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Inside Today: Should high school sports happen? • Page 3A

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Live music venues looking for lifeline

By Adam Zuvanich azuvanich@theleadernews.com The Heights Theater opened nearly 100 years ago as a place to watch movies. It later served as an antique shop, an art gallery and, since 2016, as a live music venue for both local and touring acts.

The iconic West 19th Street building with the Art Deco design and big red marquee also

hosts private events such as weddings, birthday parties and fundraisers.

But nothing has happened at the Heights Theater since March, when COVID-19 took hold in the Houston area and has since refused to let go.

“It’s a community gathering place, and that’s what we can’t do,” owner Edwin Cabaniss said.

“We can’t gather.”

Concert venues all over the city, state, nation and even the world have been in a similar state of limbo during the pandemic. The new coronavirus is fueled by crowds, so places such as the Heights Theater and White Oak Music Hall on North Main Street have been forced to pull the plug on the majority See Music P. 4A

Photo by Adam Zuvanich The Texas-based Randy Rogers band performs at White Oak Music Hall, 2915 N. Main St., in April 2019.

Respect the Ditch

OFHA’s taxexempt status reinstated

By Adam Zuvanich azuvanich@theleadernews.com

The Oak Forest Homeowners Association (OFHA) is back in good graces with the IRS. The volunteer-led OFHA, which helps enforce deed restrictions and operates for the betterment of the historic Northwest Houston neighborhood, had its nonprofit tax-exempt status reinstated by the IRS in May. The organization did not file its required financial reports from 2014-18 and as a result had its taxexempt status revoked in 2017.

After catching up on its tax filings for those years, and submitting a Form 990 for 2019, the OFHA Board of Directors submitted a reinstatement application earlier this year. In a May 14 letter to the OFHA, which provided a copy to The Leader, the IRS said the organization’s tax-exempt status had been reinstated, retroactively effective from the date of

Jason Knebel (713)232-9712

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PROPERTIES

INSIDE.

See OFHA P. 5A Painting the town. Who’s that guy standing on West 19th Street with a canvas and easel?

Page 7A Contributed photo Max Peterson skates at Watonga Skatepark, also known as EZ-7, during the annual Thanksgiving weekend Turkey Jam.

New film highlights popular area skatepark File photo Oak Forest residents pushing for deed restriction changes have seen progress in recent weeks.

By Betsy Denson betsy@theleadernews.com

Portable booze. Some local restaurants have adapted well to to-go alcohol sales.

Page 1B

Dynamite dumplings. Zarah Parker reviews Dumpling Haus in Sawyer Yards.

Page 1B

Closing up shop. MANNA, a local nonprofit, has closed its resale shop on Antoine Drive.

University of Houston film school graduate Michael Cotaya grew up in Spring but has been skateboarding at the Watonga Skatepark – known as EZ-7 to those in the know – since he was 12 years old.

“I grew up skating it,” Cotaya said. “I made tons of lifelong friends there.”

Therefore, it was a natural subject for his second short film. Cotaya, who has worked on a number of projects with other filmmakers, is the director, producer and editor of “Respect the Ditch,” the feature for which EZ-7 is best known. Colleague Duncan Johnson served as the cinematographer.

While Cotaya knew a lot about the skate park’s history, the film gave him a chance to dig deeper. He talked to longtime skateboard enthusiasts Mike Niemann and Chris Pena as well as to Lloyd Sandel, who co-owns the Surfhouse on West 34th Street with his wife, Carol.

“Most of them have been skating it the majority of their lives,” Cotaya said. “A lot of them are parents now and skate it with their kids. They really have an emotional connection to it.”

Oak Forest’s Jeff Davis remembers skating EZ-7 in the 1980s.

“It was great because it was just all kids,” he said.

Robert Templet started going there with his sister when he was about 7 in the mid-’90s and continued to skate it until he was 20.

By Adam Zuvanich azuvanich@theleadernews.com

“I’ve definitely still got some blood and sweat soaked into that concrete,” he said. “Good times and many stitches.”

As Lloyd Sandel remembers, the nascent park became popular first for ‘ditch riding’ in the 1970s. Carol Sandel said before the City of Houston paved it in concrete, the drainage ditch was used by dirt bikers. The concrete made it less appealing for them and more appealing for skateboarders.

“When there weren’t any skating venues, the drain was a big deal,” Lloyd Sandel said.

The sentiment emerged swiftly, and so did support from throughout the neighborhood.

Ashley Cavazos created a public Facebook group called “Oak Forest Deed For Change” in early June, when Houston and the rest of the country were in the midst of a social awakening. People were protesting the May 25 death of George Floyd, a Black man from Houston who died in police custody in Minnesota, and calling for the end of racial injustice.

Within a few days of creating the social media group, which aims to re-

See Film, P. 4A

See Deed restrictions, P. 5A

Contributed photo A skateboarder takes advantage of Watonga Skatepark, located at 4100 Watonga Blvd.

‘Walkable Places’ ordinance piloted in Near Northside

By Betsy Denson betsy@theleadernews.com

Page 2B

THE INDEX. Church....................................................... 4A Classifieds.............................................. 5A Coupons................................................... 3B Food/Drink/Art................................... 1B Obituaries............................................... 4A Opinion..................................................... 3A Public Information......................... 8A Puzzles...................................................... 3A

Push to amend deed restrictions making gradual progress

Graphic from City of Houston Illustrated are the new development guidelines associated with Houston’s “Walkable Places” ordinance. Three communities, including Near Northside, are part of a pilot program.

It is no secret that Houstonians love their automobiles, but in recent decades there has also been growing public support for measures to increase walkability and decrease traffic congestion.

Now, the Houston City Council has passed a “Walkable Places” ordinance to foster more walkability as well as bicycle and transit use. One of the three neighborhoods where the development and redevelopment program will

be piloted is Hogan Street in the Near Northside.

