The 01-28-23 Edition of the Heights Leader

OHFA seeking to renew SEAL security patrol

By Landan Kuhlmann landan@theleadernews.com

About a decade ago, crime was soaring in Oak Forest, with a resident being held up at gunpoint in their driveway in one case, leading to the implementation of a contract security patrol to help deter potential crimes.

The S.E.A.L. SECURITY patrol, which is renewed at the beginning of each year, is up for renewal once again.

And the Oak Forest Homeowners Association is asking for support from homeowners in order to keep the security contractors patrolling the neighborhood for another year.

S.E.AL. began in 2013 after a group of volunteers began searching for ways to make the neighborhood feel safer amidst an uptick in crime in Houston. S.E.A.L. was selected in 2013, and patrols began that September.

“Residents are positive about having security patrol through SEAL, and told the OFHA Board why they want to keep it,” said Lucy FisherCain, the OFHA board’s treasurer.

There are more than 5,500 homes divided among 18 sections in Oak Forest, with more than 23,000 residents living in the neighborhood according to the OFHA. S.E.A.L.

Safe delivery

City launches annual youth employment program

By Landan Kuhlmann landan@theleadernews.com

High school and college-age Houstonians looking for jobs could have an opportunity to work for the city of Houston as part of the city’s annual youth employment program.

On Wednesday morning, Mayor Sylvester Turner and other city officials announced the return of the city’s eighth annual Hire Houston Youth young employment program.

As part of the eight-week program, those ages 16-24 can apply for local jobs and internships in the city’s various departments in the public, private, and philanthropic sectors according to a news release from the city.

The city initially launched the program launched in August 2016 as a means to “serve as a facilitator to connect youth, where they are empowered with an ‘earn and learn opportunity in Houston’s dynamic economy.”

Heights UPS driver earns national safety honor

By Landan Kuhlmann landan@theleadernews.com

If they have lived or worked in the Heights at any time over the last couple of decades, chances are that residents have had packages delivered to them by United Parcel Service driver Ron Broussard. And there’s also zero chance that any incidents occurring with area delivery drivers have involved Broussard.

Earlier this month, Broussard – whose route includes many residential and business deliveries in the

Heights – was inducted in the national UPS Circle of Honor. In order to achieve the award, UPS spokesperson Becky Biciolis said drivers must go at least 25 years without an ac -

cident – even a scratch or minor dent.

“It’s an honor to receive the award. As a driver it shows that it can be done if you use all of your safety methods,” said Broussard, who lives in Katy but spends his days delivering to the Heights and other area neighborhoods in Houston. “It’s important to me to be safe around the public at all times.”

In total, Broussard has been driving for UPS for over 30 years and has logged a little over 707,000 miles delivering packages to homes and businesses

in Houston and the Heights. But he didn’t initially set out to become someone who is now regarded as one of the company’s safest drivers.

Broussard graduated from Blinn Junior College with a degree in criminal justice several decades ago, and was working at Randall’s while he worked on his aspirations of being a police officer. Then one day, he said a coworker came to him with a proposition.

“A friend I worked

See UPS P. 4

For more information on the Hire Houston Youth program, community members can visit the initiative’s website at hirehoustonyouth.org/

St. Thomas football named state finalist for national academic honor

By Landan Kuhlmann landan@theleadernews.com

A local private high school football team has been recognized as a finalist for a national athletic academic performance award that is the first of its kind.

On Jan. 20, the Texas High School Coaches Association announced 53 state finalists for

the National Football Foundation’s inaugural National High School Academic Excellence Award, and the finalists include St. Thomas High School’s football team.

The award is the first nationwide recognition honoring individual high school football teams for excellence in the classroom with

a team GPA of 3.0 or above on a 4.0 scale, according to a news release from the THSCA. The state champions and national finalists will be announced at the beginning of February during Super Bowl Week.

“Academic success is as important as ath -

2

Fond farewell Among other news, leading Nibbles and Sips is Don Teo’s closign in Oak Forest after 32 years in business

Contributed photo

UPS driver Ron Broussard, who drives and delivers packages to homes and businesses in the Heights, was recently recognized by the organization’s Circle of Honor for 25 years of driving without an incident.

Photo by Jack Potts Photography

The St. Thomas High School football team was recently named a state finalist for a national team academic award. See St. Thomas P.

