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Saturday, February 25, 2017 • Vol. 62 • No. 8

About Us

About today’s Leader

Special Report: Stopping the crime on 19th Street

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19th Street Rap Sheet Feb. 1 - Theft of Vehicle Feb. 1 - Theft of Vehicle Feb. 1 - Theft of Vehicle Feb. 3 - Breaking & Entering Feb. 3 - Breaking & Entering Feb. 5 - Drugs (cocaine) Feb. 7 - Theft of Vehicle Feb. 8 - Theft of Vehicle Feb. 9 - Theft of Vehicle Feb. 13 - Theft of Vehicle Feb. 13 - Theft of Vehicle Feb. 14 - Breaking & Entering Feb. 14 - Theft of Vehicle

In the first two weeks of February, there have been 13 reported crimes along 19th Street in the Heights.

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The quaintest street in the Heights is richest street for thieves in Feb.

By Landan Kuhlmann landan@theleadernews.com In a place as vast and expansive as Houston, crime is bound to happen anywhere. However, there’s a disturbing trend happening on 19th Street in the Heights.

In just the first two weeks of February, that “Main Street” of the community has seen a surge of crime that is astounding if it continues.

There have been 13 crimes reported on that street alone. If annualized, that would translate into 338 crimes in one year on one street, and that’s only using numbers from the Houston Police Department. Many thefts go unreported.

Nearly all of the reported crimes involved theft from vehicles (one was an arrest for cocaine), and in an area known for local shopping, the trend can damage local businesses.

Cpt. Bryan Bennett, president over the Central Command Division of

HPD says it watches for trends like this and ups its patrol, which usually drives thieves to a different area.

the HPD, said to have a flare up such as the recent string is not uncommon throughout the city, and patrolling officers do not have a large plethora of tools to prevent them due to the sporadic and unpredictable nature the thieves seem to possess.

“It is high, but a lot of times what we see is that things like this move in waves through the city,” he noted of the 19th Street flare ups. “It’s not uncommon to see one spot flare up and then move on to another spot. It happens more often than we’d like.

Unfortunately, these guys do move quickly — they know once they’ve hit several cars in one area that we’re going to be paying attention. They normally move out of there pretty quick after that.”

However, Bennett said the department does have a few proactive tools — deployed on a case by case basis — in its arsenal to deter such thieves to the best of their abilities.

“We pay attention to the crime trends and deploy our resources to that area, giving our patrollers that information so they can best patrol that area,” he said “We can also do surveillance and we’ve used cameras in the past—we’ve got a number of different tools we use proactively.”

Rolling with the punches Amidst the fear which may make its way into residents’ hearts, The Lift owner Rhonda Rhodes maintains

See Spree P. 4A

If you just picked up today’s edition of The Leader, which you must have done unless you’ve left the paper on the ground and are reading it through a plastic bag, you’ll notice something different.

Most weeks during the year, our newspaper averages somewhere around 16 pages. Today, the paper feels different because it is.

Earlier this year, the staff at The Leader came up with an idea: Let’s show our readers and advertisers what a real community newspaper looks like. Let’s show them what a great local newspaper feels like.

In order to do that, we called as many local businesses as we could, offered them a great rate for large ads, and we asked them to get on board with publishing – if just this once – a newspaper that our readers spend more than 15 minutes reading.

The advertisers answered the call, as you’ll see in today’s paper.

And in what space they left us, we’ve tried to produce one of our best editions of the year.

In an age where nearly all our news is digital, we wanted you to enjoy what a hearty, healthy newspaper can be.

Today’s edition has a little bit of everything:

Our A Section has the news you usually see in this weekly newspaper. From crime to opinion to calendar to churches, this section is full of the most important stories we tell.

Our B Section, which we usually only publish once a month, is a focus on the real estate news – both residential and commerical – in the area.

Our C Section in today’s paper has wonderful stories about one of our readers’ favorite pasttimes – local restaurants. This week, we focused on the Pizza Battle in the area, and even talked to readers about restaurants they want to see open here.

And our D Section is a focus on local businesses and organizations that support business in the area.

Enjoy.

- Jonathan McElvy, Publisher

Lutheran High North girls chasing title, history It’s the biggest event of the year for the Greater Heights Chamber of Commerce, and it comes complete with a ton of mudbugs.

Business Leaders • 1D

The INDEX. Church....................................................... 8A Classifieds.............................................. 7B Coupons. ................................................. 5D Food/Drink/Art................................... 1C Obituaries.............................................. 9B Opinion. ................................................... 7A Public Information......................... 2A Puzzles...................................................... 7A Sports. ....................................................... 6C

By Jennifer Layer jennifer@theleadernews.com It’s not often that a complete overhaul produces instant fruit, but the Lutheran High North women’s basketball team has blasted through any barrier in their way thus far, and stand on the precipice of a historic season.

This Friday, Feb. 24 Lutheran High North (27-8) will tangle with Faith Academy (34-4) in the TAPPS 4A Final Four semifinal at McMurry College in Abilene, making it this far despite enduring the changing of a system which has produced four playoff appearances, two previous Final Four trips and a state title game appearance in 2014-2015 during head coach John Slomcheck’s time in the saddle.

“Our team has changed completely from last year,” Slomcheck said. “That’s kind of scary because we had success

The Lady Lions are hot at the right time.

They’ve won 21 of their last 23 games.

with our previous system, but when your roster changes so much you have to change your whole philosophy.”

