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YC R O S B Y

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

StarStarStar ✯✯✯ Courier Courier Courier

Cigna Medicare,Page 8

Jamail Thank You,Page 5

Breast Cancer Month,Page 3

VOL. 67, NO. 40 – 50¢ THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2020© Copyright 2020 P.O. DRAWER 405, HIGHLANDS, TEXAS 77562

STAR-COURIER PHONES: 713-266-3444 • E-MAIL: GRAFIKSTAR @ AOL.COM • FAX: 713-977-1188

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

WESTON G. COTTENAttorney at Law

O. 281/421-4050F. 281/533-6032

weston@westoncotten.com281-328-4377

TurnerChevroletCrosby.com

AUTO & HOME INSURANCEJeremy RosenkranzState Farm Agent

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

jtr@jeremyrosenkranz.com

HOUSTON AREA19 COUNTIES

TEXAS

UNITED STATES

WORLDWIDE

COVID-19Cases as of

October 8, 2020

221,588 POSITIVE3,013 DEATHS

190,147 RECOVERED

794,787 POSITIVE16,437 DEATHS

683,700 RECOVERED

35,6222,409 POSITIVE1,046,153 DEATHS

24,806,786 RECOVERED

7,477,936 POSITIVE210,487 DEATHS

2,935,160 RECOVERED

BIRTHDAYSOct 9--Terrie Bauer

Pete MerrillAshley Clamon

Oct 10--Stachia ThurmondOct 11-Wendy Nelson

Dale SmithWilliam O’NealChester Stasney

Oct 12--Mike PalmerMelissa DensonMichelle McDanielDarlis OttoJessica Curtis

Oct 13--Jeannie KelleyOct 14--Jerry Taylor

Brendon LeeOct 15--Melody Drew

Eric JohnsonRusty Ressler

ANNIVERSARIESOct 16--Edgar & Evelyn

Wotipka

DEATHSRobert L. Dillard, 85John Samuel Salvatore

Bertone, 80

✯IN THESTARS

Judge ends Arkema trial with no convictions

Garcia proposes taxcut for Harris County

Rotary sends disaster relief

HARRIS COUNTY –Precinct 2 CommissionerAdrian Garcia proposedthis week a motion to cutHarris County propertytax rates. The motion wasapproved by Commission-ers Court unanimously.The Garcia plan proposesa rate that will save tax-payers 1.3 cents per $100of assessed value on theirhomes. The plan not onlysaves taxpayers money, italso still funds crucial pri-orities such as Flood Con-trol and Harris Health.

“This will be our firstconsecutive tax reductionin at least ten years, andI’m proud to have proposedthe motion to put us on a

path towarda rate cut. Aswe all dealwith a pan-d e m i c a n deconomic cri-sis, my hopeis that prop-erty tax reliefwill help ourn e i g h b o r sw h o a r estruggling. Att h e s a m e

time, essential county services must re-main a priority — to both support the lo-cal economy, as well as to keep us preparedfor any future challenges. Pandemic ornot, Harris County remains at risk for dev-astating flooding, so this proposed tax rate

See TAX CUT, page 6

ADRIAN GARCIA

Highlands Rotary Club sent household food and supplies to theDeQuincy Louisiana Rotary Club last month, to help the recoveryeffort from Hurrican Laura. Seen in DeQuincy with local Rotarians,are Andy Scott, president of the Highlands Club, and Jerry Fallin,president-elect, who drove a trailer load of needed supplies to thestricken town. See MORE on Page 6.

August 25, until September 2, 2017 Hurricane Harvey brought a historic deluge,flooding knocked out power and refrigeration units were lost. Organic peroxidesblazed after all cooling methods failed.As warned by company executives at apress briefing at Crosby Volunteer Fire Department Station Two in Newport, trailerscontaining chemicals that become volitile at normal temperatures explode outsidea warehouse at Arkema Chemical Crosby. About 200 locals were evacuated and21 first responders were treated at local hospitals.

By Lewis Spearman

HOUSTON – On Octo-ber 1, Arkema SA and ex-ecutives were acquitted ofcriminal charges related toevents that followed Hur-ricane Harvey in 2017.

Arkema executives werecharged with the crime offelony assault related tofailure to provide adequateemergency response infor-mation related to first re-sponders entering into alocation with toxic fumes.The company was earliersimilarly indicted for fail-ure to assess risks.

