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THE LEADER.

MICHAEL

S I LV A

MICHAEL SILVA

Covering the Heights, Garden Oaks, Oak Forest & the neighborhoods of North Houston

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michaels@johndaugherty.com

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Saturday, September 2, 2017 • Vol. 62 • No. 36

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Today’s edition of The Leader is not intended to tell you what happened to Houston.

You already know.

Today, we tell the stories of the people and businesses that stepped up when our city was down.

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The INDEX. Church....................................................... 6A Classifieds.............................................. 6B Coupons. ................................................. 7A Food/Drink/Art............................... 11A Obituaries.............................................. 6A Opinion. ................................................... 5A Public Information......................... 2B Puzzles...................................................... 5A

The featured photo on today’s front page was provided to The Leader

by Luis Panameno.

You can follow him on Instagram at @lpana59.

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Page 2A • Saturday, September 2, 2017 • The Leader

Business Leaders

Local store owners step up fast to help those in need

By Kim Hogstrom For The Leader

As Hurricane Harvey pummeled Houston, The Leader did a search for the earliest responders in our community. We limited our hunt to Monday, Aug. 27, and Tuesday, Aug. 28, those 48 dark hours before the first slivers of sunlight appeared, a light that provoked tears of relief in thousands.

There were so many acts of courage and generosity observed in the community, it is impossible to identify them all. However, a few local businesses stepped up - fast.

“We opened as usual on Monday and stated collecting supplies for the evacuees in the George R. Brown Convention Center,” stated Vanessa Wodehouse, owner of the Big Blue Whale on W. 19th Street in the Heights. “We put it out on social media, but the rain was pouring down. We weren’t sure what would happen. Locals dropped off supplies nonstop. My husband Jim filled his truck many times and took the donations to the shelter.”

The Big Blue Whale specializes in the most imaginative toys and curiosities available.

Wodehouse knows that there will be kids stuck at home during the recovery. To help, she is holding a story hour at 10:30 am and craft hour at 2:30 pm each day. “It is something we can do for parents with children suffering from cabin fever,” she concluded.

On Monday morning, Naro Mak, manager of Hartz Krispy Chicken on Pinemont, left his family and went to work making free food for Houston’s first responders. The public noticed the restaurant was operating, and soon, it was packed with regular locals too.

When area residents heard about Hartz’s commitment to our first responders, many decided to sponsor portions of the effort to help defray costs.

All sorts of businesses, including local churches, opened their doors to accept donations after Hurricane Harvey hit southeast Texas.

By Wednesday, the restaurateur was serving 100 police officers, fire fighters, EMTs and constables a day across the city.

Mak shuns any credit.

“What we are doing is feeding the men and women who are actually saving lives. And if there is any credit to be had, our staff should get it.

They all came to work to help when they didn’t have to. We couldn’t do it without them,” Mak concluded.

Down House on Yale Street in the Heights had another idea. On the Monday following Harvey, it opened with a skeleton crew of four, all of whom volunteered, and dropped notice on social media that they were serving a limited menu - and collecting donations for the GRB evacuees. People poured in.

“We were very busy,” said manager Sara Hinkle. “So busy, we ran out of food. And the response for donations was overwhelming. Several locals were helping deliver them with their big ol’ trucks. We sent 13 truckloads on Monday alone,” Hinkle stated.

The managers of Govinda’s restaurant in the Hare Krishna temple on 34th Street were concerned about local families running out of food. On Monday, the announcement came that they would serve their fine Indian fare - for free - to anyone affected by Harvey.

Starting Tuesday, the first 200 people at lunch each day dined pro bono, and every day after,

until Houston’s roads cleared.

It is the quiet efforts that move us most. On Monday night, a Timbergrove resident noticed the lights on at Hughies Tavern & Grille on 18th Street as darkness fell and rain pounded the city. She thought it was odd because the popular Vietnamese eatery was closed for the storm.

It turned out that brother/ owners Phillip and Paul Pham were in the kitchen cooking for evacuees at the George R. Brown. Phillip Pham delivered their divine fare to the GRB in the stinging rain Monday night. The following day, the Phams did it again. This time, Paul Pham delivered food to medical professionals working long hours, sometimes days, at several local hospitals. There were no announcements or posts; they simply did it.

“Our family was so fortunate; we suffered no loss,” Paul Pham explained. “We felt the best thing we could do in those frightening days was to feed people who were not as lucky, or feed the people helping them through it.”

The Pham brother’s effort would have remained unknown had the kitchen lights not shone through the rain and darkness. It’s a good metaphor for our city. Houston’s response to the disaster is shining light on the stunning diversity, strong sense of community, and tremendous heart of the city. The area in which we live serves as great example.

Jim Wodehouse and his wife Vanessa, owners of the Big Blue Whale on 19th Street, started collecting and delivering donations to evacuees in the George R. Brown Convention Center first thing Monday morning. (Contributed Photo)

Caregiving is a labor of love, but sometimes, it can get a little overwhelming.

With more than 3.4 million family caregivers across Texas caring for older parents, spouses, and other loved ones, we understand that we all could use a few tips. That’s why AARP in Houston invites you to listen to “Prepare to Care,” a new podcast that provides practical information, tips and local resources to make caregiving a little easier for you and your loved ones.

Learn more and find these podcasts at aarp.org/houstonptc

The Leader • Saturday, September 2, 2017 • Page 3A

Thumbs Up; Thumbs Down A lot of good people did a lot of good things this week There aren’t enough thumbs to raise in the air (and probably not enough to point downward, either), but as we now begin to put Hurricane Harvey’s impact in perspective, let’s take a look at the people, companies and organizations that deserve Texas-sized pats on the back, and a few folks who deserve a Texas-sized whuppin’.

Public Officials Say what you will about evacuation orders and any other questions we might have had for those people we elect to be the guardians of our community. But in this case, we’d be hard pressed to shove public leaders into a more difficult position and see them handle the problems with such clarity and grace.

Mayor Sylvester Turner and County Judge Ed Emmett made decisions that best protected as many people as possible for as long as possible.

They answered every question asked of them, and they were both humble and discrete in their ability to manage this storm’s devastation.

At times, Turner sounded more like a life-coach than a mayor, and there was no better time for that than in the past week. Emmett, as pointed and direct and grateful as any politician we have in the community, used his experience from Ike and Rita to steer the county clear of as much turmoil as any one person could.

And we’d be remiss if we didn’t include the public officials who helped man the compound at TranStar the entire week. Our heart goes out to Police Chief Art Acevedo and his entire department on the loss of Sgt. Steve Perez, 60, who had served the citizens of Houston for 34 years. Acevedo’s real emotion, broadcast for the world to see, gives us a wonderful glimpse into the soul of our city.

Fire Chief Samuel Pena directed his first responders with class and urgency, as did the other men and women who directed our area’s response to a horrific disaster.

Locally, Constable Alan Rosen and his team spent more than two days without a wink of sleep carrying out rescues across the county, and they lived up to the billing they often receive as one of the shining stars of public service.

You, the people who live in this community who cared for each other and who helped neighbors you don’t even know, receive a huge Thumbs-Up.

When you think back to tragedies all over this nation (think Katrina and Mayor Ray Nagin), there’s a lot of bad that goes with trying to save human lives. In this case, our public officials stood up straight and admirable through the destruction that overwhelmed our city. They were not overwhelmed.