The Lady Lions were up and down

as the season began, sitting at 6-6 around Thanksgiving as Slomcheck worked feverishly to create a system which played to the strengths of his

team – a learning curve in its own right.

Not only did this season’s squad have different players, but fewer as well.

All that time Slomcheck spent studying film to adapt the team’s individual techniques to fit their structure and philosophy appears to have been worth the struggle, as the Lady Lions have since reeled off 21 wins in their last 23 games, including 16 in a row to reach this juncture.

“It took some time for some of those changes to sink in, especially for the girls who have been in the program for years,” Slomcheck said. “We went from a zone team to a pressing team, and we established a new offense and defense.”

Slomcheck said the girls’ abilities to buy into the new system early on and their continuous efforts to perfect their

See LHN P. 4A

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Saturday, February 25, 2017 • Page 2A

Police Reports • Feb. 14-18 FEB. 14

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Saturday, February 25, 2017 • Page 3A

Women’s health, protection at forefront of Farrar’s session agenda

By Landan Kuhlmann

landan@theleadernews.com

Every other year the Texas Legislative Session kicks off with an air of mystery for local neighborhoods; what are my representatives doing on our behalf ? So this week, The Leader decided to check in with Representative Jessica Farrar of District 148 (which encompasses much of Garden Oaks/Oak Forest and the Heights) and see what she has in the queue for the 85th Legislative session which could affect our neighborhood and its residents.

Women’s Health Farrar has made gargantuan efforts to thrust women’s health in local areas to the forefront of the queue in previous sessions, and plans to do so once more as chair of the Women’s Caucus while focusing on replacing services provided until recently by clinics such as Planned Parenthood, as well as breastfeeding education and Medicaid reform with regards to post-birth extensions.

“I may not be able to affect the outcome, but I try to lend a voice to things such as the closing of clinics and services needed by my constituents,” she said, referencing services such as health screenings provided by clinics like Planned Parenthood before it was shut down.

“They provided more than half of the services that the state funded, so I’m trying to make sure that the programs the state has now put in place of Planned Parenthood in some semblance addresses the needs Planned Parenthood used to,” she added.

Farrar also said a breastfeeding bill currently sits on the books but with no enforcement to it—something she plans on attacking head-on.

“It’s very difficult to get some of these things done in a very conservative place, but I think I’ll get more traction on this and hopefully get it over the goal line this time,” she said. “It’s ironic because a lot of my colleagues want to regulate women’s bodies, yet at the same time they’re very uncomfortable with them.”

Another would extend

Jessica Farrar

Medicaid coverage for women to one full-year post-birth.

“Medicaid is a 7 to 3 match; it’s 70 cents on the dollar that federal puts up to the 30 cents the state puts up, so it’s a good match,” she said. “Otherwise, if anyone presents at the public hospital system, that’s 100 percent local tax dollars.

Safety/protection Farrar noted that the waters in this area become muddied in the ongoing conversation due to dealing with city issues agencies, and seeing as not all halfway houses are state facilities regulated by TBCJ; however, she continues the push in each session— and this will be no exception.

“When we’re in session I tend to have the attention of many of these agencies, so we hope to have more movement there,” she said with a hearty laugh.

Additionally, Farrar has made a priority of focusing on legislation regarding instances where folks rely on state services such as Medicaid, in particular Child Protection Services.

“I do that to make sure we have additional resources to protect children that are in the care of the state. I’ve had a couple of extremely distressing constituent cases that brought some issues to light that need to be addressed,” she said. “People have lots of different ideas, so I’m going to be looking at what legislation is going to be filed and participate in helping some of that along. Some of it I might carry and some of it I might just cosponsor.”

Building on past efforts As vice chair of the Civil Judiciary committee, Farrar said some work in the probate area has landed in her lap over the last couple of sessions, and

she did not hesitate to dive in.

In working with a group from the State Supreme Court and the Access for Justice Foundation during the previous session, Farrar said she built a foundation for helping every-day residents use the courts without having to pay money for an attorney they might not be able to afford for simple matters such as transference of property. During the 84th session, Farrar introduced the Transfer on Death deed, which allows someone to sign property over to a specified individual, and the property is passed over immediately at the time of death to whomever is named in the deed. In the current session, Farrar is attempting to move forward with a similar bill when it comes to transferring ownership of a motor vehicle.

Animal Cruelty Finally, Farrar and her team are working on multiple bills to create stability when it comes to prosecuting and controlling animal cruelty issues.

One dealing with animal cruelty cases that would allow the court to order someone convicted of animal cruelty to pay the county attorney fees.

“What the county wants to do is be able to use those knowing they’re going to get that money,” she said. “Instead of going to GR, it would go directly to them so they could use it to prosecute more cases; right now they’re very low priority.”

However, some work remains to be done after prosecution for such a crime, and that is where the second proposed bill focuses its efforts on establishing an animal cruelty database—a development she sees as crucial for multiple reasons in the neighborhoods of her district. “(Right now) you could be convicted of doing something horrible to an animal and then turn around and go pick another one out at a shelter,” she said. “You would end up in this database so shelters and others can look and see. Research has also shown that people begin with doing horrible things to animals before graduating on to do terrible things to people.”

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LHN from P. 1A performance – along with a bond that refuses to be broken – was key in weathering the early-season storm and leading them on the path which has resulted in a (so far) 27-8 record.

