MICHAEL
Inside Today: Local schools rev up with new plans of action • Page 4B
S I LV A
$AVE
COMING SOON! See our Ad Page 6A
MICHAEL SILVA
713.725.8748
Covering the Heights, Garden Oaks, Oak Forest & the neighborhoods of North Houston
michaels@johndaugherty.com
Flower & Gift Shop 10570 NW Frwy 713-680-2350
Saturday, August 12, 2017 • Vol. 62 • No. 33
About Us 3500 East T.C. Jester Blvd Suite A (713) 686-8494 news@theleadernews.com www.theleadernews.com Facebook/THE LEADER.
50
* Pest • Pest • Mosquito
By Landan Kuhlmann landan@theleadernews.com A proposition overturning alcohol restrictions in bars and restaurants in the Heights former “dry zone” is on its way to the ballot, and some are likely less than pleased. Currently, businesses serving alcohol in the Heights “dry zone” are required to operate as private clubs, meaning restaurants must create a non-profit arm of their business, charge membership fees, and patrons must join that “private club” if they wish to drink at local watering holes. In recent months, however, the Houston Heights Restaurant Coalition called for an election to overturn that section of the Heights remaining dry ordinance to make such
OFF
$
Heights closer to dropping all booze laws
*• Rodent Rodent • Termite
281.407.8517
*Promo Code: FAMILY. Call for details
Photo by Christina Martinez The Heights dry zone may face another ballot proposition in November.
sales more efficient, and the proposition went before the Houston City Council Wednesday afternoon for approval for a spot in the November election. “Last year, the voters overwhelm-
ingly said they wanted to modernize alcohol sales rules in the Heights in order to bring in a new grocery store like H-E-B,” Scot Luther, head of the Heights Restaurant PAC, said in the
Back At It
get 50 OFF
your purchase of $750 or more Attics • Walls • Floors Noise Reduction • Removal
See Booze P. 6A
Crime spree rattles Lazybrook
A Leader Special Report
Insulating Since 1979 $
June announcement. “Changing this law will support our current hospitality businesses in the Heights and help eliminate burdensome fees and red tape.” Several restauranteurs, including Harold’s in the Heights, told The Leader in September they would be in favor of further modernizing the Heights’ dry laws, and now that could be well on its way. Additionally, at least one council member, Ellen Cohen (District C), has shown support of the proposition, though she is not eligible to vote. “I’ll go on record as being for it, because the fact of the matter is, we know that private membership exists in a lot
713-868-1021
www.paylessinsulation.com
By Landan Kuhlmann landan@theleadernews.com
August sPeCiAl Any Service
35% OFF
House Cleaning • Carpet Cleaning Pressure Washing • Junk Removal
832-926-8599
Promo code: August35% credit cards Accepted
inside.
What did you do for Summer? Christina Martinez shares her experience in the Carribeans.
Page 9A
Contributed Photo As the new year is set to begin, educators have some ideas on how to create conducive learning environments for students.
Cost of public education continues to rise By Landan Kuhlmann landan@theleadernews.com
Making a splash - Oak Forest Swim Club gets a new set of coaches.
Page 6B
Find it.
NOW INTERVIEWING FOR DIRECTORS/ASSISTANT DIRECTORS: Also teachers, full and part-time (will train), bus drivers, full and part-time. Call for interview, 713-680-0101. Send resume to 713-680-1361 or thetoddlerhouse@sbcglobal.net.
Page 7B
The INDEX. Church....................................................... 7A Classifieds.............................................. 7B Coupons. ................................................. 8A Food/Drink/Art................................... 9A Obituaries.............................................. 7A Opinion. ................................................... 4A Public Information......................... 2A Puzzles...................................................... 4A
Sending children to public school was once a relief on the pocketbook. Today, that “free” education is anything but. As the laundry list of school supplies and extracurriculars required and requested rises, so too has the burden on parents and guardians. Since 2007, the annual cost of school supplies and extracurricular activities has spiked by nearly 90 percent for elementary school students, more than 80 percent for middle school students and nearly 70 percent for high school students, according to the 2016 Huntington Backpack Index, an annual survey of the cost of school supplies and other expenses compiled by Huntington National Bank and nonprofit Communities in Schools. Per an NBC report, parents (nationally) of elementary school kids paid $649.01 per child, on average, in 2015 and $658.82 in 2016. For middle school students, parents paid $941.67 in 2015 and $956.77 in 2016. High school extracurricular fees added up to $1,402.93 in 2015 and $1,497.87 in 2016, per the same report. The Huntington Backpack Index tracks the costs of required classroom supplies and fees parents must pay in an effort to show that public school costs more than just what’s assessed in taxes. According to the 2017-2018 Backpack Index, parents can expect to pay at least $662 for elementary school children, $1,001 for middle school children and $1,489 for high school students. What’s more, annual school supply to-do lists do not even include what many may deem common necessities such as clothes, backpacks and other items. According to last year’s National Retail Federation’s Back-to-School Spending Survey, total spending for
Photo by Landan Kuhlmann Students walk out of Waltrip High School. Parents and guardians of students attending public school have faced increasing financial burdens in recent years as available options for school supplies and extracurricular activities have abounded, spiking the cost of public education.