Avenue CDC Executive Director Mary Lawler said the nonprofit developer is aware of and supportive of the walkability effort in Near Northside.

“Our Community Initiatives team has worked closely with Near Northside residents and leaders to enhance walkability and mobility in the neighborhood, leading an advocacy effort to educate residents on how to support infrastructure improvements they want to see in the area,” Lawler

said. “We have also conducted walkability audits in the community that were shared with the district’s council member.”

There are parallel programs to spur this walkability — termed “walkable places” and “transit-oriented development” by the Walkable Places Committee, members of which include Bill Baldwin of Heights-based Boulevard Realty and Cynthia Reyes-Revilla of the Northside Village Super Neighborhood Council who previously ran for the District See Walkable, P. 4A

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Page 2A • Saturday, Aug. 15, 2020 • The Leader

Virtual and in-person

DOCTOR APPOINTMENTS We’re still here for you Even during these challenging times, Houston Methodist doctor offices are open and seeing patients who need our care. Though your appointment may not look like a typical appointment, our providers may see you via video visit, telephone or in person, when needed. Rest assured, we are taking every precaution to ensure we can safely see you and meet all your health care needs.

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THE TOPICS. The Leader • Saturday, Aug. 15, 2020 • Page 3A

Should high school sports happen this fall?

I

t started with a Tweet by a prominent college football player and spread all over the United States, even catching the attention of the president.

Donald Trump said he supported the message put out Monday by Clemson University quarterback Trevor Lawrence, who started a sports-wide movement by posting #WeWantToPlay on his social media account. The sentiment resonated with high school and college athletes all over America, who are itching to return to competition while the country – and the world – continues to grapple with the COVID-19 pandemic as well as the question about whether it’s safe to resume sports as the numbers of coronavirus cases, hospitalizations and deaths continue to mount.

Local high school teams, who are tentatively planning for fall sports as the start of a new academic year approaches, do not have all the answers.

But there’s no question about what they want.

“I’ve been seeing this deal out there, ‘hashtag we want to play.’ Man, I’m in total agreement with that,” Heights High School football coach Stephen Dixon said. “I’d have to say, ‘hashtag we want to coach.’ We want to be back there and see these kids. We miss them.”

Everybody who supports the development of youngsters and the communal value of sports wants them to play, and sports fans like myself have missed the games for most of the last several months. It’s been equal parts exciting and therapeutic to watch televised Astros and Rockets games as of late, with MLB, the NBA and the NHL recently ending months-long hiatuses forced by the pandemic. I enjoyed

T. Washington and Waltrip. The district will start school Sept. 8 with remote, online learning for at least six weeks, Adam with Oct. 19 being the target date for start of in-person instruction.

Zuvanich theBut according to the schedule outEditor lined by the University Interscholastic League (UIL), which governs extracurricular competition among Texas public schools, the state’s largest schools are allowed to start football and volthe chance to take in last week’s PGA leyball practices Sept. 7, with games Championship, the first major golf permitted to start within a week or two afterward. tournament of the year, just as much.

Smaller schools such as ScarborBut it’s one thing for professional athletes who are in peak physical con- ough were allowed to start practices dition and paid millions of dollars to Aug. 3, with Monday having been the take on the risk of up-close competi- first date for volleyball games and tion, and with no fans in attendance. football games allowed to start takAnd we’ve already seen that the ing place Aug. 27. But HISD athletics coronavirus can spread among with director Andre’ Walker said all HISD them, with mini-outbreaks forcing a schools will operate under the same few MLB teams to postpone multiple large-school timeframe.

Walker said the district realizes the games while they quarantine.

Is it a good idea for high school risk associated with playing, with COand college athletes, many of whom VID-19 having impacted members compete for publicly funded educa- of the district’s athletic department tional institutions, to put themselves or their loved ones. He also acknowland their families in the same precari- edged there were some infections ous position while the pandemic rages when HISD athletic programs held on? What if they become infected and voluntary outdoor workouts in June.

At the same time, Walker said it’s pass the disease to a relative who is at risk for serious complications? What if important for many HISD student-atha young player becomes ill, has linger- letes to be reunited with their coaches, ing medical problems or, even worse, who in some cases are significant role models in their lives. Athletics also dies from COVID-19?

It looks like too great of a risk to gives some youngsters a sense of ditake, especially considering the ongo- rection, helping them stay focused on ing debate about whether it’s safe for their schoolwork while encouraging kids to return to classrooms. Should them to stay out of trouble.

“Our coaches are our front line for a these kids be participating in extracurricular activities if they’re not even be- lot of our kids,” Walker said. “Our kids need to be with our coaches. But if it’s ing educated on campuses?

That’s the plan right now within not safe, then we can’t do that now.”

The fate of the 2020 high school Houston ISD, which includes area high schools Heights, Scarborough, Booker sports season is in many ways out of

Lynn Ashby Columnist

address. Cars have been waiting until their warranty expires.

Here is something that you might find interesting on a personal level. We know that during the Cultural Revolution in 1969 your father was purged and out of favor, so you were sent to a poor, rural backwater where you worked for six years as a manual laborer on an agricultural commune. We knew just the place to see if they had made any progress since your similar slavery: Texas A&M. Aggies can grow moss on a rolling stone, but they were too busy moving statues. That visit gave us an idea to visit another school -- Rice University has nothing to do with paddies -- and moved on to The University of Texas in Austin. We already had inroads there: Texas is 3.8 percent Asian-American. As of fall 2019, UT’s student body was 19.5 percent Asian. The FBI has already spotted some of our work and has notified UT that they will be investigating. They will be easy to spot: They will be the only ones still singing “The Eyes of Texas.”