“The team is pretty close knit, and that really does help you on the court,” said Slomcheck. “One night I got a picture from them around midnight; they were at IHOP all you can eat pancakes, which I did not approve of. But you just see the smiles on their face and that they just generally enjoy hanging around each other.”

Win or lose the team knows that they can count on each other to be there for support.

Guard Amber Reyes says that the team works well together due to an inseparable bond and willingness to be the “next man up.”

“In our last game when a lot of people got in foul trouble, our whole team stepped up and played their hardest,” she said.

However, the LHN basketball team has more than just each other to look to for support.

“Our school is a big family and they are always really loud at our games,” Reyes said.

“For our next game they’re going to play the game on the big screen in the courtyard and pause class to have everyone come and watch it.”

Cycles and service since 2006 A

In order to advance to the title game, the Lady Lions must first get past Faith Academy, which boasts a 34-4 record this year.

With the entire school behind them, the Lady Lions stand ready to roar and clear the final hurdle in pursuit of their first-ever state title, which narrowly eluded them two years ago in a loss to Lubbock Christian in the TAPPS 3A state title game.

“We have a very strong chance of taking this all the way home,” guard Sable Barnes said. “I think our chances are really good this year, because we have a new team where we can build off each other, and we have a great coach and a new assistant coach.”

Faith Academy, however, is obviously no slouch, and Slomcheck said it’s a shame one team must lose when the two titans clash; and he knows too well the pain of coming up just short.

“It’s hard sometimes, because all the teams are playing for one championship and only one team is going to walk away with it,” he said. “It’s hard because you see the crying in the locker room, and you genuinely care for those kids, but when you step back and see your accomplishments, it’s all worth it. You have to be good at winning and good at losing, but of course you plan to win.”

“I’m excited for the kids and excited for the school,” the sixth-year head coach added. “We’ve been under the radar because of our size, but I’m telling you, I feel that I work in the best private school in Texas, and I mean that one thousand percent. It’s an honor to work here.”

Spree from P. 1A a belief that regular customers and visitors aware of the occasional crime run will not run, only adapt through certain measures such as changing the time of day they shop or where they park their car.

“We have a large base of loyal customers, and most of them roll with the events of life like we all do,” she said. “I can only hope that customers of 19th Street will know this type of thing happens now and again (everywhere), but that 19th Street is still the safe street they know and love.”

Rhodes and The Lift have occupied 19th Street for nearly seven years now, thereby experiencing her fair share of minor crime waves in the area. In spite of that, she said the 19th Street corridor

has always been a small slice of heaven to her, and urged residents that the perception should not change due to a few wayward people.

“I have always considered the entire street to be such a haven, and I don’t think a few bad apples have the power to take that away from us,” she said.

Solution is Easy Rhodes’ optimism and all, vehicle burglary still tends to be one of the most prominent crimes in the area, and as Bennett specifically scoured the recent cases on 19th Street, he said he discovered a common link; in all but two of the car break-ins the thieves made off with purses or laptops stowed in the car.

As such, he reiterated that the No. 1 defense to prevent residents and their loved ones from being victimized is an attention to what gets left in their vehicle, as thieves need only mere seconds to make off with someone’s hardearned commodities.

“This is a crime that is 100 percent preventable. If you don’t leave anything valuable in your car, then they’re not breaking into your cars to steal your valuables,” he said.

“I sound like a broken record, but take everything out of your car and lock it. If you take everything out of there, then you don’t have to worry about becoming a victim of this crime. It’s amazing how quickly they can break into these cars.”

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The Topics.

Saturday, February 25, 2017 • Page 7A

There’s no better time for an edition like today’s

T

his week’s edition of our newspaper couldn’t have come at a better time – and it was dumb luck, really.

If you’re one of those people who follow our newspaper on social media, or via our website, you’ve heard far too much about this, and you’re welcome to skip a few paragraphs down (I’d kind of like to do the same thing, just because I’ve tired of telling the story).

Over the past week, news about The Leader has been published around the world after 20th Century Fox paid a marketing firm to create a website that confused readers into thinking we were a legitimate news source telling ludicrous stories.

What happened after was actually quite neat, not to sound British or anything. From the New York Times to the Chicago Tribune to French newspapers I can neither pronounce nor spell, to local TV stations, all the way to industry trade journals like Editor & Publisher, it seems like the world came to the defense of a small newspaper that covers the Heights, Garden Oaks and Oak Forest areas of Houston.

Pretty cool, huh? Well, “cool” isn’t exactly the right word, but at a time when media has been tarnished – largely by its own doing – it’s been refreshing to see so many of our

Jonathan McElvy Publisher

peers want to tell our story.

But what has been best – more than interviews in which I sounded like I was rocking a baby to sleep (because I do that a lot these days) – has been the reaction of the local people who know The Leader, trust our brand, and support the kind of journalism we try to do each week.

One fine man sent a local TV station a note excoriating them for their inability to tell a complete story about the situation. Another fellow, who often writes to our newspaper, sent nightly notes keeping track of all the press we had received (I assume he was pleased with the coverage).

But the best letter – and the one that spurred this column – came from a lady named Gail who suggested I use the events of the past few weeks to further educate our readers.

To be honest, I had no intention of writing one more word about this (unless 20th Century Fox ever has the courage to apologize to us for their slimy marketing firm’s encroachment on our reputation). But Gail made too good of a point for me to pass up the opportunity.

