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Saturday, October 14, 2023 • Vol. 68 • No. 40
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Contract Constables Program adds layer of security for Heights residents and business owners By Elena Sandovici The Leader News Contributor The Heights is an idyllic neighborhood full of beautiful homes and beautiful yards. You might see people walking around, even late into the evenings, and hopefully they feel safe doing so. While it’s tempting and optimistic to assume that a friendly neighborhood would naturally be a safe one just by virtue of its cheerful and benign social interconnectedness, many of our neighbors are investing in a service that goes the extra mile to help keep their homes (and, by extension, the community) secure. You might have seen the Constable cars around. Consisting of four deputies
Your neighborhood living room in The Heights
that patrol the area, the Constable Patrol is a supplemental police force Heights residents can actually hire to monitor and prevent crime in our neighborhood. According to the Houston Heights Association (HHA), “the Heights Constable Patrol Program is a concierge security service available to our community through the Houston Heights Association. By becoming a subscriber, you will be able to count on reliable and responsive Constables to help you immediately if you have a security emergency.” Interested residents pay $350 per year for the service, which some consider a bargain at less than $1 a day per household or business. Pricing is prorated for those who subscribe later in
the year. “This program is crucial to improving safety in our community, and we hope you choose to support it so we can grow this program and add more deputies to patrol our streets,” the HHA wrote on Facebook. Under the program, each of the four contract deputies works 40 hours per week in staggered shifts. The deputies patrol the area in marked cars for high visibility, in an effort to deter crime. The program is funded solely through annual fees. Subscription is optional, however, the service benefits the entire community and the HHA encourages all residents See CONSTABLE PATROL P. 7
A colorful, cathartic Heights celebration
Serving coffee, tea, wine, beer, savories and sweets 7 am to 9 pm daily.
1030 Heights Blvd, Houston,TX 77008
713-434-6923
INSIDE.
Photo from Facebook
The Houston Heights Association is seeking additional support for its Constable Patrol Program.
Pet adoption fees waived to celebrate Adopt a Shelter Dog Month By Lisa Morales The Leader News Contributor
Local fall activities and fun for the whole family.
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Business briefs. Local openings and closings as well as seasonal specials!
Page 2 Photos by Charlotte Aguilar Local artist Judy Turner creates a ‘community’ ofrenda each year, where the public is invited to leave a remembrance of loved ones.
Dias de los Muertos ‘lifts the veil between worlds’ Breast Cancer Awareness is the focus in this month’s Our Health section
Page 3 Stefanie Thomas Editor
Meet the Editor! The Leader has a new face and a new outlook! Get to know Stefanie Thomas.
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THE INDEX. People/Topics ����������������������������2 Classifieds ���������������������������������6 Local Culture �����������������������������8
By Charlotte Aguilar For The Leader It’s hard to imagine now, but when Casa Ramirez Folkart Gallery first started its celebration of Dias de los Muertos in the Heights in the 1990s, the holiday was largely unknown — and its grinning skeletons and other reminders of death frequently misunderstood and discomfiting. Credit gallery founder, the late Macario Ramirez, with changing those perceptions locally. Now the “Day of the Dead” (actually two days, Nov. 1-2, honoring departed children on the 1st and adults on the 2nd) is celebrated throughout Houston and among diverse cultures at schools and community centers, festivals and even bars.
A permanent ofrenda near the front of the gallery honors its founder, Macario Ramirez, who died in 2020 and is widely credited with popularizing the holiday of Dias de los Muertos in the Houston area.
Despite Ramirez’s passing three years ago from a heart condition — or perhaps enhanced by it — the gallery, at 241 W. 19th St., still boasts the most traditional local Dias de los Muertos festivities, with an emphasis on education, inclusion and cultural awareness over a full month of celebrations. And Macario’s soulful spirit permeates the gallery and the events. That’s due to his widow, Chrissie Dickerson Ramirez, who’s carried on Casa Ramirez’s motto with fidelity: “Folkart • Good Causes • Cultural Traditions.” She and Macario made pilgrimages to Oaxaca to experience firsthand what is considered the richest observation of the traditions that have See OFRENDA P.7
October is Adopt a Shelter Dog Month, a perfect opportunity to welcome a new furry friend into your home while supporting animal welfare initiatives. Two local organizations, Best Friends Animal Society and Harris County Pets (HCP), are at the forefront of the cause. Best Friends Animal Society, which has an adoption center in the Heights, is a leading advocate for ending the euthanasia of cats and dogs in U.S. shelters by 2025. Their data reveals nearly 20 dogs lose their lives every hour in shelters across the nation. With shelters facing overcapacity challenges, adopting a shelter dog has never been more crucial to saving lives and addressing the shelter crisis. To support the BISSELL Pet Foundation’s “Empty the Shelters” nationwide campaign that also runs in October, all pets adopted from HCP through October 15 will have the adoption fee entirely waived. All HCP adopted pets come spayed or neutered, microchipped, receive ageappropriate vaccinations, and obtain a one-year Harris County pet license. The benefits of pet adoption go beyond the obvious. Best Friends Animal Society states that adoption reduces the demand for puppy mills and other inhumane commercial breeding facilities, thereby fighting pet overpopulation. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, pet adoption not only brings joy and companionship but also offers numerous See ADOPT P. 7
Submitted photo by Best Friends Animal Society)
With shelters facing overcapacity challenges, adopting a shelter dog has never been more crucial to saving lives and addressing the shelter crisis.
HHA Fun Run 2023: A community staple for 38 years By Rubena Gracia The Leader News Contributor This year’s 38th Annual Houston Heights Association Fun Run was held on Saturday, Oct. 7, 2023. Marmion Park at 1800 Heights Blvd. provided the start/finish line, as well as space for the after-party, awards ceremony, and tents for local community vendors and sponsors. The course along Heights Blvd., between 18 th St. and 5 th St., offered a 10k run,
5k run, 5k walk, and 1k event for children. There were 1,237 total participants, with most people choosing the in-person option and seven people taking advantage of the continued virtual race option. Kinzie Verdell, Fun Run Event Chair, kept the event running smoothly. Participants receive a T-shirt and a numbered race bib that uses an embedded chip which is activated by crossing the start line See FUN RUN P. 7
Open a new MTFCU Checking Account before November 30th and get a $100 bonus* *To qualify for the $100 deposit, you must be a new or current member in good standing and open a new checking account with a minimum Direct Deposit of $500. A $100 incentive will be deposited into y our checking account after 3 months of the account being opened with direct deposit. Existing Checking Accounts are not eligible to receive the $100 incentive. Cash back is subject to all applicable taxes and is your responsibility. Membership is open to anyone who lives in our area. Just open a Basic Savings Account with $5 to establish your membership and access all of our products and services. Full membership eligibility available at www.MTFCU.coop. This offer can end at any time but expires on November 30, 2023.
Photo by Rubena Gracia
The start/Finish line at Marmion Park for the HHA Fun Run 2023.