11-19-22 Edition of The Heights Leader

City beginning meal program for homeless

By Landan Kuhlmann landan@theleadernews.com

The city of Houston has launched a program it says is aimed at provid ing food and shelter for the city’s homeless popu lation while offering them additional services to get them off the street.

On Nov. 2, the city an nounced that it is part nering with Houston non profit Bread of Life on

the Dinner to Home pro gram. The food program is designed to help those experiencing homeless ness “embark on the path to being housed,” accord ing to the city.

“Food alone does not solve homelessness,” Mayor Sylvester Turner said. “However, when used with services and housing, food can be an important tool to help train professionals forge

vital relationships need ed to navigate vulnerable Houstonians into housing with wrap-around ser vices.”

According to data from Coalition for the Home less, there are more than 3,000 people experienc ing homelessness at any given point in the Hous ton region. The organiza tion also says that more than 52,000 people in Harris, Fort Bend, and

Light up the holidays

Lights in the Heights set for Dec. 10

By Landan Kuhlmann landan@theleadernews.com

One of Houston’s most popular Christmastime events is coming back for a second straight year following a brief hiatus from the COVID-19 pan demic a couple of years ago.

The annual Lights in the Heights holiday-themed display, put on annually by the Wood land Heights Civic Association, is back from 6-9 p.m. on Satur day, Dec. 10

This year’s featured streets during LITH will be Bayland and Woodland streets between

Studewood and Beauchamp streets, according to the event website, woodland-heights.org/ events-1/2022/12/10/lightsin-the-heights-december-10th.

During the annual event, which has been held for more than 30 years, there will be unique and festive light displays for community members to see as they walk the event route as well as live entertainment from homeowners such as music and games.

The annual event was briefly held internally within the Wood

last year.

The WHCA is also looking for lawns and porches to host bands that have been booked for the event. Anyone who would like to volunteer their lawn or porch for live music can email enter tainmentlith@gmail.com

For more information on Lights in the Heights 2022, such as directions and a route map for this year’s event, community members can visit woodland-heights.org/ events-1/2022/12/10/lights-

Montgomery counties accessed assistance av enues such as food or clothing assistance in 2021.

The program will pro vide dinner four nights a week for three months, the city said, with an op tion to extend for up to 10 months. It will be man aged by Houston-area nonprofit Bread of Life.

HISD rolling out mobile enrollment unit for local students

By Landan Kuhlmann landan@theleadernews.com

If area students and families see a large white van rolling around the neighborhood the words “Enroll Now,” scrawled in big block letters, there’s no reason to be alarmed – it’s just Houston ISD’s Mobile Enroll ment Unit.

The mobile unit, or E-Unit, is a new tool the district said it is using in efforts to increase class room enrollment in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic.

With student enrollment still lagging behind its figures prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, Houston ISD says the district is trying to make sure all families have equal access to the ability to enroll their students.

According to a report from Houston Public Media, there were 194,852 students enrolled in HISD for the 2022-2023 school year as of August. The figure was down about 7.1 percent – or roughly 15,000 students – from pre-pandemic levels in the 20192020 school year, according to the report.

Now, instead of having to go online – as some families may not have access to technology –or to their zoned school in order to enroll, students and families in Houston neighborhoods will be able to use mobile stations inside the unit to enroll in their school or choose from schools and programs districtwide, ac cording to HISD.

“Providing equitable access for families in every commu nity means that we must meet our families where they are at,” HISD Superintendent Millard House II said.

By Landan Kuhlmann landan@theleadernews.com

As the season of major holidays begins next week, plenty of local residents likely want to start getting into the spirit.

And there are plenty of events happening around Houston to get into the spirit of Thanksgiving and looking ahead to Christmas, includ ing several happening in the area for residents of the Heights, Garden Oaks, and Oak Forest.