“Jonathan… There [is an] additional point you may want to make to your readership… I wonder if the public might be less susceptible to news fiction had they not bought into the fallacy of the neutral press, a press part of a money-making industry and, as a result, conservative (not liberal) by its very nature. Had the public the ‘expectation’ their media had a point of view, they might bring more critical thinking to bear on what they consume.”

Besides the fact that I should probably hire Gail as my life coach and personal journalism consultant, she makes an oft-argued point that makes a lot of sense these days.

In college, I tried to write a research paper proving that media, as a whole, are not biased. I didn’t get very far because, as a student of the press (newspapers were still a big deal way back when), I learned quickly that editors and publishers always – and I mean always – have an agenda.

Here’s an example: I was the

Texas on the Fast Track THE OFFICE – A fast train running between Houston and Dallas is such a good idea that rumors say President Donald Trump is considering adding high-speed rail in Texas to his priority list of national infrastructure projects. What an original idea. My grandfather would endorse the program.

Actually he did, about 120 years ago. This is his conductor’s hat, black, round, with a bill and gold trim. “T&NO CONDUCTOR,” it reads.

(That was the Texas & New Orleans.) My grandfather, for whom I am named and knew quite well – he and my grandmother lived next door – started out at 19 as a conductor on the Houston to Dallas route.

Back then there were several trains running each way each day, as fast as speed allowed at the time (1900 to the 1950s).

Today’s high-speed trains are faster, and have run for years in France and Japan. Indeed, it is a Japanese company which plans to build a bullet train for us. But there are massive problems, so don’t pack your bags just yet. Remember then-Gov. Rick Perry’s Texas Triangle? It would connect the Metroplex to Houston, San Antonio and several towns in between. The roadway would carry cars, trains, utility wires and probably ox carts. Never got off the ground. The cost was astronomical (one strike), to be built by a Spanish company (strike two) and would take over strips of land across Texas as wide as 2,500 feet (yer out!).

This new plan, pushed by Texas Central Partners, Texas Central Railway or TCR, is meeting the same problems.

Foreign company, farmers and ranchers don’t want a huge chunk of their land taken over, while county commissioners and lawmakers fear hundreds if not thousands of acres would be stripped from the tax rolls. TCR says no tax dollars would be used to build it, which still leaves the taxroll situation. Backers are having other problems, too, like getting land routes into the downtowns, money and how to get their hands on rural land. TCR’s claimed “eminent domain” power as a railroad is very much in question, and is now being contested in state court, with trial set for July.

However, “The Texas Bullet Train Project” as it is sometimes called, is receiving some high praise from supporters in Dallas -- by both residents and elected officials. In a report by a Dallas TV station, supporters said they are getting excited about its economic impact to Dallas.

A few years ago, there were plans for a far more modest project than the bullet train: to run a train from Houston to Galveston. As I wrote at the time, the line was first estimated in 2005 to cost $350 million; then the projected cost nearly doubled to $650 million. In 2007 Galveston spent $350,000 for a study to see

Lynn Ashby Columnist

if the idea was feasible. The study said yes. In 2008, the city spent $850,000 in mostly federal money for an analysis to determine whether Congress would fund the project.

Huh? This is no way to run a railroad. A project that was supposed to be completed by 2013 never even began.

And to think that railroads help make Texas what it is, from the beginning. Back on Dec. 16, 1836, the First Congress of the Republic of Texas chartered the Texas Rail Road, Navigation, and Banking Company to construct railroads “from and to any such points...as selected.”

That’s my kind of governmental oversight. Nothing came of the iron horse until the 1850s when rail companies rose and fell with each economic boom and bust. The first lines went out from Houston, which made Swamp City very proud.

If you look at an early map of Houston you will see rail lines branching out from downtown like spokes on a wheel.

Even today, the official seal of the City of Houston sports an ancient locomotive and, with a nod to the future, ugly, black smoke billowing from its smokestack. The city’s motto was, “Where 22 railroads meet the sea.” That must have been one big splash.

With the line heading west, to cross the Brazos the railroad first used a ferry and inclined planes on each side of the river. This system was replaced in October 1858 by a low-water crossing. The Little Engine That Could had to chug mightily to gain the momentum necessary to climb up the steep grade on the opposite side. Soon rail lines crossed the state. The Houston and Texas Central was able to reach Corsicana in 1871, Dallas in 1872. So we had trains running back and forth between Houston and Dallas 145 years ago. But not now.

To handle this growing industry, the Railroad Commission, created in 1891, became one of the most powerful regulatory bodies in the state, but corruption was a constant problem as influential railway companies worked behind the scenes to control lawmakers and the government. Corruption, in the Texas Legislature?

Get serious. Today substitute “railroads” for “oil, insurance and out-of-state casinos.” The Railroad Commission no longer has anything to do with railroads, and Texas has only two passenger lines running through it: The Texas Eagle from Chicago to San Antonio

and the Sunset Limited from New Orleans to Los Angeles.

Now Houston’s one station is a small but adequate facility, while the other one has been turned into a baseball stadium. Still, Texas continues to have more railroad mileage than any other state and the largest number of railroad employees. I didn’t know that, did you?

When was the last time you took a train (as opposed to being railroaded)? I have always loved trains, took Amtrak a few weeks, no bag search, metal detectors or seat belts.

