As students around Houston ISD get set to return to school later this month, spaces formerly reserved for libraries are going to look different at more than two dozen schools – including a local elementary school. And city officials have criticized the plans put forth for them by superintendent Mike Miles.
Last week, city of Houston officials, including Mayor Sylvester Turner and District H councilmember Karla Cisneros – among others – vocalized concerns about Miles’ plan to turn the libraries into “Team Centers” at 28 schools in his “New Education System” plan that Miles has said is meant to reform the educational process and close the educational gap at the affected schools.
Some city leaders, however, don’t see it that way when it comes to doing that at NES schools, one of which is Highland Heights Elementary at 865 Paul Quinn St. in the Acres Homes neighborhood. During last week’s city council meeting, Mayor Sylvester Turner called for Miles and the board of managers to overturn their decision.
Keenan McCardell may now make his living almost 1,200 miles from the football fields and the city where he first made his mark.
But he’s always kept Houston in his heart, and the Waltrip High School alumnus is now using the lessons learned there and throughout his journey through the National Football League in efforts to help young players reach and live their dreams the same way he’s been able to.
“The talent in the city of Houston is unbelievable, and especially when we were growing up. There wasn’t a Friday night you could walk out on the field and just relax,” McCardell said last week at the start of NFL training camp, where he enters his third season as the Minnesota Vikings wide receivers coach. “It showed me how to be a competitor, how to be better than everybody. That city is the
best city in the world…. And Waltrip meant so much to me.” And the lessons that helped him become top-25 in career receptions, are those he is trying to teach younger players as a mentor and coach. McCardell is entering his 10th season as a wide receiv-
ers’ coach, and his third year in Minnesota.
“One of the things I learned going from a player to a coach is that you’ve got to continue to work hard each and every day if you want to be a part of (the NFL). So I just applied what I did as a player – outworking everybody, continuing to work, leading by example, teaching guys what I was taught,” he said. “Understanding players and knowing how to push their buttons every now and then to get them to play right is key too, and being truthful and honest with guys.”
Being transparent with players, he said, is what helps him get the most out of his players.
“Sometimes (the game) is not going to be good, sometimes it’s going to be great,” he said. “And when you have that relationship with your players, you can be transparent and honest with
By Landan Kuhlmann landan@theleadernews.comA man has been arrested following a shooting that allegedly occurred after multiple suspects allegedly attempted to break into a home in the Northside Village area last weekend, according to the Houston Police Department, while multiple other suspects remain at large.
Davon Darion Carson, 31, has been arrested and charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon in connection to the shooting, according to Harris County court records. He has also been charged with burglary of a habitation and felon in possession of a weapon, according to court records. He remained in jail as of Tuesday, according to court records, with total bail set at $150,000.
At least two other alleged suspects remain at large, according to the police department.
Officers responded to a call of a break-in to a home in the 200 block of Cody Street in the Northside Village area around 4:20 a.m. last Saturday July 29, police said, after two armed men allegedly attempted to break into a home and allegedly fired shots inside the home that narrowly missed the family inside. The homeowner allegedly returned fire, according to the department, hitting one suspect in the leg before the suspects allegedly fled the scene.
One suspect, alleged to be Carson according to the department, was allegedly later found at a nearby hospital with a gunshot wound to his leg. He was subsequently arrested and charged, according to HPD.
Anyone with information on the identities of the wanted suspects or in the case is asked to contact the HPD Major Assault & Family Violence Division at 713-308-8800 or speak anonymously to Houston Crime Stoppers at 713-222-8477 (TIPS).
By Landan Kuhlmann landan@theleadernews.com
It’s about that time for Houstonians to don their finest white clothes and accessories, as one of the area’s most popular annual events is gearing up for another year. The annual White Linen Night is coming up, with the event set to take place this Saturday, Aug. 5 from 6-10 p.m. along 19th Street in the Heights as thousands of people will wear their finest white clothes to walk the streets and see what its businesses have to offer.
During the event, portions of 19th Street will be closed to through traffic
in order to allow attendees and vendors to walk the streets in the 200 and 300 blocks of West 19th Street.
