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Covering the Heights, Garden Oaks, Oak Forest & the neighborhoods of North Houston Saturday, January 16, 2016 • Vol. 62 • No. 3
About Us
Younger candidates to tackle education, criminal justice in House District 139 election
3500 East T.C. Jester Blvd Suite A (713) 686-8494 news@theleadernews.com www.theleadernews.com Facebook/THE LEADER.
By Jonathan Garris jgarris@theleadernews.com
AREA SPECIALIST
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Second meeting set for HPO design guidelines 5:30 – 7:30 p.m. Jan. 14 St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church 1819 Heights Blvd.
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Contributed Photos Households like those belonging to the Phelps family enjoy energy efficient, single-family homes at affordable rates thanks to the efforts of Avenue CDC.
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It’s no secret: Houston’s Near Northside is transforming. The once sleepy Heights, long held to offer the most affordable inner-loop homes and rentals, has exploded with expensive, new construction. One organization has continued working to ensure working class families, those who are pushed out of gentrified areas, have access affordable homes and rentals while preserving Northside’s historic, cultural and economic diversity. Mary Lawler, executive director for Avenue CDC, admits that gentrification is “kind of a charged word.” “We view our mission more as one of ‘revitalization without displacement,’” Lawler said. “There is a tremendous growing need, and the list of people waiting for our properties is long, but we encourage anyone - young families, low-income, seniors, everyone - to sign up on it.” Since its inception, the agency has leveraged more than $70 million in investments, including the development of 133 single-family homes, 594 rental units, and 140,000 square
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Julia Cooks Organic & More Food Truck made its debut on North Main and, for owner Julia HoganMcNeil, the business is a personal one. In this week’s issue, read about McNeil’s journey to healthier eating and how she wants to share her unique creations with the community.
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Police officials had a tense, armed standoff the morning of January 8 after deputies with the Harris County Precinct One Constable’s Office issued a court-ordered eviction notice to a tenant near the corner of Alba Road and West 30th Street. The tenant, Stephen D. Diferrante, said he had contested the eviction through civil court appeals. The court upheld the eviction until the appeals process was exhausted and officers were then required to empty the house the moment the eviction notice was given. Diferrante, however, allegedly resisted the officers and was alleged to have acted in a threatening manner and mentioned he had weapons. The situation escalated and nearby neighbors were notified of the standoff and the street was closed to traffic. A negotiator was called to the scene along with other officers and Precinct One Constable Alan Rosen. Rosen said he was determined to de-escalate the situation. “I felt this was a man who had a lot of stuff going on in his life, a person who needed compassion,” Rosen said. “We had offi-
house rehabilitative program for juvenile offenders. Her time as a social worker is what led to a burgeoning career in politics. “I realized our resources are very limited because of policies that were in place at the state level,” Willis said. “While working a policy analyst, I was able to advocate for the needs of individuals from the community.” When examining the needs of
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Officials with the Planning and Development Department will provide a project update, summarize the feedback provided by the community at the first meeting held in December) and discuss the areas which will require input from property owners in the historic districts. Attendees will have the opportunity to provide input that will be passed along to the consulting firm that will be developing the design guidelines for the revised historic preservation ordinance.
Photos by Kim Hogstrom Harris County Precinct One Constable Alan Rosen (right) prepares to address the media after a tense standoff with a man who refused to leave a home after being served an eviction notice. Despite a threat of weapons being inside the home, police were able to calm the situation and ended the standoff without incident.
This story is the first in a series covering the complexities behind the race for Sylvester Turner’s vacant seat in the Texas House of Representatives. Read next week’s edition for more on the other candidates. Two of the candidates vying for the open District 139 seat believe their age may give them an advantage in what will likely become a competitive – and complex – election. According to the Texas Secretary of State’s website, four candidates have filed for the election – Kimberly Willis, Jerry Ford Jr., Jarvis Johnson and Randy Bates. Willis and Ford Jr. in particular both say their younger age may play a role in courting many of the district’s voters – Willis is 31 years old and Ford Jr. is 23 years old; however the two come from substantially different professional backgrounds. Willis, who hails from the Acres Homes area like Turner, first began a career in politics as a policy analyst during the 82nd Texas Legislative Session. She has worked as a licensed social worker for the Harris County Juvenile Probation Department and said she helped create the first in-
Texas House of Representatives District 139, shown here in the shaded portion, includes a substanial corner of The Leader area.
Leather Apron aims to ‘Round Up’ support By Betsy Denson betsy@theleadernews.com The Leather Apron Foundation’s Round Up is their sole fundraiser and supports both the philanthropic and community engagement activities that the service group does throughout the year. LAF founder Jonathan Kolmetz said that one of the ways the group raises money at the family friendly event is through a children’s raffle where girls and boys in attendance – and their parents – buy tickets for 10 different toys. Now, one of the Round Up’s former beneficiaries is paying it Contributed Photo forward. The LAF’s Matthew’s Raffle is a hit. The first Round Up was held in 2014 and the recipient of the tary first grader, in 2013 when proceeds from the children’s he succumbed to a rare form of raffle was the Garman family. pneumonia before Christmas. For The Garman’s lost their son Matthew, an Oak Forest ElemenSee Apron P. 10A
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