Inside Today: What is Houston’s signature cocktail? • 1B Covering the Heights, Garden Oaks, Oak Forest & the neighborhoods of North Houston Saturday, September 20, 2014 • Vol. 60 • No. 46 ������������� � ������������������������� ������������ ����������������� �������� ������� ������������ ������������ ������������ �� ����� �� �� � � � ���� Darlene’s 10570 NW Frwy 713-680-2350 ������������� � �������������� � ��������� � ������� ������������ 832.419.9969 AREA SPECIALIST Public Information THE INDEX. Food & Drink Opinion Church Puzzles Classifieds Sports Coupons Neighbors 5A 5B 5A 1B 6A 4A 2A 6A 7B ����������������������� � ����� � ������� � �������������������� ���� ������������ �������������� ��������� ������������� � ���������������� ������ ABOUT US 3500 East T.C. Jester Blvd Suite A (713) 686-8494 [email protected]www.theleadernews.com Facebook/THE LEADER. By Christina Martinez [email protected]In serious emergencies, picking up the phone to dial 9-1-1 may not be re- alistic. If an intruder invades a home or school, a phone call for help could give away your presence. But if you can’t call, what do you do? By the end of the year, Harris and Fort Bend Counties will be providing a Text-to-9-1-1 alternative for emergen- cies. Following an agreement made on May 15, the four major cell phone car- riers - AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile and Ve- rizon - agreed with the Federal Com- munications Commission to make texting 911 dispatchers available. “We are anticipating that we will be providing this service in Houston by October,” Public Information Officer Sonya Clauson said. “It’s not going to be an overnight switch. This is some- thing Harris and Fort Bend service providers have been working on and by October, this should be required.” According to a media statement released by Greater Harris County, re- cent news reports announced the text service as available in some parts of the country. The county stresses that their text 9-1-1 option, however, is not yet available. Greater Harris County has a few suggestions and guidelines once the text service is implemented. When text-to-911 becomes available, citi- zens should keep in mind that the ser- vice should only be used when one is unable to make a voice call to 9-1-1. Voice calls will still be the fastest and best way to contact dispatchers for emergencies. Text-to-9-1-1 is intended primarily for use in two emergency scenarios - for an individual who is deaf or hard of hearing and for a person who is un- able to make a voice call or in the instance of a home invasion or abduction Cheryl A. Breed, Houston Emergency Center Division Man- ager says that normal challenges she faces over the phone include getting the correct address, hang up or silent phone calls and verifying addresses. Breed also said the texting option faces a number of other po- tential challenges, including not be- ing able to hear and identify noises or voices, waiting for a response from the person texting, cell towers being busy and the text being delayed and having to give complex medical instructions through text. “I hope callers will call if they can only use texting because they are not able to verbally communicate,” Breed said. When the text option is available, users should start by sending your ex- act location and stating their emergency clearly. “It’s important for the texter to give their location,” Clauson said. “ It’s going to be very impor- tant to send a brief message, however we would not rec- ommend slang. Keep the texts short. We want to make sure all information about your emergency is included.” Call if you can, text if you can’t Photo by Christina Martinez Marla Baldwin, a chief technology officer with the Houston Emergency Center, will be one of many people working to help implement a new text-to-911 service in Harris County. Food truck robbed at gunpoint in the Heights By Jonathan Garris [email protected]The owners of the H-Town strEATs food truck got more than they bar- gained for after they were confronted by two armed robbers in the Heights area Monday night. According to social media posts by the trucks owners, the group was at Beaver’s restaurant on Decatur Street. Director of Communications Amy Ponterella said the robbery happened some time between 9:30 and 10 p.m. and she was at their home in Oak For- est during that time. Owner Jason Hill reached out to her via text after the incident. “[Hill] sent me a text saying he had been robbed but not to call as he was speaking with policem” Ponterella said. “I ended up sending about 15 text messages in a row, and of course we have a 2-year-old at home and he’s trying to play the entire time.” Ponterella said two men walked into the back of the food truck and pulled guns on Hill and another employee inside. Hill originally thought the inci- dent was a joke and he attempted to push away the weapon. Shots were fired into the air and a bullet struck the refrigerator inside of the truck, accord- ing to posts on Facebook. The other employee grabbed a handful of money and threw it at the robbers. The men fled the scene on foot and shot up the truck as they were leaving the scene, Ponterella said. “Those turds didn’t get all our cash,” Hill stated on Facebook. “They were Harris County aims to deploy new text-to-911 system by end of year NSABA vies for cleaner, brighter entrance Garden Oaks residents remember Charlie By Christina Martinez [email protected]Garden Oaks neigh- bor, husband, brother and friend Charlie George passed away after his battle with Leukemia this year. Neighborhood fam- ily and friends gathered at Triangle Park to dedicate a Chair for Charlie that will be a place of remembrance and give a resting place for someone who needs it. Charlie battled Leuke- mia this past summer and his family and friends saw him struggle to complete daily tasks like his routine walk around the block. Shellye Arnold, a friend and neighbor, noticed Charlie standing in her front yard one morning. “I looked outside and Charlie was standing in our yard with a cane and he didn’t usually have a cane,” Arnold said. “Ev- eryday he walked his dogs around the block and the cat came, too. It was really a great scene to witness. So that morning he was just standing there and that was very unusual. I was getting ready for work and saw him and asked if he was alright. He said he wasn’t feeling well and that he didn’t think he could do his walk. I asked him if he needed a chair, but he Photo by Christina Martinez Sandra George sits in her husband’s chair with one of the neigh- bormany neighborhood kids in attendance at Triangle Park for Charlie George’s chair remembrance ceremony. Heights Urban Forestry Day: The Houston Heights Asso- ciation is offering residents a chance to give the gift of trees Sept. 21 as part of its Heights Urban Forestry Day. Citizens can adopt a pair of free 3 to 5 gallon native trees at the HHA Fire Station, located at 107 W. 12th Street, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. to celebrate living in tan- dem with trees in the Heights and learn about your natural neighborhood. By Jonathan Garris [email protected]Members of the the North Shep- herd Area Business Association are hoping to make the entrance into their community a bit more attractive by painting and cleaning up the ag- ing railroad bridge and underpass just north of West 34th Street. Kathryn van der Pol is hoping to get the go-ahead from BNSF Railway, the company which helps maintain the bridge to provide some landscaping improvements and even a new coat of paint to help improve the entrance to the North Shepherd Corridor. The nearby METRO bus stop is also need of some litter control and touching up, van der Pol said. “That whole area north of the bus stop is just one nightmare of weeds, garbage and debris from the road,” van der Pol said. Van der Pol said she originally pro- posed taking care of the area as part of a Community Clean Up day, how- ever the issue is compounded by the complex nature of roadways and local authorities. Van der Pol originally con- tacted Public Projects Manager Tim Huya at BNSF Railway nearly a year ago regarding the proposition. “In order for a railroad bridge to be painted, an agreement must be en- tered into between the agency desiring to perform the work and BNSF,” Huya stated in an email to van der Pol. “Typ- See Text, P. 4A See Robbery, P. 2A See Entrance, P. 5A See Charlie, P. 5A LOOK INSIDE. The Friends of West 11th Street Park say they are excited to bring a number of improve- ments to the trails inside of the 20-acre park located in the Greater Heights area. Group President Lorraine Cherry said the group aims to complete the half-mile loop trail inside of the park, a goal that has been ac- complished with the generosity of one local resident. West 11th Street Park to get improved trails See P. 7A
Transcript
Inside Today: What is Houston’s signature cocktail? • 1B
Covering the Heights, Garden Oaks, Oak Forest & the neighborhoods of North Houston
In serious emergencies, picking up the phone to dial 9-1-1 may not be re-alistic. If an intruder invades a home or school, a phone call for help could give away your presence. But if you can’t call, what do you do?
By the end of the year, Harris and Fort Bend Counties will be providing a Text-to-9-1-1 alternative for emergen-cies. Following an agreement made on May 15, the four major cell phone car-riers - AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile and Ve-rizon - agreed with the Federal Com-munications Commission to make texting 911 dispatchers available.
“We are anticipating that we will be providing this service in Houston by October,” Public Information Officer Sonya Clauson said. “It’s not going to be an overnight switch. This is some-thing Harris and Fort Bend service providers have been working on and by October, this should be required.”
According to a media statement released by Greater Harris County, re-cent news reports announced the text service as available in some parts of the country. The county stresses that their text 9-1-1 option, however, is not yet available.