I gained entry to the local CIA office by posing as a tailgunner on a truck loaded with toilet paper. We visited NASA and couldn’t find any eagles landing, but did determine the astronauts were right, Houston has a problem: Don’t drive on the West Loop during rush hour, which is from noon till noon. We looked in the city’s oil industry to see if it was still alive. It was DOA. About American reaction to the heavyhanded crack-down on demonstrators in Hong Kong. Their TV news has been filled with scenes of armed and shielded police beating peaceful demonstrators, smoke bombs and smashed store windows. Oops, that’s not Hong Kong, that’s Portland.

There are plenty of us around, thus we blend in when scaling walls and photographing labs.

The number of Asian-Americans in Texas has increased by 42 percent since 2010. According to the 2010 Census there were 43,940 persons of Chinese/Taiwanese descent in Harris County. The ethnic Chinese were the second largest Asian ethnic group in Fort Bend County and Montgomery County, behind the Vietnamese.

By 2013, Greater Houston had 72,320 residents of Chinese origin. The 2020 census should put that total at much more. (There are 351 restaurants in Houston serving Chinese food.)

As for our consulate, when we got word to close, we put barrels in the courtyard and burned all our documents – codes, lists

“As football coaches, we mitigate risk all day every day. That is what we do,” McGuire said. “That is why we buy the new equipment, why we teach the proper way to tackle.

“I think it’s really important that these kids get back to some sort of normalcy,” he added. “They’re a group that is relatively safe.”

Youth sports, which for the most part are private and not bound by statewide organizations, have been held across the country in recent months. That could be a sign that high school sports is doable.

But if high schools take cues from colleges, their season could be in jeopardy. Two major athletic conferences, the Big Ten and Pac-12, announced earlier this week that they won’t hold sports in the fall.

St. Pius X athletics director Jeff Feller, who said the school has not had any coronavirus cases during its summer workouts, remains hopeful that sports will take place but also said the students’ health is the primary concern. If interscholastic sports don’t happen this fall, he said St. Pius X wants to offer some sort of internal athletic programming to its students.

Dixon, the Heights coach, said he would be open to the idea of switching football season to the spring if it’s safer and more feasible. But he’d rather return to the sidelines sooner than later.

“I’m fine with playing now or playing in the spring,” he said. “But I’m not fine with the season being cancelled entirely.”

Ultimately, Dixon and others in the area may not have a choice. All they can do is remain optimistic and prepare as best they can. azuvanich@theleadernews.com

THE READER.

The spies of Texas To: Xi Jinping President People’s Republic of China From: Bubba Wang Your Man in Houston Re: Operation Burning Barrels Comrade Xi, as you may have seen on CNN, we were given 72 hours to close down our consulate in Houston because of fake news that this installation is, in the words of Texas U.S. Senator Ted Cruz, “a spy hub for the Chinese Communist Party.” Cruz only gave up his Canadian citizenship when he ran for the Senate, so what does he know? This sudden expulsion is odd, since the People’s Republic has five consulates in the U.S. and we were the very first one. Houston, with our help, even hosted one of your predecessors, Deng Xiaoping, in February of 1969. He was treated to a rodeo in Simonton and was given a ten-gallon cowboy hat, which he put on. We understand he wore the hat around the Forbidden City while yelling “Yee-Haw!” China is Houston’s third-largest trading partner, and our consulate oversaw diplomacy and consular affairs for eight southern states and Puerto Rico. Whoever in our foreign office thought El Paso was near San Juan needs a new map.

Anyway, we have packed up and are moving, but not as one Twitter-user posted, “The Chinese are just moving to their new consulate in Dallas.” Before leaving, I want to share with you some of our findings. Texans love to fight, mostly on Saturday nights in bars, but currently the quarrel is over masks. Some say it is to prevent the spread of what their leader calls the “Chinese flu,” or if he feels funny, “the Kung flu.”

It’s what we call the “Trump flu.”

Their governor keeps changing the rules, so no one knows what to do, but our agents are playing up both sides to keep the pot boiling. (We learned that from the Russian consulate.) One day it’s to wear masks, the next day it’s only wimps wear them. No one here stays 6 feet apart, especially while going 80 on the freeways. Bars and restaurants can open, maybe. Swimming pools have test-positive and test-negative sections. Schools can open sometime between last week and never. Chaos reigns. We call it “a Texas fire drill.”

We are accused of trying to steal secrets. That’s true. When we steal a secret, we bang on the side of a trash can. At the Texas Medical Center we have learned to arrive for a doctor’s appointment an hour late and thus be right on time. They claim it is the world’s largest medical center, but they haven’t seen a Shanghai clinic. (“One pandemic, one doctor.”) The medical center has an international flair. Indeed, people come from around the world to die in Houston. Texans are told, “If you want a test, you can get a test.” Some Houstonians say they have been waiting so long, their place in line is their legal voting

the hands of local players, families, coaches and school administrators.

Public schools are bound by the decisions of the UIL, while most private schools are bound by the guidelines of the Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools (TAPPS), which historically follows the lead of the UIL. The directives of local and state officials also are factors in whether or not they can compete.

The plans for TAPPS schools, which includes local institutions Lutheran High North, St. Pius X and St. Thomas, is to start practices Sept. 7 and games on Sept. 24.

St. Thomas football coach Rich McGuire said it’s wise to take a slow, measured approach, mostly to help allay the fears of families and the community in general. But he said he ultimately wants to see a season take place, partly so his seniors have the opportunity to earn college scholarships that could be worth several thousand dollars, and he said his school is taking precautions and putting procedures in place to help ensure that will happen.

McGuire said there have been no COVID-19 cases among athletes at St. Thomas, which has provided face coverings to them all while employing social distancing practices during workouts. He said the plan for games is to have players spread out along the sideline, wear masks when they are not actively involved in a play and have their own water bottles to minimize contact with others.

Football coach Shaun Stephens of Lutheran High North said the team is considering having some players stay with other families during football season if their own relatives have underlying health conditions that could put them at risk.