You Did you talk to a neighbor this week that you’ve never talked to before?

The safe bet is that you did. Maybe you looked across the river running in front of your house and saw a friendly face just down the street. Maybe, once the water cleared, you were able to take a stroll down the street and help someone move a tree out of their front yard.

It’s easy to give credit to public officials for their work during a storm such as Harvey because we know their names and faces and we see them on TV. But the hero of this storm was you. From your rescue of a neighbor, to your compassion to people you’ve never met before, the kindness that eventually pushed this storm out of Houston is what will help rebuild this city long after the last TV camera has left town.

CenterPoint Energy Have you ever driven across town and begrudgingly fussed about how all the power lines running down our streets just looks terrible? Have you ever wished that

CenterPoint Energy would put all the power lines underground?

A few years ago, CenterPoint went to court against a community south of town because that community demanded that CenterPoint bury all the power lines. They wanted their city to look better, and they voted to force CenterPoint to make that move.

Folks, if it wasn’t clear last Friday, maybe it is this Friday. In a city (swamp) such as ours, there is no feasible reason we should ever have power lines underground. Imagine what would have happened when trillions of gallons of water fell on Houston, flooding our reservoirs, our bayous and, eventually, our streets. If that water knocked out our power – and it would have – how would CenterPoint crews fixed the outages? The obvious answer is that they wouldn’t have.

Wasn’t it amazing to see our streets turned into lakes and our lights still on? And when power did go out – briefly for many in the Heights and Garden Oaks on Tuesday – is it not a small miracle that the lights turned back on in about 12 hours?

Well done, CenterPoint.

Our Neighbors When devastation hits an area, usually people flee from the scene. That didn’t happen in Houston this week. Any neighbor with a boat or a high-water vehicle drove straight into the face of the storm and began pulling people out of homes and apartments.

If you watched any TV coverage

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The Predators This is a preemptive thumbs-down, because it’s going to happen and there’s no way for us to stop it. People are going to come in our community and try to make a fortune from our mishap. You will be promised work that you’ll pay for and never receive. Others will raise money in the name of “Houston Strong� and make their bank accounts stronger.

If you don’t know who you’re dealing with in the weeks and months ahead, be smart. And if you have any questions, give them a preemptive thumbs-down.

- Compiled by Jonathan McElvy

Attorney At LAw

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Local TV It’s popular to beat up on the media these days, and for a newspaper, we take a small bit of joy in throwing shade at our media competitors when they mess up something important.

Make no mistake about the coverage we received locally on Hurricane Harvey. If not for local TV, we would have had more questions than answers. We wouldn’t have known

The Expected Looters Only second worse to the people who planned robberies were the folks who meandered down streets during our city’s worst tragedy and robbed small businesses that will have a hard time surviving the ramifications of this storm.

If looters have been caught, I hope our judicial system puts them in the cell block next to the scammers.

P

@ Crockett St.

610

1718 Houston Ave.

Crockette St.

State and Feds Say what you want about government officials, but there are no Hurricane Katrina stories here. Our state and federal government did an outstanding job giving as much support as humanly possible.

Normally, when you see tanks and Coast Guard helicopters descend on an area, it brings about a fear that’s hard to describe.

But in this case, how comforting was it to see military vehicles coming to the rescue? How comforting was it to see the Coast Guard dropping lifelines into neighborhoods to pull people to safety?

Our state and federal officials did the best they could to help us. And they’ll be around a while longer.

Guys with Fake Shirts You probably saw this on local TV, but in case you didn’t, a group of men broke out uniforms of black shirts and khaki pants. The shirts donned a logo that said HIS, and they told people to evacuate.

These weren’t officials of any type.

These were criminals, and what’s most sickening (of all the sickening descriptions) is that these jerks were in another town somewhere and had the wherewithal to have shirts printed to make them look like they had jobs with our county.

May these people rot in the bottom of a jail.

Phyllis A. Oeser

Houston’s Best Selection of

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of this event, you’ve seen these stories and you don’t need much more detail. But it would be a travesty if we didn’t give a hearty thank-you to all the people who risked their own lives to save those of others.

where not to drive and when we could go buy more food.

Local TV did an outstanding job working five days straight to keep us informed.

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september 27•2017

Senior EXP

September 27, 9 a.m.- 1 p.m.

SPJST Lodge 88 (15th & Beall)

The Leader is hosting a day-long event geared toward seniors in our community, and you’re invited.

We’ve invited businesses all across the community to take part to provide information about issues that are important to you. There will be speakers attending to help with health care concerns, including the impact of the new Affordable Care Act, and how it impacts Medicare. We’ve invited professional finance planners who can help you take that dream trip or manage your fixed income better, and attorneys who will talk to you about any legal concerns you have.

But this isn’t going to be all serious business, either.

We’ll have breakfast in the morning and lunch in the afternoon.

The best part, besides the food, fun and fellowship is that it is all FREE! All you have to do is register.

What to expect at the 2017 Senior Expo: • FREE Admission • FREE Food & Drinks • Educational information on health, finances and legal concerns • A chance to meet experts who will offer free advice on a number of senior issues • An opportunity to mingle with friends

Register Online www.theleadernews.com or fill out and mail form below Name Phone # Address Email Address

Mail to: The Leader - Senior Expo P.O. Box 924487 Houston, TX 77292 Call us: (713) 686-8494 do it online www.theleadernews.com (see “Senior” tab)

The Topics.

The Leader • Saturday, September 2, 2017 • Page 5A

Don’t forget our nation really looks like this

M

ust it take tragedy to find triumph? Do we need destruction to discover

decency?

You’ve seen the images, the constant loop of video showing a man raised from a house, clinging to his daughter in one hand and a garbage bag in the other.

You’ve seen the young man from Normangee strapping his john boat to a trailer he borrowed from his cousin to drive down I-45 as far as he could make it, just to see if he could pull another daughter from a flooded home.

You’ve seen the deputy on TV – the one who could barely catch his breath while unloading one family to set out for another trapped in filthy water.

This is what Houston looked like on Saturday, August 26, 2017. It’s what we looked like on Sunday and Monday and Tuesday and Wednesday. It’s what we will look like for another week, another month, another year. Even when the waters disappear, you’ll find tragedy and destruction resting viciously at the feet of fathers who can’t help, mothers who can’t watch, and children who would like to click their heels back to

Jonathan McElvy Publisher

last week, last month, last year.

The senses of the past week will repeat in our minds forever. We won’t forget the gurgling sound water makes as it inches toward our homes. We’ll remember the sharp smell of trees toppled and roots exposed. We’ll remember how heavy it feels when we’re standing at the back of our homes, sweeping water away from the back door, as cold rain relentlessly pulls at our shirt.

As I collect thoughts from the past week – and I’ll collect them for a long time – what I’ll remember most is not the water or its demolition. I won’t remember which intersections flooded and which ones stood dry.

What I’ll remember are the men and women who walked straight into the eye of a storm.

Every person who wears a civil uniform for a living left a husband or a wife or a child to rescue strangers.

We know of one Houston Police officer who lost his life.

But if our hired first-responders had been left to save this city on their own, the death tolls would have climbed to numbers we cannot imagine.

