Leader 0323 A
12
SATURDAY | March 23, 2013 | Vol. 59 | No. 21 | www.theleadernews.com | @heightsleader Inside Today: Find the right church for you this Easter season • Page 11A 6A 6A THE INDEX. Public Safety 2A Hipstrict 3A Topics 4A Obituaries Coupons Puzzles 8A Sports 5B Classifieds 6B www.preproperties.com Your Neighborhood Full Service Real Estate Office 713-686-5454 PREMIER PROPERTIES THE BRIEF. sponsored by 3401 W. T.C. Jester 713-957-1100 M-F 11am-9pm Sat 11am-5pm Cheddar Bacon Cheeseburger, Fries & Drink $ 7 97 only Darlene’s 10570 NW Frwy • 713-680-2350 FRANK SALAS IS THE MAN TO CALL for trash hauling and garage cleaning. 281-312- 9795, 832-893-5697. ALTERATIONS: Reasonable. Pick up and delivery. Charlotte, 713-694-0003. EXPERIENCED HANDY- MAN SAVES YOU MONEY: Carpenter, plumbing, electrical. 281-660-0350. Prom regalia needed for Reagan girls The Houston Heights Woman’s Club is looking to make the prom a memorable experience for 27 girls at Reagan High School, who might ordinarily miss out on the magic, by locating donations of dresses and accessories. The club is asking for donations of gently used cocktail dresses and items such as costume jewelry, shoes and evening bags. The girls range in size from 1-18 and will be treated to a “shopping day” on April 12 to make their selections. The project is being coordinated with Reagan’s Communities in Schools program, an ongoing service project for the Woman’s Club. For information or to make do- nations, visit the club’s Facebook page at facebook.com/Hous- tonHeightsWomansClub, or call 713-513-7846. E motions were running high on the first Saturday of last November with both Rea- gan and archrival, Waltrip, sharing a Homecoming game. Things weren’t going the way the Bulldogs had hoped as they trailed 22-0 in the second quarter. That’s when Reagan senior all- district wide receiver Joseph Dehn sparked a competitive spirit in the hearts of his teammates. “Everybody was out of self-es- teem,” Bulldogs freshman quarter- back Shane Johnson said. “He gave a big halftime speech, brought everybody in it, and we came back and won (34-29). He believed in us and was real positive.” Reagan head football coach Stephen Dixon said the 6-foot-1, 175-pound senior usually led by example, rather than vocally, so it was a big deal when he fired up his teammates. “I didn’t have to say too much,” Dixon said. “He’s a tremendous kid, a tremendous asset.” But overcoming a double-digit deficit in a football game or lead- ing Reagan to its best gridiron success since the 1950’s pales in comparison to the real life chal- lenges the 18-year-old Dehn has overcome during his life. He’s kept a positive attitude through it all and plans on study- ing Physical Therapy in the fall at Florida International University in Miami. Dehn, who caught 27 passes for 342 yards and three touchdowns last fall, plans on walking on to the football team at Three-Eleven isn’t just a rock band from the 1990’s. It’s the phone number that approxi- mately 45 Timbergrove Manor Civic Club and Super Neighborhood 14 Council members were encouraged to call if they smell an odor coming from the City of Houston’s Chemical Feed Station at 11th Street and Bryce. “Every time you smell it, we want to know about it,” said Denny Fegan, a Tim- bergrove board member who is leading the project against the stench. Fegan shared the information during the Club’s regular meeting on March 12 at Lazybrook Baptist Church. One resident at the meeting described the smell of Hydrogen Sulfide fermenta- tion as “utterly inexcusable,” an opinion that many of his neighbors surely shared. “It’s not a health hazard, but it can damage property values,” Fegan said. But there is a solution, according to Fe- gan, a retired Mechanical Engineer who is working closely with the City to alleviate the foul smell. Jason Iken, the City’s senior assistant director of Wastewater Operations, spoke to the Club, answered questions and ad- dressed concerns on March 12. He urged the residents to dial ‘311’, which is the City’s Public Works number. The odor complaints will go into a data- base, and the residents will receive a case number. Iken said calling that number is crucial, even if the resident has voiced their concerns with a city employee. In the 1970’s, sewer systems could use heavy metals, which took away the smell. But that option was taken away due to the federal Clean Water Act of 1972, Iken said. The plant began as a lifting station more than 30 years ago, but in the early 1990’s – due to improved technology – it became a chemical feed station. The smell, how- ever, persisted. The sewer plant produces 50 parts per million and has two “bioscrubbers” that alleviate the smell of raw sewage. “The smell is intermittent because when the scrubber is doing it’s job, you Oooo, that smell – in Timbergrove Manor Jason Iken, the City of Houston’s senior assistant director of Wastewater Operations, addressed the issue of odor abatement. (Photo by Michael Sudhalter) by Michael Sudhalter [email protected] see Smell • Page 10A Houston ISD is investigating claims that former Waltrip High principal Steve Siebenaler borrowed thousands of dol- lars from employees, not always paying back the loans, The Leader has learned. In district documents provided to The Leader through a Texas Open Re- cords Act request, it is clear that HISD launched its probe in re- sponse to ram- pant rumors, more than two weeks before Siebenaler, 50 years old and a 26-year em- ployee of HISD, resigned be- cause of “per- sonal reasons,” effective March 15. He had led Waltrip since 2003, and his reported sal- ary in 2012 was $116,300. That resignation came on Feb. 25, but the first interview reflected in the inves- tigation documents took place on Feb. 7. After that interview, conducted at Wal- trip, Chief High School Officer Orlando Riddick wrote in a follow-up memo that an employee reported loaning the boss thousands of dollars “because he was in a pinch and needed help,” and that only about half of the money was paid back. Another subject, interviewed at HISD headquarters on Feb. 11, reported giv- ing Siebenaler $500 on three different occasions, money that was paid back, according to Riddick’s written account. When asked by Riddick if the requests for loans had become an “ongoing con- cern,” Riddick recorded that the lender said, “I told him he did not need to come The Toughest Game Dehn rescued by sister and football field by Michael Sudhalter [email protected] Reagan High senior wide receiver Joseph Dehn, right, and his sister/legal guardian, Houston Police Department officer Monica Marsh, have worked together to ensure his success. Dehn moved to Houston two years ago and plans on studying Physical Therapy and playing football at Florida International University in Miami. (Photo by Michael Sudhalter) Some knew what the Harlem Shake was and some were in the dark, but everyone was game. Nearly 50 Oak Forest residents came out to Oak For- est Park on Sunday to hang out with fellow Oakies and recreate the phe- nomenon. “I didn’t know what it was a week ago,” said Amy Schendel who an- swered the call to participate after she saw the notice on the Oak Forest Association’s Facebook page. Chris Lombardo came prepared with the giant purple alien mask his mom bought him from QVC some years ago. Erin Maxwell was dressed as Robin, complete with fire engine red disco boots. Nora Loera, the public relations committee chair of the Oak Forest Homeowners Association (OFHA), put the call out for the gathering at the last meeting as well as on Face- book, NextDoor and as an Oakie Alert e-mail. “We just wanted to get people to- gether to have fun and meet some neighbors,” she said. The Oak Forest version of the Har- lem Shake is similar to one that has been circulating on You Tube since Everybody else is doing it: The Oakie Shake Oak Forest residents brought their game faces to their own Har- lem Shake. (Photo by Betsy Denson) by Betsy Denson [email protected] see Shake • Page 8A see Dehn • Page 8A HISD docs give glimpse into probe at Waltrip by Charlotte Aguilar [email protected] see Probe • Page 10A Steve Siebenaler What YOU Can Find Inside Have you checked out our Classified section lately? You might be surprised at all the services you can find there. PAGE 6B
-
Upload
mcelvy-media -
Category
Documents
-
view
250 -
download
7
description
March 23 Section A
Transcript of Leader 0323 A
SATURDAY | March 23, 2013 | Vol. 59 | No. 21 | www.theleadernews.com | @heightsleader
Inside Today: Find the right church for you this Easter season • Page 11A
6A6A
THE INDEX.Public Safety 2AHipstrict 3ATopics 4AObituariesCouponsPuzzles 8ASports 5BClassifi eds 6B
www.preproperties.com
Your NeighborhoodFull Service
Real Estate Office
713-686-5454
PREMIERPROPERTIES
THE BRIEF.sponsored by
3401 W. T.C. Jester713-957-1100
M-F 11am-9pm Sat 11am-5pm
Cheddar Bacon Cheeseburger,Fries & Drink
$797only
Darlene’s10570 NW Frwy • 713-680-2350
FRANK SALAS IS THE MAN TO CALL for trash hauling and garage cleaning. 281-312-9795, 832-893-5697.
ALTERATIONS: Reasonable. Pick up and delivery. Charlotte, 713-694-0003.
EXPERIENCED HANDY-MAN SAVES YOU MONEY: Carpenter, plumbing, electrical. 281-660-0350.
Prom regalia needed for Reagan girls
The Houston Heights Woman’s Club is looking to make the prom a memorable experience for 27 girls at Reagan High School, who might ordinarily miss out on the magic, by locating donations of dresses and accessories.
The club is asking for donations of gently used cocktail dresses and items such as costume jewelry, shoes and evening bags. The girls range in size from 1-18 and will be treated to a “shopping day” on April 12 to make their selections.
The project is being coordinated with Reagan’s Communities in Schools program, an ongoing service project for the Woman’s Club.
For information or to make do-nations, visit the club’s Facebook page at facebook.com/Hous-tonHeightsWomansClub, or call 713-513-7846. Emotions were running high
on the fi rst Saturday of last November with both Rea-
gan and archrival, Waltrip, sharing a Homecoming game.
Things weren’t going the way the Bulldogs had hoped as they trailed 22-0 in the second quarter.
That’s when Reagan senior all-district wide receiver Joseph Dehn sparked a competitive spirit in the hearts of his teammates.
“Everybody was out of self-es-teem,” Bulldogs freshman quarter-back Shane Johnson said. “He gave a big halftime speech, brought everybody in it, and we came back and won (34-29). He believed in us and was real positive.”
Reagan head football coach Stephen Dixon said the 6-foot-1, 175-pound senior usually led by example, rather than vocally, so it was a big deal when he fi red up his teammates.
“I didn’t have to say too much,” Dixon said. “He’s a tremendous kid, a tremendous asset.”
But overcoming a double-digit defi cit in a football game or lead-ing Reagan to its best gridiron success since the 1950’s pales in comparison to the real life chal-lenges the 18-year-old Dehn has overcome during his life.
He’s kept a positive attitude through it all and plans on study-ing Physical Therapy in the fall at Florida International University in Miami. Dehn, who caught 27 passes for 342 yards and three touchdowns last fall, plans on walking on to the football team at
Three-Eleven isn’t just a rock band from the 1990’s.
It’s the phone number that approxi-mately 45 Timbergrove Manor Civic Club and Super Neighborhood 14 Council members were encouraged to call if they smell an odor coming from the City of Houston’s Chemical Feed Station at 11th Street and Bryce.
“Every time you smell it, we want to know about it,” said Denny Fegan, a Tim-bergrove board member who is leading the project against the stench.
Fegan shared the information during the Club’s regular meeting on March 12 at Lazybrook Baptist Church.
One resident at the meeting described the smell of Hydrogen Sulfi de fermenta-tion as “utterly inexcusable,” an opinion that many of his neighbors surely shared.
“It’s not a health hazard, but it can damage property values,” Fegan said.
But there is a solution, according to Fe-gan, a retired Mechanical Engineer who is working closely with the City to alleviate the foul smell.
Jason Iken, the City’s senior assistant director of Wastewater Operations, spoke to the Club, answered questions and ad-dressed concerns on March 12.
He urged the residents to dial ‘311’, which is the City’s Public Works number. The odor complaints will go into a data-base, and the residents will receive a case number. Iken said calling that number
is crucial, even if the resident has voiced their concerns with a city employee.
In the 1970’s, sewer systems could use heavy metals, which took away the smell. But that option was taken away due to the federal Clean Water Act of 1972, Iken said.
The plant began as a lifting station more than 30 years ago, but in the early 1990’s – due to improved technology – it became a chemical feed station. The smell, how-ever, persisted.
The sewer plant produces 50 parts per million and has two “bioscrubbers” that alleviate the smell of raw sewage.
“The smell is intermittent because when the scrubber is doing it’s job, you
Oooo, that smell – in Timbergrove Manor
Jason Iken, the City of Houston’s senior assistant director of Wastewater Operations, addressed the issue of odor abatement. (Photo by Michael Sudhalter)
by Michael [email protected]
see Smell • Page 10A
Houston ISD is investigating claims that former Waltrip High principal Steve Siebenaler borrowed thousands of dol-lars from employees, not always paying back the loans, The Leader has learned.
In district documents provided to The Leader through a Texas Open Re-cords Act request, it is clear that HISD launched its probe in re-sponse to ram-pant rumors, more than two weeks before Siebenaler, 50 years old and a 26-year em-ployee of HISD, resigned be-cause of “per-sonal reasons,” effective March 15. He had led Waltrip since 2003, and his reported sal-ary in 2012 was $116,300.
That resignation came on Feb. 25, but the fi rst interview refl ected in the inves-tigation documents took place on Feb. 7.
After that interview, conducted at Wal-trip, Chief High School Offi cer Orlando Riddick wrote in a follow-up memo that an employee reported loaning the boss thousands of dollars “because he was in a pinch and needed help,” and that only about half of the money was paid back.
Another subject, interviewed at HISD headquarters on Feb. 11, reported giv-ing Siebenaler $500 on three different occasions, money that was paid back, according to Riddick’s written account. When asked by Riddick if the requests for loans had become an “ongoing con-cern,” Riddick recorded that the lender said, “I told him he did not need to come
The Toughest GameDehn rescued by sister and football fi eld
by Michael [email protected]
Reagan High senior wide receiver Joseph Dehn, right, and his sister/legal guardian, Houston Police Department offi cer Monica Marsh, have worked together to ensure his success. Dehn moved to Houston two years ago and plans on studying Physical Therapy and playing football at Florida International University in Miami. (Photo by Michael Sudhalter)
Some knew what the Harlem Shake was and some were in the dark, but everyone was game. Nearly 50 Oak Forest residents came out to Oak For-est Park on Sunday to hang out with fellow Oakies and recreate the phe-nomenon.
