withpatrol deputies on scene.

A consent to search wasobtained by the home own-er and two possible sus-pects/witnesses wereinterviewed.

Investigators were ableto recover a total of thir-teen vehicles from the Har-ris County area.

A total of 8 ChevroletSilverado’s, 1 Cadillac Se-dan, 2 Ford F250’s, 1 Chev-rolet SSR and 1 ChevroletTrailblazer were found onthe property.

Charges are pending atthis time as the investiga-tion is ongoing.

Two graduationopportunities availableto GCCISD Seniors

Photos by Carrie Pryor-NewmanFernando Benavides, Robert E. Lee High School se-nior, picks up his cap and gown and is surprised bybeing handed a yard sign.

Social studies teacher Dr. Brian Walenta shows hismessage, truly a sign of the times, reminding seniorspicking up their caps and gowns to check their Goo-gle Classroom for assignments.

nally designated date andtime – May 21 at 7 p.m. forIMPACT Early CollegeHigh School and May 23 at10 a.m. for Ross S. Sterling,2:15 p.m. for Goose CreekMemorial and 6:30 p.m. forRobert E. Lee. Speeches bythe superintendent, princi-pal, valedictorian, saluta-torian and otherdesignated students willbe prerecorded. Seniorshave the opportunity topersonalize the slide thatwill be shown as theirname is called. A profes-sionally produced seniorvideo, featuring photos andvideos submitted by se-niors, will be created foreach high school andshown during the virtualceremony.

Graduation programswill be posted on the GooseCreek CISD website atwww.gccisd.net, wherefamilies also may view thegraduation ceremonies,and keepsake copies of the

programs will be includedwith the diplomas, whichmay be picked up at a des-ignated date and time fol-lowing the ceremony. Yardsigns, bearing positivewords or phrases suggest-ed by seniors about theClass of 2020, also havebeen created for eachschool and are beingpicked up with caps andgowns.

“We hope you will beginplanning your watch par-ties now for the virtualgraduation ceremony and,provided we can followsafety recommendations,we look forward to cele-brating your senior at aface-to-face ceremony inJuly. The Class of 2020may have missed out onsome of the rites of pas-sage of seniors, but thesestudents are making theirown memories, and we areproud of the way they arehandling this unprece-dented situation,” O’Briensaid.

CHAMBERS COUNTY

Guidance for PublicVisiting County Buildings

• Commissioners Of-fices – appointmentonly;

• Golf Course Open –no appointment re-quired;

All courts are closedthrough June 1st;

• All persons center-ing each office/depart-ment will be required towear face coverings andpractice social distanc-ing (6 feet) from eachother, and from clientsseeking services;

• All persons willh a v e t e m p e r a t u r echecked before enteringcounty buildings;

• Only one person perfamily unless a personwith a disability need-ing assistance.

These procedureswill be in place pendingthe expiration or exten-sion of the GovernorsExecutive Orders onMay 15th.

An emergency is stillan emergency

during the pandemic.The Emergency Room is

SafeIf you have anxiety or

fear about going to anemergency room right now,you're probably not alone.But whether it’s throughthe efforts of our ER doc-tors and nurses or ourhousekeeping staff, youcan rest assured thatHouston Methodist Bay-town’s Emergency Depart-ment is safe. Practices suchas isolating contagious pa-tients and thoroughly dis-infecting rooms,workspaces and surfacesare regular practices forus, but we are being evenmore vigilant in these ef-forts now.

Houston MethodistBaytown, as well as allHouston Methodist Emer-gency Care Centers, arealso taking additional pre-cautions to keep patientsand staff safe, including:

• Providing all patientswith a mask as soon asthey arrive

• Screening patients be-fore they walk in the door

• Thoroughly disinfect-ing patient rooms, as wellas surfaces in common ar-eas and employee work-spaces

• Isolating suspectedCOVID-19 patients in aseparate area

• Ensuring social dis-tancing in waiting rooms

• Increasing house-

keeping hours• Screening all employ-

ees before they enterWhat's Considered

an Emergency?Now's not the time to

venture out of your houseunnecessarily, but leavinghome becomes necessaryduring an emergency. Amedical emergency is arapid onset of serious, de-bilitating or painful symp-toms that have thepotential to impact yourlife, limbs or bodily func-tion.

Symptoms thatrequire immediatemedical attentioninclude:

See EMERGENCY, page 6

Remains of a stolen and dismantled vehicle.

Remains of a stolen and dismantled vehicle.

Page 4: in the PRESS - Phone: 713-266-3444 • Fax: 713-977-118

Star ✯ Courier / Press / North Channel STARPage 4 THURSDAY, MAY 7, 2020

✯ O P I N I O N P A G E ✯

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 [email protected].