Although the acquittalbears directly on the re-sponsibility of the compa-ny it doe not necessarilyend the lawsuits related tothe incidents.

The same judge found

that prosecutors had com-mitted unintentional mis-conduct.

A 2018 US ChemicalSafety Board final reportindicated that Arkema hadnot considered flooding a“credible risk” although itis within the flooding plainand that agency urged bet-ter preparation for ex-treme weather.

CEO Richard Rowe,Plant Manager Leslie Co-mardelle were indicted in2018 and in 2019 MikeKeough, Vice President ofLogistics for assault. OnSeptember 30, 2020 JudgeBelinda Hill dismissed thereckless endangermentcharge against Rowe due

See Arkema CriminalTrial, Page 6

EVENTSOCT. 15, THURS.Crosby ChamberElection11:30 amCrosby/HuffmanChamber ElectionLuncheon at CrosbyChurch, Absenteevoting begins Oct. 12,at office.

OCTOBERBlood DriveEvery Tuesday inOctober, the DonorCoach will be atCRAWFISH SHACK inCrosby to receive blooddonations. 9:00 am to3:00 pm. Appoint-ments preferred,www.commitforlife.org.Free COVID-10Antibody Test for alldonors!

Star ✯ Courier / Press / North Channel STARPage 2 THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2020

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Barbers HillDayton PressBarbers HillDayton Press✯

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

ON THEHILL

VOL. 25, NO. 40– 50¢ © Copyright 2020 MONT BELVIEU, TEXAS 77580THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2020

Chambers Countywil l reopen outdoorcounty-owned facilitiesfor public rental, effec-tive October 1, 2020.

To mitigate the riskposed by COVID-19, anyperson or group who isinterested in renting orutilizing any of the Coun-ty’s parks or pavilions isrequired to complete theChambers County Out-door Event Applicationwhich can be found onthe County’s website

( h t t p s : / /www.co.chambers.tx.us/upload/page/0137/docs/Chambers%20County%20O utdoor%20Event%20Application.pdf).

Once submitted, theapplication will be re-viewed by a panel ofChambers County staffmembers. If approved,the applicant must stillcontact the County Of-f ice responsible forbooking the faci l i tywhich they are interest-ed in renting.

***Indoor facilities(like Community Build-ings) are still unavail-able to rent.

BAYTOWN — (October1, 2020) — While manywomen view breast canceras a single disease, thereare, in fact, many differenttypes of breast cancer.Learning about the manyforms of the disease helpsin the quest to detect prob-lems early, when chancesof a cure are greatest.

“Breast cancer is classi-fied based on where in thebreast it arises. The mostcommon place for cancer tostart is in the ducts of thebreast,” said Dr. EstherDubrovsky, breast surgeonat the Houston MethodistBreast Care Center at Bay-town.

With October designat-ed as Breast CancerAwareness Month, Du-brovsky urges women tolearn as much as possibleabout this common dis-ease.

Fact: Most breast can-cers start in the milk ducts.These tubes carry milkfrom the milk-producingglands (lobules) to the nip-ple.

Cancers that start inthe milk ducts are calledductal carcinomas; cancersthat start in the lobulesare called lobular carcino-ma.

Pinpointing Cancer

“Screening mammo-grams are catching cancersat very early stages, andit’s common to identifycancers that are still con-fined to the ducts. Thesecancer cells have not hada chance to break out of theducts and invade the sur-rounding breast tissue,”Dubrovsky said. “Noninva-sive cancer that is confinedto the duct is called ductalcarcinoma in situ, or DCIS,and is considered stage 0breast cancer.”

Fact: Noninvasivebreast cancers rarely causesymptoms or lumps youcan feel, but they may ap-pear as tiny areas of calci-fication (tiny flecks ofcalcium) on a mammo-gram.

Invasive Breast Cancers“Breast cancer is classi-

fied as invasive if it hasgrown outside the duct orlobule where it started,into surrounding breasttissue. It then has the po-tential to spread to otherareas of the body,” saidDubrovsky.

Fact: About 80 percentof breast cancer is invasiveductal carcinoma (IDC). Itappears as a hard, firmlump. In advanced stagesof IDC, the skin over thelump may appear dimpled

or the nipple may be re-tracted (pulled inward).

