The 05-27-23 Edition of The Heights Leader

Staff Reports

There is so much that can be said about the graduating class of 2023.

Over the course of their high school careers, this class had essentially two years disrupted and not able to enjoy in full due to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic that first took hold in the region during the spring semester of their freshman year and first part of their sophomore years. It’s the type of challenge that no graduating class has had to say they’ve had to go through.

But, as young people seemed to do, this class has bounced back and then some. So in this week’s edition, we wanted to celebrate the graduating seniors from all seven high schools The Leader covers. Those from private schools such as St. Thomas, St. Pius X, and Lutheran North Academy have already hosted their graduation ceremonies, while Waltrip, Heights, Booker T. Washington, and Scarborough will see their senior classes walk across the state beginning this weekend.

Inside today’s edition, readers will

find nearly all of our “B” section dedicated to celebrating the successes and accomplishments of the Class of 2023. As part of the section there will be recognitions of each school’s valedictorians and salutatorians, as well as photos from various activities throughout the year that highlight those seniors about to walk the stage.

This type of section is a favorite of our staff to do, because these students deserve to be celebrated this year and every year. And this class has had a lot to overcome. These students, and all students, have shown perseverance and resiliency in spades over these last few years, and there is not enough celebrating of them that could be done. They are the future of this community that our staff loves, and highlighting them is one of the favorite things that we will ever do.

So we hope you enjoy this week’s special section. Here’s to the Class of

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By Landan Kuhlmann landan@theleadernews.com

A man has been arrested and charged in connection with the fatal shooting of a family member in the Acres Homes area earlier this week, according to the Houston Police Department.

Richard Garrett, 38, has been charged with murder and felon in possession of a weapon in connection with the shooting, according to Harris County court records, and remained in jail as of Friday. His bond was set at $30,000 for the felon in possession of a weapon charge, according to court records, and has been denied bond on the murder charge according court records.

The identity of the victim is pending

an autopsy from the county’s medical examiner, according to the police department.

Officers responded to a person down call at a home in the 8400 block of Knox Street in the Acres Homes area just after 8 a.m. on Tuesday to find the victim on the ground and having been shot multiple times, according to HPD. He was pronounced dead at the scene, according to the department.

THE TOPICS.

A tip of the cap to Class of 2023

I remember my high school graduation. At the time it was one of the coolest and proudest moments of my life, and it remains so to this day. And keep in mind, I didn’t have nearly the obstacles that the Class of 2023 has had. So I thought it would be good to take some time in this spaced and dedicate it to a graduating class that has been through so much.

The Class of 2023 has been through a lot during their four years of high school. They had the end of their freshman year in 2020 disrupted by the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the subsequent uncertainty that came with it. And when their sophomore year began, it was still hanging around and saw schools have to transition to conducting school virtually online or with staggered days when students could come to school campuses.

Basically, this class went nearly half of their high school careers without

being able to have a full “normal” school year full of friends, fun, and more that comes with the high school experience. But ultimately, they have powered through it all and made it that special graduation moment.

So we here at The Leader want to give a huge tip of our cap to the Class of 2023, those at our seven local high schools – Booker T. Washington, Scarborough, Waltrip, Heights, St. Pius X, St. Thomas, and Lutheran North Academy – as well as high schools throughout the Houston area.

This week’s paper is bit more full than most weeks of late, and that is because we wanted to take the time to dedicate an entire section to this year’s graduating class as we do every year.

In today’s edition, you will see each school’s valedictorian and salutatorians and photos from throughout the year. This year, and every year, our students deserve to be celebrated for all that they have accomplished.

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engineering program being recognized as one of the nation’s best by SOLIDWORKS last April, and St. Pius X valedictorian Stephanie Birkelbach becoming a semifinalist in this year’s National Merit Scholarship Program.

There have also been fine arts and extracurricular accomplishments from members of this senior class, such as Scarborough High School’s Junior ROTC squad finishing top 10 in the National High School Drill Team Championships in Daytona Beach last April and the Heights High School band being invited to perform in Chicago’s Thanksgiving Day Parade last year.

And those accomplishments extend to the athletic field as well, with Booker T. Washington’s football team winning its first district title in over 30 years this past season while its boys’

basketball team earned the program’s first trip to the UIL state tournament. Heights’ softball team, which included five graduating seniors, won its first Class 6A district title and made it to the playoffs’ third round for the first time in program history. There are so many more things that could be listed as far as the Class of 2023’s accomplishments go, but that would take much more room than is available in this space. But the bottom line is that this year’s graduating class deserves a tip of the cap and so much more.

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Graduating seniors have helped various programs at their respective schools to new heights during their time at the school.

At Heights, this year’s group of seniors has been among a part of many accomplishments throughout the years. On the academic side, it has seen accomplishments such as Waltrip’s

ACROSS

Students and the younger generation is the lifeblood and the future of this community that we at The Leader hold so dear. And so we want to celebrate them now, and every year.

Congratulations, Class of 2023. You made it, and your future is just beginning.

