Leader0713a by The Heights Leader, Fort Bend Star and The Greensheet

Ad # 37449

Inside Today: How deed restrictions are impacting our neighborhoods • Page 3A

PREMIER PROPERTIES

Your Neighborhood Full Service Real Estate Office

713-686-5454 www.preproperties.com

Good luck driving; more Yale apartments

THE BRIEF. sponsored by

by Cynthia Lescalleet For The Leader

s ’ e n e l r a D

��

10570 NW Frwy • 713-680-2350

For residents near Yale and 6th street, Independence Day fireworks were nothing compared to the sparks flying when news of another proposed apartment complex came to light July 5. A heads-up notification from District C Council Member Ellen Cohen’s office to various residents, land use groups and neighborhood organizations told of Trammell Crow Residential’s proposed plan to

build a second upscale apartment complex in the area. Reportedly dubbed “Alexan Yale,” the development would be located on Yale between 5th and 6th streets. The 4.9-acre site is currently home to Fixtures International and is a block south of TCR’s further-along luxury apartment project, Alexan Heights, which fronts Yale St. at 6th and 7th streets. TCR did not respond to requests for information on the proposed Alexan Yale. As described in Cohen’s letter, however, the new project is “expected to include four

stories of units over two levels of parking, with one level of parking below grade. TCR has the site under contract and is currently performing preliminary due diligence, and they expect to close the purchase of the property by the end of the year. Once TCR establishes a site plan and unit count, they will perform a new trafﬁc study that will include roadways and intersections included in their previous TIA, while also including new intersections on Yale St., Heights Boulevard, and I-10, as well as pedestrian counts.”

Slight Linen Night Are you Ready for the Storm? Plenty of media around Houston offer guides to get you ready for a hurricane. But have you ever thought that a hurricane isn’t the only thing that could impact your life? Maybe it’s just a nasty storm that rolls through the area. In today’s Leader, we get you “Ready for the Storm,” a section that offers you check-lists, insurance advice, evacuation suggestions, and what to do when it ﬂoods. Along with those tips are local businesses who can help you in a time of crisis.

see WLN • Page 10A

see School • Page 10A

Grilled Chicken Salad & Fresh Iced Tea

If those in charge of White Linen Nights have their way, the event will become less about drinking, eating and partying, and more about appreciating the arts and stores in the Heights. (File Photo by Jonathan McElvy)

AARON’S PLUMBING: Total plumbing service. Seven days a week. 713-695-2222. S.C. CUSTOM HOUSE CLEANING: Free quotes. 281-923-6782. CHARLIE’S ROOFING: Free estimates. Quality work. 713-688-6463. EARN BIG MONEY PART-TIME FROM HOME mailing our full color sales postcards. ID #4501. Jim R., 1-800-313-0961.

See our Classiﬁed section

THE INDEX.

Public Safety Hipstrict Topics Obituaries Coupons Puzzles Sports Classiﬁeds

Organizers change emphasis of sometimes rowdy event by Charlotte Aguilar charlotte@theleadernews.com

Can U O YFind Inside

2A 9A 4A 8B 6A 4A 6B 4B

Investor closes in on bid for HISD school

asked to host a local artist. There will also be two highly visible mural projects done in connection with the event that will help the arts emphasis. Even though Jackson describes White Oak as “the Heights’ party zone,” she said it won’t be so on Aug. 3. “It will have its usual life, but the emphasis will be on art there, too.” Jackson says there will be pedi-cabs but no shuttles (although that might change if someone comes forward to sponsor them). There will be entertainment, but no fashion shows this year. And there won’t be rows of tents along

OFF

What

see Yale • Page 10A

St. Thomas High School put in the highest property bid Tuesday on Houston ISD’s Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice High School, but other factors may make it the underdog in gaining the 11-acre piece of land to expand its campus. The school board is expected to make a decision July 18 on the sale. It doesn’t have to accept either bid, but HISD spokesman Jason Spencer said there didn’t appear to be any impediment to the sale. St. Thomas bid $42 million for the campus, but as part of the bid packages opened Tuesday afternoon at the district headquarters, said it would charge HISD $225,000 a month to lease it back for ﬁve years until the school dis- The old HISD campus that’s trict could acquire been housing the Law and build a new Enforcement and Criminal law enforcement Justice High School and school. Washington Middle School Investor A.V. Dickson St., LLC before that has now become came in with a a hot real estate commodity, $41,121,411.11 of- attracting bids of more than fer – but its lease $40 million Tuesday. offer was $100,000 a month over the ﬁveyear span. That means – while St. Thomas offered about $880,000 more in its sales price, the district would be paying about $7.5 million more to St. Thomas in leasing costs overall if it took that bid. “We have to weigh what’s the best deal for HISD with the administration in the next few days and then take our recommendation to the board,” said Gary Hansel, real estate manager for HISD. “There are a lot of factors to consider.” While the sales price and lease are spelled out as part of the process, an unwritten – and so far unspoken –– consideration is that selling the

with our

3401 W. T.C. Jester 713-957-1100

“Horror, shock and disbelief ” are among the reactions of neighborhood residents, said Roxanne Davis, a founding member of the neighborhood advocacy group West Heights Coalition. “We are disappointed to hear of yet another extremely large project in an area without sufﬁcient infrastructure for the initial one,” she said, particularly since WHC

by Charlotte Aguilar charlotte@theleadernews.com

See Ready for the Storm Pages 9-10B

M-F 11am-9pm Sat 11am-5pm

Residents recoil

Less booze, more art, more shopping at local businesses. That sums up the strategy for this year’s White Linen Night in the Heights, scheduled just three weeks from now, on Aug. 3. “We’re trying to underpromise and overdeliver,” says PR woman Sara Jackson, who’s taken over the reins from local art promoter (and Leader arts columnist) Mitch Cohen. And if you haven’t heard anything about it so far, that’s carefully calculated, too. “I don’t know that the size of the event has to be scaled down,” says Jackson, “but if we make this into more of a neighbor-

Houston City Councilmember Ellen Cohen speaks to members of the Oak Forest Homeowners Association on Monday night. (Photo by Michael Sudhalter)

“

No more insurance agents and dog walkers.” • Sara Jackson

hood art crawl instead of a ‘let’s-go-tothe-Heights-and-get-drunk’ party, I think we’re going to get people coming who will enjoy themselves the right way and spend money with our businesses.” The focus will be arts markets along 19th Street (Cohen’s popular First Saturday Arts Market) and White Oak Drive (operated by Pop Shop Houston), and participating businesses are each being

Oak Forest approves Super measure by Michael Sudhalter michael@theleadernews.com Oak Forest residents approved a measure for the Oak Forest Homeowners Association to join the revitalized Super Neighborhood 12, which also includes Garden Oaks, Shepherd Park Plaza and several local neighborhoods. Alicia Nuzzie requested that she be Oak Forest HOA’s representative at the meetings, which was also approved during a meeting in front of 70 people on Monday night. The ﬁrst quarterly meeting for SN 12 will take place in August or September at the Houston Solid Waste Management Depart-

ment, 1245 Judiway Street. “Anytime you have a larger group of people coming to the table, the area will benefit,” Nuzzie said. Oak Forest hasn’t been part of a Super Neighborhood in the past, but SN 12 was started three years ago by its president, Mark Klein, who’s also president of the Garden Oaks Civic Club. Klein said the civic clubs in the area are “pretty strong,” so people didn’t see the need for a Super Neighborhood council. But other areas have benefited from it. Klein said two of the issues that he’d like to see addressed are beautification of major thoroughfares and the quiet

zone on 34th Street. The SN is made up of 16 neighborhoods, including Candlelight Plaza, Candlelight Estates Section 1, Shepherd Forest, Mangum Manor, Oak Forest, Garden Oaks Forest Pines, Forest West, Candlelight Oaks, Candlelight Woods, Candlelight Place, Candlelight Oaks Village, Ella Lee Forest, Pinemont Park Square, and the North Shepherd Business Association. The goal for Klein, Nuzzie and longtime SN leader Chuck Blesener of Shepherd Park Plaza will be to get involvement from the aforementioned neighborhoods.

see Super • Page 10A

Page 2A • The Leader • July 13, 2013 • @heightsleader

��

Poe, ﬁghting natural gas export regulations, to speak July 26

U.S. Rep. Ted Poe ton where he garnered national media attention for his innovative sentences – dubbed “Poetic Justice.” Prior to that, he served for 8 years in the Harris County District Attorney’s Ofﬁce, where he became the chief felony prosecutor and never lost a jury trial. Poe serves on the House Judiciary Committee, and the Foreign Affairs Committee as Chairman of the Subcommittee on Terrorism,

Nonproliferation and Trade. Poe has been in the news recently for two pieces of legislation he has helped champion. In speeches throughout his district, he has talked sternly about the need for immigration reform, and he helped author language in the Strengthen and Fortify Enforcement Act, which has been dubbed the SAFE Act. In that U.S. House bill, Poe mandated that the Department of Homeland Security establish a biometric entry and exit data system at each port of entry in the United States so that it’s easier to track who is here on a visa and for what duration. Another issue close to Poe’s constituents is the exportation of natural gas. Poe has worked recently to help overturn a 1938 law that requires companies seeking to export natural gas to ﬁrst get approval from the Department of Energy. And even after that, companies must also get separate

No clues or ID in death of man, dressed as woman

approval from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. According to Poe, that “bureaucratic hurdle” was never notices because there was no way to mass export natural gas. That has changed, and Poe says there are at least 18 export applications pending before the DOE. “... if approved, (that) would inject billions of dollars into our economy,” he said. “But the Department has only granted two applications in the last three years.” For more than 25 years, the Greater Heights Area Chamber of Commerce has worked with business owners who want to do business in the Greater Heights area by providing education, business support and referral opportunities so that they are empowered to grow their businesses.

��

Small ads really do work if they say the right thing Try One - (713) 686-8494

��

Woman assaulted during robbery

Houston police homicide investigators are asking the public’s help in identifying a man whose body was found Sunday morning in Brickhouse Gully near the 4100 block of Antoine, not far from Scarborough High School, and in providing any leads in the case. The man, described as a light-skinned Hispanic or Anglo, was clothed in a black dress, pantyhose and high heels, according to police. They were led to the scene by a phone call from a motorist who had been alerted by two teens who discovered the body while walking along the gully but didn’t have a cell phone to make the call. Anyone with information can call HPD homicide at 713-308-3600 or CrimeStoppers at 713-222-TIPS.

��

THIS

The Greater Heights Area Chamber of Commerce will present United States Congressman Ted Poe at its 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. luncheon meeting on July 26. Attendees will have the opportunity to hear ﬁrsthand what’s really happening in Washington. The luncheon will take place at the Sheraton Houston Brookhollow Hotel located at 3000 North Loop West. Reservations for a table of eight are $300, reservations for more than one table are $250 each, and individual tickets are $50. Reservations may be made by phone, 713-861-6735, online at www.heightschamber.com, or email to info@heightschamber. com. Poe is a leading advocate in Washington for limited government, free markets, low taxes and individual liberty. Prior to serving in Congress, he served for 22 years as a criminal court judge in Hous-

��

A 57-year-old woman suffered a bump on the head during a robbery at 9:05 p.m. on June 28 in the 700 block of 21st Street. The woman went outside her back door because she heard her dog barking. At that point, a male allegedly forced her back into the home at gunpoint and took an undisclosed amount of money from her purse. He allegedly hit her on the head and ﬂed on foot. HPD’s Robbery Division is looking into the case. If anyone has any information, contact the Robbery division or Crimestoppers.

