MICHAEL
Inside Today: The North Main renaissance continues • Page 1B
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Covering the Heights, Garden Oaks, Oak Forest & the neighborhoods of North Houston
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Saturday, January 7, 2017 • Vol. 63 • No. 1
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Oak Forest stunned with fallout of fire investigation By Landan Kuhlmann landan@theleadernews.com
A quiet, peaceful morning on Richelieu Lane was shattered suddenly Dec. 30 as flames suddenly shot out of the windows of a corner house near Oak Forest Drive—and the fallout has shocked the neighborhood. The Houston Police Department Homicide Division is now investigating what was deemed a “suspicious” fire in which a husband and wife were among three dead in the 1300 block of Richelieu Lane in Oak Forest last Friday morning. The three deceased have now been identified as David Flanery (a Leader Reader’s Choice area plumber for more than 30
years), his wife Vicki Acker Flanery, 63, and her father Charles Morton Acker, 96. “It is a suspicious death– we are definitely taking a look into it. It is what we would consider more than just a normal house fire,” HPD spokesperson Jodi Silva had said at the scene last week. According to the Houston Fire Department, the blaze began around 5:30 a.m. at a home in the 1300 block of Richelieu Lane near Oak Forest Drive. Upon arrival to the scene, officials said heavy, 50-foot flames were shooting out of the home. Once the blaze was extinguished, however, investigators found something more troubling. Upon further investigation, HPD Homicide investigators
have deemed the incident an apparent murder suicide. All three victims were found in separate areas of the home, with David Flanery suffering what investigators say is an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. “Mr. Acker was found inside the garage apartment, Ms. Flanery was found inside the residence and David Flanery was found in the backyard,” the report from investigators reads. “All three persons had apparent gunshot wounds to the head and were pronounced dead at the scene. Further investigation determined the incident was an apparent murder-suicide.” However, the residing sentiment is denial that the wellliked family, who had lived
Photo by Landan Kuhlmann HPD Homicide investigators were called to the scene of a fatal house fire last week in Oak Forest.
quietly in the neighborhood for 30 years, could ever have had problems bad enough to escalate so violently. Friends
Work to be done
Leader Lovables in search of cutest pets
4705 Inker St. 713-861-8883
inside.
The “Big Fix” is on for February 11. Find out how you can help curb pet overpopulation.
Page 4A Photos submitted A former teacher, Karla Cisneros has a heart for children, but she’s working hard to improve the lives of all in District H.
Cisneros: Empowering neighborhoods Residents near Coltivare on White Oak are voicing their complaints about parking issues.
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Find it. JACKI SORENSEN’S FITNESS CLASSES BEGIN JAN. 9: Held at Advent Lutheran Church, 5820 Pinemont, Monday and Wednesday 5:45 p.m. Call Anna, 713-817-0778. EXPERIENCED CAREGIVER FOR ELDERLY: Excellent references, transportation, can help with errands. 713-880-8095. PRESTIGE PERFUMES HIRING: Bilingual a plus. Near 290/ W. 34th, 5240 W. 34th 77096. Apply 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. ADULT CARE SITTER: Available anytime. Good references. Can also help with light cleaning. Trudy, 713-791-8477.
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The INDEX. Church....................................................... 5A Classifieds.............................................. 7A Coupons. ................................................. 6A Food/Drink/Art................................... 9A Obituaries.............................................. 5A Opinion. ................................................... 3A Public Information......................... 2A Puzzles...................................................... 3A Sports. ....................................................... 6A
By Betsy Denson betsy@theleadernews.com When Woodland Heights resident Karla Cisneros won the run-off election last December to become the councilmember for District H, she knew that there was a lot of work to be done. Far ranging in area and demographically diverse, District H not only includes the more prosperous areas of Woodland Heights, Monte Beach and the First and Sixth wards but also communities like the Near Northside, Independence Heights, Northline/Eastex Jensen, and Denver Harbor on the Houston Ship Channel, which struggle more economically. “Things take a while to see,” said Cisneros of her efforts in the last year to address the needs of her constituents. “It’s been a roller coaster. You never know what the next phone call, the next e-mail will be.” One bright spot off the bat, according to Cisneros, is her experience with Mayor Sylvester Turner and her fellow council members. “I have appreciated how cordial colleagues have been,” she said. “The mayor set the tone. Not that everyone thinks the same way but there’s collaboration. It’s an exciting place to be, with good leadership.” Cisneros’ confidence was bolstered by the unanimous passage of a city budget last May, as well as the mayor’s plan to deal with the pension issue for fire fighters, police and city employees, which has been a major player in the city’s financial woes. This October, the council voted 16 to 1 in favor of the plan – which includes an increase in employee contributions, a decrease of some Cost of Living adjustments, and the eventual end
This is the second in a 3-part series of interviews with the Houston City Council members who represent our area of the city.
