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Inside Today: White Linen Night oﬀers plenty of art this weekend • Page 7A

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Developer making amends for damage

THE BRIEF. sponsored by

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District Clerk oﬀering passport service

The Harris County District Clerk’s Office began a new service Aug. 1: accepting applications for passports. Commissioners Court green-lighted the passport project. Helping to spur the new service was the fact that the U.S. State Department’s downtown passport office in the Mickey Leland Federal Building will be closed from Labor Day to at least Thanksgiving while the building is renovated. “Employers are going to be looking for an alternative, someplace where they can send workers to get quick, efficient service,” said District Clerk Chris Daniel. “My team is prepped and ready to go.” Walk-in customers may apply in Room 170, the court registry section, on the first floor of the Civil Courthouse at 201 Caroline from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Mondays-Fridays. The office will handle all types of passport requests, unlike the office in the federal building, which accepts only requests for expedited applications. Standard fee will be $110 plus $25 for processing. Passport photographs will cost $10. Appointments, including for groups headed overseas, may be made by calling 713-755-7300.

by Michael Sudhalter michael@theleadernews.com The city of Houston appears to be playing hardball in supporting negotiations with a town home developer who clear-cut a portion of Woodland Park in June. Friends of Woodland Park treasurer Pat Rutledge said the removal of trees and other plantlife from threequarters of an acre in the park in June was due to “sheer arrogance” on the part of City Homes, which is building townhomes adjacent to the park at 1420 Wrightwood. “I don’t know why they thought they’d get away with it,” Rutledge said. City Homes of Houston has admitted fault, and now the Friends of Woodland Park (a non-proﬁt) is negoti-

Mayor Pro-Tem Ed Gonzaelz says the city of Houston will be at the table with City Homes to ensure a ‘complete restoration’ of the area. ating with them and the city of Houston for damages. “We’re encouraged by the fact that they’re not settling for a nominal amount,” said Rutledge, who expects a settlement in the mid-six ﬁgures range that would come from City Homes’ insurance policy. A call to City Homes

see Developer • Page 8A

Business & Pleasure

Time to pick the Sports providing opportunities for both area’s best

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What

YOU

Can Find Inside • PRIVATE CAREGIVER AVAILABLE to care for your loved one. Weekends/ days/nights. Experienced. Barbara, 832-671-3322. • JOHN KUENSTLE ELECTRIC, LLC: Free estimates. On Angie’s List. 832-425-2152. • KAM ENDEAVORS: Antiques, collectibles and estate sales services. 9950 Hempstead 77092. We buy, sell and liquidate. 713-416-5872. • WASHER/DRYER REPAIR: Same day service. Tommy Smith, 713-9841849.

See our Classiﬁeds, Page 5B

THE INDEX.

Public Safety Hipstrict Topics Obituaries Coupons Puzzles Sports Classiﬁeds

2A 7A 4A 5A 6A 3B 7B 5B

Surprise, surpise. The Leader is making a change to a long-lasting tradition of selecting the top businesses in the area. Beginning in today’s edition, readers will be asked to choose the best of all the businesses in the area. And unlike in year’s past, this won’t just be a laundry list of every business in the area. This time, we’re taking votes, counting them oneby-one, and then publishing the Top �� 3 businesses in each �� category. �� With the surge of new residents, we can think of no better time than now to intro�� duce our Readers’ Choice section, which will publish at the end of�� September. Until then, starting today in The Leader (on Page 8A) and Sunday, Aug. 4 on our website, www.theleadernews.com, �� we’re asking you, our readers, to select everything from the best doctor to the best �� restaurant; the best pet care to the best real estate agent. The list won’t be accurate if readers don’t �� participate and we also encourage businesses to ask their customers to support them. �� Voters are welcome to make copies of the ballot and submit them either by mail, in person, or online. Voting will last through the end of August. – Jonathan McElvy, Publisher