Greater Harris County has a few suggestions and guidelines once the text service is implemented. When
text-to-911 becomes available, citi-zens should keep in mind that the ser-vice should only be used when one is unable to make a voice call to 9-1-1. Voice calls will still be the fastest and best way to contact dispatchers for emergencies.
Text-to-9-1-1 is intended primarily for use in two emergency scenarios - for an individual who is deaf or hard of hearing and for a person who is un-able to make a voice call or in the instance of a home invasion or abduction
Cheryl A. Breed, Houston Emergency Center Division Man-ager says that normal challenges she faces over the phone include getting the correct address, hang up or silent phone calls and
verifying addresses.Breed also said the texting
option faces a number of other po-tential challenges, including not be-ing able to hear and identify noises or voices, waiting for a response from the person texting, cell towers being busy and the text being delayed and having to give complex medical instructions through text.
“I hope callers will call if they can only use texting because they are not able to verbally communicate,” Breed said.
When the text option is available, users should start by sending your ex-
act location and stating their emergency clearly.
“It’s important for the texter to give their location,” Clauson said. “ It’s going to
be very impor-tant to send
a
brief message, however we would not rec-
ommend slang. Keep the texts short. We want to make sure all information about your emergency is included.”
Call if you can, text if you can’t
Photo by Christina MartinezMarla Baldwin, a chief technology officer with the Houston Emergency Center, will be one of many people working to help implement a new text-to-911 service in Harris County.
The owners of the H-Town strEATs food truck got more than they bar-gained for after they were confronted by two armed robbers in the Heights area Monday night.
According to social media posts by the trucks owners, the group was at Beaver’s restaurant on Decatur Street. Director of Communications Amy Ponterella said the robbery happened some time between 9:30 and 10 p.m. and she was at their home in Oak For-est during that time. Owner Jason Hill reached out to her via text after the incident.
“[Hill] sent me a text saying he had been robbed but not to call as he was speaking with policem” Ponterella said. “I ended up sending about 15 text messages in a row, and of course we have a 2-year-old at home and he’s trying to play the entire time.”
Ponterella said two men walked into the back of the food truck and pulled guns on Hill and another employee inside. Hill originally thought the inci-dent was a joke and he attempted to push away the weapon. Shots were fired into the air and a bullet struck the refrigerator inside of the truck, accord-ing to posts on Facebook.
The other employee grabbed a handful of money and threw it at the robbers. The men fled the scene on foot and shot up the truck as they were leaving the scene, Ponterella said.
“Those turds didn’t get all our cash,” Hill stated on Facebook. “They were
Harris County aims to deploy new text-to-911 system by end of year
NSABA vies for cleaner, brighter entrance
Garden Oaks residents remember CharlieBy Christina Martinez
Garden Oaks neigh-bor, husband, brother and friend Charlie George passed away after his battle with Leukemia this year. Neighborhood fam-ily and friends gathered at Triangle Park to dedicate a Chair for Charlie that will be a place of remembrance and give a resting place for someone who needs it.
Charlie battled Leuke-mia this past summer and his family and friends saw him struggle to complete daily tasks like his routine walk around the block. Shellye Arnold, a friend and neighbor, noticed
Charlie standing in her front yard one morning.
“I looked outside and Charlie was standing in our yard with a cane and he didn’t usually have a cane,” Arnold said. “Ev-eryday he walked his dogs around the block and the cat came, too. It was really a great scene to witness.
So that morning he was just standing there and that was very unusual. I was getting ready for work and saw him and asked if he was alright. He said he wasn’t feeling well and that he didn’t think he could do his walk. I asked him if he needed a chair, but he
Photo by Christina MartinezSandra George sits in her husband’s chair with one of the neigh-bormany neighborhood kids in attendance at Triangle Park for Charlie George’s chair remembrance ceremony.
Heights Urban Forestry Day: The Houston Heights Asso-ciation is offering residents a chance to give the gift of trees Sept. 21 as part of its Heights Urban Forestry Day. Citizens can adopt a pair of free 3 to 5 gallon native trees at the HHA Fire Station, located at 107 W. 12th Street, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. to celebrate living in tan-dem with trees in the Heights and learn about your natural neighborhood.
Members of the the North Shep-herd Area Business Association are hoping to make the entrance into their community a bit more attractive by painting and cleaning up the ag-ing railroad bridge and underpass just
north of West 34th Street.Kathryn van der Pol is hoping to get
the go-ahead from BNSF Railway, the company which helps maintain the bridge to provide some landscaping improvements and even a new coat of paint to help improve the entrance to the North Shepherd Corridor. The nearby METRO bus stop is also need of some litter control and touching up, van der Pol said.
“That whole area north of the bus stop is just one nightmare of weeds, garbage and debris from the road,” van der Pol said.
Van der Pol said she originally pro-posed taking care of the area as part of a Community Clean Up day, how-ever the issue is compounded by the complex nature of roadways and local authorities. Van der Pol originally con-tacted Public Projects Manager Tim Huya at BNSF Railway nearly a year ago regarding the proposition.
“In order for a railroad bridge to be painted, an agreement must be en-tered into between the agency desiring to perform the work and BNSF,” Huya stated in an email to van der Pol. “Typ-
See Text, P. 4A
See Robbery, P. 2A
See Entrance, P. 5A
See Charlie, P. 5A
LOOK INSIDE.
The Friends of West 11th Street Park say they are excited to bring a number of improve-ments to the trails inside of the 20-acre park located in the Greater Heights area. Group President Lorraine Cherry said the group aims to complete the half-mile loop trail inside of the park, a goal that has been ac-complished with the generosity of one local resident.
small time punks with guns who wanted a quick ‘score.’ Too bad they don’t realize we are struggling! And also good thing we do a lot of credit card biz.”
Ponterella said they were fortunate that the food truck is no longer cash only and peo-ple tend to carry and use their credit and debit cards.
“If we were cash only we probably would have had a whole lot more on us,” Ponter-ella said. The robber made off with about $300, and both Hill and Ponteralla couldn’t help but wonder if it was worth it.
“We have no problem hand-ing a wad of money over,
especially when a gun is pro-duced,” Hill stated online. “We don’t wanna endanger our be-loved employee.”
In terms of safeguarding themselves in the future, Pon-teralla said they will likely keep the doors to the food truck closed and locked, as they are sometimes open when the weather is nicer. She also said it would be unlikely that Hill would necessarily arm him-self.
“He’s kind of a pacifist,” Ponterella said. “He doesn’t really want to keep a gun with him. Who knows how it could have ended up if you had a duel going on in front of a res-taurant like that.”
In the meantime, Ponterella
said she and Hill are consider-ing having some type of bene-fit for Crime Stoppers and will also look into potential repairs for the truck. The owners have thanked supporters through-out the rest of the night and into Tuesday morning.
“This went from the worst day, to the best,” The owners stated on Twitter. “H-Town you are amazing. The amount of support tonight is incredible. Thank you so much.”
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An employee of a Valero station in the Heights got a scare and lost his wallet during an armed robbery that took place Monday evening.
At around 9:15 p.m., two armed robbers entered the convenience store of the Vale-ro gas station located at 911
Studewood Drive, a Houston Police Department represen-tative said. The two robbers, both described as black males, ran into the store and pointed a pistol at the employee.
The robbers stole cigarettes and the employee’s wallet be-fore fleeing the scene on foot,
officials said. No injuries were reported.
The incident remains under investigation and offiicials said there is currently no known connection between the inci-dent and the H-Town strEATs food truck robbery which oc-curred a short time later.
Heights gas station robbed
Police Reports • Sept. 6-Sept. 13
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THE TOPICS.Saturday, September 20, 2014 • Page 3A
Dear Editor: I have enjoyed the Leader from
its’ beginning and especially the past few years. I read it from cover to cover. My comment is on the historical effects in Houston.
I am a Houston resident for the past 70 years, and have seen many changes in our City. In my opinion the Astrodome is one that should remain or obtain Historical status for Houston. Had you been in Houston in the early 1960s’, you would realize the great importance this has played for our City. Many other buildings have been torn down that should have been preserved. I greatly commend Anne Sloan for her article, ‘History a hard sell in Houston’, in this weeks’ paper. I greatly agree with her comments, and hope there are many other Houstonians who feel the same.
Thank you for continuing to have articles that are of varied interest for our neighborhood
JMH
Dear Editor: Thanks to Anne Sloan for telling
the story of Houston’s tardy and threadbare support of its historic structures. HAHC may be an imperfect body in some people’s experience, but when I renovated my 1920-built home in 2012, two of their staff shepherded me through the process and rejoiced with me as each Certificate of Ap-propriateness was granted.