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1. Piece attached on one side 5. Flat-bottomed boat 10. Oblong cream puff 12. Czar nation 14. Jump rope fast 16. Ma’s partner 18. Ink writing implement 19. Wet spongy ground 20. “Gunga Din” screenwriter 22. Root mean square (abbr.) 23. Strode 25. Former ruler of Iran 26. Provide with a top 27. Chit 28. Actor DeLuise 30. Point midway between E and SE 31. S.E. Asian nation 33. Protein basis of cheese 35. 1976 Music Pulitzer Ned 37. Belonging to Mrs. Parks 38. Tooth covering 40. Satisfy fully 41. Animal companion 42. Fix conclusively 44. 7th day (abbr.) 45. Pouch 48. Employee stock ownership plan 50. Fastened with adhesive or masking 52. Don’t know when yet 53. Eagle’s nest 55. Early modern jazz 56. Auricle 57. Atomic #81 58. Social class of manual laborers 63. Groups of regional animals 65. Release draft animals 66. Musical notations 67. Bearing or manner DOWN 1. Grippe 2. Scientific workplace 3. Afflict 4. Construction of parts off-site 5. Cut back shrubs 6. Road furrow 7. The Nazarene author 8. Fire residues 9. 3rd tone 10. Excessive fluid accumulation 11. Fellow plotter 13. Inability to use or understand language 15. 12th calendar month 17. Greek capital 18. Communist China 21. Philadelphia sandwich 23. Neverland’s Peter 24. Medical man 27. Domesticates 29. Murdered in his bathtub 32. Dreaming sleep state 34. Drunkard 35. Double 36. Of one 39. Allow 40. Sorrowful 43. Dining hall furniture 44. Partition between 2 cavities 46. Reduce in amount 47. Where passengers ride 49. Sacred fig tree (alt. sp.) 51. Poet Edgar Allan 54. Sea eagle of Europe 59. An awkward stupid person 60. Black tropical American cuckoo 61. Whisky 62. Electrically charged atom 64. Atomic #89 Answers found in this week’s Classified section LANDAN KUHLMANN Editor

WORD SCRAMBLE

THE TOPICS.

Nursing my wounds

THE HOSPITAL – This is a place where no one wants to be unless she is having a baby or he is in need of medical treatment. I am not having a baby. Wait. Here comes a nurse. “Just taking your temperature.” Fortu nately these days they just stick a dull plastic needle in my mouth. Be thankful for medical science. Where was I? Oh, yes. Hospitals. They operate, so to speak, 24/7 Christmas and Super Bowl included, with an army I refer to as “nurses” since some are and some are not: they are also technicians, lab workers, cleaners, X-ray types and waiters. Once every January an actual doctor comes by, looks at my chart, asks a few questions, nods and leaves.

Everyone is cheery and helpful, but I could not work in a hospital. Patients keep hitting the Help button so some kind soul can drop everything to rush in and scratch their back or move their pillow. At 3 a.m. they slightly knock on the door and enter to take my blood pressure, give me a pill or, upon demand, scratch my back. Here comes a nurse who says, “Time for your Quilatain.” There must be a company whose job it is to come up with names for medicines. Like those which advertise on TV. “Be sure to ask your doctor for XXtyztcon” or, “Feeling tired and depressed? Then you need Nycoggatrine.” What she is feeding me could easily be cocaine or rat poison. How am I to know? I swallow a pill about the size of what Cristian Javier was throwing last night in Minute Maid Park. Taken with a gulp of water. Trying to swallow water while lying on your back brings on a sensation. The medical term is “massive coughing.”

Hospital rooms today look something like a M*A*S*H operating room. I count three computer screens, some metal boxes and lots of buttons. There are even buttons on both sides of the bed to make it go up or down or, I suppose, sideways. Hopefully there is not an ejection button. All are connected by wires. I must have a mile of wires in this room. Then there is this paddle in my bed with

LYNN ASHBY Columnist

suspect the engineer who in stalled this gizmo is a Texas Ranger fan.

You know the old line about, at a hospital, they wake you up to give you a sleeping pill? At precisely 3:45 a.m. last night or this morning, sure enough, that’s what happened to me. I once visited a hospital late at night and asked the nurse if he disliked working 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. since every study shows our bodies need to sleep at night. “Not at all,” he said. “At night the halls are empty of visitors. No flowers, teddy bears or balloons. The patients are asleep. I get off in the morning, eat a big breakfast and sleep all day. At night I go out to dinner with friends, have maybe a half glass of wine, and go to my job.”

You may have seen the movie, “Airplane!” It was undoubtedly the dumbest, silliest and funniest movie around. One exchange was when a doctor says a passenger is ill and needs to go to a hospital: Elaine: “A hospital? What is it?”

Doctor: “It’s a big building with patients.” I am currently in a big building with patients, lots of patients. It’s in the Texas Medical Center or TMC as we hypochondriacs call it, the largest medical complex on Earth. How big? It has 106,000 employees and 61 institutions, eight different academic and research institutions and 21 different hospitals. Over 160,000 people visit the TMC each day – yes, each day. That’s more than 7.2 million visitors a year. More heart surgeries are performed in the TMC than anywhere else on the globe. Today, people come from across the country and all over the world to die in Houston.

Let’s talk about food. No

one checks into a hospital to critique the food. But it’s bland, tasteless and most unappealing. So what’s the solution? I haven’t the foggiest idea. The menu looks really tasty with Italian food and seafood and delicious salads and desserts. But the kitchen has to serve up 400 or so meals all at once. Most chefs don’t have to worry about serving salt-free diets, no sugar, cut the mayonnaise and go easy on the Jell-O. This morning I was served the nicest breakfast of scrambled eggs, French toast and bacon. Alas, the eggs were not just cold but frigid. The French toast was soggy and the bacon was limp. This is an observation, not a complaint. I couldn’t do any better. I just wonder if a deliverer from Door Dash carrying six dinners of enchiladas with taco salad would delay the dollies trying to take a patient to a double lung transplant.

A brief mention as to why I am in this hospital. One night I was engaged in my after dinner routine: in my patio with cigar, brandy and iPad to read the next day’s New York Times. Just as I was setting up my evening nest I tripped and fell. I couldn’t move. Being all alone that night, I was stuck until I was found by a son. He called 911, two very large medics arrived within minutes and raced me to the hospital. I felt really stupid lying in the back of a screaming ambulance, red lights flashing, racing through the rain on a Houston expressway. I can hear a motorist saying, “Poor devil, hanging on to life.” I had two skinned elbows and two skinned knees. But the doctors didn’t like my heart beat, so here I am – two days and nights of tests.