The uniforms I’ll remember just as much were the ones in camouflage.

These were duck-hunting coveralls transformed into rescue gear. They had hats turned backwards, a quick smoke just in sight of the camera lens and a spotlight used for freezing deer in the early winter. It didn’t matter who or what needed saving, these heroes came in flocks to salvage our city.

And the totality of that heroism demands perspective. It demands that the people who would turn our wonderful nation into a band of hated rivals be held accountable right here, right now.

Americans do not hate each other.

From the Revolution to August 26, 2017, we will die for each other. We have spent nearly 240 years bearing all things, believing all things, hoping all things and enduring all things

for each other. And regardless of what you’ve been told by blabbering ratings mongers, the love Americans have for each other has never failed.

If you missed that in the horror of Harvey, you have been blinded by a force that wants nothing more than another news clip of neo-Nazis. That is not who we are.

You’ve been told that professional athletes only care about whether to kneel or stand during a two-minute song. No, most professional athletes can’t decide how much money they want to donate to help Houstonians in need. And if a tragedy hits another city at another date, they’ll be right there again, writing more checks to more people.

You’ve been told that law enforcement officers are selfish men and women who can’t restrain themselves from attacking the minorities in this country. No, most law enforcement officers in this nation are just like Sgt. Steve Perez, the man who died trying to report for rescue.

And the next time one of our citizens needs saving, people like Perez will demand to be the first in line.

You’ve been told that the only politicians that matter are the ones who fight on Sunday morning

I’m still sitting on my rooftop The reader.

THE ROOFTOP – If I wave a big, white sheet, maybe the Lynn National Guard will send a Ashby helicopter, or maybe just a large drone to save me. I tried Columnist painting: “Will write for life jacket” on a large sign, but that didn’t work either. Another sign: “Mother in labor.”

FEMA sent a large stork. I may be up here for days, like many another Houstonian, & all impacts are unknown but let me tell you my story, & beyond anything experimainly because I get paid to enced.” Why don’t you just do it. cry wolf ?

My first clue of trouble was a few days ago when a TV I check my ace weather weather person breathlessly forecaster, my flag, and notice reported a low pressure area that it is gone. Water is coveroff the west coast of Africa, ing my yard, which is just as warning that it could develop well because the neighborinto a hurricane of mammoth hood lawn society for once proportions “that will sweep did not give out its Yard of Houston away.” Yawn. They the Month Award. I got Weed do this every time ratings are of the Week. Then, as water in play, so I paid the warning creeps up my yard in a driving no attention. rain, I hear a noise. Of course, A day later this same it’s my sprinklers going on. weather wizard warned that Never buy a sprinkler system the low pressure area was from a guy who digs trenches moving towards the Gulf. In with groundhogs. short order, the storm became My TV is showing nona super storm, then a destop storm coverage, which pressed area (I think he meant means national TV anchors Port Arthur) and a tropical and reporters are attemptstorm. I looked out to see that ing to cover Texas. Hint to the flag on a flagpole in my them: There is a hidden R in front yard was limp.

Refugio, not Ree-FUGE-e-oh.

The next day the storm Don’t even attempt Mexia had a name, Harvey, a name or Nacogdoches. When a which sounded about as limp hurricane hits the Bolivar as my flag. I noticed that my Peninsula, the term “Bolivar neighbor, Oswald Cumquat, Twist” was overused when was unloading bags of grocer- Jean Lafayette camped there. ies and bottles of water from And I’ve given up trying to his car. He spotted me and teach them the difference in yelled, “I’ve got a three-story farther and further. house (I could see that), so This brings us to the Dan if things get bad, come on Rather Syndrome, which is over and stay with my family worth retelling. For those on the top story. I’ve got a new to Texas, years ago – to rope ladder on the side of the give you an idea of how long house, you can just climb up.” ago, it was Hurricane XVI – a I shook my head. ”Real storm hit the Gulf coast, and men go with the flow.” He a young, unknown reporter said something I can’t repeat. named Dan Rather from staI awoke the next morning to tion KHOU-TV in Houston note that Harvey was nearing was sent out to cover the the Texas coast. Wind was storm. So there was Dan blowing around my house, swaying on the Galveston and the flag on my flagpole Seawall or standing knee-deep was fluttering in the breeze. in flooded streets as the rain By night the rain began, a and wind whipped around usual summer storm. him, while he reported that The following day the TV he was swaying while the rain guy said Harvey had hit the and wind etc.

Texas coast, Corpus Christi Network suits in NYC was blowing and going, spotted this talent and the fishing villages were evacuatrest is a success story -- until ing and they couldn’t find the Texas Air National Guard Rockport. Rain began to fall, brouhaha. Ever since then, and kept falling for hours. any TV reporter sent to cover The TV news said animals at any Gulf storm story sees that the zoo were lining up two as his or her route to stardom. by two. Then the national Normally they are covering TV news picked up the story, shootings and car wrecks, but which is odd because usually now is their 15 minutes of they only cover storm stories fame. with: “A cloud is approaching “Chuck, I am standing here NEW YORK CITY!” The rain in the wind and rain to report kept falling all night and by that there is wind and rain.” morning water covered the The reporter could just as streets and disguised most easily be standing in a tool of the potholes. My block shed or underpass, but that’s captain and CIA fink, Mongo not how you get to be the Moosehead, knocked on my ABC or CNN anchor. On the door to tell me that everyone other hand, Fox News blames should evacuate to higher the media. ground, like Denver. I told him I look outside again. My real men go with the flow. He flagpole is gone. Flotsam and repeated Cumquat’s observajetsam, which sounds like a tion. Then I get a tweet from law firm, are floating by, along the National Weather Service: with the Marigolds’ porch “This event is unprecedented chairs, pot plants, front gate.

And here come the Marigolds.

Now comes a realtor showing prospective clients homes in Running Rats Acres. I notice he’s using a glass-bottom boat. Cumquat has pulled up his rope ladder. Wait. I hear the chop-chop of a helicopter. I’m saved. It’s the Texas National Guard, famed for supplying a way for George W. to avoid Vietnam, according to Dan Rather.

I wave my white sheet again. A voice booms from the chopper: “Sorry, but we don’t save Klansmen. Go find a tall statue to climb.” And it sails away. I am now going with the flow.

Ashby is marooned at ashby2@comcast.net

network news shows. No, they are not. The politicians that matter are Sylvester Turner and Ed Emmett.

These two men could have cared less whether you voted for them in the last election. They only cared about saving our city when our city needed saving.

You’ve been told that you must pledge your allegiance to a political party. No, that is not true. When a Hispanic man jumped in the water to save a white girl, did anyone ask for a party registration card?

Friends, when Houston was at its worst, this entire nation was (and still is) at its best.

We have been fooled for the past year – for the past decade – into believing that the only thing that matters in our nation is which lever we pull at a ballot box. Stop it.

Maybe it took tragedy to find triumph. Maybe we needed devastation to discover decency.

When the storm waters clear and our lives retreat into our own little nooks, don’t forget what Houston looked like on August 26, 2017. That is our nation. This is who we are.

Email jonathan@theleadernews.com

Email us your letters: news@theleadernews.com

Where is this valley where contractors disappear?

who has an opinion.

