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Inside Today: Heights actress appearing on 2 stages • Page 13
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THURSDAY | January 3, 2013 | Vol. 59 | No. 10 | www.theleadernews.com | @heightsleader
Leader distribution changing; shifting to weekend focus
THE BRIEF.
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sponsored by
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This Jan. 3 edition of The Leader marks the final time you’ll see a publication date of Thursday. Beginning with our next edition, The Leader will move toward a weekend delivery designed to improve content, reader experience and advertising opporunities for local businesses. As reading habits have changed, especially in the print media business, more and more readers rely on digital devices (computers,
tablets, smart phones) to get their news in a hurry. Meanwhile, print editions of newspapers have become more of an experience – a time to sit back and read articles of depth. With this change, the delivery schedule will change. The Leader will be sent to our printer on Wednesday evenings and we will begin delivery sometime mid-morning on Thursdays. As is the case now, because we deliver 34,000 copies of the paper across this
area, we will continue to deliver over a twoday period, preferrably completing our distribution by Friday evenings. Along with improving the reader experience with the newspaper, this change also allows local businesses to reach potential customers in a more timely manner. With the old deadlines, advertisers had to submit their ads on Fridays – nearly a week before those same ads reached their customers. Now, they
will have until Tuesday afternoon to submit their marketing materials, and they will reach customers less than 36 hours later. If you normally received your copy of The Leader on Tuesdays, you likely will receive it Thursdays. And if it was delivered on Wednesdays, your paper should arrive on Fridays. There will be some cases of Saturday morning delivery, but not many. – Jonathan McElvy, Publisher
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10570 NW Frwy • 713-680-2350
Tree-cycling runs through Jan. 8
The city of Houston is offering its annual Christmas “tree-cycling” program at 18 locations through Jan. 8 – including T.C. Jester Park and Memorial Park – as well as curbside pickup on regular yard waste collection days. Trees that are collected for recycling will be ground into mulch that is available in bulk directly from Living Earth or available in bags at Houston retailers. Each tree recycled is a savings to the city in landfill costs. The trees must have all decorations, ornaments, tinsel, lights and stands removed. Flocked trees cannot be recycled. The two Leader-area dropoff locations are open 9 a.m.-6 p.m. daily. They are T.C. Jester Park, at 4200 W. T.C. Jester, and Memorial Park, 7300 Memorial Drive, ball fields 4 and 5.
Is North Shepherd next to boom? Waltrip Band close to making dream trip by Charlotte Aguilar charlotte@theleadernews.com
THE EVENT.
Photos by Jonathan McElvy
sponsored by
Workers are moving dirt and and a foundation is nearly complete at the site of a new LA Fitness on North Shepherd Drive.
As LA Fitness preps to open, discussion on local ownership increases by Jonathan McElvy jonathan@theleadernews.com TWO FOR TWELVE 2 Burgers, 2 Fries 2 Drinks Come on in & bring a friend.
M-F 11am-9pm Sat 11am-5pm
3401 W. T.C. Jester 713-957-1100
WHAT: Houston ISD magnet schools application deadline WHEN: Postmarked or delivered to campus no later than Jan. 11 WHERE: Info and applications online at www.houstonisd.org HOW MUCH: No application fees, no tuition. These are public schools. LEARN MORE: If the website doesn’t answer your questions, call HISD’s Office of School Choice at 713-556-6934. EDITOR’S TAKE: With specialty programs at all grade levels, including gifted-and-talented, International Baccalaureate and niche focuses such as fine arts, science, math, technology, aviation, engineering and language (Spanish and Chinese immersion elementaries) – you might be nurturing a budding artist, doctor, astronaut or international trader. And the price is oh-so-right.
THE INDEX. Public Safety Hipstrict Topics Obituaries Coupons Puzzles Sports Classifieds
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There are proven hot-spots for businesses in this area of Houston. On the southern end, Yale Street and Sawyer have exploded in the past three years. Just as interesting is projecting where the next wave of demolition and renovation might occur, and one national business may be giving a pretty good hint. LA Fitness, which currently has 18 facilities in the Houston market, has begun clearing land on North Shepherd, near the intersection of 43rd Street. Attempts to reach the national fitness chain were unsuccessful, and it is unclear when the workout facility will open, but a sales office has been opened next to the Houston Police Department’s substation on 43rd and Ella, and promotional materials are going out fast and furiously. According to a flyer circulated by LA Fitness, the gym will feature more than just weights and ellipticals. The massive facility also will have cycling classes, a pool, sauna, yoga and baby sitting.
