Leader September 11

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Flowers, Fashions and Fabulous New Finds Come See Us!

Inside Today: HISD has planned a series of town halls • Page 5A

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Saturday, September 11, 2021 • Vol. 66 • No.37

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Trail connector set to be constructed is estimated to cost $1.18 million and take 157 days, according to the council agenda item. Council member Abbie Kamin, who represents the area as part of District C, said construction is expected to start this fall. Kamin also said a public engagement meeting will be held to discuss specifics of the project and the impact of construction, although a date for the meeting has yet to be determined. “Our community has an abundance of cyclists, runners and walkers that are eager for the city to improve their

By Adam Zuvanich azuvanich@theleadernews.com

Linking two of the most popular hike-and-bike trails in the Heights is one step closer to fruition. The Houston City Council last week voted to award a construction contract for the MKT Spur Trail Connector, which will close an 850-foot gap between the MKT and White Oak Bayou Greenway trails with a 10-foot wide reinforced concrete path. Teamwork Construction Services has been enlisted to complete the work, which

accessibility,” Houston Heights Association executive director Emily Guyre said in a statement released by Kamin’s office. “We have a large number of neighbors who utilize the current trail system, and we know the volume will increase once this crucial foot trail connector is installed. The HHA is eager for the citizens of the Houston Heights to have a safe, accessible route to enjoy the outdoors and explore our beautiful city.” As first reported by The Leader in March, the trail connector will cover See Trail P. 5A

Down on Main Street

Your neighborhood living room in The Heights

Photo by Adam Zuvanich The White Oak Bayou Greenway Trail, which ends underneath Studemont Street, will soon be connected to the MKT Trail, which crosses the bridge in the background.

Constable Rosen dismissed as defendant in sexual misconduct lawsuit By Adam Zuvanich

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speakers and placing a large, metal shipping container on the northeast corner of the property in an attempt to

Harris County Precinct 1 Constable Alan Rosen, who serves the Heights, Garden Oaks and Oak Forest areas, has been dismissed as a defendant from a federal lawsuit that alleges sexual misconduct by two highranking members of his office during a human-trafficking sting operation. U.S. District Court Judge Kenneth Hoyt on Monday granted Rosen Rosen’s motion for dismissal from the lawsuit. Hoyt wrote in his order that allegations made by the plaintiffs - four former female deputies and another woman who worked for the constable’s office as a humantrafficking advocate - would not support “Rosen’s individual liability” if proven to be true. The judge denied motions to dismiss Precinct 1 Assistant Chief Chris Gore and Lt. Shane Rigdon as defendants in the case. Harris County also is a defendant. “I thank the court for its considered review of the law as it pertains to the motion to dismiss me from this matter, and for granting that dismissal such that my full focus can remain on the needs of the residents of Precinct 1,” Rosen said in a statement released by his office. Houston attorney Cordt Akers, who is representing the women, said when the lawsuit was filed in May that the constable’s office held “bachelor party” sting operations in which the female deputies were ordered to pose as prostitutes and the male deputies acted the part of buyers, in order to create an atmosphere in which actual sex workers would feel comfortable and more likely to engage in illegal actively. But according to the lawsuit,

See Feud P. 6A

See Rosen P. 8A

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INSIDE. Photo by Adam Zuvanich Greg Walinorski, co-owner of Main Street Tap & Grill, 4002 N. Main St., talks on the phone while standing on the business’ rooftop patio Tuesday night. The bar has feuded with nearby residents who are concerned about loud noise and acts of violence.

Residents battle neighborhood bar Touching tributes. Local businesses honored the soldiers recently killed in Afghanistan.

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Booster shots. Memorial Hermann has begun administering COVID-19 booster shots.

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Hot start. Booker T. Washington High School won its first two football games of the year.

By Adam Zuvanich azuvanich@theleadernews.com

Greg Walinorski knows his neighbors are not happy. At this point, though, he said he’s not sure what he can do to change that while keeping his business viable. Walinorski is the co-owner of Main Street Tap & Grill, 4002 N. Main St., which since opening in late 2019 has had nearly 200 noise complaints filed against it with the Houston Police Department. Nearby residents said they also have been unsettled by acts of violence at the restaurant and bar in the eastern part of the Heights, where a man operating a “steak night” was injured in a shooting in the early hours of Aug. 14. The shooting was an isolated incident committed by someone who lives nearby and was not a customer of the bar, according to Walinorski. As for the noise created by live music performances on the back outdoor patio –

Photo by Adam Zuvanich Main Street Tap & Grill, since opening in late 2019 at 4002 N. Main St., has been the subject of nearly 200 loud-noise complaints filed by nearby residents, according to the Houston Police Department.

which is directly across the street from houses to the north and east – Walinorski said he’s tried to appease neighbors by limiting the shows to a few nights per week, utilizing a small number of

Heights Woman’s Club back together for annual kickoff By Landan Kuhlmann

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THE INDEX. Church....................................................... 5A Classifieds.............................................. 6A Coupons. ................................................. 8A Food/Drink............................................. 9A Opinion. ................................................... 3A Public Information..................... 10A Puzzles...................................................... 3A Sports. ....................................................... 4B

Contributed photo Members of the Houston Heights Woman’s Club eat lunch during the group’s annual kickoff on Sept. 1.

The Houston Heights Woman’s Club (HHWC) has been going strong for more than a century, and is not slowing down despite the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. On Sept. 1, the ladies’ group based at 1846 Harvard St. in the Heights hosted its 120th annual kickoff, with more than 50 masked-up women gathering together in person for the first time since 2019 to share laughs, food

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and smiles. “The best way to put it is that this occasion was joyous – there just wasn’t as much hugging as there had been in previous years,” member Rebecca Marek said with a laugh. “But you could still see the smiles, even behind the masks.” Last year’s event was held via Zoom, and Marek said the opportunity to come back together was a long-awaited one – though it is not the first time special circumstances have challenged the

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club, which was founded in 1900. During both World Wars, the clubhouse was turned over to the Red Cross – but members of the club still met at a nearby church, according to a news release from the organization. “Not many organizations in Houston can claim such a long, uninterrupted history,” the release said. Since its inception, Marek said the club has strived to serve the See HHWC P. 6A


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