My advice to you: Don’t ever be alone and don’t order scramble eggs.

Ashby has recovered at ashby2@comcast.net

FC# 8300.00015 APN: 1078270000026 NOTICE OF DEFAULT AND FORECLOSURE SALE WHEREAS, on August 25, 2010, a certain Mortgage Deed of Trust in the amount of $144,750.00 was executed by ARTHUR EVELYN HOWSE as trustor in favor of WELLS FARGO BANK, N.A as benefciary, and was recorded on September 17, 2010, as Instrument No. 20100400919, in the Ofce of the Recorder of HARRIS COUNTY, Texas; and WHEREAS, the Mortgage Deed of Trust was insured by the United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (“Secretary” or “HUD”) pursuant to the National Housing Act for the purpose of providing single family housing; and WHEREAS, the benefcial interest in the Mortgage Deed of Trust is now owned by the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, pursuant to the following assignment: Corporate Assignment of Deed of Trust from WELLS FARGO BANK, N.A. in favor of THE SECRETARY OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT dated July 27, 2016, recorded on July 29, 2016, as Instrument No. 2016-333426, in the ofce of the Recorder of HARRIS COUNTY, Texas; and WHEREAS, the entire amount delinquent as of April 12, 2023, is $150,674.00; and WHEREAS, by virtue of this default, the Secretary has declared the entire amount of the indebtedness secured by the Mortgage Deed of Trust to be immediately due and payable; NOW THEREFORE, pursuant to powers vested in me by the Single-Family Mortgage Foreclosure Act of 1994, 12 U.S.C. 3751 et seq., by 24 CFR part 27, subpart B (the “Act”), and by the Secretary’s designation of me as Foreclosure Commissioner, which is recorded herewith, NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that on June 6, 2023, between 10:00 AM and 1:00 PM local time, all real and personal property at or used in connection with the following described premises (“Property”) will be sold at public auction to the highest bidder: LEGAL DESCRIPTION: LOT TWENTY-SIX (26), IN BLOCK TWENTY-FOUR (24), OF RUSHWOOD, SECTION THREE (3), REPLAT, AN ADDITION IN HARRIS COUNTY, TEXAS, ACCORDING TO THE MAP OR PLAT THEREOF RECORDED IN VOLUME 265, PAGE 123 OF THE MAP RECORDS OF HARRIS COUNTY, TEXAS. Purportedly known as: 2047 KENTLAND DRIVE, HOUSTON, TX 77067 The sale, which will begin at the earliest time stated above or within three hours after that time, will be held at: The Bayou City Event Center Pavilion Located At 9401 Knight Rd, Houston, TX 77045 Or As Designated By The County Commissioner’s Ofce. Per the Secretary, the estimated opening bid will be $150,674.00. There will be no proration of taxes, rents or other income or liabilities, except that the purchaser will pay, at or before closing, his pro rata share of any real estate taxes that have been paid by the Secretary to the date of the foreclosure sale. When making their bids, all bidders, except the Secretary, must submit a deposit totaling ten percent (10%) of the Secretary’s estimated bid amount in the form of a certifed check or cashier’s check made payable to the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development. Ten percent of the estimated bid amount for this sale is $10,067.00. A deposit need not accompany each oral bid. If the successful bid is oral, a deposit of $10,067.00 must be presented before the bidding is closed. The deposit is nonrefundable. The remainder of the purchase price must be delivered within 30 days of the sale or at such other time as the Secretary may determine for good cause shown, time being of the essence. This amount must be delivered in the form of a certifed or cashier’s check made payable to Nemovi Law Group, APC. We will accept certifed or cashier’s checks made payable to the bidder and endorsed to Nemovi Law Group, APC if accompanied by a notarized power of attorney or other notarized authorization authorizing Nemovi Law Group, APC to deposit the check into the frm’s trust account on behalf of the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development. If the Secretary is the highest bidder, he need not pay the bid amount in cash. The successful bidder will pay all conveying fees, all real estate and other taxes that are due on or after the delivery date of the remainder of the payment and all other costs associated with the transfer of title. At the conclusion of the sale, the deposits of the unsuccessful bidders will be returned to them. The Secretary may grant an extension of time within which to deliver the remainder of the payment. All extensions will be for 15-day increments for a fee of: $500.00, paid in advance. The extension fee shall be in the form of a certifed or cashier’s check made payable to the Secretary. If the high bidder closes the sale prior to the expiration of any extension period, the unused portion of the extension fee shall be applied toward the amount due. If the high bidder is unable to close the sale within the required period, or within any extensions of time granted by the Secretary, the high bidder may be required to forfeit the cash deposit or, at the election of the Foreclosure Commissioner after consultation with the HUD representative, will be liable to HUD for any costs incurred as a result of such failure. The Commissioner may, at the direction of the HUD representative, ofer the property to the second highest bidder for an amount equal to the highest price ofered by that bidder. There is no right of redemption, or right of possession based upon a right of redemption, in the mortgagor or others subsequent to a foreclosure completed pursuant to the Act. Therefore, the Foreclosure Commissioner will issue a Deed to the purchaser(s) upon receipt of the entire purchase price in accordance with the terms of the sale as provided herein. HUD does not guarantee that the property will be vacant. The scheduled foreclosure sale shall be cancelled or adjourned if it is established, by documented written application or otherwise, that the default or defaults upon which the foreclosure is based did not exist at the time of service of this Notice of Default and Foreclosure Sale, or all amounts due under the mortgage agreement are tendered to the Foreclosure Commissioner, in the form of a certifed or cashier’s check payable to the Secretary, before public auction of the property is completed. The amount that must be paid if the Mortgage Deed of Trust is to be reinstated prior to the scheduled sale is based on the nature of the breach, this loan is not subject to reinstatement. A total payof is required to cancel the foreclosure sale, or the breach must otherwise be cured, if applicable. A description of the default is as follows: AN OBLIGATION OF THE BORROWER UNDER THIS SECURITY INSTRUMENT IS NOT PERFORMED. Tender of payment by certifed or cashier’s check or application for cancellation of the foreclosure sale shall be submitted to the address of the Foreclosure Commissioner provided below. The sale date shown on this Notice of Default and Foreclosure Sale may be postponed one or more times by the Secretary, the Foreclosure Commissioner or a court. For Sales Information please call (916) 939-0772 or visit the website www. nationwideposting.com using the fle number assigned to this case FC# 8300.00015 Your ability to obtain sales information by Internet Website or phone is provided as a courtesy to those not present at the sale and neither Nemovi Law Group, APC nor the website host makes any representations or warranties as to the accuracy or correctness of the information provided thereby. Nemovi Law Group, APC and its agents do not assume any responsibility for reliance on any information received by telephone or website. THIS INFORMATION IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE AT ANY TIME. It will be necessary for you to attend all sales in order to obtain the most current information. Neither Nemovi Law Group, APC nor its agents will be liable for any loss you may sustain in using or receiving any information obtained online or by phone. NOTICE TO MEMBERS OF THE ARMED FORCES Assert and protect your rights as a member of the armed forces of the United States. If you or your spouse is serving on active military duty, including active military duty as a member of the Texas National Guard or the National Guard of another state or as a member of a reserve component of the armed forces of the United States, please send written notice of the active-duty military service to the sender of this notice immediately. NEMOVI LAW GROUP,