Fact: About 12 percentof breast cancers are inva-sive lobular carcinoma(ILC). Rather than appear-ing as a hard lump, thiscancer may feel like athickening. ILC may bemore difficult to detect ona mammogram than IDC.

Early Detection Is Key“You are the first line of

defense when it comes tobreast cancer. That’s whyit’s crucial to know howyour breasts normally lookand feel,” Dubrovsky said.

Knowing the warningsigns will help you recog-nize when to alert yourdoctor.

Fact: Mammograms candetect breast cancer in itsearly stages, up to two

years before a lump can befelt. Early detection meansa better chance of a cure.

Fact: According to theAmerican Cancer Society,90 percent of women withbreast cancer are alive fiveyears after diagnosis.

Breast Cancer Symp-toms

The following are warn-ing signs of breast cancer.See your doctor if you ex-perience any of thesesymptoms, but keep inmind that most breastlumps aren’t cancer.

• A painless lump ormass in or near the breast

• A change in breast sizeor firmness

• Breast skin changes,such as dimpling, a sore ora rash

• Nipple itching, burn-ing, rash, turning inwardor discharge

• A warm area in thebreast

• Pain in the breast• Swelling under the

armpit or of the arm• Bone painHouston Methodist Bay-

town Hospital is takingevery necessary precau-tion during the coronavi-rus pandemic to keep youand our staff memberssafe. During the COVID-19

pandemic, we are:• Screening all pa-

tients, ensuring only thosewithout COVID-19 symp-toms are seen in the office

• Wearing masksand personal protectiveequipment (PPE) whileproviding patient care

• R e o r g a n i z i n gwaiting rooms and check-in lines to ensure socialdistancing

• Implementing ad-ditional sanitation pro-cesses to disinfect allequipment and surfaces

Schedule a mammo-gram at the HoustonMethodist Breast CareCenter at Baytown by vis-i t i n ghoustonmethodist.org/breast-care, or calling 346-292-PINK (7465).

About Houston Method-ist Baytown Hospital

Houston Methodist Bay-town Hospital has provid-ed 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 the

Dr. Esther Dubrovsky

OCTOBER IS BREAST CANCER MONTH

Get the Facts About Breast Cancer

Work this week will open new IH-10’s 3 lanesTxDOT plans IH-10 at

FM 3180 Traffic Configu-ration Changes fromThursday, October 8ththrough Monday, October12th. Motorists are ad-vised to expect delays inthis area.

The information belowwas provided to ChambersCounty by TxDOT regard-ing the new IH-10 MainLane Bridge at FM 3180.

The following activitieswill take place betweenOctober 8 and 12, 2020.Please use caution whentravelling this route.

IH-10 Eastbound MainLane Bridge

1. 9 p.m. Thursday, Oc-tober 8 through 5 a.m. Fri-day, October 9: AlternatingEastbound Main Lane Clo-sures

2. Purpose: Switch traf-fic onto new IH-10 East-bound Main lane structurewith 3 eastbound lanes.

IH-10 Westbound MainLane Bridge

1. 9 p.m. Friday, October9 through 5 a.m. Monday,October 12: AlternatingWestbound Main LaneClosures

2. Purpose: PlacingWestbound Main laneTraffic into its finalalignment and openingto three westboundlanes.

Remember, whendriving in work zoneyou are likely to en-counter uneven pave-ment, narrow lanes,concrete barriers, slow-moving heavy equip-ment and vehicles thatmake sudden stops.Please keep the follow-ing tips from TxDOT inmind:

• Slow down and alwaysfollow posted work zonespeed limits.

• Pay attention as work-ers and heavy equipmentmay only be a few feedfrom passing vehicles.

• Don’t tailgate. Giveyourself room to stop in ahurry. Rear-end collisionsare the most common kindof work zone crashes.

• Watch out for roadcrews.

• Allow extra time. Roadconstruction slows thingsdown. Count on it and planfor it.

TXDOT Drawing showsconstruction progress in June,which is now complete.

See BREAST CANCER,Page 6

Dayton BBQCook Off

The Dayton Chamber ofCommerce is hosting aBBQ Cook Off with the Cityof Dayton Trade Days.

Come out October 10thand 11th for the Trade Daysalong with a motorcycleand car show!