Kathryn van der Pol, who owns Adolf Hoepfl & Son Garage on North Shepherd, said it’s a good thing to have a vacant lot filled along one of the main thoroughfares of Oak Forest and Garden Oaks. “I think it’s going to be a great thing for the neighborhood,” she said. Ken Bridge, who owns Shepherd Park Draught House and Pink’s Pizza, less than a mile south of the new LA Fitness, agrees that a new business in the area indicates the continued gentrification of the area
just north of the Heights. “The demographics there now are a lot like they are in the Heights,” Bridge said. “The way you have to look at it is, if someone builds a really nice house next to yours, it’s a good thing.” Mickey Blake, chair of the Greater Heights Chamber of Commerce, agrees. “I think it’s evidence of the continued revitalization of this area of Houston,” she said. “It all really started in the Heights, and now it’s moving out.” Adding an LA Fitness to the North Shepherd corridor obviously puts a shiny store-front on a 6-lane road that needs improvement. van der Pol has been an active member of the North Shepherd Area Business Association, and that group’s mission is to “... improve the safety, security, drainage and beautification, and to attract new business to [the North Shepherd Area].” However, both van der Pol and Bridge are quick to point out that there’s no desire to see North Shepherd become a strip
see Shepherd • Page 14
The good news is that the Waltrip Ram Band has raised more than $100,000 toward a trip to Washington, D.C. for presidential inauguration activities. The bad news: the band is still about $40,000 shy of its goal, with less than two weeks left before its invitations will disappear. The band has set another fundraising concert from 5-9 p.m. Jan. 10 in the school auditorium, 1900 W. 34th St. to help make what’s being called a once-in-a-lifetime trip to the nation’s capital. There’s no set price for admission, but director Jesse Espinosa is hoping attendees will be generous. He’s optimistic that the final amount can be raised by the Jan. 14 deadline to accept the invitations the band has received. The band and its entourage would have to depart on Jan. 17. “It’s mostly faith – just believing it’s going to happen,” he said. “The band deserves it.” In fact, the Waltrip Ram Band is ranked as
see Waltrip • Page 14
Search begins for cutest pet Today begins a much-heralded contest to find the five cutest pets in The Leader’s coverage area. Beginning with this edition, nominations will be accepted for any owner who believes he or she has a Leader Loveable. On Page 7 of today’s edition, there is a nomination form that allows you to submit your pet. Nominations will be accepted until Jan. 15, and then readers will have two weeks to vote on the Top 5 Loveables in the area. Along with the printed nomination form, readers can log on to www.theleadernews.com, click the “Loveables” button on the right side of the page, and submit your nomination that way. You may also just email a photo of your pet, along with other required information to pets@theleadernews.com. For complete rules, please turn to Page 7.
Acts of kindness multiply for Oak Forest family by Betsy Denson betsy@theleadernews.com Maybe it’s the holiday season that brings out the generosity in people. Or maybe the media is looking to highlight kindness and compassion this time of year. Whatever the reason, the news was full of these kinds of stories – from the Plano police officer who left $100 in a ticket for a father struggling to make ends meet, to the efforts of those who are participating in the ‘26 Acts of Kindness’ campaign in memory of the victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary tragedy. All the coverage is a good reminder
of the ways, big and small, that a person can make a positive difference in the life of another. It also prompted a story about how Oak Forest’s Mandy Derryberry chose to celebrate her mother’s 65th birthday. Although Forest West resident Cindy Bamsch would have been happy with the car wash gift certificate she requested, Derryberry decided to significantly up the ante and honor her with 65 Random Acts of Kindness, or RAOK. “My mom is the most kind-hearted person in the world,” said Derryberry. “She taught me from a very early age that it is better to give than to receive
and always led by example to reinforce this.” To accomplish her goal, Derryberry sent a letter explaining the plan to Bamsch’s friends, family and some of her former students as Bamsch taught in the Cy-Fair district for30 years. Derryberry included a list of potential acts, more than half of which didn’t cost anything, as well as a selfaddressed stamped envelope and a card for them to record their name, the RAOK they performed, and a spot for a birthday wish for Bamsch. In addition to the RAOK she solic-
see Kindness • Page 14
Cindy Bamsch received 65 acts of kindess for her 65th birthday.