Bruce Wiggins

Dear Editor: It’s a lot of frustration to deal with this scenario. We found it best to work with either HomeAdvisor.com and only with people who will give you a quote on the spot in writing (be very specific). We also got contract work done with people (recommended to us by another contractor) who did it fast and cheap and the repairs we have needed still were not as expensive as the folks who chided us for bargaining over cheaper labor.

Scott and Dottie Moore Dear Editor: Renovation Nation Multi Services worked on my parents house twice, and Joe Lopez is honest and reliable. The work was done likety split!

Tamara Ritchie Dear Editor: Nicely written and a valid subject, but not all contractors disappear. Your results from your bad experience is probably mostly your fault.

The method you used to locate a follow thru contractor was the problem. Try www.angieslist. com.

And, no I am not a contractor, just an older guy

Piece of history makes its way to 34th and Ella

Dear Editor: I am so glad you commented that the Willie Nelson mural was funded privately. I think it is so sad that there is so much hate in this world.

I think the people with deep pockets are paying professional protesters to create all this turmoil to hide what ever dirty deeds they are doing. I will be 81 years old September 1. I have seen all kind of changes. History is what made America so great & the present attitude of people is undermining everything America stands for. Enough is enough. Leave history alone. Learn from it.

Not tear it down. I was raised on a “poor” farm.

Everyone worked sunup to sundown. Picking cotton at age 5. Happy to have a roof over my head & food in my stomach. Then when Granddaddy Brooks crops were in , you went to neighbors & helped them with their crops. No pay just a couple of good filling meals. I never looked on it as child slavery. That was just the way I was raised.

No time to destroy other people’s property. We were raised better than that. I was blessed with good health & could do the work.

Lola Schulin

the leader Puzzlers.

Answers found in this week’s Classified section

SUDOKU

aCrOss

1. Leg shank 5. Small amount 8. Roman emperor 10. Having ears 12. Innocent young woman 14. No wrinkles 16. Small coin (French) 17. 19 hundred hours 19. A way to inform 21. A seal or signet 22. Tobacco smoke residue 23. Tai language branch 25. Set afire 26. Partridge FamilyÕs actress Susan 27. Canadian flyers 29. Faculties of perception 32. A light two-wheel carriage 34. Was ___ (looked at) 35. Appear with 37. Natives of Thailand 39. Hill (Celtic) 40. Runs PCs 42. Visualizes 44. Mistake

45. Riding horses 47. Point of purchase 49. Armless Aphrodite 53. Having negative qualities 54. Protective visual folds 55. Crystallized calcium carbonate mineral 57. Beach grains 58. One who presents a bond for payment 59. Car mechanics group 60. & & &

dOwn

1. Small paddle boats 2. Usual 3. Economic consumption 4. Without (French) 5. Powder mineral 6. Fleshy seed covering 7. Indicates 8. Stone lined grave 9. Feels remorse 10. Chemical structure 11. Decomposition 13. Morally base 14. Joins

15. Danish krone 18. Breastplate 20. Lesson reader in church 24. 1921 Turkish/ Armenian Treaty 26. In a way, refutes 28. Zoftig 30. Fish, hair or inter 31. Mains 33. Fathers 35. Transparent eye membranes 36. Stray 38. Seafowl 39. 3 pip cards 41. Invests in little enterprises 43. Placards 44. 1st woman 45. Finds a sum 46. Thick piece of something 48. River in Hesse, Germany 50. Inner forearm bone 51. 1 of 2 contesting groups 52. Olive tree genus 56. Metal container

WORD SCRAMBLE

Page 6A • Saturday, September 2, 2017 • The Leader

The calendar.

HELP AFTER HARVEY Belmont Village Hunters Creek Belmont Village Hunters Creek, 7667 Woodway Dr., if offering discounted Harvey rates for 30day+ respite apartments. Meals, assistance, activities are included.

Assisted Living is $180/day for studios, $220 day for one-bedrooms, $250 for couples. Memory Care is $220/day, $175/semi-private apartment. Belmont Village Hunters Creek is fully operational and staffed and have not experienced any flooding or power loss. Information: 844-706-2273, 713-781-1505.

STAMP SHOW Humble Civic Center The 70th Annual Greater Houston Stamp Show will be held Sept. 15-17, at the Humble Civic Center, 8233 Will Clayton Parkway (77338). The show will be from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Friday-Saturday; and 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday.

The event features free admission and parking, 30+ dealers, 1,200+ pages of exhibits, beginner’s booth, door prizes, and meetings/presentations/U.S. Post Office sales. Information: www. houstonstampclub.org/HoustonStampShow.html.

MELANOMA WALK/FUN RUN MD Anderson Cancer Center The 10th Annual AIM for the Cure Melanoma Walk and Fun Run 5K will be held at MD Anderson Cancer Center, Mays Clinic - 1180 Pressler St., Sept.

23. Registration/sign-in is 6 p.m., The Check Points perform at 6:30 p.m., followed by the opening ceremony, and 8 p.m. is the walk/run. There will be education and awareness information, sunscreen application demonstrations, massages, food vendors and children’s activities. Register online at: www:AIMatMelanoma. org by Sept. 1 to receive a free t-shirt. Wear anything that glows since this is an evening event.

Information: aimforthecure@ mdanderson.org, 713-745-1804.

GRIEF SUPPORT GROUP Memorial Hermann Greater Heights When you lose someone you love, you are left to pick up the pieces and try your best to go on. Having a strong support system can help you on your grief journey and be an important part of building a strong support system. Classes will be held Tuesdays from 11:15 a.m.-12:30

From the Pews.

Free monthly pancake breakfast at St. Matthew’s The free monthly pancake breakfast will be Sept. 2, 8:3010 a.m., in the fellowship hall.

The Lydia Circle will be hosting the breakfast consisting of pancakes, sausage, eggs, fruit and breakfast drinks. The Lydia Circle will meet immediately following the breakfast in Room 107.

The Methodist Men will meet at 10 a.m., in the parlor.

St. Matthew’s UMC is located at 4300 N. Shepherd Dr. Visit the Facebook page, website at www.stmatthewsmethodist.org or call 713-6970671 for information.

Kids Rock Cycle for Safety at Mt. Ararat Baptist Join Mt. Ararat Baptist at 5801 W. Montgomery Rd., for a free kids skills and safety festival. Children can learn how to ride a bike safely, start and stop properly, avoiding hazards, yielding, ride an obstacle course and more. Four bikes will be awarded. All donations for food or bikes are accepted.

The festival will be from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Sept. 9.

Call 713-692-9954 for information.

Third Age Learning Center semester begins Sept. 11 All Saint’s Third Age Learning Center fall semester begins Sept. 11 and concludes Nov. 17. Registration will continue the first week of the semester.

New classes this semester include Texas Hold’em and Pony Tail Canasta. A hot lunch is available at noon Monday-Friday for $2. Reservations are requested by 10 a.m. each morning.

For TALC information and lunch reservations, call 713248-1277. All Saints Catholic Church is located at 215 E. 10th St. Community Senior Recognition Day at Greater First Baptist A Community Senior Recognition Day will be held at Greater First Baptist Church (W.E. Gibbs Educational Building), 4441 Haygood St. Fea-

The Obituaries.

Virgil Henry Barfield, 82,

born July 1, 1935, died Aug. 23.