Photo from Facebook The Oak Forest Homeowners Association is looking for support to renew its SEAL Security neighborhood patrol for 2023.

Sylvester Turner

Our new chairman, Woke, strode to the podium and, quick as a wink, began the session. “Welcome to another meeting of Club Cliché, when we honor those threadbare terms that are overused by the vocabulary challenged. I see some old members here like Show Me the Money, In frastructure, Whatever and #MeToo. Hello again, Com prehensive Immigration Re form. Incidentally, does any one know what you mean? You are bandied about by ev ery politician from the far left to the far right without any explanation, details or solid proposals. Keep ‘em guessing. Now, to begin our session, I want to introduce some of our new members. Stand up and be recognized, You Cannot Be Serious. John McEnroe made you so familiar that he even parlayed that into a lucrative TV ad. We also have Weaponize and your cousin, Politicize. Every politician who wants to blame an opponent trots you out.”

“We must give credit where credit is due to Donald Trump. Make America Great Again, also known as MAGA, and Voter Fraud are now part of our worn-out lexicogra-

Lynn Ashby Columnist

for Anti-fascist. Trump’s ac cusers say he gave us January Sixth, a mere date that means an entire event, like Nine Eleven and December Seventh. Trumpism stands beside McCarthyism, people’s names that conjure up a scathing political movement. You two may qualify as an eponym, which, as you know, is a word derived from a person. We have diesel, boycott and graham crackers.” If It Walks Like a Duck spoke up. “Don’t forget the Victorian and Elizabethan Ages. And Blanket.”

“That’s wrong,” said Myth Buster. “It’s a popular theory that supposedly derives from Thomas Blanket or Blanquette, a Flemish weaver in

the Fourteenth century. But it was used even before then. Besides, Blanket is not a cliche. We’ve got to keep our membership pure. Incidentally, Woke, you’re our new chairman and deservedly so. But what happened to our former leader, Bottom Line?”

“That’s a great question,” said That’s a Great Question, who qualified for membership since every politician being interviewed on TV begins an answer with that tired old line.

Woke replied: “Bottom Line has been so overused that it’s being retired along with Twenty-Three Scadoo, You’re the Bee’s Knees and Kilroy Was Here. America’s Team, you lost, so give back your membership card. Moving on, after every tragedy we have governors, presidents and senators turn to Our Thoughts and Prayers. It’s as meaningless but right up there with Bill Clinton’s I’ll Feel Your Pain. Earlier, I was introducing some new members, but there are more. Stand up and be recognized, The New Normal. You came into being because of the pandemic, when everyone was wearing masks and avoiding crowds. Social critics – whoever they

are – asked constantly if such changes were – ta-da! –The New Normal. Also, Pandemic, take a bow. You have replaced Epidemic, although I’m not sure of the difference. Hi, there, Gold Standard. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is enviably called the Gold Standard of Public Health. Twenty-Four Seven, you are a major cliché, so is I’ve Got Your Back, I Gave It My Best Shot and LOL, you are not new, but certainly a qualifier.

Now we come to Cancel Culture. The dictionary defines you as ‘a form of shunning or slamming an individual or movement you disagree with.’ You come up every time Critical Race Theory or CRT is mentioned, and that’s a lot. Most people don’t have a clue what Critical Race Theory means, but you sound suspicious and should be avoided in all classrooms. We also have a newcomer: Not Named. I keep reading terms like; ‘The best NFL quarterback not named Tom Brady’ and ‘Congressman David Crockett of Tennessee was the most famous man in America not named Andrew Jackson.’”

Woke continued without missing a beat and quicker than a New York minute. “And now for something completely different. As you know, each year the Oxford English Dictionary, that arbiter of what the English-speaking world says, picks the Word of the Year which also means the most overused word of the year. Oxford’s editors tracked candidates throughout 2022. They analyzed how often various words are used, checked statistics and other data. Previous words have included vax (2021), climate emergency (2019) and selfie (2013). This year they changed their methods and, for the first time in history, let the public vote. More than 300,000 people cast their vote. The winner is – stand by to be surprised -- goblin mode – a slang term. It’s ‘a type of behavior which is unapologetically self-indulgent, lazy, slovenly, or greedy, typically in a way that rejects social norms or expectations.’”