On Thanksgiving Day, Trattoria Sofia in the Heights at 911 W. 11th St. will be hosting a Thanksgivingcentric feast all day from 11 a.m.-9 p.m. The will be serving a 4-course prix-fixe meal along with their regu lar dinner menu all day, according to the restaurant. Reservations are recommended, and can be made by calling 713-804-0429. Community members can also book their table or see the special menu at www.

Playoff push The Heights Bulldogs kept their season alive, while local private school teams get the playoffs underway this week.

ArtCrawl Houston and Mural Fest this weekend.

File photo by Landan Kuhlmann

Pictured is a dragon display from a previous Lights in the Heights event. This year’s event is set for Dec. 10.

Photo courtesy of HISD

The HISD Mobile Enrollment Unit is start

local neighborhoods.

Photo from Facebook

Several

holiday

happening around the area in the spirit of Thanksgiving.

Breaker box malfunction cause fire at medical plaza

By Landan Kuhlmann landan@theleadernews.com

Arson investigators said a malfunctioning breaker box caused a small fire at a local medi cal plaza last week, ac cording to the Houston Fire Department.

There were no report ed injuries as a result of the fire, according to the department.

Crews from stations 30, 31, 34, 12, 15, 39 and 9 responded to the Lin dale Medical Plaza at 615 N. Loop E. Freeway just before 8:30 a.m. on Nov. 5, the department said, to find a fire coming from a room containing a CT scan machine.

After the fire was extin guished, HFD said inves tigators determined that a faulty breaker box on

the room was the cause of the fire.

There was an estimat

Fire damages unit at Northside apartment complex

By Landan Kuhlmann landan@theleadernews.com

Authorities are working to determine the cause and origins of a fire that damaged an apartment unit at a Northside apart ment complex last week, according to the Houston Fire Department.

There were no report ed injuries from the fire, according to the depart ment.

Crews from stations 15, 30, 31, 34, 58, and 67 re sponded to the La Casita apartment complex at

233 Rosamond St. in the Northside area just be fore 8:30 p.m. on Nov. 4 to find some coming from the courtyard of the onestory apartment building unit.

Nobody was hurt, the department said, as the unit is currently vacant and the fire was con tained to the one apart ment. However, crews did rescue two cats from the unit above before extinguishing the fire, according to the depart ment.

Arson investigators are

still working to determine what caused the fire, ac cording to the depart ment.

the outside of the wall of

ed $10,000 in damage to the room, according to the department.

Photo by Facebook

A breaker box malfunction caused a small fire at a local medical plaza last week, according to the Houston Fire De partment.

From: Party Chairman

Texas Democrats

To:

Subject: Operation Lack luster

What a victory! What a great fight by the under dogs, outspent, out-blitzed and outnumbered! Well, that was the case for Dem ocrats in other parts of the country where the Red Tsunami turned into a mild Red Tide. But here in Texas, things didn’t go as planned. Actually it was another di saster. I feel like commander of Pearl Harbor on Dec. 8, 1941. Let’s start with our state-wide elections. We lost every single race and we have since Ann Richards was elected governor in 1990. We have Texans old enough to vote but have never seen a Democrat in the Governor’s Mansion. Our big hope this year was Beto O’Rourke. He was a fresh face – back in 2018 when he almost de feated Ted “Cancun” Cruz. Now Beto is up for member ship in AARP. Three swings and you’re out, Beto. Polls showed throughout the cam paign Gov. Greg Abbott was ahead and, for once, the polls were correct. The Guv received 4.4 million votes or 54.8 percent to Beto’s 3.5 million or almost 44 percent. Abbott won by better than 10 percent. In politics that’s a landslide.

Our candidate had several problems. Donors were hesi tant to write him yet another check. Coupled with what Abbot raised, this was the most expensive gubernatori al race Texas has ever seen. With the tab still being tabu lated, Abbott and O’Rourke together spent $160 million. Our boy did well in Harris County, beating Abbott by 10 points, 54 to 44 percent. But Abbott creamed Beto in the hinterlands. Take Loving County in far West Texas, the least populated county in the lower 48. Abbott easily whopped Beto 69 to 6. The Loving County 2020 Cen sus counted 64 people of all ages and 59 people of voting age, with a margin for error. Elsewhere, we thought our candidates would do well in the Valley. We did fairly well but not enough to help our state-wide candidates. The banner in our Brownsville campaign office: “Tejanos always vote Democrat” was probably not a good idea.