Ela Gladys Greenwood,

94, born Dec. 9, 1922, died Aug. 23.

Gerlin D. Taylor, 97, born Aug. 13, 1920 in Washington County, Texas, died Aug. 22. She was baptized and confirmed in the Lutheran Faith at Zionsville Lutheran Church in Washington County. During WWII she went to Dallas, to work in a factory building airplanes for the Air Corp. She moved to Houston in the ‘50s to work, and did until the age of 85. Though she had no children of her own she treated her nephews as they were. She is survived by nephews Nathan Kelm, Marvin C. Kelm and his wife

Cheryl, two great nieces Sarah Fletcher and husband Mathew, Lindsay Gumtow and husband Jesse, great nephew Zachary Kelm, great-great nephew Dakota Fletcher and great-great-niece Brooke Fletcher.

Lee Tilotta, 88, born June 15, 1929, died Aug. 22.

Joan Cecelia Velez, 84, born May 4, 1933 in Chicago, Ill., died Aug. 11. She is survived by her husband of 65 years Frank Velez, children Lucinda Velez Roe, Patricia Ann Mullins, and Frank M. Velez, seven grandchildren, and five great-grandchildren, and two great-great-grandchildren. Memorial contributions may be made to the Alzheimer’s Association, 6055 South Loop East, Houston 77087.

p.m. through Sept. 26. The group meets in the South Tower Classrooms at Memorial Hermann Greater Heights, located at 1635 North Loop West. Information: 713-222-2273 (CARE).

refreshments, free fingerprinting and child ID kits, HFD staff and firetruck, art cars, moonwalk and horseshoes for adults. Information: marilybbrooks@gmail. com, facebook.com/OddFellowsLodge225.

10K/5K WALK Houston Happy Hikers Come out and participate in this non-competitive, non-timed walk through Buffalo Bayou Park. Families are encouraged to participate. Everyone participating must register and carry a Start Card and turn it in at the finish.

Event will be held regardless of weather conditions. The walk will begin at Fonde Recreation Center, 110 Sabine St. The walk will be from 9 a.m.-noon Sept. 30. The fee is $3. There is no pre-registration. Information: 979-478-6203, houstonhappyhikers.com.

40TH CLASS REUNION Scarborough High School class of 1977 The G. C. Scarborough class of 1977 will have their 40th reunion at 7 p.m. Oct. 7, at The Spot Club located at 1732 W. 18th St. Please join the facebook page G C Scarborough High school class of 1977 or email Roger Souders at rsouders@nstaroffshore.com.

DENIM AND DIAMONDS FUNDRAISER MANNA Dust off your boots, and ride on over to MANNA’s 4th Annual BBQ and auction. The event will be from 6-10 p.m. Oct. 14, at the Anheuser Busch Brewery, located at 775 Gellhorn 77029. Gatlin’s BBQ will be serving up their award winning barbeque again this year for one fun-filled evening of dinner, dancing, and a silent auction.

Information: https://manna-4thannual-bbq.eventbrite.com.

NATIONAL NIGHT OUT Odd Fellows Lodge #225 The Houston Heights Odd Fellows Lodge #225 is hosting its second National Night Out celebration, from 6-8 p.m. Oct. 3.

Neighbors are invited to come to the lodge, located at 115 E. 14th St. Bring the kids to this family event. There will be hotdogs and

tured are guest speakers Dainter Dietz, Senior Advocate for Medicare/Medicaid; Natilea Henderson of Blue Cross BlueShield of Texas; and Varlette Broussard, SafeLink Representative. The presentation will be from 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Sept. 10.

Medicare/Medicaid open enrollment will be held Oct. 15 through Dec. 3.

Call 713-695-7061 or visit facebook.com/gfbhouston for information.

from 5-6:30 p.m. From 6:307:30 p.m., Nathan will lead a Bible study and Rev. Lindsay Smith, Music and Worship Pastor, will lead the children’s choir practice.

St. Stephen’s United Methodist Church is located at 2003 W. 43rd St. For information, call 713-686-8241 or visit www.stsumc.org and the church’s Facebook page.

Free concert at All Saints Don’t miss this concert featuring Coro Gloria Dei under the direction of Dr. Rick Lopez. Gloria Dei will be performing the works of Ralph Vaughan Williams, Gerald Finzi, and Gonzalo Alonso Ramos at 5 p.m. Sept. 17, at All Saints Catholic Church, 215 E. 10th St. The performance is being offered to the community for free and is hosted by the Bravura Concert Series at All Saints Church.

Call 713-972-4714 or visit www.allsaintsheights.com.

Wandering Home worship series at St. Stephen’s Wandering Home, a new fall worship series about the journey of God’s people in the book of Exodus, has begun Sundays during the 8:30 a.m. praise celebration and the 11 a.m. traditional service.

A new Bible study led by Senior Pastor, Rev. Nathan Lonsdale Bledsoe, has also begun Wednesdays at 2:30 p.m. in Room 101.

All are welcome to attend “Wednesday Nights” at St. Stephen’s. Bring dinner for the family and enjoy fellowship

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Jerold Walkoviak, 67,

born April 13, 1950, died Aug 14. A graduate of Sam Houston State University, Walkoviak was a retired technical manager with a logistical company. He was involved in numerous Catholic ministries, one of the most important one was Kolby Prison Ministry, and others included The Legion of Mary, St. Vincent DePaul Society and the Knights of Columbus. Survivors include his wife, Colleen Walkoviak, son Phillip Joseph Walkoviak, daughter Sarah Kathleen Dupre, sisters Janet Bienski, Angie Walker, Diane Mason, Betty McKirahan, and four grandchildren. Memorial contributions may be made to: Kolbe Prison Ministries, 1611 Bethlehem St. 77018.

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When decay has not destroyed too much of the baby tooth, it is important to try to save it. It is important because it helps the permanent tooth to erupt into the proper space. If the tooth were extracted, the remaining teeth might crowd together to fill the space, and thereby block out the permanent tooth.

Your dentist will have to evaluate the situation to see if it is possible to save the tooth. Often with baby teeth, even when the nerve is dead, they can be saved through a relatively simple procedure called a pulpotomy.

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Hope After HArvey

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This past Saturday night my family and I were driving home through Oak Forest and Garden Oaks. We were visiting my brother and sister-in-law and headed home after the rain started. Things didn’t seem too bad but as we travelled across 43rd St headed east the water got deeper and deeper. We finally made it home after some very scary moments of wondering whether our vehicle would make it through the high water. We began the process of watching, waiting, and wondering over the next few days. Watching the news, watching the water level in our yard, waiting to see how long the rain would last, and wondering when the end would ever come and if we would have to evacuate. There was a lot of worry and concern and not much hope for a while. We have hope when we think about what could be, not what currently is our situation. Seeing people helping other people gave us hope. Seeing the weather begin to clear gave us hope. There is hope for our city to recover from this flood because we have a city that is dedicated to rebuilding and helping one another. As a follower of Christ there is even more hope after Harvey.

For those who trust in Christ they have hope of eternal life. This is a false hope or a hope that can be taken away. Titus 1:2, speaking about a person who has faith in Jesus Christ for salvation says, “In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began.” Do you have this hope? Our church is working to do our part to spread physical and spiritual hope after Harvey. We are helping provide food and necessities to those who have lost much during this flood. We are providing labor and supplies to several other churches in the Houston area that were flooded, and we are working to share spiritual encouragement and hope to those who are struggling. Even though many have lost much, as a believer in Christ we know that there is hope after Harvey!