“The Oxford editors say that although the term was first seen on Twitter in 2009, goblin mode went viral – that means you, Went Viral -- on social media in February

2022. They attribute the overuse of the term to Covid-19, or rather, its aftermath. Their reasoning is that as the Covid-19 lockdown restrictions eased in many countries, people ventured out of their homes more often. Then, their theory goes, goblin mode became the new mood of people who rejected the idea of returning to normal life and did as they pleased, no matter how gauche. In other words, ‘I’m liberated from all those restrictions foisted on us because of Covid-19 and now I don’t care what you think.’ Second place went to metaverse which describes ‘a (hypothetical) virtual reality environment.’ Don’t ask. Not to disagree with the Oxford editors, but I have never used, or even heard of, goblin mode and metaverse. How can they be clichés?”

Woke looked at its watch. “We’re running out of time. Sorry, Existential. We didn’t even have time for you to tell us exactly what you mean. Anyway, that wraps up this meeting. Just remember, avoid clichés like the plague.”

Ashby is woke at ashby2@comcast.net

By Landan Kuhlmann landan@theleadernews.com

A case involving an alleged home intruder who was fatally shot in the Central Northwest area will be referred to a grand jury, according to the Houston Police Department. The identity of the 19-year-old man who was shot is pending an autopsy by the county’s medical examiner, according to the department. He was allegedly shot by a neighbor after allegedly

letic success, as it can take student-athletes to the next step in their lives and on the path to becoming successful citizens,” THSCA executive director Joe Martin said. “This is a team-oriented award that promotes the importance of academics.”

St. Thomas was one of just 53 high schools in Texas to earn the distinction, and one of just four private schools in the state, out more than 1,500 teams that competed during the 2022-2023 athletic seasons.

According to the school, the team’s current GPA was 3.48 among 71 players on the team, with seven players – including All-State defensive back Caleb Davis – earning recognitions from the National Merit Scholarship program according to the school. The team GPA of the official varsity team roster was based on the longest official documented grading period during the 2022 football season.

Twenty-two of St. Thomas’ football players had a 4.0 GPA, according to the school, with an additional 18 student-athletes carrying a GPA of at least 3.5 or higher.

trying to break into an empty home, police said.

Officers responded to a home in the 4000 block of Saxon Drive in the Central Northwest at 11:40 p.m. on last Saturday, Jan. 31 to find the man unresponsive and having been shot once according to the department. He was pronounced dead at the scene, according to police.

According to police, the homeowner was not in the house at the time of the

“These kinds of measurables speak to the mission of the St. Thomas experience,” St. Thomas athletic director Mike Netzel said in a news release from the school. “The focus and dedication that drive our student-athletes to excel on the field also serve them in embracing the demands of being a complete St. Thomas student. Their academic and athletic pursuits provide complementary learning opportunities.”

Netzel said he credits head coach Ray McGuire and assistant Ray Davis, among others, for developing the full studentathletes in addition to the athletic success that has seen them advance to four TAPPS state semifinals in the past eight seasons.

““They are partnering with exceptional leaders on the sidelines and behind the scenes who have a passion, a vision, and a charisma to inspire elite achievement in those around them,” Netzel said.

For more information about the award, visit www.thsca.com/nff.

shooting. Citing eyewitness reports, police said the man was allegedly seen and heard attempting to break into the house. There was allegedly then a confrontation between the man and the home’s neighbor, according to police, during which the neighbor allegedly shot the suspect.

The alleged shooter was questioned by investigators at the scene, according to HPD. After consulting with members of the Harris County District Attorney’s

Office, the department said it was determined the incident would be referred to a grand jury.

Anyone with additional information in the case is asked to call HPD’s Homicide division at 713-308-3600.

St. Thomas from P. 1

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provides trained and licensed armed officers as well as a K-9 patrol on foot and in marked cars to cover all 18 sections, according to OFHA, along with welfare checks, safety home inspections, and more.

In 2022, OFHA director of community relations Frances Davidson said S.E.A.L officers responded to more than 800 incidents reported to them, with 374 of them being potential criminal incidents according to Davidson. More than 50 percent of the calls reported to SEAL, Davidson said, were related to a suspicious person or car being spotted in the area.

It has been a well-received service in the area, according to Fisher-Cain who said residents have told the board the patrols make the neighborhood feel safer and friendlier and brings them comfort to see patrol cars driving by their home every so often. Things like an immediate response time and vacation watch have also been touted as reasons why the patrol service has become appreciated.