Besides the race for gov ernor, we also bombed with the race for lieutenant governor. Dan Patrick the Official State Demagogue, easily won over Mike Col lier. The two opposed each other in 2018 and Patrick actually did better this time. And what does it take to defeat a candidate for state attorney general who faces seven-year-old felony fraud charges? Who has an FBI investigation going into al

Lynn Ashby Columnist

out a form, voted but his bal lot was set aside as “provi sional” and may or may not be counted. It took a solid hour. With things so messed up, of more than 1.1 million ballots cast, Harris County filed a request for an exten sion. It was the only county in the state to request one.

Texas’ lead lawyer, consis tently makes a mockery of the law? Answer: Ken Pax ton, who only needs an R by his name on the ballot. The GOP agriculture commis sioner, Sid Miller, went to Oklahoma for a “Jesus shot,” whatever that is, attended a rodeo in Mississippi and charged both to the taxpay ers of Texas. Miller won by 13 percentage points. It was the same when the tainted and great friend of the oil biz (which he is supposed to regulate). Wayne Christian coasted to victory by 15 per cent. You thought the State Board of Education was ruled by right-wing nuts? Candidates who ran in op position of so-called critical race theory in public schools won their races, giving Re publicans one more seat on the board. There will be 10 Republicans and 5 Demo crats.

Our story goes on and on. Remember the Texas Demo crats ran Texas longer than the communists ran the So viet Union. Longer than the PRI ruled Mexico. This is the party of Sam Rayburn who controlled the House while Lyndon Johnson ran the Senate for years. We now have Ted Cruz who is so dis liked by his colleagues that South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham, a fellow Republi can, said, “If you killed Ted Cruz on the floor of the Sen ate, and the trial was in the Senate, nobody would con vict you.” U.S. Rep. Louie Gohmert asked, “Is there anything that the National Forest Service or BLM [the Bureau of Land Manage ment] can do to change the course of the moon’s orbit, or the Earth’s orbit around the sun?”

What happened? We thought we would make enough gains in the urban ar eas to offset those bumpkins in East Bypass, but we had problems. Turnout dropped off significantly in urban liberal strongholds. In Hous ton, for instance, there were long lines to vote. Some vot ing stations ran out of paper ballots. Honest. One voter, a frustrated journalist, tried to vote by mail, never got a requested ballot, after a sec ond trip to the polls, he was sent to a different desk, filled

Harris County has nearly double the amount of regis tered voters of Dallas Coun ty and nearly triple that of Travis County. To no one’s surprise, our indicted Atty. Gen. Paxton tried to stop the extension but was overruled by a judge.

Lessons learned from the Great Texas Democrat De bacle of 2022: Texans like to freeze in the dark. They want to arm our teach ers with bazookas but al low psychotic 18-year-olds to buy any gun they wish. Don’t say, “Hell yes, we’re going to take your AR-15, your AK-47.” In the Val ley, our candidates should not end their campaign speeches with: “Remember the Alamo!” Do not mention President Joe Biden, but always wear a MAGA cap. That will puzzle the voters, but remember you are deal ing with people who confuse Marfa with Mafia, think Beto is the UT Longhorn mascot and believe “liquidity in your portfolio” means a bottle of Ozarka in your briefcase. But don’t sulk. You were defeated because there was voter fraud.

Ashby advises at ashby2@comcast.net

Heights outlasts Stratford; local private schools starting playoff runs

By Landan Kuhlmann landan@theleadernews.com

After not winning a playoff game for more than a decade, the Heights Bulldogs have now done so in two consecu tive seasons as they continue a run of recent success.