It was a marvel, when my contractor one day revealed the beautiful shiplap wood beneath bits of plaster, and explained the chimney-effect of interior wall construction for carrying heat up and out of this old house. Interesting to learn that perhaps one-fourth of the homes here have been moved yet have held together better than new construction is likely to do. It would be great to learn more about how Heights was built and settled – perhaps in a future Leader story?
A week never goes by that I
don’t feel connected to Houston’s women’s suffrage movement, ongoing when Heights was found-ed. I wonder who lived here, whom they hired to build this place, whether the inhabitants rode the trolley into downtown to work and the train down to Galveston to play. As I walk its solid, slightly creaky but beautiful wood floors, I am grateful that I get to live in a home established by early Houstonians, and I feel a responsibility to take care of it well into its second century. I hope that Houston Heights Association will one day host a splendid birthday party for these old bungalows (I’m told many of them are considerably older than the 1920 date in county records.)
I wake to the sound of doves cooing in the morning. At noon, the Catholic church bell tower plays a hymn, not one but several verses. The sound of children playing at Harvard Elementary, and their occasional Friday night family movies on the playground
are happy groundings. We have old trees, parents pushing baby buggies and others on bikes and in wheelchairs; we have people walking their dogs down our sidewalks while exchanging pleas-antries with strangers, urban art on the Boulevard, a view of the moon at night, and—yes—we have short commutes to work from this peaceful place. We have Constable protection. It’s pretty wonderful! We should take care of it, improve it in small ways – yes. But why would we want to change the character which drew us here?
If my Historic District property doesn’t accelerate in value as fast as that of a house 10 blocks away, it’s OK with me – my property tax hikes might slow down, too. I say this because I’m not here to quickly flip this house for a profit, I’m here to stay. It is my home now. It was no accident that I purchased a house in a historic district—I sought to be in this district, in this city whose
leaders can’t agree on a zoning code. It is protection for those of us who like things mostly the way they are and who can live with 80% of perfection.
Thanks to The Leader for giving forum to many views around this topic. And thanks to HAHC for continuing to protect our historic neighborhood.
Cathy E. Davis
Dear Editor:I had a groan when I read the
article about Grace Bible Church.I live on Alexander Street in the
Heights; Grace Bible Church was formerly located at the end of my street on Alexander and 14th street. My neighbors and I had numerous run-ins with the people who attend Grace Bible Church. They routinely parked in any and every spot they could find, includ-ing blocking driveways. I called the police so many times and I’m sure there is a file with my name on it at HPD. And that was only after I had called the church
to complain and to tried to get them to ask the congregants to be considerate. I had to have cars towed away, I even had one of their attendees try to park in my driveway so that she could run down to the church for a wed-ding! I had to run outside and tell her not to park on my property.
In short, I think the pastor is being disingenous when he says they are trying to be good neighbors and that he didn’t expect any parking problems. We had so many problems with that church and its followers on my block that I knew and felt sympathy long ago for the people who live in the vicinity of their new building. My advice to the people who now have to live with that church nearby is to keep the HPD non-emergency number and the number of a tow truck service close to your phone. You’re going to need it.
Mary Trujillo
THE LINE — You don’t often see a store with a large sign by the front door warning not to bring firearms inside, complete with the big silhou-ette of a revolver. And inside is a very big guard (true to the sign, no gun) but with badge and uniform and the look of a rabid Tasmanian devil. Why all of this self-protection? Is this a bank, a gold exchange, a Starbucks? No, this is the local office of my cable company, Disable Cable, and it’s clear I am not alone in my feelings toward this establishment. Ev-eryone in this long, slow-mov-ing line has a surly expression, deep and malevolent thoughts, and we exchange war stories.
But let me begin a few months ago. We visited our lakeside hovel in Varicose Valley, home of retired gener-als, drug lords in the Witness Protection Program and Nazi war criminals having under-gone plastic surgery. As usual, the cable was out meaning no phone, no computer, no TV. We have had to call Dis-able Cable (“We put the vice in service”) every time we ar-rive and then every other day while we’re there, so I have its number of my cell phone speed dial. Long story short, a cable guy would come out in three days sometime between dawn and midnight. He fixed the problem and as he drove off the whole system went out again. After about two weeks, another guy came out and said the problem was with the cable from the house to a big box, so he strung a bright orange cable across my back yard down the hill and into the trees. He said a crew would come out and bury the cable on Monday (this was a Friday). No one came, but we had to leave for home. Came back two weeks later, the cable was still across the yard and — sur-prise! — nothing worked.
You probably have cable and thus can sympathize with me. Between my home and the lake house I have spent hours on the phone (my cell phone because the land line is dead) or waiting for the cable guy. Over the years they have fixed it, not fixed it, said I needed a new modem (three
in two months). Getting help over the phone is interesting because there are two of us in the conversation and one can’t speak English. Akmed has had me get on my knees to plug and unplug various wires and black boxes, etc. etc. That is, if you can get a real human be-ing. Mostly I get recordings: “If the problem is your phone, touch 1, touch 2 for your TV, 3 for your computer, 4 for a technician. The waiting pe-riod is (pause) let’s see, this is Thursday, isn’t it?”
We also have bundling. If you want NBC, it is bundled with the Danish Pottery Chan-nel, the Waltz Channel, the Hong Kong Traffic Guide and 23 other similarly needed spots on the remote. You like sports and want to take the NFL Channel? Lucky you, because you also must take ESPN 76 (kayaking in Pampa), Curling Classics and 41 other sports channels including the Best of the St. Louis Browns -- 1941. Like you, I use maybe a dozen different channels, some hardly ever -- how long can you watch a Dane making teapots?
It is not surprising that a survey of 70,000 U.S. consum-ers found that Internet service providers and cable companies are the two most hated sectors of the entire U.S. economy. Market Watch reports that the American Customer Satisfac-tion Index, which is put out quarterly by the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business and is considered the most comprehensive cus-tomer satisfaction survey in the nation, found that once again Comcast and the Time Warner Co. have the lowest customer satisfaction rat-ings of any company. Market Watch: “Not only do Internet service and cable providers sit at the bottom of the survey
— below airlines, health insur-ers and the U.S. Postal Service — but somehow, satisfaction has dipped with those two industries since the previous year’s survey.” Meantime, the cost of subscription TV has been rising 6 percent per year on average — four times the rate of inflation. This explains why Comcast is trying to buy Time Warner Cable for $45 billion, and AT&T is trying to purchase Direct TV for $48.5 billion. For us, fewer compa-nies means less competition, higher prices. In fact, a Com-cast executive basically admit-ted as much by saying, “we’re certainly not promising that customer bills will go down or increase less rapidly” after the deal is finalized.
We now return to our story of the lines here at Disable Cable. I am standing in a large room filled with people hold-ing boxes, wires, bulging bags of equipment, as am I because I’m changing channels — or ca-ble companies. I’ve had it with their inefficiency, lack of fixing my many and constant prob-lems and rising fees, although I must say all their employees both the cable guys who come to get ’er done and Akmed on the phone, are always patient and polite. But I’m switching to Tired Wired Cable.
There are so many people here that we each take a num-ber when we enter and, if pos-sible, sit on a long bench, and wait as they call out the num-bers while being watched over by the guard. I am number 16. That didn’t seem so bad until I heard them calling out 74. My time finally comes and I dump my cable paraphernalia on the clerk’s desk. “Is it like this all the time?” She shakes her head. “Sometimes it gets really busy.” I inquire if any of these people are signing up and getting new equipment. She shakes her head again. “They’re cancelling their ser-vice.” The next day I call to change systems. “Thank you for calling Tired Wired. The waiting period is (pause) let’s see, this is Thursday, isn’t it?”
Cable companies one of the most hated sectors of the U.S. economy
LYNN
ASHBY
Columnist
I’m sure by now, some readers might be feel-ing like they’re seeing
double.Jonathan McElvy first
touched on the potential is-sues of having two Jonathan’s working at The Leader about a month ago when he first introduced Managing Editor Christina Martinez and my-self to the community. While the office might sound a bit like an Abbott & Costello rou-tine at times, the adjustment has been wonderful so far.
Much of this has to do with how well I feel I’ve been embraced by the community.
It speaks volumes of a newspaper and its place in the commmuntiy when readers feel comfortable enough to speak with its publisher on a first-name basis about issues affecting their everyday lives. It may seem like a small gesture to be able to call in and simply ask for “Jonathan,” but this is quite a reversal from what I have experienced in the past
and it’s exciting in more ways than one.