“I didn’t know what it was a week ago,” said Amy Schendel who an-
swered the call to participate after she saw the notice on the Oak Forest Association’s Facebook page. Chris Lombardo came prepared with the giant purple alien mask his mom bought him from QVC some years ago. Erin Maxwell was dressed as Robin, complete with fi re engine red disco boots.
Nora Loera, the public relations committee chair of the Oak Forest Homeowners Association (OFHA),
put the call out for the gathering at the last meeting as well as on Face-book, NextDoor and as an Oakie Alert e-mail.
“We just wanted to get people to-gether to have fun and meet some neighbors,” she said.
The Oak Forest version of the Har-lem Shake is similar to one that has been circulating on You Tube since
Everybody else is doing it: The Oakie Shake
Oak Forest residents brought their game faces to their own Har-lem Shake. (Photo by Betsy Denson)
by Betsy [email protected]
see Shake • Page 8A
see Dehn • Page 8A
HISD docsgive glimpseinto probe at Waltrip
by Charlotte [email protected]
see Probe • Page 10A
Steve SiebenalerWhat
YOU CanFind Inside
Have you checked out ourClassifi ed section lately? You might be surprised at all the services you can fi nd there.
PAGE 6B
Police Reports, March 4-17
Page 2A • The Leader • March 23, 2013 • @heightsleader
1911 Taylor St. Dickeys.com 832-673-0077
COMPLETE EASTER MEAL Only $10995
• Barbecue Honey Ham • Baked Potato Casserole • Green Beans wth Bacon • Caesar Salad •12 Buttery Rolls
EASTER HAM MEAL Only $8495
• Barbecue Honey Ham • Baked Potato Casserole •12 Buttery Rolls
BARBECUE HONEY HAM $5995Only
MAKE IT
C O S M E T I C S & B O U T I Q U E
* Free with the purchase of two or more Merle Norman cosmetic products. Cosmeticaccessories not included. Offer valid while supplies last at participating Merle Norman
Cosmetic Studios beginning March 1, 2013. Limit one per customer.
Contact Janet (713) 358-5085 For a detailed schedule visit www.culinaryinstitute.edu
Le CHEF CLUB
We bring everything to you - special pricing 20-300 people
contact Julio
MARCH 4Theft 09:15 AM 1700-1799 YALE
MARCH 8Theft 10:00 AM 1400-1499 DOROTHY STBurglary 05:30 PM 200-299 NORTH LP
E SERAssault 11:18 PM 800-899 LEHMANTheft 08:20 PM 2000-2099 COLUMBIA
ST
MARCH 9Robbery 10:00 AM 4400-4499 OLD YALETheft 03:00 PM 2100-2199 WASHING-
TON AVEBurglary 07:30 PM 9800-9899 HEMP-
STEAD HWYAssault 11:30 PM 800-899 WAKEFIELD
DRTheft 01:30 PM 1800-1899 YALE
MARCH 10Theft 04:00 PM 800-899 CORTLANDT STTheft 11:00 AM 1400-1499 20TH STTheft 04:00 PM 2200-2299 WHITE OAK
DRBurglary 07:46 PM 1500-1599 SUE
BARNETT DRTheft 06:00 PM 1100-1199 LEHMAN STTheft 10:00 PM 5600-5699 YALETheft 10:00 PM 800-899 WORTHSHIRETheft 01:30 AM 1700-1799 18TH STTheft 03:00 PM 400-499 23RD ST
MARCH 11Burglary 04:10 AM 2900-2999 SHEP-
HERD DRBurglary 11:00 AM 700-799 32ND STTheft 02:00 PM 4000-4099 SHEPHERD
DRTheft 10:00 AM 900-999 GARDNER STTheft 02:56 PM 1500-1599 NORTH LP W
Burglary 06:00 AM 4400-4499 OXFORD ST
Burglary 07:45 AM 400-499 OXFORD STTheft 01:50 AM 5400-5499 WASHING-
TON AVETheft 11:40 AM 100-199 CROSSTIMBERS
Theft 01:45 PM 1700-1799 SHEPHERD DR
Theft 02:44 PM 5200-5299 34TH STTheft 05:00 AM 1100-1199 DART STTheft 11:30 PM 1400-1499 HARVARD STAssault 05:00 PM 5600-5699 ARLING-
TON STTheft 11:30 PM 1400-1499 HARVARD ST
MARCH 12Theft 12:00 PM 900-999 18TH STTheft 07:40 AM 800-899 REDANTheft 12:00 AM 2400-2499 T C JESTER
BLVDTheft 05:00 PM 0-99 HEIGHTS BLVDTheft 05:35 PM 3600-3699 ROSSLYN RDTheft 01:30 PM 4000-4099 34TH STTheft 01:00 PM 2900-2999 SHEPHERD
DR
MARCH 16Arrest 02:11 AM 300 BLOCK OF W
HOUSE ST
MARCH 17Arrest 12:26 AM 200 BLOCK OF W
SOUTH ST
❖
❖
❖
❖
❖
Crystal Perez won’t ever forget the phone call that may have saved her life on Monday night.
Perez is one of the tenants at the Woods on La Monte Apartments (4800 La Monte, Building 6) that had an apartment damaged in a fi re at 8 p.m. Monday.
“Nobody came to my door,” Perez said. “I had to duck to get out. There was smoke everywhere. I feel fortu-nate that my friend called me when she called me. I’d come home from work and was about to take a nap.”
No one was injured or killed in the blaze that damaged 16 units, ac-cording to Houston Fire Department
public information offi cer Jay Evans, but one fi refi ghter was taken to the hospital for dehydration and was quickly released.
“People were home, but everybody got out,” Evans said.
The cause of the fi re is unknown and an arson investigation – as re-quired by standard procedure – is underway, said Evans.
Eight apartments were heavily damaged while eight others suffered smoke and water damage.
Property supervisor Tina Martin said The American Red Cross was contacted on Monday night, and they’ve been providing food and clothes to the tenants affected by the fi re. Construction crews, along with
fellow residents, are assisting the ten-ants in moving their belongings.
The tenants are being relocated to other apartments on the property.
“We don’t have units on hand, and some of them are units that people just moved out of,” Martin said. “Within the next two days, they’re getting cleaned, replaced and will be up to par.”
Residents of four units lost every-thing, according to Martin.
One of those residents is Rosanna Chavez.
“Everything caved in,” Chavez said. “I lost everything. My brother came running, and he was able to salvage a TV (but that was it). I lost all of my clothes and my bedroom set.”
No one was injured or killed, but 16 units of The Woods on La Monte Apartments were damaged during a fi re at 8 p.m. Monday. (Photo by Michael Sudhalter)
★ BUY ★ SELL ★ TRADE
DON’T BE A VICTIM!
Licensed FFL/Class III Dealer
713-694-4867875 Wakefield Dr.
Monthly Concealed Handgun Class
BLACK GOLDGUNS & AMMO
Saturday, April 20th
As always, trucks dominate the list of the Houston Police Department’s Top 10 stolen vehicles in February. Here’s the rundown:
1. Chevrolet Trucks 160 2. Ford Trucks 1183. Honda Cars 954. Dodge Trucks 695. Ford Cars 35T-6. Buick Cars 29T-6. Toyota Cars 297. GMC Trucks 278. Chevrolet Cars 269. Dodge Cars 2110. Pontiac Cars 19
Car burglars strike SPP
On Friday March 15, Harris County Constable Precinct 1 responded to fi ve Burglaries of Motor Vehicles in Shep-herd Park Plaza, a contract neighbor-hood for the Constable’s offi ce. There were three suspects in an unknown color Chevy Trailblazer that approached several vehicles and when they found them unlocked would enter them and take miscellaneous items. The vehicle was said to have non-working headlights and tail lights. On Wednesday March 13, 2013 there was another Motor Vehicle Burglary in the neighborhood in which a pistol was stolen from the vehicle.
Please be on the lookout for this ve-hicle and report any suspicious activity as quickly as possible. Most of these of-fenses are crimes of opportunity. Resi-dents need to be aware and make sure vehicles and doors are kept secured.
You can also view alerts like this at the Constable’s website at: http://www.pct1constable.net
Trucks, again, top list of most stolen in Houston
8 units destroyed in blazeby Michael Sudhalter
The North Shepherd corridor has been synon-ymous with used car dealerships for many years, but that may be changing according to one local real estate developer.
“I think the high taxes are displacing the car lots,” said Bryan Danna, the principal of the Ven-ture Commercial brokerage fi rm. “There’s now a higher and better use for that corridor.”
Danna has developed the majority of real es-tate on White Oak, Lola’s on 11th and Yale, on 34th Street and Shepherd, among other areas.
He buys dilapidated buildings “and brings the building back to its original condition.”
One of his newest projects is an 8,000 square foot building at 19th and Shepherd. The site was a grocery store in the 1950’s called Baby Giant and subsequently became a used car lot under
various owners over the years.Danna bought the 32,000 square feet of land in
September and is restoring the look of the prop-erty from the 1950’s.
“We’re bringing it back to life, adding some modern twists,” said Danna, a Timbergrove resi-dent.
The property will feature businesses such as restaurants and a hair salon.
Fat Cats, an Ice Cream parlor, recently signed its lease to be among the fi rst tenants in the prop-erty, which Danna hopes to have open by the summer.
“The demand is very high,” he said of the property.
Salmex Auto, which has been at 1819 North Shepherd for the past 24 years, is on the market. The owner could not be reached but a Salmex employee said the owners want to move the lot to another location.
Salmex Auto, 1819 North Shepherd, is on the market after 24 years at its current location.
Car lots turning into hot spotsby Michael Sudhalter
The city of Houston will hold two meetings next week to lis-ten to public input on mobility in the Heights and northwest areas – seeking to improve all forms of moving about includ-ing driving, bicycling and walk-ing.
Ongoing mobility studies by the city seek to identify existing
issues and challenges in these neighborhoods in order to pro-mote better mobility choices through near and long range improvements.
The Heights-Northside meet-ing will be held from 6-8 p.m. March 26 at Lambert Hall, 1703 Heights Blvd. Study boundaries include U.S. 59, 610 and I-10.
The Northwest study meet-ing will take place from 6-8 p.m. March 27 at Candlelight Community Center, 1520 Candlelight. Boundaries for that study are I-45, U.S 290, Beltway 8 and Loop 610. For information about City Mobil-ity Planning, email [email protected]
Public input sought on mobility studies
Page 3A • The Leader • March 23, 2013 • @heightsleader
Lupe Tortilla1511 Shepherd Drive
www.lupetortilla.comStarters: $5.99-$10.95
Mains: $9.95-$17.95Fajitas: $15.95-$46.95
Kid Friendly: It’s in The Bomber’s Top 5LE’s Favorite: Beef y Chicken Fajitas
Review: Lupe Tortilla gets the little things
Leader Nibbles
1504 Yale 713-869-4641Hours: Tuesday - Friday 10:00-5:30; Saturday 10:00-2:00, Closed Monday
• Full Photo Packages• Photo Invitations• Photo Name cards, etc.
5022 PINEMONT832-767-0085
M-F 2-7PM11 CRAFT BEERS ON TAP
16OZ. RIBEYE $11.00 5PM TIL GONE8OZ. BACON WRAPPED FILLET - $8.00
5 FLAT SCREENS
THURSDAY
STEAK NIGHT
HAPPY HOURON TUESDAYS
Are you earning enoughon your savings?
www.edwardjones.comMember SIPC
Danyel T Ramelow - Financial Advisor3818 N Shepherd • Houston, TX [email protected]
When I’ve got Mexican on my mind, it’s diffi cult to fi nd fasci-nation in a franchise, let alone one clustered in The Heights’ crowded south Shepherd restau-rant corridor. North Houston is fraught with charming, invit-ing and spectacular indepen-dent Mexican restaurants, so the prospect of spending a bright weekend evening at Lupe Torti-lla is not high on Leader Eater’s culinary priority list.
But there has to be motive behind the madness that is a Friday night at Lupe Tortilla on Shepherd, right? Why else would people squeeze their cars into ev-ery last square inch of available parking south of I-10 between Shepherd and Durham, take up every table on the covered and uncovered patio and dole over almost $40 for a steaming skillet of fajita meat that is as common as cowboy boots during the ro-deo? Sure, I’ve spent a handful of forgettable nights at one of Houston’s busiest Tex-Mex em-poriums, but I needed to fi gure out why every time I passed by the place it looked as if it had just opened and fajitas are the hottest new craze in cuisine.
So, I took the family. And Leader Eater found two reasons for LT’s success. First, Tex-Mex is probably the most appealing fare out there for kids. Chips and dips and cheese and dishes best enjoyed with your hands are perfect for The Bomber (my 5-year-old going on 15). Throw in a couple of crayons and a reasonably compelling coloring sheet, and Lupe Tortilla doesn’t need the kid-gripping gimmicks that typically have parents run-ning the other way.
Secondly, if anyone has read this space for local eating ap-preciation you’ll know that food at the margins – the Po-Boy’s bread, the brisket’s side dishes, etc. – that really sets restaurants apart for me. And Lupe Tortilla
shines in this territory, no easy task competing in the city’s most pervasive restaurant genre. Ev-eryone shuttles out a basket of tortilla chips and salsa. But it’s what is in those scooping-sized ramekins that leaves the lasting impression. Fans of Lupe Torti-lla tout the addictiveness of the frijoles al charra, and this begin-ner bean dish is the real deal. The chubbiness of the charra beans and fl amboyance of the bacon broth made me want to quit to-mato-based salsa altogether. But my chips kept fi nding their way into Lupe Tortilla’s sassy-tast-ing salsa, making these two the George Strait and Martina Mc-Bride of salsa.
Taking tortilla dunking to a fi ne art, Lupe Tortilla goes be-yond the simple Chile Con Que-so with an authentic offering of Queso Flameado. Although our order probably was a little heavy on the fl ameado, the ample-bod-ied asadero and chorizo fl avors made us overlook the sturdiness of the cheese (once it was pried out of the dish and onto the tor-tillas).
