Friendswood Development News

Normally, the flu season begins some time in October and lasts throughout the month of May. And, vaccination usually starts in September, a full 30 days prior to the season opening, and flu activity peaks in January.

The new 2010-2011 flu vaccines that combine seasonal and H1N1 viruses in single doses ought to help Houston and the nation avoid a repeat of last year's hit-or-miss scramble for immunizations.

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With Hurricane season starting to heat-up, it’s important to think about stocking up on nonperishable foods that will sustain your family in the event of an extended power outage caused by these natural disasters.

According to nutrition experts, people generally tend to think more about their basic needs than their families taste preferences in the event of an emergency, but if you plan ahead, you can have a great variety of foods and nutrients that not only taste good, but your family will be happy to eat!

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Three Friendswood Development Company master-planned communities are served by school districts now rated as Exemplary by the Texas Education Agency.

Although in different areas of town, Graystone Hills, located in the Conroe Independent School District, Lakes of Savannah, located in the Alvin Independent School District, and West Ranch, located in the Friendswood Independent School District, now share the honor of being located in school districts rated Exemplary based on outstanding results achieved by students on the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) test.

The TEA recently released results and rankings. In order to be considered Exemplary, districts must meet specific standards that consider overall achievement on the TAKS and graduation rates. At least 90 percent of a district’s or school’s students must pass the TAKS test, and 95 percent of high school students must either graduated on time or continued high school for a fifth year.

Alvin ISD, Conroe ISD and Friendswood ISD are three of just 239 of the state’s 2,624 districts to earn the Exemplary rating and three of just five in the Houston area that earned the honor.

For more information on the Texas Education Agency, visit the website at www.tea.state.tx.us.

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Most people don’t even realize how much electronic energy they are wasting and it seems logical that if items are “turned off” they shouldn’t be affecting your electrical usage. But, oh boy is that assumption wrong! Here are a few facts and tips to help you save more than $200 a year without sacrificing a single creature comfort.

• Plug your DVD players, TVs and game consoles into a power strip so you can switch them off when not in use or are out of town. As much as 80 percent of the electricity these power hogs consume is used while they’re idle, powering light displays and communicating with other components such as the remote or satellite.
• Unplug “wall warts” (aka plugs attached to a black transformer box) like a cell-phone or iPod charger. The general rule of thumb - if they are plugged into an outlet, they are pulling power whether charging a device or not.
• Turn your computer off completely when it’s not in use. If this is impossible for you, learn to religiously use the power-saving sleep mode, which uses 60 to 80 percent less energy than full-power mode. Visit www.energystar.gov for information on how to activate your computer’s power-saving mode. If you absolutely can’t do this, at the very least, turn OFF your monitor and don’t rely on the screen saver – it too is an energy drain.
• Follow the “Just Unplug It” rule with any other non-essential electronics such as coffee pots, toasters, flat irons, etc. The less you have plugged in the more you’ll save!

With pocket books tightening and back-to-school expenses starting to pile up, these are just a few simple ways to cut back and actually save money, precious resources, and even the planet! So talk to your family and make sure everyone knows to “Just Unplug It”!

Green FACT: According to the EPA, “using power management on your desktop computer could save 900 kilowatt-hours a year. That amounts to 1,500 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions, the equivalent of driving a medium-size car from New York to Salt Lake City.”

Source: Energy Star/EPA Gov

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According to the Houston Business Journal, Houston single-family home sales once again stayed positive in June, making it the fourth month in a row of good news. 

In even more positive real estate news, the sales of single-family homes across the Houston-area market rose 2.9 percent this June, compared to June 2009, which also follows notable increases of 11.3 percent in March, 27.8 percent in April and 18.2 percent in May, according to the latest monthly data provided by the Houston Association of Realtors. Sales volume grew in all single-family home price segments with the exception of the $150,000 to $250,000 price range. The leading increase took place with homes priced at $500,000 and over. The June sales of all single family property types together climbed 4.1 percent on a year-over-year basis.

The average price of a single-family, now $222,767 is up by 0.9 percent since June 2009, creating an overall outcome that has sales prices reaching the highest level since August 2009; now is the time to sell and move into a Friendswood Development Community!

Source: Houston Business Journal

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Make a green impression on your kids this fall with planet-friendly (non-toxic) school supplies. Not only will it be a conversational icebreaker with their new classmates, but many of the eco-friendly options are super stylish, too. Follow these simple green shopping tips and get started shopping:

• Try not to buy backpacks made of nylon or “new plastics”, especially PVC/vinyl. Instead opt for bags made from recycled materials or natural cotton, or materials such as hemp.
• Choose biodegradable pens. These corn-made pens disintegrate completely about a year after they are thrown away and can be found for just $2 each at online retailers such as www.grassrootsstore.com.
• Send lunches in reusable food and beverage containers. Pack lunches in Wrap-N-Mat, cotton and non-PVC-vinyl–lined bags or BPA-free snack containers. These items are now widely available and easy to find at many local retailers such as Target and Wal-Mart. 
• Don’t send prepackaged beverages. Opt for BPA-free, reusable water bottles such as Sigg or REI. We’ve all seen the horrifying commercial that states “enough plastic water bottles were thrown away last year to wrap around the planet 3 times!” That says it all.
• Buy recycled when available. Kleen Earth scissors have black handles that are made from recycled plastic and the Post-It company now has an entire line of recycled sticky notes available at most office supply stores.
• Avoid toxic adhesive paste. This glue is a parent and student favorite. Coccoina sticky paste (aka glue) is made of potato starch and works on paper and fabric. And best of all, it is solvent-free and smells like almonds! Although not as easily available as some of the other suggestions, Coccoina can be purchased at popular green online retailers such as www.greendepot.com.