“In many cases, these incidents don’t escalate to a crime because SEAL shows up to diffuse them,” Davidson said in an email Tuesday.

However, the program needs more sup -

with…said ‘I have a job you might like,’” he said. “And the rest is history.”

And while it might seem a long way off from the perceived thrill and excitement that his initial thoughts of being a police officer might bring, Broussard said he loves his UPS job. Between the chance to be on the open road each day and the anticipation his customers have when he delivers their package, he said he gets the ultimate satisfaction and contentment from his time on the road.

“I enjoy the peace of being out on the road and most of all I like talking to

Our section Support Local will provide local businesses each week to you, our readers. There is no time like the present to strengthen and invest in our community!

port if it is to be renewed for the entirety of the rest of 2023. Fisher-Cain said that the OFHA only had pledged support from about 8 percent of homes as of early January. At the time, Fisher-Cain said the volunteer group still needed support from 437 more people in order to renew the contract.

The annual patrol membership costs $300 per year (or 82 cents per day) to become a member for those under 65, according to OFHA, and $175 per year (48 cents per day) for residents over the age of 65 according to the OFHA website.

According to Director of Neighborhood Patrol Gabriel Perez, the OFHA is seeking even more comprehensive coverage daily in order to help keep more than 5,500 homes in Harris County’s third-largest subdivision safe from harm.

“We’d like to move towards 24/7 coverage and have more patrol cars to cover the area,” Perez said.

For more information on the OFHA and the SEAL Security program, visit its website at https://ofha.org/page-18148.

my customers,” he said. “…It pays good and it helps me take care of my family and I get to meet a lot of good people. I’ve made many friends over the years.”

Broussard knows that it’s not easy to drive as long as he has without having a single even minor incident with his truck. And his biggest enemy at times, he said, isn’t even necessarily anything he might do.

“You’ve got to drive for the other person, it requires defensive driving skills. You’re always alert to what everyone else is doing around

Houston Public Library does away with late fees, fines

By Landan Kuhlmann landan@theleadernews.com

Cardholders with Houston’s public library system will no longer need to pay late fees or fines on overdue books and other items borrowed from the library.

Effective January 11, Houston Public Libraries announced that it will no longer charge late fees or fines on items borrowed from the library that would have previously been considered late. The change comes, the library system writes on its website, following approval by Houston’s city council.

According to the library system, about a quarter of its account holders owed late fines, with 70 percent of those fines accrued prior to 2015. HPL has designated an amnesty period that began Jan. 17 and runs through February 18 to give all customers an opportunity to clear their accounts out.

“With the passing of this update to the

you,” he said. “It’s like a Jedi power you get after driving for so many years. You begin to know what the person is going to do before they do it.”

It also requires awareness at all times, he said. One incident in particular, however, stands out. When he was making a home delivery years ago, he said he noticed three children playing when he walked up, but only saw two when walking back down.

Immediately, his sensors went off.

“I walked around the truck to the driver’s side and there was a kid hid -

ing underneath in front of the back tire. It shook me up,” he said. “I always make a double trip around my car when I see kids in the neighborhood.”

One thing is for sure – he said residents and businesspeople can feel when he’s driving around, and he can’t wait to deliver their packages.

“One hundred percent of the time they are waiting on something, and when I deliver it they are excited,” he said. “I’m bringing happiness.”

standing ordinance, many Houstonians, including those who are in the most need of library services, will regain access to the vast resources available—from books and audiobooks to mobile hotspots and Wi-Fi-connected laptops,” the library writes.

What’s more, Houston mayor Sylvester Turner said about 27 percent of all late fees were accrued by younger school-age Houstonians.

“A fine free library system evens the playing field and incentivizes Houstonians to become lifelong users of our Houston Public Library,” Turner said. “When you analyze the numbers, you see (this 27 percent), preventing them from accessing free resources and tools for learning. Simply put, this is the right thing to do.”

For more information on Houston Public Libraries, visit the library system’s website at houstonlibrary.org.

Local December sales mirror yearlong trend

By Landan Kuhlmann landan@theleadernews.com

As 2022 wound to a close, the home sales market in local areas ended the year with a similar result as has been a nearly yearlong trend of down turning home sales across the region.

According to the most recent data released by the Houston Association of Realtors, year-over-year December home sales declined by figures ranging from 15 percent to as much as 63 percent across all but one (77092) six zip codes served by The Leader. It was largely a similar trend in year-end results, with only a single zip code (77091) coming out ahead of its 2021 sales figure.