Cook off will be October10th from 9:00 am to 5:00pm. Contact the DaytonChamber if you would liketo enter in the competitionor be a judge! BBQ CookOff Registration form

ChambersCountyreopensFacilities

Star ✯ Courier / Press / North Channel STARPage 4 THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8, 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 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.

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

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Barbers Hill✯Dayton PRESS

Star✯CourierStar✯Courier

STATE CAPITAL HIGHLIGHTSBy Chris Cobler

✯

THEPOSTSCRIPT

ByCarrie Classon

✯

Early voting starts October 13;“Texas in my rearview mirror”

CONGRATULATIONSTo DAVID LOPEZ, JR. ofHouston,who won Free Ticketsto the TexasRenaissance Festival.You can win too. Justsend us a photoreading this newspaper.See information onPage 7,and enter the Drawing.

I get stomachaches. I getthem with regularity and al-ways have.

“It’s just gas!” my moth-er says, and of course, she’sright.

My mother tells me I getstomachaches because Ihave the “Benson stomach,”by which she means that Ihave the same stomach shehas, which is the same stom-ach her mother had, whichmy grandmother inheritedfrom her mother—who wasa Benson.

It seems a little sad thatthe only time the Bensonfamily comes to mind iswhen I have a stomachache.Seriously, I know almostnothing about the Bensonsexcept that they were Swed-ish farmers prone to indiges-tion. It’s not much of alegacy.

Yesterday I had a doozy.It started during my hike. Ihad eaten nothing recentlyand eaten nothing differentso there was no logical rea-son to suddenly get a badstomachache shortly after Istarted my hike, which typ-ically takes an hour and for-ty-five minutes.

“It will get better soon,” Isaid as I walked. It did not.

I got to the halfway pointin my hike and somehow feltthe stomachache should re-alize that I had hiked fornearly an hour and respondappropriately. It did not.

Whenever I get a stom-achache, I remember stom-achaches of the past. Idistinctly remember my16th birthday being ruinedby a stomachache. I went toa restaurant famous for itsspareribs. I haven’t eatenspareribs in years, but I canstill remember how I waslooking forward to those.

My family and I wereserved our spareribs and Ihad to leave the restaurantafter what seemed like asingle bite. I’m pretty suremy family packed up theirmeal and joined me almostimmediately, but I still re-member being in the back-seat of the car with an awfulstomachache on my 16thbirthday, overwhelmed bythe unfairness of life.

By now, I should knowsomething about stomach-aches. I know, once onestarts, I must not eat any-thing. If I eat anything, I willmake it much worse and itwill last much longer.

In spite of knowing thisall my life, I cannot tell youhow many times I have satdown to eat, felt a stomach-ache coming on, and decid-ed “just this once” I can eata little more (usually reallyfast) and everything will befine. Everything is neverfine when I do this.

So, now I tell my hus-band, Peter, “I’m getting astomachache. If I eat, I willsuffer.” Somehow, saying italoud to another personmakes me more account-able. If I then go back intothe kitchen and fill my plate,I am proving to Peter (andmyself) what an idiot I am.

I can go for months with-out a stomachache. I canpersuade myself that stom-achaches were somethingthat happened a long timeago and have nothing to dowith me anymore. I start tothink they will never hap-pen again. It’s nice thinkingthis. It’s also not true.

But maybe dwelling onpain isn’t the best idea ei-ther.

Surely, in my life, I canexpect a lot worse than astomachache to come myway. Intellectually, I knowthis, and yet I spend almostno time contemplating fu-ture pain. Maybe living indenial isn’t the worst thingI can do. It isn’t fun to an-ticipate pain and I’m notsure it’s useful.

Instead, I try to notice allthe days I feel good and I tryto be grateful. Yes, there willbe more stomachaches be-cause I come from a long lineof gassy farmers. But today,I feel fine.

Till next time,CarrieCarrie Classon’s memoir

is called, “Blue Yarn.” Learnmore at CarrieClasson.com.

“TheStomachache”

EARLY VOTING STARTSOCT. 13

Gov. Greg Abbott’sexecutive order and aTexas Supreme Courtdecision changed somecounties’ plans forhandling mail-in ballotsfor the Nov. 3 election.

Citing security con-cerns, Abbott ordered all254 Texas counties tooffer only one drop-offlocation for absenteeballots.

“These enhancedsecurity protocols willensure greater transpar-ency and will help stopattempts at illegalvoting,” Abbott said.