I had perhaps my first taste of what The Leader meant to the people here when I had a meeting Jonathan, Christina and former Editor Michael Sudhalter, who is now with the Fort Bend Star. While speaking at a local restaurant, a group of people greeted us after they had finished eating, just to tell us how much they loved the paper and how they read it every day.
When Jonathan indicated that the two younger people seated at the table were going to be heading up The Leader, their eyes lit up and they told us how great we were going to do.
The appreciation I received that evening hasn’t stopped and I feel it’s due to a number of things I’ve seen during my short time here.
It’s certainly an indication of the tremendous job Jona-than, Michael Sudhalter and everyone else here has done in building The Leader as the voice of the community. It’s also a testament to the pride residents have in their neighborhoods and the desire to see this area succeed and grow.
One of the things I find in-teresting is how the principles behind certain challenges facing this area echo that of the previous community I served in The Woodlands. Mobility is always a hot topic in that area, and while it’s not quite as pronounced here
it’s certainly on the tip of every motorists tongue that ever dealt with the US-290 construction.
Attracting businesses that appeal to a rapidly chang-ing demographic was also a major point of The Wood-lands, and that same principle is something I’m seeing here. Both regions also have plenty of people who aren’t particu-larly happy about seeing such drastic changes to the com-munity, but, being a young person myself, perhaps I’m a little biased in favor of seeing some of the changes.
I don’t mean to sound like I’m trivializing the challenges that face places like Oak Forest, the Heights or any other community we serve. The communites I served in the past and the one here in Houston have far different solutions for their complex problems, but nonetheless share the same foundation - people who are fiercely loyal to their communities who want only the best for their
neighbors, their children and themselves.
The key to all of this, I feel, is trust. Without trust, com-munities like those here in Northwest Houston don’t ex-ist. I see that trust every day here to an unusual degree, whether it’s the refreshingly and often brutally honest let-ters to the editor or back-and-forth discussions on social media networks between neighbors, there is an open-ness here that I feel reflects positively on the trust people have for their fellow citizens.
Trust is also what I believe makes The Leader special. Right from the beginning, I could tell Jonathan McElvy had been forming a very special bond with the people living in this part of Houston, and our readers put enor-mous trust in us to provide quality reporting that speaks to them. It isn’t simply brand recognition – something coveted by most media com-panies – but rather people recognize The Leader as an
integral part of the com-munity.
For someone like myself, who is in an editing position for the first time, it can be in-timidating at times but it also drives me to be a better jour-nalist and to continue build-ing that trust and giving back to the community through responsible and trustworthy journalism.
I hear people say this paper is in good hands, but it can only be that way because its readers are deeply invested in the community and show a desire to truly reach out to support one another. I’m looking forward to becom-ing a part of that more and more and I look forward to strengthening that trust as The Leader has done for so many years.
I’ll just make sure to keep my Shipley’s coffee close at hand while doing so.
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.
Chase Baker, D.D.S.
If you have a child whose first permanent molars are now in place, it is important to keep these teeth free
from decay. Permanent molars help determine the position of the child’s other permanent teeth as they replace their primary teeth. One method your dentist may recommend to protect the first permanent molars from decay is the use of a bonded sealant. This is a painless procedure that requires no drilling. After the molars have been cleaned, they are etched with a mild acid to remove bacterial plaque and other surface material. This treatment also makes the tooth enamel more porous so the adhesive bond or sealant will be as strong as possible. The sealant acts as a barrier against the ac-cumulation of bacteria that causes decay on the chewing surfaces of the teeth. Bonded sealants provide a long-lasting protective film. When the sealant becomes worn, further applications can be made as needed to protect the tooth from decay. Be sure to check with your dentist to see if a bonded sealant may be recommended for your child.
PROTECTING A CHILD’S
PERMANENT MOLARS
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The Garden Oaks Christian AcademySeptember 13, 2014
is currently enrolling for fall and summer sessions. Age 2 years-2nd grade
Call 713-694-8679 for more details or visit us online at
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NOTICE OF NON-DISCRIMINATORY POLICY AS TO STUDENTS
The Garden Oaks Christian Academy admits students of any race, color, or national and ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities gener-ally accorded or made available to the students at the school. It does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national and ethnic origin in administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, and other school-administered programs.
GET OFF YOUR HIGH HORSE
If there is any sin which religious people are particularly prone to, it is perhaps the sin of religious pride, and especially the sin of thinking that we are somehow
holier than the mass of humanity. Religious people who teach, preach or write about these subjects are probably more at risk for this than the average person, since they are in some ways called upon to exhort others to act and believe piously. There are lots of dangers of being on this moral and religious high horse, not the least of which is that we have farther to fall the higher the horse. Indeed, Jesus reserved his most scathing criticisms for those high-minded teachers and Pharisees who seemed to relish the prospect of casting stones at sinners. The woes enumerated in the 23rd chapter of Matthew’s gospel and the 11th chapter of Luke’s are directed at various forms of religious sins, and we would do well to study these chapters and honestly ask ourselves which of these high horses we might be riding on, perhaps without realizing it.
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
�����
Rev. Herschel Moore, PastorA House of Hope and Prayer in the Heart of Houston
The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. So you must be careful to do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they
do not practice what they preach.
Matthew 23:2-3 NIV
Page 4A • Saturday, September 20, 2014
LEGIONNAIRES STEAK NIGHTAmerican Legion Post 560
Come out for a good meal and support the Legionnaires. Steak dinners will be served from 6 p.m. until sold out Sept. 19. The Post is located at 3720 Alba Rd. In-formation: 713-682-9287, www.americanlegionpost560.org.
SENIOR LIVING OPEN HOUSEBelmont Village Hunters Creek
Take a personal tour of the new senior living community, located at 7667 Woodway Dr., and learn about Belmont Village’s premier programs, services and amenities. The open house is from noon-4 p.m. Sept. 20-21. The ribbon cutting is at 1:30 Sept. 20. Infor-mation: hunterscreek.belmontvil-lage.com, 713-781-1505.
STRUT YOUR MUTTBest Friends Animal Society
Strut your Mutt in the Best Friends Animal Society’s second annual fund-raising event is from 7 a.m.-noon, Sept. 20. A leisurely dog walk and fun run will be followed by a doggie-themed festival. The event will be at T.C. Jester Park, 4201 West T.C. Jester Blvd. Choose from a 2.2 mile fun run or a 1.5 mile walk. Informa-tion: 435-644-2001, ext. 4617 or [email protected].
BLACK TIE AND BOOTS CHAIRMAN’S GALA Greater Heights Area Chamber of Commerce
The gala will be from 7:30-10 p.m. Sept. 26, at the Sheraton Brookhollow Hotel, 3000 North Loop West. There will be fine dining, card games and silent
and live auctions. Call or visit the website to purchase tickets. In-formation: 713-861-6735, www.heightschamber.com.
DIABETES FUNDRAISERSignature Smiles
Meet Frozen Princesses Anna Elsa and Olaf from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Sept. 27. Buy a pre-sale ticket for $5. Proceeds benefit childhood diabetes. Signature Smiles is located at 3800 N. Shepherd Dr. Visit the facebook page for information or to donate. Information: www.facebook.com/events/373705629446243.
AUTHENTIC MANHOOD SERIESYMCA Men’s Scripture Sharing Group
This six-week series lead by YMCA Chaplain Jamie Clark, is from 7-8 a.m. through Oct. 2, in the multipurpose room at the Foster YMCA, 1234 W. 34th St. Information: [email protected], www.authenticmanhood.com.
BIRTH FAIRUnited Way Center
Come to the 13th annual Birth Fair and celebrate natural parent-ing and pregnancy. Get the latest information about vaccines, birthing options, breastfeeding, babywearing, VBACs, and more. There will be goody bags for guests, and activities for children. The Birth Fair will be held from 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Oct. 4, at the United Way Center, 50 Waugh Dr. The event is free and open to all ages. Information: www.houbirth.org, 832-499-6029.
BICYCLE RALLY AND SCAVEN-GER HUNTHouston Heights Association
The rally is open to riders of all ages and designed as a casual, self-paced ride. The rally begins at 8 a.m. Oct. 5. Entrants can choose between a 20-mile course or a shorter 5-mile ride designed for kids and their adult companions - or do both. Visit the website for cost. Information: www.houstonheights.org, 713-861-4002, opt. 6.
HEIGHTS GARDEN CLUB Eskelson Residence
The Heights Garden Club will have their monthly meeting at 10 a.m. Oct. 11, at 636 E. 12th St. Find plants which will bloom in the many different types of shade created by a two-century old live oak which is on the Harris County tree registry of exceptional trees. Information: www.heightsgarden-club.com.