All-district baseball, softball teams announced

By Landan Kuhlmann landan@theleadernews.com

Even though the baseball and softball seasons are over for all of the area’s public school baseball and softball teams, several players are now being recognized for their contributions to their respective teams’ impressive seasons.

Leading the way for area teams were nine players from the Heights Lady Bulldogs’ softball team, following a season in which they won the first Class 6A district championship in program history as well as earning the program’s first-ever trip to the regional quarterfinals. Among those, the leading honor went to Hayley Jaime as the District 18-6A Most Valuable Player.

Jaime earned District 18-6A MVP honors following a season during which she led the district with a 2.55 ERA and 191 strikeouts in 123.1 innings in the circle and striking out 36.7 percent of the batters she faced according to MaxPreps. And she wasn’t just a star in the circle, either – Jaime also hit .416 with a 1.059 OPS and 10 extra-base hits to go along with 26 RBIs at the plate.

In all, the Lady Bulldogs placed nine on the all-district team, including six earning first-team honors.

Earning first team honors were Laila Robins, Kenne -

LANDAN KUHLMANN Editor

dy Hill, Angelina del Pozo, Sydney Palomo, Helen Maddux, and Alyssa Morris. Second team honors went to Sara Paniagua, Kendall David, and Flora Moreno.

Waltrip’s Lady Rams made their return to the playoffs for the first time in four seasons, and had five players named to the all-district team as a result. Leading the way was District 19-5A co-MVP Gabrielle Thomas-Brice, who hit .532 while leading the district in home runs (12), RBIs (47), runs scored (37), slugging percentage (1.355), and placing second in OPS (1.922) at the plate. Cinthia Castillo was the co-offensive player of the year after hitting .627 with a 1.825 OPS and 20 extra-base hits.

Pitcher Eris Aiken (88 strikeouts) along with infielders Jazzlyn Zamarripa (.510 on-base percentage) and Savannah Gonzalez (1.190 OPS, 20 RBIs) were named to the first team, while Anna-Alicia Aguilar (.571 batting average) and Haley Allen (.979 OPS)

were second-team selections.

In the Class 4A ranks, the Booker T. Washington Lady Eagles had four players selected for the all-district team, with infielders Ciara Perry-Dumes and Brenda Jeronima earning first-team honors while fellow infielders Destiny Lara and Emily Pallares made the second team.

Baseball

In Class 6A, the District 18-6A champion Heights Bulldogs saw seven players named to the alldistrict team – four firstteam selections and three on the second-team. Head coach David Petty was one of the district’s cocoaches of the year.

Making the first team as a pitcher was Brady Pro after sporting a teamleading 1.75 ERA and 50 strikeouts in 40 innings of work, while Mateo Quintanilla (.304 average, 17 RBIs) made it as an outfielder. Catcher Robert Robinson made the first team after hitting .420 with a 1.186 OPS and 29 RBIs, as did designated hitter Paul Smith with a .419 batting average and 1.192 OPS to go along with a team-leading 32 RBIs. Pitchers Hunter Schwartz (2.80 ERA, 38 strikeouts) and Armand Martinez (1.85 ERA, 26 strikeouts) were second team selections, as was Eduardo Lopez (.279 average, 12 RBIs).

In the Class 5A ranks, District 19-5A champion Waltrip saw 11 total players named to the all-district team after a season in which the Rams went 24-4 and made it to the area round of the playoffs.

Senior David Medina was the district’s defensive MVP, while head coach Richard Burris was named the district’s coach of the year.