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A green area behind a planned development on Wrightwood Street was completely razed by developers who purchased the property to develop town homes. Now, City Homes is working on a settlement, according to city of Houston oﬃcials and Friends of Woodland Park. (Photo by Michael Sudhalter)

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From left, Billy Bush, Todd Amy and Linny Hoang are in the process of restoring a hidden jewel on the western side of Oak Forest. They have purchased the driving range on Acorn Street and plan to add an ice house, a short-game area and even a playground for children. (Photo by Michael Sudhalter)

BUSINESS: Acorn Street driving range gets some ‘love’ by Jonathan McElvy jonathan@theleadernews.com Maybe it’s a continued sign of the growing times in Leader neighborhoods. Or maybe it’s just some of the best news golfers in this area have heard in a long time. Todd Amy and Linny Hoang have purchased a hidden treasure for golfers in the Oak Forest area, a driving range at 5050 Acorn Street, between Antoine Drive and Watonga Boulevard. For years, the ﬂat piece of land with high grass and uneven lies has operated in a manner just good enough to get by. Amy and Hoang realized so much more

See more stories about local businesses in our area in today’s Business Leaders section

Page 1B could be done with what is now called Fifty Fifty Acorn Golf. “We were at Top Golf one day, and we were talking about driving ranges in the area,” said Amy, 35, who moved to Oak Forest two years ago. “Linny said it would be great if there were one near our neighborhood, and I told him there was one.”

Soon after, Amy and Hoang – who have other business ventures together – called Steve Brunner, the owner of the driving range. It turned out Brunner has a rooﬁng business in Conroe, and he moved his family north of the city. That also meant the former Antoine Golf wasn’t getting much owner attention. “Somebody just needed to give this place some love,” Amy said. And that’s what’s happening. Along with a general cleaning of the driving range and installation of an irrigation system, Amy and Hoang are building an icehouse in the

see Golf • Page 8A

PLEASURE: Boys of summer don’t just have to be teens by Michael Sudhalter michael@theleadernews.com

Candlelight resident Jack Schultea has coached baseball for the past 40 years, but his philosophy has stayed the same. “I teach other things, but my main thing is winning,” Schultea said. “If you play the game right, you’ll win, and we do.” The Wildcats have won 30 of their first 32 games, and much of it is due to the leadership of the spry 79-year-old, who graduated from Reagan High in 1952. He still hits practice ground balls to his infielders on Houston’s Northwest Wildcats Baseball Club, a team he’s coached in the Stan Musial League since 1992. They play their home games at St. Pius X field.

The league, named for the late St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Famer, is open to anyone over the age of 17. The Wildcats’ roster is made up of current college players such as St. Pius X graduate Nick Vitulli (Colorado School of Mines) and University of Houston pitcher Chase Wilbrock, as well as two head coaches from the area -- Shepherd Park Plaza residents Adam Massiatte (St. Pius X) and Mike Evans (Waltrip) who still play. “It’s really good,” Schultea said. “They stay in shape, and you learn more about this game every day. A lot of these guys have been playing for me for a long time.” The Wildcats have qualiﬁed for every

see Summer • Page 8A

Houston Wildcats manager Jack Schultea, a Candlelight resident and Reagan High graduate, has been coaching the Stan Musial League team since 1992. (Photo by Michael Sudhalter)

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The Boy Scouts of Troop 879 at Hope Episcopal Church are camping again.

Twisted tale, happy ending Turns out a troubling story we told you about almost a year ago has a happy ending. It was about this time in August in 2012 when the Boy Scouts of Troop 879 at Hope Episcopal Church in Oak Forest found their battered but utilitarian camping trailer – clearly marked with their troop number and Scouting logo – had been stolen from the church parking lot. The 11 boys had just gotten into a groove with monthly campouts. And then they were grounded, without a trailer or camping or cooking equipment. After a front-page story in The Leader, Oak Forest Veterinary Clin-

see Scouts • Page 3A

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