The Bulldogs outlasted the Stratford Spartans 25-20 last weekend at Delmar Stadium in a Class 6A Division II bi-dis trict playoff game, advancing to the area round for a second straight season after overcom ing a seven-point fourth quar ter deficit. Heights (8-3) will face off with Fort Bend High tower (9-2) in the area round at 1 p.m. Saturday back at Del mar Stadium.

It was a struggle offen sively for Heights for much of the first half, as the Bulldogs trailed 20-6 with less than a minute to go in the first half before quarterback Allen Rainey found Chance Hollins for a 1-yard score late in the half. The score set off the Bull dogs’ offense, which scored the game’s final 19 points – in cluding 12 in the fourth quar ter.

Rainey starred once more for the Bulldogs, throwing for 279 yards and three touch downs without an intercep tion while also rushing for 138 yards and an additional score. Four different receivers caught at least three passes for Heights, with Kevon Misher (10 catches, 116 yards) haul ing in two of Rainey’s scoring tosses.

Jared Sutton led the Bull dogs’ defensive effort with

nine tackles and his third in terception of the season.

Elsewhere in HISD action, the Booker T. Washington Eagles’ historic season came to an end in the Class 4A bidistrict round with a 27-18 loss to Brazosport last week.

Kamryn Jackson threw two touchdown passes for the Eagles which finished the sea son with a 10-1 record and the program’s first district title since 1994.

Waltrip’s season also came to a close in the bi-district round, as the Rams dropped a 42-3 decision to Manvel. The Rams concluded the 2022 sea son with an 8-3 mark and their first playoff berth since 2017.

Private school

The TAPPS playoffs are un der way, and two local schools are kicking off what they hope to be deep playoff runs this

weekend.

The St. Thomas Eagles (91) are set to clash with Trinity Christian (3-7) at 7 p.m. Friday at Tiger Field in Belton in a TAPPS Division I regional fi nal. Dual-threat quarterback Donte Lewis (2,704 total yards 32 touchdowns) and running back Johann Cardenas (1,371 total yards, 18 touchdowns) spearhead the Eagles’ offen

sive attack, while linebacker Jackson Ward (101 tackles) and Caleb Davis (45 tackles, 4 interceptions) lead the de fense.

Meanwhile, St. Pius X (5-5) will square off with Plano Pre stonwood Christian (7-2) at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Groesbeck High School in another TAPPS Division I regional final. The Panthers’ offense will likely

run through junior tailback Josh Mitchell (982 yards, 12 touchdowns) who has tallied five games with at least 100 yards this season, and all-state receiver Vincent Doucet (654 yards, 8 touchdowns). Travis Pesek (104 tackles) and Aden Allen (71 tackles, 5 sacks) lead the defense.

Extraordinary Senior Living Opens in Houston Heights

AN ELEVATED SENIOR EXPERIENCE

Whether dining with friends at one of our five-star restaurants, enjoying a massage at our spa, or relaxing by the pool, a world of opportunity awaits at Houston’s newest and most innovative senior living community.

order to view and/or download plans and specifications for this Project. Bids will also be electronically submitted through CivCast. There is NO charge to view or download documents. By submitting a Bid, Bidder acknowledges and agrees that the Contract Documents may be accepted, executed or agreed to through the use of an Electronic Signature, as defined by and in accordance with Owner’s Electronic Signature Rules for Construction Contracts.

The Owner reserves the right to reject any or all Bids and to waive all defects and irregularities in bidding or bidding process except time of submitting a Bid. The Succ essful Bidder, if any, will be the responsible Bidder which in the Owner’s judgment will be most advantageous to the District and result in the best and most economical completion of the Project.

NNMD proporcionará traducciones de todos los documentos s olicitados o proveerá un traductor en cualquier reunión pública sin costo alguno.

Set in an enclave downtown, yet surrounded by some of Houston’s most prestigious neighborhoods, the community features luxury residences for Senior Living, Assisted Living, and Memory Care. Here, we prioritize wellness and educational offerings promoting growth, connection, and well-being.

