Ad # 37449
Inside Today: Rodriguez driving LHN on the court • Page 7A
PREMIER PROPERTIES
Your Neighborhood Full Service Real Estate Office
713-686-5454 www.preproperties.com
SATURDAY | January 12, 2013 | Vol. 59 | No. | www.theleadernews.com | @heightsleader
Neighborhood market no more
THE BRIEF. sponsored by Ad #A
by Charlotte Aguilar charlotte@theleadernews.com
Savings Galore ���������� ���������������
���� s ’ e n e l r a D
������������������
10570 NW Frwy • 713-680-2350
First spruce-up day set at Stevens ES
Customers came by for one last purchase – and were handed $25 discount coupons to continue shopping at nearby Fiesta locations. (Photo by Charlotte Aguilar)
Volunteers are needed for a beautification day starting at 8:30 a.m. Jan. 19 at Stevens Elementary School, 1910 Lamonte Lane. The date was originally planned for Jan. 12, but a murky weather forecast caused organizers to delay for a week and hope for better conditions. The project will include basic power-washing, painting and gardening, and Girl Scouts will supervise the installation of a small garden on the Saxon side of the school as part of a Gold Award project. Those participating are encouraged –– but not required –– to bring supplies, such as painting gear, ladders, outdoor extension cords and gardening tools and hoses, and to label them for easy identification. Another beautification project is set for Feb. 23. For information, email standforstevens@gmail.com
The venerable old supermarket at Studewood and 14th Street saw its last day in business as Fiesta on Dec. 30, but it will have one final moment in the spotlight – make that candlelight – before being torn down to make way for a state-of-the-art seniors living facility. Jim Gray, president and founder of Bridgewood Properties, said he delayed the launch of construction, which would have started in March, so that
the Houston Heights Association could hold its annual Candlelight Dinner & Auction inside the now abandoned market on April 5. The event, considered by many to be the Heights’ premier social function each year, is held in conjunction with the Heights Spring Home & Garden Show. After that, the wrecking ball will bring down the store, which for six decades served as a neighborhood supermarket. “Allowing the event really didn’t delay us too much, and it seemed like the right thing to do,” said Gray.
by Charlotte Aguilar charlotte@theleadernews.com
sponsored Ad # 37570by
only
8
$ 65
M-F 11am-9pm Sat 11am-5pm
3401 W. T.C. Jester 713-957-1100
WHAT: Heights urban animals – two- and four-legged varieties – will be welcome at this unique Houston Heights Association monthly general meeting offering socializing, fun and education about controlling animal overpopulation and ending abuse and neglect. WHEN: 6:30 p.m., Jan. 14 WHERE: Old Heights City Hall & Fire Station, 107 W. 12th St. at Yale HOW MUCH: Free, including food and refreshments, treats and giveaways. LEARN MORE: www.houstonheights.org EDITOR’S TAKE: Nice chance to take your socialized, vaccinated and leashed canine to a community event to wolf down goodies, visit booths from local businesses and animal welfare-rescue groups. Slobbering permitted. Come. Sit. Shake hands/paws.
THE INDEX.
Public Safety Hipstrict Topics Obituaries Coupons Puzzles Sports Classifieds
2A 3A 4A 8A 5A 8A 7A 9A
see Fiesta • Page 12A
Is there chaos in work at Waltrip?
Handling the Homeless
THE EVENT.