Democrats accused theRepublican governor oftrying to suppress thevote, particularly inlarger metropolitanareas. The League ofUnited Latin AmericanCitizens, the League ofWomen Voters and twoindividuals filed alawsuit to challenge theorder.

“Geographically, HarrisCounty is larger than theentire state of RhodeIsland,” Harris CountyJudge Lina Hidalgo said.“Our population rivalsthat of the entire state ofColorado. To propose onlya single, secure drop-offlocation for a county ofour size during a pan-demic is ludicrous.”

Earlier, the Republi-can-controlled TexasSupreme Court issued aruling that created asimilar partisan reactionabout voting security andrights. The court saidHarris and other countiescould not send unsolicitedmail-in ballots to voters.

In-person early votingstarts Oct. 13 in Texas.The Texas LibraryAssociation is encourag-ing its member librariesto share election guidescreated by the League ofWomen Voters.

Early voting runs untilOct. 30. The deadline toapply for a mail-in ballotis Oct. 23, and thedeadline to return a mail-in ballot is Nov. 3.

Along with visitingtheir local libraries and

reading their localnewspapers, people maygo to the League’svote411.org for informa-tion about their ballotsfor the general election.Also, the Texas Tribune, astatewide nonprofit newsinitiative, offers ballotinformation atTexasTribune.com.

TOP EDUCATORS MAKETHE GRADE

Texas’ two top teacherswork in opposite ends ofthe Lone Star state.

The Texas Associationof School Administratorshonored Eric Hale, akindergarten and first-grade teacher from theDallas IndependentSchool District, as the2021 Elementary Teacherof the Year and AnthonyLopez-Waste, a historyteacher from CanutilloISD in El Paso, as theSecondary Teacher of theYear.

Hale was chosen torepresent the state asTexas Teacher of the Yearin the National Teacherof the Year competition.The announcement wasmade during the virtualconvention of the schooladministrators and theTexas Association ofSchool Boards.

“My students andparents have survived acategory F-3 tornado andare presently living in apandemic. It is essentialthat I make sure theyknow I am here for themand value their educa-

tional development,” saidHale, who teaches atDavid G. Burnet Elemen-tary School.

Superintendent of theYear honors went to J.A.Gonzalez of McAllen ISD.Hurst-Euless-BedfordISD won best schoolboard.

‘TEXAS IN MY REARVIEWMIRROR’

Texas lost one of itsbrightest country starswhen singer-songwriterMac Davis died at age 78of complications fromheart surgery.

Born and raised inLubbock, Davis wasknown most for hiscountry/pop songs of the1970s, including “BabyDon’t Get Hooked on Me,”and for writing a numberof Elvis Presley hits,including “Don’t CryDaddy,” “In the Ghetto”and “A Little LessConversation.” Davis alsohad a successful actingcareer, starring in hisown variety show and themovie “North DallasForty.”

The address for theWest Texas Walk of Fameis 1501 Mac Davis Lanein Lubbock, which hesang about in “Texas inmy Rearview Mirror.”

“Many hearts arebroken today, includingmy own, with the death ofone of my dearest friends,Mac Davis,” countrylegend Dolly Partontweeted. “We lost one ofthe world’s greatestwriters, singers andentertainers.”

A date for Davis’funeral is pending, Inkeeping with the last lineof “Rearview Mirror,” hiswife said he will beburied in Lubbock in hisjeans.

Chris Cobler is a boardmember and past presi-dent of the Freedom ofInformation Foundationof Texas. He welcomesemail atccobler@texaspress.com.

AUSTIN, TX — The Bullock Texas StateHistory Museum’s exhibition galleries and MuseumStore will reopen to the public on Saturday, Sep-tember 12 with key changes to limit the spread ofCOVID-19, including heightened safety protocols,new open hours, and timed entry.

The Bullock Museum closed on March 17, 2020in response to the coronavirus pandemic and

immediately began constructing a phased plan torespond to community conditions and ensure thesafest possible future reopening. During the clo-sure, the Museum expanded opportunities foronline learning through virtual education program-ming and web resources.

“To meet our educational mission, the BullockMuseum is excited to welcome the public onsite tothe Museum once more,” said Bullock MuseumDirector Margaret Koch. “With more than 16,000years of Texas history on view, we are committed toproviding a low-risk learning environment for thecommunity, teachers, and families.”