Residences are still available! Call 281-241-5319 today to schedule a tour and ask about our exclusive offerings.

Photo from Twitter

St. Thomas quarterback Donte Lewis rolls out and prepares to throw during a game earlier this season. The Eagles play in a regional final against Trinity Christian this weekend.

LAndAn KuhLmAnn Editor

trattoriasofia.com/posts/thanks giving-day.

That following weekend, there is also an event geared toward spruc ing up the Thanksgiving weekend and preparing for Christmas. De cant Urban Winery, 948 Wakefield Dr., will be hosting a wine and win ter wreath-making class on Nov. 27

In addition to providing food, the city said there will also be home less services available to individu als, such as housing assessments and more to help on their path.

In January, officials from the city, Harris County and Coalition for the Homeless announced a combined pledge of $100 million that will be used for the second phase of the

The district said the EUnit will be stopping by spots throughout Hous ton and surrounding ar eas by stopping through neighborhoods, highly populated areas, local business, and local com munity events so that stu dents from the district’s neighborhoods – includ ing Garden Oaks, Oak Forest, the Heights, and more – can take advan tage of the opportunity. It will be going around during and after normal business hours so as not

from noon-2 p.m. and 3-5 p.m. Dur ing the two-hour class, there will be a guided winter wreath making followed by a bow making lesson. Tickets for the event are $85, and can be purchased by going online to eventbrite.com/e/wine-andwinter-wreath-making-tickets465978974657?aff=ALLEVENTS.

Community COVID Housing Pro gram (CCHP). The program is a housing-focused response to the pandemic for people experienc ing homelessness, offering them housing and supportive services while attempting to decommission homeless encampments around the region.

“Preventing an increase in street

to disrupt early morning commutes, according to the district. It was made possible through Ele mentary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funds allocated to the district through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, which was signed in March 2020.

A Tuesday email re quest to an HISD spokes person asking for how much money was sunk into the mobile unit was not immediately re

turned.

Oak Forest distillery William Price Distilling was set to host Bourbon Women Texas’ annual Friendsgiving “Meet-N-Neat” on Thursday from 6-8 p.m. at the dis tillery, 970 Wakefield Dr. with a tasting and tour of the distillery.

homelessness is tough, and reduc ing homelessness is even harder,” said Pastor Rudy Rasmus, who founded Bread of Life. “However, Houston is showing the world that (with) collaboration, housing re sources, and the right tools can be done.”

“It was important that we took this op portunity to effectively leverage…funds to de liver the opportunity for a world-class educa tion city wide and this investment will help ac complish that goal.

The truck’s exterior design was created by Heights High School stu dent Akira Burge in col laboration with Design Teacher Luis Pruneda, the district said, and was chosen out of more than

100 design submissions. For more information HISD’s school choice pro gram, families can go to houstonisd.org/school choice. To find out more on how to enroll their stu dent, they can visit hous tonisd.org/enroll.

Public Notice of Change of Name

Texas Property Code § 13.002 (1)(2) and § 12.001

Public notice is given that by order of the Harris County District Court entered on the 7th day of November 2022, in Civil Action 2022 73303, the name of LIVINA JAZELLE LUXTON was changed from LIVINA JAZELLE LUXTON to Livina Jazelle Luxton. As of the date of this public notice all disabilities of minority have been removed and no longer attach upon the person or property of Livina Jazelle Luxton. Those that have a claim against the estate of Livina Jazelle Luxton step forward and make your claim known in the Harris County District Court within 30 days of this publication or the 7th day of December 2022, whichever comes first. Dated this 7th day of November 2022

Affirmed by: /s/ Livina Jazelle Luxton, affiant Affirmed to and subscribed before this 7th day of November 2022 Notarized by: /s/ Carlos Lafee, notary public

Give Thanks in every thing?

By Pastor Will Cover

Arise Baptist Church 803 Curtin St. Houston TX 77018 713-659-9697 • www.arisebaptistchurch.org

GET OVER IT!