��

Police Reports, June 27 - July 5 JUNE 27

Burglary 08:00 PM 900-999 STUDEMONT Theft 11:00 PM 1700-1799 VIKING Theft 07:00 PM 300-399 WEST LP N Theft 09:00 PM 2300-2399 KATY FWY Theft 01:36 PM 300-399 GLENBURNIE DR Burglary 06:30 AM 200-299 HEIGHTS BLVD Theft 02:00 PM 3700-3799 WATONGA BLVD Burglary 07:00 PM 2900-2999 MANGUM Burglary 07:45 AM 1200-1299 OXFORD ST Theft 09:00 PM 900-999 DURHAM DR

JUNE 28

Robbery 09:05 PM 700-799 21ST ST Theft 06:30 AM 800-899 29TH ST Burglary 07:45 AM 2500-2599 WATSON Theft 11:00 PM 1900-1999 WASHINGTON AVE Robbery 10:45 PM 6600-6699 BETHUNE DR Theft 12:30 PM 2700-2799 MANGUM Theft 06:45 PM 100-199 12TH ST Theft 06:30 PM 1000-1099 19TH ST Theft 12:20 PM 2500-2599 SHEARN ST Theft 09:00 PM 1500-1599 FOXWOOD RD Theft 01:30 PM 2000-2099 YALE Theft 01:30 PM 3000-3099 YALE Theft 12:00 PM 2000-2099 MANGUM Theft 02:20 PM 3600-3699 MAIN Theft 04:15 PM 900-999 N SHEPHERD DR Theft 11:00 PM 800-899 WAVERLY Theft 07:30 PM 1200-1299 BARKLEY ST

JUNE 29

Theft 08:00 PM 2600-2699 WHITE OAK DR Theft 12:00 PM 4800-4899 LAMONTE LN Theft 02:00 PM 1900-1999 HEIGHTS BLVD Theft 12:00 AM 400-499 16TH ST AdTheft # 34145 03:00 PM 1600-1699 BEALL ST

DON’T BE A VICTIM!

Concealed Handgun Class Coming - July

WE BUY ALL GUNS

PERSONAL DEFENSE WEAPONS

★

BUY ★ SELL ★ TRADE

BLACK GOLD GUNS & AMMO 713-694-4867 875 Wakeﬁeld Dr. Licensed FFL/Class III Dealer

Theft 01:00 PM 400-499 HEIGHTS BLVD Theft 10:00 AM 1700-1799 REDWING BLUFF DR Burglary 09:39 PM 1600-1699 BINGHAM ST Robbery 09:00 PM 2200-2299 MANGUM Theft 10:00 PM 900-999 KERN Theft 07:04 PM 1500-1599 SHEPHERD DR Theft 12:10 PM 4700-4799 WASHINGTON AVE

JUNE 30

Burglary 05:13 PM 3400-3499 HINTON BLVD Theft 12:00 AM 1900-1999 WASHINGTON AVE Burglary 03:20 AM 500-599 19TH ST Burglary 12:25 PM 600-699 34TH ST Theft 07:20 AM 400-499 41ST ST Theft 01:13 PM 900-999 DURHAM DR Robbery 06:05 AM 1300-1399 JOHNSTON Theft 12:51 AM 4900-4999 EIGEL ST Theft 08:58 AM 3200-3299 HOUSTON AVE

JULY 1

Theft 02:45 PM 200-299 18TH ST Theft 12:05 AM 2500-2599 NORTH LP W Theft 08:10 PM 2800-2899 T C JESTER BLVD Burglary 04:00 PM 3000-3099 MAXROY

New Well Puppy & Kitten Exam

FREE Routine Male Cat Neuters

JULY 2

Theft 09:51 AM 2600-2699 CENTER ST Theft 06:12 AM 2900-2999 VOLLMER Theft 07:54 AM 11500-11599 NORTHWEST FWY Theft 06:00 PM 300-399 19TH ST Theft 08:14 PM 500-599 19TH ST Burglary 08:30 AM 500-599 18TH ST Theft 03:17 PM 800-899 AURORA ST Theft 10:00 PM 1000-1099 OXFORD ST Theft 09:00 PM 1000-1099 16TH ST Theft 06:00 PM 1100-1199 W 19TH ST Theft 10:30 PM 1300-1399 25TH ST Burglary 10:54 PM 6500-6599 WASHINGTON AVE

��

JULY 3

Burglary 02:15 PM 900-999 T C JESTER BLVD Theft 03:10 PM 3800-3899 SHEPHERD DR Theft 05:00 PM 4800-4899 MAIN Theft 07:00 AM 800-899 VICTORIA DR Assault 12:30 AM 1700-1799 SHEPHERD DR Burglary 11:00 PM 200-299 44TH ST Theft 09:00 AM 1700-1799 27TH ST Theft 08:00 PM 4900-4999 LILLIAN Theft 09:00 PM 600-699 SHEPHERD DR Theft 10:20 AM 1300-1399 43RD ST Theft 12:30 AM 4600-4699 CENTER ST

JULY 4

Assault 04:30 PM 1500-1599 N LOOP W FWY SER Theft 12:00 AM 5000-5099 WASHINGTON AVE Theft 08:01 PM 800-899 OAK Theft 10:00 PM 1000-1099 ALTHEA DR Assault 11:55 PM 1200-1299 ARMSTEAD ST Burglary 07:30 AM 1000-1099 COTTAGE OAK LN

JULY 5

Assault 01:25 AM 300-399 MARATHON Theft 09:50 AM 700-799 TABOR Assault 01:50 AM 4500-4599 CENTER ST

��

PARTY HEADQUARTERS!

ONE STOP SHOP!

Years

of quality care for your family pets

Dog Rabies Vaccination

75*

* With Wellness Exam

Call About Cat Vaccines

Forest West Animal Clinic 5315 Antoine@ Pinemont

713-688-9625

Hours: M-F 7am-6:00pm Sat. 8am-12 Noon

We’re located at 2830 Hicks St. From Texas Medical Center campus, go north on Montrose/Studemont, cross Allen Pkwy., after underpass go to first street on right, Hicks Street, turn right.

U PAY LESS - U GET MORE! 2830 Hicks 713-869-8321 arneswarehouse.com

Page 3A • The Leader • July 13, 2013 • @heightsleader

TABC to hear protests over planned nightspot by Michael Sudhalter michael@theleadernews.com Protesters challenging what they say is the reincarnation of a troubled nightclub in the Northwest Mall are getting a hearing before the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission next month -- but owners are hoping that mediation offering tight security can settle the matter before then. After an investigation, the TABC has found “sufﬁcient information” to hold a hearing on Aug. 9 in Houston regarding the mixed beverage permit of Chela’s, 444 Northwest Mall, in the location of the defunct SRO Sports Bar. A total of 30 residents from Timbergrove and Spring Branch protested the TABC license, applied for by the same men who owned the notorious El Chaparral Club in the mall parking lot. The protesters include State Rep. Sarah Davis, the city of Houston, Ofﬁce of the Harris County Attorney and the Timbergrove Manor Civic Club. But the attorney representing Chela’s - Ronald A. Monshaugen -- said Chela’s

Attorneys for the owners of Chela’s in the Northwest Mall are hoping to hammer out a security agreement with protesters in meditation that will prevent a TABC hearing challenging the club’s opening from being necessary. (Photo by Michael Sudhalter) ownership and the TABC recently came up with a security agreement, which set the guidelines for their operations. It included having a minimum of five certified peace officers as security on weekends and a minimum of three during the week, the installation and maintenance of a security camera, a designated person to monitor the parking lot from the roof and rest-

room inspections. A violation of the security agreement could result in ﬁnes and penalties, according to Ramona Perry, TABC staff attorney. Monshaugen said he hopes that mediation will resolve the issue, removing the need for the hearing. He’s conﬁdent that will be the outcome, which he said would be a “win-win” situation for the protesters

duty Houston Police Department officer, who was providing security at the club, was shot. Another incident, documented in surveillance video viewable in this story on our website, www.theleadernews.com, involved violence spilling over to a nearby Shell gas station shortly after the club closed for the evening, in which a man was killed. Several Timbergrove residents have filed complaints with the TABC regarding Chela’s. “It’s the same ownership – they started a different company name,” said one resident who asked not to be identified. “A lot of crime spills over to the local neighborhoods.” According to mall management, corporate owners make the decisions on who leases space. They said Chela’s is a sports bar, as was its predecessor, but the Timbergrove resident said the amount of dance floor space being built in the club indicates otherwise. The hearing is set before an administrative law judge at 9 a.m., Aug. 9 at 427 W. 20th St.

and the club owners. “We’re hoping to achieve a resolution to this matter,” Monshaugen said. “The (security agreement) is comprehensive.” Monshaugen said his clients have active permits to operate other facilities, and they’ve never had a permit canceled or denied. According to the TABC’s determination and Sec. 11.46(a) (b) (8) of the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Code, the commission or administrator may refuse to issue an original or renewal permit with or without a hearing if it has reasonable grounds to believe and ﬁnds that…the place or manner in which the applicant may conduct his business warrants the refusal of a permit based on the general welfare, health, peace, morals and safety of the people and on the public sense of decency.” The residents’ concerns stem from Chela’s ownership by the same individuals, J. Larkin Stallings and Mario Anzaldua, who owned El Chaparral, which experienced a considerable amount of violence at the club and around it. In one incident at El Chaparral, an off-

REFRIGERATORS

Double Doors $499.00 Stainless Three Doors $999.00

Oak Forest case draws attention to HOA rules

832-884-6082

Ad # 35524

FAMILY DENTISTRY State-of-the art procedures,

by Michael Sudhalter michael@theleadernews.com

instruments & techniques

With no zoning in Houston, comply. If they don’t comply, the deed restrictions drawn up by ho- city will file a suit. In Oak Forest, for instance, the meowners’ groups are the most powerful tools to protect residen- homes have restrictions on how much buildable space is available, tial neighborhoods. In recent weeks, Oak Forest and that varies from lot to lot. Homeowners Association deed Those usually limit homes to two restrictions have been openly dis- stories, but there are homes that cussed and debated during the are larger than 3,000 square feet that still meet the deed restriction Darrel Gashette case. Gashette, the 35-year-old life- requirement. Any deed restriction that’s been long Oak Forest resident, parked the cab of his rig in his driveway superseded by federal or state law at 1430 Wakefield. He’d done so becomes null and void. Oak Forest was established in for years without incident, but when new neighbors complained, 1947, and within the original deed the city intervened. Gashette faced restrictions, there’s a clause remore than $200,000 in civil fines stricting home ownership to Caubut was able to settle for $5,000 casians only. That was nullified by the Civil Rights Act of 1964, but during a court hearing. Oak Forest HOA president the language still appears in the Craig Powers said the HOA keeps deed restriction. Although the language is nullia close eye on architectural issues, enforcing that throughout the fied, Powers said he’d be happy for neighborhood. Those are the main the executive board, which is very violations that the HOA reports to ethnically and racially diverse, to remove the wording, which would the city. But with just 20 volunteers, the largely be a symbolic gesture at HOA doesn’t actively look for vio- this point. “I would be happy to amend the lations. Deed restriction violations be- restrictions,” he said. “I also reccome an issue when residents ognize the difficulty involved with bring up potential violations to it.” Deed restrictions are automatithe HOA or the city. Powers said there are two routes cally renewed every 15 years, and to deed restriction enforcement. if there’s a change, it must come One is for a resident to file a law- in the year before it is set to be suit, which he said hasn’t happened renewed. Also, a majority of the in at least 12 years. The second is neighborhood’s residents must for the city to bring enforcement vote to change a deed restriction, action as the result of a resident’s and in a community as large as complaint, which is what hap- Oak Forest –– said to be the third largest group of subdivisions in pened in the Gashette case. “We generally prefer to have the Harris County –– getting enough city enforce where possible because participation to approve any of the expense and uncertainty in- changes could be challenging. volved with filing a lawsuit. Plus the city has some additional options that are allowed by state law (including fines for violations) $ 00 from up that, to my knowledge, are not 281-741-8611 available to us,” Powers said. Caring & Professional • est 2003 According to City Attorney DaFamily/owned/operated vid Feldman, the city looks into Adhoustonpetcremationservices.com # 31448 every complaint. Sometimes, it may just be a phone call, but if it’s Since 1978 serious enough, they’ll do an onsite visit through the NeighborAlterations & hood Services division. If the violation is deemed to be Dry Cleaning legitimate, the individual(s) in viMon-Fri 7 am - 6 pm, Sat 8 am - 3 pm olation will get the opportunity to

Pet Cremations

“One of Houston’s Top Dentists” — HTexas Magazine 2004-2011

NEW PATIENT SPECIAL

Exam, X-Ray & Cleaning $ Regularly $100

As part of the debate over a recent case involving enforcement of deed restrictions in Oak Forest, inaccurate information was spread that most new construction breaks those rules by exceeding permissible square footage. It doesn’t, says the HOA president. (Photo by Michael Sudhalter)

Mathew Naftis, D.D.S. w w w. d r n a f t i s . c o m

1214 W 43rd Ste 300

CARE

CREDIT

713-682-7939

Mojdeh Zahedi, M.D. Family Medicine The Heights

Melissa Montoya Celi, M.D. Family Medicine Northwest

Chris’

1765 W. 34th • 713-682-8785

OUR DOCTORS WILL SEE YOU NOW. Stay healthy this year. We treat a wide range of health needs, including acute and chronic illnesses, such as hypertension and diabetes. From preventive medicine to treatment of colds and ﬂu to well woman exams and physicals, you can count on us to care for your whole family.

