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INSIDE.
Turner tests positive. Houston’s mayor announced Dec. 17 he tested positive for COVID-19.
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DOJ: Former HISD trustee accepted bribes By Adam Zuvanich
azuvanich@theleadernews.com
Former Houston ISD trustee Rhonda Skillern-Jones, who served public schools in the Oak Forest area for the better part of a decade, pleaded guilty to federal conspiracy charges and admitted to accepting thousands of dollars in bribes as part of an alleged kickback scheme involving a school district vendor, according to a Dec. 16 news release by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ).
The DOJ and U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas announced that former HISD chief operating officer Brian Busby, 43, and 60-year-old Anthony Hutchison, who was contracted by HISD to perform construction and grounds maintenance services, were arrested Dec. 16 and have been indicted by a federal grand jury under charges of conspiracy, bribery concerning programs receiving federal funds and witness tampering. Hutchison also has been
Skillern-Jones
charged with wire fraud, according to the DOJ. The indictment names Skillern-Jones, who served as an HISD trustee from 2012-19 and was board president in 2015 and 2018, and four former HISD employees as alleged co-conspirators. The DOJ said all five have pleaded guilty to conspiracy charges as part of plea agreements they entered, with each facing up to five years in prison. Skillern-Jones, 39, who had served as a Houston
Grade A Gifts
Local teachers, students benefit from generosity gone viral
Community College trustee since being elected to that role in 2019, did not respond to a text message seeking comment. She has resigned as an HCC trustee, according to multiple reports. “Today’s arrests and related charges are the result of a lengthy, multifaceted FBI Houston investigation,” Richard A. Collodi, the acting special agent in charge for the FBI’s Houston office, said in the news release. See HISD P. 4A
Photo from Twitter Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo raised the county’s COVID-19 threat level earlier this week amid an increase in cases.
By Adam Zuvanich azuvanich@theleadernews.com
The 26 kindergartners in Kate Strempel’s class sat in a circle earlier this month and took turns grabbing the presents that were gathered underneath the small Christmas tree she set up. The longtime Travis Elementary teacher opened them one by one, letting her young students see each item while explaining what it was and how it would help them learn. There was a 3D puzzle with magnetic pieces, books, finger lights and a projector that displays star shapes on the ceiling. There also were mini lacrosse sticks they could use at recess, along with scented pens and stinky markers, including one that smelled like rotten eggs. The kids were captivated for a full hour, according to Strempel, who provided a preview of Christmas morning for her Heights-area students as well as an educational experience. “It was such a magical lesson,” she said. “It was so nice. It wasn’t ripping open boxes. It was cool. It was, like, really purposeful.” The presents unwrapped by Strempel, which she estimated to be worth about $600, were not delivered by Santa Claus but by employees for Amazon. They had been purchased and sent in early December by Snap Kitchen, an Austin-based company with seven Houston-area locations that makes healthy, readyto-eat meals. The local teacher and mealmaking business were connected through a popular fashion and lifestyle blog called ThingsIBoughtAndLiked.com, where there was a Nov. 8 post sharing holiday wish lists on Amazon.com that were created by teachers at Title I schools, which See Gifts P. 5A
Hidalgo raises threat level for COVID-19 By Adam Zuvanich azuvanich@theleadernews.com
Contributed photo Travis Elementary teacher Kate Strempel, above, shows off the school supplies and other gifts she received from Snap Kitchen as part of a holiday wish list initiative for teachers that was started by a popular fashion and lifestyle blogger. Strempel unveiled the items to her kindergarten students earlier this month.
Contributed photo Christen Smajstrla, right, a teacher at Heights High School, received two boxes of snacks and several other items for her students as part of a holiday wish list initiative for teachers on the website ThingsIBoughtAndLiked.com. The items were purchased by Hunter Fan Company in Tennessee.
Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo raised the county’s COVID-19 threat level on Monday amid an increase in cases across the Houston region, which she attributed to the spread of the new omicron variant. Hidalgo raised the threat level from Level 3, or yellow, to Level 2, or orange, which is the second-highest level and represents an “ongoing, uncontrolled level” of COVID spread. Unvaccinated residents are asked to minimize contact with others and avoid any medium-sized or large gatherings, according to a news release from Hidalgo’s office. She said public health officials are urging all Houston-area residents, especially those age 65 and older, to get vaccinated or receive COVID booster shots if they are eligible. “Unfortunately, the omicron variant has arrived in Harris County in full force,” Hidalgo said. “These trends are understandably frustrating - especially as we close out the year with friends and family. But we can still blunt the force of this latest wave if we take action. As we approach Christmas and New Years, consider giving yourself and your family the gift of health by getting your booster, getting tested before any gatherings of people outside of your household, and wearing a mask. It could very well save your life or that of a loved one.” The number of COVID-19 cases throughout the county has steadily inSee COVID P. 4A
Community rallies around local pastor’s family after brain cancer diagnosis In love with lights. We provide tips for viewing holiday light displays in the area.
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Good news. Owners of two Heights properties were selected for Good Brick Awards.
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THE INDEX. Church....................................................... 4A Classifieds.............................................. 5A Coupons. ................................................. 3B Food/Drink............................................. 7A Opinion. ................................................... 3A Public Information......................... 2A Puzzles...................................................... 3A
By Landan Kuhlmann landan@theleadernews.com
New Day Church pastor James Yandell might not have many closer friends than co-pastor John Wethington and his wife, Halcie. “My wife jokes that John and I will talk for four hours, or a meeting will go for five hours with just me and him talking – then we’ll go home and get on Instagram, and we’ll (direct message) each other all night,” Yandell said recently. “(It gets to the point) where my wife says, ‘Put your phone in your room. You’re done with John.’ ” Yandell shared that tidbit with a group of more than 200 people who gathered Dec. 16 at their Oak Forest-area church, to illustrate their strong bond and perhaps to provide a moment of levity during an otherwise solemn occassion. They were all there to offer support and pray for 30-year-old Halcie Wethington, a mother of three young children who on Dec. 7 was diagnosed with an aggressive form of brain cancer, according to social media posts by the Wethingtons, who are leaning on family, friends and community members for support during what has become a harrowing Christmas season. An operation to surgically remove the tumor was scheduled for Tuesday morning but was postponed for at least 10 days after Halcie tested positive for COVID-19, according to a Monday night
Facebook post by John. “This is crazy. Not even sure what to say. Hard to convey the range of emotions we’re feeling,” he wrote. “We both feel fine, no symptoms. Keep us in your prayers and we’ll regroup when the new surgery date comes.” Emotions have run the gamut for the Wethingtons and those connected to their lives, such as Yandell, who became co-workers with John about five years ago after they both attended the church when it was called White Oak Baptist Church. Yandell is watching two of his best friends endure an unexpected batSee related tle with cancer and column by said he admires their Adam Zuvanich transparency with on such a personal matPage 3A ter. Yandell said trying times such as this also can be occasions during which a church family becomes more connected than ever as they come together in support of their spiritual brothers and sisters. “It’s easy for the church to be a place that you gather on Sunday – but it’s like, when bad things happen, the church gets even better. It’s like God designed it that way,” John said during the prayer event for Halcie and the family that was held at New Day Church, 3615 Mangum Rd. In addition to those who attended the See Wethington P. 5A
Contributed photo Halcie Wethington, left, the wife of New Day Church pastor John Wethington, was recently diagnosed with brain cancer and will soon undergo surgery to remove the tumor. The 30-year-old Halcie is a mother of three young children.