CZECH SOUP TASTINGCzech Heritage Society of Texas
The Czech Heritage Society of Texas, Harris County Chapter, will host its annual soup tasting from 2-6 p.m. Oct. 12, at the SPJST Lodge #88, 1435 Beall St.
The event will include five varieties of soups to taste, all you can eat, for $7 for adults and $3.50 for children under 10 years of age. There will be kolaches, cookies and cakes for sale. Infor-mation: 713-349-0500.
MANNA INAUGURAL FUND-RAISERMinistry Assistance of the Near Northwest Alliance
MANNA is celebrating 25 years in the community. A fund-raising
event will be held from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Nov. 1, in the parking lot of the MANNA Resale Store, 1806 W. 43rd St. This event will be a BBQ dinner and silent auction. Tickets are $15 pre-sale or $20 at the door. Tickets can be purchased at the store or online. Information: 713-504-5486, [email protected], www.manna-houston.org.
ReunionsST. PIUS X 50TH REUNION
The St. Pius X Class of 1964 50th Reunion is Sept. 19 and Sept. 20. Please contact Lauren Power if the invitation/informa-tion has not been received. Infor-mation: [email protected].
REAGAN HIGH SCHOOL CLASS OF 1964
The John H. Reagan Class of 1964 Reunion is scheduled for the weekend of Oct. 17. Registra-tion for the reunion is due by Sept. 25. Events include a mixer at Pappasito’s Cantina Memo-rial City on Friday night, tour of Reagan High School on Saturday morning, and a dinner celebration at Red Oak Ballroom/CityCentre on Saturday night. Information: www.classreport.org/usa/tx/hous-ton/rhs/1964/
WALTRIP HIGH SCHOOL CLASS OF 1969
The reunion will be at 7 p.m. Oct. 25, at Whitney Oaks, 816 E. Whitney St. 77022. Dinner will be served, and a cash bar is available for beer and wine. Liquor BYOB. The cost is $40 per person. Visit the website to register. Informa-tion: www.waltrip1969.com.
Friends and Family Day at Hope Episcopal
Hope Episcopal Church, 1613 W. 43rd St., is celebrating Friends and Family Day at the 8 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. services, Sept. 21.
For information visit www.hopeepiscopal.org or call 713-681-6422.
Defensive driving at St. Stephen’s
St. Stephen’s United Meth-odist Church will host a De-fensive Driving Class from 8:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Sept. 25, in the fellowship hall. The cost is $12 for AARP members and $15 for non-members. The class qualifies for insurance discounts, but not traffic ticket dismissal.
St. Stephen’s UMC is locat-ed at 2003 W. 43rd St. For in-formation, call 713-686-8241 or visit www.stsumc.org.
Heights Community Children’s Choir rehearsals at Zion Lutheran
HCCC is an afterschool choir program for children in second through sixth grades. Children are taught to sing and to read music. Rehearsals are at Zion Lutheran Church, 3606 Beauchamp St., every Thursday afternoon from 4-5:30 p.m. beginning Oct. 2. A Parent Information Meeting is scheduled from 5:30-6:30 p.m. the same evening.
The choir is open to any in-terested singer who has a de-sire to sing and learn to read music. No audition or prior experience is required. The monthly tuition is $60/month from October through May.
For information email [email protected] or visit the website at www.heightscom-munitychildrenschoir.org.
TALC to host special events in October
All Saints Third Age Learn-ing Center, 215 E. 10th St., has begun its Fall semester of activities and announces two events to be held in Oc-tober. The senior program will hold a Fiesta Fundraising luncheon at 11:30 a.m. Oct. 3, in the parish hall. There will be entertainment, a Mexican themed lunch and door prizes provided by Fiesta. Tickets are $5 each and can be purchased at the TALC lunch desk or by calling 713-248-1277.
A Senior Living Options Ex-hibit/seminar will be held at 9 a.m. Oct. 24, in the parish hall. Several senior living facilities and Medicare providers will be on hand to give informa-tion and to answer questions. A fashion show by Drapers & Damons will begin at 11 a.m. No tickets are required for the event and all attendees are eligible for door prizes. Boxed lunches will be available at noon for $3.
Third Age Learning Center is a senior program sponsored by All Saints Catholic Church and is open to all seniors in the community. Call 713-248-1277 for information.
‘Treasures of the Sea’ Catholic School Gala at St. Ambrose
St. Ambrose Catholic School, 4213 Mangum Rd., is gearing up for this year’s gala,
“Treasures of the Sea” with luxurious, exotic trips, sports memorabilia, unique silent auction and big board items.
The Gala will be held Oct. 4, at the J.W. Marriott, Liberty Ballroom at 5150 Westheimer. Cocktails and Silent Auction begin at 6 p.m. with dinner at 8:30 p.m., live auction at 9 p.m. and then concluding the eve-ning with live music and danc-ing provided by Horizon. Tick-ets are $125 each or a table of 10 for $1,500.
The 2014 Te Deum Lau-damus Award Honoree is Dr. Robert Ivany, president of the University of St. Thomas. Master of Ceremonies for the evening will be Don Nelson from KTRK-TV.
Contact Danna Jankows-ki at 713-686-6990 or [email protected] for tickets or information. In-formation on the gala is avail-able at www.sashornets.org/news/gala.
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Clauson goes on to say that the text service is only recommended for true emer-gencies.
“Calls are increasing sig-nifi cantly,” she said. “We don’t want to overload the
call centers with non-emer-gencies.”
The Greater Harris Coun-try area will see this service implemented in less than a month. For those that do not have one of the four major carriers, a bounce back text should be received. If you
do not have one of the major providers, a standard phone call is stressed as the best option. All of the remaining providers have until the end of the year to implement the text 9-1-1 option.
said no, he would just stand there.”
Arnold took it upon herself to set out a chair for Charlie and asked her neighborhood family to do the same – and they did. By word of mouth, neighbors on Sue Barnett heard about setting out a chair for Charlie – and so they did. Neighbors all across Garden Oaks heard about the story, and so, they too set out a chair for Charlie.
The story was eventually picked up by national media and TV stations came to talk to Charlie George to tell his story. Arnold said she was initially concerned when the stations came.
“The great part was, the day the big TV stations came, Charlie loved it,” Arnold said. “I was very concerned it would drain him and it might not be positive. But he just loved it and the media was respectful.”
After Charlie’s passing, neighbors were reluctant to put their chairs away. Ar-nold’s wife, Tina Sabuco, had the idea to have a chair made for Charlie. With the help of other neighbors and friends, the Garden Oaks community came together to honor their friend Charlie September 10, with a chair dedication and a celebration of life. Over 50 of Charlie’s closest family, friends and neighbors came to celebrate in Triangle Park with him.
Charlie’s neighbor and dear friend Shellye Arnold said the positive part of this story is that this was never intended to be an example - what she did was just for Charlie.
“It’s something that seems to have inspired a few people, and that’s great,” Arnold said. “Charlie and his wife always do nice, behind the scene things for people. This is sort of a legacy to him. He would have done the same thing.”
ically, the roadway authority or its contractor performs the work, and reimburses BNSF for any required railroad fl ag-ging protection services.”
Huya explained that the agency, or its contractor, would need to obtain the re-quired insurances for working on the property. According to records, the Shepherd Drive underpass structure is on the State Highway system and TXDoT would have jurisdic-tion over the roadway.
“It was going to take a lot of coordination because of all
of the fi ne print involved with how each entity controls each element of the roadway,” Van der Pol said.
However, van der Pol said she had spoken with Laura Thorp, the director of con-stituent services with the City of Houston, who later told van der Pol that TxDOT would be willing to provide traffi c con-trol for the endeavor. With both sides talking, van der Pol said she is now in a holding pattern waiting for the fi nal word from BNSF.
“This sort of thing is defi -nitely needed for our area,” Van der Pol said. “Even just some simple landscaping
along the walls and getting rid of the trash would make this area look a hundred times bet-ter, particularly for the many drivers that enter our commu-nity from that area.”
Van der Pol said she will likely approach nearby busi-nesses like the Cottonwood restaurant and the Shepherd Park Draught House to help drum up support in the hopes the organizations can all come together.
“Painting this overpass and improving its sidewalks is go-ing to be a great improvement to our community and will re-fl ect nicely on our surrounding businesses,” Van der Pol said.
Photo by Jonathan GarrisKathryn van der Pol, president of the North Shepherd Are Business Association, said the unsightly railroad bridge north of W. 34th Street is in dire need of painting and landscaping. She is hoping local, state and railroad representatives will band together to allow her organization and volunteers to spruce up the entrance to the North Shepherd corridor.
