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Inside Today: Heights Tower $10 Million project underway • 1B
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SUPER SIDEWALK SALE “BECAUSE WE DON’T HAVE A GARAGE!”
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Covering the Heights, Garden Oaks, Oak Forest & the neighborhoods of North Houston
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Saturday, August 23, 2014 • Vol. 60 • No. 42
From Oak Forest to 13
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New Swayze Court development draws controversy over name
The Leader graphic Oak Forest resident, Dr. Jennie Rexer poses for a photo with Bryan Cranston,while Aaron Paul photobombs the two’s picture on set at the Navajo reservation, Tohajiilee ( just kidding, they’re not really on set).
Urban Living started to promote their new development on the corner of Alba and Wakefield in Garden Oaks, it wasn’t just the soon to be built townhomes that got the attention of the neighborhood. It was the name – Swayze Court. Pancoast said that the development of single family homes allows people to live in the area for a price point that is below many of the new homes in Garden Oaks.
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TAKE A LOOK. ESTATE SALE: Don’t miss this one! House full of vintage and rare items, including antique school desks, crank phone, TCohn dollhouse, Cambridge Caprice, china, stove, refrigerator, appliances, violin, vintage toys, furniture, lawn and garden items, tools, full garage. 4417 DeMilo (off 43rd/Watonga) 8 a.m. Thursday-Saturday, Aug. 21-23. HOUSEKEEPING BY JANE: Home or office. 832-705-1422.
THE INDEX. Church
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Classifieds
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Coupons
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Food/Drink/Art Obituaries
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Opinion
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Public Information Puzzles Pets
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Oak Forest resident puts on Breaking Bad Fest By Christina Martinez Christina@theleadernews.com
Contributed photo
Have you ever had a crazy idea and decided to just run with it? The AMC critically-acclaimed series Breaking Bad is centered around several crazy ideas and from these ideas turned another. Oak Forest resident, Dr. Jennie Rexer, is passionate about the TV series and all of the fandom that goes with it. Passionate enough to collaborate with another super fan to headline the first ever Breaking Bad Fan Fest that will take place this year in November. The two super fans met through social media. Rexer’s partner, Miguel S. Jaramillo, is a proud and well known Albuquerque resident and also an Instagram celebrity. Jaramillo was instantly intrigued with the TV series and created an Instagram fan account “Breaking Bad Locations.” The international account has over 15,000 followers and is where Oak Forest resident, Rexer, found her fan fest business partner. Rexer, a neuropsychologist in the Texas Medical Center, says she was inspired by her husband and his love for the 1998 comedy The Big Libowski. A fan fest was raised from the comedy 12 years ago and since then has created an established name and has become a phenomenon across the country – something the Breaking Bad Fan Fest duo aspires to. “My husband and his friends are all Big Lebowski buffs, so I knew about Lebowski Fest,” Rexer said. “I was inspired by the fact that Lebowski Fest was started by two fans, two “normal guys,” just like Miguel and I. It took three years for Lebowski Fest to have Jeff Bridges attend. We would love to have Vince Gilligan, Bryan Cranston, or Aaron Paul as guests. We would be happy to see the fan fest become a major annual event for the city of Albuquerque, which will always be the home of Breaking Bad.” The Albuquerque Breaking Bad Fan Fest is sched-
Co-founders of 99.1% productions, Miguel S. Jaramillo and Dr. Jennie Rexer, in Albuquerque at the John B. Robert Damn – a Breaking Bad scene that features the “disappearer.”
uled this year Nov. 7-8 at the Albuquerque Convention Center. Rexer and Jaramillo have planned a weekend for fans to see filming sites, meet Breaking Bad cast members and meet other fans from across the world. “I think for all Breaking Bad fans there is an awesome festival being put on by two fans,” Rexer continues, “It’s so much fun to go to Albuquerque and experience all of the different locations. Everyone in Albuquerque is really friendly. Waiters, shop keepers, several locals were an extra or someone’s cousin was on the crew – so everyone has a Breaking Bad story.” On Nov. 7 the festival will open with Breaking Bad trivia, hosted by Geeks Who Drink Breaking Bad at a local venue. Winners from the trivia contest will receive front row seating for the panel discussion, receive entry to the VIP after party and a “swag bag full of swag.” The discussion panel with the cast will be held Nov. 8 with doors opening at 4 p.m. at the Albuquerque Convention Center. Steven Michael Quezada, Jeremiah Bitsui, Luis and Daniel Moncada, are confirmed for the panel and more cast members are to be added. A Breaking Bad costume contest will take
What is Breaking Bad? If you’ve never seen Breaking Bad, you may not understand why so many people would be interested in the fan fest organized by Oak Forest resident Jennie Rexer. You may even wonder why it’s such a big deal. This may help: Breaking Bad and its actors have been nominated for more than 250 TV awards and have won 103 of them. The show has won 11 Emmy’s and two Golden Globes. They are nominated for six more Emmy’s this year alone. Ask casual fans and they’d tell you the show is about a high school chemistry teacher who finds his way into the mixed-up world of the drug industry. That may not sound appealing to wouldbe viewers, but the show is about much more than methamphetamines and gun fights. Walter White (Bryan Cranston) is diagnosed with stage 3 cancer in the first season of the show. He is broke, broken and desperately seeking a way to support his family. He finds his idea after a ridealong with his DEA agent brother-in-law. For five gripping seasons, White works with a former student, Jesse Pinkman (Aaron Paul) to produce the purest, blue meth in New Mexico. He gets mixed with drug lords, the cartel and family members, while cash piles up and his life continues to crumble. Breaking Bad is an original AMC series and runs in syndication.
See Fest, P. 5A
Crime along North Shepherd presents challenge for HPD, businesses By Jonathan Garris jgarris@theleadernews.com The recent murder charges against a Houston teenager for the alleged stabbing at the Tropical Motel and other crimes are shedding a not-sobright light on some of the issues facing businesses and residents along North Shepherd. HPD North Division Captain Larry Baimbridge said crime in the district serving much of North Shepherd Drive has gone up and down. While there has been a spike in robberies,
Baimbridge said burglaries for the year are well below what they were last year. Aggravated assaults are also down ten percent over the previous year and although robberies are up for the month of July, he said there were still four percent fewer than the previous year. Baimbridge said calls for service along the North Shepherd area are on par with many other major streets throughout Houston, which he said is not unusual given the amount of businesses and fast food restaurants in the area.
“It’s those high profile cases like the tragedy at Tropical Motel that get the attention sometimes,” Baimbridge said. “While the area is still a challenge for us, it’s not necessarily reflective of what the area has been seeing regarding its crime rate.” J.C. Mosier, assistant chief of the Harris County Precinct 1 Constable’s Office, said parts of North Shepherd still remain “troublesome.” “Most of that area is handled by the Houston Police Department, but we do have contract work in the vicinity,” Mosier said.
From cursory work by Precinct 1, Mosier said crimes like robberies and burglaries have been particularly troublesome for businesses along the North Shepherd corridor due in part to the area’s continued growth. “I’ve lived there since the 50s and you can’t ride down that area without seeing homes getting torn down and new housing and developments being put up. When you have that kind of interest in the neighborhood, you’re bringing in the people with money, but See Shepherd, P. 5A