The Leader • Saturday, September 2, 2017 • Page 7A

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Page 8A • Saturday, September 2, 2017 • The Leader

Community Commentary

A million words still aren’t enough to describe this

By Chris Daigle For The Leader

T

he inside of me is a journalist.

The outside of me is a curious human being, just like everybody else. The difference is, I was trained to bring the outside of me to the inside of me, and put it into words. That’s a big task right now.

August 26, 2017, as I watch Houston being devastated by a flood that has not happened in this size in recorded history.

This event is happening as I write, and as much as I want to jump out and help, writing is the only safe thing to do right now. The scale of this is almost beyond words, because it is beyond belief. This has happened before, and it will happen again, that’s the only way to get a grip on this right now. But this

circumstance right now reminds me of what my parents and grandparents must have felt in World War II, knowing a catastrophic event is in progress, and having to follow along with it, not knowing what comes next. This will have a conclusion, all things do, but what makes this a historic event is what was inside it, and where it went.

I’m watching pictures of normally calm and controlled people in the media, in government, and down the street filled with shock at what they do know, and dread for what they don’t know yet. These events have two parts: the happening of it, and it’s aftermath. People waiting in line for water and Gatorade had no joy on their faces, and there was an electricity of dread in the air as so many thoughts of what to do, what will happen, read like a stock ticker

Give some credit to Bubba for his Houston help The camera quickly found him.

He was a bigger man, with a full beard and wearing camouflage. We saw him on our TV screens standing in thigh-deep water in the rain. We saw him drive his fishing boat down a freeway, carry people in his arms, and sometimes he just stared at his beleaguered city.

Bubba was the first responder in Houston and thank God he was there. Bubba shows up. He has been showing up to weddings, work, funerals, birthdays, and football games most of his life.

When tragedies the size of Hurricane Harvey happen, the government, no matter how much bigger we make it year after year, is too small to help. When the water overwhelmed the nation’s fourth largest city, leaders cried for help and Bubba came.

Bubba didn’t plan for this day. He was supposed to be at the plant, working first shift. Yet his boat was ready and he launched into waters that carried snakes, fire ants, millions of bacteria and submerged cars. No one told him to go. No one offered Bubba money. He just did what he could.

We saw Bubba haul hundreds of people out of Houston’s high waters. This wasn’t a Coast Guard operation. It was just Bubba and his cousins and his mortgaged boat churning above Houston concrete on what has to be the weirdest day in Bubba’s life.

When the boat was under throttle and flying down Houston streets, the Bubbas grinned a little. As kids they dreamed of doing this.

Bubba did a few interviews when the cameras came up to him. But he didn’t say much, and never really does. He isn’t sure he trusts the Robb Reeves media and any time spent talking to a reporter means less time on the water.

Bubba wondered about his own family. Were his kids dry?

Was his wife scared? She told him not to do this but Bubba needed to get out of the house.

Bubba wonders when he will get to eat Houston’s fantastic Mexican food on a Friday night and drink a cold beer. When he starts to think about what all has happened this week, he gets a little overwhelmed and looks for another family to pick up. What he does after the flood is too much to think about today. In a county of 4.6 million people, he just keeps picking up people he doesn’t know and putting them in his boat. The people clustered in the boat are drenched, cold and clinging to trash bags of belongings.

The last 10 years have been tough for Bubba. The people he doesn’t understand want to take away his job. He is being outsourced to China, India or replaced by Silicon Valley robots.

Bubba doesn’t know how to stop the sea of change coming at him that is much stronger than Harvey.

He is the guy the manager asks to come in early when a machine is broken at the factory. He is the guy we ordered to pull the trigger in Iraq.

When he goes in to buy a new four-wheeler, Bubba is reminded that his credit score isn’t what it used to be. Even if he could get the four-wheeler he wants, there aren’t places to ride it anymore and little time. His life is more about working at the plant and hoping his wife can string together a series of payments every month. In fact, he might be behind a month on the boat payment.

When the waters of Harvey recede, Bubba’s same old problems will be there plus new ones he can’t think about right now.

Bubba can drive a boat as good as anyone. He can read water, service an outboard motor, and catch a limit of catfish. But the world doesn’t place much value on those things any more.

Bubba is disappearing. He notices his son is more interested in staring at his phone than repairing the riding lawnmower.

Bubba wonders how much longer he can keep paying for his F-150, the four-wheeler, and the boat.

But for a few days in Houston, we needed Bubba and his boat and his skills.

Don’t praise FEMA, the governor, the president, or the mayor.

Just be glad we had Bubba.

About the Author Robb Reeves is a Houston native who was born at Houston Heights Hospital. He has had a long career in newspapers, including time with the Chronicle and as publisher of the Conroe Courier.

Reeves now publishes three newspapers in and around Hesston, Kan.

in front of them. I had people asking for my cart even before I get to the car with my supplies. I could tell there was a need to be patient and polite, mixed with an urge to hurry, hurry, bad things are coming, gotta move it.

I lived through Tropical Storm Allison in June, 2001, a year with so much catastrophe in many ways.

Then, we measured the suffering in terms of where you were, how much damage you suffered, and who got lucky. The common theme was, “I didn’t know it would be this bad.”

Places that never flooded, ever, were a lake. Now, that’s going to seem like a Model T next to what is happening right now, and it’s not over.

The historian in me remembers talking to seniors who didn’t have what we have today, and always say, “We didn’t know any better at the

time.” If you never had television, you don’t know it’s not there.

Events tonight are like that. We never thought anything would be like Allison, and surely nothing could be bigger than Allison, but here it is, twice as catastrophic, and re-writing the limits of human endurance only halfway through it’s mission through Texas.

So much is going to be written and said about this after all the houses have been repaired, and the claims paid. But right now, we are all in the tunnel looking for that light at the end of it. What could people in London in 1942 have been thinking as they ran from the bombs, not knowing when or where it will end?

It’s ironic, really, something that is causing so much misery and destruction, and changed so many lives, and there is no recourse to get

back at it, this can’t be arrested and put in prison for what it did. Basically, the bully got away with it. What it really accomplished? It brought out the good in people on a scale we will always remember, a “Can Do” spirit that was always inside us, ready to come forward when it matters. That’s how the amazing events that shaped us became the history we study. The famous photographer Paul Gittings gathered us together in 1976, and said, “The reason we are doing this is to leave a trail.” That’s how the Astrodome got built, and influenced a generation.

In 30 years, or 50 years, someone not even born yet will see what was done here tonight, and tomorrow night, and time after that, and they will say, in a quiet way, “These people did this.........I can do this.”

ScenesfromHarvey

This photo was taken from 11th and Rutland and sent to The Leader by Jon Fontenot

Here’s an image from the intersection of Cordel and Gardner at 4 a.m. after the first night of flooding.

Penny Mickel took this picture from Houston Heights North

The Leader • Saturday, September 2, 2017 • Page 9A

Cues from Katrina

Don’t become victim of Harvey predators

By Landan Kuhlmann landan@theleadernews.com

In the aftermath of Katrina in 2005, scammers came out of the woodwork to dupe a desperate New Orleans public.

