FOOTBALL COMMUNITY MOURNS DEATH OF HEAD COACH YEOMAN SPORTS | 6 KATY PUTTING IN PRESEASON WORK BEFORE OPENER Katy Times PAGE 5 VOLUME 108, ISSUE 34 THE GREATER KATY AREA'S NEWS SOURCE SINCE 1912 n katytimes.com THURSDAY, AUGUST 20, 2020 Benton joins Interim sheriff appointed district race By R. HANS MILLER NEWS EDITOR Local nonprofit-head Titus Benton announced Monday that he will be putting his name in the hat for the Texas House District 132 race as a write-in indepen- dent. Benton will face incumbent Democratic Representative Gina Calanni and Republican and for- mer HD 132 Representative Mike Schofield in the race. “The partisan temperature in this country and in our state has risen to dangerous levels. The fever has to break eventually. I believe independent candidates can help pave a more united path forward,” Benton said in a press release announcing his run for WALLER COUNTY the Texas congressional seat. Fire Marshal Brian Cantrell recommended that commissioners reinstate a burn ban due to expected high temperatures. The court has had a tendency to examine the need for a burn ban Both the Calanni and Schof- each of the last few weeks and readers may want to view the county’s website prior to burning debris. ield campaigns declined to com- ment on the announcement. Texas House District 132 is situated in northwestern Harris County and has a population of Burn ban instituted, OK COVID-19 testing about 173,000. It’s area includes the northwestern portion of the By R. HANS MILLER remainder of Sheriff Smith’s term – obvious- Office and has worked at a variety of agen- city of Katy and parts of the Cinco NEWS EDITOR ly Sheriff Smith had confidence in (Hester, cies since then, including as police chief Ranch area just west of Hous- who) was his deputy chief,” County Judge for the cities of Denver City, Navasota and The Waller County Commissioners ton. Highway 290 serves as its Trey Duhon said. Hempstead, according to the WCSO web- northern border while Fort Bend Court appointed Joe Hester as Hester will serve as Waller site. He has served as WCSO’s patrol captain County’s northern and Waller interim sheriff for the county County sheriff through the end from 2007 to 2013 when he was promoted to County’s eastern border count as during the court’s regular of the year – the remainder chief deputy, overseeing the criminal inves- its boundaries. meeting this morning. Hester of Smith’s elected term. An tigation and patrol groups for WCSO. Benton is a philanthropist and has been late Sheriff R. Glenn election between Republican Hester holds a bachelor’s degree from Smith’s second in command candidate Troy Guidry and Wayland Baptist College. He also holds a See RACE, page 5 for quite some time. Commis- Democratic candidate Cedric master peace officer certification and is a sioners also reinstated a burn Watson this Nov. 3 will deter- graduate of the FBI National Academy. ban countywide. mine who is sworn in to take The court also reinstated a burn ban at “I will just say this, Joe Hes- JOE HESTER over permanently in January, the recommendation of Fire Marshal Brian ter has a very long career in Duhon said. Cantrell. law enforcement, I think 46 years. … I think Hester began his career in law enforce- Joe is an excellent choice to serve out the ment in 1973 with the Terry County Sheriffs See SHERIFF, page 5 TX COVID-19 deaths top 10K, data shows TEXAS HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES House District 132 covers the Katy area some improvements portion of Harris County and extends into the Cypress area. By R. HANS MILLER NEWS EDITOR KISD HAVE A NEWS TIP? Katy ISD’s new safety videos highlight steps the district is taking to ensure campuses The COVID-19 pandemic and government response to it in the three remain sanitary for students during the COVID-19 pandemic. In this screen capture, counties that comprise the Katy area continue to move forward as deaths [email protected] a KISD employee sanitizes a cafeteria table after use to demonstrate the additional in Texas from the virus exceeded 10,000 earlier this week. However, data sanitation steps the district will be taking once campuses reopen. from the Texas Medical Center and Texas Department of State Health SUBSCRIBE TODAY Services is showing that measures to combat the virus may be working. (281) 391-3141 Cases continue to mount, though the number of new hospitalizations is on the decline according to data from the Texas Medical Center. Data August 20, 2020 shows that in early July, TMC saw more than 300 cases per day on sever- 10 pages | $1 Safety videos issued al days in the month. In August, that trend has dropped to 200 or fewer for return to school See COVID, page 5 By R. HANS MILLER NEWS EDITOR To