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.

SUBSCRIPTION RATES: In-county, $28.00 per year. Out of county, $35.00 per Year. POST-MASTER: Send address changes to Star-Courier, P. O. Box 405, Highlands, TX 77562

News and Ad Phones....713-266-3444FAX Line....713-977-1188email: [email protected]

Member Texas Press Association

and theUSPS 244-500

C R O S B YH I G H L A N D S

Barbers Hill✯Dayton PRESS

Star✯CourierStar✯Courier

“SmallContainers”

Every Mother’s Day, I havea terrible time finding a cardthat remotely reflects therelationship I have with mymother.

My mom is in her eightiesnow and we have always had agood relationship, free ofdrama and never short of love.My mother has always been awonderful role model. But thecards available all haveparagraphs of gooey prose thatin no way communicate what Iwant to say to my mother.

I want a card that says mymother has good habits.

This sounds a little dull—and my mother is not at all dull.She is a woman with many andvaried interests. She is anenthusiastic biker, quilter,camper, and reader. She is awonderful baker, a greatentertainer, a funny andinteresting conversationalist,and a spiritual woman. To saythat her good habits are thething I admire most sounds likedamning with faint praise. Butmore and more, I realize howimportant good habits are andhow much I have benefittedfrom her example.

My mother puts things insmall containers.

Whether it is a box ofprecisely the right size to storeleftovers for a future meal, asmall satchel for a weekend'sworth of clothes, a tiny vase fora single flower, or a little tin fora few small homemadecookies—everything iscontained in a small, practicalcontainer. From this habit, Ilearned not to waste. I learnedthat quality was much moreimportant than quantity. Ilearned that just the rightamount is usually as good as alarge amount—and oftenbetter.

I don’t have a singlerecollection of my mothersaying any of these things, but Ihave more memories than I cancount of instances where shestored what was needed, madeuse of what was available, andmade something beautiful on asmall scale.

My mother does thingsimmediately.

She does not talk aboutwalks she is going to takelater—she puts on her shoes.She doesn’t complain how thehouse needs cleaning. Shecleans. She does not delay orprocrastinate. She starts to dowhatever she thinks should bedone and (usually before I amaware of it) she is doing thething I would still be contem-plating.

I don't remember anylectures about the evils ofprocrastination but I rememberher looking at the clock andsaying, “I have 30 minutesbefore I start dinner, I'm goingout for a walk!”

My mother has nice rituals.Every day she reads a

devotional in the morning, shewrites in her diary, sheexercises. Every evening shehas one glass of wine withcheese and crackers andkeeps current on the news. Shesets a table, even if there areonly two people eating. Shesends cards, even though sheis on Facebook. She volun-teers, keeps up with friends,calls her daughters (at leastone of whom has been knownto go off for long periods of timewithout much communication)just to say “hello.”

My mother never saidanything to me about creatingrituals in life, but I learned fromher how comforting it is to havethings done repeatedly andwith care. I learned how valuedpeople feel when an effort ismade to treat every meal, everygathering, as if it is worthy offresh flowers.

I never found the card Iwanted. I never found a cardthat said, “Thanks for goodhabits and fresh flowers andkeeping things in smallcontainers.”

Maybe that's okay. I'll tellher next time I see her.

Till next time,Carrie

Carrie Classon’s memoir iscalled, “Blue Yarn.” Learn moreat CarrieClasson.com.

AUSTIN — An execu-tive order issued by Gov.Greg Abbott to reopen in-store retail shopping, dine-in restaurants, movietheaters, museums, librar-ies and more took effectMay 1 and will continuethrough May 15.

As Texas, the rest of theUnited States and theworld’s nations seek to bal-ance cries for increasedcommercial activity — andthe jobs that result —while also containing thespread of the deadly influ-enza-like virus, COVID-19,Abbott’s order allows mostvenues to operate at up to25% of their total listedoccupancy with certainother conditions applying.

For example, shoppingmalls may operate at up to25% of their total listedoccupancy. However, theirfood-court dining areas,play areas and interactivedisplays and settings mustremain closed.

Abbott’s order, in accor-dance with guidelines is-sued by White House andthe U.S. Centers for Dis-ease Control and Preven-tion, reminds Texans thatschools remain closed toin-person classroom atten-dance by students throughthe end of the 2019-2020school year. Meanwhile,teachers and staff are en-couraged to continue towork remotely from homeif possible but may returnto campuses to conduct re-mote video instruction andperform administrativeduties under strict termsrequired by the Texas Ed-ucation Agency. Also, pri-vate schools andinstitutions of higher edu-cation are urged to estab-lish similar terms to allowfaculty and staff to returnto campuses to conduct re-mote video instruction andperform administrativeduties when it is not pos-sible to do so from home.