White Linen Night was back in person last year for the first time since 2019 after the COVID-19 pandemic and its aftereffects – to the book of many area businesses, several of whom previously told The Leader that the annual event can double or triple their typical sales. Originally conceived in New Orleans, the event began in Houston in 2006 as a way to draw the eyes of many to the plethora of small businesses that make their home in the Heights and around
One arrested, two at large following alleged attempted break-inDavon Darion Carson Photo by Landan Kuhlmann
An electrical mishap was apparently the cause of an apartment fire in the Greater Heights area last week, according to the Houston Fire Department. Nobody was injured from the fire, according to
the department, though HFD said a dog was treated for minor injuries at the scene.
The department said firefighters from stations 5, 6, 31, 9, 11, 19 and 30 responded to a call at an apartment complex in the 200 block of West 17th Street in the Heights just
after 7:30 p.m. on July 27
to see smoke coming from a second-floor apartment unit as a person attempted to rescue a dog.
Crews were able to get the person and dog out safely, according to the department, before firefighters extinguished the fire. It began in the bedroom, ac-
cording to the department, and caused an estimated $15,000 in damage to the apartment.
Arson investigators have deemed the fire accidental, according to the department, and classified it as an electrical fire.
Arson investigators are working to determine what led to a small fire inside a warehouse in the Central Northwest neighborhood last weekend, according to the Houston Fire Department.
There were no reported injuries from the fire, according to the department.
HFD said crews from stations 15, 5, 31, 13, 50, 62, 38, 30, Hazmat 22 and 6 responded to a call for a warehouse fire in the 2200 block of West 34th Street last Saturday to find smoke coming from the
warehouse on the property before forcing entry.
Crews found of organic fertilizer smoldering in the back of the building upon going inside, according to the department, and removed the fertilizer before searching the building and later extinguishing the fire. Nobody was found
inside, according to the department.
The fire has currently been deemed accidental and the fertilizer material as non-toxic, according to the department, though HFD said arson investigators are still working to discern what led to the fire breaking out.
By Landan Kuhlmann landan@theleadernews. com
Houston police are in the process of attempting to identify the identity of man whose body was found inside a building in the Kempwood area just west of Highway 290 earlier this week, according to the Houston Police Department.
The identity of the man is pending an autopsy from the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences, according to the department.
According to the department, officers responded to a call in the 5000 block of Grow
Lane in the Kempwood area around 10:50 a.m. Monday to find the man’s body inside the building. He had suffered an apparent blunt force trauma to the head, according to the department.
Houston Fire Department paramedics pronounced the man dead at the scene, according to the police department, and an investigation is pending the results of the medical examiner’s autopsy. Anyone with information in the case or about what may have led to his death is asked to contact HPD’s Homicide division at 713-308-3600.
THE LIBRARY – “I’d like to check out a book, please, but I can’t find it,” I say. “Certainly,” says the nice lady behind the coun ter. “Maybe I can help you. What book are you look ing for?” I reply, “One on pig farming.” She comes from behind the counter and takes me down an aisle. “Here we are. What kind of pig and what kind of farm?”
That’s me in about CCVIII BC, when I was a small tad. On those hot Texas summer afternoons before a/c and TV, electricity and Texas Republicans, there wasn’t much to do but read, so I’d get on my bike and peddle down to our town’s public library and check out books, lots of books – they eventually limited me to six. It was the same at school. I think I spent more time in the library than in detention hall. Today, libraries and librarians, both in schools and in public libraries, are under assault. Normally dull school board meetings turn into shouting matches about library books. The Dewy Decimal System is a Deep State conspiracy. How bad is the situation? The newly appointed Houston ISD superintendent, Mike Miles, eliminated librarians and media specialists from 28 campuses. The libraries are being turned into disciplinary warehouses for unruly students. Miles proclaimed: “I’d rather have a high-quality teacher getting paid a lot, than have a librarian doing what, checking out books?” Our state legislators and leaders, having solved all of Texas’ problems, micromanage what books are deemed unsuitable for any student who can read. In this last session, the lawmakers passed bills that crack down on the rampant explosion of obscenity in our school libraries. Gov. Greg Abbott said during the bill signing session, “Some school libraries have books with sexually explicit and vulgar materials. I’m signing a law that gets that trash out of our schools.”
If you will recall, previously we have looked at our legislators’ actions in this regard. In October 2021 Fort Worth Republican Rep. Matt Krause, chairman of the Committee on General Investigating, sent a letter to all school districts asking about their book collections — in particular volumes “that address or contain” sexual themes. Rep. Krause ordered librarians to go throughout their entire stock to see if their shelves contained any books he listed on 16 pages with 849 titles.
One of the more hilarious events in the Lege’s debate involved Republican Rep.
the city of Houston.
