Inside Today: BCBSTX, Memorial Hermann on the ropes? See Our Health • Page 1B
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SATURDAY | June 8, 2013 | Vol. 59 | No. 32 | www.theleadernews.com | @heightsleader
THE BRIEFS. sponsored by
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10570 NW Frwy • 713-680-2350
Friends for Life celebrates
by Michael Sudhalter michael@theleadernews.com
Friends for Life, the no-kill animal shelter – and Houston’s only green shelter – will mark its one-year anniversary at the facility, 107 E. 22nd St. in the Heights, with a celebration from 6-9 p.m. June 8. Drinks and appetizers from Whole Foods will be served, and there will be live music and a photo booth, as well as the unveiling of a donor wall. For information, email events@adopfriends4life.org or call 713-863-9835.
Chamber to host Wayne Dolcefino
The Greater Heights Area Chamber of Commerce welcomes Wayne Dolcefino, former Channel 13 investigative reporter, as its speaker at the Thursday, June 13 Breakfast Connection. Reservations are required and may be made by calling 713-861-6735 or registering online at www.heightschamber.com. Personal checks and credit cards are accepted. Member fee is $20, and guests may attend for $25.
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tudents at Harvard Elementary put the finishing touches on puzzles and birthday parties this week. In other words, another school year is in the books all around Houston. For more about the end of the 2012-2013 school year, please turn to Pages 6A & 7A, where we introduce to you valedictorians, salutatorians and new principals for the 2013-2014 school years.
with a Roznovsky Gift Certificate
M-F 11am-9pm Sat 11am-5pm
3401 W. T.C. Jester 713-957-1100
What
Can U O YFind Inside
MOVING IN/MOVING OUT? Call Frank to haul off trash/junk. 832-8935697. SMART DOG TRAINING CENTER: An air conditioned, indoor facility right here in the neighborhood. 713703-6195. www.smartdogtrainingcenter.com. EXPERIENCED HANDYMAN SAVES YOU MONEY: Carpenter, plumbing, electrical. 281-660-0350. MOBILE AUTO REPAIRS: Call Don, 832-641-9586. “I come to you.”
Find more like this in our Classified section Page 6B-8B
THE INDEX.
Public Safety Hipstrict Topics Obituaries Coupons Puzzles Sports Classifieds
2A 3A 4A 9A 8A 5A 9B 7B
OF hero dies on dark day for HFD The mass grief Houston residents felt Friday at the news that four city firefighters had perished in a hotelrestaurant fire turned more personal over the weekend when it became known that one of the victims grew up and lived in Oak Forest. Robert Herman Garner IV, 29, graduated from Scarborough High in 2002. After g raduation, he joined the U.S. Air Force for six years, serving two tours of duty Robert Garner in Iraq. He had been with the Why don’t we offer our Houston Fire gratitude to civil servants Department, stationed in before it’s too late? southwest Page 4A Houston, since October 2010. The accident, in which a heavy ceiling apparently fell on the firefighters, was the worst in the department’s history. The facts of Garner’s death weren’t known to a trio of little girls Saturday who simply wanted to reach out to the men and women, like Garner, who protect their community at Fire Station No. 13 on 43rd Street. They set up a stand at the corner of Oak Forest and Ebony to sell cold cups of lemonade and stuffed animals for $1 apiece. Within a few hours, Avery Brown, Cristina and Lillian McInnis had raised $185.25 that they proudly turned over to the duty crew at the firehouse.
see Garner • Page 2A
HomeConcerns
Insurance rates take a hike... up by Michael Sudhalter michael@theleadernews.com Local residents have been startled by rising homeowner’s and automobile insurance rate. Andy Adams, of Adams Insurance Service at 427 W. 20th St. #500, said there are several factors in the current trend of rising insurance rates. He said increases have been about 10-15 percent without claims, and more with them, over the past year. “It’s across the board for businesses and individuals,” Adams said. Part of it comes from location and exposure to hurricanes and windstorms. Harris County is a windstorm affected area. “Often times, it depends what your credit report looks like,” Adams said. “Carriers are using credit reports to make a lot of underwriting decisions today.” Some people, Adams said, are just now feeling the effect of their insurance rates due to the fact that they’re
see Rates • Page 5A
Brown water at home? There are simple fixes by Michael Sudhalter michael@theleadernews.com
According to Andy Adams of Adams Insurance in the Heights, exposure to winds and hurricanes are part of the reason rates are up ‘across the board.’ This home in Shepherd Park Plaza was damaged during a storm last year. (File Photo)
Ever notice that the water coming out of your tap is a little bit brown? Homeowners in Leader communities frequently take to their neighborhood social media to ask about the source of the problem – and what other residents have done to fix it. The brown color doesn’t have anything to do with city water, but rather old pipes, ranging from Brown Water -- A before and after photo 20-to-50 years of pipes from the piping rehab process. old, according (Photo by Vic Caso) to someone who deals with the complaint daily. And the positive news is that the problem is much less costly and invasive to deal with now than in the past. “What happens over time is the corrosion build up in
see Water • Page 5A