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Covering the Heights, Garden Oaks, Oak Forest & the neighborhoods of North Houston
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Saturday, February 1, 2014 • Vol. 60 • No. 13
ABOUT US 3500 East T.C. Jester Blvd. Suite A (713) 686-8494
www.allenSOLDit.com
Game Over: Law watching suspicious rooms By Michael Sudhalter
news@theleadernews.com www.theleadernews.com Facebook/THE LEADER.
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MORE INSIDE
michael@theleadernews.com
The City of Houston is about to get tough on game room regulation, according to City Attorney David Feldman. And that could impact local businesses, especially some in Oak Forest that are under the eye of law enforcement. Last week, Precinct One deputies raided a game room in the 5700 block of Airline Dr., arresting two individuals and seizing 170 gambling machines. Maria Montemayor was arrested and charged with possessing gambling
equipment devices, and Alma Hernandez was arrested on an animal cruelty livestock warrant. Harris County Constable Precinct One Alan Rosen said the new regulations could help, but his office has been working toward curbing the problem. Hernandez “My interest is protecting the neighborhoods (and residents) in and around these game rooms,” Rosen said. “The County has taken a leadership role
in dealing with the illegal gaming operations and the crimes that happen around them.” Last year, the Texas Legislature authorized Harris County to enforce new regulations on game rooms. Most of the time, these authorizations Montemayor are only valid in the unincorporated areas of the county, but this one allows the city to enforce the same regulations. It’s expected to be approved by the
city council and commissioners court in February, said Feldman. Feldman was scheduled to make a presentation before Mayor Pro Tem Ed Gonzalez and the city council’s Public Safety Committee, but due to the inclement weather, it has been postponed until Feb. 11. “It’s an ongoing problem,” Gonzalez said. “More enforcement is better for everyone.” Feldman said the collaboration between the city and county will help curb the problem.
Trout
See Games, P. 9A
LEADER L OVEABLES It’s over. The search for the cutest pets in our area of Houston – as decided by voters – has ended. During the course of the contest, The Leader’s website collected more than 80,000 pages views just on the pet pages, which suggests people care about their animals. We also had thousands of ballots returned to the office. So you want to know who won?
in this area? Yep.
St. Thomas football star feels called to service at West Point. Page 5B
See Page 3B
THE BRIEF.
What changed in your paper?
Houston Bar offers Pro Bono program The Houston Bar Association has legal handbooks in English, Spanish and other languages following Consumer Law, Elder Law and Family Law. LegalLine has been available throughout Harris County since 1986 and provides referrals to free legal services such as the Houston Volunteer Lawyers (713) 228-0732. The HVL provides pro bono attorneys for certain types of civil cases, while individuals must meet income and criteria guidelines. Lone Star Legal Aid (713) 652-0077 also provides legal assistance for certain types of legal matters. The Dispute Resolution Center (DRC), (713) 755-8274, handles disputes between neighbors, consumers, landlords/tenants, employers/employees, families and friends.
Malcolm Armstrong enjoys a Saturday morning fishing at Bane Park, 9600 W. Little York. At top, North Houston resident Wayne Modgling caught a rainbow trout last Saturday morning at Bane Park. (Photos by Michael Sudhalter)
Another fun season of fishing comes to end
FIND IT.
By Michael Sudhalter
GENERAL CARPENTRY AND PAINTING: Small jobs welcome. Excellent references. 832-5230360, 281-743-8467. SEEKING FT BOOKKEEPER in Northwest Houston. Please send resume to: davidrodriguez@marekbros.com. MOW, WEEDEAT, BLOW, RAKE: Leaves, flower beds, appliance pick up. 832-272-3960. CERTIFIED NURSE’S ASSISTANT looking for work. Day or night. Good references. 832439-9971.
We know Classified sections are different these days. But we think you might be surprised at all the good and services you find inside. Page 6B
THE INDEX. Church
10570 NW Frwy 713-680-2350
8A
Classifieds
6B
Coupons
5A
Food/Drink/Art Obituaries
3A 9A
Opinion
4A
Public Information Puzzles Sports
2A 4A 5B
michael@theleadernews.com
North Houston resident Wayne Modgling looks forward to mid-January each year when Harris County Commissioner Jack Cagle partners with the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department to stock Lions Club Lake at Bane Park, 9600 W. Little York, with rainbow trout. “I like catching little trout,” Modgling said. “They’ve got a lot of energy, and they taste pretty good. It’s usually a pretty good crowd when they drop the trout.” Modgling has been coming to Bane Park for the past decade or so, and en-
Aidan Vasquez checks his line after a fish took his bait last weekend.
joys seeing “a lot of little fish in a small area.” He usually fishes alone but has met friends at the lake over the years, through
fishing. The closest similar pond is located in Tomball, which is also re-stocked with trout by the county. The trout-stocking program is supported by the sales of Texas Freshwater Fishing Licenses and a 50 percent match by Harris County Precinct 4. Anglers may also purchase a license over the phone by calling the Texas Parks & Wildlife credit card license sales line at 1 (800) TX LIC 4 U [1 (800) 895-4248] or online at www.tpwd.state.tx.us. The collaboration gives anglers a unique opportunity to fish during the See Bane, P. 9A
In case you don’t notice – and we kind of hope you don’t – a few things are different about your newspaper. Last week, on our Topics page, we informed readers that a change was coming. And here it is. The most glaring difference in today’s edition of The Leader is that the paper you’re holding is smaller than ever before. That’s because our entire industry has moved to what the geeks call a “smaller web.” To the rest of us, that means the paper is narrower but just as tall as it was last week. Because our printer made this change, we decided to make a few cosmetic alterations to the paper, as well. For starters, the font you’re reading right now is a little different. We hope (and we never really know until it comes back from the press) it’s a little darker, making it easier to read. Our headline fonts have changed a little, too. The purpose was to make the paper easier to read, which is always our ultimate goal. We’ve introduced a Food, Drink & Arts section – formerly Hipstrict. And we’ve added a couple of new short features, like places to volunteer, tips for parenting, and retirement activities. As always, we like your feedback. Send it to jonathan@theleadernews.com.
Community of Hogg supporters encouraged by progress By Betsy Denson betsy@theleadernews.com
For James S. Hogg Middle School Principal Mina Schnitta “failure is not an option.” When she joined the staff in February 2011, after working in Leadership Development at Houston ISD, she knew of the concerns that parents and others in the district had about the campus. “The perception was that the school wasn’t safe,” she said. “And academically we were not where we needed to be.” The safety issue was addressed first and today the school’s record is excellent. The focus now is on academic rigor for the school’s 740 students – 120 of whom are magnet students – and the work is paying off. “I want kids to feel safe and feel chal-
lenged,” said Dr. Schnitta. “That’s where my lens is.” The school is on probation with HISD, with the possibility of losing magnet funding next year because of performance on the Texas Education Agency’s STAAR test results. But it’s worth noting that the school missed the ‘met standard’ designation – the only one now offered to schools who perform to standard (unlike the Exemplary or Recognized of years past) – by one point on only one of the four testing indexes. As of this year, the school offers the International Baccalaureate (IB) Middle Years Programme (MYP) for every student. All students participate in either the STEM Academy or the Infinity PROJECT STEM See Hogg, P. 9A
Chandler Roberts and Abraham Estrada build a hydraulic arm in their Concepts of Engineering class. (Photo by Betsy Denson)
The Right Size. The Right Time. In your neighborhood & online at yourblvd.com 713.862.1600