Notably, the order doesnot prohibit people fromaccessing essential or re-opened services or engag-ing in essential daily

Governor’s orderreopens many businesseson limited basis

activities, such as going tothe grocery store or gasstation, providing or ob-taining other essential orreopened services, visitingparks, hunting or fishingor engaging in physicalactivity like jogging, bicy-cling or other outdoorsports, “so long as the nec-essary precautions aremaintained to reduce thetransmission of COVID-19and to minimize in-personcontact with people whoare not in the same house-hold.”

The complete executiveorder is available atgov.texas.gov.

Cumulative figuresposted by the Texas De-partment of State HealthServices at noon on May 3showed that some 31,548people in Texas had beendiagnosed with COVID-19and 867 deaths had beenconfirmed as resultingfrom the influenza-like vi-rus.

PBS, TEA launchinitiative

The Texas EducationAgency and PBS televisionstations on April 21 an-nounced a joint initiativeto air educational pro-gramming each week ineach of Texas' 10 PBSviewing areas during theCOVID-19 pandemic.

The programming com-menced statewide on April20 through the "At-HomeLearning Initiative" thatpreempts regularly sched-uled weekday program-ming withgrade-level-appropriateprogramming divided intothree age groups: Pre-Kthrough 3rd grade, 5ththrough 8th grade, andhigh school.

“This joint initiative be-tween TEA and PBSstands to benefit all stu-dents as they work eachday to navigate unchartedwaters and continue to dotheir best to learn andgrow as students and indi-viduals,” said Texas Edu-cation Commissioner MikeMorath.

Revenue totaldecreases

Texas ComptrollerGlenn Hegar on May 1 an-nounced state sales taxrevenue totaled $2.58 bil-lion in April, an amount9.3% less than the amountreported in April 2019,marking the steepest de-cline since January 2010.

The majority of Aprilsales tax revenue is basedon sales made in Marchand remitted to the statecomptroller in April. Nextmonth’s remittances like-ly will show steeper de-clines compared to a yearago because of the shutter-ing of businesses related toCOVID-19 and plummet-ing oil prices throughoutApril, Hegar added.

Benefits maycontinue

The Texas WorkforceCommission on April 30issued new guidance to un-employment claimantsconcerning their eligibilityfor unemployment benefitsshould they choose not toreturn to work due to COV-ID-19.

The TWC said Texanscan continue to receiveunemployment benefitsthroughout the COVID-19response if they choose notto return to work for cer-tain reasons, including:

—At High Risk: People65 years or older are at ahigher risk for getting verysick from COVID-19;

—Household member athigh risk: People 65 yearsor older are at a higher riskof getting very sick fromCOVID-19;

—Diagnosed with COV-ID: Individual has testedpositive for COVID-19 bya source authorized by theState of Texas and is notrecovered;

—Family member withCOVID: Anybody in thehousehold has tested posi-tive for COVID-19 by asource authorized by theState of Texas and is notrecovered and 14 dayshave not yet passed;

—Quarantined: Individ-ual is currently in 14-dayquarantine due to closecontact exposure to COV-ID-19; and

— Child care: Child’sschool or daycare closedand no alternatives areavailable.

Any other situation willbe subject to a case by casereview by TWC based onindividual circumstances.

SNAP online isapproved

The Texas Health andHuman Services Commis-sion on April 23 receivedfederal approval to conducta pilot program that wouldallow Texans to purchasegroceries online using Sup-plemental Nutrition Assis-tance Program benefitsduring the COVID-19 pan-demic. Officials said thestatewide pilot program isexpected to start by May18.

SocialSecurityMatters

by AMAC Certified Social Security Advisor Russell GloorAssociation of Mature American Citizens

Ask Rusty – Should MyWife Take Her SocialSecurity at Age 62?

Dear Rusty: I havebeen advised by myfinancial planner tostart my wife’s socialsecurity benefits at theage of 62 (she is now 61).I am 65 and still em-ployed, not on Medicare,and not taking socialsecurity benefits. Mywife’s benefits are muchless than mine. I hope towait until age 70 beforestarting my benefits. Myincome is currently$160,000. Do you seethis as a wise choice tostart my wife’s SSbenefits at age 62?Signed: Planning Ahead

Dear Planning:Whether your wifeshould start her benefitsat age 62 depends uponwhether her own benefitat age 70 would be morethan she is entitled to asyour spouse at her fullretirement age (FRA).You can get theseestimates from SocialSecurity. If her ownbenefit would eventuallybe higher than herspousal benefit fromyou, she can wait to gether own higher benefitat age 70 (as you are).But if her benefit asyour spouse will be thehighest she can attain,then claiming her ownbenefit before you claimyours could be a goodchoice, but there aresome things to considerif she does that:

First, if your wifeclaims at age 62 (or anyage before her FRA),that will mean that hereventual spousal benefitwhen she claims it(when you claim yourSS) will be less than50% of the benefit youare entitled to at yourfull retirement age.Taking her own benefitearlier than her FRAwill mean her spousalbenefit from you will bereduced to less than halfof your FRA benefitamount, even if thatspousal benefit startsafter she has reachedher FRA.