Grilled Chicken Sandwich, Sweet Potato Fries & Drink
Bridgewood has filed for the necessary city permits to get started, said Gray, and has plans ready to go for a 103-unit facility that will offer a range of seniors’ living options from independent to assisted living and memory care. A link to a rudimentary sketch on the company’s website of a four-story facility, named Village of the Heights, was widely circulated recently in Heights social media and caused some concern
Leader readers noticed a recent increase in panhandling and what appeared to be a group of homeless people under and around the 610 and Ella. (Photo by Ivee Sauls)
Methods for help vary with each case by Ivee Sauls ivee@theleadernews.com The problem is always here, but homelessness seems more painful this time of year as its victims battle not only their bad fortune and inner demons but the elements. Just as graphically as street signs, there are telltale markers that the homeless are near – shopping carts, large cardboard boxes, blankets and debris, visible near freeways, bridges and railroad tracks. The most recent homeless “census” showed that at any time, about 8,700 people in Houston are without a roof over their heads. Longtime observers decry one tenacious colony beneath the area near the Yale Street Bridge near I-10, whose members return just as quickly as they are dispersed by agencies
which try to place them for assistance. Recently The Leader heard fresh concerns from readers regarding a group of homeless people occupying the space beneath the 610 overpass at Ella. Most of the concerns
centered around safety – for the homeless, drivers and the workers associated with the construction taking place in the area. While there had been no reports to Houston police, once the location was reported to the Texas Department of Transportation, action was taken to ensure the safety of those around the construction. A spokesperson for TxDOT told The Leader the area was cleared the morning of New Year’s Eve. So, where did these homeless people go? Gary Grier, director of community engagement at the Coalition for the Homeless, said they were most likely moved to a shelter or transitional housing, based on each person’s circumstances. The Coalition for the Homeless of Hous-
see Homeless • Page 12A
Depending on whom you talk to, Houston ISD’s multimillion dollar reconstruction project at Waltrip High School has a.) stalled or b.) been stopped completely. But one thing is clear: Work is behind schedule and the project may be moving forward with a new contractor. The current contractor, Fort Bend Mechanical, was fired from a project at HISD’s Jane Long Middle School last year, and was fired by the Fort Bend ISD last year. FBM is being sued – along with HISD trustee Larry Marshall – in federal court by another contractor who claims FBM was given preferential treatment after it paid $25,000 in kickbacks to Marshall, who did not report the money. HISD spokesman Jason Spencer confirmed to The Leader that the district has “met with Fort Bend Mechanical to discuss concerns, but no action has been taken at this point.” He said the beleaguered firm, based in Stafford, has completed about half the work on offices and classrooms, authorized in a 2007 bond election. But sources at Waltrip tell The Leader that no work is being done, that all the contractor’s equipment is gone from the school, and that staff and parents are being told by administrators that “the contractor was fired.” Calls to the school and to Fort Bend Mechanical were not returned by The Leader’s deadline. One teacher, who was scheduled to change classrooms after the winter see Waltrip • Page 12A
Time is running out: Nominate your pet The deadline is quickly approaching. If you believe you have one of the cutest pets in the neighborhood, you only have a few days left to send in your nomination. Along with the pride of having one of the five Leader Loveables, you also have the chance to win an amazing set of gifts from businesses all across the area, including food, free pet-sitting, free walkers, a photo session and enough perks that your pet will literally be disappointed if you don’t nominate him or her. Here’s what you do: Go to our website at www.theleadernews.com and click on the
Leader Loveables button at the right. There, you can either print out a submission form or you can do everything online, including paying the small price of $10 for nominations. If you can’t use the nomination form on our website, feel free to call our office at (713) 686-8494 and we’ll make sure you get a copy. Once nominations are accepted, voting will begin with the publication of the Jan. 19 edition of The Leader. Local businesses providing prizes for the five Leader Loveables are: Gretchen & Ivy’s Pet Sitting Bone Voyage Pet Sitting
PetPals Pet Sitting Haute Dawgs Mobile Pet Spa Puddy Cuts Darlene’s Flowers and Gifts Scoop le Poop Pet Waste Removal Service Royalty Pet Center Longhorn Feed & Seed Harmony Electric Co. Arne’s Warehouse Store The Critter Sitter Fairbanks Animal Clinic Big Dog & Ms. Kitti’s Pet Sitting Services Smart Dog Training Center Tara Wikoff, Realtor
LEADER LOVEABLES