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Covering the Heights, Garden Oaks, Oak Forest & the neighborhoods of North Houston 1 0 5 7 0 Saturday, May 7, 2022 • Vol. 67 • No. 19 ove Send L mile S Send a en By Adam Zuvanich azuvanich@theleadernews.com
Sylvester Turner said in February that the City of Houston was moving forward with its plan to reconfigure traffic on 11th Street, which he said would make the Heights thoroughfare “safer for all.” The Houston mayor took a step back from that statement on Tuesday, saying during a Houston City Council meeting that he wanted to take a month to review the plan for the 11th Street Bikeway, which is more than three years in the making.
Among other traffic modifications, it calls for a reduction in vehicular lanes along with the addition of protected bicycle lanes on a 1.5-mile stretch of 11th between North Shepherd Drive and Michaux Street. “He said he wanted to spend at least the next 30 days to convene his departments, review everything and listen to stakeholders and decide the best way to move forward,” said Mary Benton, a spokesperson for Turner. Turner’s announcement followed the testimony of four Heights-area residents who are opposed to the
plan for 11th Street, where the current configuration is two vehicular lanes in each direction. The city has proposed a road diet, which would reduce the number of vehicular lanes to one in each direction, with a center, left-turn lane on most of the stretch between Heights Boulevard and Studewood Street to the east, along with protected bike lanes on the both sides of 11th throughout the project area. Also part of the plan are related multimodal features along Michaux See 11th Street P. 5A
Photo by Adam Zuvanich A woman on a bike crosses 11th Street at its intersection with Nicholson Street in the Heights.
Driver in fatal collision charged with DWI By Adam Zuvanich azuvanich@theleadernews.com
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INSIDE. Photo by Adam Zuvanich Mohadesa Ahmadi, left, and Atifa Habibi study in the Heights High School library on April 28. They are among a group of Afghan refugees who recently settled in Houston and have enrolled at Heights as well as Hogg Middle School.
Afghan teens embracing new life in Heights
They’re ba-a-a-ck. Grasseating goats are back at the Houston Arboretum & Nature Center.
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Turner to ‘take closer look’ at plan for 11th Street
Patrick Bilnoski
Well done. Local burger joint Peaky Grinders is the subject of our latest restaurant review.
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By Adam Zuvanich azuvanich@theleadernews.com
Atifa Habibi and her mother left behind family, friends and the only lifestyle they had known when they fled from Afghanistan about nine months ago. First they sought refuge in Qatar and then arrived in the United States, first in Washington D.C. and later Wisconsin. It’s been a few months since they were relocated to Houston, which has been enough time for the 17-year-old Habibi to take a liking to her new home. She attends Heights High School and See related story is classmates with boys – something she could not do in her home country, Page 4A Habibi said – and is quickly learning the English language. Habibi also has gotten a taste of the American dream, saying she likes biology and aspires to become a doctor. “Here I can read, I can get an education, I can make my future,” Habibi said. “It’s good for me. I like this.” Habibi is one of more than 20 students at Heights who are recent refugees from Afghanistan, with several more attending Hogg Middle School and Memorial Elementary, according to Kulsoom Karakoc, a Heights teacher who has
The pickup truck driver who fatally struck a pedestrian and his dog early April 5 has been charged with driving while intoxicated during a subsequent crash on the same Shady Acres street later that morning, according to Harris County court records, which also show the driver might have been under the influence of prescription drugs at the time of the first collision. A probable cause affidavit filed April 27 in a Harris County criminal court of law shows that Prateek Kumar, 33, allegedly admitted to taking a larger-thanprescribed dose of his anxiety medication at 3 a.m. April 5 - about three hours before he struck fellow Shady Acres resident Ryan Lutz and his dog, Orbit, as they were jogging in the 900 block of West 25th Street. Lutz, 35, died from his injuries 10 days later, and his dog died at the scene. Houston Police Department officer Ashley Finlay said in the probable cause affidavit that Kumar, who is accused of misdemeanor DWI for his role in the subsequent crash, “told me that he had taken one and a half pills of his anxiety medication at approximately 0300 hours on April 5 … He stated that he is only supposed to take one pill. “(Another HPD officer) observed (Kumar) state to Medic personnel that he had taken Xanax and Ambien overnight and had not slept at all,” Finlay added in the affidavit. “I was informed by Medic personnel that (Kumar) was on a ‘cocktail of drugs’ and needed to be transSee DWI P. 5A
Photo by Adam Zuvanich Mohammad Asin Sahibzada is one of more than 20 refugees from Afghanistan who are attending Heights High School.
been assisting the students and helping them adjust to life in the U.S. They are among dozens of Afghan families who were placed in a Memorial Drive apartment complex by Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Galveston-HousSee Refuge P. 5A
Photo by Landan Kuhlmann West 25th Street in the Heights was the site of two related crashes early April 5, when pickup truck driver Prateek Kumar fatally struck Ryan Lutz and his dog and later crashed into a parked car, according to Houston Police Department crash reports.
Options abound for local Mother’s Day celebrations By Landan Kuhlmann landan@theleadernews.com
Strong showing. The St. Thomas High School rugby team was a state semifinalist.
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Photo by by Alex Montoya The Roti Guang Gai will be one of the options on Kin Dee’s Mother’s Day brunch menu this weekend.
As area residents gather with their families to celebrate the moms and motherly figures in their lives this Mother’s Day weekend, there are several local businesses that are providing some options to choose from in order to recognize that special woman. The Heights, Garden Oaks, Oak Forest and surrounding neighborhoods have a plethora of events happening this weekend especially for Mother’s Day. Whether it’s a special dining spot, place to pick out the perfect gift, or something else, there is
something for everyone. Here is a rundown of some local events that are sure to make mom happy this weekend. Local restaurants offering special menus, deals One of the first orders of business is a Mother’s Day meal , and several area dining spots have special menus on the docket this weekend. Harold’s Restaurant, Bar and Rooftop Terrace, 350 W. 19th St., is offering a special Mother’s Day brunch and dinner menu on Sunday. Both menus will include appetizer options such as fried mac and cheese bites with a special white cheddar sauce. The brunch menu will have
entrée options such as a smothered southern omelet and breakfast burger, while the dinner menu includes offerings such as Gulf redfish and southern blackened shrimp scampi. Spots are limited, so community members should call Harold’s at 713-360-6204 or visit haroldsheights.com/ happenings/mothers-daybrunch-and-dinner to reserve a table. Both meals are $45 before taxes and tip, according to the event page. Thai restaurant Kin Dee at 1533 N. Shepherd Dr. also has a special Mother’s Day brunch menu. It includes See Mother’s Day P. 5A
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