��

Dear Northwest Neighbors, When I opened Stoneburner & Associates Realtors in 1979, at 5343 Antoine (Forest West Center), there were many Realtors in the area. There was Century 21- Courtesy & Company and Red Carpet Realtors right across the street (by the old Kroger store off Pinemont). We were there, also, followed by a Century 21 on Tidwell Road and Antoine. Further down, there was another Red Carpet, as well as a Re/Max, on Little York Road at Antoine, followed by The Inwood Group in Inwood Forest. Over the past 35 years all of these companies have disappeared, except Stoneburner & Associates. Not only have we remained in business for 35 years, we have done it right here in Northwest Houston, at 9770 West Little York Road, Houston, Texas 77040, just 3 miles from where we started. Stoneburner & Associates Realtors has grown over the years and we have added many Realtors to our staff and many services, including our own “In-House Mortgage Company”, Capital ABC Funding Mortgage Company, Inc. We are a niche company specializing in Residential sales and leasing and our philosophy is simple: treat people with respect and treat them fairly. We have practiced this philosophy for over 35 years and our record speaks for itself. In celebration of our 35th anniversary, we are offering a 1% discount on each listing taken , and a 1% rebate on each purchase (we do new homes as well), through August 31, 2013 as our appreciation for your support for 35 years. If you have any questions or just want some general information on your subdivision, please give me a call at 713-686-8844. Jay Stoneburner TREC 0220404/NMLS 266331/72221

Two convenient locations in your neighborhood: Northwest Medical Plaza 3 1801 N. Loop West, Suite 30 713.802.9781

The Heights 225 West 19th Street 713.242.2980

Schedule your appointment online at mhmg.memorialhermann.org.

Page 4A • The Leader • July 13, 2013 • @heightsleader

Some signs are funny, others are just egregious H

ave you ever sat back and considered how often, and to what extent, companies market themselves to you? If you’re reading this column, there are advertisements scattered throughout this newspaper, and every advertiser is trying to reach you. Believe it or not, though, local newspapers like The Leader are quite tame in the marketing inundation game. (There’s more news in this paper than there are advertisements, and that’s on purpose.) Whether you turn on your computer (pop-ups, pop-unders, pop-all-overyour-screen ads), your TV or your radio, the barrage known as advertising is everywhere. These days, you’ll ﬁnd TV ads creeping up the bottom of your screen in the middle of Law & Order. On radio, you’ll hear DJs or sportscasters read a quick ad for Subway between arguments on Dwight Howard’s decision to join the Rockets. But even TV, radio and the internet are not the worst offenders when it comes to advertising. Instead, get in your car and take a drive down any street or interstate. No matter if it’s billboards, marquees or building signs, you literally cannot turn anywhere without a company trying to

JONATHAN MCELVY Publisher

grab your attention. And when there are that many businesses trying to pique your interest, you can be certain some of them are certain to fail with their signage. For instance, there’s a New York establishment called Amigone Funeral Home. I suppose it’s a good question to ask yourself as you drive up to that business. Another business wanted to sell the right kinds of clothing, but promoted it in the wrong way. “Babies and Children: Buy 2 Get 3 Free.” That one is just slightly better than the veterinarian in Montana who reminded us all to “Spay or Neuter Your Best Friend.” There are creative signs, like the

THE READER. Collier Library makeover

Posted to theleadernews.com Thanks for asking for the update. Now we know absolutely that HPL didn’t make the June deadline, much less the original April one. One of the reasons we bought a house in the Forest West subdivision was that I loved the idea of being within walking distance of a ﬁne little library. We pass by it almost every day, sometimes multiple times, as we go in and out of the subdivision, and it’s been so frustrating seeing how long it took for them to even begin work after the library closed almost a year ago–and how many times absolutely nothing is going on there during normal working hours. I guess reopening Collier is just not a high priority with anyone but people like me who really, really want our library back. Brooke Smith

Comeback of yarn bomb

Posted to THE LEADER on Facebook You just can not keep good knitters down!!!Is such a beauty...a pleasure to drive by...thank you ALL. Catharine Conlon-Townsend

Latin fusion franchise

Posted to THE LEADER on Facebook Shame the lease price was too high for a real local to give the space a go. That is the only reason I can see it sat vacant so long. Not exactly sure we need another Mexicanish Fusion place in the Heights given what we already have and Torchy’s on the way. We shall see I guess. Stephen Nowakowski

Sale of Law Enforcement high property

Posted to THE LEADER on Facebook I’m sure HISD will use that $40 million wisely, and deﬁnitely won’t waste it on politically motivated training sessions, or aesthetic improvements while ignoring actual educational resources such as books and classrooms for it’s purposely overcrowded schools. Guillermo Thomas

Two cents more about Leader likes, dislikes

Dear Editor: First: You have transformed The Leader into a newspaper -- a relevant newspaper

company called Budget Burials, whose mantra is: “Cheaper and Deeper.” And there are more creative signs, like the one for Walr’s Radiator Shop, whose sign reads, “We are the best place in town to take a leak.” Real cute. The small businesses can be forgiven for slips of the tongue (or sign, in this case). But the big boys aren’t immune either. Pepsi decided to take on CocaCola in the Asian markets and launched a campaign called “Come alive with the Pepsi Generation.” Unfortunately for the forever runner-up, that message didn’t resonate well in China, where the marketing phrase translated into, “Pepsi brings your ancestors back from the grave.” Though this is a little hard to stomach, Coors moved into the Mexican markets with a slogan that proudly proclaimed, “Turn it Loose.” That sign, when translated into Spanish, didn’t bode well for the beer company because it actually meant, “Suffer from diarrhea.” Oops. And then there’s Clairol, the esteemed manufacturer of beauty aids all over the world. They introduce a product in Germany called the “Mist Stick.” The only problem is that “mist” in German is slang

-- rather than just another a neighborhood rag. Thank you for adding a much needed vitality to our rapidly emerging and long dormantcommunity. We’ve been under the radar for a long time, which was/is kind of nice, but alas, times change. Second: There are two columns I would like to see (since you asked!). One would be about the local music scene. There are opportunities to see and hear live music. Lynn’s Longbranch Saloon on Pinemont has various nightly events. Also, there is Dan Electro’s in the Heights. They get some great acts. I have recently learned that there are a multitude of musicians who live in the Oak Forest, Heights and 290 corridor. A music scene column could be about local musicians as well as performances at local venues. The second column that might be of interest would/could be reader submissions on the most recent aggravating “Customer Service” experience. This idea was born from having to deal with Comcast on several issues. More often than not, I am on the phone with someone in a boiler room in India, who is diﬃcult to understand but whose name is Jane or Joseph. Part of Jane’s job is to read from a script, “We at

Speaking English with dash of salsa A requirement in the latest “comprehensive immigration reform bill” (some call it Amnesty International) is that illegal immigrants who qualify to stay here legally must be “proficient in English.” I think being able to spell proficient is qualification enough. But there is another word that doesn’t seem to be part of any immigration requirement. It is assimilation. This is tricky. We are told constantly assimilation takes time, that previous waves of immigrants gradually learned English, played baseball, cheated on their taxes, eventually gave up their old ways from Warsaw or Hong Kong and became immersed in Americana. Our new immigrants from south of the border don’t have to assimilate. (They think Roe versus Wade is a debate over how best to cross the Rio.) You go to East Houston or parts of any other Texas city and you’d think you are in Matamoros. You will see Spanish language magazines and newspapers and Spanish editions of English-language newspapers. I can receive 39 Spanish language TV channels and four more carrying Latino music. Does your car radio speak Spanish? We have bi-lingual voting ballots and legal documents, broadcasts of sporting events in two languages. How many times have you called a business or government office and heard a recording in English, or press 2 for not in English? In 1999,in the town of El Cenizo, a dusty village without a single paved street on the Texas side of the Rio Grande down near Laredo, the mayor and two commissioners voted to make Spanish the town’s official language. We must assume they took this action in Spanish since the mayor spoke no English. Then there are the street marches of a thousand youths demanding U.S. citizenship while waving the Mexican flag. Been to a U.S.-Mexico soccer match here? There is no reason for any Spanish-speaker to assimilate, not in Texas. There is also the proximity factor. Those earlier immigrants couldn’t take the bus for a weekend in Hamburg. Our later newcomers couldn’t easily pop over to Saigon for Christmas. They had to cut close ties with their former

A SH BY AT

L ARG E

homelands, although some still held on to a few remnants. Several years ago I was in a Hill Country newspaper office talking to the editor when a woman came in and wanted to place an ad. They spoke in German. I noticed a photo on the editor’s office wall showing the crew of a WW II bomber. You know the usual shot: a dozens or so smiling young men in their heavy leather bomber jackets kneeling and standing in front of their warplane. “That was my older brother,” said the editor. “He was shot down and killed by the Germans over Holland.” Now that’s assimilation. As late as the 1940s some 150,000 Texans spoke what is called Texas German, a unique language spoken no where else on earth. What happened was that in the mid-1800s immigrants from all over the Germanic states came to Texas and mingled their various dialects to create their own special blend. (Ich bin ein Longhorn?) Today only about 8,000 people still speak Texas German, but they are old and dying out. Linguists, who are busily recording everybody in the biergartens, say the language will be completely gone in 30 years. My wife has Czech cousins all over central Texas. They make great sausages and kolaches. Over in Louisiana, for a long time the state tried to keep Cajuns from speaking their version of French. Same thing with Native Americans, aka Indians, in their schools. Another consideration: The new “comprehensive immigration reform bill” sends thousands more border guards to the ramparts, but of the estimated 11 million undocumented aliens that our crack immigration officials say are here -- without telling us just how they came up with that number, it could be 22 million -- they believe

4.4 million arrived perfectly legally, then disappeared. So we have those who came on student visas, business visas or told our customs agents they were seeking asylum or were just touring and plan to spend lots of money at Yellowstone, then they simply disappear. We don’t know who they are, where they are or anything else. More border guards won’t help that problem. Meantime we’re losing ground on this English thing: Today 51 percent of our foreign born residents say they do not know English “very well” while 8.1 percent of them say they can speak no English at all. In 1980 that figure was 1 percent. So what to do? I guess we could pass an English only law, but that would rob us of some beautiful languages, dialects and obscenities. Check out the Institute of Texan Cultures which is part of the UT System and is located near the base of San Antonio’s space needle. That collection of Texas’s varying backgrounds, differences and similarities is enough to give multiculturalism a good name. So, no, we don’t want our beloved Texas to be one blob of lock-stepped lookalikes. “Texan” is a title, not a color. I like the various ethnic restaurants we have in Texas. Have you ever seen an Anglo try to cook crawfish etouffee, soy miso steak with sichuan pickles or even good cheese enchiladas? Disastrous. We’re not a melting pot, we’re a cafeteria. What would the San Antonio Spurs be without their lineup straight from the U.N. Security Council? But if we don’t assimilate we’ll end up like so many other lands where warring tribes spend most of their time killing one another. When in Rome, watch your purse. When in America, speak English. Otherwise, you’re doomed to mow our yards and wash our dishes. I’ve told this story before, but it’s worth repeating. Once, when flying back from Paris to Houston, our plane went right over Montreal. I turned to a Frenchman sitting next to me and said, “Do you know that Montreal is the second largest French-speaking city in the world?” He nodded and replied, “Yes, and isn’t it a shame.” Ashby is monolingual at ashby2@comcast.net

for manure. Needless to say, they didn’t sell many of those sticks. That’s a long way of bringing this all back to our area of Houston, where the signs dotting our streets are doing very little to promote the professional sorts of businesses we’d all like to see in our community. And the greatest offender, believe it or not, is a national company that will open its doors in the next few weeks. We’ve all seen the massive LA Fitness building on North Shepherd. From a pure building perspective, LA Fitness is as clean and modern a building as we’ve got in our area. I haven’t asked anybody how many millions the company is spending on their business, but we can be sure they’re well into seven ﬁgures. So I really don’t understand why, during the past six months of construction and preparations to open, the folks at LA Fitness have decided to riddle our streets with some of the most egregious promotional signs around. If you’ve ever seen a movie where a kidnapping takes place, you’ll often ﬁnd a ransom note somewhere close behind. You know... The ones with letters cut from magazine headlines that don’t match and certainly give no clues as to the sender’s identity.