Charlie, from P. 1A
Text, from P. 1A
Entrance, from P. 1APhoto by Christina Martinez
Charlie George’s chair, that sits in Triangle Park, will serve as a place of remembrance and a place for anyone who needs a place to rest. Art on the chair is by Kristin A. Flanagan.
Confession time: I love vin-tage clothing, art, autos, archi-tecture and design. Not exactly the kind of confession one can hold over my head if I get out of line. However, if you’re like me at all, you don’t want to miss the an-nual Houston Vintage Market and Festival, it revels in the modern retro movement with two days of shopping, beauty demonstrations, dance performances and giveaways Friday evening and Saturday at The 1940 Air Terminal Museum, 8325 Travelair St Houston,TX 77061.
Now in it’s 5th year, the Houston Vintage Market and Festival was founded by Heights resident and stylist Dawn O. Bell with organiz-ing. I had the honor of visiting Dawn at her warehouse where she stores her vast collection of vintage clothing and acces-sories and also hosts a summer fashion camp.
Shoppers will be almost lit-erally immersed in retro start-ing with the location, The 1940 Air Terminal Museum that is housed in the original art-deco Houston Municipal Airport building at present-day Hobby
Airport. Friday evening’s high-light will of course be the 5th annual fashion show featuring vintage pieces from participat-ing vendors and curated by Bell.
O r g a n i z e r s Diana Candida, and Maria Mar-tinez along with Bell are pleased to announce two new additions this year that in-clude a vintage car parade and contest Saturday, vintage planes, courtesy of Wings & Wheels, will also be on
display. The Ms. Houston Vintage contest with celebrity judges is a do not miss event Saturday. Gentlemen, there’s plenty there for us too. For a complete list of the vendors, activities and food trucks, visit the website HoustonVintage.com
To recap it - Houston Vin-tage 2014 Preview Party, Mar-ket & Festival. Preview Party Friday 7 − 11 p.m. with vintage fashion show, performances and cocktails. Saturday at the market, shop a plethora of vin-tage treasures, unique goods,
and things you may not be able to fi nd for another lifetime. En-joy performances, food, drinks and some funky tunes. Friday’s party is $20 Prepurchase or $25 at the door and includes mar-ket entry, which is $5, children under 11 are free. Details and tickets available online Hous-tonVintage.com.
FridayTwo openings at Art League
Houston Friday evening from 6 − 9 p.m. Art League Houston is located at 1953 Montrose Blvd, Houston, Texas 77006. Look for the block long wooden “snake,” on the esplanade.
‘Three Houses’ by Havel Ruck Projects The exhibition features a large-scale sculpture in the center of the gallery, made from over sixty large ar-chitectural fragments, collected from three condemned houses in the Third Ward and Mid-town area. Patrons are invited to walk inside the sculpture to experience it in full.
One of a Kind: Artwork from the Collection of Stephanie Smither - with remarks at 6:30 p.m. The exhibition features a diverse selection of paintings, drawing, ceramic works, sculp-ture, and mixed media on wood, paper, and other material’s from over forty local, national and
international, emerging and es-tablished, folk, self-taught, and visionary artists.
Saturday“Songs of the Mexican
Revolution” With Liliana Ro-driguez Cracraft, DrPH. 2 − 4 p.m. Casa Ramirez FOLKART Gallery 241 W 19th St in honor of the Mexican celebration of Fiestas Patrias, the indepen-dence of Mexico from Spain in 1821. Guitarists Mario Ulloa and Carlos Ulloa also perform. The program has 3 audience sing-alongs. An accompany-ing exhibit features copies and illustrations of traditional im-ages from the Mexican Revolu-tion of 1910, which has given Mexico and much of the US the popular folk heroes of Pan-
cho Villa and Emiliano Zapata. The exhibit continues through October 14.
Iterations by Vincent Fink Opening Reception 6 − 9 p.m. Galeria Regina, 1716 Richmond Ave, Houston, Texas 77098
Vincent’s Iterations series consist of exploring his fascina-tion with shapes and dreamlike imagery via acrylic paintings on canvas and panel.
Saturday - SundayHandmade Weddings 10am
- 6 p.m. Spring Street Studios 1824 Spring St, Houston, Texas 77007. Shop handmade and uniquely styled wedding items like menswear, decorations, jewelry, and more. DIY work-shops to learn to make your own wedding items. Entrance
is $20 with small bites, bever-ages and 6 free workshops in which all the participants will get to keep their projects. *For-get about those big monster wedding expos that take up miles and miles of fl oor space. This is local, right for your bud-get and creative fl air. www.popshophouston.com
Cohen is the founder and manager of First Saturday Arts Market. Contact him at [email protected] or visit him on the web at ArtValet.com.
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52. The golden state 53. Mosquito disease 56. Authoritatively ordered 61. Yielding 62. On all sides 63. Br. romantic poet 65. Cruel vocal quality
���� 1. Irritated state 2. Sea eagle 3. Fish capturing devices 4. An informal photograph 5. Old English 6. Competes 7. Pressed a shirt 8. Averse to others 9. Mother of Apollo 10. Radio frequency 11. Have already done 12. Baseball championship playoffs World __ 14. Snakelike fi shes 15. Br. slang for sleep 17. Telegraphic signal 22. More scarce
23. Step excavation of ore 24. Envision 25. A gelling agent in foods 26. Impatient expectancy 28. Civil Rights group 29. 3rd largest Balearic island 32. Mama’s partner 36. Head gesture 38. Moved to music 40. N. & S. of the new world 43. Discern the written word 44. Thigh of a hog 45. Mures river city 46. Crew member 51. Liang weight units 54. __ Angeles 55. Adrenocortic- tropin 56. Mend a sock 57. Shallowest Great lake 58. Gadidae fi sh 59. Area fl oor coverings 60. Point midway be- tween NE and E 64. “You know” in Canada
Answers found in this week’s Classifi ed section
Page 6A • Saturday, September 20, 2014
Art a la Carte: Modern retro to DIY wedding bells
Mitch CohenArts Columnist
Mitch Cohen and Kristy Casey as Marilyn Monroe
Dear Tabby,We recently adopted a cat and
we’re having a terrible time keep-ing her from jumping up on our kitchen counter. Help!
At wit’s end in Woodland Heights
Dear Wit’s End,You’re experiencing one of
my species worst habits, and on behalf of all of the world’s curious felines, (with germy, litter-encrusted feet) I humbly apologize. So, what can you do to discourage your kitty’s bad habit?
My celebrity crush, Jackson Galaxy, (star of Animal Planet’s “My Cat From Hell”) offers up an explanation for why we cats
jump on the counters and gives some good advice on nipping this problem in the bud. Jack-son explains that cats see our countertops as socially sig-nifi cant places. You’re there, you’re doing interesting things, and cats want to know what’s going on. Plus, of course, that’s where their food comes from, so good things come from the kitchen countertops!
Jackson recommends using double-sided sticky tape on the counters to discourage jump-ing. Most cats hate the feel of tape touching their paws, so when they jump up and en-counter the sticky tape, they get annoyed and jump down.
Can you effectively train your cat not to jump on the counters? Jackson believes so. His biggest philosophy when training cats is this: “For every ‘no,’ you also need a ‘yes.’” If you say “no” to your cat for be-ing on the counter while you’re making dinner, you need to make sure to also give them a
safe “yes” place. Jackson says to designate a specifi c spot in your kitchen, like a nearby chair or a cat tree, where it’s ok for your cat to be. Give them treats when they are there so there’s positive reinforcement for the new behavior.
Jackson also cautions that “you have to make sure that everyone in the family is on board with this. Consistency across the family is crucial.” Make sure your whole family knows the rules and is on the same page with reinforcing them, and then make sure both the training tools and the rules are in place 24/7.
Do you have a question for Tabby? If so, email her at [email protected] of the Beholder Gala
Time to break out your fan-cy pants and open your wallet wide, friends. Friends For Life is having its annual Eye of the Beholder gala at the River Oaks Country Club on Thursday,
Encountering cats on the counter
Meet Kitty Perhaps you were expecting someone (some-thing) else? Well, this terrier/lab mix is all dog but got her name due to her former “scaredy cat” personality. Kitty has come out of her shell in her foster home and is a fun girl. She’s about 1 year old, weighs 50 lbs and would love to live with another dog. To learn more about Kitty please visit www.K-9AngelsRescue.org or www.facebook.com/k9angelsrescue.