It goes without saying, but I’ll say it anyway: “we have all made mistakes.” As Alexander Pope so aptly put it: “To err is human, to forgive, divine.” We should remember this the next time we make a mistake. Most certainly, we must learn from our mistakes, and hopefully not continue to repeat them, but we should also forgive ourselves. While it can be hard enough to forgive others for their mistakes, it can sometimes feel almost impossible to forgive ourselves. We sometimes cannot bring ourselves to forgive something we’ve done, and we may punish and harangue ourselves for years, or even decades, over youthful indiscretions. In addition, some of us may not be able to forget the sins of our past. And although that may prevent us from repeating them, we must be charitable and forgive ourselves, just as we should forgive others. So, we should make a real effort in the coming days and weeks to forgive the offenses of others as well as our own. Sometimes, it helps to just forget about them; that is, to try to put them out of our mind and stop repeatedly mulling over them. One of the reasons we use the phrase “forgive and forget” is because sometimes that is the only way to forgive, i.e., by forgetting. But far better, and more divine, is to be able to forgive even while remembering the offense. So, we should let go of those unforgiving, vindictive, shameful feelings about the past, and get over it! Corrie ten Boom, who survived incarceration in a Nazi prison camp said, “Forgiveness is to set a prisoner free, and to realize that the prisoner was you.”

1Thessalonians 5:18 says, “In every thing give thanks for this is the will of God, in Christ Jesus concerning you.” God’s Word tells us clearly to give thanks in every thing. But how can you do that? Does that mean bad things too? Why would you give thanks for bad things? Is this a contradiction in God’s Word or is this just some sort of metaphor that we don’t have to take literally? I believe God meant what He says in this verse. It is not an easy command to follow but it is one that will both test and grow the faith of the child of God.

God tells us to give thanks in every thing because that is His will. God has a plan for your life and that includes the good and bad circumstances that you face. Thankfulness is a demonstration of your

dependence upon God and your trust in His plan. Thankfulness acknowledges that God is in charge. Thankfulness helps you to remember the One who is providing through the good circumstances and is protecting you in the bad circumstances.

God used a drought to reunite Joseph’s family. God used a hurricane to start the church I pastor. God used the death of Jesus Christ to bring salvation to the world. Even though you cannot always see what the outcome will be, you can be thankful in every thing because it is the will of God, in Christ Jesus concerning you.

If you would like to discuss this further or have questions, Pastor Will Cover can be reached at Arise Baptist Church at 803 Curtin St., or www. arisebaptistchurch.org, or 713659-9697.

Art Valet: Art Crawl and Mural Fest happening Saturday

Mitch cohen Art Columnist

ArtCrawl Houston is back this Saturday from 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Events are free and open to the public.

The hub of all events is at John Runnels and Charlie Jean Sartwelle’s Mother Dog Studios, founded in 1984, in the original artists’ warehouse district (North of Downtown between San Jacinto, Inter state 10 and McKee Street) at 720 Walnut St. Street parking is available across the studios at Platinum Parking 1016 N. San Jacinto.

ArtCrawl Houston is the original art crawl in the old warehouse district just north of downtown. The self guided tour through the century old buildings, mixed with ware houses and modern apartment buildings seem to tell the story of Houston itself.

Think of the area as a gen trifying old west town, where artists originally settled in the unwanted outskirts of town

to create. I like the statement sent out in a press release; “Time tested artistic survivors of floods, gentrification, and pandemics for thirty years.

This small cluster of Artist warehouses, galleries & busi nesses of this hidden pART of Houston downtown will open their doors for their annual one day only event of working artist studios, exhibition spac es, galleries & local business es.  ArtCrawl Houston takes place in the original, historical, oldest surviving warehouse district in Houston.”

Mother Dog Studios is also hosting an art exhibit titled “What if?” I asked proprietor and curator of the exhibit, John Runnels, what is “What if?” all about?