Second, if your wife isstill working, by claim-ing her own benefitbefore her FRA she willbe subject to SocialSecurity's "earningstest" which limits theamount of money shecan make without SStaking back some of her

benefits. For 2020, theannual earnings limit is$18,240 (changesannually) and SS willtake back benefits equalto half of any earningswhich exceed thatamount. The earningslimit becomes lesssevere during the yearyour wife reaches herFRA and goes awayentirely after shereaches her FRA, but ifshe works while collect-ing early SS benefits theearnings limit couldaffect her benefits.

Third, your wife'sSocial Security benefitswill become part of yourtaxable income (assum-ing you file "married-jointly). Taxation of yourwife's Social Securitybenefits will be deter-mined based upon yourcombined income if youfile your taxes as amarried couple. At yourcombined earnings level,up to 85% of your wife’sSS benefits will becomepart of your taxableincome.

I'm not suggestingyou not follow yourfinancial planner’sadvice; I only want tomake sure you're awareof all the factors in-volved when benefits areclaimed early. Some-times, a wife claiming atage 62 is a prudentchoice as your financialplanner has suggested.But sometimes under-standing the abovefactors may lead to adifferent strategy.

This article is intend-ed for informationpurposes only and doesnot represent legal orfinancial guidance. Itpresents the opinionsand interpretations ofthe AMAC Foundation’sstaff, trained andaccredited by the Nation-al Social SecurityAssociation (NSSA).NSSA and the AMACFoundation and its staffare not affiliated with orendorsed by the SocialSecurity Administrationor any other governmen-tal entity. To submit aquestion, visit ourwebsite(amacfoundation.org/programs/social-security-advisory) oremail us [email protected].

THEPOSTSCRIPT

ByCarrie Classon

Page 5: in the PRESS - Phone: 713-266-3444 • Fax: 713-977-118

Star ✯ Courier / Press / North Channel STAR Page 5THURSDAY, MAY 7, 2020

WESTON COTTEN, ATTORNEYHIGHLANDS

281-421-4050 1500 E. Wallisville Rd.NOT CERTIFIED BY THE TEXAS BOARD OF LEGAL

SPECIALIZATION

I can do all thingsthrough Christ who

strengthens me.

PHILIPPIANS 4:13

Select Services:Personal CareSocial OutlingsRespite Care24 hr. Care

In-Hospital SittingPost-Surgical AssistancePet & Plant CareLight HouseworkMeal PreparationTransportation

MONICA NELSONCOMMUNITY LIASON

[email protected] Rollingbrook Dr. #2G

Baytown, TX 77521832-695-2328

The Journey of a thousandmiles begins with one step

-LaoTzu

ENVELOPESPrinted with your Address

1 or 2 colors

Special Rates 250 to 25,000Please call for a Quote

Grafikshop at Star-Courier713-977-2555

What we suffer nowis nothing compared

to the glory He willreveal to us later

ROMANS 8:18

Siding &Roof Repairs

Mobile Home SkirtingCall Mr. Roofer

281-452-0000

Pauline Booher Hoffman Gladys Otto Booher

With loving memories,HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY

Mothers’s Day Greetings

Happy Mother’s DayLoved and not forgotten

Adeline Davis Otto Veo Crane Bowen Barbara Otto Bowen Cheryl Bowen-LaGrone

Page 6: in the PRESS - Phone: 713-266-3444 • Fax: 713-977-118

Star ✯ Courier / Press / North Channel STARPage 6 THURSDAY, MAY 7, 2020

Business DirectorySHOP LOCALLY -- Save Time & Money SHOP LOCALLY -- Save pTime & Money

To advertise in the Business Directory, please call 713-266-3444 for details

P.O. Box 914, Channelview, TX [email protected]

= Major credit cards accepted =

Free Estimates

Siding & Contracting LLC

281-452-0000New Roofs • Repairs • Painting • Hardi Plank Siding

• Mobile Home Skirting

Financing Available

CERTIFIED CONTRACTOR

CENTRAL AUTOINSPECTIONS

FULL SERVICE VEHICLE INSPECTIONS

713-702-3200JOHNNY GAEKE 911 S. MAINOWNER-INSPECTOR HIGHLANDS, TX 77562

✯ A S K T H E EX P E R T ✯

BAYTOWN — (April 23,2020) — In the wake ofHarris County officialsmandating that cloth facecoverings be worn in pub-lic effective April 27, manyBaytown area residentsmay be wondering if glovesshould also be used in pub-lic.