He’s here! Cynthia Lyttle and Johnny Rojas proudly announce: “On Saturday, Sept. 13th at 9:52 am, our grand-baby arrived in Plano, Texas, with no complications. Mad-dox Krede McGregor was a healthy 6 lbs., 3ozs., 19 3⁄4” long, and perfect, thanks to our daughter and son-in-law, Tanya and KC McGregor. This is their fi rst as well as grand-baby # 1 for us. We are very excited that our little family has grown. Happy birthday to our little Cheese Head (Packer) and GREAT job guys! We love you!”
Richard and Delinda Holland of Shepherd For-est are proud to announce the engagement and approaching marriage of their son, Clint Holland, to Renata King. Clint, a fourth generation Housto-nian, is a graduate of Waltrip High School and Texas A&M University. He is the grand-son of Kenneth Thompson of Shady Acres. Renata is the daughter of Jack and Barbara King of Plano, Texas, and is a graduate of Sam Houston State University. Both are em-ployed in Houston and will make their home in Shepherd Park Plaza.
Congratulations to the new offi cers of the Shepherd For-est Civic Club: President Jennifer Woodruff; Vice President– Kristi Grizzle; SecretaryAmy Christoff Derr; Treasurer– Melody Johnson; and new mem-bers of the Board of Direc-tors Martha Stoerner and Glenn Cessna. Shepherd For-est sends out a big thanks to these neighbors for making a difference in our community.
Sept. 4th was the Annual 6th Grade Bible Presenta-tion Mass at St. Rose of Lima Catholic School. All 6th graders and other new in-coming middle school students were presented with a Bible blessed by Fr. Clint Ressler at
the school Mass that morning. Teens on the Run, a 12
week running program which began on Sept. 16th, is now an after school program at Frank Black Middle School. Principal Paolo Castagnoli and Tim Weltin, Parent Coordina-tor, accepted the program to their After School Program-ming recently. Students run for 30 minutes at their own pace and then attend a lecture by a guest speaker each Tuesday. All speakers will provide life skills information that is no longer available in classes due to testing time and class time. There will be incentives for the students during the 12 week program including t-shirts, water bottles, headbands and earbuds. All students who earn 25 runs will have their names placed in a drawing for a pair of very cool running shoes.
Our neighbors Lucy Fish-er Cain and her husband, Greg Cain, who are both run-ners, said, “We enjoy how run-ning helps one gain self-confi -dence, achieve physical fi tness and emotional strength, so we decided to create Teens on the Run. We thought it would be a fun neighborhood program for teens and their families. We are true believers in ‘It Takes a Village.’”
The program is free to stu-dents and GoFundMe.com account has been created to cover the cost of hiring two college students, insurance, giveaways and incidentals, in case anyone wants to help fund the program go to www.gofundme.com/duklok FBMS students can sign up at school with the School Nurse, Halcie Wethington, who is also the faculty sponsor of the pro-gram. If you have any ques-tions, please email Lucy at fi [email protected]. Teens on the Run is a 501(c)(3) chari-table tax-exempt organization so contributions are tax de-ductible! See the students in action on their Facebook page: Teens on the Run.
Neighbors: Memories between books, wine
Pet of the Week
Kitty
September 25. This art-themed evening will raise funds for the shelter as well as raise aware-
ness for their various causes. Go to www.adoptfriends4life.org to learn more.
Greater Heights-area resi-dents may be well on their way to having a complete, year-round walking trail through West 11th Street Park thanks in part to a generous donation by a local resident.
While it has been several months since Sharon Ettinger of Keller Williams Metro-politan Realty approached the Friends of West 11th Street Park regarding her desire to help with the trail rebuild-ing project inside the 20-acre park, the group is excited to continue its work in touching up the parks pathways. Group President Lorraine Cherry said the trails have experienced ups and downs, particularly follow-ing the droughts that swept over the region in 2011.
“We lost a huge number of pine trees during that time,” Cherry said. “It didn’t matter so much to the park itself as all as the forest had begun trans-forming from a pine forest into a deciduous tree forest. The forest itself was OK but the big pine trees soaked up thousands of gallons of water.”
When those trees disap-peared, Cherry said many of the trails began to flood. The Friends of West 11th Street Park started fundraising efforts but still ended up $1,000 short.
“When you’re a tiny little non-profit like us, that $1,000 represents a lot of fundrais-ing,” Cherry said.
Cherry said Ettinger ap-proached her around the
Fourth of July, and her dona-tion helped put the organiza-tion up and over the hump to complete a half-mile loop trail inside of the forest.
Currently, the group is wait-ing for the Houston Parks & Recreation Department to take down some more trees and the Houston Parks Board will also be acquiring some bids for the trail project as well, which in-volves paving the trails that go around the perimeter of the park.
“We’ll have a few of the trails go all the way out to the street,” Cherry said. “When we have older people with walkers or residents with strollers or other times where there might be mobility issues, we want them to be able to get into the park easily.”
Cherry said the group initial-ly experimented with mulching the dirt trails, however this was unsuccessful. The group decided to recruit the help of landscaping engineers, and will use multiple layers of crushed granite which is used in trails in parks across Houston.
“About every 20 to 30 feet, there are also six inch cul-verts that allow water to flow through easily and help avoid flooding issues,” Cherry said.
The group also has its eyes on extending the trail out to the main street on the Shelter-wood area of the park, how-ever that goal might take some time to get to, as the Friends are hoping to raise an addi-tional $3,200.
For people like Cherry, rais-ing that kind of money is well
worth the time and energy. She pointed out that the park itself is a microcosm of the type of forests native to this part of Texas, and seeks to work with local schools to emphasize the educational benefit the park provides its residents.
“We’re working with Sinclair Elementary School towards getting their kids to have their nature experience here rather than bussing them across town,” Cherry said. “We also have our Wild Wilderness Tour, which is an 18 site self-guided nature tour that you access us-ing your cell phone as you walk around the trails.”
The group is also working to help establish a new, 5k fun run to benefit the park next April. Volunteers are also mulching and planting trees at the nearby baseball field, which might be a relief for parents hoping for some extra shade while they watch their youngsters play.
For now, Cherry said every bit helps when it comes to vol-unteers and donations to help keep the park’s ecosystem thriving.
“Money is always nice,” Cherry said with a laugh. “But we have plenty of people that want to help with the park in big and small ways, like weed-ing the butterfly gardens or other activities. This park is a great value to us and the com-munity.”
For volunteer opportunities, donation info and more visit www.west11thstreetpark.org.
West 11th Street Park inches closer to completing trail rebuilding project
Photo by Jonathan GarrisAmong some of the goals the Friends of West 11th Street Park are looking to accomplish is the extension of this part of the forest’s trail out to the Shelterwood area.
Photo by Christina MartinezThe volunteers of the Shepherd Park Plaza - Garden Oaks Garden tend to the herb garden.
The volunteers of the Gar-den Oaks Shepherd Park Plaza Community Garden are turn-ing over new soil in prepera-tion for the fall season and crop.
The garden off of Alba and in between Sue Barnet and Chamboard is a joint project of Garden Oaks and Shepherd Park Plaza. Several years back, the garden was owned by the City of Houston and part of a water district. The property was eventually turned over to the Garden Oaks Civic Club.
Now, volunteers tend to the garden with help from the GO Civic Club covering ground expenses.
Volunteers say helping hands is what produces a suc-cessful crop. This year several vegtables will be planted, in-cluding lettuce, mustard and collard greens, kale, broccoli, and cabbagte.
“It’s an exciting time be-cause ther’s nothing like see-ing something grow from seedlings,” volunteer Beth Galiano said.
For more than 20 years the garden has donated their crop to families through local food pantries at St. Rose of Lima Catholic Church and Manna.
The volunteers expect to have a blooming garden by late Oct. and early Nov.
Preperation begins for fall harvest at Shepherd Park Plaza Garden Oaks Garden
A Heights resident and pro-fessor of clinical nursing at UTHealth is looking to unite fellow emergency nurses as president of the newly founded American Academy of Emer-gency Nurse Practioners.
Dr. Elda Ramirez said the new organization looks to fill a distinct niche for the estimated 9,000 nurse practitioners cur-rently practicing in emergency care settings. The AAENP aims to “establish guidelines for quality emergency health care, encourage continu-ing education for emergency nurse practitioners as well as all nursing students, promote research in emergency care, and facilitate representation of the emergency care clini-cian within professional health organizations and academic institutions,” according to a press release.
As a member of other or-ganizations like the Ameri-can Association of Nurse Practitioners, Ramirez said
practitioners in general were well supported, but felt those concentrating on emergency health were underrepresent-ed.