And if you have flown from Hobby to Love, or the other way, how long was it from your home to your hotel, or office to office? Maybe taking a train from Houston to Dallas would be a good idea. What do you think, Grandpa?

Ashby conducts at ashby2@ comcast.net

metro editor of a fairly large daily newspaper early in my career, and the company for which I worked, Gannett, had a policy they kindly dubbed “mainstreaming.” What that meant was that every story in our newspaper had to include diversity.

Now diversity, on its own, is not a bad thing. If you live in Houston, you’d best love diversity, and I think most people – inherently – love people of different shapes, sexes and colors.

One of my reporters at that newspaper in Alabama was assigned to go cover a statewide meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention. Not to get too far off track, but that meant my reporter (who happened to be black), was in a room completely full of white men.

When the reporter came back, he filed his story, I edited it, and then sent it to the team that designed the pages.

Our executive editor, who said the word “mainstream” every other sentence, read the story and asked why we only had white men as sources.

My reporter, in his wonderful humor, responded: “Was I supposed to interview myself there?”

Yes, Gail, every member of the media, from the top down, has an agenda.

And that gets us back to the rea-

son I’m so thrilled at the timing of this week’s edition of The Leader.

One of the kind readers, who took up for us this week, wrote a letter to a local TV station in defense of their hometown newspaper. Here’s what he wrote: “The Leader has been a North Houston Community Newspaper for over 50 years and does a fantastic job of keeping the area informed with quality, non-political news.”

We, like every other news source you read, watch or hear, have an agenda at The Leader, and today’s edition is the best evidence we can offer. Sure, I have my political bents, which I try to hide most days. But our agenda is to publish the best local news you’ll ever read. We do it in print. We do it online. We do it wherever you want to read it. But it’s not fake because it’s about you. And what’s best is our readers always hold us accountable.

For the past few weeks, we’ve had all kinds of support from you, our readers and advertisers, and we appreciate it more than you know.

I have no idea how long a printed newspaper will last, but having such a great edition to publish this week couldn’t have come at a better time.

Email jonathan@theleadernews.com

The reader.

Movie studio funded fake link to Leader

Dear Editor: Replace movie promotion with political agenda and you now see what is happening every single day in our country. In this case the stories may have been so absurd to believe, but more often such tactics are used to push plausible but false agendas. Even the most intelligent Leader Readers and other intelligent Americans fall prey to such tactics daily and base what they truly in their hearts believe to be their own free-thinking opinions on the information read from such tactics. There are no free-thinkers anymore we are all victims of this type of scam, nothing we read or hear is pure facts anymore, it is all in some form or fashion derived from the intended goals of someone in a power position with financial means. I hope your investigation into this incident has opened everyone’s eyes and gives us pause to think about who we really are as a country … a land of puppets with no idea who controls our strings!

DAM

Email us your letters: news@theleadernews.com

City Council meeting presentation

Dear Editor: I have lived on the 1200 block of DuBarry, Oak Forest Section One, for 40 years. The first 38 years the problems we homeowners had with the city’s sewer line that runs down the back of our property were few and far between. The last two years we are having nothing but problems. You all have a plat map of the 1200 block of DuBarry and Chippendale. Highlighted are three sewer manholes. New construction following city code have raised the elevations of the back yards of the properties higher than the sewer manholes in some cases burying them, turning them into storm water drains. The 4-inch PVC pipe new construction puts in to drain the properties are overloaded during a good rain, letting the excess storm water find its way into sewer lines flooding them.

Everytime we have a good rain the flooded sewer lines blocks us from using our bathrooms and it is causing sewage to back up into our homes. My neighbor next door (new construction) spent $10,000 for new flooring

because of it. We have a serious health problem everytime we have a good rain. My neighbor was told by a city contractor that manhole #3 has a blockage and they need a court order to check it out. This is a health hazard. Get the court order! Raise the top of the sewer manholes to City Spec. A cheap fix.

Two years ago CenterPoint put in a new power pole that cracked the city’s sewer line. City contractors patched it twice. The ground is sinking again around the power pole at manhole #2.

The city needs to dye test the sink hole at the power pole.

You cannot blame our problem on climate change because we always have had heavy rains or the added new construction capacity because when it is not raining, we have no problem!

Our problem is caused by the City requiring new contruction to block existing established storm water drainage Oak Forest has had for 70 years. We have a serious health problem here that the city needs to address now!

P.S. We on Dubarry are not the only ones in Oak Forest having this problem.

John J. Cieslewicz

the leader Puzzlers.

Answers found in this week’s Classified section

SUDOKU

aCrOss

1. Cronkite’s network 4. Fire insect 7. Gas usage measurement 10. Express pleasure 11. Humbug 12. Every 13. Capital is Valletta 15. Copycat 16. Bound book sheets 19. Steps to an upper floor 22. Local school organizations 23. Old English 24. Atomic #73 25. Cheerless 26. The bill in a restaurant 28. Singer ___ Lo Green 30. Domesticated 33. Mammary gland of a cow 37. Honorable title (Turkish) 38. Alias 39. Emblem of a clan 42. Edouard __, Fr. painter 44. Short-term memory 46. Used to speak to the Queen 47. Vertical spar for sails 50. Expresses surprise

52. Morning 53. A long narrative poem 57. Minor punishment 61. Ice or roller 62. GE founder’s initials 63. Moses’ elder brother 64. Beak 65. A major division of geological time 66. Fuss & bother 67. Young women’s association 68. Feeling sorrow 69. Straggle

dOwn 1. Bog arum lily 2. Thin plain-weave cotton fabric 3. Thick rough piled carpet 4. A way to lessen 5. Amazon river tributary 6. Larceny 7. Make ale 8. Begged 9. White of egg 13. Road travel guide 14. Aircraft tail 17. Italian monk title 18. Sino-Soviet block (abbr.)

