Mike Wong Realtor, GRI

The Sugar Land Police Department's Crime Prevention Fair will be held this Saturday, Oct. 4, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., in the plaza at Sugar Land Town Square. The Crime Prevention Fair is a kickoff celebration for Texans Against Crime on Oct. 14. Activities scheduled during the fair include:

• Child ID: Digitally produced, the cards include personal information and the child's photo. The cards are useful to parents who need important information about their child readily available in an emergency.

• Child Safety Seat: SLPD has taken aggressive steps to protect children by not only actively enforcing child restraint laws, but also training individuals in the area on proper installation of child safety seats. The department's "Child Safety Seat Technicians" have passed a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration certification course and they will be available to help ensure the proper installation of child safety seats.

• Bicycle ID: Bikes frames are engraved with the owner's drivers license number to deter theft. If the bike is lost or stolen, it can be easily identified and returned to its owner.

Other activities include a moonwalk for kids and static displays of SLPD's mobile command post and several patrol vehicles. For more information, contact Officer Amy Cummins at 281-275-2575.

Thank you Active Rain! The last time I said this was back at 10,000 points. Since then, the many thanks I owe to Active Rain and the many consumers who have called or emailed me has been long overdue.

I wanted to wait until at least the 100,000 mark to say anything, but this isnt about blowing my own horn. This post is to thank Active Rain and the forum they provided, my fellow AR members and family, my great clients, and those who took the time to email, call, or approach me in person to tell me they enjoy my blog. Its my pleasure to write and provide content for you. Thanks for the inspiration and motivation to continue.

So here I am a little over 60,000 points. Even though I say its never about the points, it about the blog content, the points do matter. My goal is to reach 100,000 points before the end of the year. Is that possible? I hope so with all your support.

Ive learned so much here on Active Rain from my peers. Ive also learned from my clients who call with questions, and I want everyone to feel welcome to do so. You are the reason why I do this. So send me emails, call me, its ok to approach me when Im grocery shopping and let me know what you want to hear on my blog. Give me the feedback, and I will continue doing my best to provide all the great content you are used to getting from me.

To everyone who helped me to this point, Im humbled again and THANK YOU!

It must be Sugar Land's economic development growth... or is it the job growth... or is it the economic stability in the area... or is it one of the lowest crime rates in the country... or is it because it rated as one of the best places to live by Money magazine. Well whatever it is, Bill Heard Chevrolet is still sweet on Sugar Land.

Bill Heard Enterprises said in a news release Wednesday it was closing its 13 dealerships nationwide, but one of its locations in the Houston area remained open. Bill Heard Chevrolet in Sugar Land will stay in business according to Linda Patterson, operations manager for the dealership. However, Landmark Chevrolet at 9111 North Freeway was closed until further notice. Last year, Landmark was ranked seventh in area vehicle sales by InfoNation, a Houston auto market report, and Bill Heard Chevrolet was eighth. They were the top two Chevy dealers. Bill Heard's year-to-date sales through August saw a 26 percent drop compared with the same period last year.

Warranties from closed locations will be honored at other Chevrolet dealerships.

Bill Heard Enterprises has been the nation's single largest chain of Chevy dealerships. In a written statement, Bill Heard Enterprises attributed the closings to rising fuel prices, an inventory too focused on heavy trucks and SUVs and the U.S. economic slowdown. The parent company, whose officials were not available for comment, has had other challenges. "About a month ago, there was an issue with GM and Bill Heard where some of their stores lost their line of credit with GMAC," Rhadigan said.

A family-owned company, Bill Heard Enterprises was founded in 1919. The company was ranked 13th among U.S. auto dealership groups according to Automotive News, with 2007 revenue of $2.1 billion.

Five Houston companies cracked the Top 10 on Fortune magazine's list of the 100 fastest-growing companies. Such growth in the Houston market continues to contribute to one of the most steady housing markets and stable job economies in the country.

#2 was T-3 Energy Services Inc. of Houston
#3 was Allis-Chalmers Energy Inc. of Houston
#5 was DXP Enterprises Inc. of Houston
#6 was National Oilwell Varco Inc. of Houston
#8 was Atwood Oceanics Inc. of Houston

Fortune ranked companies based on their revenue and earnings-per-share growth and three-year annualized total return to investors for the period ended June 30, 2008. Leading the pack was Tulsa, Okla.-based Arena Resources Inc. with a return of 107 percent. T-3 Energy followed with 101 percent.

Eleven other Houston companies also made the list:

# 34 - Cameron International Corp.
# 36 - Dril-Quip Inc.
# 39 - OYO Geospace Corp.
# 42 - Oceaneering International Inc.
# 45 - Team Inc.
# 52 - Ion Geophysical Corp.
# 55 - Rowan Cos. Inc.
# 59 - Helix Energy Services Group Inc.
# 69 - Gulfmark Offshore Inc.
# 71 - Copano Energy LLC
# 73 - Smith International Inc.

Former Presidents George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton appointed James Baker III as national chairman for their new initiative, the Bush-Clinton Coastal Recovery Fund.

The fund will work with the hardest-hit cities, towns and municipalities along the Texas and Louisiana Gulf Coast to pinpoint the best use of the funds, such as infrastructure projects.

Bush and former Secretary of State Baker are expected to tour the area in the coming weeks, and the first distributions will be made at the end of the year. The new nonprofit venture is the third collaboration for the two presidents since 2005.

Donations to the fund can be made at http://www.bushclintoncoastalfund.org