Start your green shopping at bulk supply retailers such as OfficeMax and Staples - all of which offer notebooks made from recycled paper and many other eco-friendly supply solutions. And, for those not-so-easy-to-find items, online retailers such as www.greendepot.com  can be a one-stop solution for the rest of your needs!

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Friendswood Development Company ‘s ongoing support of Houston’s Ronald McDonald House recently included an annual carnival held at the facility for residents, who include children undergoing treatment for cancer and other life threatening illnesses  and their siblings.

The fun-filled afternoon was well deserved for the families residing at Houston’s Ronald McDonald House, who had the opportunity to enjoy a variety of fun activities offered participants of all ages the chance to just act like kids.

From indoor bowling, popcorn and cotton candy machines to soccer, water balloon throwing and a duck pond game, carnival participants enjoyed events inside and out.

A number of associates from Friendswood Development Company spent the afternoon serving lunch, setting up and playing a number of games and handing out goodie bags and treats.

For nearly four years, the associates of Friendswood Development Company have been honored to donate their time, talents and hearts to a group of very special children and their families who are confronting what is often one of the most difficult challenges they will face in their lifetimes.

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With everyone scrambling to re-establish their financial security amidst the recent recession, many of the conventional wisdoms our parents have followed are changing, according to the experts. Here’s a look at the 2010 version of a few previously followed assumptions regarding our financial safety nets.

Remember when your father told you to keep three months’ worth of living expenses in an easily accessible emergency savings account? Well, here’s the expert take on the new rule: stash at least six months’ worth! With the increased chance of job loss, extended average lengths of unemployment, and the disappearing availability of credit, it is becoming essential that you keep more cash in a separate FDIC-insured savings account.

The days of calling your credit-card company and negotiating a lower interest rate to help lower payments is over. In fact, avoid picking up the phone to call them for any reason! The big reason here is that credit card companies are taking this “customer initiated call” to review your credit worthiness and in many cases will actually raise your interest rate or reduce your credit limit. "So if you still want to make that call, review your credit report [www.freecreditreport.com] thoroughly to catch anything they might find," says Maureen P. Kelly, a certified financial planner. “If there are potential issues, like late or missed payments, or if your credit score is lower than the last time you checked it, ask yourself if a lower rate is worth the possibility of a lower credit line.”

Just because your current mortgage balance is greater than the value of your property, don’t rule out refinancing. Then new rule of thumb is to go ahead with a refinance if the amount owed doesn’t exceed 5% of the home’s market value. Since the government recently put into place the Making Home Affordable program, aimed at helping Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac homeowners with declining property values.

The moral of this story? Financial stability has a new meaning for many Americans, but with little tweaking of the old rules and the invention of a few new ones, homeowners can regain their footing and financial security in no time!

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The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center <http://profiles.portfolio.com/company/us/tx/houston/the_university_of_texas_m_d__anderson_cancer_center/885353/>  was also ranked No. 6 for ear, nose and throat and No. 10 for urology. It also ranked No. 11 in gynecology and No. 19 in gastroenterology. M.D. Anderson's ranking in diabetes and endocrinology jumped to number 21 this year, up from 41 last year and unranked the year before.

Other area hospitals earning spots in the Top 10 included:
 
• Memorial Hermann-The Institute for Rehabilitation and Research - No. 5 in rehabilitation.
 
• Menninger Clinic  - No. 5 in psychiatry
 
• St. Luke’s Episcopal Hospital’s Texas Heart Institute  - No. 4 for heart and heart surgery.

The Methodist Hospital -  ranked in twice as many specialties as any other hospital in Texas, according to the list.

Methodist was among the country’s top hospitals in 13 specialties although it wasn’t ranked in the Top 10 for any of them: Ophthalmology (12), ear, nose, throat (17), urology (18), gastroenterology (20), geriatrics (20), kidney (24), neurology/neurosurgery (25), orthopedics (26), pulmonary (27), gynecology (36), heart/heart surgery (42), diabetes/endocrinology (44) and cancer (45). Last year, the system earned a spot on the “Best Hospitals” Honor Roll.

Outside of the top 10, the Memorial Hermann Healthcare System also ranked in several specialties: No. 30 in kidney disease; No. 38 in gynecology; No. 46 in heart and heart Surgery; No. 48 in urology.

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On July 2, 2010, President Obama signed the National Flood Insurance Program Extension Act of 2010, H.R. 5569, which Congress passed on June 30, 2010. This now extends the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) through September 30, 2010, and is retroactive to cover the lapse period from June 1, 2010, to the date of enactment of the extension. 

The passage of this extension is an especially welcomed relief to Southern US residents entering hurricane season and already drenched in heavy tropical rains.

According to FEMA, the passage of the National Flood Insurance Program Extension Act of 2010 (H.R. 5569), reauthorizes extension NFIP until September 30, allowing currently stalled transactions, including existing policy renewals and new coverage purchases, to move forward. The bill is retroactive and covers the lapsed period from June 1, 2010, to the date of enactment of the extension. Any new policy applications or renewals that were signed and submitted during the lapsed period will be effective from the date of application. In the case of waiting periods, the waiting period will start from the date of application.

The National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) is administered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), which works closely with nearly 90 private insurance companies, such as Nationwide, State Farm and Farmers, to offer flood insurance to property owners and renters. Rates are set and do not differ from company to company or agent to agent and depend on many factors, which include the date and type of construction of your home, along with your building’s level of risk.

All processing functionality has been restored to agents and applications and other requests submitted during the hiatus will now be processed. Newly submitted New Business, Endorsement requests, and Renewals will be processed upon receipt. 

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