Lynn Ashby Columnist
we gather all of these obscene books, like Anne Frank’s diary and the Bible, start a big bonfire in the town square and throw them in. For advice see: “How To Burn Books” by Nazi Minister of Propaganda Joseph Goebbels. We should warn librarians not to shush in any language but English?
school libraries, Patterson said, “There should be no sexually explicit books” in a high school library. When asked if that included Larry McMurtry’s Pulitzer Prizewinning novel “Lonesome Dove,” one of Texans’ favorite stories, Patterson replied if it contained ribald passages then, “they might need to ban ‘Lonesome Dove.’” But he admitted he had never read it.
School districts reacted accordingly to the lawmakers’ decrees. Before the start of last fall’s school year, Keller ISD, north of Fort Worth, removed 42 books that were challenged by parents and community members, including a graphic adaptation of Anne Frank’s diary. In a challenge to the Bible, the authors were listed as “men who lived a long time ago.”
San Antonio’s North East ISD leads the top school districts with the most book removals: 119. Katy ISD banned 43 books. PEN America, a nonprofit focused on maintaining freedom of expression, found in an April report that Texas had 438 cases of public school districts either temporarily or permanently removing access to library and classroom books. That is more than any other state. Alaska and South Carolina have banned one book each. According to PEN, between July 1 of last year and June 30, Texas saw 801 bannings. That figure refers not to individual titles but rather to the number of times any school district has issued a ban, so severl districts have banned the same books.
These librarians are a scary bunch. The notorious Laura Bush worked as a librarian at the Kashmere Gardens Branch at the Houston Public Library. Later she moved to Austin and took a job as a librarian in the Austin ISD. It handicapped her career and she was never heard from again. And remember The Music Man‘s Marian “Madam Librarian” Paroo who, one critic noted, “has long been a personal hero to bookish folks everywhere.” I have an idea. Why don’t
The event has gradually grown in popularity over the course of nearly two decades, with more than 50,000 attendees during the 2019 event and a strong turnout last year in its first in-person event in three years. As usual events, thousands are expected to turn out this weekend for dinner and drink specials as well as an opportunity to support the small businesses.
One such spot participating, as has long been tradition, will be Casa Ramirez FolkArt Gallery at 241 W. 19th St., with local artist Lizbeth Ortiz set to unveiling her latest exhibit, “Photos y Recuerdos,” at the store.
“Each piece captures a moment in time with mixed media and looks to inspire the viewer to enjoy and welcome life’s adventures,” Ortiz said.
Meanwhile, Jesus and Maria Lozano — known as BOSSA II — will perform with their variety of Latin musical stylings and performances, accompanied by percussionist Stephen Araujo, according to a news release from the store. Casa Ramirez said it also has full array of tropical weight white attire for men and women — some with accents of color — including dresses, blouses and shirts, and a selection of hats, jewelry and bags and other accessories for those still looking for the White Linen Night attire.
For more information on White Linen Night, visit facebook.com/events/574886234635121.
Remember that Texas A&M prof who mentioned Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick in a notcomplementary manner, and follow the advice of the State Board of Education: “Wee don’t like boox anyweigh.” Refrain from allowing students to check out any books by “men who lived a long time ago.” Even if the a/c goes out, don’t ask for water breaks. If you work in a charter school, sign the petition demanding taxpayers pay you.
Now just when we think this whole mess couldn’t get any worse, the Legislature passed a bill that was signed into law by Gov. Abbott which goes into effect on Sept. 1 that requires book vendors who sell to schools assign ratings to books with a “sexually explicit” rating. They will be removed from bookshelves. Students who want to check out those books will have to get parental permission first. So booksellers have to go through their entire stock to see which ones contain “sexual explicit” stories, plots or even words and not sell them to schools. Get this: The law also requires booksellers identify all such books that were sold to school districts in the past. The booksellers and their associations are suing.
My fellow Texans, we live in strange, if not dangerous, times, but Joseph Goebbels would be proud.
Ashby checks out at ashby2@comcast.net
The annual weekend where Texas parents can get all the supplies their kids need for the upcoming school year while saving a few dollars is coming up fast. Texas’ annual tax-free
McCardell from P. 1
them.”
weekend will begin next Friday, Aug. 11 and run through Sunday Aug. 13 at midnight, according to the Texas Comptroller’s website.