help families prepare for in-person instruction set to be- gin Sept. 8, Katy ISD has released seven safety demonstration videos for families to review prior to a return to campus. The new videos highlight practices the district has put in place to ensure Texas Education Agency and health officials’ guidelines are followed on campus. “Following established classroom safety practices is essen- tial to protecting the health and well-being of our Katy ISD learners, staff and families,” said KISD Emergency Manage- ment Coordinator Ruben Martinez. “The virus that causes COVID-19 can infect people of all ages and backgrounds.” The videos highlight basic practices put in place for dis- trict students in classrooms and on buses. Children in Pre-K R. HANS MILLER Data from the Texas Medical Center, which Texas Children’s Hospital is a part of, indicates that See SCHOOL, page 2 COVID-19 hospitalizations are declining. OUTSMARTING CANCER IN WEST HOUSTON & KATY 832.522.5522 houstonmethodist.org/cancer-west THE KATY TIMES 2 THURSDAY, AUGUST 20, 2020 EDUCATION KATYTIMES.COM Technology distributed for online classes By R. HANS MILLER NEWS EDITOR Katy ISD began classes Aug. 19 INTERNET ACCESS with the first three weeks of classes Students whose families need assistance obtaining internet slated to be held virtually, rather than access may qualify for help through the four providers listed in the classroom for all students. below if they were not provided with a hotspot by Katy ISD. In preparation for that, Katy ISD has issued thousands of devices to COMCAST INTERNET ESSENTIALS KISD students to ensure they have www.internetessentials.com the technology to keep up with their 855-846-8376 (English) school work. 855-765-6995 (Spanish) “No child will be left offline. Our goal is to ensure our students have SPECTRUM INTERNET ASSIST access to technology in order to https://www.spectrum.com/browse/content/ learn virtually,” said KISD Director spectrum-internet-assist.html CONTRIBUTED BY KISD of Instructional Technology Darlene 844-488-8395 Katy ISD staff brought devices out to vehicles for curbside pick up on Monday, Aug. 17. About half Rankin. “Prior to the pandemic, the of the district’s student body will continue to take online classes through the Katy Virtual Academy District was already transitioning to ACCESS FROM AT&T after students are allowed to return to classes Sept. 8. equipping our campuses and their https://www.att.com/internet/access/ libraries with technology devices for 855-220-5211 digital learning.” than 12,000 devices on April 22 to list of internet providers offering dis- Devices were issued to students ENTOUCH ESSENTIAL SERVICES PROGRAM students to facilitate learning at counted access for qualifying KISD via a drive-thru curbside event Aug. http://www.entouch.net/essential-services/ home through a similar curbside families. (see the Internet Access 17 to make sure students partici- 281-225-1416 pick up process. Now, as then, the sidebar) pating in the district’s Katy Virtual devices come with all of the software District staff worked diligently Academy – also known as KVA – have and safety protocols district policy throughout the summer to install access to the devices that will facili- has established to allow students to hardware on old district-owned tate their education this year. access MyKaty Cloud, the district’s hardware, staff said. After Sept. 8, the first day students a KISD press release. The statement issued include Chromebooks, lap- e-learning website as well as the “Those devices, along with new will return to campuses, about said the district has received more tops, iPads and hotspots. Canvas website and other learning purchases, are now being provided 43,000 students will continue to than 25,000 requests for devices to When the pandemic first began, resources. to students who have a technology attend classes virtually, according to facilitate at-home learning. Devices Rankin’s department issued more The district has also compiled a need in their home,” Rankin said. hands and to pick up a discarded at the end of the School-Safety-Demonstra- KISD teachers will get $200 SCHOOL sanitizing wipe as they meal period. Students will tion-Videos.aspx from page 1 enter the classroom. Once need to wear their masks Virtual instruction began each for classroom expenses the wipe is obtained, they while not eating or drink- Aug. 19, KISD students will will be asked to wipe down ing. Parents are encouraged not return to campuses through third grade are By R. HANS MILLER their desks or workstations. to pay for meals online so until Sept. 8. About half of highly encouraged to wear NEWS EDITOR KISD staff will then that students may pay for KISD’s 84,000 students will masks.