MICHAEL SILVA 713.725.8748
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Covering the Heights, Garden Oaks, Oak Forest & the neighborhoods of North Houston Saturday, November 1, 2014 • Vol. 60 • No. 52
PUMPED FOR LESS As gas prices are going down, find out what that means for holiday shopping and your pocket this season.
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AREA SPECIALIST
TCEQ to address residents’ ‘stink’ with Southwaste Disposal facility By Jonathan Garris jgarris@theleadernews.com
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COVERED BRIDGE COMMUNITY BIG GARAGE SALE: Saturday, Nov. 1, 5005 Georgi Lane. Start 8 a.m. 1998 CHEVY BLAZER: White four-door, grey interior, automatic transmission. 137,000 miles. Good condition. $2,700. 713-628-5431. CAREGIVER TO FEMALE and/or light house cleaning. I am available 4-5 hours, 3-4 days. References. Betty, 713699-1077.
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Lehman Martin Thorton
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Ella
Oak Forest
Piney Woods
Curtin
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Del Norte Bethlehem
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Pinemont
Garden Oaks 38th
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While incidents like the discovery of a body nearby in the Heights late this year stand out, crime has actually decreased in a number of Leader neighborhoods.
610
Crime sees nearly early 20 percent drop in Leader neighborhoods in 2014 By Jonathan Garris
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Leader to host 60th birthday bash BIRTHDAY BASH
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THE INDEX. Church
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Classifieds
6A
Coupons
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Food/Drink/Art Obituaries
9A 8A
Opinion
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Public Information Puzzles Neighbors
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For those who have been keeping track of issues with motor vehicle burglaries and panhandling issues, it may seem like crime has remained steady in some parts of The Leader area. For residents living within the Houston Police Department’s 3B30 beat, crime has actually been trending downward, according to official reports. Violent crime rates have seen a 9.5 percent decrease throughout 2014 compared to the same time period in 2013, according to official HPD reports. Non-violent crime has also decreased 21.3 percent, with a total decrease in “Part-1 Crime” at 19.9 percent. For North Division Captain L.J. Baimbridge, the statistics paint a positive picture for the police work in the area and also the neighborhoods that have been essential in reporting and deterring criminal activity. Beat 3B30 is comprised of the White Oak Acres, Brooke Hollow, Oak Forest, Garden Oaks and Shepherd Park Plaza neighborhoods. While crime may be down, Baimbridge maintains there are still some concerns and challenges moving forward. Auto thefts rose by 10 percent from 37 in 2013 to 41 this year. Baimbridge was also quick to point out that the 300 percent increase in sexual as-
“It was a stormy evening on November 27, 1917 when Betty Jane Hefka became the first child of Fred and Nellie Hefka in Gladwin, Michigan. She was the first of four girls: Lois, Margaret and Judy (being the other three.) After Mom and Lois were born, they moved to Utica, MI (near Detroit) and this is where Margaret was born.” These are the opening words to a letter written by Betty Hefka Byant’s daughter, Carrie, to pay homage and shine light on her mother and her sisters’ life history. Eddie and Mary Bryant moved into the Lazybrook area in 1986. Betty is the mother to Bryant and his wife and,
West 11th St.
Toledo St.
Statistics show a steady dropoff in the violent crime rate in beat 3B30, which includes Oak Forest, Garden Oaks, Shepherd Park Plaza, Brooke Hollow and White Oak Acres.
sault in the area was inflated, partially due to their being four incidents in 2014 versus 1 in 2013 and a change in the definition of sexual assault. Traffic has also been a big concern for officers in the area. “Some of the issues we have in beat 3B30 are related to the freeway,” Baimbridge said. “With 610 undergoing all of its construction, we have a lot more wrecks and motor vehicle accidents.” Those motor vehicle accidents end up taking a lot of manpower, Baimbridge said. Working a high number
of wrecks means officers have to take the time to file reports, and it’s been challenging to ensure the area is fully staffed. “Hopefully this traffic will return to normal after construction is complete,” Baimbridge said. The area also continues to face continued issues with auto thefts and motor vehicle burglaries. While burglary of a motor vehicle is one of the “simplest crimes to prevent,” many people have See Crime, P. 2A
Hefka sisters come to Lazybrook for annual reunion By Christina Martinez christina@theleadernews.com
Southwaste Disposal Site
Hurst St.