“The Comptroller encourages all taxpayers to support Texas businesses while saving money on tax-free purchases of
But before that, the 6-foot McCardell was just another kid playing baseball and other sports at Oaks Dads Club just down 34th street from Waltrip. He was like anyone else – a kid with a dream that might seem far-fetched, but he always believed was possible. And he’s using the lessons he learned to help others on their way. “I was a diehard Houston Oilers fan, watching those games with all the ‘Luv Ya Blue’ stuff going on, and playing at Oaks Dads,” he said. “I was going out and playing and doing all the things that I thought was going to be right to be Earl Campbell, Tony Dorsett, and Warren Moon and stuff like that.”
McCardell said he began his high school career as a quarterback before transitioning to wide receiver before his junior season. He graduated from Waltrip in 1988 before going to college at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas (UNLV) for three seasons. He was then drafted in the 12th round of the 1991 NFL draft by the Washington Redskins – with 325 players coming off the board before the Redskins (now Commanders) took a flier on him.
He spent parts of 16 seasons in the NFL with the Commanders/ Redskins, San Diego Chargers, Cleveland Browns, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and Jacksonville Jaguars. He would total 883 receptions for 11,373 yards and 63 touchdowns over the course of his career while averaging 12.9 yards per reception. He was named to two Pro Bowls (1996, 2003) and was a part of Super Bowl winning teams with the Commanders/Redskins in 1991 and the Buccaneers in 2003. Hard lessons
Along the way, however, he said there were many bumps in the road. And with a chip on his shoulder, he said he has always had one mindset – wanting to outwork everyone and prove he belonged. It was one he always possessed, and one he said stayed with him throughout his career.
““I was very persistent with the way I went about things. I was going to be exact – I was going to be the best route runner; the best receiver the team could have,” he said of his time at UNLV. “I was like ‘if that happens, I may get a shot.’ I was praying to the man upstairs to at least have somebody look at me.”
And success certainly didn’t come right away. McCardell was cut by Washington, and latched on with the Cleveland Browns before the 1992 campaign. Then his first three seasons with the Browns saw him total just 24 catches for 424 yards in 21 games – not the greatest start to a career. But he knew he couldn’t give up after coming so far.
“It was a struggle to stay on teams, but it was just obstacles thrown in front. And (the question is) how are you going to handle the obstacles in front of you? Are you going to fold your tent and walk away, or are you going to go full-force?” he said. “I was blessed to have coaches that really liked me and really believed
in me. They knew I was going to fight that adversity of the ups and downs of what happens to young athletes. It just made me work even harder so I could live my actual dream of being on a 53-man roster and going out there and showing folks I really could play football.”
Among those coaches during those early days, he said, are NFL Hall of Famer Art Monk and receivers coach Richard Mann in Cleveland.
“(Richard) always made sure he paid a little more attention to me to make sure my mindset was right,” McCardell said. “He knew that I should be playing because of my ability, but also how I was dealing with the politics of the game. Him being there in my corner was great, because he said ‘when you get your opportunity, don’t ever let them take you out.’
And he certainly didn’t miss his shot. McCardell’s 883 career receptions are 25th all-time according to Pro Football Reference, while his 11,373 career yards are 35th on the all-time list.
“I got my opportunity, and I didn’t let them take me out of the game anymore,” he said with a laugh. “I really thank (Richard) for a lot of it because of the mindset he gave me each and every week.”
Passing it on
Now, McCardell is trying to be that same type of mentor to younger players who might be in his shoes, or might already be there. He is now in his 10th overall season as a wide receivers’ coach, and has coached at both the pro and collegiate level. He coached for the Commanders/ Redskins (2010-2011), University of Maryland (2014-2015), and Jaguars (2017-2020) before coming to Minnesota prior to the 2021 season.
He has coached Pro-Bowlers Stefon Diggs of the Buffalo Bills and D.J. Moore of the Carolina Panthers while they were at Maryland, and is now the position coach for All-Pro receiver Justin Jefferson of the Vikings. And what he loves, he said, is using what he has learned to give younger players a mindset that they can never work too hard.
It’s a mindset, he said, that was a combination of what his parents taught him growing up and lessons he has learned over more than two decades in the NFL.
“I tell kids now ‘You’re fortunate for your job to be a game, so take it that way.’ I always tell my guys that their parents went to work every day when they were younger. I tell them “You’re at the highest level of football, and it’s your job,’” he said. “So (I ask them) how are you going to take it? Are you going to take it as a game or as your job and be businesslike every day to be your best? A lot of my guys understand that, and it accelerates the development process.”