On the pricing front, year-overyear December sales prices were up across the area save for the Central Northwest and Garden Oaks/ Oak Forest areas (77008), while year-end sales prices wound up outpacing their 2021 marks in all six local zip codes.

77018

In the zip code encompassing Garden Oaks/Oak Forest, Shepherd Park Plaza, and much of Central Northwest, it was a tough end to a tough year. Year-over-year December home sales dropped 54.3 percent last month, with 37 homes coming off the market compared to 81 the previous December. On the whole, the 726 sales here this year was down 25.2 percent from its mark of 970 sales in 2021.

Pricing-wise, average price went up 1.1 percent to $559,087 yearover-year, and the median December price spiked 26.8 percent up to $535,368. For the year, average price for a home rose 12.3 percent ($595,216) compared to 2021, while median home price was up 13.3 percent to $483,473.

77091

Just to the north, the zip code which includes Acres Homes and Greater Inwood along with part of the Northside area saw its home sales dip from 20 sales in December 2021 to 17 in the area last month – a 15 percent downturn. Despite that, however, it was a banner year for the area as a whole with 342 homes sold – representing a 26.2 percent increase from its 271 sales in 2021.

On a pricing front, December average sales prices jumped 18.2 percent here up to $335,328 while median price jumped 9.4 percent year-over-year to $339,000. As a whole, the average price of a home here went up 15.5 percent ($321,906) while median price figure jumped 17.5 percent to $334,888.

77092

On the western edge of the area, the zip code including the rest of

Central Northwest plus Langwood and Kempwood was the only local market to see a year-over-year rise in home sales – albeit very slight, with 26 sales in the area last month compared to 24 in December 2021. Despite that, however, its 291 sales last year was a 7.9 percent downturn from its 2021 figure of 342 sales.

Average cost of a home in December jumped 5.1 percent yearover-year ($317,324), while median December price was down 3.9 per-

cent to $301,000 year-over-year. Home prices in this area remained largely the same as last year, with average price rising 1.8 percent ($340,866) and median price going up 0.2 percent to $320,000.

77008

Down in the Greater Heights, it was a tough ending to the year. There were 60 homes sold in this zip code last month, as opposed to the 115 sales in December 2021. On the whole, its 1,028 sales for

the year represented a 22.9 percent downturn from its 2021 mark of 1,333.

Pricing wise, the year-over-year December average home price dipped 2 percent to $666,176, while December median price was down 3.3 percent to $551,250. The average buyer paid 8.9 percent more ($675,341) for a home here in 2022 compared to 2021, while year-end median sales price jumped 8.6 percent to $570,000.

77009

On the eastern edge of the Heights and part of Near Northside, December home sales dipped massively with just 31 home sales – a 43.6 percent year-over-year downturn compared to the 55 homes sold in 2021. This zip code was another lagging behind its previous year’s pace, with its 564 sales representing 17.2 percent dip from its 681 sales in 2021.

With regards to pricing, this area saw its average December home price rise 3.8 percent up to $532,077 and its median price spike 7.6 percent to $479,000. For the year, an average buyer paid 12.4 percent more ($570,891) for a house compared to 2021, while the median figure was up 6.6 percent to $470,000.

77007

In the southernmost neighborhood of The Leader’s coverage area, the zip code including Rice Military and Washington Avenue saw the largest percentage downturn in year-over-year December sales. Agents closed on 35 homes here last month, a sharp 63.5 percent dip compared to selling 96 homes in the same month last year. This zip code had 814 houses come off the market for the year, down 25 percent from its 1,086 sold in 2021.

Accompanying the sales dip was a massive spike in home prices in the area, with year-over-year December average prices spiking 45.2 percent to $772,529 and median home price figures jumping 27.7 percent up to $590,000. The average buyer spent 12.6 percent more ($663,303) to purchase a home compared to 2021, while the yearend median price was up 12.1 percent ($532,600) compared to last year.

Photo from HAR website

Homes

code have dropped in the area for most of the year, and only

2021 pace in the most recent year-end data reported by HAR.

HS Hoops: Bulldogs begin to bash opposition

By Landan Kuhlmann landan@theleadernews.com

The Heights Bulldogs’ boys’ basketball team had been a little sporadic this season as the calendar was set to flip to 2023. However, they look to have found their groove and are beginning to click on all cylinders.

