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Inside Today: Law Enforcement school goes on the market, again • Page 2A

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City oﬀers 2 chances for youth to serve

Houston teens can sign up for two city-sponsored leadership opportunities -- the Mayor’s Youth Council and the Youth Police Advisory Council. The mayor’s council is open to high school students 14-18 years old who are interested in city government and youth related issues. The program emulates the Houston City Council. Applications are due at midnight Sept. 9 and are available at www. houstontx.gov.myc. The police advisory council addresses issues involving youth and law enforcement, participates in service projects and attends statewide youth leadership conferences, as well as meeting with HPD oﬃcials. Applications are available at www. houstontx.gov/police/vip/images/ ypac-app.pdf and must be submitted by Oct. 1.

CNN/Money: Heights is one of ‘best places to live’ In their annual Best Places to Live rankings, released Monday, CNN and Money Magazine named the Heights one of the “best big city neighborhoods” in the U.S. The survey of the nation’s 10 largest cities pointed out Houston’s affordable housing and solid job market. “But Houston Heights offers something rare for this city,” the description read, “an

urban, walkable area with a cohesive neighborhood vibe.” It pointed out the Heights’ 19th Street shopping, dining, coffee and vintage clothing stores, and the community’s pocket parks and walking and biking paths. The down sides to the Heights, according to the survey: a dependence on cars and uneven schools.

It reported a median household income of $63,500, median home value of $251,400 and a cost of $2,000 for a “typical” two-bedroom rental property. CNN based its ﬁndings on information from NeighborhoodScout.com, it reported, and an on-site visit. For more, go to http://money.cnn. com/magazines/moneymag/best-places/2013/full_list/.

The shopping along 19th Street were reasons CNN/ Money Magazine included the Heights as one of the ‘best big city neighborhoods’ in the U.S. (Photo from CNN.com)

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See Classiﬁeds, Page 6-8B

Edition full of tips, new faces and old routines Along with readjusting bedtime and wakeup hours and reacclimating to homework, setting and memorizing carpool schedules and breaking in new clothes and shoes, there’s one mandatory back-toschool ritual: A haircut to trim away that blessed summer shagginess. We caught up with brothers Casan and Carsan Evans, 7 and 5, on Monday evening at Great Clips in Oak Forest, the night before they got ready to start second-grade and pre-K, respectively, at St. Ambrose School. Mother Kim had shown a photo of Justin Bieber to the stylists, who did spot-

on versions of The Beeb’s neatly clipped sides and back (very parent-pleasing) and a combed-high front, slicked with hair “product,” which drew smiles from each of the boys. Consider the Evans our poster boys for this special Back-to-School edition of The Leader. Throughout the newspaper, you’ll ﬁnd smatterings of what to expect from neighborhood public, private and parochial schools this academic year – from improved carpool access and parking to new principals to advances in technology and academic programs. – Charlotte Aguilar, Editor

MORE BACK-TO-SCHOOL • How to get ready for school, Page 1B • Hogg students will learn local, Page 1B • New principals at our schools, Page 2B • It’s a good time for parent check ups, Page 3B • Group continues backpack drive, Page 5B • St. Rose building for future, Page 6B • An FAQ about HISD, Page 9B • And our Leader Eater even has advice for feeding the youngsters, Page 3A

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THE INDEX.

Public Safety Hipstrict Topics Obituaries Coupons Puzzles Sports Classiﬁeds

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

by Michael Sudhalter michael@theleadernews.com There will be no challenge to the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission (TABC) mixed beverage license that was requested by Chela’s, a nightclub set to open in the Northwest Mall in the location of the defunct SRO Sports Bar. The owners, J. Larkin Stallings and Mario Anzaldua of Triangle Entertainment, previously owned the notorious El Chaparral Club in the mall’s parking lot. That sparked a TABC protest earlier this spring from 30 residents of Timbergrove and Spring Branch as well as State Rep. Sarah Davis, the city of Houston, Office of the Harris County Attorney and the Timbergrove Manor Civic Club. Some of the protesters, and Chela’s owners, reached a mediation agreement that sets conditions the club owners must abide by. The remainder of the protesters failed to attend the Aug. 9 hearing regarding the TABC license, rendering the protest void. The guidelines include having a minimum of five certified peace officers as security on weekendand a minimum of three during the

see Chelas • Page 9A

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Readers’ Choice getting competitive ��

Helms and its principal mirror area’s transition by Charlotte Aguilar charlotte@theleadernews.com

SPECIAL

Bar owners, protesters reach accord

Diana del Pilar is an imposing ﬁgure, tall and gregarious, awe-inspiring in her individual knowledge of the families at her school and her insights into the daily challenges each faces. But what likely makes her so effective as principal of Helms Elementary School is the little girl inside – the one who recalls her own childhood in the Heights in the 1970s as the daughter of immigrant parents trying to master a language and a strange new –– but supportive –– culture. “Yes, I do understand them. I was them,” del Pilar says of the largely Latino population in her Helms community. Her family lived in an apartment at “as my mom would say, ‘la seis y media y la stu-dee-wood,” she said – 6 1/2 Street at Studewood. Her mother, who “loved school,” she said, but only went

Del Pilar works alongside community volunteers Saturday to spruce up Helms’ nature center. (Photo by Charlotte Aguilar) through sixth-grade herself in Monterrey, Mexico, discovered a small Head Start Center in the Heights and enrolled del Pilar, who thrived, as did her family. Her machinist father had steady, blue-collar work, which gave him a clear path to naturalization and

citizenship and a ticket to middle-class living and good schools in the suburbs for his three children. In their case, it was Aldine. After years away from her childhood neighborhood, del Pilar was cruising the Heights upon coming to her new job at Helms 2

1/2 years ago when she was struck by déjà vu seeing grown men playing soccer, as her dad had, and children romping at Stude Park. “I saw the 3-year-old me,” she said. Del Pilar’s road to Helms had been a long and circuitous one. She had to overcome the Englishlanguage deﬁcit at home (even using her own spelling homework to help teach her mother English), “but no one ever made me feel I was limited in any way, which made it easier,” she said. She started out as a computer programmer in the Aldine schools as a gifted high school student, eventually taking on a signiﬁcant role in the district’s construction department through her computer skills, and worked her way through community college, Sam Houston State and a graduate degree while marrying and giving birth to three daughters.

see Helms • Page 9A

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Two weeks�� ago, The Leader began its call for residents, business owners and readers to cast their ballots for the best businesses �� in the area. From restaurants to schools, doctors to pet clinics, we’re asking you to pick the Top 3 businesses in nearly 100 categories. �� With the influx of new homeowners in the area –�� many coming from outside this community – a ranking like Readers’ �� Choice will have an impact on where people shop, where they eat, what doctor �� they choose to visit. And the only way to make sure folks get the best is to have as many participants fill out our survey. You can find a printed version of the Readers’ Choice on Page 10A of today’s Leader. If you’d rather use an automated ballot, log on to our updated website, www.theleadernews.com, and click on the “Readers’ Choice” box on the right side of the page. And if you’re a business owner, it might be time to email a link to your customers and ask for their support. Businesses around the community are one step ahead of you, soliciting as many votes as possible. Voting ends on Aug. 31. ��

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