to the DROP program, which had allowed fire fighters and police officers to receive retirement funds while still collecting a city paycheck – that now goes to the Texas Legislature for approval. “I am very hopeful, although [the plan] will not provide immediate relief, it will eliminate the $5 Billion pension debt over a 30-year period,” Cisneros said. “The mayor told us that 2016 was bad and 2017 will be worse, budget wise.” The lack of funds is preventing the city from hiring police. Cisneros said that new Police Chief Art Acevedo is
being well received but doesn’t have the resources he needs for a city this size. “People ask me ‘where are the police?’” said Cisneros. “The estimate is that at minimum 600 additional police officers are needed. That means $85 to $90 million in salary and another $35 million in equipment.” Another piece of the financial puzzle that will help pay for urgent needs? Next fall, voters will be asked to remove the self-imposed revenue cap which prevents the city on spending its money on infrastructure and city services. “Nobody else is hurting us but us,” said Cisneros, who anticipates some push back on the vote come November 2017. While Cisneros is not an advocate for TIRZ because she thinks the infrastructure improvements are not equitable, the zones are a work around for now to get improvements made. “The mayor has said there will be no new TIRZ, but maybe some expansions,” said Cisneros. The Council District Service Funds that she does have available includes $250,000 from the General Fund and $500,000 which can be used for public works projects. Cisneros intends to use the district services fund money for a sidewalk improvement program, which will be mostly used for repair, with some new links. She’s also excited about acquiring some land from METRO left over from rail construction. “It’s not big enough for them to sell, but we could turn them into pocket parks,” she said. Part of the public works money has been earmarked for neighborhood traffic management programs, as well as speed trailers and equipSee Cisneros, P. 4A
have described the family as sweet and friendly, and had never heard anything suspicious coming from the home.
The Leader is bringing back one of the most popular contests in the area, but with a slight change and a new charity. Leader Lovables, our search for the cutest and most adorable pets in the market, kicks off today and culminates with the winners being announced in the Feb. 11 edition of The Leader. In reintroducing “Lovables” to the community, The Leader has partnered with Heightsbased Friends for Life as the recipient of proceeds from this contest. Here are the details: Any person in the community who thinks they have the cutest cat, dog, bird, fish or elephant in the community (the last actually being illegal) can enter the pet in this contest. The cost for entry is $20 and there is no limit on the number of pets a person can enter. The Leader Lovable nomination period will last until Friday, Jan. 20, and there are three ways to enter your pet in the contest: 1. Log on to www.theleadernews. com and press the “Leader Lovables” tab at the top right of the page. From that page, select “Entry” and fill in the blanks, or; 2. Email a picture of your pet and a contact number to pets@theleadernews.com and someone will contact you for payment options, or; 3. Stop by The Leader office at 3500 East T.C. Jester Blvd., Suite A, and drop off a picture and payment. Once all pet nominations are submitted by Jan. 20, voting will begin immediately via our website and through inperson ballots at The Leader office. In year’s past, voting was based solely on how many people went online and submitted votes for a specific pet. But that has changed this year. Instead, votes will cost $1, with proceeds supporting Friends for Life. “We had this contest for two years, in 2013 and 2014, and the reason we stopped was because the voting process became almost malicious,” said Leader Publisher Jonathan McElvy. “We looked at ways to bring the contest back, and found there were others around the area that charge for votes. That takes away the ability of people to sit at a computer all day and just keep pressing votes. And with the proceeds going to a charity this year, we think a vote is worth $1.” See Lovables P. 4A
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