20. Goblin

21. A baglike structure in a plant or animal 27. Date 29. I, Portuguese 30. Design on the skin 31. Time before 32. Free from gloss 34. V.P. Quayle 35. Supplement with difficulty 36. Tell on 40. Landed properties 41. Metric ton 42. One thousandth of an ampere 43. Former __ Hess, oil company 45. Siemans conductance unit 46. Woman (French) 47. More (Spanish) 48. Request 49. Group jargon 51. Stakes 52. In advance 54. Yiddish meat pie 55. Equal, prefix 56. Box (abbr.)

58. Having nine hinged bands of bony plates 59. Scarlett’s home 60. S. branch of the Lower Rhine

WORD SCRAMBLE

Page 8A • Saturday, February 25, 2017

The calendar.

ROUND UP 2017 Leather Apron Foundation Come out to this year’s 4th Annual Round Up 2017 on Saturday, Feb. 25 from 6 - 10 p.m. at the SPJST Lodge, 1435 Beall.

This annual event features live music by Darwin Macon Band and a BBQ dinner, as well as face painting, live and silent auctions, and a children’s raffle! Bring the entire family for an evening of fun – rain or shine! Tickets are $35 at the door, kids ages 5-12 are $10, kids 4 and under are free.

Information: facebook.com/ events/216181045513577/.

FIREFLY FIELD DAY Friends of Woodland Park The Friends of Woodland Park will be hosting Firefly Field Day from 10 a.m.-1 p.m., Feb. 25.

Bayou City Play will set up their popular temporary play installation which provides opportunities for children to explore and be creative. Firefly Field is a sculptural installation designed by local Woodland Heights artist Dylan Conner. A short welcome and introduction of Firefly Field will be held at 11 a.m., followed by special guest Karla Cisneros.

Snacks and lemonade will be served. Information: 713-7031412.

BOOK SIGNING The Book Scene Come out and support local mystery author Laurie Elvebak, who will read and sign copies of her award winning Nikie Alexander Mysteries, as well as enjoy food and fun at The Book Scene, 1820 W. 43rd St., from 1-3 p.m. Feb. 25. Information: 713869-6117, www.thebookscene. xyz/events.

DISTINGUISHED SPEAKER SERIES Houston Assembly of Delphian Chapters Dr. Rhea Brown Lawson will discuss the dynamic changes in the virtual learning and information environment, and the vast resources available at the Houston Public Library to meet these 21st century demands. The meeting will be from 5-7 p.m. Feb. 25, at the West University Community Center, 6104 Auden. This is a complimentary event and guests are welcome.

DAVE WILSON GUEST SPEAKER Heritage Republican Women Dave Wilson, a trustee with Houston Community College System, will be the guest speaker this month. The meeting will be held at the Candlelight Church of

From the Pews.

Acoustic contemporary service at St. Stephen’s The Fellowship, a casual acoustic contemporary service including Communion, will be held Feb. 26, at 5:30 p.m. in the fellowship hall. A “prayground� for children will be available during the service.

Refreshments will be served before and after the service.

Empowered to Connect, a six-week parent training course for adoptive and foster parents (and those waiting for placement) will be offered beginning Feb. 26, from 4:306:30 p.m. in Room 201. The cost is $10 for materials. RSVP to Amy Bezecny at 713-5428986.

St. Stephen’s United Methodist Church is located at 2003 W. 43rd St. For information, call 713-686-8241 or visit www.stsumc.org and the church’s Facebook page.

Houston Chamber Choir presents Mexicantos II at All Saints The Houston Chamber Choir presents Meixicantos II, a free concert in the sanctuary of All Saints Catholic Church, 215 E. 10th St. The brilliance of Mexico’s choral tradition will be on full display as the choir performs works from the country’s golden age of polyphony in the 16th century to its present-day gems.

The concert will be from 7:30-9 p.m. Feb. 24. There will be a dessert reception after the concert. This is a free will offering concert.

Call 713-864-2653 or visit www.allsaintsheights.com for Ad # 30111 information.

Senior Time event at First Church Heights The Senior Time event meets the last Tuesday of every month. Come and listen to interesting guest speakers and have breakfast. The guest speaker for this month is Cristina Vetrano, president and CEO of CanCare: Fighting Cancer with Hope. The event will be from 10:30-11:30 a.m. Feb. 28, at First Church Heights, 201 E. 9th St., in the fellowship hall.

Call 713-861-3102 for information.

Lenten Season begins at Advent Lutheran Lenten season begins on Ash Wednesday, March 1. Ash Wednesday Worship offers Holy Communion and imposition of ashes for at noon and 7:30 p.m., followed by an inspirational message.

Regular Sunday Worship times are 8 a.m. and 11:10 a.m.(traditional) and 10:25 a.m. (contemporary). Educational hour is from 9:15-10:15 a.m. and is for all ages.

Advent Lutheran Church is located at 5820 Pinemont Dr. For information, call 713-6868201 or visit adventhouston. org and the Church’s Facebook page.