I was determined to take Lupe’s greatest hits for a spin, and had a few of the crew try margari-tas while ordering a pound of chicken and beef fajitas, a dish that they boast is the best in the world. Again it was the subtle-ties within these dishes that were most appealing. The sought-after specialty drinks use a lime juice that is all smooth tart with none of the syrupy tang. The hissing plate of fajita meat and sup-porting fi xin’s certainly has its rivals in this city. But, typically a corn tortilla man myself, Lupe’s fl oured version has a depth to its freshness that pushes the ingre-dients to overachievement once they get inside its grip. Now, if only the parking had such enjoy-able simplicity, Lupe Tortilla’s on Shepherd would be Leader Eat-er’s new favorite franchise.
Greetings, art lovers. Get out your comfortable shoes because we are in the middle of festival sea-son. There’s no time for chit-chat this week – let’s just dive right in. Here’s what’s on my radar for the next few weeks, with my comments following each event.
Let’s start in the Heights with the 19th Street merchants on Fri-day evening, March 22, from 6-10 p.m. Aptly titled, “All Fired Up,” dozens of businesses will host mini exhibitions as part of the Na-tional Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts, in town for its 47th Annual National Convention. 18 Hands Gallery, 249-B W. 19th Street is at the center of attention with this event. If you can’t make opening night, activities and ex-hibits continue through the 26th. Visit http://18handsgallery.com for details.
All weekend - Bayou City Art Festival at Memorial Park. You must use the shuttle service as there is no onsite parking. Check the website for details http://www.bayoucityartfestival.com.
Saturday March 23Houston Re-Market: March to
the Beat of a Different Drum! 4302 Harrisburg, Houston, Texas 77003
11 A.M. - 4 P.M. www.houstonre-market.com. I’ve yet to make it out to the new location for this market. What I do know is that some awe-some artists attend, and f o u n d e r s Mike and P a l o m a have pas-sion and vi-sion. Check them out.
East End S t u d i o Gallery & Bohemeo’s are excited to kick off their fi rst monthly “East End Arts Market.” 708 Telephone Road, Suite C, from 12 - 5 p.m. For de-tails: http://www.eestudiogallery.com/. This space has had some of the most incredible art shows, do not let the location fool you. This is a short drive from the Heights, too. Lizbeth Ortiz, artist and brain behind all of EESG, events tells me this market will be under cover of the Bohemeo’s patio.
Bonnie Blue, Art of Women Event, Talento Bilingüe de Houston 333 S. Jensen, 5-10 p.m. Featured
artist Bonnie Blue, with music by Robin Kirby. You’ve likely seen Bonnie’s art. She paints everything from river rocks to cowboy boots, and she has the most conspicu-ous art car out there, too, titled the Women That Rock Art Car. http://www.womenthatrocks.com.
March 29 to April 6Kiki Neumann Creations, at
Round Top Antique Show, La Ba-hia on FM 237, one mile off 290 west on FM 237 Round Top Texas March 29 -April 6, every day until 6 p.m. This is Folk Artist Kiki Neu-mann’s 26th time to blend primi-tive antiques, junky good street cast offs and her own special blend of handmade folk art. Kiki is ev-eryone’s favorite, I met her at my fi rst art market in 2004 and have been amazed by her tenacity and energy ever since. If you get out to the Hill Country shows, fi nd Kiki.
Saturday, March 30: The Lone Star Bazaar, 300 Wes-
theimer at Numbers Nightclub http://thelonestarbazaar.com. Haven’t been to this show yet, but I do know this show was inspired by the massively successful and popu-lar Brooklyn Flea.
Friday, April 5Artist Reception: Elizabeth Cen-
cini: New Romance Art Showing at Style Cycle, 246 W. 19th St., Hous-ton, Texas 77008. Elizabeth Cen-cini is a graduate of Reagan High School and the University of Hous-ton Fine Arts/Studio painting pro-gram with high honors. Style Cycle is a vintage inspired shop on 19th Street. In a new venue for artists, I can’t wait to attend this show.
Saturday, April 6First Saturday Arts Market - 548
W. 19th St., nestled between Wind Water Gallery and Gen’s Antiques. Check out the full roster on the website, www.FirstSaturdayArts-Market.com. 11 a.m.-6 p.m. This show sold out three months ago; it is going to rock!
Saturday, April 13Midtown Art in the Park, 2800
Main at McGowen, http://www.midtownartinthepark.com
Art Dwellers Spring Art Mar-ket Stevenson Park, Friendswood, http://www.artdwellers.com
Many of these events were sub-mitted directly from the First Sat-urday Arts Market artists. There are many more listed on the mar-ket website, www.fi rstsaturdayarts-market.com, click calendar.
There was great excitement when Morgan Weber and Ryan Pera, owners of locavore mecca Revival Market, announced they were opening Coltivare nearby on White Oak in the Heights.
An important feature of the Italian-Ameri-can neighborhood eatery they envisioned was a 3,000 square foot vegetable garden outside, providing a nice garden-to-plate freshness to the produce and herbs.
Now the pair has taken to social media, trying to show support for the concept with Houston planners, who see parking as the best use for the space.
Coltivare has leased two lots adjacent to a warehouse across the street that they say have been used as parking since the 1950s, hoping to satisfy the city’s requirements.
“In a perfect world, we would love for you to inundate their emails with a quick note say-ing you support our variance to utilize exist-ing parking, rather than turn one of the few green-spaces the community has, into another ugly parking lot,” Weber and Pera write in their Facebook post.
They suggest writing planner Dipti Mathur at [email protected] to voice sup-port, and are also asking for a visible presence at the Planning Commission hearing to con-sider their variance at 2:30 p.m. March 28 at 900 Bagby St.
To see more on the issue, visit the Revival Market Facebook page.
Community garden feeding needyCommunity gardens serve many purposes,
and Leader reader August Galiano has this nice vignette about one helping to feed the needy in which his wife, Beth, is a driving force:
“For 20 years Beth Galiano has delivered
fresh, organically grown vegetables to local food pantries. These are vegetables grown in the garden on Alba between Sue Barnett and Chamboard, just north of West 43rd Street. It is a joint project of Garden Oaks and Shepherd Park Plaza.
“The vegetables are supplied at no cost to St. Rose of Lima Church and other local food pan-tries and distributed to needy families. Ed de Alba (Garden Oaks) and Beth Galiano (Shep-herd Park Plaza) donate operating expenses for the garden.
“The garden was started by Garden Oaks resident Jan Koenig on a lot that had once been the location of a water storage facility owned by the City of Houston.
“When Koenig moved from the area, Galia-no, a Harris County Master Gardner, took over managing the garden. She is currently being asssisted by Caroline Stender, Franz Vander Henst, Chuck and Jeanette Blesener, Gus and Corinne Opperman, Tim and Debbie Elliott.
Easter eggs for locavoresWith Easter – and egg coloring – just around
the corner, it’s a good time to consider break-ing out of the shell of using store-bought white eggs and tablet or liquid dyes.
Buying fresh eggs from local farmer’s mar-kets may mean you don’t need to color at all. Eggs frequently come from a variety of hens, each producing different colored shells – pale pink, peachy, bluish and green. These lend themselves to simple artistry with colored pens or decoration with stick-ons or fabric.
For colors to dye for, try boiling fruits and vegetables and dunking the eggs just as you would with the packaged coloring products. Soaking in the refrigerator overnight produces deep, jewel-like tones.
As with regular dyes, be careful of getting on skin and clothing. Use spoons or wire egg holders, and be sure to wear an old T-shirt (that might turn out to develop an interesting design during the coloring process).
Here are some common coloring sugges-tions that should give youngsters a new per-spective on common items around the kitchen and garden:
BLUE: Boil 1 c. chopped red cabbage in 2 c. water and add 1 T. vinegar. Strain out cabbage and cool to room temperature.
RED: Add 2 T. vinegar to 2 c. room tempera-ture pomegranate juice. Bring to boil and cool to room temperature before coloring.
PALE RED-ORANGE: Add 2 T. paprika and 2 T. vinegar to 1 c. boiling water. Cool to room temperature.
PINK: Add 1 small beet, cut into chunks, plus 2 T. vinegar to 2 c. boiling water. Let cool to room temperature and remove beets before coloring.
PURPLE: Add 2 T. vinegar to 2 c. room tem-perature grape juice. Bring to boil and cool to room temperature before coloring.
BROWN: A small pot of strong coffee, cooled down, is a perfect dye.
YELLOW: Add 1 T powdered turmeric and 2 T. vinegar to 2 c. boiling water. Cool before dyeing.
The Thirsty Explorer recently visited The Original OKRA Charity Saloon, which donates 100 percent of the bar’s proceeds to a diff erent Houston-based organization or social cause each month. And even though its downtown location is outside the Thirsty Explorer’s designated territory, OKRA’s unique mis-sion and support of Leader-area causes got our attention.
OKRA stands for Organized Kollabora-tion on Restaurant Aff airs, whose mis-sion is to plant fi ve seeds that cultivate the relationship between vibrant food cultures and local communities.
The Thirsty Explorer sampled the Poi-son Girl Panini over a couple of cocktails while learning about the fi ve seeds of OKRA’s mission: 1) Foster a general appreciation of food culture through education, innovation and diversity. 2) Demonstrate the responsibilities local businesses have to their communities to pursue philanthropic eff orts. 3) Promote progressive industry standards in the areas of hospitality, product selec-tion and labor. 4) Establish a political identity that represents the interests of independent businesses in our industry, including restaurants, bars, food trucks,
producers, and purveyors. 5) Advocate responsible urban development.
This unusual approach earned OKRA a tongue-in-cheek mention and a fi nger-wag from the Comedy Network’s Stephen Colbert, who dubbed it “drunk donating.”
The Houston Area Women’s Center ended up being the month’s most voted-for charity, its admirable eff orts going toward helping those aff ected by domestic violence to rebuild their lives. And 2nd Cup had the public’s awareness of its mission heightened.
To participate in charity fundraising by having a drink, visit The Original OKRA Charity Saloon at 924 Congress, which is open from 4 p.m. to 2 a.m. every day. Happy hour is from 4 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. every day with $3 well drinks, $3 beers and $5 wines. Paninis, fries, cookies and other small bites are avail-able until midnight daily.
For more information about OKRA, visit http://www.friedokra.org or follow them on Facebook and Twitter @OKRAFried.
OKRA is not just a food
Thirsty Explorer
It’s not easy being a green restauranteurby Charlotte Aguilar
Two of the varieties of tomatoes grown in the Garden Oaks community garden and donated to the needy. (Submitted photo)
Mitch CohenArts Columnist
Art a la Carte: Spring into festival season
Spaghetti Western, the sequelThe owners of Spaghetti Western Italian Cafe an-
nounced they’re opening a second location at 1951 W. T.C. Jester Blvd. The new location is targeted to open in June and will have the same food and drinks as the original Spaghetti Western at 1608 Shepherd, which has been in business for 12 years.
That menu features pizzas, pastas, salads and sand-wiches with a full bar and a wide selection of draft and bottled beers.
Heights breweryclears another hurdle
The Houston Planning & Development Commission approved the site plan and variance for the long-suff ering Town in City Brewing Company, trying to open ASAP on Cavalcade in the Heights. At issue had been the distance of the setback and how much parking was required. The fi nal agreement has now allowed the brewing company its 15-foot setback, which means it can include a pedes-trian plaza with parking for bicycles, along with green paver walkways to the garden and hospitality room. The commission also agreed that the facility is a manufac-turer, not a restaurant, which lowered the number of required parking spaces. The updated site plan can be viewed at http://townincitybrewing.com/blog.html
Craft beer sites team upto honor late supporter
A group of clubs known as purveyors of craft beers have teamed up to honor a Houston craft beer pioneer. Ash Rowell was gunned down in the doorway of his Museum District home on Feb. 1 with his family present in what remains an unsolved case. All next week, events dubbed
The Ash Bash will donate portion of their proceeds to a fund set up in his name at Texas Children’s Hospital. The week will kick off March 25 at Liberty Station, 2101 Wash-ington Ave., with Petrol Station, 985 Wakefi eld Drive, hosting a “warmup party” on March 29, and the conclud-ing event – an all-day blowout featuring live music and food at Cottonwood, 3422 N. Shepherd, on March 30. Other events will be held downtown and in Sugar Land. For more, visit Cottonwood’s Facebook page.
More chicken and waffl es to enjoyTable 19, 632 W. 19th St. in the Heights, has embraced
the chicken-and-waffl es craze. The homestyle eatery has added the item to its weekend menu, featured with two eggs for $12. Table 19 also serves up waffl es with berries and cream, and other items such as shrimp and grits, steak and eggs, and eggs Benedict as weekend indulgences.
MAM’s return is sure sign of springMAM’s House of Ice, which bills itself “Houston’s
Original Snoball Stand,” serving up New Orleans-style icy treats, has reopened for the season, just in time for this week’s record high temperatures. It’s located in the Heights on the corner of 20th and Rutland. To learn more or book MAM’s for an event, go to www.mamshouseofi ce.com.
Spaghetti Western, with one restaurant located in the Heights off Shepherd Drive, will open a second restaurant on West T.C. Jester.
Page 4A • The Leader • March 23, 2013 • @heightsleader
get involved on this page!If you want to send us a letter, we might edit it a little, and we won’t let you personally attack your
pesky neighbor. But we’ll publish as many letters as our readers choose to write.(One a month from a specifi c author.)
Send to [email protected]
One of the things I love most about our area of this enor-mous town is that we have
locally owned businesses that employ our neighbors and friends. The Leader is a locally owned business, and I’d guess that 80 percent of the businesses we interact with on a consistent basis have their roots within a 10-mile radius of our neighbor-hoods.
There’s a Biblical passage written for people like me who write columns like this, and it says: “Let he without sin cast the fi rst stone.”
Let’s not consider this a stoning, but over the past few months, I’ve interacted with enough local businesses to under-stand something really important. Those who own or work at local businesses do not have corporate honchos from Wall Street looking down on us, sending directives about best practices and SOPs and ROIs and every other mind-numb-ing acronym you can imagine.
Instead, we’re left to fend for ourselves, and I’ve often wondered if our local busi-nesses couldn’t stand a little prodding when it comes to customer service.
If I had to measure my time each week (and I do), I spend about 70 percent of
my week analyzing The Leader’s service to our customers. Obviously we serve our readers, but we also serve the businesses that advertise in our product, and it’s amazing how diffi cult it is to balance those two distinct customers.
Just for today, though, I’d like to talk to our local small businesses from the perspective of the consumer. In doing so, I’d imagine there are hundreds of other consumers who’d like to chime in with some thoughts of their own.