Comcast do apologize for any inconvenience. We are all about Customer Service. blahblahblah.” After spending 20 minutes with Jane, she has to transfer me to another department. Then I talk to Joseph. Joseph knows nothing about the issue I’ve been dealing with for 20 minutes, but he does have the same script which he reads to me: “We at Comcast do apologize for any inconvenience. We are all about Customer Service. blahblahblah.” Inevitably, ten minutes later, Joseph has to transfer me to another department. In any case, so many of the mega-companies talk-thetalk about Customer Service, but in reality, it is all about “the rules,” and most of the worker bees have no authority to take care of any customer requests. Sadly, it is the worker bees who have to deal with the wrath of the dissatisﬁed customer; it is not their fault; they are the drones; they are following the rules....sometimes. And sometimes, maybe they are just lazy. A column like this might serve as a wake up call to some, or it might just be a way for readers to let oﬀ steam,

For some reason, LA Fitness, with it’s empty tents and push to gain members, decided to go the way of ransom note signage to promote its business. In the process, they’ve created eyesores when they built nothing short of a gorgeous building just a few blocks away. It doesn’t make sense. We’ve got other sign problems in our community. Any drive down Shepherd and Durham offers plenty of evidence. Ella and 43rd Street aren’t much better. I ran across one sign at that intersection where the sign has been hanging for months, apparently with no regard for appearances. And then there are folks like Frida’s, also on Ella. They paid for a brand new marquee on Ella, and immediately, their business looks legitimate and worthy of a meal. It’s fun to take a look at some of the signs that make us laugh. It’s not as fun to see businesses in our community that care so little about appearance. Our area of town is in the midst of a boom time. It would be nice if some of our businesses – new and old – would keep up.

and maybe get a few laughs out of the absurdities. Anyway, that’s my two cents. Thank you again for elevating our community. Suzannah Mays

Email jonathan@theleadernews.com

Built by

Cars stuck on RR tracks

LEE BURGE, PUBLISHER FROM 1957-1969 TERRY BURGE, PUBLISHER FROM 1969-2012

Posted to THE LEADER on Facebook That is a new kind of stupid and for a few hundred could be ﬁxed. Jeremy Goodwin

3500 East T.C. Jester Blvd, Suite A P.O. Box 924487 Houston, TX 77292-4487 Phone: (713) 686-8494 Fax (713) 686-0970

Posted to THE LEADER on Facebook You cant stop stupid. Scott Scales

Deadly drive-by on Mangum

Posted to THE LEADER on Facebook You’d think at least one of these guys would have ﬁgured out how these “arguments outside at 2:00 in the a.m.” always wind up and walked away before the shooting begins. Victor del Rio

Circulation: 33,683 copies weekly NEWS DEADLINE: Noon on Mondays CLASSIFIED WORD AD DEADLINE: 5 p.m. Tuesday RETAIL AD DEADLINE: Noon on Mondays

�� Solutions in this issue’s classsiﬁed section.

ACROSS Cont... 40. Affirmative! (slang) 41. Feudal bondman 43. Without (French) 45. Emits a continuous droning sound 46. Use diligently 47. A moving crowd 49. Extinct flightless bird of New Zealand 50. Sirius Satellite Radio (abbr.) 53. Mailing packet 57. Female shopping assistant 58. Dog & wolf genus 59. Opposite of beginnings 60. South by east 61. This language died with Tevfik Esenc

CLUES DOWN

CLUES ACROSS 1. Hiking path 6. Swiss river 10. Amorphous mass 14. Eastern spindle tree 15. A cheap rundown hotel 17. Oath of ofﬁce day 19. The bill in a restaurant 20. Religious transgression 21. More lucid 22. Vietnamese offensive 23. Chief magistrate of Venice

24. Turfs 26. Copyread 29. Game using 32 cards 31. Largest society for technology advancement 32. Mrs. Nixon 34. Drunken bum (slang) 35. Times assigned to serve 37. Labor organizer Eugene 38. Come into the possession of 39. Carbamide

SUDOKU

1. Foolishly annoying person 2. Type of genus of the Ranidae 3. Whale ship captain 4. An informal debt instrument 5. Piece of a felled tree 6. Arabic demon (var. sp.) 7. Actor Ladd 8. Decay 9. Programmes 10. Hat tied under the chin 11. Methaqualone pill (slang) 12. Ocean Search and Rescue 13. Turkish title of respect 16. Submarine sandwich 18. An objects functions 22. Touchdown 23. Judge or consider 24. __ Claus 25. Word element meaning ear 27. Fencing swords 28. Song: Aba __ Honeymoon 29. Standard wire gauge 30. Capital of Ukraine 31. George Gershwin’s brother 33. Thyroid-stimulating hormone 35. Horse trainer’s shackle 36. Soft-finned fishes 37. Internet infrastructure 39. Sieze without right 42. Dishonors 43. Speaks a slavonic lan guage 44. Egyptian pharaoh 46. Small breed of horse 47. “__ the Man” Musical 48. Forest land (British) 49. Italian municipality 50. Japanese entertainment firm 51. Slovenian mountain 52. 20th Hebrew letter 53. Point midway between S and SE 54. Tap gently 55. European money 56. Research workplace

Page 5A • The Leader • July 13, 2013 • @heightsleader

Neighbors: Grrrrreat achievement for a local sculptor by Elizabeth Villareal elizasgarden@sbcglobal.net Impressive news from Bridgette Mongeon, a talented sculptor and artist in our neighborhood: She has been commissioned to create a larger-than-life likeness of Grambling State University’s tiger mascot. The ferocious-looking and enormous ﬁgure, which is in its ﬁnal stages of creation, will be cast in bronze. Bridgette is looking for interns and invites anyone interested to contact her via her Facebook page, Bridgette Mongeon-Creative Endeavors. It’s worth going to her page to see her collection of work. Happy, happy birthday to Johnny Roffall who celebrated his 70th birthday on July 1. Johnny celebrated with his wife Linda; son Michael and his wife, Rachel, and their three children, Grace, Sadie and Justin; daughter Theresa and her husband Tim Carpenter; and several other family members and friends. Happy birthday shout outs to a few of our other neighbors celebrating July birthdays: Maren Haenicke (July 1); Linda Kelly (July 3), Allie Velasco (July 3); Donny Green (July 7), Kristi Kerr Ritch (July 8), Raquel Ramos (July 8); and Kyle Yezak (July 12). Cheers! One of our fun loving neighbors, Bobby Hayes, scouted and secured a perfect spot for view-

Bridgette Mongeon ing fireworks shows on the evening of July 4 and put the word out through the Oak Forest Homeowners’ Association Facebook page. More than 100 neighbors gathered on an area rooftop with drinks, chairs and children, introduced themselves to new friends and visited with old friends, and together enjoyed three – count ‘em – three beautiful fireworks displays in the distance produced by City Centre in the Memorial area off to the west, Hermann Park a little more southward, and finally, the Freedom Fest along Allen Parkway near downtown. Just a few of the neighbors present were Sally, Chris, Stephen and Ben Janacek; P.J. and Parker Jackson; Melanie Long and John Millen; Jared, Kelli and Jaxon McSpadden; Jeanette, Curtis, Suzi

Texas Centennial Table residing in Oak Forest until owner ﬁnds a museum by Michael Sudhalter michael@theleadernews.com An interesting piece of Texas history currently resides in Oak Forest. In 1934, Reagan High wood shop teacher Homer Hershel “H.H.” Wright began working on a Texas Centennial Table to be presented at the state’s 1936 centennial celebration in Dallas. Homer Eugene Wright, an 85-year-old Oak Forest resident remembers his father laboring on the project. The elder Wright passed away in 1974 at the age of 77 and left the table to his son. “I remember watching him build it,” Homer Eugene said. “I didn’t realize at the time what he was building. I’m real proud of it. He was a good craftsman and an architect, too.” Homer Eugene attended the state centennial where his father won ﬁrst place for the extremely detailed tribute to Texas. The wood was steam-cooked and dried before it was cut, so it wouldn’t split. The main part of the table is walnut and natural wood. Each of the 254 Texas counties has a piece of wood represented from that

nday

county. The sides feature artwork depicting state history, including the Tejas Indians, the Alamo, surrender of Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna, the Texas declaration of independence being signed at Washington on the Brazos and the State Capitol in Austin. Homer Hershel sent 5,000 letters throughout the state to secure a piece of wood from each. “He had to go to (a lot of those places) himself, because a lot of them didn’t respond,” said Homer Eugene, who’s retired after working 30 years for Dresser Atlas. In addition to the map of Texas with all of the counties, the table has the six flags representing Texas’ history -- the Lone Star, the United States flag, the first official flag of the Confederacy , and flags from France, Spain and Mexico. Some of the pieces of wood came from as far away as India and Japan. The table had been on display in the Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum, near the Capitol building in Austin, but it’s currently in Oak Forest. Homer Eugene said he’d like to get the work of art into another museum.

and Emily Holland; Erin and Billy Maxwell; Jen, Rob and Evan Kontominas; Lisa and Thad Junco; Brad and Regina Kym; Eric Ochoa; Isabel, Adam, Aleida and Lucas Klimko; Nora, George and Evan Loera; Carol Etzel, Sam and Adam Zagaar; Sandi and Randy Gardner; Harry Millirons (AKA Harry the Texas Flag Curb Painter); and Lina and Alyssa Morales. A few of Waltrip’s teachers who are also our neighbors are having some scholastic adventures this summer and asked to share them with you. Kristie Barbee was part of a group of 36 history teachers chosen from 30 Houston ISD campuses who enjoyed a trip funded by a Texas Teachers Teaching American History grant from the U.S. Department of Education for which participants were selected through a competitive application process. The teachers visited The Freedom Trail in Boston; a recreation of a 17th-century English village in Plymouth, Mass.; Walden Pond in Concord, N.H., which so inspired writer Henry David Thoreau; the childhood home of Little Women author Louisa May Alcott; and many other historical sites. In a different program last week, Kristie was a peer facilitator in Colonial Williamsburg and led teachers from about 13 states as they experienced colonial life and learned how to make this time in our country’s history real and per-

tinent for their students. Doug Martin and Rebecca DeLaRosa were both selected to participate in the College Board’s Annual AP Reading in Louisville, Ky. - Martin in AP Statistics and DeLaRosa in AP English Language. Each June, AP teachers and college faculty members from around the world gather in the U.S. to evaluate and score the freeresponse sections of the AP Exams in the AP Reading. “The reading draws upon the talents of some of the ﬁnest teachers and professors that the world has to offer,” said Trevor Packer of the College Board. “It fosters professionalism, allows for the exchange of ideas, and strengthens the commitment to students and to teaching. We are very grateful for the contributions of talented educators like Doug Martin and Rebecca DeLaRosa.” Bridgette Mongeon working, playfully, on her commission to create a sculpAd of # 27680 In 2012, more than 11,000 AP ture Grambling State’s tiger mascot. (Photos from Facebook) Readers evaluated more than 3.7 million AP Exams. Rebecca told me she read 946 essays. Waltrip welcomes its new cheerleading coach, Ashley Jozwiak. Convenient shop at home service Ashley has been working with Serving families for 20 years her cheerleading squad most of 12 Month Interest Free Financing this summer getting ready for the school year. Ashley is a Waltrip • Carpet • Tile • Vinyl • Wood Floors • Granite Counter Tops graduate who has returned to the school to teach. INC. Send your neighborhood newto the email address above or post it Showroom: 708 E. Tidwell (Near 1-45) to THE LEADER Facebook page 713-699-5951 for inclusion. Ad # 33365