Shirkmere Rd.
In case you’ve missed the full page ads and email announcements, The Leader has 34th planned a community event to celebrate 60 years in the paper has been part of community. tories about you, your , to reporting on the On Saturday, Dec. 6, an r the past six decades, event geared toward all memour home come rain or bers of the community will be birthday bash and famo bring as many of you from 10:30 a.m. – 3 p.m. held at Lutheran High North. With t, which is why admisa petting zoo to the moon generous sponsorship of kids busy (and happy) Memorial Hermann Northe birthday cake will be ority that Santa will be west and Memorial Hermann large crowd expected, Medical Group, the event will area, including arts and be free to the public. ew Christmas shopping Along with a snow village, friends of THE LEADER our family can attend. petting zoo, moon walks and a visit from Santa, local busieshment milies to nesses will be on hand to Arts & Cra�s • Local Businesses nd. All we Snow Village • Pe� Zoo offer adults plenty of ngopporumber of Moon Walks • Newspaper toss ing. tunities to finish their & Hot holiday Dogs Hamburgers er at Cake shopping. A Birthday il us at visit with Santa If you’d like to attend, s.com It’s a perfect Saturday a�ernoon in Leader Country the only thing we ask if for you to send us an email at sixty@theleadernews.com
jgarris@theleadernews.com
Residents living in Timbergrove Manor and surrounding communities and businesses in the Greater Heights area will again have a chance to voice their concerns regarding the proposed expansion of the Southwaste Disposal facility on Hurst Street in the coming months. On Oct. 9, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality indicated it will be moving ahead with another public meeting regarding the facility’s proposal to increase its intake of fluids from grease traps around the area, according to the the November issue of the Timbergrove Manor Civic Club’s publication, Timbergram. Environmental Chair Lorraine Cherry said TCEQ shared its plans to hold another public meeting and will also be contacting residents who submitted comments by letter and online at TCEQ’s website. Cherry said TCEQ also approved a separate permit for Southwaste Disposal, relating to the installation of a new scrubber unit designed to mitigate the odor coming from the facility. “It’s something [Southwaste Disposal] indicated to us they would do during at an earlier neighborhood meeting,” Cherry said. “Now that it’s approved, if they would go ahead and install the scrubber as a show of good faith and if we have some indication of whether it would work or not, it would take us a big step forward.”
Maxroy St.
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Inside Today: Heights resident offers mobile shopping, Urban Izzy • 1B
now, Betty lives with the two. Each year, the four sisters come together for a reunion to catch up on new and old stories. Share memories from their childhood. Share stories from their individual growing families. Play a few games of Canasta until wee hours of the night. And catchup, just as sisters do. The sisters have named their annual event: The Hefka Sisters Reunion. “The family moved back to Gladwin, MI when Mom was twelve. They lived in Grout Street in a two story house with a small basement. Grandpa went to work for a bank, which eventually went under. Grandpa then went to work at a factory out of town and would hitch hike home each weekend. Remember me mentioning Judy, she was the baby See Sisters, P. 4A
The Hefka sisters at their first reunion in 1990 in Sarasota, Florida. From the top Betty, Lois, Margaret, and Judy.
While an exact date has not been set, TCEQ will be contacting those that have left comments on its website and those that have sent in letters regarding the proposal, Cherry said. In previous Leader articles, business owners and residents alike have voiced their displeasure with the facility and its odor. Property owners like Mark Nini previously stated the smell is impacted business considerably, but feel powerless. “The freedom to do business without being encumbered by others problems is paramount, and right now that is not happening,” Nini stated previously. “We want the TCEQ to step up and we want the proposal to be very specific as to what has to be in place to combat the odors and, if something isn’t working, the steps to rectify the situation.” Vice President of Operations Tim Cox has said the company is planning to not only install scrubbers to help mitigate the smell, but will also construct a new building to house the tanks where fluids are collected and heated into oils to be sold to companies for use in biodiesel fuels. The company has met with residents in the past, including a community meeting in May, and Cox has continued to emphasize listening to the concerns in the neighborhood. “My intent is to get back out there and in the community,” Cox stated in a previous article. “We understand the community is changing but we want to be a part of it and address their concerns.”