If you're confused aboutglove guidelines, HoustonMethodist Baytown Hospi-tal has the answers youneed.

Public health officialsaren't currently recom-mending that you weargloves while running es-sential errands. Just as youcan spread germs fromyour hands to the mucousmembranes of your face,you can also spread germsfrom the gloves you'rewearing to your eyes, noseand mouth. Plus, you canalso still spread germs toother objects you touch—like your phone, glasses,wallet or purse.

Even if you're doing ev-erything right to avoidcross-contamination, keepin mind that gloves areonly effective if you're re-moving and discarding ofthem properly.

There's a right way andwrong way to remove yourgloves. And if you're nottaking them off the rightway, as well as at the righttime, you're basically undo-ing all of the protective ad-vantages of them. Followthese steps when removingyour gloves:

1. Without touching yourskin, grab the first glove atyour wrist and pull awayfrom your arm.

2. As you peel the glovedownward, let it fold insideout.

3. Hold the glove insideout with the fingers of yourhand that's still gloved.

4. Slide your unglovedfingers into the palm insideof your gloved hand, takingcare to avoid touching theoutside of the glove.

(AUSTIN) — TexasComptroller Glenn Hegartoday said state sales taxrevenue totaled $2.58 bil-lion in April, 9.3 percentless than in April 2019, thesteepest decline since Jan-uary 2010.

The majority of Aprilsales tax revenue is basedon sales made in Marchand remitted to the agencyin April. Widespread socialdistancing requirementswere not in place acrossmuch of the state until lateMarch, meaning the im-pact of those measures af-fected only a portion ofsales tax remittances inApril. Next month’s remit-tances likely will showsteeper declines comparedto a year ago, as the effectsof both the shuttering ofbusinesses related to COV-ID-19 and plummeting oilpr i ces were mani fes tthroughout April.

“State sales tax collec-tions declined as a result ofefforts to stem the spreadof COVID-19 through busi-ness closures, crowd limitsand stay-at-home ordersadopted in the state, aswell as a precipitous dropin worldwide demand foroil ,” Hegar said. “Thesteepest declines in tax re-mittances were from busi-nesses most quickly anddramatically affected bysocial distancing: restau-

Do You Need to WearGloves While Outside?

5. Peel the glove down-ward, turning it inside out.

6. As you peel towardyour fingers, allow the sec-ond glove to wrap aroundthe first glove.

7. The second gloveshould now be inside out,with the first glove tuckedinside of it.

8. Throw the glovesaway.

9. Wash your handsthoroughly.

Keep in mind, youshould never wear glovesmore than once, and theyshould be removed beforeentering a "clean" settingor touching a "clean" sur-face, such as before open-ing your car door.

Rather than wearinggloves while running es-sential errands, protectyourself, and others, fromgetting COVID-19 throughthe following ways:

- Avoid close contactwith other people. Eventhough it's hard to do at astore, you still need to tryto maintain social distanc-ing. At the very least, makea conscious effort to putdistance between yourselfand others. If people arecrowded in the bakingaisle, circle back until theaisle is less crowded.

- Avoid touching yourface. During a pandemic,it's always important toavoid touching your eyes,nose and mouth as often aspossible — especially whenyou're in a public settingfull of frequently touchedsurfaces where germs canhide.

- Wear a cloth face cov-ering. While a cloth maskwon't necessarily helpkeep you safe, it can helpkeep you from spreadingCOVID-19 to someone else,especially if you're asymp-tomatic or presymptomat-ic. Avoid touching yourmask while it's on yourface.

- Avoid touching surfac-es and items as much aspossible. You need to grabyour items, but thatdoesn't mean you need totouch and pick throughevery bread loaf on theshelf first. And instead ofconstantly touching yourphone to check your gro-cery list, consider writingit out on a piece of paperyou can toss before leav-ing.

- Carry hand sanitizer.It's not always feasible towash your hands withsoap and water whenyou're on the go. Instead,carry your own alcohol-based hand sanitizer soyou can disinfect yourhands before touchingyour wallet or purse, yourphone or getting into yourcar.

For more informationand resources on manag-ing the challenges createdby the pandemic, visit theHouston Methodist blog“On Health” athoustonmethodist.org/blog.