GREAT GRANITE COUNTERS Robert’s Floors www.robertsfloorsinc.com

Homer Eugene Wright is the proud owner of the Texas Centennial Table, which his father, Homer Hershel Wright, ﬁnished in 1936 for the state’s centennial celebration. (Photo by Michael Sudhalter)

Chi C. MAO, M.D. Ph.D. Certiﬁed By American Board of Internal Medicine Serving the Heights for over 25 years

427 West 20th St. • Suite 212 (across from Heights Hospital)

713-864-2621 Fax: 713-864-2622

Saturday this

Share your good news with the neighborhood

rade.com

• Engagements • Weddings • Anniversaries

r logo here)

www.parade.com

message here)

THE LEADER. (Newspaper logo here)

THE HEIGHTS,(Home GARDENdelivery OAKS, OAKmessage FOREST ANDhere) NORTH HOUSTON

Call for more information 713.686.8494

Page 6A • The Leader • July 13, 2013 • @heightsleader

THE CALENDAR. HOMEBUYERS WORKSHOP Houston City Living 2 p.m. July 13 2211 W. 34th St. 713-202-9656

3000 North Loop West 713-861-6735 info@heightschamber.com

This networking event with business leaders is an opportunity for their clients and vendors to attend luncheon with featured guest Ted Poe. A single table of 8 is $300, multiple tables are $250 each, and individual seats are $50. A display booth is $125 and includes luncheon attendance for one.

This free workshop will present all the new options available in the homebuying process. Call Patsy Bushart for information.

Ladies Christmas in July by Travel’n Gals A Social at Merle Norman Thursday July 18th 5:00 – 8:00 pm 4216 Ella Blvd @ 43rd st.

All gals are invited to this big sale co-hosted by Diane of Merle Norman and Loretta of Travel’n Gals. Join us for happy hour beverages and appetizers and check out the upcoming trips scheduled.

LIBRARY ORIENTATION Clayton Library Center for Genealogical Research 10:30-11:45 a.m. July 20 5300 Caroline St. 832-393-2600

Learn about the vast resources and how to efﬁciently utilize genealogical research materials. No reservations needed. Meet at the information desk.

TED POE LUNCHEON Greater Heights Area Chamber Sheraton Brookhollow Hotel 11 a.m.-1 p.m. July 26

can participate in Tae-Kwon-Do, kids yoga, jumprope, hula-hoop and line dancing.

THE RANSOM OF RED CHIEF Express Children’s Theatre Through July 27 446 Northwest Mall 713-682-5044 www.expresstheatre.com

KIDS FITNESS AND FUN FEST New Beginnings for Women of Houston 9 a.m.-noon Aug. 3 White Oak Conference Center 7603 Antoine Dr. 77088 281-414-8416 www.newbeginningsforwomen.net

New Beginnings for Women of Houston, Inc., a nonproﬁt organization that serves the needs of disadvantaged women and children, will host the event to promote awareness and provide solutions for the critical issue of childhood obesity. Children

WALTRIP CLASS OF 1973 REUNION Aug. 9-10 www.waltripclassof73.com

LITTLE NELL, THE ORPHAN GIRL Theatre Suburbia Through Aug. 24 4106 Way Out West Dr. 713-682-3525 www.theatresuburbia.org

This “mellerdrammer” by Nelson Goodhue will be performed Fridays and Saturdays through Aug. 24, with 3 p.m. Sunday matinees July 28, Aug. 4, Aug. 11 and Aug. 18. Tickets are $14 adults, $13 students and seniors, and $12 Sunday matinees. Reservations are recommended.

REUNIONS WASHINGTON CLASS OF 1958 REUNION Sheraton Brookhollow Hotel

THE COUPONS.

To place an ad on the most popular page in the Leader, give us a call at (713) 686-8494 Ad # 37787 and ask for one of our professional sales executives

EVERY WEEK

There are many activities planned for the weekend including a golf tournament and casual mixer Aug. 9 and the main event Aug. 10. Visit the website for information.

The Oak Forest Running Club meets each Tuesday evening. Food is provided by Brother’s Pizzeria, 3820 N. Shepherd Dr. This social running club is free, but neighbors are encouraged to join the Oak Forest Homeowners Association.

The Reagan High School Class of 1963 will hold its 50th class reunion and is seeking graduates. Contact Sandy Potter Reagan for registration information.

��

Sun.-Thurs. 10:30-9 p.m. Fri.-Sat. 10:30-10 p.m.

��

Buy One Regular Buffet and Two Drinks & Get A Second Buffet of equal or lesser value FREE Limit one coupon per customer can not be combined with other offer. • Offer expires 7-27-13

�� (290 @ Fairbanks N. Houston) ��

Ad # 37672

ONLY

��

expires 7-26-13

Coupon must be present at ordering time, one per party please. Not valid for “To Go” orders.

2211 West 43rd 713-686-7078

��

6476 West Little York at Bingle .......... 832-467-3360 351 Greens Rd ........................................... 281-872-7152

HOURS: 10:30 am - 10:00 pm • 7 days a week

Ad # 36862 OPEN Sun - Thurs 11 am - 9 pm, Fri and Sat 11 am - 10 pm • Full Service after 3pm

Authentic Mej icano Cuisine

Regularly: Adults $13 Kids/Seniors $11 With this coupon. One coupon per customer. This location only. Expires 7-19-13

Buy 1 Dinner and 2 Drinks, Get 1 Dinner Free (up to $10.00) One coupon per table

Will Accept Competitor’s coupons or other Great Clips facilities coupons

✓ DAILY LUNCH SPECIALS ✓ BAR FACILITIES ✓ TAKE-OUT ORDERS AVAILABLE

2615 Ella Blvd. @ 27th ◆ 713-868-5232

Mexican Restaurant OPEN Monday - Saturday 8am - 10pm & Sunday 8 am - 4pm

GET INSTANT PAYMENT! Weighed in Front of You. � Jewelry NO MAILING REQUIRED Broken, Old & Unwanted � Scrap, Jewelry Welcome...Any Condition � We Guarantee the Highest Price by 5% www.WeBuyGoldCenter.com

1210 W. 43rd St. Suite 100 Ad # 37684 (713) 812-7577 ��

Dine In Only After 3:00 pm • Expires 7-24-13

I’M IN PAIN...CAN CHIROPRACTIC HELP ME? CONDITIONS THAT ARE DANGER SIGNALS • Headache • Arthritis • Loss of Sleep • Scoliosis • Leg & Arm Pain & Numbness • Backache • Tension •Whiplash

95 EXAM & X-RAYS Reg. $140.00

Must present ad at time of appointment. Expires July 31, 2013.

HUDSON CHIROPRACTIC

1-855-351-GOLD

We Accept Medicare, Medicaid & Insurance, WORKERS COMP. 1820-1 W. 43rd. St. Se Habla Español (713) 290-1905

We Also Buy Silver • Platinum Diamonds

HWY 290 @ FM 1960 12149 FM 1960 W. Ste. L 281-653-7162

Free meetings are held every Monday. The program is recommended for students between the ages of 16-24. One can choose from more than 20 trades or earn a G.E.D. or high school diploma and degree. This program is funded by the Department of Labor.

Many activities are planned for the reunion weekend including golf tournament, casual happy hour and get together Sept. 20. A tour of the school

��

US 290 @ 34th St. 11200 NW Fwy. Ste 700 281-888-0508

JOB CORPS MEETING 8:30 a.m. Mondays 1919 N. Loop West, Ste. 477 713-880-2454

WALTRIP CLASS OF 1963 REUNION Sept. 20-22 713-466-9030, dlholle@gmail.com 713-937-3019, lhp6306@sbcglobal.net waltripalumni.org

Valid for Lunch or Dine In only

HWY 290 @ TIDWELL 13482 NW Frwy. 281-653-7162

OAK FOREST RUNNING CLUB Oak Forest Chill 6 p.m. Tuesdays 3542 Oak Forest Dr. 281-685-9929

REAGAN CLASS OF 1963 REUNION Aug. 16-17 Omni Galleria Houston Hotel 4 Riverway 77056 832-642-1393 sandyreagan@msn.com

BUY ONE BURGER GET ANOTHER ONE FOR

��

and a seated dinner and dance is Sept. 21. The reunion concludes with a goodbye breakfast Sept. 22. Cost for the dinner is $60 per person. Payment must be received no later than June 1. Checks or money orders should be made out to: Waltrip Class of ‘63 50th Reunion. Call or e-mail for payment mailing information.

The Booker T. Washington Alumni Association is planning a reunion for the class of 1958, which will feature a scholarship banquet and dance. Call by July 20 for information.

POGGIOREALE FOURTH REUNION Aug. 4 SPJST Lodge 88 1435 Beall St. 713-695-6586, 713-419-8142 rmorrison@poggioreale.net www.poggioreale.net

The families from Poggioreale, Sicily will celebrate their fourth reunion. These families came to America from about 1880 to about 1910, seeking work in Louisiana and Texas. Tickets to this event must be purchased in advance.

O. Henry’s literary classic comes to life in this musical adaptation. Visit the website or call the box oﬃce for ticket information. There will also be a free performance at 11 a.m. July 26 at Miller Outdoor Theatre.

3000 N. Loop West 713-738-1396

Your Soul Food Destination

BONUS COUPON

35%

MORE CASH

with this coupon

“With This Coupon. Not Valid With Any Other Offer. *Written Veriable Quote On A Letterhead. From A Similar Type Of Local Area Competitor Within One Mile Radius With Current Date Required. Valid For Metal Value Only. Limited To 20-DWT Maximum.” Code # LDR051711073111 Expires 7/31/13 OCCC Permit # 012263 • COH Permit# 111580

MON - SAT 10AM - 7PM • SUN 11 AM - 6PM

TWO COMBO PLATES ONLY

Dine-In only • expires 7/27/13

Specials Everyday! ��Open 7 Days Let us cater your next event

5204 Yale St. | 713-699-1212 www.estherscajunsoul.com

There are Good Samaritans among us by Molly Sue McGillicutty

As you probably know by now, I consider myself to be rather unpretentious and humble, (however, let us not overlook devastatingly beautiful and clever, too) but today, I feel like I need to brag on our neighbors a little. In recent weeks, neighbors in the Oak Forest area have really stepped up to the plate to help animals in need, and I’m hoping that they’ll serve as an example to us all. Houston Interfaith Ministries operates a Meals on Wheels program in the greater Houston area, delivering meals to home-bound senior citizens. Noticing that many of its recipients were sacriﬁcing their own food in order to feed their beloved pets, the “aniMeals on Wheels” program was founded. This program provides pet food to

these homebound seniors so that they do not feel compelled to share their limited food and resources with their four-legged friends. In order to feed all of the program’s furry participants, the organization’s volunteers deliver about 8,000 pounds of donated pet food per month. After hearing about the good work that the aniMeals on Wheels program is doing in our neighborhoods (of the 1,110 pets participating in the program in Houston, the neighborhood of Oak Forest currently has 32 dogs and 31 cats in its aniMeal on Wheels program) the Oak Forest Neighborhood Improvement Coalition (organized by neighbor, Bill Mallin) decided to lend a helping hand. According to OFNIC member, Nora Loera, upon putting out the