Now, Houstonians are at risk of suffering the same fate in Harvey’s aftermath. “You can take all the rules that we’ve had for the last 50 years and just multiply them, because it’s such a large-scale event,� said Dan Parsons with the Houston Better Business Bureau. “The people who commit fraud and prey on people aren’t stupid—they have certain ways of thinking and they know how to seize the moment,� he later added.

Exhibit A popped up with a relatively new con just this week, where reports from homes in Spring and Kingwood came in regarding people in camo outfits with Homeland Security and ICE authority badges going door to door telling people they needed to evacuate. “Chances are they did need to evacuate, but they were just trying to get them out of their house so they could clean them out. That’s a new one [for me], but very effective. It makes sense and it looks logical,� Parsons said.

Such a ruse demonstrates the extraordinary depths some appear willing to go to in order to take advantage of a weary public. Unfortunately, as thousands of Houstonians frantically work to repair their lives in the coming months, it appears to be not a question of “if,� scammers will come, but “how many will be affected?� “The people that work in these white collar crimes could probably be leaders of organizations, companies—wonderful people. But that’s not how they think. It’s like an adrenaline rush of ‘I got you. I took advantage of and scammed the system’,� Parsons said.

Following Hurricane Katrina in 2005, the U.S. Department of Justice created a specialized task force to track down those who prey on the public’s vulnerable circumstances, from simple price gouging on water, gas and other essentials to fraudulent contractor home repairs and more. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has already released a statement advising the public to be wary of such scams and created a hotline for potential victims, which had already received more than 600 Harvey-related claims as of Wednesday afternoon according to a CNN report. “The people who commit fraud are normally very intelligent. They know the things to do and the buzz words,�

Parsons said. “The public right now is very weary, so there’s going to be a recovery period where everybody’s going to want a piece of it. They’re going to be impatient. The bad guys will know that impatience, and they’ll play on it.�

Buyer beware Typically, for many displaced citizens, among the first orders of business is to repair their home, in an attempt to restore some sense of normalcy to an unprecedented situation. Fraudsters and scammers tend to set up shop in heavy disaster areas following a cataclysmic event such as Harvey, and exploitative contractors swoop into heavily-battered areas looking for an easy score off desperate consumers.

Given the sheer volume of homeowners soon to be searching far and wide, Houston-based contractors are poised to have more work than they know what to do with, and reputable, dependable companies from around the country will also flock to the area as soon as roads are clear according to Parsons. As homeowners search for the right fit, he cautioned wariness of any unsolicited inquiries or those demanding pay up front. “If there is anyone who’s soliciting you, what’s wrong with that picture? These companies will be busier than they can stand,� he said.

Also common in such situations is a friendly recommendation from a neighbor or friend. However, Parsons cautioned some wariness there as well for the same reasons. “I would strongly advise checking it against our database. Some referrals can be alright up to a point, but they can eventually reach a point of no return where they’re not alright,� he said. “If they turn out to have a good rating and accredited with us, then you’re probably safe. But you don’t want to get too far in. One person’s good referral could be another’s mistake.�

Additionally, Parsons suggested checking companies for additional other credentials (such as proof of involvement in a builder’s association or local chamber of commerce) and doing some old-school (not web) research in the phonebook to prove solicitor’s claims. Should a company (even from outside Houston or the local neighborhood) check out, consumers should be good to go. “Our city’s going to need people from everywhere, so if someone comes into your place [from Austin] and they have impeccable credentials, don’t turn them away,� he said.

Be cautious when giving Across the city and country, celebrities and common

citizens alike have rushed to donate whatever they can to relief efforts. And while many hearts are certainly in the right place, Parsons advised caution and personal initiative even when donating to the efforts. “If it’s some 800 number or some text to give, I’d be nervous. If you’re going to give, give to someone you know— United Way, Salvation Army, Goodwill, or even go down to the shelters. You’ll see it first-hand, and there’s no overhead,� he said.

However, even those seemingly legitimate solicitations from trusted nonprofits have been infiltrated by scammers in the past, and thus must be thoroughly vetted before being trusted. After Katrina, the FBI said more than 4,600 websites advertising relief sprang up (many of which were suspected to be bogus) according to a CNN report. Per the same report, the Red Cross alerted law enforcement to 15 websites mimicking the legitimate web address. The Salvation Army was also victimized by a spoofed site. “Even [emails] that look legitimate can be copied and pasted,� Parsons said.

That sentiment of personal initiative involving charity, he added, could be the key to pillars of the local community not getting gouged. Given the fact that most necessary supplies for rebuilding businesses in the Heights, Garden Oaks, Oak Forest and surrounding areas can indeed be found locally, Parsons said charity scams (not price gouging) could be the largest problem for small businesses as they get back up and running. “I don’t know if [small businesses] are any more vulnerable to getting gouged when it comes to rebuilding, but I’d worry more about them getting hit on charity stuff, because it’s communal,� he said.

To guard against scams from outside “charitable� solicitors, Parsons suggested networking locally with folks such as neighborhood associations, Super Neighborhoods, the Chamber of Commerce and more. “Get those guys engaged, and try to work with those guys in your own area so they all know each other and it’s a team thing,� he said.

If residents believe they have been targeted, they can report it to the National Center for Disaster Fraud hotline at 866-720-5721 or the Texas Attorney General’s hotline at 800-621-0508.

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Page 10A • Saturday, September 2, 2017 • The Leader

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At least seven fire trucks responded to the blaze at MANNA at the intersection of Rosslyn and 43rd Street on Thursday morning. There is concern that the fire was an arson. (Photo by Jonathan McElvy)

MANNA gutted by fire

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By Landan Kuhlmann landan@theleadernews.com

Collateral damage The beloved thrift shop wasn’t the only partial casualty, however. Next door, Dollar General (just opened barely two weeks prior) also caught some damage, though the extent of the damage there is currently unknown. “We’re excited to bring a new location

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As if flooding from Hurricane Harvey wasn’t bad enough, a local pillar fell prey to what appears to be an intentional destruction of property in its aftermath.

In the early morning hours Thursday (shortly after 6 a.m.), Manna Thrift Store owner Patricia Dornak said she received a phone call that the beloved community shop was on fire, with several signs manifesting later that the store may have been specifically targeted. “There were three notes left on the refrigerator in red marker for us. They turned the two crosses on the refrigerator upside down, so we know it was intentional,� Dornak said.

According to Dornak, perpetrators appear to have busted in the back door of MANNA, come in, left the messages and then set the fire. “We have no idea who would’ve done this,� Dornak said, though noting that onscene responders believe the culprit could potentially be the same person(s) who broke into the store earlier this week.

At this time, Dornak is unsure how the store will proceed moving forward. The Houston Fire Department was unable to be reached for comment as to whether there have been any similar fires in Houston or the local area.

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The Leader • Saturday, September 2, 2017 • Page 11A

Entertainment

Calendar Hurricane Harvey Fundraiser at Town In City

10 a.m. to midnight Saturday, Sept. 2 Town In City Brewing 1125 W. Calvacade St. Pay what you want for your beers and the proceeds will go to the Greater Houston Community Foundation Hurricane Harvey Relief Fund all day long this Saturday! Further donations and supplies are welcome!