Do You Have Old or Damaged Photos?

Bring Them To Us And We Can Restore Them Like New

1504 Yale • 713-869-4641

CRAWFISH FESTIVAL Greater Heights Area Chamber of Commerce This year’s Crawfish Festival is Saturday, March 4. Exhibitor booths start at $100 and sponsorships start at $250. For details on participation in the parade, selling goods or to sponsor this year’s Crawfish Festival, contact Jill Johnston at the Chamber office. Information: 713-861-6735, events@heightschamber.org.

AARP MONTHLY MEETING AARP Chapter 1265 The monthly meeting will be held at 10 a.m., March 6, in the community room at 1520 Candlelight Ln. This month’s guest speaker will be Scotts and Associates of Houston Inc., and they will discuss retirement and wealth management. The meeting is open to anyone 50 or older, and will be preceded by a meetand-greet at 9:30 a.m. President is Georgia Lewis, vice president is Terrell Holiday. Information: 713-682-4022.

all the trimmings while visiting with friends and neighbors.

The Lydia Circle will meet at 9 a.m. for a short program and business meeting. The Methodist Men will join the Lydia Circle at 10 a.m. to make final arrangements for the Lenten meals and discuss business matters.

St. Matthew’s offers a variety of activities and spiritual classes. Sunday morning worship starts at 9:30 a.m., followed by 10:30 a.m. Sunday School.

St. Matthew’s United Methodist Church is located at 4300 N. Shepherd Dr. Call 713-6970671 or visit the web site at www.stmatthewsmethodist. org for information.

Pot Luck Fellowship Lunch at Garden Oaks Baptist Garden Oaks Baptist Church, 3206 N. Shepherd Dr.,

Parsley Studio

GOSWAMI ACADEMY OPEN HOUSE ISKCON Houston Come meet the dedicated teaching staff at Goswami Academy, tour the classrooms and learn about the core of the school’s values and education standards. There will be children’s activities, refreshments and other fun surprises. The school serves grades Pre-K-6. The open house will be held from 10:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. March 11, at ISKCON Houston, 1320 W. 34th St. Information: 713-714-2250, www.goswamiacademy.com.

URBAN BALLET CONCERT Houston City Dance Houston City Dance, 1307 Clay St., will present their Urban Ballet Concert at 8 p.m. April 13 and 14, and 2:30 p.m. and 8 p.m. April 15. The cost is $25 for adults and $20 for students. Information: houstoncitydance.com, 713-5296100.

CIRCLE OF LIFE GALA Memorial Hermann Foundation Memorial Hermann Foundation will host the annual Circle of Life Gala, “Celebration,� from 7-9:30 p.m. April 29. The event will honor Memorial Hermann partner, H-E-B, and celebrate the 30th

anniversary of Children’s Memorial Hermann Hospital. Proceeds will benefit the hospital’s specialty programs and services.

The gala will be held at the Hilton Americas - Houston, 1600 Lamar St. For sponsorship and ticket information, call 713-242-4450 or email cathleen.fishel@memorialhermann.org. Information: www. circleoflifegala.org.

60TH REUNION Reagan High School class of 1957 The John H. Reagan Class of 1957 will have their 60th reunion May 6-7, at the Sheraton Houston Brookhollow Hotel, 3000 N. Loop W. Fwy. If you have not received an information packet, please contact Kay Potter Cella at kaycella125@gmail.com or 281658-5111.

AIKIDO & SELF DEFENSE Classes Enrolling Now Japanese Martial Arts 40 yrs experience 8th Degree Black Belt

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welcomes the community to a pot luck fellowship lunch immediately following the 10:45 a.m. Sunday Morning Worship service, March 5. The Potluck Lunch will be held in the fellowship hall.

Call 713-864-4447 or visit www.GOBC.org for information.

St. Rose Men’s Club hosts Spring Fish Fry The St. Rose Men’s Club is hosting its Spring Fish Fry from 4:30-7:30 p.m. March 10, and will include fried catfish, hush puppies, french fries, coleslaw, and ice tea. Desserts will be provided by the St. Rose Altar Guild for $1. Dinein or take out.

St. Rose of Lima Catholic Church is located at 3600 Brinkman. Call 713-692-9123 or email info@stroselima.org for information.

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Would You Wait a Lifetime To Brush Your Teeth?

Free monthly pancake breakfast at St. Matthew’s St. Matthew’s will host a free monthly pancake breakfast March 4, from 8:30-10 a.m., in the fellowship hall.

The community is welcome to come and enjoy pancakes with

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HOURS: Tues.-Fri. 10:00-5:30 Sat. 10:00-2:00, Closed Monday

Christ, 4215 Watonga, at 7 p.m.

March 2. Light refreshments will be served. Men are also welcome to attend. Information: 713-6883256, 713-682-0496.

Chase Baker, D.D.S.

Y

our general medical history has a lot to do with the type of treatment you will receive at your dentist. For example, if you are taking a drug affecting blood clotting, the dentist should be informed so as to be aware of potential hemorrhaging problems should he have to extract a tooth.

A patient with high blood pressure should certainly inform the dentist. Certain anesthetics and medications should be used in preference to others.

If you have some form of heart condition, the dentist may change his method of working with you. The patient with a cardiac pacemaker should certainly inform his dentist. The dentist might have planned to do electrosurgery, a technique that utilizes high-frequency current to remove gum tissue. If the pacemaker doesn’t have proper shields or safeguards, the high frequency current could cause it to stop or become erractic.

