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Fire destroys longtime Heights business By Adam Zuvanich
azuvanich@theleadernews.com
Owner Ken Kleinmann said business already had been bad for Corrosion Protection Processes of America, which provides Teflon coating for equipment used in oil fields. The oil and gas industry was in the midst of a downturn before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, which put an even greater strain on the industry and the businesses that help support it. Things got so tight a few months ago, Kleinmann said, that
he dropped the insurance policy for the manufacturing facility at 340 W. 26th St. so he could continue to pay his five employees. Now the entire company, which has operated in the Heights since 1969, is out of work. It received a fatal blow in the form of a Sunday morning fire that destroyed most of the 5,000 square foot building. “We are out of business. We can’t operate there,” Kleinmann said. “Hell, they burned everything up. Untold thousands’ worth of machinery burned up in that place.”
The Houston Fire Department said no injuries were reported as a result of the fire, which was an apparent act of arson and part of an attempted burglary, according to HFD and the Houston Police Department. HPD spokesperson Victor Senties said three unidentified males used Kleinmann’s truck to break through the front gate and try to make away with a safe from the business, but both the truck and safe were recovered nearby. Kleinmann said the safe apparSee Fire P. 5A
Photo by Adam Zuvanich Houston Fire Department Cpt. Aaron Gonzalez works at the scene of a fire Monday at 340 W. 26th St.
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Region’s rising hospitalization rate triggers reopening rollback By Adam Zuvanich azuvanich@theleadernews.com
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INSIDE.
Sweet song. The recent passage of the Save Our Stages Act is a boost for live music venues.
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Photo by Adam Zuvanich From left to right, Cecil Griffin, Kelli Griffin, Eric Powell and Heather Powell enjoy lunch at Don Jose Mexican Restaurant, which closed Dec. 30 after 46 years in business at 5305 Antoine Dr.
Community bids farewell to Don Jose By Adam Zuvanich azuvanich@theleadernews.com
Colorful cuisine. Kin Dee offers authentic Thai food with a colorful presentation.
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At one point when she was a young girl, Katy Carruth ate all her meals at Don Jose Mexican Restaurant. Her grandfather, EJ Clark, founded the popular neighborhood eatery in 1974 and ran it as a family operation, so Carruth would spend her days there before she was old enough to be in school or stay at home by herself. She grew up celebrating birthdays and Christmas holidays at Don Jose and had her first job there at age 15. She even had an entrée on the children’s menu, Katy’s Plate, named after her. Now an adult who lives in Katy, the Houston suburb, Carruth was at Don Jose on Wednesday afternoon to enjoy its cheese enchiladas and margaritas one last time. It was the final day in business for the longtime community See Don Jose, P. 5A
Shot of hope. Local residents share their experiences with COVID-19 vaccines.
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Photo by Adam Zuvanich Katy Carruth, the granddaughter of Don Jose Mexican Restaurant founder EJ Clark, enjoys one last lunch at the popular area eatery, which closed Dec. 30.
By Adam Zuvanich azuvanich@theleadernews.com
Photo by Adam Zuvanich Miller’s Cafe co-owner Jessica Beer takes a to-go order over the phone Monday while members of the kitchen staff cook in the background.
Miller’s Café was called out and criticized last Saturday night, when a group of demonstrators stood outside the front entrance, waved flags and chanted in protest of the restaurant’s mask-wearing policy. Two days later, the popular Garden Oaks burger joint was the center of the city’s attention and overwhelmed with support from longtime customers as
well as some new ones. Miller’s co-owners John White and Jessica Beer said their Monday sales were about triple what the restaurant typically makes, thanks in large part to a planned visit by Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner, who had seen video of the weekend protest and asked Houstonians to join him in supporting the local business with a total of four locations in the region. Houston City Council member
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Local restaurant criticized, then energized
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The rising COVID-19 hospitalization rate in the Houston region has triggered a tightening of restrictions aimed at slowing the spread of the disease, per statewide guidelines outlined in October by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott. According to data compiled by the Texas Department of State Health Services (TDSHS), the number of hospitalized COVID-19 patients in the region represented more than 15 percent of its Hidalgo total hospital bed capacity for the seventh consecutive day on Tuesday. Until the hospitalization rate is below 15 percent for a period of seven consecutive days, elective surgeries must be suspended in the Houston area, and most businesses See more must reduce their health-related building occupannews coverage cies from 75 to 50 percent. Page 1B The reopening rollback applies to Harris County as well as eight surrounding counties, including Fort Bend and Montgomery. Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo said Tuesday that it should serve as a “wakeup call” to the region, which joined metropolitan areas such as Dallas-Fort Worth, El Paso and San Antonio as having sustained COVID-19 hospitalization rates above 15 percent. “This is not a threshold that we should in any way celebrate reaching,” Hidalgo said. “What we need to recognize is that without community action right now, that’s going to flatten the curve, that’s going to change the trajectory, we are going to find ourselves in a very difficult situation.” Per the TDSHS data, the Houston region crossed the 15 percent threshold on Dec. 29. The COVID-19 hospi-
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Abbie Kamin also patronized the Miller’s location at 3830 N. Shepherd Dr., which is part of the district she represents, and so did former Houston Rockets star Robert Reid. Beer said another customer, who didn’t want to visit the restaurant because he’s at high risk for complications from COVID-19, called in to leave a $50 tip without even placing an orSee Miller’s P. 5A
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