Below is a rundown of the all-district selections from local schools:

Softball

District 18-6A

Heights

District MVP

Hayley Jaime

First team

Laila Robins

Kennedy Hill

Angelina del Pozo

Sydney Palomo

Helen Maddux

Alyssa Morris

Second Team

Sara Paniagua

Kendall David

Flora Moreno

District 19-5A

Waltrip District co-MVP

Gabrielle Thomas-Brice District co-offensive

POY

Cinthia Castillo

First Team

Eris Aiken

Jazzlyn Zamarripa

Savannah Gonzalez

Second Team

Anna-Alicia Aguilar

Haley Allen

District 12-4A

ton

Booker T. Washing -

First Team

Ciara Perry-Dumes

Brenda Jeronima

Second Team

Destiny Lara

Emily Pallares

Baseball District 18-6A

Heights

First Team Brady Pro

Mateo Quintanilla

Robert Robinson

Paul Smith

Second Team Hunter Schwartz

Armand Martinez

Eduardo Lopez District 19-5A

Waltrip

Defensive MVP

David Medina

First Team

Nick Russell

Ethan Nunez

Miles Fleming

Daniel Keuhn

Julius Banda

Beto Ramirez

Nicholas Carreon

Aidan Butron

Second Team

Max Santiago

Anthony Moya

Nathan Park

Photo by Wayne Donnelly

Heights’

Photo by Landan Kuhlmann

City amending trash pickup for Memorial Day

From Sta Reports

As residents and the city of Houston prepare for next week’s Memorial Day holiday, the city’s Solid Waste Management department announced earlier this week that trash pickup will be slightly altered in the early part of next week.

The city said delays should be anticipated in the days following Memorial Day on Monday in all service areas as crews work to pick up all trash. Delays in curbside recycling collection should be anticipated, the city said, as collection crews will work throughout the weekend to ensure services are provided on designated collection week. Below is the amended trash pickup schedule for next week:

Trash pickup schedule

Monday, May 29, 2023 (Memorial Day)

CITY HOLIDAY: NO COL-

LECTION SERVICES. In observance of the Memorial Day holiday, all Solid Waste Facilities, including the Neighborhood Depositories/ Recycling Centers, Westpark Recycling Center, Environmental Service Center, The Reuse Warehouse and Ad-

Theatre Suburbia debuting new show June 1

From Sta Reports

ministration offices, will be closed. Delays in curbside recycling collection should be anticipated. Collection crews will work throughout the weekend to ensure services are provided on designated collection week.

Tuesday, May 30, 2023

Monday’s garbage, yard waste and Monday’s A-Week curbside recycling will be collected. Neighborhood Depositories/Recycling Centers, Westpark Recycling Center, and Reuse Warehouse will re-open.

Wednesday, May 31, 2023

Tuesday’s garbage, yard waste and Tuesday’s A-Week curbside recycling will be collected.

Thursday, June 1, 2023

Normal collection schedule will resume.

Local theatre company Theatre Suburbia will debut its new show for the community in the next couple of weeks, according to the theatre. The company is debuting Lone Star/Laundry and Bourbon at the theater at the beginning of next month.

Lone Star takes place in the cluttered backyard of a small-town Texas bar. Roy, a “brawny, macho type who had once been a local highschool hero, is back in town

after a hitch in Vietnam and trying to reestablish his position in the community,” according to a news release from the theatre. Meanwhile, the release said Laundry and Bourbon began.

Laundry and Bourbon takes place on the front porch of Roy and his wife Elizabeth’s home in Maynard, Texas, on a hot summer afternoon.

“Elizabeth and her friend Hattie are whiling away the time folding laundry, watching TV, sipping bourbon and

Coke, and gossiping about the many open secrets which are so much a part of smalltown life,” the release said. The show will run June 1-July 2 with shows on Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m. and select Sundays (June 18 and June 25) at 2 p.m. at the theater, 5201 Mitchelldale St. Suite A-3. Tickets will be $18 for adults and $16 for students, seniors, and matinee performances. Those wanting to attend can visit theatresuburbia.com or call 713-682-3525.

Nibbles and Sips: Bellaire-based bakery coming to Heights

By Landan Kuhlmann landan@theleadernews.com

An old Heights staple in Kraftsmen Baking may have closed its doors earlier this year, but there is a new eatery coming to its old spot in the Heights.

According to a filing with the Texas Department of Licensing and Registration (TDLR), Dandelion Café will be renovating the space at the Heights Clock Tower, 611 W. 22nd St., for its newest location. This will be the second location in the Houston area for Dandelion Café, joining the original restaurant at 5405 Bellaire Blvd.

The restaurant’s website says it offers “highend” breakfast and lunch options for customers including breakfast sandwiches, bagels, omelets, and pancakes along with paninis, salads, soups, and other sandwiches. Dandelion also several different coffee and tea choices, according to the website.

According to the TDLR filing, Dandelion will be renovating the old 3,500 square-foot spot at the Heights Clock Tower for its new location, with the cost of the project estimated to be around $500,000 when all is said and done.

Construction is tentatively set to begin on the renovations on Aug. 1, according to the filing, with an estimated December completion.

For more information on Dandelion Café, visit the restaurant’s website at dandelionhouston.com or follow them on Facebook.

Houston Food bank dinner sets record for

donations

The 23rd Annual Chefs’ Dinner held on May 11 at Hotel ZaZa – Museum District raised a record-breaking amount

of $623,733 for the Houston Food Bank, according to a news release from the food bank.

Nearly 400 attendees came to the dinner, whose

participating chefs included Ryan Pera of Heights staple Coltivare and Agricole Hospitality. The donations will help the food bank provide nearly 1.9

million meals to the Houston area for those in need of food, according to the news release.

“The Food Bank is grateful for the leadership

of our chairs, Michele and Jeff Dodson, and the chefs who contributed all the ingredients for their courses,” the organization said in a statement Monday.

Photo by Quy Tran

Pictured from left is Je Dodson, Chef Nga Rogers, Chef Ryan Pera, Chef Brandon Wilhelm, Chef Hugo Ortega, Chef Austin Simmons, and Michele Dodson at the Houston Food Bank’s Chef’s Dinner.