The dentist can use other means of treatment.

If you are pregnant, diabetic, allergic to certain medication, your dentist must know these things —it’s for YOUR benefit.

Prepared as a public service to promote better dental health. From the office of: Chase Baker, D.D.S., 3515 Ella Blvd., 713-682-4406.

MESSAGE OF THE WEEK

LOVE

B

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1700 West 43 rd at Rosslyn 713-682-4942 Pastor – Dr. Richard Walters

GETHSEMANE LUTHERAN CHURCH

Sunday School ........9:15 am Sunday Worship......10:30am Wednesday Bible Study & Prayer Service 6:00pm

Pastor C. David Harrison 201 E. 9th St. • 713-861-3102 www.fbcheights.org

4040 Watonga • 713-688-5227 Reverend John Cain, Pastor

Worship Services 8:00 a.m. & 10:30 a.m. (Nursery Provided) Sunday School & Bible Classes 9:15 a.m.

Preschool Program • Mon. - Fri. 9-2 p.m. www.gethsemanelutheran.org

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ecause God is love, love is the first fruit of the Spirit. When Jesus was asked which commandment was the greatest He answered unhesitantly, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it, You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the law and the prophets.�

(Matthew 22:37-40) The entire Old and New Testament are a love story: The love of God for his people and their frequently wavering love for God and for each other. But how often we see that God’s people need to be reminded of this. And again, how often we hear the prophets reminding them, and us, that God does not want strife or sacrifice, but a loving heart. Jesus tells us repeatedly that love is about loving our enemies and turning the other cheek, and the Epistles drive home this same point again and again. Consider how much hatred and dissension there is in the modern world. Political, ethnic and religious strife, and wars around the world all show us that, contrary to the requirements of all the world’s major religions that we love one another, we are constantly failing to uphold the first and foremost of God’s commandments. We should not be deceived; we cannot be constantly filled with hatred, strife and neglect of our fellow man, and still be considered a child of God. So, we should banish hatred and strife from our life and show active goodwill toward our fellow man.

We must ask God to give us a loving heart, and then go forth and do His good work.

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Grandmas Cookies

$17.95

36ct $10.95 Scale 48lb

12-14oz

$44.95

$14.95

Clamato Juice 12-15oz

$15.95

Red Bull 24/8oz

$33.99

Mop Bucket w/ Ringer $39.99

Foco Coconut Juice 24-17.5oz $22.95

Jarritos Soft Drinks

Chaffing Dish $34.99

Dinner Kits 250ct

24-13oz $15.99

$12.95 3 Compartment Trays 200ct (90HT3)

Monster Green 24/16oz

$30.99

$399.99

Snow Cone Machine

$499.99 Snow Cone Syrup

$6.95 gallon

City Wide WholeSale Supply

$15.95 case Reynolds Foil 12”x1000’ $17.99

610 Airline Dr.

Thrifty Pop Popcorn Machine

Sylvester Rd.

Service Rd.

45

Link Rd.

801 Service St. 713-862-2530

(1 light inside 610 N @ Airline) Monday-Friday 6:30am - 5pm • Saturday 7am - 2pm

TOUCHDOWN SAVINGS

$89

14 SEER SYSTEM - AS LOW AS

00

Per Month*

Includes 10 year manufacturer’s warranty Plus FREE upgrade of your choice (Up to a $500 value):

OVER

Programmable Thermostat OR Media Filtration System

100,000

**Call CallAirTeam AirTeam details.

Limited timelimited offer,tolimited tohand. stock on hand. forfor details.

Limited time offer, stock on Financing withapproved approved credit.

3/31/17.

Financing with credit.

OfferOffer ExpiresExpires 11/30/16.

HVAC SYSTEM

Our 16 Point System Tune-up Can Help Lower Utility Bills, Protect Your Warranty and Extend the Life of Your Equipment!

TUNE-UP SPECIAL

89

$

00

*

SAVE THIS Until 3/31/17 SAVE THISCOUPON! COUPON!Valid Valid Until 11/30/16

*Cost per system. Not valid with any other offer or coupon. Limit one coupon per customer, Other restrictions may apply.

HEALTHY CLIMATE CARBON CLEAN 16 INSTALLED FOR ONLY

• #1 Rated Whole-Home Filtration System.

• The Carbon Clean 16® combines industry-leading MERV 16 filtration with activated, carbon-coated fibers to remove allergy-aggravating particles from your home’s air.

475

$

*

SAVE THIS Until 3/31/17 SAVE THISCOUPON! COUPON!Valid Valid Until 11/30/16

*Cost per system. Not valid with any other offer or coupon. Limit one coupon per customer, Other restrictions may apply.

10% OFF 10% OFF ANY SERVICE CALL! *

FIREFIGHTERS, LAW ENFORCEMENT, TEACHERS AND ARMED FORCES - ACTIVE OR RETIRED

To Those Who Have Devoted Their Lives To Our Service, Thank You!

*Contact AIRTEAM for details.

Texas Limited Partner General Partners: AMGP, LLC. AVDGP, LLC. TACLA704C - TACLA26649E

SPECIAL SENIOR CITIZEN DISCOUNT* SAVE THIS COUPON! *Not valid with any other offer or coupon. Limit one coupon per customer, Other restrictions may apply.