Email us your letters: news@theleadernews.com

Lynn Ashby and political correctness

of agents and our secret recipe for bat soup. Neighbors saw the smoke from the flames and called the fire department, I think mainly because they wanted to see our fire drill. While packing up, a crowd gathered to jeer us, shouting slogans like “Commies go home!”, “Spies should be shot” and, “What’s your recipe for bat soup?” After we left, a group used power tools and a crowbar to force open the rear door. They declined to identify themselves to reporters but they may have been looking for us because we hadn’t filled out our census forms. YeeHaw! Ashby is spying at ashby2@comcast.net

Dear Editor: Lynn Ashby’s Aug. 8 catalogue of political correctness instances was interesting. “Political correctness” (PC) is overwhelmingly a manipulation technique employed by the sorts of people who feel a need to exert power over others.

There’s something damaged about anyone who wants to control others. For example, Lyndon Johnson was consumed with the need to wield power, likely stemming from the near-psychotic insecurity he developed during his impoverished childhood. We see that same mini-tyrant characteristic in homeowner association martinets, airport TSA command-bellowers, scabby little government bureaucrats and retentivesociopath corporate bosses. Lynn pointed out examples of the PC we observe mushrooming today in the Grievance Industry, its foundation being: I feel offended, thus you must jump through a hoop. Changing the name of a school, for example, upgraded the curriculum not a whit, improved the staffing and faculty not a bit, enhanced student performance in no way whatever -- but, by golly, I made you do it, and you caved in to me. Now, what can I find next,

to be offended about -- and make you crawl again?

The emergence of Identity Politics Victim Groups, virulent apparatuses of the DemocratMedia Confederacy, has amplified PC from an annoying buzz to an ear-shattering scream demanding submission. But no matter how many athletic team or building names get changed, or how many statues get razed, or how many newspapers start capitalizing the word for a specified Race, 1) No grievance will ever be -- can ever be allowed to be -- remedied, and 2) Nothing substantive will ever truly be improved

by PC. Life improvement is the responsibility of the individual. Anyone who expects some politically-correct elected politician to upgrade her or his life, is simply drinking pond water through a straw.

P.S. The U.S. Dept. of the Interior apparently has been checking out houses throughout my part of the Heights. Noting that homes have been been looked at, representatives from the Bureau of Land Management have been chalking the agency’s initials in large letters on their front sidewalks.

J. Reynolds

the leader Puzzlers.

Answers found in this week’s Classified section

SUDOKU

aCrOss 1. Fashion dandy 4. Cycles per second 7. Strikebreaker 11. Aquatic reptile (informal) 13. Express pleasure 14. Swiss river 15. Contains cerium 17. Ribonucleic acid 18. On top 19. Taxis 21. Banking machine 22. Small salamander 23. Voltage 25. Pointed summit 27. DWTS host 33. In a way, smoked 34. Peat moss source 35. W. African nation Sierra ___ 36. Cocoa plum tree 41. Holiday (informal) 44. Venezuelan capital 46. DWTS hostess 48. Hideouts 50. Actress Lupino 51. The content of cognition 53. Point one point N of due E 55. Plunder a town 59. No. Albanian dialect

60. No (Scottish) 61. Blatted 64. X2 = a Pacific tourist commune 65. AKA option key 66. Angelina’s spouse 67. “Wedding Crashers” Wilson 68. Grassland, meadow 69. Laughing to self (texting)

dOwn 1. Licenses TV stations 2. Metal-bearing mineral 3. Meat from a pig (alt. sp.)

4. A bottle with a stopper 5. Short labored breath 6. Hair washing soap 7. Steam bath 8. “R.U.R.” playwright Karel 9. Beside one another in lines 10. Not straight 12. Former OSS 16. Truck driver’s radio 20. Dried-up 24. Million gallons per

day (abbr.)

26. Encircle (archaic) 27. ‘__ death do us part 28. A single unit 29. A siemens 30. Prohibition 31. V. William’s clothing line 32. Scotland’s poet’s initials 37. Auto 38. Single spot card in a deck 39. Crow sound 40. Former CIA 42. Factory where arms are made 43. Radioactive unit 44. Scoundrel 45. Freshwater duck genus 47. 9 decades 48. Makes tractors 49. 55120 51. Southeast Nigeria people 52. Arab sailing vessel 54. Hay bundle 56. Blood type 57. Driver compartment 58. “Das Kapital” author Marx 62. Consume food 63. Dental degree

WORD SCRAMBLE

Page 4A • Saturday, Aug. 15, 2020 • The Leader

Film, from P. 1A

Music, from P. 1A

There was also the nearby “Meat Grinder,� but Sandel said it was less forgiving. “You have to be a brave soul to skate it,� he said.

EZ-7’s name comes from the seven easier passes, or crisscrosses, skaters take to get to the bottom. Sandel said he doesn’t know how the name became the initials, but when a sign was eventually erected, it read EZ-7. In 2005, the city made it an official skate park and added prefab metal ramps.

There’s also an EZ-7 Pale Ale brewed by Brash Brewing Company, which is located in the Garden Oaks area.

An EZ-7 tradition that has grown along with the park’s popularity is the annual Turkey Jam, which used to be on Thanksgiving Day – and an excuse for a handful of people to get together and drink a beer, according to Sandel.

Now held on Thanksgiv-

ing weekend, the event is a competition with prizes and is in its 37th year. Cotaya visited during last year’s jam and uses a lot of the footage in his film. “Turkey is like an EZ-7 alumni each time,� Davis said. “People travel from all over.�

Lloyd and Carol Sandel said the event is now stewarded by Niemann and Aaron Estrada, who put in hours behind the scenes each year to make the event – with sponsors, prizes, food trucks and DJs – a success.