Contributed photo

Theatre Suburbia will debut Lone Star/Laundry and Bourbon on June 1.

Art Valet has received an incredible number of notifications for art events over the next 2 weeks. I’ve narrowed it down to five, starting this Saturday in Katy, Texas then next week we’ll travel from Midtown to Sugar Land, Montrose and Sawyer Yards. Each of these artists have the Heights’ First Saturday in common, even if it’s been awhile!

Jackie Haliburton will host a trunk show this Saturday, May 27, 2023, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. in Katy, TX. Haliburton is most often found at the juried fine art festivals with her rural country scenes similar to Grandma Moses. Her signature tall women and “Big Mama’’ paintings are what keep people flocking to her. Please call 281-619-6338 for details or visit https://www. instagram.com/Jackiesfolkart.

Thursday June 1, Mid Main Gallery, 3550 Main St., will host pop and abstract artist Fletcher Stafford from 6-10 p.m., for “My Invisible Home.” This is Stafford’s third showing at the Mid Main Gallery. He’ll also be performing an acoustic set of his own songs at 9 p.m. This coincides with the Houston Mid Main First Thursday event. I asked Stafford what he could tell us about his art for this exhibit and he sent the following.

“Artists have invisible spaces of creativity that they can make seen,” Stafford wrote. “My Invisible Home is a metaphor for these creative spaces in an artist’s mind. In my invisible home, I have been working in two rooms. In one room, I connect words with pop art images that are humorous and/or thought provoking. The other room is full of free flow imaginative works; some are narrative, and some are abstract. Oh yeah, color, I love

color! Welcome to “My Invisible Home”. Mi casa es su casa.” https://www.fletcherstaffordart.com/

Joey Barnes brought the Contemporary Handweavers of Texas (CHT) to my attention recently. CHT is a nonprofit founded in October 1949 and promotes interest in handweaving and related crafts. The last time Joey Barnes’ name appeared in this column was February 2015, when she was part of an artist group that created polymer clay jewelry. Barnes is still creative, but she’s (obviously) picked up weaving, and as I wrote in 2015, “Joey Barnes is the type of person that pushes the envelope in everything she does.”

Beginning Friday, June 2, Handweavers from all over Texas will gather in Sugar Land for their biannual meeting, exhibit and Member Sale of handwoven goods. The public can enjoy the member sale, exhibit and vendor hall which has offerings of fiber, yarn, tools and baskets, just to name a few.

The member sale and ven-

dor hall hours are Friday, June 2, from 1–5:30 p.m. and 8–10 p.m. and Saturday, June 3 from 9 a.m.–5 p.m. The entire event takes place at Marriott Sugar Land, Ballroom VI + Veranda Boardroom (second level) at Sugar Land Town Square, 16090 City Walk. For more information: (832) 767-5441, email weavetexas@gmail.com and web: https://weavetexas.org/ Jubilee: A Celebration Of Freedom takes place Friday Jun 2, from 6–8 p.m. at the Silos Gallery, 1502 Sawyer St. Curators Lauren Luna and Carla Bisong, co-founders of the Dream Affect Foundation, organized this group exhibition. The exhibition inspires fresh consideration of our most pressing social concerns through the lenses of art and history, inviting the audience to consider how we can celebrate our journey toward physical freedom, freedom of thought, and freedom of selfexpression.

A portion of the art sales is donated to a minority visual art student in financial need.

The exhibition ends Saturday,

July 15. To get to the Silos Gallery, from the main entrance at 1502 Sawyer St., follow either hallway upon entering through the studio space to the center of the building. https://www. dreamaffect.org/

Archway Gallery, 2305 Dunlavy, Houston, Texas 77006, presents North Sea Gulf Coast, featuring new paintings by Annette Palmer at an opening reception Saturday, June 3 from 5-8 p.m. with an artist

talk at 6:30 p.m. Complimentary valet parking is available. In an email, Palmer said this work focuses on two distant locations and the space in between.

Originally from Scotland, the Magnolia, Texas artist’s work is inspired by Galveston and the Texas Coast, as well as the North East Coast of Scotland in Angus and Aberdeenshire, it is the experience of feeling at home in two locations, almost 5000 miles apart, separated by a vast ocean. Palmer’s semi-abstract land and seascapes speak to maintaining connections, treasuring memories, holding onto our kindred spirits, and embracing the fragments of what has been. “Distance isn’t just physical,” says Palmer. “It’s life and death, it can be lost in time, it can be spiritual.” https://annettepalmerart.com/ 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.

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Through tornadoes, earthquakes, hurricanes, and more, Farmers has been on the scene helping people start rebuilding since 1928. No one wants to think about all the things that can go wrong. But at Farmers, that’s what we’ve been doing for the last 80 years.

Personal attention. Call 713-699-8669 today!

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Lane Lewis Your Local Agent 2200 North Loop W. Ste. 136, Houston, TX 77018 LLewis@FarmersAgent.com

Your Local Agent 2200 North Loop W. Ste. 136, Houston, TX77018

Lane Lewis Your Local Agent 2200 North Loop W. Ste. 136, Houston, TX 77018

LLewis@FarmersAgent.com

LLewis@FarmersAgent.com

2022

COSMETICS & BOUTIQUE

Congratulations GRADS of 2023!!

We have a wonderful GIFT SELECTION including jewelry, greeting cards, accessories, handbags, clothing and home décor.

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st. thomas high school

Mateo Albrecht

Hassan Ali

Luke Anigbogu

George Antill

Julian Arrona

Khaled Barakat II

Nicolas Felipe Barriga

Jamey Beston II

Conrad Billings

Charles Boettcher Jr.