DJ Fermented will be playing a free set in the biergarten starting at 6 p.m. so get out of the house and take a break with us for a good cause.

But wait! There’s more!

Good Dog Houston - Heights will have a truck out to feed your hungry faces and also raising money.

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King’s BierHaus Opens, Cavatore Italian not far behind

11 a.m. - midnight Friday and Saturday King’s BierHaus - 2044 East TC Jester Blvd.

The power of social media in a disaster I

n an emergency situation, we’ve been taught to call 9-1-1, naturally. But what if all of the lines are busy, first responders have a waiting list and your emergency isn’t a “high priority�, or at least that’s what you’re told.

That’s the case that several Houstonians found themselves in during the catastrophy that was Harvey.

Ulises Flores and I went to college together. He currently works four jobs in promotions and marketing, the Houston Astros and Radio One being two he’s rather proud of. He lives in the Lakewood subdivision with his family, where he grew up. Flores and his family watched the water rise, and rise, and eventually found

themselves in chest deep water. They were able to make it to high ground at an abbondaned Dollar General with what they could carry out of the house.

Working in promotions and marketing set Flores up to succeed. He immediately recorded a video of himself and documented what happened, where he and his family were and that they needed help, and he shared with his social media followers. The video circulated, word got out, and help came.

Flores continued to use his social network to shine light on his neighborhood community to continue to send help, and is still using his social sites as an information hub for

A lot has happened since I wrote this column a week ago. Hurricane Harvey paid us a visit, and you know the rest. I’ve added some updates throughout. I hope you’re reading this from the comfort of your dry home!

Markets or “pop-ups� seem to be a thing now, several popping up each month. Many proclaim they have farmers, too - that’s the golden fleece of today’s pop-up it seems.

There is a limited number of farmers and markets they can attend and even fewer that practice sustainable farming.

The Farm Stand at Petrol Station, founded many years ago in Garden Oaks is located at 938 Wakefield Dr., next to the new Great Heights Brewing Company. The market is open every Saturday 9 a.m.

and visit the old fashioned way, face to face. Their new host, Great Heights Brewing Company is also open.

Petrol Station, the Farm Stand’s namesake is down the street at 985 Wakefield and is a craft beer lover’s paradise with amazing burgers and fries. It’s in an old remodeled gas station, open at 11 a.m on Saturdays so plan your trip accordingly, you’ll love it.

Now after Hurricane Harvey - I spoke to market manager, Charles “Mickey�

Morales for an update, and good news, The Farm Stand at Petrol Station will be open Saturday.

Farmer Cathy will be there and Morales told me he will be serving up his signature breakfast tacos. “The farmers have been devastated by Harvey - crops

Contributed photo Heights resident Sean Walters, performs at noon at First Saturday Arts Market.

Bump Harvey - 4v4 Sand Volleyball and Cornhole Charity Tournament

6 p.m.

Saturday, Sept. 9 Sideout Volleybar - 2623 Keene St Formerly called VolleyFallthe tournament is now named Bump Harvey with 100% of the proceeds going to benefit the Greater Houston Community Foundation (www.ghcf. org). In addition, Grown Up Sports is also seeking donations of food and clothing as well as new or lightly worn athletic shoes for our SHOU drive taking place the entire month of September. All of these will go to benefit victims of Harvey.

This is a chance for you to literally *play* your part. If you would like to sign up for either tournament, you may do so at www.gusleagues. spor tngin.com/register/ form/616805116 If you do not want to play sand volleyball, you can come out and play in the cornhole tournament taking place at the same time. If you don’t care for cornhole either, just come by and show your support and bring donations. Anything at all helps.

Christina Martinez Managing Editor

out call to actions to friends that were sitting at home to call shelters to see what their needs were for donations, and had an updating spreadsheet to share on-hand; he even put out a call to get a delivery fleet going and asked his friends to donate their time to drive routes for donation drop-offs offering local businesses a solution to donating to needing shelters. He did all of this on his social media platforms.

I do not personally know

Mark C. Austin, but I do know he’s a proponent for everything Houston and he’s leading the way in the power of social media.

Flores and Austin are just two examples that have been using their networks to keep us informed, and it’s something you can do, too. You don’t have to be a reporter or a media outlet to share news and get the word out, whether it be an emergency or asking for help to clean your neighbors flooded house. Simply share and ask - there is likely someone in your network that’s willing to help or has a solution.

Email christina@theleadernews.com

Art Valet: Markets open and collect donations

King’s BierHaus and Cavatore took in a significant amount of water. Their staff has been working to re-open their doors and King’s will reopen this weekend, resuming normal business hours on Friday, Sept. 1.

Cavatore Italian Restaurant is working diligently to clean up the water and is reporting that they will re-open doors next week. Stay tuned.

Facebook photo A look inside Cavatore Italian Restaurant and the work they are doing to recover for Hurricane Harvey.

those that need help, on volunteering and more.

Another that’s leading by example is Mark C. Austin, owner at The Convoy Group, manager to The Suffers and more great Houston musical artists.

With a Facebook network of nearly 4,600 people, Austin has used his network to help since the first rain drop hit Houston - I don’t think the guy has slept. Austin has worked with local businesses like Eureka Heights Brewing Co. to deliver donated items from the neighborhood; he’s picked up coffee from Katz Coffee to take to MD Anderson; he picked up hot meals from donating restaurants to take to the George R. Brown; he put

- 1 p.m.

This neighborhood market is a destination spot with fresh coffee, tacos and tasty locally grown produce all in one place.

Sustainable farming is explained simply on the Stand’s Facebook page, “That a farmer uses organic or natural fertilizers and pesticides to grow plants from non-genetically modified seeds for more than three years but is not certified to Texas Department of Agricultural or the US Department of Agriculture.�

In other words, it’s real, it is fresh and it is delicious! No “greenwashers� here. (Look that one up.)

This is a small market and it’s been around for several years. It serves as a community gathering spot, to get news

rundown of art, food, drink and music on the website.

1stSatArtMarket.com

Mitch Cohen Art Columnist

feminine hygiene products and dry shampoo.

The Houston chapter of Real Beauty Real Women will collect funds and have some blingy products for sale. 100% of proceeds will go towards nicer cosmetics and toiletries for women in the shelters.

Nice!

This will not be our normal market, many of the artists can’t make it because of the flooding. Sadly, the mix included flooded homes, closed airport and even being stranded on a cruise. I wonder what that’s like?

To allow the displaced artists a chance to setup, the market will be open again on Saturday, Sept. 16.

The market is next to 540 W. 19th St., future home to Flossy Dental Studio. Find the

Cohen is an artist and founder of First Saturday Arts Market and the new Market at Sawyer Yards, find him at ArtValet.com

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lost, chickens drowned or killed by predators,� Morales wrote in a Facebook update on Wednesday.

Get out there and support them this Saturday!

First Saturday Arts Market returns to daytime hours and will be open this Saturday, September 2.

I’ve decided to keep the First Saturday Arts Market open Saturday for normal hours. We want to provide a break from the mayhem and help out too. The market will be a drop-off location for Harvey donations.

The Heights Pages Magazine will collect donations for shelters. Clothing donations should now be limited to plus sizes, new underwear in all sizes, travel sized toiletries, baby wipes,

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