Nearly every business, no matter if you’re a wholesaler or a retailer, has a sales force. The adage says “we’re all in sales,” and if that’s the case, then all of our local businesses could stand a reminder about the importance of our
sales people.Along with managing fi ve sales people,
I deal with two or three who call our offi ce every day, offering us the latest and greatest product we apparently can’t live without. If there’s one thing I’ve seen from these sales people, it’s that they don’t realize the difference between being pushy and being persistent. Unfortunate-ly, we usually have sales folks who forget the traits of persistency and get mired in the circle of pushiness. Pushy sales people believe that every customer must own the product they sell. You’ve heard about selling ice to eskimos. Well, around here, we’ve got folks who sell humidity to construction crews.
If we’re offering tips to local small businesses, the fi rst I’d suggest is that we get away from selling products and start selling the needs of our customers a little better. In the hundreds of interactions I’ve had with sales people in the past six months, I don’t think I’ve had a single one call me and ask: “Hey, tell me a little about your business.” Instead, they always pitch their products and ask me if I’m interested. See ya.
If we aren’t dealing with the pushy people, we usually see the exact opposite.
I walked into one local business inter-ested in their product and what they had to offer. As I asked a couple of questions and explained what I was looking for, they responded by handing me a pam-phlet and telling me to let them know if I had any questions. Again, see ya.
If someone walks into your store and shows an interest, I think our local busi-nesses would fare much better if they’d take the time to get to know the folks who want to support them. That’s where the big boys have us beat. They do have honchos on Wall Street sending directives about customer service, and the reason they are big boys is because they’ve per-fected the approach to customers like me.
Another demise to local business hap-pened when I walked into a dry cleaner in the area. This place was perfect, in terms of location. I drove by it on my way to work, and it was on the right side of the street. (You know how some places are close, but it’s too diffi cult to get in and out?) Well, I decided to take some clothes there one morning, and I was the only customer in the joint. They looked happy to see me, but it literally took 12 minutes for me to hand them my clothes, pay my bill and leave with a ticket. One
thing our local businesses must under-stand about consumers is that we’re all in a hurry. Not saying that’s a good thing, but we have places to be. Your sales people should be sensitive to that, and it’s part of the reason I never visited that cleaners again.
I could go on and on with more thoughts, but I’ll end with this: Gim-micks are cute and fun and all that stuff, but I think they all tire to your custom-ers. Used car places (I know, I can’t get off of that) put fl ags all around their property. I’d imagine there was a time when those fl ags caught people’s atten-tion. These days, they’re worn, dirty and pointless. The same, I think, goes for bells at check-out counters, intended to be rung when your “sales person” did a good job.
I understand the concept, but if our sales people have to be congratulated for doing a good job with a gimmick like a bell, I’d say we’ve got things a little back-wards. Maybe we should ring the bell for our customers, rather than them ringing it for us.
Email [email protected]
Quick, when was the last time you opened up the pages of your high school yearbook?
If you’re like me, there’s a good chance that it’s just collecting dust on a bookshelf.
Fifteen years ago, I graduated from high school and shortly thereafter, I watched the teen comedy hit, “Can’t Hardly Wait” in which the Melissa Joan Hart character loudly declared, “These are Memories Fro-zen in Time, People!”
For a 33-year-old, I’m an old school kind of guy. I love reading books and don’t even own a Kindle.
Sure, I have an extensive iTunes library, but I prefer counting down the days until my favorite album is released, circling the date on the calendar and rush-ing down the store to hold it in my hands.
When covering sporting events, I love sifting through media guides. That’s why I was surprised when a Houston Texans staffer handed me a fl ash drive media guide in 2009, just after they produced a relatively thick book in ’08.
Nostalgia is nostalgia, but are Yearbooks worth it?Is the computer-savvy generation going to shell
out close to $100 for a book that will sit on their shelves for the next decade or two?
It’s tough to think that it should all go on a fl ash drive, which is so impersonal.
With all of the misuse of Social Media by today’s youth, perhaps instead of a Yearbook class, students
should learn social media etiquette and its use for constructive purposes.
This generation must learn that it’s much more than a tool to keep in contact with your friends. Kids post things thinking that only their friends will see it, whereas it’s viewable by the whole world.
If used appropriately, they can use Social Media for business, educational or marketing purposes.
Beyond Yearbooks, are reunions becoming obso-lete in the wake of Social Media? I’ve not attended a reunion, but I imagine one of the main attractions to attending a reunion would be to catch up with people, see who’s changed and who has stayed the same.
Digital reunions are ongoing, and they take place every day on Facebook and Twitter.
Some folks you’d like to see, while other’s you’d just as soon avoid.
Mark Zuckerberg, among other reasons, became a billionaire for allowing you to stay in touch with friends and avoid awkward reunions with those you’d rather not see.
In the digital era, there’s no faking a smile or friendliness, just deleting an e-mail here and there.
Is all of this increase in technology, making us more impersonal? Is it a good thing or not?
I’m confl icted. Every time, I hear of a record store closing or see how small the CD section in a Wal-Mart or a Target is, I refl ect back to the good ole days. But I’m also enthusiastic about downloading an album within seconds.
What are your thoughts on Yearbooks, Reunions, Social Media and Technology?
E-mail [email protected]
The worst job in the state must be head of the Texas Democratic Party. Some poor soul has that job, and it speaks volumes that almost no one knows who he or she is, where that person lives, works, votes and plays Lotto. But let us say that you got the slot. (Your politics aside, the position pays well and you need the money.)
Your fi rst task is to determine whatever happened to the Texas Democratic Party, which controlled the Lone Star State longer than the PRI ran Mexico or the Com-munist Party governed the Soviet Union. How did the mighty, monopolistic Texas Democrats fall so low, with prospects akin to purveyors of Esperanto and the metric system? How did the party of Sam Ray-burn, Lyndon B. Johnson, Lloyd Bentsen and an overwhelming number of Texas voters become the underdogs, fi ghting for a place at the table and dismally settling for scraps?
To change that situation, as head of the Texas Dems (we’ll shorten the Texas Democratic Party) you’ve got to fi gure out how to win votes while dealing with im-migration, guns, abortion, UT refusing to play A&M and voter DNA. Are Latinos the key? How can you ever get them to vote? If Perry runs for President, can we afford his bodyguards? Who is Gilberto Hinojosa? I know we’re doing away with Saturday mail delivery, but why isn’t Travis’s letter from the Alamo on exhibit all the time? Can’t we open our beaches to everyone but mem-bers of the Texas Supreme Court?
Next, let’s look at the political battle-ground, strewn with the corpses of Dem candidates. The ballots are more like the Tomb of the Unknown Lambs to Slaugh-ter. Name one. How Republican is Texas? In 1976, Jimmy Carter became the last Democratic presidential candidate to carry Texas. Mitt Romney won the state by 17 percentage points, a 2-point improvement from John McCain’s 2008 effort. The GOP now holds 3,192 elected posts across Texas, up from about 2,400 four years ago. Texas Republicans own both of our U.S. Senate seats and twice as many U.S. House seats as the Dems – 24 to 12. Republicans hold every single elected state-wide offi ce, and it’s been that way since – get this – 1993. In the Legislature, the GOP holds 95 House
seats, leaving the Dems with 55. Across the Rotunda in the Texas Senate, it’s 19 elephants and 12 donkeys.
The odd thing is the Texas Republi-can Party is quite vulnerable, currently controlled by nothing but a small, vocal and well-heeled extremist group that has hijacked the party from those Republicans who want a decent and thoughtful politi-cal organization to support. Look who they have in their ranks: Rick Perry, our governor for life. He opposes gub-ment interference in our lives, like a law against texting while driving through elementary school zones, pollution controls and rapid-fi re guns designed for the military. But he supports the state controlling women’s reproductive systems and how gays can live their lives. Some would call that hypocriti-cal. I call it smart politics.
Our newest U.S. senator, Republican Ted Cruz, has taken only a couple to weeks to alienate his 99 colleagues, and he will be there for six more years, making sure Texas is ignored. This is the party that labeled Kay Bailey Hutchison and David Dewhurst “too liberal.” It’s the party of U.S. Rep Da-vid Stockman who suggested that the Clin-ton Administration staged the 1993 raid on the Branch Davidian compound near Waco to convince Congress that it should ban assault weapons. All of this and more led the left-wing Daily Kos to observe, “At some point we’re going to have to consider Texas a failed state.”
Can’t the Dems beat them? No, because the Texas donkey is led by a bunch of incompetent nobodies. Will Rogers must have been thinking of Texas when he made
his oft-quoted observation, “I am not a member of any organized party -- I am a Democrat.” Can you imagine LBJ let-ting a sleaze like Tom DeLay come down from Washington – he wasn’t even a state lawmaker – and gerrymander Texas like a pizza cut with a chainsaw? Everyone knows Sam Rayburn was speaker of the U.S. House but don’t know that fi rst he was speaker of the Texas House. Mister Sam would have tolerated the current House members’ shenanigans about one nano-second.
How often have we heard, from every Texas politician from John Connally to Phil Gramm to Rick Perry, “I didn’t leave the party, the party left me.”? The Lone Star State was once, shall we say, non-Re-publican. If money is the mother’s milk of politics, Texas is a wet nurse. Candi-dates from both parties and from all over America come here to raise money to be spent on campaigns in Oregon or Ohio. Texas is the ATM for the elephant and the donkey. But almost no funds are sent here from out of state because Texas is so red it has scarlet corpuscles.
The Dems hope all of this will change with yet another stab at winning, or at least gaining respectability. Battleground Texas is coming to a moribund precinct near you. It is the latest effort to turn Texas into a blue state. Apparently having given up on local talent, some of President Obama’s top former staffers are arriving “to focus on grassroots mobilization that will make Texas a state that counts in local, state and national elections.” Good luck.
Here is my fi nal analysis, which you will fi nd irrefutable: The Texas Repub-lican Party didn’t skillfully hijack Texas with Karl Rove leading the way. Rather, the Texas Dems, totally clueless, became guided by total incompetents. As for the rest of us, take your pick: tone-deaf GOPers who spend more time on abor-tions than on education, with priorities far removed from those of most Texans, or Larry, Moe and Curly wondering why they keep losing. Oh, who is Gilberto Hinojosa? He’s head of the Texas Democratic Party. Party on, Gilbo.
Ashby writes in at [email protected]
Built byLEE BURGE, PUBLISHER FROM 1957-1969
TERRY BURGE, PUBLISHER FROM 1969-2012
Jonathan McElvyPublisher & President
Jane BroylesBusiness Manager
Charlotte AguilarEditor & General Manager
ADVERTISING INFORMATION
Carolyn MooreOutside Sales Executive
Jeanette BlackInside Sales Executive
Myra SchellingOutside Sales Executive
Sandy RoigInside Sales Executive
Jake DukateGraphics Manager
Lucy DukateSales Coordinator
3500 East T.C. Jester Blvd, Suite AP.O. Box 924487
Houston, TX 77292-4487Phone: (713) 686-8494
Fax (713) 686-0970
www.theleadernews.com facebook.com/THE LEADER.
@heightsleader
Any erroneous statement which may appear in The Leader will be corrected when brought to the attention of the publisher. In the event of errors or omissions in The Leader advertisements, the publisher does not
hold himself liable for damages further than the amount received by him for such advertisements. The Leader’s distribution is independently audited by the Circulation Verifi cation Council.
© Copyright 2013McElvy Media LLC
Circulation: 34,000 copies weeklyNEWS DEADLINE:
Noon on MondaysCLASSIFIED WORD AD DEADLINE:
5 p.m. TuesdayRETAIL AD DEADLINE:Noon on Mondays
Ivee SaulsOutside Sales Executive
OUR STAFF
Michael SudhalterManaging Editor
If you own a local business, take down the fl agsJONATHAN
MCELVY
Publisher
Are yearbooks becoming obsolete?
MICHAEL
SUDHALTER
Let’s pin the blame on the DonkeyASH BY
ATLARG E
The movement to create a railroad quiet zone along a portion of 34th Street in the Garden Oaks-Oak Forest neighborhoods is taking on new momentum (see this week’s Reader comments on page 4).
Latest weapon: a Facebook page, located at https://www.facebook.com/34thQZ
Moderators are posting background in-formation on train horn noise and the quiet zone process, which seeks to meet federal requirements for safe crossings while silenc-ing routine train warning horns.
They’re looking for personal stories about experiences with the horns and supportive residents and businesses so that they can raise the issue with the city. Currently, Houston has a moratorium on funding any additional quiet zones.
The Leader continues to receive com-ments from readers about the Quiet Zone. Some of those letters follow:
Dear Editor: I don’t believe in the argument that this
is a safety issue and should not be removed, for several reasons:
1. There is a lit barrier which is activated before the train gets to the crossing. For law abiding citizens, this is suffi cient. If you plan to play “chicken”, then that is your lookout.
2. These are not high speed trains. They are slow moving and therefore there is plenty of time to react to a train approach-ing if you somehow miss the barrier.
3. Trains in Europe move at high speeds and are much more frequent (due to the fact there are substantially more passenger trains) They only emit a one brief horn as they go through a station and not even at crossings. The barrier works just fi ne across numerous countries without the need for the sound from the train.
4. This is not a case for nostalgia and romanticism in keeping the horn. It is purely for the peace of residents who wish to enjoy a good night’s sleep. The drivers go around the country, travelling great distances
delivering goods (and if we’re lucky, some passengers) but it is not their place to take a perverse pleasure in waking the residents in the neighborhoods through which they travel. They should carry out their job with pride and QUIET dignity. We all know they are there, we just don’t need to hear about them in the wee small hours of the morning!!
Helen & Tony Pink
Dear Editor:You state “Our offi ces on East T.C. Jester
are just yards from a railroad crossing, and our phone conversations and dealings in the offi ce are frequently compromised by an engineer laying on the horn.”
Did anyone FORCE The Leader to locate yards from the railroad crossing? Did you not know that trains create noise that prevent general offi ce dealings? Do you expect us to feel pity for you and the rest of the offi ce?
We freely chose to live where we live and work where we work. Why should others be forced to use their tax dollars to fi x our problem? Why should streets be closed (in-conveniencing others) to fi x our problem?