Heights swept through a perfect week last week, obliterating Sam Houston 78-26 on Jan. 18 before dropping Chavez by a score of 63-46 to run their winning streak to a season-high six games. The Bulldogs have not lost a game since Dec. 29.

Freshman Davion Jackson paced the Bulldogs (13-10, 5-1 district) in the win over Chavez with a team-high 14 points, while Gabriel Alvarez had 13 points and Kenyae Wilson (13 points, nine rebounds) was also strong. Alvarez also poured in 21 points against Sam Houston for

LAndAn KuhLmAnn Editor

the Bulldogs, who have won by double digits in five consecutive games.

Also perfect last week were the Booker T. Washington Eagles, who beat Scarborough 82-29 on Jan. 17 before taking down Kashmere 113-64 on Jan. 20. Kenneth Lewis had a double-double with 25 points and 10 rebounds against Kashmere for Booker T. Washington (16-7, 8-1), while Odis Carter Jr. scored 22 points. Jalen Webb scored a game-high 15 points against Scarborough for the Eagles, who have now

won eight consecutive games.

The Waltrip Rams dropped a 61-56 decision to Milby last week, dropping to 8-10 on the season and 5-4 in District 9-5A competition.

Scarborough dropped both games last week, following up the loss to Booker T. Washington with an 82-50 defeat against Worthing to fall to 1-18 and 0-9 in district play.

In private school play, the St. Thomas Eagles continued to soar with three more victories last week. Following a 44-35 win over local rival St. Pius X on Jan. 17, the Eagles (19-1, 4-0) defeated Antonian Prep 65-55 on Jan. 20 and took down San Antonio Central Catholic 61-43 on Jan. 21.

Michael Oaks had a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds against Central Catholic, while Aron Valentine and Jamey

Beston had 13 points apiece. Meanwhile, J’mar Franklin scored 16 points to go along with seven rebounds against St. Pius X. Lutheran North Academy split a pair of games last week, beating Rosehill Christian 99-67 on Jan. 17 before dropping a 69-55 decision to Westbury Christian on Jan. 20 to move to 16-7 overall and 5-3 in TAPPS district play.

St. Pius X (6-18, 1-4) lost both games last week, also falling to The Village School on Jan. 20 following the loss to St. Thomas.

Girls Waltrip’s Lady Rams

HS Soccer: SPX gets long-awaited victory in Shepherd showdown

had their five-game winning streak snapped Monday with a 72-47 loss to district-leading Madison, but previously beat Wisdom 46-35 on Jan. 21 and defeated Northside 6134 on Jan. 17. The Lady Rams now sit at 12-6 overall and 8-4 in district play, and currently hold District 19-5A’s fourth and final playoff spot.

The Heights Lady Bulldogs had their three-game winning streak snapped last week, losing 45-41 to Lamar on Jan. 18 before dropping a 66-47 decision to Bellaire on Jan. 20 to fall to 8-13 and 3-5 in district 18-6A competition.

Scarborough is 0-10 on the season fol - lowing losses to Worthing and Yates last week, while Booker T. Washington fell to 1-12 overall and 0-4 in district play following a 61-29 loss to Wheatley.

In private school action, the Lutheran North Academy Lady Lions took

down Westbury Christian 50-33 on Jan. 20 to move to 10-7 overall and 7-1 in TAPPS district play. Reagan Morrisey scored 12 points to lead the Lady Lions, while Imry ShroutJordan added 10 points of her own to help Lutheran North win its sixth straight game.

St. Pius X has its first winning streak of the season following two wins last week. The Lady Panthers defeated Emery/ Weiner 52-14 in a nondistrict game on Jan. 17 before taking down Incarnate Word Academy 53-38 on Jan. 20 to move to 3-13 overall and 1-4 in district play.

By Landan Kuhlmann landan@theleadernews.com

One full graduating class had come and gone through St. Pius X High School since the last time the Panthers’ boys’ soccer team was victorious against local rival St. Thomas. But that streak is no more, as the Panthers got a victory that was a long time coming last week.

Overall, the Panthers split a pair of matches last week. But the one win was in the first iteration of the annual Shepherd showdown, as SPX took down the Eagles in penalty kicks on Jan. 17 prior to a 2-0 loss to The Village School on Jan. 20.

