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

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Saturday, December 3, 2016 • Vol. 62 • No. 50

About Us 3500 East T.C. Jester Blvd Suite A (713) 686-8494 news@theleadernews.com www.theleadernews.com Facebook/THE LEADER.

Heights residents wary of plan By Betsy Denson betsy@theleadernews.com

Public meeting about plans for waterworks raises concerns of more flooding and congestion

During what was at times a contentious meeting, Alliance Residential Group detailed their initial plans for the old Heights waterworks, a twoacre site between West 19th and West 20th streets. An adjacent 1.8 acre tract, where the water tank used to sit, is also included in the deal. As Council Member Ellen Cohen reminded the 100 plus person group who

Pictured is Cyrus Bahrami, one of the developers

attended the Tuesday night meeting at the Heights Fire Station, the land is currently owned by Public Works and Engineering and is not currently being

utilized. As it was not a functional asset for the city, it was put up for sale and per city statute, the highest bid was the

g i n g e r a n d f o r k r e s ta u r a n t. c o m

Book your Holiday Party!

By Kim Hogstrom For The Leader

have a great culture of collaboration between all the students here and a lot of peer-to-peer mentorship that happens because of the aspect we push here—it’s definitely the backbone of our program and why we have been successful.” For Espinosa, the payoff lies not in the accolades or money, but the growth and maturation of his students as artists, musicians and people. “For it to come back around in this form is just kind of icing on the cake based on what I see every day,” he said. “The success from just improvement that each kid makes

The Houston Heights slipped a little further from its history on Friday, Nov. 18, 2016, the day noted heart surgeon Dr. Denton Cooley died. The death of the 96-year-old world-renowned doctor marked the passing of a pioneer in cardiac surgery. It also marked the loss of the only remaining grandchild of the founder of the community, Daniel D. Cooley, or “The Father of the Houston Heights.” D e n t o n Cooley was born in 1920 to the son of Daniel, Ralph Cooley and his wife Mary. Always an outDr. Denton Cooley, the standing stuson of Daniel Cooley, the “Father of the Heights,” dent, by 1944 passed away Nov. 18. Cooley had Denton Cooley was a earned medical renowned physician degrees from in Houston. (Photo by the University James E. Fisher) of Texas Medical Branch and John Hopkins. He then immersed himself in the study of heart surgery. In 1951, Cooley joined the team at Baylor College of Medicine under the eye of heart surgeon, Dr. Michael DeBakey, who was a decade older. It took nearly ten years to reach its boiling point, but the two renowned surgeons parted company as rivals following an argument. It would be nearly 50 years before they spoke again. Cooley then founded the Texas Heart Institute at St. Luke’s Episcopal Hospital in 1962. The institute soon earned a reputation as one of the finest academic heart centers in the the world. Two of Cooley’s surgeries in the 1960s changed the practice of open-heart surgery, globally. He performed the first transplant of a human heart after which the patient lived

See Espinosa P. 10A

See Cooley P. 10A

4705 Inker St. 713-861-8883

inside.

Small businesses are learning, how to cope with higher rents, tougher business climate.

Page 1B Waltrip High School’s Jesse Espinosa was awarded a $1,000 grant to further musical education at Waltrip. He was one of 20 U.S. educators to receive the award. (Photo by Landan Kuhlmann)

Page 4B

Find it.

2005 WHITE HONDA FOR SALE: Good condition, many new parts. A/C runs great. 178,000 miles. $3,500. 713682-5296. NEED A MOTHER’S RETREAT? Part-time child care, evenings and weekends only for children 6 wks. to 12 in my home. Hourly fees start at $20. Oak Forest resident, mother of four, college degree in education. Call or email me 832-704-2769 or danica.d@att.net. NURSERY WORKER WANTED: Local church seeking individual to work in nursery on Sundays 8 a.m.-1 p.m. and Wednesdays 5:30-8 p.m. Vicky, 713-397-9336.

Worthy Award Espinosa honored for leading ‘humble’ students By Landan Kuhlmann landan@theleadernews.com As Jesse Espinosa stood in front of the Waltrip High School symphonic band’s first rehearsal last week, the former graduate and longtime school band director was as in his element as ever. Last week, Espinosa was awarded a $1,000 grant by the Give a Note Foundation and 21st Century Fox to further musical education at Waltrip—one of just 20 educators from across the country to receive the grant. Though each student reacts to different methods, one thing Espinosa has found that unites students

is his effort to emphasize the student leadership aspect with regards to collaborative efforts. “It means teaching them to be humble followers, and through that I’ve seen students strive for more and want to try harder, not only for themselves but because they’re also leaving a legacy for the students that will follow them,” he said. “We

Harvard ‘Girls on the Run’ to help By Landan Kuhlmann landan@theleadernews.com

NEED YOUR KITCHEN CLEAN FOR THE HOLIDAYS or just the bedroom, or rest of the house? 713-391-7167.

Page 7B

The INDEX. Church....................................................... 5B Classifieds.............................................. 6B Coupons. ................................................. 8A Food/Drink/Art............................... 11A Obituaries.............................................. 9A Opinion. ................................................... 7A Public Information......................... 2A Puzzles...................................................... 7A Sports. ....................................................11B

See Waterworks P. 6A

Heights’ first son, Cooley, passes at 96

3414 WASHINGTON AVE FEASTURBANEATS.COM

Another local bank is moving into the area and is ready to open on North Shepherd.

one accepted. The sale is not final until City Council votes on it, at which time the sale price will become public. Cyrus Bahrami, who oversees development, investment and construction operations for the Houston office of Alliance, said he previously lived in the Heights and has been looking at the site for some time. He said that the plans for the southwest and southeast corners of West 20th and Nicholson

Photo by The Leader Harvard crossing guard Fetene Yezengaw high fives a Harvard student as he crosses the street. Yezengaw is a beloved member of the Harvard community, which has banded together to help him.

Fetene Yezengaw’s heartwarming story is well-known to Leader readers. The Ethiopian native has been in the United States for more than a decade after fleeing from his home country, where he was recruited as a child soldier. Last year, Yezengaw (a crossing guard at Harvard Elementary) was reunited with his parents through the help of the Heights community—and the community has once again come to the aid of their friend and neighbor. During the course of the Ethiopian civil war, Yezengaw lost one of his legs and now requires a prosthetic in order to move around—which he does in a manner so joyful many do not even notice. What is noticeable, however, are the medical costs associated with repairs to the prosthetic necessary to help him walk without pain. And though he is accustomed to being the one help-

If you want to help support the Harvard students’ effort to help, go to GoFundMe.com and search for ‘Fetene.’

ing people cross safely, Harvard’s Girls On The Run is turning the tables to help their beloved friend get around safely and pain-free himself, offering to organize a bake sale to raise funds and help Fetene pay for the costs, which would be upwards of $5,200. A GoFundMe page has also been created on Yezengaw’s behalf to account for costs incurred as the result of treatment and more. See Harvard P. 10A

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