Cotaya has entered his film into a number of smaller sports-oriented film festivals, both in North America and overseas. He recently learned that the film was a finalist in a New York film festival. “I understand it’s a niche film,� he said of the 28-minute piece. “It’s one-fourth skate video and three-

fourths documentary. (The film) really taught me how to do research, to dig into these stories. It’s not just a ditch covered in spray paint.�

Once the festivals conclude, Cotaya will release the film online. Some of the skaters featured have seen it and some haven’t yet gotten the chance.

One person who is excited to watch it is 13-year-old Kirin Bunge, who recently picked up skating again. He has spent a lot of time at EZ-7 this summer. “I like the ditch,� Bunge said. “Most skate parks don’t have that.�

He said he’s learned the most from the community there. “You don’t have to ask for help,� he said. “If they see something you are doing wrong, they will point it out.�

As Lawler noted, the introduction of the Red Line light rail in the Northline community in 2013 – which improved connectivity of the neighborhood to Greater Houston and expanded transit options for local residents also helped spark additional development in the area. “This has created greater concern for pedestrian safety and a need for measures that improve walkability and pedestrian amenities,� she said.

Margaret Wallace Brown, director of the city’s Planning & Development Department, said the new rules take into account guidance from the National Association of City Transportation Officials, which has done extensive research on what makes roads safer. “A dense built environment with no significant setbacks constrains sightlines, making drivers more alert and aware of their surroundings,� she said. “Essentially, tight streets with a busy pedestrian realm makes drivers more aware than a wide lane with no activity on the street.�

What the ordinance means for the rest of the city is yet to be determined. Other areas could seek a “Walkable Places� designation if it was supported by a majority

of property owners. And city council would also have to approve it.

Greg Ryden, a residential and commercial architect in Garden Oaks, said he thinks the ordinance is a step in the right direction but that it will be easier for big developers to accommodate the ordinance than it will for the smaller shops. “In order to get the lesser parking count, the right-ofway improvements have to be paid for by the property owner,� Ryden said. “This applies to new buildings and in (those) renovations that trigger a change to the certificate of occupancy permit, too.�

Ryden also said there is a psychology to parking. “This ordinance doesn’t change that,� he said. “It just reduces the amount required that in some cases was already more than was needed.�

Revive’s Bryan Danna, who continues to do a significant amount of development in Heights, Garden Oaks and Oak Forest area, said he thinks the ordinance has great potential. “If the multimodal transportation component is optimized and well-utilized, this concept is great for the future of our urban landscape,� Danna said.

Follow us on social media @FromTheLeader

Walkable, from P. 1A H seat on city council.

The new rules eliminate the 25-foot setback requirement for new commercial construction in the three pilot communities, with the other two being Emancipation Avenue in the Third Ward and Midtown between Bagby Street and the Eastex Freeway. The rules go into effect for new construction on Oct. 1.

The hope is that developers that would orient their parking lots on the street with buildings pushed to the back will now do the reverse and put parking beside or behind their structures.

Construction is now allowed directly adjacent to sidewalks, which are to be 6- to 10-feet wide, instead of the current 5-foot requirement. A 4-foot buffer between the sidewalk and the road for pedestrians and cyclists is mandated.

There is also a reduction or a complete removal of required parking spots and a directive for the first floor of commercial buildings to have windows or glass doors for window shopping.

The transit-oriented development component will take those walkability components to streets within a half-mile of the city’s light rail or bus rapid transit stations.

THE OBITUARIES. Leticia Granado, 62, born Oct. 17, 1957 in Corpus Christi, died July 28. She is survived by her husband Howard Good, mother Anita Granado, children Cynthia Clemons, Rufus Hernandez III, Carlos Hernandez, and Lauren Ho, siblings Anna Cerros, Sandra Granado, Stella Granado, Jessie Granado, Gabriel Granado, and eight grandchildren.

Edward Earnest Okonski Jr., 63, born May 28, 1957, died Aug. 1.

Donna Kay Romeo, 70, born Sept. 15, 1949, died Aug. 8.

Ben G. Schoppe, 82, born Sept. 25, 1937 in Lyons, Texas, died Aug. 8.

Pauline “Bitsy� Vilven, 92,

born May 1, 1928, died Aug. 3.

For many years J.C. and Bitsy owned and operated Vilven Motor Rebuilding Inc. on North Main Street, were avid golfers at Pine Forest Country Club, and were devoted members at St. Stephen’s United Methodist Church. She is survived by daughters Sherry Vilven Haas and Janeen Vilven-Doggett, Sons-in-law Larry Haas, John Doggett, and Jerry Bates, four grandchildren, and three greatgrandchildren.

Barbara Ann Walker, 72, born Dec. 18, 1947, died Aug. 1. She was a graduate of St Pius High school. She soon thereafter met the love of her life Michael C. Walker, they married in January 1968. Walker was an active member of St. Ambrose Catholic

church. She is survived by her siblings Dan Kubiak and Patricia Croes, her son Michael, six grandchildren and four greatgrandchildren.

Loring “Red� Parnell White, 77, born July 8, 1943 in Norfolk, Va., died Aug. 3. White’s 14-month tour in Vietnam in 1967-68 included service during the Tet offensive at the Da Nang air base, after which he received a meritorious combat promotion to Sargent. Upon his return to the States, he enrolled at Kent State University where he received his doctorate in mathematics and economics. White retired from ExxonMobil in 2008.

He is survived by his wife Susan, and brother Jeffrey.

of their scheduled events as required by local and state officials.

Cabaniss said the Heights Theater has had to cancel or postpone nearly 60 shows.

At White Oak Music Hall, which held one concert in June before being forced to shut down again, marketing director Mike Mauer said nearly 130 shows have been called off and nearly 100 workers have had to be temporarily laid off. “The impact has been significant,� Mauer said.

It’s also been industrywide, which has caused lawmakers to take note of concert venues’ financial struggles and take steps toward providing them with relief. Cabaniss said two bills are circulating through the U.S. Congress that could provide a lifeline to small- and mid-sized venues that are in danger of closing if the pandemic persists and singers are kept off stages.