The Jan. 17 win was a monumental one for the Panthers (9-2-1, 2-2 district). It was the first time they have defeated St. Thomas since 2016, as the Eagles had won the previous 12 matchups prior to last week’s result. Alex Mejia scored the lone regulation goal for St. Pius X off an assist from Preston Kyle, while Diego Guandique turned away St. Thomas’ final PK to secure the win.

The loss continued a recent skid for St. Thomas, which has lost five of its last six matches after also dropping matches to Antonian Prep (3-2) on Jan. 20 and Central Catholic (4-0) on Jan. 21. Alejandro Tello scored twice

for the Eagles (8-9-3, 0-3) against Antonian Prep, while Cade Larson scored in regulation against St. Pius X.

In public school action, the Scarborough Spartans defeated Yates last week to move to 4-2 on the season and 2-0 in district play.

The Heights Bulldogs dropped their only match last week, a 4-1 loss to Memorial, to drop to 2-31 on the season.

Waltrip had its twomatch winning streak snapped last week, falling to Milby in penalty kicks on Jan. 17 before losing 3-0 against Northside on Jan. 20. The Rams are 2-6 on the season and 2-2 in district play.

Girls

On the public school slate, the Waltrip Lady Rams split two matches last week, falling 4-2 to Milby on Jan. 17 before winning 7-0 against Northside. Joselin Cardentey had a hat trick for Waltrip (6-6-1, 3-1) against Northside. The Lady Rams were next slated to face Wisdom on Tuesday night.

Heights Lady Bulldogs had a tough week, going 0-1-1 with a scoreless draw against Cy-Ridge on Jan. 17 before losing 3-1 to Summer Creek on Jan. 20. However, the Lady Bulldogs still sit with a solid 4-1-2 overall mark entering Wednesday’s scheduled match against Lamar.

Photo by Wayne Donnelly

St. Pius X goalkeeper Diego Guandique stops the final penalty kick attempt against St. Thomas on Jan. 17. The stop helped the

Panthers secure their first victory over St. Thomas in the annual Shepherd showdown rivalry series since 2016.

Art Valet: Displaced artists invited to The Woodlands Saturday

Mitch cohen Art Columnist

Saturday, Glade Gallery, 2000 Woodlands Pkwy, The Woodlands, Texas 77380, inside the Glade Cultural Center, will host #WinterStreetStrong, a group exhibition of Winter Street Studios artists recovering from the fire that occurred in late December.

All are welcome to this free event from 11 a.m.-6 p.m., with jazz by the Tex Allen Trio from 3-6 p.m. The exhibit will remain on view through February.

When Toria Hill and Olga Porter, both Winter St. Studio tenants, informed me of this group showing at Glade Gallery, I had never heard of it before.

On the phone, Dragos Tapu, co-founder and President of Glade Arts Foundation gave me a brief phone tour of the venue. The best of all the arts under one roof, the Glade Cultural Center is part performing arts venue, event venue, museum, education for youth and adults, the Glade Gallery and Mercury Bar, dubbed the most artistic bar in The Woodlands.

Porter has shown her work at Glade Gallery in the past and approached Tapu about hosting a group show for artists (many live in the area) affected by the Winter Street fire and he did not hesitate to say yes.  The twelve artists include Alex Wilhite, Betsy Evans, David Veale, Eddie Hall,Emily Dingman,  Juliana Villarreal, Olga Porter, Rhonda Lancos, Ryan Fugate, Taft McWhorter, Vincent Fink, Rebecca Molander and Toria Hill.

Molander and Hill have both appeared in Art Valet before, so I asked them their thoughts about the fire and this exhibition opportunity.

Toria Hill’s art has always been whimsical and primarily figures and portraits. Since the pandemic, Hill focused

on a series of first responder portraits. For #WinterStreetStrong, she did something different and clearly therapeutic.

“I know I don’t normally paint a lot of abstracts, but I was having painters block so I grabbed a few canvases and started writing all the stuff I was feeling on them about the fire and the guy that did it,” Hill said. “At first it was mostly profanity and anger - then I thought of my own brother who committed suicide and I started thinking about all the pain this guys family was going through and I decided that that me crying over lost paintings was nothing compared to the pain I know his family was feeling.