The Museum’s phased plan, which began withthe reopening of the IMAX® Theatre on September3 for limited screenings of Tenet and two member-only preview days on September 9 and 10, adheresto guidelines recommended by national, state andlocal authorities. The Museum’s new hours,Wednesday through Sunday from 10 am to 5 pm,will also allow for additional cleaning while closedon Monday and Tuesday of each week.

New safety protocols include timed entry,allowing a limited number of visitors per hour intothe Museum’s three floors of gallery spaces. Guestsare encouraged to reserve their exhibition ticketsonline prior to their visit. Onsite signage willprovide clear information about new policies andencourage social distancing. Masks are required forall staff and visitors ages 10 and older, and sanitiza-tion stations will be available throughout theMuseum. All public spaces and high-touch areaswill be cleaned frequently during the day, and thefull building will be disinfected each evening afterclosing.

Visitors returning to the Bullock Museum will beable to explore the special exhibition This Light OfOurs: Activist Photographers of the Civil RightsMovement, a visual story of the struggle againstsegregation, race-based disenfranchisement, andJim Crow laws in the 1960s. IMAX documentaryscreenings will resume during daily open hours andwill feature the new family friendlydocumentary Into America’s Wild. The IMAXTheatre will also continue screening feature filmson select days and times.

“It has been a rough six months for many acrossTexas, and we understand that not everyone iswilling or able to visit the Museum in person at thistime. Opening now helps ensure that we’ll be herewhen people feel comfortable visiting again,” saidKoch. “In the meantime, we’ll continue to increaseour online learning opportunities designed for allages, so one never has to feel disconnected from theastounding history of this incredible state.”

If community conditions allow, the Museum’sTexas Spirit Theater will resume operation laterthis fall, and the Story of Texas Cafe will reopen inJanuary 2021. The Bullock Museum will continueto offer educational programs and resources onlinefor children, adults and families. For more informa-tion, please visit TheStoryofTexas.com.

About the Bullock MuseumThe Bullock Texas State History Museum, a

division of the State Preservation Board and anaccredited institution of the American Alliance ofMuseums, illuminates and celebrates Texas histo-ry, people, and culture. With dynamic, award-winning exhibitions, educational programming forall ages, and an IMAX® theater with the largestscreen in Texas, the Museum collaborates withmore than 700 museums, libraries, archives andindividuals across the world to bring the Story ofTexas to life. For more information,visit TheStoryofTexas.com or call (866)369-7108.

Bullock State HistoryMuseum Reopens

Star ✯ Courier / Press / North Channel STAR Page 5THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2020

WESTON COTTEN, ATTORNEYHIGHLANDS

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

SPECIALIZATION

Church Page Sponsors

Call 713-266-3444 to join tojoin sponsorship of thispage. Thank you.

Siding &Roof Repairs

Mobile Home SkirtingCall Mr. Roofer

281-452-0000

OBITUARIES✯

Mr. Robert L. “Bob”Dillard, age 85 ofWashington, ARpassed away Monday,September 28, 2020 athis daughter’s home.He was born October 8,1934 to Henry Gradyand Mildred PetersonDillard in Crosby, TX.He is preceded in deathby his parents, wifeJacqueline L. Dillard,and a sister; Nancy LeeDillard Johnston.

Survivors includeFour daughters: PaulaMack and Mike ofTexarkana, Arkansas;Jan Witt and Bob ofNewnan, Georgia;Carol Martin and Neilof Berryville, Arkansasand Jerrie Joubert andScot of Green Forest,Arkansas; eight grand-

children: Sara O’Brienand Kevin; MichellePesek; Olecia Witt;Jacqueline Witt; ClintMartin and Kimberly;Ben Martin; JessicaDavison and Justin;and Guy Joubert andTressa; and NineGreat-grandchildren:

Kody O’Brien; KadenO’Brien; JacksonMartin; Evelyn Martin;Charlie Martin; Hari-son Davison; CallenDavison; Codi Joubert;Beau Joubert; Twobrothers: Gene Dillard;John Ray Dillard andother family membersand friends.