“The larger organizations have never been obtuse in how they can support us, but they can’t meet the extent of the needs emergency nurse practitioners have,” Ramirez said. “You can’t just be a jack of all trades. You need to know what your specialty is, and know it well.”
Ramirez seeks to help lead the charge in establishing a stronger research base and competencies which will aid in credentialing for emergency nurse practitioners while pro-moting a sense of camarada-rie.
“It’s exciting,” Ramirez said. “We’ve had people coming out of the woodwork and telling us that they’ve been waiting for this for a long time.”
Ramirez said the AAENP will help guide the educa-tion guidelines for emergency nurse practitioners by direct-ing what educational pro-
grams best support such prac-titioners. This will not only be a boost to nurses who may be unsure of what direction to take in regards to schooling, Ramirez says, but it will also aid hospitals.
“Many of these practitioners come from so many different backgrounds at this point,” Ramirez said. “We’re going to be partnering with a lot of phy-sician groups to work together to find standards for creden-tialing purposes so everyone is on the same page during the hiring process.”
With the backing of profes-sionals from across the coun-try, Ramirez is hoping the group will attract sponsors not only to bolster research initiatives but also provide grants and scholarships to emergency nurse practitio-ners who wish to perform ENP outcomes research. Beyond their mission goals, Ramirez said the biggest challenge will be reaching out to thousands of professionals to determine what ENP’s in training want most and how they can best
meet their needs.The group’s website has
been live since Aug. 29 and the group already has 30 mem-bers, Ramirez said.
“Part of what we’ll be doing with website is not only pro-viding information and tools for ENP’s but also providing information on each state’s individual requirements and even provide open job list-ings.”
The AAENP is aiming to have its first board meeting in October. While it may be
the first time many of its di-rectors will meet face to face, the group is already looking to start up committees to ad-dress its goals.
“Right now we only have a finance committee and we’re looking to have an education or standards committee as well,” Ramirez said.
For the time being, Ramirez is hoping she and the other directors she banded together with to start the organization can begin drumming up sup-port from ENP’s and potential
sponsors.“We’re in this for the long-
haul,” Ramirez said about her fellow directors at the AAENP. “We’re not talking about gain-ing memberships for the sake of numbers. We want people to join who have a passion for emergency care and we have a need for people who can help propel the organization up to the standard we believe we can achieve.”
More information about the AAENP can be found at www.aaenp-natl.org.
By Kim HogstromFor The Leader
Sometimes, our greatest treasures are in plain sight, but few see them. Such is the case with American Legion Post 560 located at 3720 Alba St. in Garden Oaks.
“I don’t know how many times I drove right by, and never noticed it,” stated Post Commander Tony Moreno. However, that changed for the Commander 17 years ago, when he joined. Today, Moreno and 400 other legion members from the local com-munity do an endless amount of good for American service-men, servicewomen, and their families.
“We hold many fundrais-ers,” stated Gertie Atchinson, former President of the post’s Women’s Auxiliary. “We raise a lot of money to help many causes. We hold fish fries, steak nights, bar-b-ques; all sorts of benefits,” she stated smiling.
On nearly every weekend, there’s an event of some type at Post 560. Notably, these festivities are executed almost entirely by legion volunteers: cooking, serving, promoting, “and they are public functions. Non-members are always welcome to attend,” added Atchinson.
“Next week, we’re holding a benefit to help a local Marine who has cancer,” explained Moreno. “He’s an ex-rodeo clown, a police officer, and a minister. We are hoping to help with his bills.”
“We also do a lot of work with Houston’s veterans’ hos-
pital, the DeBakey Center,” explained Legionnaire Bryan Coleman. “We bring vets cloth-ing, reading material; we bring them everything because so many are indigent and need help,” he concluded.
“Yes, and sometimes we stay with them,” added Le-gionnaire Jose Limas. “On steak nights, we bring some of the VA patients here, to the post. They really enjoy a good meal and the companionship,” he said.
The work of Post 560 started in 1949, and has never stopped. Today, members not only work with veterans, but local children and teens, help-ing to foster future leaders. This agency does so much good in the community, there isn’t room to list it all here.
Then again, the American Legion has a history of good
service; it was created in 1919 in response to World War I. At that time, there were no bene-fits for the wounded soldiers or their orphans and widows, so the American Legion stepped up. Today, it has more than 3 million veteran members na-tionally.
If you’re one who thinks this is where Sansabelt Slacks go to die, think again. At Post 560, there are young men and women returning from Af-ghanistan and Iraq, mingling with World War II, Korean
War, and Viet Nam veterans.One of the most popular
features at post is the F-4C Phantom Jet that resides at the back of the property. The genuine fighter jet arrived in 1991, and remains a big hit with the local children.
“We’re active with local girl and boy scout troops,” stated Colemen, “and they love the jet. It’s a good thing too be-cause they’re the ones who come over and clean it. That really helps,” he concluded with a laugh.
Want to support veterans? Attend an event, donate, or join Post 560. There’s room for everyone; anyone who has a family member who served. You’ll be helping a vet, and much more.
For more information go to: americanlegionpost560.org/American_Legion_Post_560.
FOOD FUN DANCINGTraditional German Fun For Everyone
5100 Ella Blvd., Houston,TX 77018(2 miles north of N. Loop 610)
www.HoustonLiederkranz.com
HOUSTON LIEDERKRANZ HALL
Admission $10.00 for members$12 for non membersFor Tickets Call Irene
281-890-8232
Direct from Munich
GermanyLiveMusic
American Legion Post fosters bonds with Garden Oaks veterans, residents
Heights resident to lead emergency nurse practitioner
Dr. Elda Ramirez
Reunion WeekendSept. 20 • 4:30 p.m.
Jubilee Mass6 p.m. - Head of
School Reception• Auditorium & CommonsJubilee Mass to honor the Class of 1964 in the auditorium. Head of School Reception immediately following, 6-8 p.m. All reunion classes are invited to attend.
Take a Look TuesdaySept. 23 • 9-10:30 a.m. • St. Pius X High SchoolAn opportunity for pro-spective parents to tour the School and see our teachers and students in action. Get more information or register online at stpiusx.org/takealooktuesday.
Admissions SeminarSept. 23 • 6:30 p.m.• The CommonsMiddle school parents and guardians are invited to learn everything you need to know about applying to a Catholic High School.
Football Gamesvs. El CampoSept. 25 5 p.m. - Freshman7 p.m. - JV• Parsley Field
Theatre SPX Presents:The Importance of Being Earnest• AuditoriumSept. 26 • 7 p.m. Sept. 27 • 7 p.m. Sept. 28 • 2:30 p.m. General admission. Tickets are available at the door for $5.
St, Houston, TX 77008)Join us for a networking happy hour, where you can mingle with your fellow alumni. Please RSVP to [email protected].
Dig Pink Varsity Football Game vs. �������Oct. 3 • 7 p.m. • Parsley FieldTickets: $6 Adults, $3 Stu-dents K-12, with Student ID
Learning for Success Open House Oct. 4 • 10 a.m.• Paul A. Gilliam ‘98
Learning CenterVisit us to find out more info about how the Learn-ing for Success Program can benefit your student. Please RSVP by October 1 by visit-ing spxlearningcenter.org.
Liturgy: Feast of the Holy RosaryOct. 7 • 10 a.m. • AuditoriumJoin us as we celebrate Mass for the Feast of the Holy Rosary.
Volleyball Games vs. Concordia LutheranOct. 9 4:30 p.m. - Freshman5:30 p.m. - JV6:30 p.m. - Varsity• Herzstein Gym
JV Football Game vs. Monsignor KellyOct. 9 • 6 p.m. • Parsley Field
Varsity Football Game vs. Concordia LutheranOct. 10 • 7 p.m. • Parsley Field Tickets: $6 Adults, $3 Stu-dents K-12, with Student ID
ZAPS PSAT PrepOct. 11 • 8 a.m. • AuditoriumAttend to achieve your best possible score on the PSAT!
Volleyball Games vs. AWTYOct. 14 4:30 p.m. - JV5:30 p.m. - Varsity• Herzstein Gym
*All events subject to change. Visit stpiusx.org/calendar for the most up-to-date information.
Calendar of Upcoming Events
811 W. Donovan Street | Houston, TX 77091713.692.3581 | stpiusx.org
FREE ADMISSIONTo students from the following area middle schools:
Black • Hamilton • Lanier • Pin Oak
St. Pius X Footballvs. Stafford Spartans
Friday, October 3 • 7 p.m.Parsley Field
811 W. Donovan Street | Houston, TX 77091
Come witness SPX’s tradition-rich football, band, dance team and cheerleaders!