Cabaniss said both the broader RESTART Act as well as the Save Our Stages Act, which is specifically geared toward the live music industry, would provide loans or grants equivalent to 45 percent of a venue’s gross receipts from 2019. According to an economic impact study by the Texas Music Office, the music business and music education accounted for 209,000 jobs, $6.5 billion in income and $390 in tax revenue to the state last year.

Citing figures from a study conducted by the University of Houston’s Hobby School of Public Affairs as well as from the National Inde-

pendent Venue Association (NIVA), Cabaniss said up to 90 percent of small- to midsized venues in Texas could be forced to close by the end of this year without receiving aid. “It’s a dire situation for everybody across the nation,�

Cabaniss said. “If (the legislation) comes through, it’s going to be the lifeline that saves the wide majority of these businesses.�

Cabaniss said the Heights Theater will survive either way, in large part because it owns the 19th Street property instead of having a lease.

When asked if White Oak Music Hall needs federal assistance to remain open and viable, Mauer said, “It’s hard to make any assumptions one way or the other right now since things can go many ways. We’re focused on taking it one day at a time and thinking about creative ways to generate some money for the business and our staff.�

Both venues support the proposed legislation and are lobbying for it, having joined the NIVA. They also are founding members of the Music Venue Alliance of Texas, which formed in response to the pandemic.

Cabaniss said Houston City Council member Abbie Kamin, who represents the Heights as part of District C, helped connect the Texas group with congressional leaders from Houston. He said the proposed bills have garnered bipartisan support, with Republican Senator John Cornyn of Texas and Democratic Senator Amy

Klobuchar of Minnesota having introduced the Save Our Stages Act. “We feel like we’re in great shape to get some relief,�

Cabaniss said. “It is the relief that we need.�

Added Kamin: “We must continue to do everything we can to ensure that our music, theaters, galleries, museums -- Houston’s arts culture that we’re so proud of -- continues to have a home here in our city.�

Both the Heights Theater and White Oak Music Hall hope to resume live shows in September. But even if that happens, Cabaniss said it likely will be at reduced venue capacity, which would still limit revenue.

Mauer said White Oak Music Hall must meet three conditions before reopening for concerts – getting the goahead from the city, lining up artists who are willing and available to play and the music venue feeling confident it can keep musicians, staff and concertgoers safe.

White Oak Music Hall is open for private events and also is selling gift cards as a way to bring in some money.

But those offerings can’t make up for hosting live shows, which may or may not happen again soon. “Venues and other cultural pillars rely on people gathering and celebrating together to make their business run, so it’s very challenging waters to navigate,� Mauer said. “These bills will absolutely be lifelines to businesses like ours, so we’re supporting it.�

Follow Adam Zuvanich on Twitter @AZuvanich

Important Notice for Patients of National Cardiovascular Partners, Baytown Heart & Vascular Center, Beaumont Heart & Vascular Center, The Heart & Vascular Center, Advanced Cardiovascular Center at Methodist West Houston, North Houston Cardiovascular Center, College Park Heart & Vascular Center, Houston Heights Heart and Vascular Center, Travis Center Angiography, Spring Creek Cath Lab at Houston Methodist Willowbrook Hospital, and Sweetwater Angiography Center July 17, 2020 At National Cardiovascular Partners (NCP) and our partnering clinics, we take the privacy and security of our patients’ information seriously. NCP is a managing partner of Baytown Heart & Vascular Center, Beaumont Heart & Vascular Center, The Heart & Vascular Center, Advanced Cardiovascular Center at Methodist West Houston, North Houston Cardiovascular Center, College Park Heart & Vascular Center, Houston Heights Heart and Vascular Center, Travis Center Angiography, Spring Creek Cath Lab at Houston Methodist Willowbrook Hospital, and Sweetwater Angiography Center (the clinics). We are providing the following information to inform our patients that a third party may have had unauthorized access to information about some patients who were seen at the clinics.

On April 27, 2020, an unauthorized individual obtained access to an NCP employee’s email account. NCP became aware of the unauthorized access on May 19, 2020 and took immediate steps to contain the incident. We terminated the unauthorized access to the email account the same day it was discovered and worked with a leading cybersecurity forensics firm to investigate this matter.

As part of our investigation, NCP conducted an extensive review of the employee’s email account to determine if any emails contained personal information. As a result of that review, beginning on June 18 NCP identified emails containing the names, addresses, dates of birth, dates relating to the provision of medical services or the payment for services, medical history and diagnosis information, prescription information, health provider information, insurance numbers, email addresses, and medical record numbers for some of our patients. We also identified emails containing the Social Security numbers of two individuals and the financial account information of one individual for whom we do not have current contact information to send a personalized notification letter.

At this time, we are not aware of any unauthorized viewing or misuse of our patients’ information. All available evidence suggests that the unauthorized individual’s purpose was to attempt to commit financial fraud against NCP-not to seek and obtain any personal information of patients. NCP sent notification letters by first class mail to all potentially affected individuals for whom we have up-to-date contact information and have arranged to provide them with 12 months of identity protection and fraud resolution services through Experian.

Any individuals who receive a notification letter from NCP or who might otherwise be concerned about identity theft are encouraged to regularly review statements from their accounts and to periodically obtain their credit report from one or more of the national credit reporting companies. Individuals may obtain a copy of their credit report once every 12 months by either visiting http://www.annualcreditreport. com, calling toll free at 1-877-322-8228, or completing an Annual Credit Report Request Form (found at https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0155-free-credit-reports) and mailing it to: Annual Credit Report Request Service, P.O. Box 105281, Atlanta, GA 30348-5281. For questions about identity theft, credit monitoring, and how to keep information secure, patients can visit this website: http://www.consumer. ftc.gov/topics/identity-theft.