“The artist Man Ray (Amer ican artist and photographer) wrote: “I prefer inspiration to information.”  This is one of the ideas that started me co alescing about certain Hous ton Artists,” Runnels wrote. “Artists that had a tautological ART practice, i.e., saying the same thing over & over again but differently each time. Their consistent & persistent use of the same materials/media/ medium along with a consis tent ART practice making pro cess, galvanized into the con cept of ``there is a point when:

quantity equals quality.”

“The ten Artists in the “What IF?” exhibition exem plify this concept,” Runnels said. “When presented in this format, Quantity reinforces the Quality as a singular sen sation. Whether it is Gestalt psychology or Aristotle, we know it as; ``The whole is greater than the sum of its parts!”

The artists participating

and their mediums include, Trina McIsaac - polychrome acrylic paintings, Jim Hatch ette  -  dirt paintings, Charlie Jean Sartwelle - repurposed quilts, Patrick Medranopaintings & sculptures, Jeff Reese- black light paintings, Molly Koehn - fiber fabrics, Ken Mazzu - demolition paint ings, Ginger Davis - pin - hole photographs, and Henry Clark - optical illusion photographs.

Additional spaces partici pating in ArtCrawl Houston are Bisong Art Gallery, Hardy & Nance Studios and the spon sors are Clay Crawford, Faded Decade, m ARCHITECTS, NDT Seals, Platinum Parking, Studio 713, and The Suite Life.

For details and to see a map of participant and sponsor lo cations visit http://artcrawl houston.com/.

Big Walls Big Dreams “All

City” Mural Festival 2022 is wrapping up this weekend with a closing event Saturday (with Secret Walls) at Karbach Brewing Co 4 - 7 p.m. 2032 Karbach St.

UP Art Studio is celebrating their 10 Year Anniversary by producing, creating and curat ing Big Walls Big Dreams, now in its second year in Houston.

The event exploded from 20 murals in 2021 to 60 large scale murals citywide, by top local and international artists.

To take a self-guided mural tour and get details on the re maining events this weekend, locations of all mural sites, schedule of events (Sunday too), sponsor recognition, and who the artists are visit the website  http://www.bigwalls bigdreams.com.

UP Art Studio is celebrat ing its 10 Year Anniversary with Big Walls Big Dreams “All City” Mural Festival, learn more about UP Art Stu dio at www.upartstudio.org.

Cohen is an artist and founder of the First Saturday Arts Mar ket and The Market at Sawyer Yards. Find him at ArtValet.com for additional highlights and art ist’s stories.

Review: Roll on down to Blue Sushi Sake Grill

By Dan Greer For The Leader

I am the first to admit I am not a sushi expert. I do love good sushi, I just wouldn’t know the difference between Aji and Akamutsu…Yes, I can hear you sushi aficiona dos scoffing right now. This is why having a patient and knowledgeable server at this type of establishment is key to an enjoyable experience. And we were lucky enough to have a gem of a server here tonight at Blue Sushi.

I have a dear friend who was in Tokyo on business and he strolled into a su shi bar near his hotel. The family style table setting al lowed him to experience an authentic local feel. As he poured some soy sauce into the bowl, he noticed some gestures and hushed laugh ter from several of the local patrons at his table. Several minutes later the kind waiter discreetly informed him that he was using an ashtray to dip his roll into. Not wanting to make a similar faux pas tonight, our patient server

fielded many questions.

Both of us love shishito peppers so we split an order. They are sauteed in tamari sauce and have a light taga rishi spice sprinkled on top.

Don’t know what tagarishi is? Neither did I. Just think Japanese tajin. A chef once told me that even though most shishitos are mild, about every tenth one you eat will make you remem ber you’re eating a pepper. So you are forewarned. Heat index notwithstanding, these were some of the best shishi tos we’ve had.

The first round was the Cloud Nine 2.0 Roll. One of the first things we noticed was how great the sticky, steamed rice tasted. The Cloud Nine consisted of avo cado, spicy crab, baked sea bass, cilantro, serrano pep per and a delicate tempura shrimp. It came with a mildly tart and tangy ponzu sauce. We loved it with wasabi.