I agree with others posting here that the train noise is not that big of of a deal. You get used to it. I live on 38th St – about 1 block from the tracks.
The only time it was a problem was when one of the Train Engineers got divorced from his wife who continued to live in her Garden Oaks home. The Train Engineer would exces-sively blow the train horn to let his ex-wife know he was in the neighborhood.
Doug, via www.theleadernews.com
Dear Editor:I have sleep apnea, and uninterrupted
sleep is crucial to my health! This is impos-sible with all of the horn blowing that happens, sometimes at 4:00a.m.!
Margaret Toombs
Quiet Zone or not?There’s new noise about 34th Street railroad
Church GuideMESSAGE OF THE WEEK
“The Heart of the Heights”1245 Heights Blvd.
Sunday School . . . . . . . 9:30 AMSunday Worship . . . . . 10:45 AM
Nursery ProvidedReverend Hill Johnson, Pastor
Grace UnitedMethodist Church
713 862-8883Food Pantry, Thurs. 2-4:30 PM
www.graceintheheights.org
Preschool Program • Mon. - Fri. 9-2 p.m.www.gethsemanelutheran.org
4040 Watonga • 713-688-5227
Member of MANNA
Worship Services 8:00 a.m. & 10:30 a.m. (Nursery Provided)
Sunday School & Bible Classes 9:15 a.m.
GETHSEMANE LUTHERAN CHURCH
Reverend John Cain, Pastor
Sunday School - 9:30 a.m.Sunday Worship - 10:30 a.m.
Nursery ProvidedMinistering to the Oak Forest
Community since 1948
(713) 682-25561576 Chantilly @ Piney Woods
OaksOaksPresbyterianPresbyterian
ChurchChurch
Reverend Noelie Day
Gospel Truth Church
1624 W 34th • 713-686-7689www.gospeltruthchurch.org
Sunday 10:30 amWorship and The Word
Children’s ChurchWednesday 7:30 pm
Life Equip classes for all ages
Join us for Services in English or Spanish
Sunday Worship 10am & 5pmSunday Bible Classes 9am
Wednesday Bible Study 7pm
4215 Watonga Blvd. • 713-681-9365 Houston, TX 77092
Candlelight Church of Christ
713-864-4447 Website www.gobc.orgInterim Pastor Dr. Bob Overton
Sunday Worship Servicesat 8:30am & 11:00am
3206 N. Shepherd
Pastor Jim Daniel
Bible Study 9:30 am
Sunday Worship Service 10:45 am
Sunday - Bible Study For All Ages .. 9:30am Morning Worship ............ 10:45am Age Graded Zones ...........6:15pmWed. - Prayer Meeting & Missions Organization .....................6:15pm
Dr. John W. Neesley - Senior Pastor
713-864-14701822 W. 18th
Member of MANNA
1216 Bethlehemat Ella Blvd.
(713) 688-7761Sunday School 9:30 AM
Morning Worship10:45 AM
(Disciples of Christ)
Pastor Don Joseph
www.oakscchouston.orgVisit us on FaceBook
OCCASIONS FOR PRAYER
Dire need is often the occasion for prayer. There is a natural tendency to turn to God when things seem overwhelming, or even hopeless. But, there are also
times when our spirit over ows with joy or gratitude. A sunny day when everything is going our way is as much an occasion for prayer as when we are seeking refuge from a storm, though these are bound to be very different prayers. Every occasion is a good time for prayer, and if we just let the spirit speak through us it will nd the right words. Saint Paul instructs us to pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17), and if we never stop praying we will always be in communion with God. Remember that God is everywhere and that God is always good. God is indeed the highest good. What a powerful source of goodness we have at our disposal if we can only keep praying. There is never an inappropriate occasion for prayer.
“And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.”
Ephesians 6:18
First Baptist Church
Sunday Worship 10:30am Wednesday 6:00pm
Friday Youth 6:00pmSunday School 9:30 am
201 E. 9th St. • Houston TX 77007Spirit Led Worship 713-861-3102
Nursery Provided
Heights
NEWS FROM YOUR PEWSSt. Matthew’s holds Easter and spring activities
The St. Matthews’s Garden Club will meet 9:30 a.m. Thursday, March 28, in rooms 104 and 105. Fellowship and refreshments will start the morning, followed by a short business meeting and plant swap. Members and guests are asked to bring at least three plants to swap. Visitors are welcome.
Maundy Thursday service will have special Bible readings and music at 7 p.m. March 28.
There will be an Easter Egg Hunt at 10 a.m. Saturday, March 30, for children ages 1-10. The Easter Bunny will be there for parents to take photos with their children, so bring a camera and also a basket for children to collect their eggs.
Two services will be held Easter Sunday at 7 a.m. and 9:30 a.m. March 31.The regular Sunday morning worship and Children’s Church starts at 9:30 a.m., fol-
lowed by 10:30 a.m. Sunday School. For information, visit the web site at www.stmatthewsmethodist.org or call 713-697-
0671. St. Matthew’s United Methodist Church is located at 4300 N. Shepherd Dr. at Crosstimbers.
Musicians perform Easter Sunday at Heights ChristianHeights Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) welcomes the community to experi-
ence special music by outstanding musicians to celebrate Easter Sunday at the 10:45 a.m. regular service. Houston Symphony violinist Rodica Gonzalez with pianist Will Appleby will perform. Vocalist will be Michael Esterheld and Frances Callender. The sermon will be by Herschel Moore, Pastor.
The church is located at 1703 Heights Blvd. For information, call 713-861-0016.
St. Andrew’s to observe Holy Week and EasterSt. Andrew’s Episcopal Church in the Heights will host a series of services in obser-
vance of Holy Week and Easter. All are welcome to participate.A Palm Sunday processional will precede each service at 8:30 a.m. and 10:30 a.m.
March 24. Maundy Thursday service will be at 6:30 p.m. March 28, with Foot Washing, Holy Eucharist and Stripping of the Altar. Good Friday is March 29 and will have the Stations of the Cross at 11 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. The Liturgy will be noon and 7:30 p.m. with Gospel passage readings. The Holy Saturday Vigil will be 7:30 p.m. March 30.
Easter Sunday services are 8:30 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. March 31. An Easter egg hunt for the children will be held immediately following the 10:30 a.m. service.
St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church is located at 1819 Heights Boulevard. Call 713-861-5596 or visit www.saintandrewsepiscopal.org for information.
Chancel choir presents ‘Canticle of the Cross’ at St. Stephen’s The chancel choir at St. Stephen’s United Methodist Church will present an Easter
cantata, “Canticle of the Cross,” by Joseph Martin, Sunday, March 24, during the 11 a.m. worship service. Children are welcome to participate in the Palm Procession dur-ing the 8:30 a.m. and 11 a.m. worship services. Please bring children to the foyer area of the sanctuary shortly before the service.
A Maundy Thursday Communion service will be held 7 p.m. March 28. Easter Sun-day worship, March 31, will include a contemporary service at 8:30 a.m. followed by an 11 a.m. traditional service. Sunday School classes for children, youth and adults will meet at 9:40 a.m. All in the community are welcome.
St. Stephen’s United Methodist Church is located at 2003 W. 43rd St., between T. C. Jester Boulevard and Donna Bell. Rev. Kevin Otto is the pastor. For information, call 713-686-8241, or visit www.stsumc.org.
Easter celebrations at Lazybrook BaptistThere will be a solemn observance service chronicling the events of Easter week
through Good Friday at 6:15 p.m. Wednesday, March 27. On Good Friday, 7 p.m. March 29, there will be a dinner theatre with “The Shadow
of Easter” presentation. Tickets are $15 for adults and $5 for children under 12. Reser-vations can be made by calling the church offi ce.
The Easter Eggstravaganza for children through fi fth-grade, will be held from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday, March 30. There will be games, crafts, refreshments, moonwalk and an Easter egg hunt, along with a special presentation of the Easter Story by Pastor John Neesley.
Celebrate the resurrection with a 7 a.m. Sunrise Service at Jaycee Park, located on Seamist and Grovewood, followed by 8 a.m. breakfast at the church. Bible Study begins at 9:30 a.m., followed by the 10:45 a.m. morning worship.
Lazybrook Baptist Church is located at 1822 W. 18th St. Call the church offi ce at 713-864-1470 for information.
Easter sunrise service at Bethel UCCThere will be a 7 a.m. Easter sunrise service March 31. There will be breakfast tacos
served after the service. Bethel Church is located at 1107 Shepherd Drive. Call 713-861-6670 or visit the web-
site at http://www.bethelhouston.org/ for information.
Bereans Baptist holds Easter Sunrise ServiceBereans Baptist Fellowship Church is having a 6 a.m. Easter Sunday Sunrise Ser-
vice.Bereans Baptist Fellowship Church is located in the sanctuary of Woodland Trails
Baptist Church at 9615 N. Houston Rosslyn Road. Call 832-978-9872 or visit www.bereansbaptistfellowship.org for information.
Fish Fry at All Saints The Knights of Columbus is hosting a Fish Fry from 6-8 p.m. Friday March 22, in the
community hall. The meal includes fresh fi sh, homemade hushpuppies, cole slaw, fries and iced tea or lemonade for $8.
All Saints Catholic Church is located at 215 E. 10th St. Call 713-864-2653 or visit www.allsaints.us.com for information.
Stations of the Cross at Garden Oaks BaptistThere will be 14 stations set up in the fellowship hall, for meditation and prayer. The
self-guided walk will take about 30 minutes and will be from 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Friday, March 22; 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, March 23; and 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday, March 24.
Garden Oaks Baptist Church is located at 3206 N. Shepherd. Call 713-864-4447 or e-mail [email protected] for information.
First Presbyterian presents ‘Celebrate Life!’A Palm Sunday worship presentation of gospel musical “Celebrate Life!” will be 5
p.m. Sunday, March 24, in the Grand Hall of First Presbyterian Church, 5300 Main St. The combined choirs of First Presbyterian will lead the presentation featuring Gram-my- and Dove-award-winning recording artist, Cynthia Clawson. Admission is free.
For information, contact [email protected] or call 713-620-6473.
Spring events at The VineyardBubblefest, voted one of the Heights top community events in 2012, will run from 11
a.m. to 2 p.m. March 23. Bubblefest is perfect for children from 3-12 years old. There will be huge bubble pits, bubble games, bubble crafts, bubble contests, and a bubble prince and princess. Kids should wear play clothes that can get wet, bring goggles and towels, and be accompanied by an adult. Waivers must be signed for each child. Bub-blefest will be held at the Spark Park at Hogg Middle School in the Heights.
DivorceCare for adults and for kids (DC4K) are 6:30-8:30 p.m. Tuesday nights, from March 26 to June 25. While adults gather together, children 5-11 will go to their own class. To learn more about these programs, go to divorcecare.org or dc4k.org. Register at houstonvineyard.org/divorcecare or call the church at 713-869-9070.
Palm Sunday sesrvices are at 10 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. March 24. Good Friday service is at 7 p.m. March 29. Worship is in Spanish and English at both 10 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. Easter Sunday services, March 31, with the 11:30 a.m. service having Spanish transla-tion.
The Vineyard Church of Houston is located at 1035 E. 11th St. Call 713-869-9070 or visit www.houstonvineyard.org for information.
Page 5A • The Leader • March 23, 2013 • @heightsleader
At a recent Oak Forest Elementary PTA meeting, two attendees got quite a surprise. Teacher Myra Austin and par-ent Angela Foster were awarded Honor-ary Texas Life Membership in the Texas PTA.
According to www.txpta.org: “Since 1909 the Texas PTA has made available the Honorary Texas Life Membership as one of the highest honors that may be presented to individuals for outstand-ing service to children and youth.”
Both Austin and Foster were nomi-nated by current PTA leaders and the school administration. Oak Forest PTA president Laura Carter, and current PTA Membership Chairs Jessica Light-foot and Jennifer Dove Brown present-ed the award.
Austin has been a fi xture on the Oak Forest campus for 17 years. In that time she has been a second grade teacher, a third grade teacher and a fi fth grade teacher. Those who nominated her said that Austin has always wanted what was best for the campus and made each grade level move graciously and with enthusiasm.
She has also served as the Title I Co-ordinator at Oak Forest. This position entails many hours spent documenting student records and ensuring that Oak Forest’s students in need get assistance.
Foster has been the parent of an Oak Forest student for seven years. She served two years as second vice-presi-dent and two as the parliamentarian. She currently is on the school’s grant committee.
“Oak Forest is so blessed to have the hearts and minds of people like Ms. Foster and Ms. Austin focused on its students,” said PTA Vice-President Candice Croker. “They are both genu-ine role models for other teachers and parents here and we wanted them to be aware of exactly how much we valued them.”
From left, Jacquelyn Maida, Angela Fos-ter, Myra Austin and PTA President Laura Carter pose for a photo after Austin and Foster were awarded Lifetime member-ships in the Texas PTA. (Submitted Photo)
Two honoredfor serviceto OF PTA
To place an ad on the most popular page in the Leader, give us a call at (713) 686-8494 and ask for one of our professional sales executives
THE COUPONS.
www.littlebittyburgerbarn.com5503 Pinemont 713-683-6700
M-F 10 AM-9 PM • SAT 11 AM-9 PM • SUN 11 AM-5 PM
$999999Includes 2 Quarter Pound
Basic Burger Baskets & 2 Drinks
Voted Best Burger Joint by Michael Berry Show
The
Original‘‘TWOTWO CAN DINE’ CAN DINE’
Kids Eat Free On Wednesdays!5:00 - 8:00 pm
Now honoring Spoton Frequent Dinner Program
www.WeBuyGoldCenter.com
“With This Coupon. Not Valid With Any Other Offer. *Written Veri able Quote On A Letterhead. From A Similar Type Of Local Area Competitor
Within One Mile Radius With Current Date Required. Valid For Metal Value Only. Limited To 20-DWT Maximum.”