Individuals who received care at one of the clinics and have not received a notification letter may call (833) 281-4826 toll-free to determine whether their information has been identified as being involved.

CHURCH CHURCH D I R E CDIRECTORY T O RY

Don’t F Say Th

By Pasto

Arise Ba 803 Curtin St. 713-659-9697 • ww

W In light of the COVID-19 outbreak, please check with each church below for updated information about services and events. In-person services are temporarily restricted.

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Many people a St. James Lutheran Church, ELCA Sunday Bible Studies For All Ages ... 9:30am with family, time off from wo Morning Worship ...............

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11:00am -as12:00pm MANNA 1602 West 43rd St. • Houston, Tx 77018 • 713-686-1577 companions that are unabl 1822 W. 18th • 713-864-1470 MANNA t -FBSOJOH )PVS BN QN and Adults ............................ • Worship (Spanish) .... 12:30 pm schedule - 1:30pm 6:15pm or the logistics. E Sponsor t 8PSTIJQ 4QBOJTI

QN QN time when people are eithe 4QPOTPS 1602 West 43rd St. • Houston, Tx 77018 • 713-686-1577 1822 W. 18th • 713-864-1470 thoughts about something.

Weekly Sunday Services Gethsemane Lutheran Church see the current state of our country When I was a boy, I rememb • Bible Study: 9:15 a.m.as it struggles 8FTU SE 4U t )PVTUPO 5Y t 4040 Watonga • 713-688-5227 say thank you.� She was a.m. of God’s to along. This week, •IMorning:10:30 was reminded truth invite you to worship ByWePastor Will Cover with us! grandmother for the wonde • Evening: 4:15 p.m.

Weekly Worship Services 9:00 a.m.

Weekly Sunday that encouraged me and hope it willServices encourage rd Gethsemane Lutheran Church family member that gave me 1700 West I43 at Rosslyn Arise Baptist Sunday School &Church Bible Classes 10:30 am • Bible Study: a.m.

Sund Please visit our website at: 713-682-4942 invited me to their birthday 4040 Watonga • 713-688-5227 Preschool Program • Mon. - Fri. 9-2 p.m. you today. Psalm 34:17-19 says, “The9:15 righteous 803 Curtin St. Houston TX 77018 www.gethsemanelutheran.org Pastor – Dr. Richard Walters • Morning:10:30 a.m. their children to be thankful We invite you to worship with us! www.lazybrookbaptistchurch.org cry, and the Lord heareth, and delivereth them out that being thankful is impo 713-659-9697 • www.arisebaptistchurch.org • Evening: 4:15 p.m.

Ad # 32285 Weekly Worship Services 9:00 a.m.

Wed for the following: rd unto always of all their troubles.

TheWest Lord is 43 nigh themto be thankful depend 1700 at Rosslyn Sunday School & Bible Classes 10:30 am The Bible says in Ephesians Sunday Services: Live Stream at 11:00am Preschool Program • Mon. - Fri. 9-2 p.m. that are of a broken heart;713-682-4942 and saveth such things as beunto God and the Fat Pastor – Dr. Richard Walters uarantines and lockdowns have been Join Bible Studies: From Homepage, click onwww.gethsemanelutheran.org Christ.â€? of aus contrite spirit. Many are the afflictions of the I would encourage y for Services this holiday season to reme AdSports # 32285 Connect/Small Groups implemented across our land. have righteous: but the Lord delivereth him out of them in English or Spanish God. He gave up His only So Sunday Morning Worship 8:30 and 11:00 been cancelled, community events have been so that anyone who trusts hi all. Worship 10am & 5pm Sunday School for Children, Youth and Adults 9:40shut Sunday eternal life. Don’t forge Bible Classeswhen 9am down, and family Ministries events for have been postponed. My Sunday All Ages   God hears the righteous cry to him.have If God you would like to discus Wednesday Bible Study 7pm Home of Johnson Memorial School for Little Children children have been disappointed as manyJoin of their will deliver the righteous from their troubles.Pastor TheWill Cover can be re us for Services Rev. Nathan Lonsdale Bledsoe, Pastor Even more 803 Curtin St., or www.ariseb 4215 Watonga Blvd. • 713-681-9365 summer plans have been abandoned.

Pastor Jerry McNamara righteous will go through hard times but God in English or Spanish â—† â—† 713-686-8241 s t s u m c . o r g 2003 W. 43rd St. Sunday Morning Worship 8:30 and 11:00 Houston, TX 77092

St. James Lutheran Church, ELCA

St. James Lutheran Church, ELCA

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Gethsemane Lutheran Church

God is Near

Q

Candlelight Church of Christ

Candlelight Church of Christ

difficult has been the sickness and loss of life that will deliver them. As you find yourself trying to 4040 Watonga • 713-688-5227 Sunday Worship 10am & 5pm Sunday School for Children, Youth and Adults 9:40 a funeral figure out each day. As you work through your job Bible Classes 9am Ages have experienced. Just this weekSunday We invite you to worship Ministries with us! for Allfriends tookfor place forChildren a close friend who passed away, Bible Wednesday Study 7pm situation or the decisions required for your child’s Home of Johnson Memorial School Little Weekly Worship Services 9:00a.m. separatedPastor from his family, as a result of Covid-19. education, take time to call on God. Ask Him for Rev. Nathan Lonsdale Bledsoe, 4215 Watonga Blvd. • 713-681-9365 If you ◆ ares like ◆ 713-686-8241 Online services can beSt. reached 2003 W. 43rd t s ume, m cyou . o have r g been frustrated and discouraged many times as you look around and through the website below at 9:00 am. www.gethsemanelutheran.org

help. Stop trying to figure it out on your own. Trust Houston, TX 77092 in God.