About Houston MethodistBaytown Hospital

Houston MethodistBaytown Hospital has pro-vided Baytown and eastHarris, Liberty and Cham-bers counties with qualitymedical care since openingits doors in 1948. The hos-pital has grown through-out the years with thecommunity, providingcomprehensive care at allstages of life. As a healthcare leader, the hospital isproud to have a fully inte-grated residency programfocused on educating andinspiring future practitio-ners. Today, HoustonMethodist Baytown pro-vides some of the most ad-vanced and innovativeprocedures while neverwavering from its focus oncompassionate and pa-tient-centered care.Houstonmethodist.org/baytown.

State Sales Tax RevenueTotaled $2.6 Billion in April

rants, performing arts ven-ues, movie theaters, themeparks and fitness centers,as well as departmentstores and boutique retailshops. However, thoselosses were, to a degree,offset by increases frombig-box retailers, grocerystores and online vendors.Remittances from oil- andgas-related sectors also fellsignificantly as oil and gasexploration and productioncompanies slashed capitalspending in response to thecrash in oil price.”

Sales tax is the largestsource of state funding forthe state budget, account-ing for 57 percent of all taxcollections. It can also be alagging indicator of eco-nomic slowdowns. The re-cession associated with thefinancial crisis more thana decade ago began in De-cember 2007 and lasted 18months, but Texas did notsee significant sales taxdeclines until early 2009.While the effect on salestaxes from the current eco-nomic contraction has beenmore immediate, the im-pact of rising unemploy-ment and contractingeconomic activity in manyparts of the state’s econo-my, including oil and nat-ural gas exploration andproduction, likely will actas a drag on sales tax rev-

enue for many months.The effects of the March

economic slowdown andfalling oil prices were moreevident in other sources ofrevenue in April 2020. Tex-as collected the followingrevenue from other majortaxes:

motor vehicle sales andrental taxes — $164 mil-lion, down 45 percent fromApril 2019, the largestmonthly drop on record indata going back to 1983;

motor fuel taxes — $284million, down 12 percentfrom April 2019, the steep-est drop since 1991;

natural gas productiontax — $67 million, down 48percent from April 2019;

oil production tax —$191 million, down 45 per-cent from April 2019;

hotel occupancy tax —$24 million, down 63 per-cent from April 2019, thedeepest drop in data goingback to 1990; and

alcoholic beverage taxes— $57 million, down 55percent from April 2019.Declines were driven bymixed beverage gross re-ceipts and sales taxes, bothof which were down morethan 58 percent. Excisetaxes on beer were up 16percent from April 2019,while wine excise taxeswere up 9 percent fromApril 2019.

• Abdominal or stom-ach pain accompanied bynausea and vomiting

• Bodily trauma, espe-cially to the head or spine

• Fever of 100.4 degreesor higher that persists

• Headache accompa-nied by fever and confu-sion

•Persistent pain orpressure in the chest

• Severe shortness ofbreath

• Stroke symptoms, in-cluding face drooping, armweakness, difficulty talk-ing, dizziness, blurred vi-sion, intense headache andconfusion

• Severe burnsIf you're experiencing

any of these symptoms,seek emergency care assoon as possible. Some se-rious symptoms, such aschest pain and those asso-ciated with stroke, aretime sensitive, and therisk of losing function oreven your life increasesthe longer medical atten-tion is delayed. In theseevents, consider calling911 so you can receive im-mediate medical atten-tion.

Which SymptomsCan Wait?

When deciding if yoursymptoms warrant emer-gency care or are just an-noying, ask yourself thefollowing two questions:

•Did these symptomsappear suddenly?

•Do these symptomshave the potential to

threaten my life?If your answer is “no” to

these questions, you maywant to consider schedul-ing a video appointmentwith your doctor (or an in-person appointment, ifnecessary) instead of visit-ing the emergency room. Ifyou don't have a doctor, youcan speak to a Houston

Emergency,CONTINUED FROM PAGE 3

Methodist virtual urgentcare provider 24/7, or youcan find a primary carephysician by visiting Find-a-Doctor athoustonmethodist.org/bay-town and calling the pro-vider’s number or calling281-428-2273 for help find-ing a doctor.

Page 7: in the PRESS - Phone: 713-266-3444 • Fax: 713-977-118

Star ✯ Courier / Press / North Channel STAR Page 7THURSDAY, MAY 7, 2020

CLASSIFIEDCLASSIFIEDA D SA D S

Your AD will reach up to 120,000 readers in ourFIVE newspapers, with a combined circulationof 40,000 copies. Get ACTION on your AD. Ratesstart at only $16 for 20 words. A bargain!