The family willreceive friends 2:00 to4:00 P.M. Saturday,October 3, 2020 atBRAZZEL/OakcrestThe Funeral Home ofHope. Funeral arrange-ments are under thedirection of BRAZZEL/Oakcrest The FuneralHome of Hope, EddieBrazzel Director.Onlinecondolences: www.brazzelfuneralhomes.com

It is with greatsadness that the familyof John Samuel Salva-tore Bertone (known tohis friends as “JB”)announces his passingon Monday, September28, 2020 at the age of80. JB will be lovinglyremembered by hiswife Beverly of 25years, his brotherFrank and his wifeTanya, his five childrenJohn, Tracy, Vicki,John Jr., and Michael.JB will also be remem-bered by his numerousgrandchildren, nieces,nephews and cousins.JB was predeceased by

his parents, Frank andMary Bertone, and hisbrother Joseph Ber-tone.

John was born inJersey City, NewJersey in 1940. Hegraduated from A JDemarest High Schoolin Hoboken, NewJersey. He worked for15 years at HarrisCounty Precinct 2 inthe Parks Dept. untilhe retired.

JB’s favorite pastimewas working as avolunteer in Transpor-tation at the HoustonLive Stock Show andRodeo. He was thrilled

when he became aLifetime Committee-man after 15 years. Heloved working with theother volunteers andmeeting all the differ-ent people who attend-ed the rodeo each year.He met thousands ofpeople as he drovearound the groundsdelivering them totheir destinations witha big mustache and asmile on his face.

John will be cremat-ed at the Chapel of thePines in Crosby. Therewill not be a service forthe public.

Robert L. Dillard

John Samuel Salvatore Bertone

THANK YOU

Star ✯ Courier / Press / North Channel STARPage 6 THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2020

does an effective job of eas-ing the tax burden on resi-dents, while being able tocontinue to fund crucialcounty priorities,” saidCommissioner Adrian Gar-cia.

After an upcoming pub-lic input period, the Courtwill vote to officially certi-fy the tax rate at the Com-missioners Court hearingto be held on October 27th.

Tax Cut,CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

community, providing com-prehensive care at all stag-es of life. As a health careleader, the hospital isproud to have a fully inte-grated residency programfocused on educating andinspiring future practitio-ners. Today, Houston Meth-odist Baytown providessome of the most advancedand innovative procedureswhile never wavering fromits focus on compassionateand patient-centered care.Houstonmethodist.org/baytown.

BreastCancer,CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

Arkema trial,CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

to lack of evidence. Comar-delle was not guilty in a di-rected verdict. Keough andArkema had chargesdropped last month relatedto the injuries of first re-sponders.

Arkema hired Rusty Har-ding to preside over theirlegal representatives. It washe that began to point outthe nature of the historicflood being an “Act of God”

A company statement atthat time said, “Our plantemployees went to heroiclengths to protect the pub-lic, and when flooding over-whelmed their every effort,we proactively notifiedemergency responders andthe public, days before thefirst fire started,” Arkemastated.

In 2019 Harris CountyDistrict Attorney Kim Ogghired additional attorneysto prosecute environmentaland safety crimes.

There had been talk ofother indictments butcharges were dropped relat-ed to failure to disclose thepresence of certain chemi-cals when the Harris Coun-ty Office of EmergencyManagement indicated theyhad been given a detailedlist of all chemicals present

at the facility.Suspended last Spring,

the trail started up againlast month.

“Today’s ruling doesn’tchange the fact that danger-ous chemicals on Arkemaproperty ignited and werebelched in a cloud of toxicsmoke over the surroundingcommunities, and a first re-sponder, there protectingpeople is now on a lung-transplant list,” said DaneSchiller, speaking for theDistrict Attorney’s Office.

Arkema released a state-ment on October 1, in partit says, “We’re pleased to seethe end of this trial, whichshould have never takenplace at all. The facts of thiscase did not warrant anyindictments, and we do notbelieve any indictmentswould have been grantedbut for the false informationpresented to the Grand Juryby prosecutors. The prosecu-tors in this case repeatedly,blatantly and unapologeti-cally broke rules that are inplace to protect us all byensuring our fundamentalright to a fair trial.

We are pleased thatJudge Belinda Hill found –not once but twice – that theprosecutors had committedmisconduct. ”

The Harris CountyHousehold HazardousWaste Collection Facilitywill open to the public be-ginning Tuesday, Septem-ber 15thand will beaccepting customers byappointment only. Pleaseread all signs at the facili-ty as some procedures havechanged.