Page 7A • The Leader • July 13, 2013 • www.theleadernews.com

The

Molly

dogs in their care had zero food and were facing certain euthanasia, due to the deplorable situation. Ms. Cupps set into action and shortly after, a post began circulating among animal lovers on Facebook regarding this horrible predicament. Ms. Cupps offered up her pet resort as a drop location for dog food donations. Later that same day, Ms. Cupps posted on the Paws Pet Resort Facebook page that 2,000 pounds had been dropped off at the pet resort over the course of the day-and one week later, the total was up to 8,000 pounds of dog food! These, my friends, are mere snapshots of the caring heart of our neighbors. Now tell me, what can you do to match the kindness of these neighbors? Follow Molly on Twitter @TheMollyDiaries.

call for help, the OFNIC collected 400 pounds of dry food, 236 cans of food, 8 pounds of dog and cat treats, 8 toys, a food container and $300 in cash. The total weight of the food and supplies that were donated came to 700 pounds. Thanks to the generosity of the OFNIC, 100 animals in the aniMeals on Wheels program will be able to eat for a month. (According to the aniMeals on Wheels website, by donating $180 you can feed one pet for a full year.) But, the altruism of our neighbors doesn’t stop there. In late June, Jamie Cupps, the owner of Paws Pet Resort, (3425 Couch Street) received a desperate call from Scout’s Honor rescue, alerting her to the fact that the Brazoria County Animal Shelter had found themselves in a dire situation. Seventy

Diaries

THE COUPONS. To place an ad on the most popular page in the Leader, give us a call at (713) 686-8494 and ask for one of our professional sales executives

��

�� Buy one sandwich and two drinks and get another sandwich of equal or lesser value FREE. Sun.-Thurs. 10:30-9 p.m.

��

Fri.-Sat. 10:30-10 p.m.

��

�

Limit one coupon per customer can not be combined with other offer. • Offer expires 7-27-13

��

�� (290 @ Fairbanks N. Houston) ��

��

Buy 1 dinner and get $5 Off second dinner of equal or lesser value.

ENJOY OUR HAPPY HOUR

��

Kids Eat Free On Wednesdays! 5:00 - 8:00 pm Come meet our guest cartoonist for Kids Night

Tuesday- Friday 11am - 7pm Sunday & Monday - All Day

Frozen Jumbo Margaritas $5.95 or 10 oz. $2.95 - regular or avored -

Voted Best Burger Joint by Michael Berry Show M-F 10 AM-9 PM • SAT 11 AM-9 PM • SUN 11 AM-5 PM

5503 Pinemont��713-683-6700

2728 West T.C. Jester @ 610 • 713-680-8011

11550 Louetta • 281-251-0206 Ad # 37681

www.littlebittyburgerbarn.com

Ad # 37758

Coupon good at all 3 locations. Open Mon.-Sat. 11-10, Sun. 11-9

SUNDAE

��

* of equal or lesser value

Mexican Restaurant & Cantina

GET A

��

BUY ONE BURGER GET 1/2 OFF SECOND BURGER*

OFF SECOND ENTREE 5

Juanita’s

��

Ad # 37756

• Dine-In Only • This coupon good Mon.-Fri. 3 p.m.-10 p.m. • This coupon also good all day Sat. & Sun. • One coupon per party • Excludes alcoholic beverages • Not valid with other specials, special dinner menu or half orders • Expires 7-19-13

��

for only..

With purchase of another Sundae of equal or greater value.

FREE DINNER

99¢

With this coupon. One coupon per customer. This location only. Expires 7-26-13

Dine-In Only. No Takeout Orders. Good 3-10 p.m. only.

• Not available on Senior Citizens or Kids Menu • One coupon per table / one coupon per family ORIGINAL COUPON ONLY! No copies accepted • Must be presented before ordering • Expires 7-19-13.

* Lunch Specials Daily * Take Out Orders Available * Complete Bar Facilities * Party Room Available(Seats 85)

ICE CREAM

1354 West 43rd (713) 290-0877

Buy 1 Dinner Get 1 Dinner FREE ��Coupon value up to $4.95 �

CAKES

Happy Hours: Mon-Thur 4-8

Available for Any Occasion or Holiday

4618 Dacoma

(Between Hwy. 290 and Mangum)

(713) 680-0825

Ad # 37757

THE WORKS

FULL SERVICE CAR WASH

� Ad # 37771

7316 W. Tidwell @ Hollister

FREE DONUTS

Regularly $24.99

(713) 895-7434

EXPIRES 7-19-13

www.wetzonecarwash.com

COUPON CODE: 7946

HEIGHT’S C L E A N E R SY & LA U N D R 3319 Ella

& Pressed

FREE DONUTS

With purchase of one dozen glazed donuts.

FREE!

EXPIRES 7-19-13.

Ad 3410 # 37755Ella

FREE

Buy 6 Glazed Donuts Get 6 Glazed Donuts

EXPIRES 7-19-13.

Plus Tax

Same Day Service Up Til Noon One Day Service On Alterations

713-681-5301

Blvd. at 34th St.

(713) 682-4343

• LIMIT THREE COUPONS PER TABLE • Full Service Bar - 13 oz. Regular Margaritas $2 Weekdays & Saturdays 3:00-6:00 pm. Sunday - All Day

3 ITEMS OR MORE. Must be presented with order. No coats, suede, leather, formals or household Items.

Mon-Fri 5:30 am-7 pm, Sat 8 am-3 pm

2 KOLACHES

Good at this location only. One coupon per visit. Tax not included. Not valid in conjunction with other coupons.

$AVE ON YOUR DRY CLEANING! Most Garments 30 Drycleaned $ Full Laundry Service

Get 1/2 dozen glazed donuts FREE with purchase of one dozen donuts or more.

Mexican Restaurant

FAJITAS FOR TWO

5305 Antoine @ Pinemont 713-682-3853

Party Room Available

5 OFF DINNER

Buy One Dinner And Receive $5 Off WITH THIS COUPON Second Dinner Of Equal Or Lesser Value. DINE IN ONLY.

VALID MON.-FRI. 3 PM TIL CLOSING AND ALL DAY SAT. AND SUN.NOT VALID WITH OTHER OFFERS. OFFER EXPIRES 7-19-13

DINE IN ONLY. THIS COUPON GOOD MON. THRU FRI. 3PM TIL CLOSING. THIS COUPON ALSO GOOD SATURDAY AND SUNDAY 11:00 UNTIL CLOSING. EXCLUDES ALCHOLIC BEVERAGES NOT VALID WITH OTHER OFFERS. OFFER EXPIRES 7-19-13

DOES YOUR BUSINESS FACE CHALLENGES?

Page 8A • The Leader • July 13, 2013 • @heightsleader

Come join other local business owners along with Don Ball, senior consultant with Lone Star College Small Business Development Center and The Leader for a Free Round Table Networking Event to discuss challenging questions that all businesses face.

Thursday, July 25 7:30am - 9:00 am

Lone Star College • Victory Center 4141 Victory Dr. • Houston, TX 77088 Antoine Dr.

Lone Star College

Victory Dr.

Reserve your spot today. Spots are limited. Call 713-686-8494 If local business is successful, we’re all successful

W. Little York T.C. Jester The Business Leaders Network was created by The Leader and Lone Star College System as a free service to small business in the community. There’s no charge for the event, breakfast is included, and we promise to have you out the door by 9am.

BUSINESS LEADER NETWORK

Page 9A • The Leader • July 13, 2013 • @heightsleader

Art a la Carte: Let’s move indoors for a couple weeks

W Grill

4825 Washington Ave. www.wgrilltogo.com

Breakfast: $1.65-$5.95 Entrees: $5.75-$11.95 Wraps and Salads: $6.95-$7.95 Kid Friendly: The Kid’s Menu is easily accessible from the back seat LE’s Favorite: Breakfast Sandwich and Vietnamese Coﬀee

Review: W Grill exercises power in a breakfast sandwich Amid the revolving door of disco and dining that comes and goes on Washington Avenue, there is a diminutive drive-thru that has endured. There isn’t much fanfare around W Grill or aesthetic ambiance emanating from this little cube of a restaurant on the corner of Shepherd and Washington (although they aren’t shy to tout their to-go margaritas), but having a solid sandwich spot that you can lean on is invaluable. It’s the kind of place you don’t have to think long and hard about when your needs are no more than a quick meal between two pieces of bread. (Quick is a relative term here because as a drive-thru spot, W Grill’s turnaround time does not rival the efficiency-obsessed fast food joints, and the wait there can sometimes drag on, particularly if the lineup stretches than a few cars long.) W Grill’s hidden gem is its Breakfast Sandwich. You can choose its bookends to be a bagel, English muffin or croissant, but Leader Eater always goes with the basic bagel to take advantage of its strength in keeping the contents contained. None of the other items inside the rounded breaded fit its shape and chunks of the fried egg, bacon (I guess you could go with sausage or ham) and cheese dangle out the sides, underscoring their handmade beginnings. Bringing all of the features of a typical diner breakfast under the roof of the bagel creates early morning flavor overload and its ideal amount of grease, fat and dough makes this sandwich’s power nearly supernatural on a tough morning (particularly if you are pretty banged

up from an exhausting evening). Putting a large Vietnamese Coffee in your cup holder, too, gives you the java equivalent of jet fuel and the perfect morning combo (warning: a liberal helping of condensed milk will have this tasting like a milkshake for the traditional black coffee drinker). Unfortunately for Leader Eater, I learned the hard way recently that W Grill puts the brakes on the breakfast menu at 11 a.m. and was relegated to ordering from their egg-less menu. But as I mentioned before, finding a fine and simple sandwich – sliced meat, lettuce, tomato, toasted bread… well, you get the point – is important. After moving past the devastation of missing out on breakfast, I gravitated towards the Turkey Avo Sandwich. Its name says it all, but the subtly stinging flavor of Swiss cheese, the smooth texture of avocado and tart taste of the pickles were matched perfectly with the shaved turkey and lightly browned wheat bread. Nestled up beside the sandwich in the Styrofoam to-go box sitting on the red and white checkerboard paper were some of the finest French fries I’ve had in Houston. As advertised, W Grill has true Steak Fries, the kind of fried potatoes that are blistering hot with a hint of crisp and as long and thick as a tool pusher’s fingers. W Grill’s Breakfast Sandwich had already become a dietary deity to Leader Eater for the magic it can make in the morning, but the ability to sling simple sandwiches and steaming fries past the a.m. makes this tiny to-go spot one of the neighborhood’s most reliable restaurants.

��

Ella Blvd

610 TC

ste

W. 22nd W. 20 St.

W. 18 St.

Friday, July 12

Little Fish/Indian Summer Exhibit by artist Lisa Chow, 6-10 p.m. Space Montrose, 2608 Dunlavy 77006. Debuting Lisa Chow’s new series “Little Fish/Indian Summer,” new original framed watercolor pieces and exclusive giclee prints. Inspired by sunburnt shoulders, freckled noses, grass stained knees and the scent of sunblock. Goodie bags, treats, beverages, music and more. RSVP to https://www.facebook. com/events/257490414392997. I hate to play favorites but not in this case. I love Lisa Chow’s work. Her illustrations always make me look for a story that may accompany them. And did you notice that part about goodie bags? Her shows are never just pictures hanging on the wall. ArtHouston 2013 July 12-13 - Thirty art galleries, two days –– oh, my (to quote George Takei). This annual event has a gallery listing publication available at participating galleries. The Heights has at least two galleries on the roster, koelsch gallery (yes, spelled with lowercase) and G Gallery. Koelsh’s opening is Saturday night. For more check out the website,http:// arthouston.com koelsch gallery, 703 Yale St., www.koelschgallery.com; G Gallery, 301 E. 11th St., www.ggalleryhouston.com.