Call 713-266-3444

WANTED

ROOMMATEWANTEDin Channelview area.Call for details:936-218-6731

19-2

CEMETERYPLOTS

Two plots atSan JacintoCemeteryvalued at $8,150.Will sell both for$4,000 +$150transfer fee. Call281-452-0833 forfurther information.

19-6

LEGAL NOTICE LEGAL NOTICE LEGAL NOTICE LEGAL NOTICE LEGAL NOTICE

Classified ADS713-266-3444

LEGAL NOTICESAPPEAR IN THEHIGHLANDS STARCROSBY COURIER,AND THE NORTHCHANNEL STAR. CALL713-266-3444 FORMORE INFO.

www.starcouriernews.comwww.northchannelstar.com

Page 8: in the PRESS - Phone: 713-266-3444 • Fax: 713-977-118

Star ✯ Courier / Press / North Channel STARPage 8 THURSDAY, MAY 7, 2020

✯ C O M M U N I T Y N E W S ✯

Todd Mission, TX (April28, 2020) – For the firsttime in the Texas Renais-sance Festival’s 46-yearhistory, the festival will of-fer “What you see is whatyou pay” pricing for 2020online ticket sales. Thisnew pricing means thatfestival patrons can expectno surprises (no fees ortaxes added on) at check-out. “We are looking for-ward to a wonderful 46thseason at The Texas Re-naissance Festival, and weare proud to kick off ourpre-season ticket saleswith our discount seasonpass event followed by theSale of the Century in Julythat feature up front andtransparent pricing,” saidTexas Renaissance Festi-val General Manager JoeBailey.

Discount 2020 SeasonPasses – On Sale May 1 –31, 2020

Season passes are a con-venient and economicalway for patrons of the Fes-tival to enjoy each of thenine themed weekends ofthe 2020 season. The tra-dition of offering discount-ed season passes in the

spring will continue with afew changes for this year.

2020 Discount Seasonpasses will be on sale on-line from May 1 – 31, 2020only. During this specialdiscount window, the TRFFestival season pass will be$259, a 20% discount fromthe regular price of $323.Camping can also be add-ed at a 16% discount for$150 (regular price $180).Regular priced SeasonPasses will be availablestarting June 1.

Sale of the Century – July18, 2020

Due to the current cli-mate surrounding COVID-19 and following therecently announced stagesof re-opening of public ar-eas in the state of Texas asrecommended by TexasGovernor Greg Abbott, theTexas Renaissance Festi-val management has de-cided to delay the popularSale of the Century thatwill now take place on July18 starting at 8 a.m.

A limited number ofGeneral Admission tickets(100,000) will go on saleonline and will be availableuntil quantities run out.

The price for this year’sSale of the Century is $18per ticket with no addition-al fees or taxes for adultGeneral Admission. “Weare offering the lowestprice on Adult GeneralAdmission tickets for theseason through the Sale ofthe Century,” said Bailey.“We increased the volumethis year so more of ourpatrons can take advan-tage of these savings andenjoy the festival this fall,”he added.

In addition to GeneralAdmission tickets, Camp-ing admission will be of-fered for $20 (regularly$35), Preferred Parking for$10 (regularly $20) andValet Parking for $20 (reg-ularly $40).

For more informationand to purchase your TRFSeason Pass or Sale of theCentury tickets, visitwww.texrenfest.com/tick-ets-season-passes.

This year the Texas Re-naissance Festival willcontinue its annual tradi-tion of donating a portionof the proceeds from theSale of the Century eventto the Society of Samari-tans of Magnolia, Texas.

Texas Renaissance Festivalsets new pricing for 2020 seasonFirst of its kind ticketing model yields no surprises at checkoutexcept to note that Texas

has one of the lower per-capita death rates in thenation.

Last week Abbott hadissued an order that res-taurants, retail stores,malls, movie theaters, mu-seums and libraries, andchurches were allowed toopen, but had to observe a25% occupancy limit.

The press conferencealso proposed four meth-ods for high schools to holdgraduation ceremonies inlieu of traditional indoorassemblies.

The seventh drive-thrufree public site opened lastweek at the Griggs Prima-ry School in the Green-spoint district, at 801Regiional Park Drive. Thissite is run by UMMC, orUnited Memorial MedicalCenter, and will remainopen as long as there is aneed, said Jackson-Lee.

During a press confer-ence in front of the schoolon May 1, CongresswomanLee said “I am thankful toAldine ISD to allow us togo into neighborhoodswhere no testing hascome,” Lee said. “Green-spoint has not had free ac-cessible testing and we aredelighted to start testingthere because All of Hous-ton should be tested. It isimperative that we contin-ue increasing testing op-portunities at a rapidrate.”

Testing is free and opento all individuals seekingto get tested, with or with-out symptoms. No prereg-istration is required.Testers may be asked forproof of identification ormedical insurance; howev-er, neither is required tocomplete the testing.