Please go to our websiteat www.HCHHW.org andclick on the banner at thetop. It will allow you to“SCHEDULE ADROPOFF” on the day andtime that is convenient foryou. This program worksbest on Google Chrome,Firefox, and Edge.

Appointments will bescheduled on Tuesday,

Wednesday, Thursday, andthe 2nd and 4thSaturdays.We will onlyserve those with appoint-ments at this time.

Please arrive at yourappointment time. If youcannot make your appoint-ment, please cancel it andreschedule via our website.

You will be provideda confirmation numberwhen you schedule yourappointment. You mustprovide your confirmationnumber, your name, or ad-dress when you arrive atthe facility.

Please stay in yourvehicle to be offloaded withyour vehicle turned off. Wecannot remove your HHWitems if you are out of your

vehicle or it is not turnedoff.

Please review and fol-low the new COVID-19protocol listed on thescheduler. You must weara face covering while at thefacility.

We are limiting theinteraction between cus-tomers and staff so pleasecall ahead if you have anyquestions. Please note ournumber has changed andis now 346.286.4299.

If you have an itemthat no longer has its orig-inal label, please writewhat is in the container onthe outside of it.

We want to ensure youare safe while visiting ourfacility.

HC Household Hazardous Wastefacility now open to the public

Star ✯ Courier / Press / North Channel STAR Page 7THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2020

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LEGAL NOTICE

NOTICE TOCREDITORS

Notice is herebygiven that OriginalLetters ofTESTAMENTARYfor Docket No.486595; Estate ofU W E L LC H R I S T I N EC A S T O NDeceased; InProbate Court No.2, of Harris County,Texas, Deceased,were issued onSEPTEMBER 24,2020.

ROBERT DEVERCASTON, JR. AND

KIT JUSTINCASTON

The residenceaddress of theadministrator is inHarris County,Texas. The mailingaddress is:

c/o Weston Cotten5223 Garth Rd.

Baytown, TX77521

All persons havingclaims against thisEstate which iscurrently beingadministered arerequired to presentthem within thetime and in themanner prescribedby law.Dated this October 5,2020

by WESTONCOTTEN

Attorney for theEstate

LEGAL NOTICE

NOTICE TOCREDITORS

Notice is herebygiven that OriginalLetters ofTESTAMENTARYfor Docket No.486380; Estate ofBEVERLY JEANW I L S O NDeceased; InProbate Court No.4, of Harris County,Texas, Deceased,were issued onSEPTEMBER 30,2020.

JOSEPH SCOTTWILSON

The residenceaddress of theadministrator is inHarris County,Texas. The mailingaddress is:

c/o Weston Cotten5223 Garth Rd.

Baytown, TX77521

All persons havingclaims against thisEstate which iscurrently beingadministered arerequired to presentthem within thetime and in themanner prescribedby law.Dated this October 5,2020

by WESTONCOTTEN

Attorney for theEstate

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PARTSSERVICESR.F. Hull Water Well- Pump Service.281-442-5630.

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CITY OF HOUSTON

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

Star ✯ Courier / Press / North Channel STAR Page 9THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2020

Rotary delivers relief filled totes

Highlands Rotarians Jerry Fallin and Andy Scott, at center in above photo, delivereda trailer load of totes filled with Relief supplies and food, to the Rotary club inDeQuincy, Louisiana for distribution to victims of Hurricane Laura and subsequentflooding and destruction.

GP/JC RotaryPies for Polio

At right, Maria Cortez-Ochoa gets a Pie in the Faceat a Polio fundraiser held lastweek by the Galena Park/Jacinto City Rotary Club.

Participants paid $10 or$20 for the opportunity to“pie” a friend with awhipped cream pie.

Funds were donated tothe Rotary InternationalPolio Plus program, which iseradicating poliothroughout the world.

Each donation wasmatched by the Bill &Melinda Gates foundationwith two times the amount.

A total of over $1000 wasraised by the club with thisevent.

Star ✯ Courier / Press / North Channel STARPage 10 THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2020

Star ✯ Courier / Press / North Channel STAR Page 11THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2020

Star ✯ Courier / Press / North Channel STARPage 12 THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2020

Star ✯ Courier / Press / North Channel STAR Page 13THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2020

Star ✯ Courier / Press / North Channel STARPage 14 THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2020