Code # LDR051711073111 Expires 3/31/13
We GUARANTEE the HighestPrice by 5%
US 290 @ 34th St.11200 NW Fwy. Ste 700
281-888-0508
HWY 290 @ TIDWELL13482 NW Frwy.281-653-7162
HWY 290 @ FM 196012149 FM 1960 W. Ste. L
281-653-7162
25%MORECASH
with this coupon
1-855-351-GOLD
BONUS COUPON
Buy One Dinner And Re ceive $5 Off Second Din ner Of Equal Or Less er Value.WITH THIS COUPON
DINE IN ONLY.VALID MON.-FRI. 3 PM TIL CLOSING
AND ALL DAY SAT. AND SUN.NOT VALID WITH OTHER OFFERS.OFFER EXPIRES 3-29-13
FAJITASFAJITASFOR TWOFOR TWO
5305 Antoine @ Pinemont713-682-3853
Mexican Restaurant
MexicanRestaurant
$$11339955
DINE IN ONLY. THIS COUPON GOOD MON. THRU FRI. 3PM TIL CLOSING. THIS COUPON ALSO GOOD SATURDAY AND SUNDAY 11:00 UNTIL CLOSING.
EXCLUDES ALCHOLIC BEVERAGESNOT VALID WITH OTHER OFFERS. OFFER EXPIRES 3-29-13
$5 OFF DINNER
Full Service Bar - 13 oz. Regular Margaritas $2Weekdays & Saturdays 3:00-6:00 pm. Sunday - All Day
Party Room Available
• LIMIT THREE COUPONS PER TABLE •
COUPON CODE: 7946
COOLSPECIAL
$$7799997316 W. Tidwell
@ Hollister(713) 895-7434
www.wetzonecarwash.com
• Vacuum Interior • Windows Cleaned• Wipe Dash & Door Panels
• Clean Cup Holder • Towel Dry
Reg. $12.99
FULL SERVICE WASH
EXPIRES 3-29-13
WASH CAR
99¢expires 4-5-13
2211 West 43rd 713-686-7078
HOURS: 10:30 am - 10:00 pm • 7 days a week
ONLY
BUY ONE BURGER GET ANOTHER ONE FOR
1820-1 W. 43rd. St. (713) 290-1905We Accept Medicare, Medicaid & Insurance, WORKERS COMP.
I’M IN PAIN...CAN CHIROPRACTIC HELP ME?
HUDSON CHIROPRACTICSe Habla Español
• Headache • Arthritis • Loss of Sleep • Scoliosis • Leg & Arm Pain & Numbness • Backache
• Tension •Whiplash
EXAM & X-RAYSMust present ad at
time of ap pointment.Expires March 31, 2013.
$2995
CONDITIONS THAT ARE DANGER SIGNALS
Reg.$140.00
• Not available on Senior Citizens or Kids Menu • One coupon per table / one coupon per familyORIGINAL COUPON ONLY! No copies accepted• Must be presented before ordering • Expires 3-29-13.
FREE DIN NERBuy 1 Dinner Get 1 Dinner FREE
4618 Dacoma(Between Hwy. 290 and Mangum)
(713) 680-0825
* Lunch Specials Daily* Take Out Orders Available* Complete Bar Fa cilities
* Party Room Available
Dine-In Only. No Takeout Orders. Good 3-10 p.m. only.
(Seats 85)Happy Hours: Mon-Thur 4-8
Coupon value up to $4.95
Page 6A • The Leader • March 23, 2013 • @heightsleader
OBITUARIESCecilia Victoria Billimek, died March 16. A Mass of Christian burial was held
March 19, at St. Rose of Lima Catholic Church. Survivors include her husband, Leon Billimek; daughter, Carol Poenisch; son, James Billimek; and sister Betty Welle. In lieu of customary remembrances, memorial donations may be made in honor of Cecilia V. Billimek to St. Rose of Lima Catholic Church Building Fund.
John Joseph Braunagel, 87, died March 15. He was born Oct. 16, 1925, in Houston. John lived in the Heights and Garden Oaks until he retired. Funeral services were held March 17 at Klein Funeral Home. Survivors include his wife of 63 years, Creola Duncan Braunagel, whom he met while students at John H. Reagan High School; son Dan Edward Braunagel; and sister Mary Katherine Graves.
Will Anthony Durden, died March 8. Funeral services were held March 16 at St. Stephen’s Baptist Church. Survivors include his daughter, Chasiti Durden; mother, Lenora Durden; fi ve sisters and two brothers.
Robert Bruce Flint III, 47, died March 14. He was born Jan. 3, 1966, in Houston. A service celebrating his life was held March 19 in the Chapel of Heights Funeral Home. Survivors include his wife, Kimberly M. Flint; daughter, Raili Nicole Flint; mother, Tuula Sullivan; father, Robert B. Flint, Jr.; brother, Eric Christian Flint; and step-children, Joey, Michael, and Kaci.
Lutelia P. Flix, 88, died March 10. Funeral services were held March 16 at Antioch Missionary Baptist Church. Survivors include her four children: Pinkney Flix, Joyce Jack-son, Marva Morning and Carolyn Maxie.
Jose Humberto Gonzalez, 83, died March 16. He was born May 17, 1929, in Monterey, Mexico. Arrangements are entrusted to Heights Funeral Home.
Paul David Hansen, 75, died March 8. Funeral services were held March 12 at Woodlawn Funeral Home. Survivors include his wife, Tommye; daughter, Melinda White; and son, Mark Hansen.
Concepcion Huerta (nee Paredes) “Conchita”, 78, died March 14. She was born May 16, 1934. Funeral services were held March 20 at Woodlawn Funeral Home. Survivors include her fi ve children: Maria Arredondo, Rebecca Chestnut, Rafael Huerta Jr., Ruth Huerta-Villegas, Rita R. Huerta, two brothers and two sisters.
Daphne Ruth Kettler, 85, died March 14. She was born June 18, 1927 in Port Lavaca, Texas. Funeral services were held March 18 at Immanuel Lutheran Church. She is survived by her daughter, Sharon Lee Meisetschlaeger.
Claudia Lynn McGinnis, 62, died March 12. The family received friends March 16, at Integrity Funeral Care. Survivors include her husband, David McGinnis, Sr.; sister, Mickey Brooks; brother, Jack; sons David McGinnis, Jr. and Chris McGinnis.
Sophie Mae Massman Mendell, died March 10. Graveside services were held in the Proler Chapel at Beth Israel Memorial Gardens. Survivors include her children Allan Mendell and Robert Mendell.
Barbara Faye Miller, 56, died March 14. She was born Nov. 30, 1956. Arrange-ments are entrusted to Heights Funeral Home.
Joseph C. Mooney, Jr., 79, died recently. He was born Jan. 4, 1934, in Mart, Texas. Funeral services were held March 19 at Terrace United Methodist Church. Survivors include his wife, Betty; and sons Mitchell and Russell.
JoAnn Powers Raymond, 80, died March 12. She was born April 23, 1932 in Houston. A memorial service was held March 15 at Second Baptist Church. She attended Reagan High School and was a member of the Reagan Red Coats. Survivors include her children, Gregg, Kim, Kelly, Kyle and Courtney.
Mary Frances Foucheaux Shults, 72, died March 7. She was born April 14, 1940. Funeral services were held March 12 at Woodlawn Funeral Home. Survivors include her husband, John A. Shults; and daughter, Kelly Kay Burgess.
Benito “Ben” Silguero, 76, died March 11. He was born Oct. 3, 1936, in Dreyer, Texas. Ben was a graduate of Reagan High School. A requiem Mass was held March 16, at Holy Rosary Catholic Church. Survivors include his wife, Susie; children, Benny, Carl and Sonia Silguero; brothers Abel and Robert Garcia; and sisters Marie Barnhardt, Margie Rivera, Lydia Gonzales, Lisa Ramirez, and Diana Fernandez Padilla.
Andres Alejandro Soza, Jr., 67, died March 12. He was born April 24, 1945. Arrangements are entrusted to Heights Funeral Home.
Johnnie Thomas, 84, died March 8. Services were held March 16 at Garden Oaks Church of Christ.
Mildred Adele Wolcott, 83, died March 13. She was born March 25, 1929, in Houston. Funeral services were held March 19 in the Chapel of Heights Funeral Home. Survivors include her daughters, Darla Gould, Doris Allen and Joyce Lowry.
Some newspapers charge families far too much money simply to publish a commem-
oration of their loved ones.
You don’t have to pay thousands of dollars to run an obituary. If you ever have to
deal with death in yourfamily, ask your funeral
home to contact Th e Leader.
To place an ad on the most popular page in the Leader, give us a call at (713) 686-8494 and ask for one of our professional sales executives
THE COUPONS.
www.papamosdeli.com
IWO AMIGOS1412114121 N.W. FREEWAY 713-462-4321
Highway 290 @ Fairbanks North Houston in Kroger Center
MEXICAN RESTAURANT
$$55 OFF OFF• Dine-in-only • 1 Coupon per table, please • Present coupon when ordering
• Offer good Monday thru Friday 3:00 PM - 9:30 PM only Saturday and Sunday 11:00 AM - 9:30 PM • Expires 33-30--30-1313 • • Full barFull bar andand open air patioopen air patio
Buy One Dinner And Receive $5 Off Second Dinner of Equal or Lesser Value. (Includes Fajitas for 2 Special)
OPEN Monday - Saturday 8am - 10pm & Sunday 8 am - 4pm
FREEFREE Dinner DinnerAuthentic MejAuthentic Mej icano Cuisineicano Cuisine
Mexican Restaurant
Buy 1 Dinner and 2 Drinks, Get 1 Dinner Free (up to $10.00)
2615 Ella Blvd. @ 27th 713-868-5232
DAILY LUNCH SPECIALS BAR FACILITIES
TAKE-OUT ORDERS AVAILABLE
One coupon per tableDine In Only After 3:00 pm • Expires 3-30-13FREE DONUTS 2 KOLACHES
FREE
Good at this location only. One coupon per visit. Tax not included. Not valid in conjunction with other coupons.
With purchase of one dozen glazed donuts.
Get 1/2 dozen glazed donuts FREE with purchase of one
dozen donutsor more.
FREE DONUTSBuy 6 Glazed Donuts Get 6 Glazed Donuts
FREE!
3410 Ella Blvd. at 34th St. (713) 682-4343
EXPIRES 3-29-13. EXPIRES 3-29-13.EXPIRES 3-29-13.
1354 West 43rd(713) 290-0877
With purchase of another Sundae of equal or greater value.
With this coupon. One coupon per customer. This location only.
Expires 4-5-13
99¢ GET ASUNDAESUNDAE for
only..
Available for Any Occasion or Holiday
ICE CREAMCAKES
OFF SECOND ENTREE
Coupon good at all 3 locations. Open Mon.-Sat. 11-10, Sun. 11-9
2728 West T.C. Jester @ 610 • 713-680-8011
Buy 1 dinner and get $5 Off second dinner of equal or lesser value.
11550 Louetta • 281-251-0206
JuanitaJuanita’s’sMexican Res taurant & Cantina
$5ENJOY OUR
HAPPY HOURMonday - Friday 11am - 7pmSaturday & Sunday - All DayFrozen Jumbo Margaritas $5.95
or 10 oz. $2.95 - regular or avored -
• Dine-In Only • This coupon good Mon.-Fri. 3 p.m.-10 p.m.• This coupon also good all day Sat. & Sun. • One coupon per party • Excludes alcoholic beverages • Not valid with other
specials, special dinner menu or half orders • Expires 3-29-13
7151 Fairbanks N. Houston(1 mile North of HWY 290) (713)-937-7274
W W W . F A I R B A N K S . V E T S U I T E . C O M
FAIRBANKSANIMAL CLINIC
Would You Wait a LifetimeTo Brush Your Teeth?
During the month of March, receive a special 10% savings on all dental cleanings and supplies!
MARCH IS YOUR PET’SDENTAL HEALTH MONTH
Did you know? Bacteria from peridontaldisease can spread through the
bloodstream and damage internal organs (heart, kidneys, etc.)
Speak to our receptionist today or call (713)937-7274to schedule your pet’s
FREEDental Examwith our technician
or to schedule aDental Cleaning
for your pet.
832-884-4169
Fredrick’s
• Tune-Ups • Brake Jobs • Air Conditioning • Maintenance Schedules • General Repairs
“If you have a good honest mechanic - Keep him. IF NOT CALL ME!”
3540 Oak Forest Drive @ Judiway
THE CALENDAR.Page 7A • The Leader • March 23, 2013 • @heightsleader
NNMD SPRING PLANT SALE10 a.m.-2 p.m. (or until sold out) April 6White Oak Conference Center7603 Antoine Dr.713-895-8021www.nearnorthwestdistrict.com/programs
Near Northwest Community Improvement Corporation is presenting the Spring Plant Show, with proceeds to raise funds for the completion of the White Oak Butterfl y and Hummingbird Garden. Prior to the plant sale will be a 9 a.m. presentation “Planting for Butterfl ies and Hummingbirds,” by horticulture expert Heidi Sheesley of Treesearch Farms. The Spring Plant Sale will feature native and naturalized perennials suited to this area.
BARC ANIMAL ADOPTIONSAT HEIGHTS FIRST SATURDAYNoon-4 p.m. April 6Natural Pawz 514 W. 19th St.
BARC is taking between fi ve and 10 animals to Heights First Saturday. The animals will be at Natural Pawz. The adoption fees are as follows: Dogs, $50; puppies (4 months and under), $75; cats, $20; kittens (4 months and under), $35. BARC’s pet adoption package, includes spay/neuter surgery, age-appropriate vaccinations, a city license, and a microchip with lifetime registration.
HAUTE WHEELS HOUSTONNoon-5 p.m. March 23-24HCC Southwest West Loop Campus5601 West Loop South Fwy.www.hautewheelshouston.com
More than 34 of the most skilled chefs in Houston will be rolling on to the Houston Community College Southwest Campus for “Haute Wheels Houston - The Food Truck Festival.” This event will off er cutting-edge culinary fl avors.
BENEFIT FUNDRAISER FOR JODY QUIROZ3-7 p.m. April 7Forest West Club House5335 Lost Forest
Jody Quiroz received a heart transplant Nov. 24, 2012. To help with medical expenses, barbecue plates will be sold for $12. Kroger on 43rd will be donating the meat. Entertainment will be provided by D-Mack. If unable to attend, donations can be mailed to: 5018 Antoine Dr. #B125, Houston, Texas 77092.
BEAUTY’S COMMUNITY GARDEN CLASS10-11 a.m. April 63201 Airline (corner of E. 32nd St.)[email protected]
Beauty’s Community Garden presents Gardening Made Simple with Kelvin Williams. Wear comfortable clothing and garden shoes for this hands-on class. Bring gloves. Class is free, but registration is required.