Whether they’re star-powered names like Diggs, Jefferson, and Moore, or those who are like he was early in his career, McCardell just wants them to be able to play the game they love for as long as possible.
“The most fulfilling is seeing
most clothing, footwear, school supplies and backpacks (sold for less than $100) during the annual Tax-Free weekend,” the website reads.
For the duration of the weekend, qualifying items can be purchased tax-free from a Texas store or from an
the success of my players, then seeing them come back and give a text or something that says ‘Thanks, coach.” That’s what it’s about,” he said. “…. I want those guys to be successful and have a great opportunity to play this game.”
And to help them do that, he’s still employing a philosophy he learned from his father growing up in Houston – “What’s for you, is for you.” In essence, it means to keep their head down and do the work, and they’ll eventually reap the rewards – in football and in life.
“(He always said) when it’s your time, it’ll be right there for you,” McCardell said. “But where you’re at, work the job you’re at, and work it as hard as you can. Because you never know who’s watching.”
online or catalog seller doing business in Texas.
Qualifying items that can be purchased include backpacks, face masks, school supplies, clothes, and more as well as special purchases and layaways.
Items can be purchased in-store, online,
by telephone, mail, custom order, or any other means according to the comptroller’s website. For more information and to see a complete list of qualifying taxfree items during the weekend, visit the Texas Comptroller’s website at comptroller.tx.gov.
Photo courtesy Minnesota Vikings Though it has been over 15 years since he last suited up, McCardell - shown congratulating Justin Jefferson (18) during a 2021 game against the Arizona Cardinals - says he is still dedicating himself to being the best at his new craft. Photo courtesy Minnesota Vikings McCardell instructs his wide receivers during the first day of training camp on July 26.
Our new 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! Call The Leader at 713-686-8494 to advertise in this section.
We
Everyone is welcome at Heights Church. We are an exciting blend of old and new, and we warmly invite you to visit.
“The superintendent and board of managers, in closing libraries in these communities, in these schools – he has gone too far,” Turner – who grew up in Acres Homes - said during last week’s city council meeting. “He is dismantling the largest educational district in the state. You cannot educate the kids and close their libraries and turn them into disciplinary centers. What is the message you are telling our kids?”
However, Miles said in a letter addressed to Turner last week that the Team Centers would be where students who need extra
support to catch up would have access to more time with a teacher or learning coach, and those ready to work ahead are able to take on more challenging lessons and assignments.
“The foundation of NES is equity – where the most disadvantaged students in Houston receive the most support,” Miles wrote in the letter, which also invited Turner to take a visit to one of the NES schools during the first week of the school year. “…. The large central spaces provide students with several learning experiences which expand on their classroom instruction.”
City leaders don’t agree, with several taking part in a news conference on Monday calling for a reversal of the decision. Many of the schools in the NES system are for schools in feeder patterns in lower income communities of color, and officials say that picking and choosing where to close libraries puts those students at a disadvantage.
“If you’re not going to close every library, you cannot have a situation where you are closing libraries for some schools in certain neighborhoods and there are other neighborhoods with libraries fully equipped. What are you
doing?” Turner said. Cisneros echoed the sentiment on Monday. “The positive impact is especially significant for disadvantaged students who might have no access to resources or computers at home,” she said. “By providing students with equal access to print and digital resources, school librarians help close the gaps between privileged and at-risk students.”
In the letter, Miles said the Team Centers are being put in libraries because they provide the “physical space to support differentiated learning experiences and are centrally located
within the campus itself”
and “ensures children have access to technology alongside access to books and other reading resources.” He also responded to Monday’s press conference with a statement saying he “will not govern the state’s largest school district by press conference or press release.”
“I will work with anyone who is serious about improving the learning and life outcomes of HISD students. I have extended an invitation to the mayor to come see these schools in action and to learn more about the NES model, which is designed to pro-
vide the most support to Houston’s most disadvantaged children,” Miles said. “I extend the same invitation to other elected officials and community leaders so they can see for themselves the difference high quality instruction can make for our kids.”
Leaders, however, are still pushing back.
“This is not a city where we are creating cities of haves and have nots, especially in the educational sector,” Turner said. “We cannot allow anyone to come in and dismantle our educational system, tear it down, and then after a few years pack it up and leave.”