And new -- 2nd Saturday Open Studio at ArtWorks 102, noon-3 p.m. 15502 Highway 3, Suite 102 in Webster 77593, 281-488-5558, www.aw102.com. This is off my beaten path too, but hey, art is art and Houston is enormous. The art of Clara K. Johnson 6-10 p.m. Heights Art Gallery, 214 E. 27th St. 77008. Gallery director Hans P.Geler says of Johnson’s work “A modern approach to the organic feel and compositions that will do so much for a regular wall and bring to life a room with forms that suggest skies reﬂected on water, living movement and dancing droplets of sun, her work is absolutely unique” http://hasg.blog.com

Wednesday,July 17

The Ultimate Doghouse - July 17-21 Reliant Park. The 34th annual Reliant Park World Series of Dog Shows, with 12,000 four-legged entrants and more than 40,000 two-legged visitors. http://reliantdogshows.com. OK, OK –– I can just hear you and my editor asking why am I listing a dog show? Well, John L. Gay, a phenomenal wood crafter that I know put it on my calendar. John will have his custom built dog house at the event. Of course where there are dogs and dog lovers, there will be art about dogs, too. Check the website for details about when you can place your bids.

��

Easy access from E. T.C. Jester & 18th St

��

Friday, July 19

Art as Sacriﬁce, 7 p.m. Hardy & Nance Street Studios, 902 Hardy St. 77020. Stephanie Darling, Pete Gershon and Hardy and Nance Studios would like to dedicate the efforts of this exhibit to the memory of the late Anthony Palasota and give thanks for his unwavering dedication to the Houston art community. More a hundred gifted established, emerging, student and child artists sacriﬁced their work in the spirit of this event. https://www.facebook.com/events/211341725683723 Palasota was a huge supporter of artists and a friend to many. Even folks that never met him saw him if they frequented any art shows on a regular basis. He was especially known for his art newsletter that he sent out via email. This sounds like a wonderful way to celebrate his contributions and life.

Saturday, July 20

Discovery Green Flea Now at Night, 610 p.m. - recycled/up-cycled, eco-friendly art market now at night. At Discovery Green downtown, 1500 McKinney St. http://www. discoverygreen.com/ﬂea Cohen is the founder and manager of First Saturday Arts Market. Contact him at ArtValet@gmail.com or visit him on the web atArtValet.com.

‘Tall Drink’ by local artist April Murphy will be part of the Ultimate Doghouse exhibit as part of the annual World Series of Dog Shows at Reliant Park next week. (Submitted photo)

Saturday, July 13

Three open artist studios this weekend: Winter & Spring Street Studios, 2101 Winter St. and 1824 Spring St. http://winterstreetstudios.info/

Lively Luke’s celebrating its first year Luke’s Icehouse is celebrating its one-year anniversary (the actual date was Thursday). The proprietors of this lively center for good food, good drinks and all kinds of fun had a message for their patrons: “Thank you for a good year and keeping us rocking and rolling.” Luke’s has Happy Hour daily from 11 a.m.-7 p.m., with drink specials and more. On Tuesdays, Luke’s features Geeks Who Drink S.O.B. (South Of The Border) Trivia Night with $6 Coronaritas, $4 tequila shots, $3 Mexican beers, and $2 street tacos. Steak Night Wednesdays feature $2 Lone Stars and $2 PBRs. Texas Sized Thursdays feature $3 Texas Drafts, $4 Texas Liquor, $12 beer buckets and 2 for 1 burgers from 5-9 p.m. Also coming soon to Luke’s Icehouse is Big Cup Bar Bingo, Dodgeball and $10 domestic pitchers and college football - Luke’s website has a countdown clock to remind Luke’s patrons that college football kicks off in less than two months. For more information about Luke’s Icehouse, located at 903 Durham Drive, visit http:// www.lukesicehouse.com/, find them on Facebook, or call 281-888-7028.

displayed from local artists. This month’s featured artwork is the paintings, prints and photographs from artist Caitlin Gibbs. Thirsty The bar will host a corn hole tournament starting at 1 p.m July 13. The cost Explorer is $10 per person with cash prizes and drink specials all day. Food trucks or “stellar rolling cuisinaries” provide a variety of dining options at Liberty Station each day of the week, typically from 5-10 p.m. on weeknights and later on weekends. The food truck schedule is listed on the website, www.libertystationbar.com, or you can bring your own food. Pets are welcome, and unlike many Washington Avenue venues, Liberty Station has free parking.

Summer brew-oﬀ to beneﬁt Homes for Our Troops

What’s new for July from the Cyclone Anaya bar

The Alpha Tau Omega Alumni Association of Houston will host The Houston Summer Brew Off from 1-5 p.m. July 13 at Hughes Hangar, 2811 Washington Ave. The a beer tasting, contest and charity fundraiser will feature different brews from around the Houston area and beyond, with proceeds benefiting Homes For Our Troops. Attendees will get to vote on their favorite brews and breweries and interact with brewers and experts about all things beer. Homes for Our Troops is committed to helping those who have selflessly given to our country and have returned home with serious disabilities and injuries since Sept. 11, 2001. They assist severely injured veterans and their families by raising money, building materials and professional labor, and by coordinating the process of building a home that provides maximum freedom of movement and the ability to live more independently. The homes provided by Homes For Our Troops are given at no cost to the veterans they serve. For more information about Homes For Our Troops, visit http://www.hfotusa.org. For more information about The Houston Summer Brew Off, visit http://atohoustonsummerbrewoff.splashthat.com/ .

Big Star Bar launches Escatones tour

Of equal or lesser value. One coupon per table.

The nighttime First Saturday Arts Market was off-the-hook busy this past Saturday. Yes, it was hot early on but with a great breeze later in the evening. If June and July at our little show are that busy, when the artists are on 19th Street for White Linen Night on Aug 3., my guess is we’ll once again see record crowds. Look for that awesome lineup of artists coming soon. For Mitch Cohen now, let’s see what the Arts Columnist next two weeks looks like out there -- mercifully, indoors.

Big Star Bar, 1005 W. 19th St., will feature live music from The Escatones at 9 p.m. July 19. The performance will be the start of The Escatones tour, with A Sundae Drive opening and music from Madd Comrades as well. Big Star Bar’s website boasts “Cheap beer, good beer, a full bar, pool table, jukebox and satellite radio, room to dance, normal-screen TVs, and a large outdoor patio with a ﬁre pit in the winter.” It’s open from 4 p.m.-2 a.m. seven days a week. For more, visit www. bigstarbar.com or call 281-501-9560.

There are new drink specials and shots on the Happy Hour menu at Cyclone Anaya’s. The drink features include the Cilantro Lime Margarita, with Riazul Silver Tequila, St. Thirsty Germain Elderflower Liqueur, Citronge Liqueur, lime juice, simple syrup and cilantro Explorer sprigs served up or on the rocks; The Riazul Skinny Margarita, with Riazul Silver, Splenda and fresh lime juice; the Strawberry Muffin with Pinnacle Strawberry Shortcake Vodka, Irish Cream, half and half, served or on the rocks. Cyclone Anaya’s featured shots for July include the Peachy Shortcake, Cream Coffee Cake, Salty Perro and Fresh Squeezed Kamikaze. There is also a selection of four guiltless mojitos, all with less than 130 calories, a $15 tequila flight and five happy hour wine features for $5. Happy Hour starts at 11 a.m. during the weekdays, with half price bottles of wine for Wine Down Mondays and Tuesdays. Cyclone Anaya’s is located at 1710 Durham Drive at I-10. For more, visit www.cycloneanaya.com or find them on Facebook. –Ivee Sauls

Thirsty Explorer is sponsored by

NICK GREER ��

��

Drinks, food, art, corn hole at Liberty Station

Liberty Station is a full bar with premium liquor and a wide selection of draft and bottled beer served in a relaxing, laid-back atmosphere. Each month diﬀerent artwork is

��

Leader Nibbles ‘Shift’ in White Oak emphasis closes D’Amico’s – but new concept is coming

Employees at D’Amico’s Italian fast casual restaurant and market were “pretty shocked” last week to be told that the restaurant was closing immediately, about two years after it had opened – but the owners said they’ll reopen “very soon” with a new Italian concept that will be more in keeping with the direction they see the area heading. HUSA Management, Inc., in an email statement to The Leader from Holly Spillers, touted “City Oven, an American pizza tavern that will be a fresh new addition to the Heights market.” The company said White Oak has “continued to shift to more of an entertainment destination, which has obstructed the continued success of a casual dining and family restaurant such as D’Amico’s.” Spillers’ email said the company is searching for another location inside the Loop for the D’Amico’s while opening and scouting suburban locations for new outlets.

��

The woman who answered the phone at the shuttered White Oak eatery last Monday said the employees were told they would be oﬀered jobs at other restaurants in the company.

��

� ��

Surf’s up: SnoBall King ﬁnds a home

Just in time to cool oﬀ holiday weekend revelers, SnoBall King reopened on the Fourth of July at a new location catty-corner from Waltrip High School. The familiar yellow and red little mobile stand was displaced when the property on which it parked at 43rd Street and Ella Boulevard was sold and the gas station where employees were allowed to use the rest room, as part of a requirement of maintaining a city permit, was demolished. Owners Cherie and Patrick Sinclair had indicated they wanted to stay in the neighborhood, and they succeeded in ﬁnding a site outside Shelly’s Surfhouse, 1731 W. 34th St., near Ella Boulevard. ––Charlotte Aguilar

��

The temporary construction sign as Torchy’s Tacos continues its buildout at the former Harolds in the Heights on 19th Street drew a few ahems on social media last week as too closely resembling tagging. But most comments liked �� the ﬂashy new banner, which announces the restaurant’s goal to open in September. (Photo by Charlotte Aguilar) Fri. July 26 • 7-11PM Music by: Jarrad Maddox 708 E. Parker Rd.

��

832.419.9969

www.AllenSoldIt.com

Page 10A â&#x20AC;˘ The Leader â&#x20AC;˘ July 13, 2013 â&#x20AC;˘ @heightsleader

Yale â&#x20AC;˘ from Page 1A reps had asked TCR earlier this year if it other projects were in the works in the immediate area. A second apartment complex would likely compound any traffic, safety and density concerns the neighborhood had with the first one, she said. WHC had, for example, estimated Alexan Heightsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; 361 units would generate 500 cars following roughly the same peak commuter hours and southbound destination: I-10. One area resident noted that the population of either complex would exceed that living in the single-family homes within the five-block area around them. Traffic on Yale Street already stacks back six blocks from I-10, Davis said. Cut-through traffic on

neighborhood streets encounters narrow roadways without curbs.

Tails on the trail? WHC is also concerned about safety in the neighborhood as well as around the Heights Hike and Bike Trail, which still has no protected crossing of the thoroughfare, she said. That TCRâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s plan for Alexan Heights does not include a dog relief area within it perplexes residents, she said, though TCR reportedly has told WHC that dog owners have access to the nearby trail for that function. Long-term ownership of the Alexan properties also has WHC

on alert, Davis said, since TCR can build, then flip its complexes. Neighborhood chatter and postings to community-zoned social media, such as NextDoor.com, have registered shock, frustration and outrage. Some remarks ponder whether the developer was working the 5th Street site during discussion of its Alexan Heights project. Others wrote of their frustration with Council Member Cohen for not standing up for residents in this matter. Cohen said in an emailed response that one of District Câ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hallmarks is its â&#x20AC;&#x153;incredible level of development. â&#x20AC;&#x153;When a new complex is being introduced within an already-

developed community, I know the residents will have concerns regarding the impact on traffic, safety, and infrastructure in their neighborhood. However, in a state with strong property rights and in a city with no zoning regulations, there are few ways in which a Council Member can affect development.â&#x20AC;? She said her goal is â&#x20AC;&#x153;to ensure that the quality of life of my constituents remains high, and the best approach is to bring the de-

velopers and the residents to the table to address their concerns and attempt to find ways to compromise for the betterment of the community.â&#x20AC;? Houston Heights Associationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Land Use Committee also received the letter July 5. LUC Chairman Bill Pellerin noted in a weekend email to committee members how the new project is in addition to the TCR project between 6th Street and the bike trail on Yale Street. â&#x20AC;&#x153;There was a lot of effort on the

part of citizens near the first project to limit the size of the project (through opposition to variances). The LUC was involved in that we set up a meeting between the developer and the citizens.â&#x20AC;? However, he, LUC and HHA take no position on the development. WHC reps said the group will be organizing for better communication and understanding of both projects. For updates, visit www.westheightscoalition.com.

