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Inside Today: Mini murals hit the Heights • Page 3B
April 23 – 27
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Saturday, April 14, 2018 • Vol. 63 • No. 13
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The Leader’s second annual Women at Work luncheon, presented by Memorial Hermann Greater Heights, an event designed to celebrate the women of this community who work so hard at home and in our businesses, is less than three weeks away. This year’s event, slated for May 4 from 11 a.m.-1:30 p.m., will be held at Memorial Hermann Greater Heights and is open to anyone who wishes to attend. “Of all the things The Leader does in this community, this may be my favorite event of the year,” said Leader Publisher Jonathan McElvy. “As the proud
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husband of a woman who works so hard at her job and at our home, I get to see, every day, how important it is that we make sure the ladies in our area know how special they are.” This year’s event will feature the CEO of Memorial Hermann’s Greater Heights Hospital, Susan Jadlowski, as the keynote speaker. From her rise through the ranks of the hospital, to
her work-life balance, Jadlowski’s talk will motivate women in this community who also seek to find that perfect balance. “I left last year’s Women at Work luncheon with a huge smile on my face,” said Ashley Day of Circa Real Estate. “Not only did the speaker resonate with me, lunch was delicious and the networking invaluable. What a great experience and value. I look forward to participating again [this year].” While the event is largely designed for women in this community to network and enjoy a wonderful lunch in the week leading up to Mother’s Day,
The Leader also has partnered with a local charity, The Mission of Yahweh, to make a generous donation with proceeds from the event. The Mission of Yahweh is a faithbased shelter designed to help homeless women and their children, providing education and job-readiness to help them find independence and permanent housing. If you’d like to attend, or if there are significant others who would like to send their wives/partners to the event, please contact The Leader office at (713) 686-8494, or email lucy@theleadernews.com. Tickets are $50.
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Photo by Betsy Denson A homeless encampment at 290 and 34th Street has caught the attention of local residents.
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Photo contributed by Penny Mickel A resident walks up the street near Cortlandt and Arlington in the Heights after Hurricane Harvey. Houston City Council recently passed an amended Chapter 19 flooding ordinance by a 9-7 vote.
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Council mixed on flood plan
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By Landan Kuhlmann landan@theleadernews.com Houston’s city council is battening down the hatches with regards to future flood mitigation, which could impact notable change for new home builders in our local neighborhoods -- though it was not without pushback. Late Thursday, April 4, council members concluded hours of intense deliberation by narrowly (97) passing more stringent bylaws for building new properties inside an amended 500-year floodplain. The new rules expand the regulations for new and substantial changes to homes built two feet above the 500-year floodplain. Houston has experienced three 500-year flood events over the past three years, and current by-
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The INDEX. Church....................................................... 5A Classifieds.............................................. 4B Coupons. ................................................. 6A Food/Drink/Art................................... 7A Obituaries.............................................. 5A Opinion. ................................................... 4A Public Information......................... 2A Puzzles...................................................... 4A Sports. ....................................................... 7B
Photo courtesy of City Council member Dave Martin (Facebook) Houston City Council members deliberate at the April 4 meeting.
laws only require buildings to withstand a 100-year flood. “This is a signature moment for our city; a transformative move to save lives, make Houston more resilient and preserve the factors that attract newcomers,” Mayor Sylvester Turner tweeted out April 4, shortly following passage.
Last week’s changes come on the heels of Harris County adopting more rigid regulations for structures within the city’s floodplain, and city of Houston Floodplain Manager Jamila Johnson said 84 percent of damaged struc-
The homeless encampments growing under Highway 290 and Interstate 610 may be nowhere close to the size and impact of those in downtown Houston, but they are still raising concern among residents in this area. “It’s not safe for them to be there, [and] not conducive to residents in the area,” said Scott Lewis. “The city and county needs to step up on this.” Mary Lamb made note of a couple living at I-610 and Ella on the west side of the street. “Several requests to 311 have been fruitless,” she said. Readers may remember Mayor Sylvester Turner’s March 2017 initiative ‘The Way Home’ which aimed to place 500 chronically homeless individuals into permanent housing within six months. The city surpassed the goal, housing nearly 550 individuals. At the same time, numerous city agencies began work to develop a cohesive plan for the rest of Houston’s homeless. ‘Housing first’ was the goal, but with more than 6,300 people in Houston without a home on any given night, according to the Coalition for the Homeless, the problem is pervasive. In February 2018, the Coalition for the Homeless surveyed the homeless population in Houston. They found that 39 percent of unsheltered homeless individuals had a high school diploma or GED while 21 percent had some college or a college degree or higher. Approximately 78 percent of unsheltered homeless individuals became homeless in See Homeless P. 8A
See Flood P. 8A
Filling stations taking over local stretches By Landan Kuhlmann landan@theleadernews.com Fueling is second-nature to many; often acting simply as a minor pit stop. But neighborhood growth has led to an influx of filling stations along North Shepherd, T.C. Jester, and other local roads in recent years – which has been striking to some, but a non-issue for others. Just between Durham from just south of Loop 610 up North Shepherd to West Tidwell (five miles), three Shell stations and a Gulf Station take up residence. Up and down T.C. Jester Boulevard, there are two stations (with a third currently under construction). In the Heights – just down the road from one of the Shell stations – an Exxon is currently under
construction near 16th Street, which begs the question: is the need truly that great that such an influx is necessary? “Every time we pass [the construction near T.C Jester and Tidwell], my daughter talks about how sad she is that they cut down all of those trees and asks why we need another gas station when there are already two. I agree with her,” Oak Forest resident Sarah Honore said. According to Forbes, companies selling similar products – such as gasoline, general convenience items, etc. – cluster for a simple reason. Any viable threat of competition forces companies and stores to try to pick a spot which can simply attract the most people, See Expansion P. 8A
Photo by Landan Kuhlmann The Exxon station under construction off Durham and 16th Street is another in the local influx of stations along local stretches.
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