“Are We There Yet?” is a series of new paintings by Cookie Wells and wood furniture by Tom Wells, on view August 5 – 31, presented by Archway Gallery, 2305 Dunlavy St. The artists will be available to visit with guests during the opening reception Saturday from 5 – 8 p.m. with an Artist Talk at 6:30 p.m.
This show profiles a journey of renewal of creativity, as well as the reinvention and metamorphosis of an artist. Through this series of paintings, Cookie Wells reveals her journey on paper. Wells has focused on figures for most of her artistic career. Seeking change, she began painting non-objective abstracts, which strip away the details of familiar subject matter and challenge the artist to represent the emotion and essence of the experience. The resulting artwork must convey harmony, discord, pain, joy, love, tension, or anxiety.
“Just when you think you’ve exhausted your painting ideas, abstract art stimulates new ideas and opens your mind to everything you feel you must express,” said Wells.
While color has always been central to her work, Wells began her change with the difficult but necessary task of eliminating color and painting solely in black and white. She then began including subtle but expressive color to add depth to her pieces. Wells attributes her choice of the abstract representation of trees in this exhibition to her previous Earth Day series, “Save the Rainforest,” and to the natural beauty of the wood her husband, Tom, uses in furniture making. In these new organic paintings, she explores trees as if they were figures. In some works, the trees are transformed into figurative pieces with a much different look from her previous figure paintings. This was one of the surprises along the way. Cookie Wells believes in following your heart and soul on the path of your creative journey.
“Although some say that it’s the journey itself that’s inspiring, in all honesty, I’m moved by the destination,” Wells said.
In conjunction with this
exhibition of paintings, are finely crafted wood furniture created by Thomas Wells. Some of these pieces continue the theme of integrating dark and light, linear and whimsy, form and function. While two-dimensional art is a medium for messaging, creatively artistic furniture is more suited to framing a mood while fulfilling a specific purpose. Integrating the beauty of natural wood into our lives reminds us of our direct links with nature, and that these links are so often overlooked in our urban environment.
Archway Gallery, one of Houston’s and the nation’s oldest artist-owned and operated galleries, is located at 2305 Dunlavy and is open Tuesday – Saturday from 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. and Sunday from 1 – 5 p.m. For more information, visit ArchwayGallery.com or call 713-522-2409.
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.
A popular Houston area foodie event has kicked off its annual tradition with a plethora of restaurants in the Heights, Garden Oaks, Oak Forest, and Washington Avenue areas among a host of Houston bars and restaurants taking part.
The Houston Restaurant Weeks kicked off its 20th rendition on Tuesday, according to a news release. So for the next month, Houston-area diners will be able to dine out for a cause as select
restaurants will serve specially priced, multi-course menus for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and more, with proceeds benefitting the Houston Food Bank.
Among those taking part this year are B.B. Butchers and Restaurant and B.B. Lemon on Washington Avenue and d’Alba (3715 Alba Rd.) in Garden Oaks, as well as BB’s Tex-Orleans (2701 White Oak Dr.), Dak and Bop (1805 W. 18th St.) and Harold’s Restaurant, Bar, and Terrace (350 W. 19th St. Suite C) in the Heights and many more. There is a record 385 participants this year, according to a
news release, including HRW was founded in 2003 by correspondent and philanthropist Cleverley Stone. It is now carried on by her daughter Katie, as Cleverly passed away in 2020. Participating restaurants will make donations based on their HRW sales, according to the release. “We are excited to see the number of restaurants continue to climb this year,” said Katie Stone. “…. This shows how much the industry respects and embraces HRW. You can feel the power of our city’s philanthropic personality. Everyone can’t wait to Dine
Out & Do Good.”
Garden Oaks pub celebrating one-year anniversary next month
A local brewpub is coming up on one year of service in the Heights, Garden Oaks, and Oak Forest, and is inviting the community to celebrate with them later this month. The Upside Pub at 3402 N. Shepherd Dr. opened last August, and will host a celebration on Aug. 19 to commemorate one year in business. Husband and wife team Paige and Andy Lujan
run the bar, with Paige running day-to-day operations and Andy running office operations. On Aug. 19, the pub will have a “Kids Meals” lunch pack and a backyard cookout menu including pork ribs, corn pudding, potato salad and more beginning at 11:30 a.m. There will also bar games including flip cup, golf pong and beer can ring toss according to a news release from the pub. It is open to the public, and no prior registration necessary.
For more information on The Upside Pub, visit its website at theupsidepub.com.