HEIGHTS ROTARY CLUB SHRIMP/CRAWFISHDINNER & AUCTION11 a.m.-3 p.m. April 27SPJST LODGE1435 Beall St.713-299-9896HeightsRotary.org
Tickets are $12 for adults and $4 for children 10 and under. Burgers and hot dogs are available for the kids. Fun Activities include face painting, infl atables, outdoor activities and balloon twisting. The live and silent auction begins at noon.
CHILD HUNGER FUNDRAISERNoon March 24Buff alo Fred’s Ice House2708 N. Shepherd Drive832-270-8807
[email protected], music and silent auction to raise funds for The
Giving Back Group, which feeds almost 100 hungry youngsters locally each weekend through the Blessings in a Backpack program. For information, visit the Facebook page The Giving Back Group.
MISS NELSON IS MISSING! 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. SundaysThrough April 6Main Street TheaterñChelsea Market4617 Montrose Blvd.713-524-6706MainStreetTheater.com
The kids in Room 207 are the worst-behaved class. When Miss Nelson disappears and the mean-looking substitute Miss Viola Swamp takes her place, the children are so desperate they hire a detective to fi nd Miss Nelson in this wacky whodunit hit. Recommended for Kindergar-ten and up. No children under 3 allowed in the theater (including sleeping babies). Call or visit website for ticket information and discounts.
KINDERGARTEN ROUNDUP9 a.m. and 6 p.m. March 26Sinclair Elementary6410 Grovewood Lane713-867-5160
Come meet PK teachers and tour the school. Pre-K and Kindergarten registrations will be held. There are qualifi -cations for Pre-K enrollment. For Kindergarten, child must be 5 years of age on or before Sept. 1, 2013. Please bring the following: proof of residence, birth certifi cate, shot record, Social Security card and Texas Driver’s License.
WALTRIP CLASS OF 1973 REUNIONAug. 9 and Aug. 10www.waltripclassof73.com
There are many activities planned for the weekend including a golf tournament and casual mixer Aug. 9 and the main event Aug. 10. Visit the website for information.
Page 8A • The Leader • March 23, 2013 • @heightsleader
Prepared as a public service to promote better dental health. From the office of: Chase Baker, D.D.S.,
3515 Ella Blvd., 713-682-4406.
I am often asked why it’s a big deal if a child gets a cavity on a baby tooth or loses that tooth early, since it’s going to fall out anyway. It’s
actually extremely important that a child maintain their primary dentition for as long as possible for many reasons. Some of these are obvious, and some not so obvious. To begin with, a full complement of teeth will allow a child to eat properly, which will provide them with the nutrients for all of the growing that they are doing. Of course, cavities are painful and will interfere with chewing function. They will also help them to speak properly, a difficult thing to do when missing teeth. And now, the not so obvious...primary teeth help to shape a child’s face during their growth. Without their teeth in place, the jaws can have a poor growth pattern affecting their overall appearance. Also, primary teeth provide a lead for the permanent teeth to follow. When the baby tooth is lost too soon, the adult tooth can have trouble erupting into its proper position. This causes many problems with crowding as the permanent teeth come into place. Proper homecare and regular trips to your dentist will help to be certain your child’s teeth are in good shape. Your child should be seen by their dentist every six months starting by their first birthday to keep them in optimal health.
Chase Baker, D.D.S.
WHY YOUR CHILD’S TEETH
ARE IMPORTANT
Invest in Your Future Th rough America’s Past
U.S. CoinsAuthorized Dealer : PCGS
Invest in Your FutureThrough America’s Past
Appraisals given for banks, estates, attorneys, insurance and individuals.
8435 Katy Freeway, Houston, Texas 77024PHONE 713-464-6868 FAX 713-464-7548 www.buyuscoins.com
Toll Free Number (888) 502-7755 Louisiana Offi ce (337) 291-1191
Forest WestForest West Animal ClinicAnimal Clin ic
Hours: M-F 7am-6:00pm Sat. 8am-12 Noon
5315 Antoine@ Pinemont 713-688-9625
Call About Cat Vaccines
* With Wellness Exam
Dog RabiesVaccination$875
New Well Puppy & Kitten Exam
FREE
*28
Yearsof quality care for
your family pets
Routine MaleCat Neuters$49
What gorgeous spring weather we’ve had. Do you have spring fever? You know, that undeniable urge to get out and do something? Betty Crain, Kim VonBruno and Suzan Marks took advantage of the perfect temps and sunshine and did some yard work this past weekend. Suzan Marks said, “Planted my very own veggie gar-den. Basil, lavender, Rosemary, sweet basil, bell peppers, jalape-ños, cherry tomatoes, regular to-matoes, two types yellow squash, eggplant and 20 geraniums. And...I got a little sunshine on my shoul-ders, too. Beautiful day.” I second that.
Evelyn Yurgensen said, “Spring means summer is not far behind.”
Katy Cattoni of Shepherd For-est had a new visitor at her bird feeder this past week – a white parakeet with bits of blue and yel-low. Katy said the bird plays well with others and it was exciting for her to see another new cutie.
Many of you had a blast at the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo seeing your favorite performers
over the last several weeks. Kelly Saldivar, Shirley Evanicky, June DeLeon, Emily, Mike, Victoria and Aaron Arcos; Cathy & Ed-die Florian, Brad, Cindy, Sarah, Allison and Katelyn Stafford; and Ronnie and Koby Hackradt are just a few of our lucky neigh-bors who went to enjoy the per-formance of everyone’s favorite crooner, George Strait.
Elissa & Bob McClung’s son John is a member of the Ren-egades Cooking team which par-ticipated at the rodeo barbecue cook off. The team is made up of several other friends who met in their teens at the Reagan Chapter of DeMolay at Oak Forest Lodge. John takes a week of vacation ev-ery year to help set up the largest tent at the cook off and cook some amazing potatoes, beans, and bar-becue. He says the secret recipe to the potatoes is that you have to make them 50 pounds at a time.
Cowboys Jay, Shep and Max Stevenson participated in the Mutton Bustin’ event at the Hous-ton Livestock Show & Rodeo and what do you know, but Shep won his event! Ride ‘em, cowboy! Jay made it to the fi nals in the Kids’
Tractor Pull and Max rode a horse for the very fi rst time. Frank and Pat Sheppard of Shepherd Park Plaza are the proud grandpar-ents of the three little cowboys. Jay and Shep are identical 5 year old twins and Max is their 3 year old brother. The boys live in West Orange, N.J., with their mom and dad – Stephanie & Tony Steven-son. Stephanie is Frank and Pat’s daughter. Tony is a principal tenor at The Metropolitan Opera and Stephanie performed in Broadway musicals until she changed careers and went into motherhood.
A little birdy told me that Gar-den Oaks Elementary fi rst grader Jacob Gamez also participated in the Mutton Bustin’ event at the rodeo. Proud mama is Stephanie Vera.
Happy birthday 19th birthday to Colin Webb. Colin celebrat-ed over an entire weekend with friends and family and enjoyed King Ranch Chicken and birthday cake on his special day. He enjoyed going to the rodeo three times during Spring Break.
MyDolls will play this Fri-day night, March 22, at Walter’s, 1120 Naylor St., just north of UH
Downtown off of North Main Street. Oak Forest’s own Linda Younger is a member of this punk band which began rocking out in 1978. Linda Younger, guitar and vocals; Dianna Ray, bass and vo-cals; Trish Herrera, guitar and vocals; and George Reyes, drums and vocals.
St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church still has some openings for artists, crafters and vendors for the Spring Bazaar at St. Andrew’s on April 6. Located at 19th & Heights Blvd. This is a great opportunity to show and sell your wares in the heart of the Heights shopping district. For more information or to register, visit http://www.saintandrews-episcopal.org/spring-bazaar/. The Bazaar is open to all and admis-sion is free.
Let your neighbors know what you did for spring break. Some of you have taken off on excellent adventures in our neighborhoods, throughout the city, and beyond. Let us hear about your adven-tures!
Check out Elizabeth’s Neighbor-hood News on Facebook or email [email protected] and let us know what you are up to.
Neighbors: Plays, operas and Mutton Bustin’by Elizabeth Villarreal
FIU, an NCAA Division I mem-ber of the Sun Belt Conference.
Dehn, who was born on Sept. 14, 1994, in Miami, overcame the loss of both of his parents before age 12.
Dehn’s father, Max Rey, died when Dehn was 11 years old. Rey wasn’t part of Dehn’s life, and he didn’t know his cause of death.
But Dehn’s mother, Corry Weiss, played a huge role in his life. She committed suicide when Dehn was 9 years old.
“I was the reason she was still going,” Dehn said. “We meant everything to each other. The Florida Department of Children and Families (DCF) took me away for a little while. I think once she knew I was taken care of, she didn’t want to be here anymore. She didn’t have a lot, but she gave me what she had.”
Dehn said that his mother battled alcoholism and was also a victim of domestic abuse.
At age 10, he was legally ad-opted by Weiss’ brother and his wife, who lived 280 miles to the northwest in Largo, Fla.
“My aunt and uncle didn’t tell me how (my mom died),” Dehn said. “I didn’t really believe that she had died. Once I got to the funeral, it kicked it in, and it was real tough after that.”
Dehn lived with his aunt and uncle and was homeschooled before enrolling at Indian Rocks Christian School in Largo, for high school.
However, personalities were at odds in the household as Dehn often rebelled against his relatives’ strict rules.
In order to benefi t both parties, Dehn’s uncle sent an e-mail out to family members to see if anyone would be interested in adopting the teenager.
Becoming aman in Houston
The Reagan High football team went 14-10 (with a pair of playoff appearances) over the last two seasons, and they may want to send a thank you note to the Houston Police Department for a portion of that success.
Dehn moved to Houston two years ago because his sister, HPD offi cer Monica Marsh, 34, answered the e-mail and volun-teered to be Dehn’s legal guard-ian.
Marsh moved to Houston six years ago for a job opportunity with HPD. She’s in the special operations division, training the department’s bicycle offi cers.
Dehn and Marsh, who have different fathers but the same mother, had never lived in the same household together. They now live in The Heights.
“Even though we weren’t liv-ing together, I always knew what was going on,” Marsh said. “He’s changed my life for the better. I never expected to have him with me. He reminds me of my mom a lot. Our mom was amazing. My mom and I were extremely close. Alcoholism was on her side of the family. She had a really rough life, a couple of bad turns and a bad divorce.”
Marsh, who has to “play the mother and sister role at the same time”, is very proud of her brother and his accomplishments. She credits his experience at Reagan with his development, academi-cally and athletically.
“He’s overcome more than many kids will experience in their lifetime,” Marsh said. “If he wasn’t with me, he probably wouldn’t be
where he is now. I’ve watched him grow into the man he’s become. This kid has so much potential. He’s a great kid, and I’m extreme-ly proud of him.”
Dehn does chores, assigned by his sister, around the house, but during their free time, they enjoy discussing football. Marsh played running back and line-backer for the New York Sharks of the Women’s Football Alliance (WFA) when she lived there.
Dehn has become an active member of the community. He joined the Reagan track & fi eld team this spring and competes in the 4x100 and 4x200 relays, and the 200-meter dash.
Since he knows what it’s like to be the new kid on campus, he’s welcoming to other newcomers.
That’s how he became best friends with Bulldogs junior quarterback Eric Duran, who transferred to Reagan from Spring High.
“When I fi rst got here, he was the fi rst guy I ever talked to,” Duran said. “We got to know each other, and he’s a really cool dude. He’s really a positive person.”
Duran and his family sparked
Dehn’s interest in Young Life, a non-denominational youth Christian ministry, and The 429, a church located at 37th and North Shepherd.
“It’s been a great infl uence,” Dehn said of the church.
Regardless of what he’s doing, Dehn always makes sure he hon-ors his mother’s memory.
“If she was here,” he said, “she’d be happy to see me succeed.”
February. Oak Forest’s Garrett Tyra starts things off by grooving to the song by American electronic musi-cian Baauer while those surround-ing him were seemingly oblivious. The rest of the dance entailed the whole crowd doing their own im-promptu moves.
Oak Forest resident Greg Faulk, who runs his own photography and video business, shot and ed-ited the performance. It is avail-able on You Tube as well as Faulk’s business web site at http://www.gregfaulk.com.
Other upcoming events for OFHA include the Movie in the Park currently scheduled for May 4. Loera is recruiting sponsors and says they plan to have a food truck there as well. The Oak Forest Run-ning Club which meets at a differ-ent area watering hole each week is also gaining new members.
For more information about any of the OFHA happenings, please visit their Facebook page or http://www.ofha.org/.
Shake • from Page 1A
Dehn • from Page 1A
No Deposit No Late Fees Controlled Access Lighted & Secure
Lowest Pricesin Town!
Aztec StoragesWest 34th St.
(Between Ella & T.C. Jester)
Call us and compare our prices to
ANY OTHERFACILITY!
713-681-1383
COVERED STORAGE NOW AVAILABLE 12'X30'Edie’s
SUDOKU
CLUES ACROSS
The Puzzles.Solutions in this issue’s classsi ed section.
49. Retirement plan 50. Be obedient to 51. French river 53. __ fatale, seductive woman 56. Made a surprise attack 60. Winglike structures 61. Belittle oneself 65. Department of Troyes France 66. Mains 67. Shoe ties 68. A carefree adventure 69. Mariner or sailor 70. Modern chair designer 71. ____ Gin Fizz cocktail
ACROSS Cont...