K-12 and college nationally was set to reach about $75.8 billion in 2016, up from $68 billion in 2015. On top of rising costs of school supplies, the list of extracurricular activities now available for students to enhance their basic education has expanded tenfold—as have the costs. According to the aforementioned survey by Huntington, cost for extracurricular activities rose about 7 percent in 2016, and that See Costs P. 6A
A string of recent auto thefts has left Lazybrook residents in disbelief as a never-before-seen crime wave sweeps through the neighborhood. Since July 29, at least 14 incident reports have been filed with the Houston Police Department for auto theft of tires and rims with the cars being left on blocks in residents’ driveways between the 2400 block of Lazybrook and the 1600 block of East T.C. Jester Blvd., and they are growing extremely concerned. “Within seven minutes they were able to take all four of my tires and my rims and leave my car just on blocks in my driveway, despite the fact that I had the wheel lock [stowed away],” said one neighbor (who wished to remain anonymous) who woke up for work around 7 a.m. before discovering the shocking damage. Upon posting on NextDoor, the neighbor was shocked to find such a concentration of incidents within a condensed area. “There were at least three or four that we heard of just Monday night alone, and after that more and more people just started reaching out after that,” he said. “I had never seen anything like this. You hear about one or two here and there, but not 3-6 in one night. I’ve talked to neighbors who have lived here [between 20-30 years], and they’ve never seen anything like this in decades.” According to the neighbor, the perpetrators made their initial pass around 1:15 a.m. in red and silver/white sedans, seemingly scoping out the area, before returning shortly before 2 a.m. and doing the deed armed with a lookout car 40-50 yards away. “They pulled into the end of the [dead end] street, turned around and parked right in front of my house. They knew just what they were doing,” he said, adding that despite being not far from his front door where the thieves were making their score, he slept through the entire ordeal. “Typically, if we hear a noise, the dog will bark, and I normally go check the door for our peace of mind. I honestly don’t know whether I would’ve stayed back and called the police or gone after them [if I’d seen them],” he said. Most unnerving to this neighbor and others he has been in contact with, however, is how nonchalant the robbers have been despite the magnitude of the job they are pulling and the exposure in this particular instance. “They weren’t in any kind of hurry at all and didn’t seem to care,” he said. “My house has the front porch light on, the garage light on, and I’m no more than 25 yards from a See Spree P. 2A
curreNt property ListiNgs
Top agents for July Janet schmidt
Clark Pines
1325 Dian st.
Mark Welch
713-875-4240
2-1 • Nice older home/ Hardwood floors, Windows and Roof - 2years old. $399,900 MLS# 40773024
riCe miliTary
5237 gibson st.
Lori Austin 713-499-0485
3-3½-2 • Lovely floor plan, has 1st floor bedroom, landscaped courtyard, great windows, street view. $425,000 MLS# 16202595
Janet Schmidt 713-419-7918
TimBergrove
1315 guese rd
3-2 The property has a lot size of 10,502 sqft and was built in 1957. $525,000 • MLS# 45036074
A NAme you cAN trust 713-686-5454
| www.preproperties.com
|
rochelle Barrow
Beatrice Bunyan
1803 W. 43rd • Houston, TX 77018
© 2013-2016 BHH Affiliates, LLC. Real Estate Brokerage Services are offered through the network member franchisees of BHH Affiliates, LLC. Most franchisees are independently owned and operated. Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices and the Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices symbol are registered service marks of HomeServices of America, Inc.® Equal Housing Opportunity.