Patrick Bourg

Preston Bowman

Benjamin Brown

John Brown

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Animo Hat Company encouraging, empowering through hats

By Landan Kuhlmann landan@theleadernews.com

When Ranee Wright discovered her passion for designing hats, it may have been partly the result of fate but mostly the result of a mother’s heart to keep her late daughter’s legacy of inspiring others alive.

Now, Wright is doing just that, encouraging others to embrace their individuality through Animo Hat Company. Animo, she said, was founded for the purpose of giving everyone the opportunity of creative expression through accessories.

“We can create something that is uniquely you, and that nobody else is going to look like,” she said. “I enjoy people being able to recognize their uniqueness and have confidence in it, and I get the privilege of creating an avenue with which to show it.”

The company started a little over a year ago, Wright said, as a passion project after years in the oil and gas industry. She lost her daughter three years ago and said she was searching for an active way to keep her daughter’s memory alive. Looking for a creative outlet, Wright went to a hat bar and designed some hats and realized her passion for designing and making beautifully unique hand tailored hat trims.

As she started wearing them, people would complement her and ask where she got them. As she shared her story, people began to share theirs which led to connections and ultimately encouragement. “Everywhere I’d go people would comment on my hats, and that would spark a conversation and then a connection – which was really interesting,” she said. “So, before I knew it people were telling me their stories, and there would be some encouragement involved. I didn’t realize it at the time, but it was the outlet I was looking for.”

“Lydia was always encouraging and very supportive of people, a passion both she and I shared. I realized that I had this creative gift of designing unique hat trims as well as styling a complete head to toe look that can give an individual confidence to allow their authentic self to shine. I started to think about how I could combine honoring her, our passion and creativity in a tangible way.

Seeing how this confi-

dence sparked a connection and inspired resilience in others, Wright said, Animo was created. The word Animo, she said, is a Spanish word that basically means to encourage, – just as she said her daughter Lydia did in her everyday life. So, the name and company, she said, is a perfect marriage of her pas-

VALEDICTORIAN Stephanie Birkelbach

Attending Texas A&M University, majoring in Computer Science

Awards and Scholarships received:

Texas A&M University

National Merit Scholarship Corporation

Opportunity Award Scholarship

President’s Endowed Scholarship

Texas Association of Secondary School Principals All-State

Academic Team Award

National Merit Scholar Finalist

Head of School Honor Roll (all four years); University of Rochester Xerox Award for Innovation and Information Technology; Excellence in AP Computer Science; Excellence in AP English Language; Excellence in Honors Precalculus

Activities and community engagement:

National Merit Scholar Varsity Swim (9-12 grade)

Student Council- Junior Class Secretary

National Honor Society (Del Sarto Chapter)

Volunteered at Houston Food Bank and Math tutor for students at SPX and in her community.

room on their property in Tomball where clients are taken by appointment only. That is done, she said, so each person is given the time and attention they deserve to create their own unique design – though customers can also check out the online store. Animo does both men’s and women’s hats, according to Wright, along with women’s fine western fashion and other unique accessories. Some hats are inscribed with encouragements, while others are named after those whom Wright has encountered who have shown resilience in her eyes. But above all, she wants every customer who buys a hat to feel the

freedom in being uniquely themselves from head to toe. That, she said, is the essence of Animo.

“Everybody deserves to both look and feel fabulous – because when you’re comfortable in your own skin and have something you feel good in, everything opens up,” she said. “You stand taller, you look up, and you don’t hide. That’s really what we love.”

And that confidence, that moment when their face springs to life because of finding a way to express who they are, is the best part of helping each person for Wright. It’s what Animo strives to do with each and every person. Because in her

mind, everyone deserves the chance to shine.

“They just light up. Helping someone identify what makes them beautifully unique, is what I was made to do, it’s my purpose. These hats and styling sessions give people the confidence to embrace parts of themselves that may have been hidden for a long time. It’s like seeing a bird being set free to fly as high as they want.” she said.” I love seeing people come alive, and I see that happen when they wear our hats made specifically with them in mind.”

sion for inspiring and encouraging people and keeping the memory of her daughter’s life alive every day.

Since she melded her passion with that mission, it has taken off. Starting the company last January, Wright said she has created nearly 900 individual hats by hand. Her husband built a show-

SALUTATORIAN Logan Landry

Attending Southern Nazarene University, majoring in Finance Awards and Scholarships received:

Drury University

Presidential Scholarship

Priority Admission Scholarship

Southern Nazarene University

President’s Scholarship

RUGBY Award

Activities and community engagement: Varsity Rugby (9-12 grade)

Varsity Football (10-11 grade)

Student Honor Board

National Honor Society (Del Sarto Chapter)

Volunteer:

Salvation Army Angel Tree Christmas Gift Program; Salvation Army; 9-12 grade

St. Vincent De Paul Food Pantry Thanksgiving Drive; St. Vincent De Paul Food Pantry; 9,-11 Middle School Academic Rally; St. Pius X; 11 grade Houston Food Bank; grade 10

Habitat for Humanity Restore; grade 11

Contributed photo

Animo Hat company creates personalized and individualized hats for both men and women.

Contributed photo

Animo Hat Company founder and owner Ranee Wright (pictured) has created hundreds of individualized hats since beginning the company a little over one year ago.

Photo by Landan Kuhlmann

senior Andre Walker II helped lead the Eagles to the program’s first-ever trip to the UIL state basketball tournament.

By Landan Kuhlmann landan@theleadernews.com

As the midway point of the calendar nears in 2023, the trend in local home sales has continued to stay the same as it has looked for much of the year so far according to the most recent data from the Houston Association of Realtors.

Just as it has been for the last several months, the 77091 zip code was the only local market to show a year-over-year monthly increase, according to the data, while each of the other five zip codes continued to experience a monthly downturn. The same zip code is also the lone one to still be ahead of last year’s pace through the end of the month, according to the data.