The screening is de-signed to quickly test asmany people as possible. Ahealth care professional inprotective gear will screencommunity members fromtheir car. Anyone who tests

Covid-19 Testing,CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

positive will receive a callfrom the Harris CountyHealth Department.

For more informationvisit www.ummcscreening.com or the Har-ris County Health Depart-ment, 713-634-1110 forAsk A Nurse, or 713-439-6000 for information onmobile test sites.

County Judge LinaHidalgo announced lastweek that four HarrisCounty Public Health(HCPH) mobile units willprovide drive-through test-ing for COVID-19, addingup to 400 tests per day tothe county’s current test-ing capacity at two perma-nent sites, one in Baytownand one in Katy. Each pop-up site, which will rotatelocations across the pre-cincts starting Tuesday,will be able to make up to100 drive-through testsper day. Additionally, test-ing capacity at HCPH’stwo existing stationarysites will increase to 500tests per location, per day,starting Wednesday.

These two units are inaddition to 13 Drive-Thrusites around the county,both public and private.These include 2 HarrisCounty sites, 2 City ofHouston sites, 4 free sitesby UMMC, and 3 sites byMD Medical.

“Until we make testingaccessible to everyone whoneeds it, we will not be ableto fully tackle this diseasein Harris County,” saidHarris County Judge LinaHidalgo. “These efforts area key step forward, butthey’re not enough. Wehave to be nimble. We haveto reach underserved com-munities and expand ourability to help folks identi-fy if they are sick, and iso-late immediately.”

The pop-up testing loca-tions were identified in co-ordination with HarrisCounty Precincts. To betested, residents must

complete online screeningvia ReadyHarris.org andobtain an authorizationcode. Once confirmed theymeet the criteria for test-ing, residents will be pro-vided an appointment timeand directed to a testingsite closest to them. Walk-ins will be turned away.

Testing sites will be al-located to the precinctsfrom Monday through Sat-urday, spending three daysin two precincts, and threedays in the other two pre-cincts.

All individuals can ac-cess the online screeningtool at readyharris.org. In-dividuals without access toa computer or Internet cancall the Harris CountyPublic Health COVID-19resource line at 832-927-7575.DETAILED LIST OF TESTSITES:

Please note that sometesting sites are privateand costs may vary at eachsite; there are 3 sites thatare entirely free.

1. Legacy Northline: 5598 A-1North Freeway | 832-548-5000(Sliding scale fee)

2. Legacy Santa Clara: EastEnd - 5616 Lawndale | 832-548-5000 (Sliding scale fee)

3. Vecinos Clinic at DenverHarbor: 6402 Market St | 713-674-3326 or 713-695-4013 forpediatric care (Cost formandatory screening varies; testis free)

4. Mi Doctor: 5230 AldineMail Route; call or text 1-888-776-5252 or call 281-598-3300(Will bill insurance; $165 withoutinsurance)

5. Walgreens (startingtomorrow, Friday April 17th):101 W. Southmoore Ave,Pasadena (Free testing)

6. Walgreens, 14531Westheimer Road, Houston, TX77082

7. Goose Creek ISDStallworth: 2102 E Archer Rd,Baytown, TX (Free testing)

8. Forest Brook MiddleSchool: 7525 Tidwell Rd (Freetesting)

Free Food in Pct. 2,CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

This Friday, there is tobe a back pack filled withfood distribution for thefirst 200 at the San Jacin-to Community Center inHighlands.

Otherwise, the five loca-tions of Community Cen-ters are J.D. Walker Centerat 7613 Wade Road for Mc-Nair and Highlands, Bar-rett Station Center at11901 Mulberry Street forthe Barrett Station Com-munity, Crosby and Huff-man. The GraysonCommunity Center is toservice North Shore and

Channelview. The NorthEast Community Centerand East Harris CountyAC at 7340 Spencer High-way near Pasadena are theother two Centers. Thesehave brown bag lunchesfor the larger communityon Monday and Wednes-day from Noon until 1:30p.m. on a first come untilsupplies are exhausted ba-sis.

Tuesdays and Thurs-days beginning at Noonuntil exhausted of 200lunches, Baytown SoccerPark at 4700 Village Lane,

Bay Area Annex at 16603Buccaneer Lane and Clo-verleaf Park at 825 BeaconStreet are the three parklocations.

The I.T. May Communi-ty Center is closed untilfurther notice.

The Senior Meals Pro-gram is for those thatwould normally be servedmeals by the CommunityCenters.

The other programs areon a first come first serveduntil supplies are exhaust-ed basis. Where once thesupply was 250 to 300meals, now it is 200.