“It started making me sad, and my art is about Happy! So I grabbed my paints and started covering up the words I had written and the next thing you know, I was back in the groove,” Hill continued. “I turned on my music and I was literally dancing while painting. Did you know that PINK has been psychologically shown to reduce aggression and sadness?  I chose it instinctively but I love them all now (she painted 5 in all) because only I know the nasty stuff that is underneath. It was very healing for me. And now, I get to have it in a show about the fire. Pretty cool.”

Rebekah Molander burst on the art scene almost literally, two years ago. Molander is part of a group of artists called The Seekers and shares Taft McWhorter’s studio just steps away from where the fire was started.

“I’m really excited about the #WinterStreetStrong Glade Exhibit,” Molander said. “First off, it’s great to be able to be doing an exhibit right now. It’s not just the art that we all lost, we lost the ability to show our art, to get it in front of people, not just

on a screen, but real life properly in front of people . We lost our place we go to connect with each other and our collectors. Art is a feeling and a connection and you don’t get that the same way on a screen.

“I love seeing people react to my art, hearing what they think and feel, when I put it on line, I miss all of that,” Molander continued. “I pour my heart onto these canvases and getting to see someone react to it, it’s incredible. It fills my whole heart up.  So I’m ex-

cited. I’m excited to see my friends and studio neighbors, I’m excited to be showing my art. I am very thankful to Dragos for inviting us into his gallery. It’s a beautiful space, and I am very proud to be there with these people.”

Ryan Fugate’s studio was next door to where the fire was started and lost everything in his studio. Fugate had shown his art recently at Glade Gallery and Tapu still had an original painting, a 48 x 36 inch mixed medium painting titled Exuberant.

Quite fitting I’d say. Details on the Glade Gallery can be found at https:// www.gladeartsfoundation. org/ The artist’s profiles can be found on the Sawyer Yards website, https://www. sawyeryards.com/interior/ winter-street-studios.

Cohen is an artist and founder of the First Saturday Arts Market and The Market at Sawyer Yards. Find him at ArtValet. com for additional highlights and artist’s stories.

Nibbles and Sips: Don Teo’s closes doors in Oak Forest

By Landan Kuhlmann landan@theleadernews.com

A beloved familyowned Mexican restaurant has closed its doors in Oak Forest after more than three decades in business.

Last Saturday, the own -

ers of Don Teo’s Mexican Restaurant announced that they have sold the property at 2026 W. 34th St. and closed the business after 32 years of operation, citing a desire to simply retire.

“We were fortunate to serve the Oak Forest

community and receive their support for so long. This community helped us build our dream, support our families and provide for them,” owners Junior, David, and Filberto wrote on Facebook.

“We got to work with our father, our brothers, our

children, our wives, and our friends. We had great times and hard times and endured a lot together both as a business and as part of the community.”

The restaurant was founded in 1990 by Eluterio Martinez along with Junior, David, and Fili -

berto, and for three decades has served the Oak Forest community with Tex-Mex favorites such as tamales, enchiladas, fajitas and more. But the time has come to ride off into the sunset, the owners said.

“We opened with one goal in mind, to serve good food at affordable prices to families like our own,” they said. “No words can express what your support has meant to us, all we can say is thank you for everything.”

FBMS hosts PEACE through PIE event

On Jan. 14, Frank Black Middle School hosted the Beauty Community Gardens’ seventh annual

MLK “PEACE through PIE” community event and fundraiser at the school. The the event had been hosted at the school since 2020, but had been on hiatus the last two years due to impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Beauty Community Gardens partnered with Austin-based PEACE through PIE for the community event. During the event, people had the chance to taste food and pie. There was also a pie sampling and a chance for community members to vote on the best pies.

Hundreds of community members turned out for the event, which was a precursor to MLK Day on Jan. 16.

Contributed photo

Happy Hour On The Rocks 48x24 by Rebekah Molander on view at Glade Gallery.

Contributed photo Exuberant 48 x 36 mixed medium on canvas by Ryan Fugate.

Contributed photo

Don Teo’s owners Junior, David, and Filiberto announced on Jan. 21 that they are closing the doors on the Oak Forest Tex-Mex restaurant staple. The restaurant had operated in the area for more than 30 years.

Contributed photo

Red Pot, 4 x 7 foot by Olga Porter on view at Glade Gallery.

Contributed photo

Do a little Dance, 48x48 by Toria Hill will be featured at Glade Gallery.

Photo from Facebook

Officer with the Harris County Precinct 1 Constable’s Office stopped by the PEACE through PIE event at Frank Black Middle School on Jan. 14.