Pricing-wise, results last month were a bit of a mixed bag, with year-overyear average home prices dropping significantly in the 77007 and 77008 zip codes while the 77009 zip codes largely stagnated. The 77018, 77091, and 77092 zip codes, meanwhile, all saw year-overyear prices rise by at least

4.8 percent. Median home prices, meanwhile, rose across the board.

77018

In the zip code that includes much of Garden Oaks, Oak Forest, and Central Northwest, April home sales fell 26.6 percent from last year, with 58 homes coming off the market compared to the 76 sales in April 2022 according to HAR data. Year-to-date, the 192 sales so far this year represent a 30.6 percent dip from the 277 homes sold at the same time last year.

The average home here cost $681,748 last month, a 21 percent year-over-year April sales cost rise, while the median April home price rose 23.6 percent up to $566,261. Through the end of the month, buyers are paying 13.8 percent more ($664,235) so far in this year, and median price has gone up 11.4 percent to $522,500.

77091

Just to the north, the zip code encompassing much of Greater Inwood, Acres Homes, and Independence Heights was again the only local zip code to see a

year-over-year rise in April home sales. There were 33 homes to come off the market here last month, a 22.2 percent jump from the 27 sold last April. As a whole, there have been 110 homes sold in this area so far this year, a 4.8 percent increase from the 105 sales during the same time last year.

Pricewise, average April home price was up 20.4 percent year-overyear to $365,391, while median April home price jumped 10.9 percent up to $354,900. Year-to-date, the average buyer has paid 11.3 percent more ($338,877) so far in 2023 while median home price has also risen 11.3 percent up to $354,900.

77092

On the western edge of Central Northwest and into Langwood and Kempwood just west of Highway 290, there were just 18 homes sold last month – the lowest total among local markets, and a 53.8 percent yearover-year dip compared to the 39 homes sold in this zip code last April. It is also the zip code furthest behind last year’s pace, with its 56

homes sold representing a 54.8 percent dip from the same time frame last year.

When it came to home prices, this area was one of three local markets to see year-over-year average April prices rise, seeing a 4.8 percent increase to $359,373, while median April home price was up 14.4 percent year-overyear to $377,500. The average buyer has paid 6.1 percent more for a home so far this year ($349,791), while median home price has jumped 14.1 percent to $365,000 through the end of the month.

77008

Down in the Greater Heights, agents saw 78 houses come off the market last month, a 22.8 percent decrease from the 101 sales there last April. There have been 252 sales in the area so far this year, according to HAR data, down 33.9 percent from the 381 sales made in the zip code during the same period in 2022.

Average buyers paid 7 percent less year-over-year ($664,407) for a house last month compared to April 2022, while the median

price was up slightly (2.5 percent) year-over-year to $635,500. On a year-todate basis, average home price has gone up 3.7 percent ($676,317) compared to the same point last year, and median price has jumped 8.7 percent up to $608,500 according to HAR data.

77009

In the zip code that includes Sunset Heights, Woodland Heights, and the Northside area, just 28 homes came off the market last month – the secondlowest total among local zip codes and a 56.3 percent dip from the 64 homes sold there in April 2022. The area is now 43.1 percent behind last year’s sales pace through the end of the month, with 116 home sales as opposed to 204 during the same period in 2022.

Pricewise, the average April price for a home here was down ever so slightly (0.2 percent) year-overyear to $605,996, while median home price spiked 24.6 percent – the largest local jump – year-over-year up to $610,639. Through the end of the month, av-

erage price is 13.4 percent compared to the same time in 2022 ($617,749), and median price has also jumped 13.4 percent to $524,495 through the end of the month.

77007

In the southernmost edge of the area, there was another huge dip in home sales last month. There were 49 homes sold in the area last month, down 44.3 percent year-over-year from the 88 sales there in April 2022 according to HAR data. As a result, the zip code is 48.1 percent behind its 2022 pace through the end of the month, with 174 home sales compared to 335 during the same period last year.

On a pricing front, the average home price in this area was $657,064 last month - down 4 percent year-over-year from the $684,357 it was last April – while median home price jumped 6.5 percent up to $570,000. Year-to-date, the average buyer has paid 11.2 percent more in this area ($693,703) compared to the same period last year, while the median price is up 10.7 percent to $570,000.

By Landan Kuhlmann landan@theleadernews.com

Developers have broken ground on a new luxury apartment complex that is slated to open in the Heights within the next two years.

On Tuesday, OHT Partners

LLC announced that the development company has now broken ground on the Lenox Heights apartments, an upscale apartment complex that will be situated at 333 W. 24th St. in the Heights.

Construction began on Lenox Heights last May, and

the complex will be completed and ready for move in by the first quarter of 2025 according to developers.

“Lenox Heights offers the highly desirable combination of short commute times and an even shorter distance to fantastic retail and dining options,” said Jackson Simons, vice president of development for the Houston market for OHT Partners.

When it comes to fruition, Lenox Heights will be joining an increasing number of apartment complexes in the area. Information from the

real estate firm Transwestern found more than 1,051 new apartment units were under construction in the Heights and Washington Avenue corridor as of last September, according to an article from the Houston Chronicle.

The $31 million complex is tentatively scheduled to open its doors to residents beginning in early 2025, according to the release, and will have 359 apartment units ranging in size from 629-1,247 square feet as well as amenities including two resort-style pools, a sky deck with views of

downtown, a co-working studio, fitness center, clubhouse, pet spa and more.

And because of the Heights’ walkable lifestyle, developers believe that Lenox Heights – situated within walking distance of 19th Street and short driving distance of a two-story H-E-B – is perfectly suited to join that list of complexes when construction is complete.

“It offers incredible convenience for residents that want a walkable lifestyle,” Simons said.