1. Chew the fat 2. A prince in India 3. A Far East wet nurse 4. Axiom 5. The frame around a door 6. Fruit drink 7. Ugandan Pres. Amin 8. Real Estate Services 9. Brass that looks like gold 10. Nutmeg seed covering spice 11. River in Austria 12. Eliminates 15. Canadian province 20. Green, Earl Grey and iced 22. Four ball advancement 24. Vaselike receptacle 25. Highest card 26. Unction 27. 1st of the books of the Minor Prophets 28. Symbols of allegiance 30. Farm state 31. A citizen of Iran 32. More dried-up 33. Alt. spelling for tayra 35. Perfect examples 41. One point E of SE 42. Secretly watch 43. Three toed sloth 44. __ student, learns healing 45. Liquid body substances 47. Act of selling again 48. Stroke 52. Selector switches 53. Speed, not slow 54. City founded by Xeno phanes 55. Picasso’s mistress Dora 57. Having two units or parts 58. 2nd largest Spanish river 59. Delta Kappa Epsilon nick name 62. The cry made by sheep 63. Air Cheif Marshall 64. Perceive with the eyes
26. Superhigh frequency 29. Farm fanbatic 34. Double agents 36. No (Scottish) 37. Peninsula off Manchuria 38. As fast as can be done (abbr.) 39. Apulian city 70121 40. Talk show host Philbin 42. USA’s favorite uncle 45. More coherent 46. PBS drama series
1. Jam into 5. Egypt’s capital 10. Dis gure 13. Biblical Hamath 14. Vipera berus 15. The three wise men 16. “The foaming cleanser” 17. Earthquake 18. Breezed through 19. South Paci c island 21. Legal possessors 23. List of dishes served 25. Jai __
CLUES DOWN
Mon-Fri 7 am - 6 pm, Sat 8 am - 3 pm
1765 W. 34th • 713-682-8785
Alterations & Dry Cleaning
Chris’ Since 1978
Joseph Dehn and his sister, Monica Marsh, have been good infl uences on each other ever since Dehn found a home with her in the Heights.(Photo by Michael Sudhalter)
Page 9A • The Leader • March 23, 2013 • www.theleadernews.com
1917 Ashland Street | Houston, TX 77008 | 713.969.5400 | Physician Referral 713.757.7575
For the past 125 yearsSt. Joseph Medical Center has lovingly cared for the Houston community with dedication and excellent service. We continue to add new healthcare services to improve the lives of our patients and our community.
We are proud to haverecently opened the doors to St. Joseph Medical Center in The Heights, which includes the following amenities:
Emergency Department7 bedsImagingLabPharmacy
Inpatient Care48 beds4 Operating Rooms1 Endoscopy Suite
Outpatient CareDiagnostic Radiology Outpatient SurgerySpecial Procedure Room
All 800+ board certified physicians at St. JosephMedical Center will beavailable to patients in the Heights. To find the right physician to care for you and your family, please call 713.757.7575.
Page 10A • The Leader • March 23, 2013 • @heightsleader
A Spring Plant Sale is scheduled for Saturday, April 6, at the White Oak Conference Center, 7603 Antoine Drive. The sale opens at 10 a.m. and continues until 2 p.m. Prior to the sale, renowned horticulturist Heidi Sheesley with Treesearch Farms will pres-ent “Planting for Butterfl ies and Hummingbirds” at 9 a.m.
The Spring Plant Sale will feature native and naturalized perennials suited to the area. The plants in the sale are locally grown and usually only available through specialty nurseries. Fea-tured plants include: Pura Vida Passionvine, Dwarf Calliandra, Mexican Butterfl y Weed and Pe-ter’s Purple Monarda.
Proceeds from the Spring Plant Sale will support the completion of the White Oak Butterfl y and Hummingbird Garden at 7603 Antoine Drive. The Butterfl y and Hummingbird Garden has been developed under the leadership of Heidi Sheesley, a Director of the Near Northwest Management District. The Butterfl y and Hum-mingbird Garden is part of a plan to inspire area property owners, commercial and residential, to
create unique gardens that add beauty and habitat.
The Near Northwest Manage-ment District’s recent Livable Centers Study recommended es-tablishing a regional attraction, such as a botanic garden. The demonstration project at the White Oak Conference Center includes The Grove and the But-terfl y and Hummingbird Garden.
“Since we built The Grove and the Butterfl y and Hummingbird Garden last year, we’ve seen lots of visitors – from the very young on up – checking out our plants as well as the wild butterfl ies and the hummingbirds,” said Heidi Sheesley.
The sale is sponsored by the Near Northwest Management District and the Near Northwest Community Improvement Corp.
don’t smell it,” Fegan said.Iken’s plan is to install a third
bio-scrubber within 18 to 24 months.
“We have confi dence that will resolve it,” Iken said.
The City has hired a consultant and will take bids on the installa-tion. Iken said it will come out of the operation fund, rather than the capital fund. The cost, according to Fegan, would be approximately $200,000 to $250,000 but it’s “pre-liminary” to be sure until it goes out for bid.
Constant complaints, Fegan said, will lead to ensuring that the project is taken care of by City of-fi cials.
“This is the best response we’ve had from the city,” Fegan said. “The more we highlight the issue, it won’t get bumped (in the bud-get) for somebody else.”
Over the past two decades, Fe-gan said residents gave up on the effort to abate the smell.
“People would give up and wouldn’t call 311,” Fegan said. “The city assumed it was fi xed.”
Smell • from Page 1A
to me anymore for money.” That interviewee also report-
edly provided the name of another Waltrip employee from whom the principal allegedly borrowed more than a thousand dollars.
A third interview, which took place at district headquarters Feb. 12, was with an employee who claimed to have loaned Siebenaler $60 that had not been returned, and that the principal had asked on two other occasions for thou-sands and on another occasion for $500 for “Christmas gifts.”
Riddick noted that the employee “did not feel comfortable with the request and that your wife told you that no additional loans would oc-cur.”
This Waltrip employee also told Riddick, according to the account of the interview, that Siebenaler created an uncomfortable situa-tion when he “had asked you to included (sic) friends of yours to raise several $1,000’s of dollars and that he, Mr. Siebenaler had a plan to pay you back with his wife’s an-nuity.” The principal later sent a text message saying he no longer needed the loan, the document reports.
According to HISD spokesman Jason Spencer, these documents have been turned over to Callier & Garza, outside counsel retained by the district to investigate further. “The investigation is ongoing,” Spencer indicated Tuesday. “Once it is fi nished, a determination will
be made as to whether a review by law enforcement is appropriate.”
He could not immediately cite any specifi c HISD policy regulat-ing supervisors seeking loans from their employees.
The Leader attempted to contact Siebenaler via an email address at which he had communicated earli-er, but did not receive a response.
Sources have told The Leader that Siebenaler frequently spoke of heavy medical bills from his own battle with cancer and of large medical bills from his wife’s more recent struggle with the disease.
In an email newsletter dated Oct. 8, 2012 to Waltrip faculty that was part of the investigation docu-ments, Siebenaler talks about the cancers in item number 10, entitled “Personal Thoughts.” He claimed to be “cancer free since 2010,” and wrote that his wife, Christina, was improving from a form of cancer called “Spindale Cell Sarcoma.” (Cancer reference materials online list a “Spindle Cell Sarcoma.”)
Although the names of the em-ployees who offered statements are on the documents, The Leader agreed to have HISD redact them before their release to avoid a pro-tracted process of having the state attorney-general rule on the legal-ity of withholding the names. The Leader has a policy of protecting sources of sensitive information who do not wish to be identi-fi ed and would not have used the names in any case.
Probe • from Page 1A
Spring plant sale will help bring hummingbirds and butterfl ies
Photo by Heidi Sheesley
A sad passingIt is with a heavy heart that
I share with you the passing of Hunter, the Harris County Fire Marshal’s much-beloved acceler-ant detection canine. Hunter led a long, full life, serving our commu-nity for 12 years--both on the fi eld and in the form of community outreach (after retiring in 2008). Hunter is credited with teaching many area children the invaluable skill of “stop, drop and roll” as well as “get low and go!” “He was simply the best partner a man could have,” said Thomas Petty, senior investi-gator. “Working with Hunter was a unique privilege and I treasure all of our moments together.” Rest in peace, Hunter. Thank you for your noble service.
Blessing of the petsUrban Tails (www.urbantails.
cc) is hosting The Blessing of the Pets, Saturday, March 23 from 3-5 p.m. at Bellaire United Method-ist Church, 4417 Bellaire Blvd. In addition to a blessing, you’ll also receive a commemorative picture of you and your blessed pet. Our buddies, Friends For Life, will be on site with their Mobile Adop-tion Vehicle as well! Stop by and
enjoy the fellowship!
Humane Society Fun RunMy exercise of choice is yoga, of
course--you should see my bril-liantly-executed Marjariasana, or, Cat Pose, for you amateurs--but if you enjoy getting outside to run or walk, I recommend doing so for a good cause this weekend! Sign up for the Houston Humane Society’s 32nd annual one-mile Fun Run and Walk in Downtown Houston (Hermann Square, 900 Smith St.) on Sunday, March 24 at 10 am. All
proceeds go directly to the Hous-ton Humane Society. Pets are en-couraged to attend and partici-pate. Go here to register and get more information: http://www.houstonhumane.org/fun-run/ or call 713-433-6421.
Make mine chocolate!Another friendly (and timely)
reminder, courtesy of our friends at Bunny Buddies Rescue, (www.bunnybuddies.org) not to give REAL, live bunnies as gifts this Easter, but instead opt for delicious
chocolate bunnies or toy bunnies. Go to www.makeminechocolate.org to fi nd out more.
Furry heads upLook for details soon on the
(free!) Houston Pet Talk Doggy Party on the Plaza, held at City Centre on April 6 (www.doggyp-artyontheplaza.com). Some local celebs will be in attendance (per-haps myself included), and a good time is likely to be had by all! Mark your calendars now, and we’ll chat about this again soon.
*As part of the Memorial Hermann Health System: Northwest, Southeast, Southwest and The Woodlands Hospitals.
Legaciesare earned
For more than 45 years, we’ve delivered innovative care to The Heights community.At Memorial Hermann Northwest Hospital, we’ve established a local reputation for world-class healthcare.
From leading services that are exclusive to the area, to the numerous accolades we’ve received, to a recent
$10 million expansion of our Emergency Center, our steadfast commitment to The Heights continues.
• Ranked one of America’s Best Hospitals by HealthGrades® for three consecutive years
• Recipient of Texas Health Care Quality Improvement Gold Award* from
TMF Health Quality Institute
• The area’s only accredited Level III Trauma Center
• A nationally accredited Chest Pain Center
• Supported by 500 physicians locally and 4,000 physicians throughout
the Memorial Hermann network
• Part of the Memorial Hermann system, with ready access to Life Flight®
• A full-service hospital with 260 licensed beds, 38+ ER beds,
22 medical ICU beds and eight cardiac ICU beds
For a physician referral, call 713.222.CARE or visit us at memorialhermann.org
MHH125000_CommAd_LEAD_03COMP.indd 1 12/20/12 4:33 PM
MollyDiaries
TheOpportunities for blessings, philanthropy this weekend
Hunter was always ready to serve his community as an investigator and an educator. (Submitted photo)
Yarn bombing, urban knitting, fi ber graffi ti – these are all names for a practice which seeks to bring a little color, and joy, to public spaces. On March 15, Stevens Elementary was the re-cipient of some really cool yarn art.
Because anonymity is a part of the culture of yarn bombing, none of the dozen partici-pants wanted their names in the paper. They did however, get the enthusiastic support of Principal Lucy Anderson who even helped out on Saturday.
Anderson had seen yarn bombing in the Heights so she had some idea of what the group wanted to do. “It was way more than I thought though – just a total surprise. The cre-ativity that went into it was amazing, and it is so great that the children and their parents get to experience it fi rst hand.”
The group worked for about three hours on campus, however there was also a lot of advance preparation work. For the last few months, con-tributors worked on the yarn fl owers and other smaller decorative items. They also hooked up with a resource in Tomball who allowed them access to knitting machines so they could make the eye catching tree blankets.
As for the choice of Stevens for the project,
one participant said that the recent publicity regarding Stevens’ beautifi cation efforts helped guide their choice. “We knew we wanted to do a school in the spring. We thought the kids would like it.”
And they did indeed. Anderson told of one of the pre-K students who came to class Mon-day asking if all the trees could get sweaters. Stevens student Andrew Young also said he thought the tree wrapping was very cool, while Luz Moreno’s favorites were the fl owers and stars along the fence. Dakarai Bartee was par-tial to a yarn bumblebee dangling from a tree.
Everybody liked the hanging apples.“It looks like an enchanted forest,” said Bar-
tee.Anderson says the goal is to keep the art up
through the spring. “We are so grateful at Ste-vens to have the support of those in the com-munity who created this with our school in mind.”
For more information about the ongo-ing effort to support Stevens Elementary, join Stand for Stevens on Facebook or e-mail [email protected].
– Betsy Denson
Stevens students add a little yarn to the yard
Dakarai Bartee points out an apple to Luz Moreno.
(Photo byBetsy Denson)
Page 11A • The Leader • March 23, 2013 • www.theleadernews.com
2003 West 43rd ß 713-686-8241
www.stsumc.orgBetween West T. C. Jester and Rosslyn
Celebrate Easter at
Palm Sunday ServicesMarch 24
8:30 & 11:00 AM
Maundy ThursdayCommunion
March 287:00 PM
Easter Sunday ServicesMarch 31
8:30 & 11:00 AM
Children’s Palm Parade
Nursery is available for children 4 and under
at all services
◆
Houston Symphony Violinist,
With Pianist,
Here are the events for Easter weekPalm Sunday - 9:30AM
Holy Thursday Service - 7PM(Tennebrae Service)
Easter Egg Hunt - 10AMSaturday, March 30, 2013
Easter Sunday ServicesYouth Sunrise Service - 7amTraditional Service - 9:30AM
All are welcome. Please join us for these wonderful events!
w w w. s t m a t t h e w s m e t h o d i s t . o r g
St. Matthew’s United Methodist Church
Fairbanks
215 EAST 10TH • HOUSTON, TEXAS 77008Rev. Msgr. Adam S. McClosky, Pastor
TRIDUUM (THREE DAYS)Holy Thursday March 28, Liturgy of the Lord’s Supper
7:00 PM Bilingual Mass followed with Procession and Adoration of the Holy Eucharist until midnight in the Parish Hall
Good Friday March 29, Liturgy of the Lord’s Passion3:00 PM English Service
5:30 PM Live Stations of the Cross in Spanish outdoors7:00 PM Spanish Service
Visitation of the Lord’s Tomb following both servicesHoly Saturday March 30, Great Easter Vigil
Confessions @ 1:00 PM Bilingual Mass @ 8:30 PM
Reception of Newly Baptized, Confirmation, and Holy Eucharist
Easter Sunday March 318:30 AM & 10:30 AM Sunday Masses in English,
12:30 PM Mass in Spanish
CelebrateCelebrate MiraclethetheEaster March 31