Up next was the Thriller. Also featuring shrimp tem pura as well as crab meat, we liked it but felt it had too much “Thriller Sauce” on

top.

At this point, it was time to start contemplating an end ing to this meal, so naturally we doubled up and got what turned out to be our two fa vorites.

The Tidal Wave was made up of shrimp and crab stick tempura, cream cheese, eel sauces and just a delightful hint of honey wasabi. Abso lutely delicious.

How could I not order an ode to one of my childhood, ok, adult favorites, Godzilla. The Godzilla Bomb was the only raw dish we had to night. Stuffed with blue kani, bigeye tuna, yellowtail, ser rano, togarashi, ponzu and sriracha, it packed a punch similar to it’s nuclear infused dinosaur namesake.

Moments after vanquish ing Godzilla, a steaming hot plate of tantalizing beef passed by us. Our server saw our wide-eyed reaction and soon a River Rock tenderloin appeared at our table. The sliced beef was lying and cooking on sizzling hot rocks and served with jalapeno ponzu and yuzu kosho. The

beef was so tender and fla vorful. It was a great way to finish our dinner.

From start to finish, there was not a single dish we didn’t enjoy. Most everything is moderately priced, espe cially by sushi standards. They are located in the fun and bustling MKT Heights.

Blue Sushi Sake Grill

Address: 600 North Shep herd Dr..

Dining options: Dine-in, takeout, online order option Hours: Monday–Wednes day 11 a.m.-9 p.m.; Thursday 11 a.m.-9:30 p.m.; FridaySaturday 11 a.m.-11 p.m.;

Sunday 12 p.m.-9 p.m.

Entrée prices: $8 - $17.50

Kid-Friendly: Yes Alcohol: Yes

Healthy Options: Yes Star of the show: Godzilla Bomb (raw); Tidal Wave (not raw)

Star Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Nibbles and Sips: New wine bar coming to Heights early next year

By Landan Kuhlmann landan@theleadernews.com

Local wine connoisseurs will have a new spot to test their taste palate early next year.

Padre’s Wine, a new wine bar from longtime Houston resident and wine distributor William Farley, is slated to open at 3522 White Oak Dr. in the Heights in early 2023, according to a news release from the bar.

Located in the old Obsid ian Theatre spot, Padre’s Wine will “celebrate and shed a spotlight on the vi brant and under-appreciat ed South American wines” in a 4,000-square-foot west Texas-inspired bottle shop, wine bar, and patio.

Upon launch, Padre’s will offer 500 labels sourced from other small distributors for sale at the bottle shop,

according to the release. The space will double as a wine bar and retail shop where guests can consume any bottle of the shop’s wines on-premise or enjoy one of the 20 rotating wines by the glass. In addition, a small food menu will ac company the wine list and feature charcuterie boards, Paninis, and other light bites.

“The Heights has been one of my favorite neigh borhoods in Houston and I hope to create a space Heights residents will be proud to visit,” Farley said.

For more information on Padre’s Wine to keep up with the latest information, visit padreswine.com.

Artisana Bread accepting online Thanksgiving pre-orders The Garden Oaks/ Oak Forest bakery is now

accepting pre-orders ahead of Thanksgiving. According to owners Wael and Rose marie Abbouchi, Artisana Bread, 956 Pinemont Drive, Ste 800, is baking organic loaves, baguettes, rolls, pies, and other pastries.

Pre-orders will close at 8 p.m. on Sunday.

Bread will be open Nov. 23 from 7 a.m.-2 p.m. for order pick up and retail. Visit ar tisanabread.com to order online.

Contributed photo

Charlie Jean Sartwelle hooks her finishing touches on her mixed media repurposed quilt on view at Mother Dog Studios, Saturday.

Artisana

Photo by Photo by Dan Greer

Pictured are the Godzilla Bomb and Tidal Wave at Blue Sushi Sake Grill, which impressed during last week’s visit.

Contributed rendering

Padre’s Wine is coming to White Oak Drive in early 2023.