School â&#x20AC;˘ from Page 1A suddenly valuable property to St. Thomas would continue to keep it off the tax rolls. If the property were sold to the developer and assessed annually at just the land value of the sales price, it would add more than $450,000 a year to HISDâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s tax coffers alone â&#x20AC;&#x201C; not to mention funds to all the other taxing entities. While St. Thomas representatives left the bid opening at HISD headquarters swiftly, before they could comment, Alison Malkhassian of the Dickson Street group and principal in Alara Ventures real estate investment, talked to The Leader. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re hopeful,â&#x20AC;? she said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It looks like we have the best offer overall.â&#x20AC;? She said her firm closed on the adjacent Bayou Park complex, 15 acres of mid-century apartments at 4400 Memorial Drive, in April. The longterm vision, according to Malkhassian, could be to create a 26-acre mixed-use luxury retailoffice-residential development on the combined properties -- a process that would take about a decade, she said. Value of the HISD property skyrocketed within the last few months. When last listed on Harris County Appraisal District rolls last fall, it was appraised at $26 million.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;This is undeniably a very desirable area,â&#x20AC;? said Malkhassian. The property has easy access to downtown Houston and growing recreation on Buffalo Bayou. The district had required a minimum bid of $40 million. A third firm, Asset Plus Companies, turned in a bid in the first round that didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t meet that minimum, according to district spokeswoman Denisse Cantu, leaving only the last two bidders. Acquisition of LECJ would allow cramped St. Thomas, a boysâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Catholic high school, to expand its 17-acre site significantly. The new law enforcement school was not a budgeted part of HISDâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s $1.9 billion bond issue approved by voters last November, but a commitment was made as part of that program to use proceeds from the sale of the current campus and surplus bond funds. In keeping with a move by HISD to relocate its specialty high schools close to beneficial community resources â&#x20AC;&#x201C; the DeBakey High School for the Health Professions to the Texas Medical Center, the High School for the Performing and Visual Arts to the Theater District downtown â&#x20AC;&#x201C; a downtown location near police and sheriff â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s headquarters and courthouses is being scouted, with sites ranging from 7 to 11 acres so far.

While $40 million sounds like a windfall, it wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t go far to funding the new campus for LECJ. Although thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s no budget for the project yet, the land acquisition and construction of a new HSPVA, by way of comparison, has been set at $80 million, with other new high school campuses in the bond program â&#x20AC;&#x201C; not requiring land purchase â&#x20AC;&#x201C; exceeding $1 million. HISDâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s been known to do well in the real estate market before â&#x20AC;&#x201C; most notably the $40 million sale of its former administration building on Richmond and Weslayan in the Greenway Plaza area in 2004 for what would become a Costco and other commercial development. That sale enabled the district to build a state-of-the art headquarters on land it already owned at 4400 W. 18th St., next to its Delmar athletic complex.

one.â&#x20AC;? In fact, two years ago, White Linen Night had become so successful â&#x20AC;&#x201C; and so unruly â&#x20AC;&#x201C; that both nearby residents and businesses had openly challenged its continued existence. Cohen was able to run a smooth event last year, but Jackson said there were lingering concerns about the concept of the event and whom it attracts. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We really think that weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll get a different crowd â&#x20AC;&#x201C; lots of people from the neighborhoods and people who appreciate art and the kinds of shops and restaurants we have in the Heights,â&#x20AC;? she says. White Linen Night isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t the only event to suffer growing pains, she points out. Even the holiday â&#x20AC;&#x153;Lights in the Heightsâ&#x20AC;? has morphed into something unwieldy. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Lights in the Heights does nothing now but to encourage to come people to come into the neighborhoods, look at the lights, drink and wear Santa hats,â&#x20AC;? she says.

Joyce Ray (Lee) Hilliard, 86 of Houston, died July 1, 2013 in Lake Jackson, TX. She was born July 25, 1926 in Tenaha, Shelby County, Texas to George Lee and Bessie Poplin Lee. Joyce worked as a secretary and accountant and was a lifelong member of the American Business Womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Association where she served in various capacities including National President, 1974-75. Joyce is preceded in death by her parents, George and Bessie Lee; Husband, Curtis J. Hilliard; three Brothers, Raymond Lee, Maurice Lee, George Washington Lee, Jr.; and Sister, Agnes Stone. She is survived by her three daughters, Olivia Hilliard Scheible and Husband Glen, Glenna Lee Hamilton and Husband Bill, Melinda Jo Hammond and Husband Glenn; two Granddaughters, Jennifer Gilligan and Ashley Barclay; one Grandson, William B. Hamilton; and one Great-granddaughter, Sarah Gilligan. Services for Joyce were held at Pat H. Foley & Co., 1200 W. 34th St., Houston, TX 77018. Visitation followed Friday, July 5, 2013, with service starting at 1:00pm. Private Burial followed in Tenaha, TX. Please make donations in memory of Joyce to your favorite charity or to the Stephen Bufton Memorial Education Fund, ABWA, 11050 Roe Ave., Suite 200, Overland Park, KS 66211. Online donations are accepted at www.sbmef.org.

Reser ve on W. 26th St. 1235 W. 26th Street Houston, Tx 77008

713.301.4702 I n t h e H o u s t o n d i v i s i o n , p r i c e s , p l a n s , e l e v a t i o n s a n d s p e c i f i c a t i o n s a r e s u b j e c t t o c h a n g e w i t h o u t n o t i c e . R e n d e r i n g s a r e f o r i l l u s t r a t i v e p u r p o s e s o n l y. I n f o r m a t i o n b e l e i v e d t o b e a c c u r a t e b u t n o t w a r r a n t e d . â&#x20AC;&#x153; H o u s t o n â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s B e s t P r i s m â&#x20AC;? a w a r d s a r e s e l e c t e d f r o m e n t r i e s s u b m i t t e d b y m e m b e r s o f t h e G r e a t e r H o u s t o n B u i l d e r s A s s o c i a t i o n a n d a r e j u d g e d a n o n y m o u s l y b y a p a n e l o f i n d u s t r y p r o f e s s i o n a l s f r o m a r o u n d t h e n a t i o n . R y l a n d H o m e s i s a n E N E R G Y S TA R p a r t n e r. E N E R G Y S TA R h o m e s m e e t s t r i c t e n e r g y e f f i c i e n t g u i d l i n e s b y t h e U n i t e d S t a t e s E n v i r o n m e n t a l P r o t e c t i o n A g e n c y ( E PA ) . F o r m o r e i n f o r m a t i o n , v i s i t h t t p : / / w w w. e n e r g y s t a r. g o v. S e e S a l e s C o u n s e l o r f o r d e t a i l s . 2 0 1 2 R H o f Te x a s L i m i t e d P a r t n e r s h i p .

Joyce Ray Hilliard July 25, 1926 - July 1, 2013

WLN â&#x20AC;˘ from Page 1A 19th Street for outside merchants to hawk their products and services. â&#x20AC;&#x153;No more insurance agents and dog walkers,â&#x20AC;? Jackson puts it. Jackson hasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t sent out any news releases yet â&#x20AC;&#x201C; The Leader had to request an interview to find out about plans. She said the event has an email list of about 20,000, plus a Facebook page and Twitter account that will be used to market it. Businesses who pay $125 to participate (with a $25 discount if they host an artist) will be highlighted in Jacksonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s four-part direct-marketing blitz, with a series of four emphases: Live in the Heights (real estate), Shop in the Heights (retail and galleries), Taste the Heights (bars and restaurants), and Get Great Service in the Heights (local services). â&#x20AC;&#x153;Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve never done anything like this, really trying to promote businesses as part of the event,â&#x20AC;? said Jackson, â&#x20AC;&#x153;but we think this will make it more appealing to every-

Super â&#x20AC;˘ from Page 1A Klein said Shepherd Park Plaza, Garden Oaks, Oak Forest and Candlelight Estates are already committed to it. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We have a pretty robust group of people,â&#x20AC;? Klein said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a great start, and it can only lead to bigger things.â&#x20AC;? Although there havenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t been many meetings in the past couple of years, Klein still attends Super Neighborhood Alliance meetings and meets regularly with Councilmember Ellen Cohen.

More from Meeting: Security front and center Lucy Fisher-Cain, chair of the Oak Forest HOA security committee, said the committee was set to meet on Wednesday to discuss ideas regarding security for the neighborhood. The outcome of the meeting wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t available at press time. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Most of the people want security -- we want to hear different proposals,â&#x20AC;? Fisher-Cain said. Some of the proposals include contracting with the Harris County Constable Precinct One or using private security. After the outcome of that meeting, all Oak Forest residents will be invited to a meeting in August at Black Middle School. â&#x20AC;˘ Alicia Nuzzie said the neighborhood hasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t received all of its feedback from the U.S. Hwy. 290

soundwall issue, and HOA volunteers will be going door-to-door Saturday to collect feedback forms on the issue. â&#x20AC;˘ Councilmember Cohen was the guest speaker at the meeting. She encouraged residents to call 311 directly to report problems. If people call a councilmemberâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s office, the councilmemberâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s office will make the call, so having the residents do it directly eliminates a step.

Are you interested in Accounting, Management or Marketing?

Increase your earning potential with a career in Business! HCC Northeast offers degrees and certiďŹ cates in a variety of business career ďŹ elds designed to help you reach success!

Programs available: â&#x20AC;˘ The Sunday College of Business â&#x20AC;˘ Business Technology â&#x20AC;˘ Business Administration

0AT ( &OLEY #OMPANY

â&#x20AC;˘ Business Management

7EST TH 3TREET (OUSTON 48

â&#x20AC;˘ Human Resource Management

#ONDOLENCES MAY BE OFFERED AT WWW 0ATH&OLEY&UNERAL$IRECTORS COM

â&#x20AC;˘ International Trade â&#x20AC;˘ Retail & Marketing

3BCFT TFU UP DFMFCSBUF ZFBS BOOJWFSTBSZ / N 3ATURDAY *ULY 2ICHARD ( ERBERT 2ABE *R AND 2UBY $ ARLENE +ELLY WERE UNITED IN MARRIAGE AT ' OSPEL 4RUTH 0ENTECOSTAL # HURCH IN ( OUSTON 48 BY 2EV # HARLES 3JDIBSE BOE %BSMFOF 3BCF ,AMBERT / N 3ATURDAY *ULY 2ICHARD AND $ ARLENE WILL CELEBRATE lFTY YEARS OF WEDDED BLISS 4HEIR UNION PRODUCED THREE CHILDREN 3TEVEN $ AVID WIFE +ARRINA AND 3TACIA 4HEY HAVE ONE GRANDSON 4RAVIS / N 3ATURDAY *ULY THE 2ABE S WERE HONORED WITH A CELEBRATION RECEPTION IN THE / ASIS 2OOM OF &IRST "APTIST # HURCH ( OUSTON WITH FAMILY AND FRIENDS %VERYONE ENJOYED A LUNCHEON CATERED BY 0APPAS ""1 ( AVING TRAVELED TO STATES THE 2ABE S WILL FOLLOW THE PATH OF THEIR lRST HONEYMOON TO TRAVEL ON A SECOND HONEYMOON IN THE FALL

â&#x20AC;˘ Accounting

Check out video to learn more!

â&#x20AC;˘ Music Business â&#x20AC;˘ HCC Northeast Weekend College Financial Aid and Payment Plans are available for those who qualify.

REGISTER NOW Northeast Campus, 555 Community College Dr. North Forest Campus, 6010 Little York Rd. Northline Campus, 8001 Fulton Pinemont Center, 1265 Pinemont For more information, visit: northeast.hccs.edu or call 713.718.8300

Fall classes begin August 26