The Leader • Saturday, Aug. 15, 2020 • Page 5A

OFHA, from P. 1A

Eagle Scout project honors retired flags

By Zarah Parker zarah@theleadernews.com

Oak Forest resident Samuel Wingate is working on becoming an Eagle Scout with Troop 604.

His Eagle Scout project includes the creation of a chute, which is similar to a mailbox chute, for people to donate their flags to be retired. The second part of the project is the erection of a flagpole that will be used to fly the flags one last time before retirement. “This project is regarded as the biggest step toward Eagle in scouting,� Wingate

said. “This project is usually one of the last needed to reach Eagle. It tests your planning, organization and, most of all, leadership skills.�

Wingate, 17, said this project is important, but not for himself. He said he believes the community will greatly benefit from the proper care and retirement of the American flag.

Last week, Houston Fire Department staff from Station 31 came and helped erect the flagpole at the troop house, 2002 W. 43rd St. The chute is also located at the troop house. Wingate

revocation. “Sincere thanks to former and current board members who spent countless hours working diligently together to return the OFHA’s financials to normal operating status,� the OFHA said in a statement.

The OFHA, which serves more than 5,000 homes in Oak Forest, is a 501(c)(4) nonprofit as opposed to a charitable 501(c)(3) nonprofit. That means donations to the organization are not tax deductible.

The OFHA previously had its tax-exempt status revoked in 2010 and retroactively reinstated a year later, according to information on the IRS website.

Current OFHA board mem-

expects the project to be finished this week.

Wingate has been in Boy Scouts for eight years, which he said is a little longer than most due to him joining early. “I personally love scouts because of all the great life skills that I learned along the way,� Wingate said. “It is very important to me to become an Eagle Scout because through it I can set a good example for others, bring all else before others in everything I do, and to help other people at all times.�

Deed restrictions, from P. 1A move racist language from Oak Forest’s longstanding deed restrictions, Cavazos saw its membership grow to more than 350 members.

And there was a sense of urgency among homeowners to put together a plan and execute it.

Two months later, membership in the Facebook group continues to grow but is doing so gradually, with 532 as of Wednesday. And the effort to amend the deed restrictions in Sections 1-7 – which include the long-unenforceable provision that only members of the “Caucasian race� are allowed to own property in Oak Forest or even live there – is still taking shape. “It feels painfully slow, it looks painfully slow, it is painfully slow,�

Cavazos said. “There’s so many nuances I did not expect. There’s so many obstacles to getting this done.�

Amending deed restrictions under the Texas Property Code is an exhaustive, costly process that requires legal work as well as legwork by volunteer homeowners. Cavazos and her fellow residents have come to realize that, but they’re making progress nonetheless.

Cavazos said multiple attorneys with ties to the neighborhood are drafting necessary documents, and a team of other volunteers has been formed to gather support and signatures in each section. The effort now has a website, fixoakforestdeeds.org, which invites more volunteers to join the cause, provides information about signature-gathering events and outlines a twopronged plan.

Homeowners in each section of the neighborhood can be released from a restriction with the signed support of property owners representing at least 50 percent of the lot front footage in each section. To amend and restate the section-bysection deed restrictions under the Texas Property Code, Cavazos said at least 75 percent of the homeowners in a given section must sign off on the change.

Even if those targets are met, a Houston real estate attorney previously said the neighborhood’s original deed restrictions would remain part of Harris County property records. And homeowners agreeing to release themselves from the racist restriction would be redundant,

since the state and federal government has considered the restriction unenforceable for decades.

The Oak Forest Homeowners Association, which said it does not have the legal authority to amend the deed restrictions after consulting with an attorney, made a similarly symbolic gesture late last month. Its board of directors unanimously adopted a resolution calling the racist restriction “vile, repugnant and not in keeping with the values and mores of the Oak Forest Subdivision and surrounding community.� “We felt we needed to do something,� OFHA president Elizabeth Villarreal said during the OFHA’s

bers said they discovered in February 2019 that its tax-exempt status had again been revoked because it had not been filing 990s, which are required of nonprofit organizations. In a reasonable cause statement shared with residents last September, the OFHA attributed the failure to file to bookkeeping deficiencies, an address change that prevented it from receiving notifications from the IRS and an operating budget that ballooned from less than $50,000 in early 2013 to about $300,000 later that year, when the OFHA enlisted SEAL Security Services to patrol the neighborhood. The largest the budget for a nonprofit, the more extensive its 990 forms

July 24 virtual meeting. “This is a statement that will be filed with the county and will always be available and be seen. We thought it was the right thing to do.�

The same racial restriction is in the deed restrictions for Garden Oaks, which were recorded in 1937, and many neighborhood residents have expressed a desire to make the same sort of change Oak Forest homeowners are seeking. The Garden Oaks Maintenance Organization (GOMO) attempted to overhaul the community’s deed restrictions last year as part of a Chapter 11 restructuring plan – removing the racist language was part of the proposal – but it did not garner enough support from the neighborhood and GOMO’s bankruptcy case was subsequently converted to Chapter 7.

However, Chapter 7 trustee Randy Williams said it’s possible the ongoing bankruptcy case could be converted back to Chapter 11 by Judge David Jones, which would give the neighborhood another shot at amending its deed restrictions and doing away with their offensive language.

In Oak Forest, Cavazos said the

must be.

Despite the oversight from 2014-18, OFHA board members said last September that all the organization’s money during those years was accounted for. “We reviewed bank records going back as many years as we have records, hired a bookkeeper and filed proper documentation with the IRS for the missing years as a well as a timely 2019 return,â€? the OFHA said in its statement. â€œâ€Ś The board, working with legal counsel and a third-party accounting professional, developed a fiscal policy to provide to future boards and to prevent any oversight in the future.â€?

goal is to remove the racial restriction without addressing the rest of the deed restrictions, which would make the effort even more exhaustive. She said she and the other volunteers are starting the signature drive in Sections 4-7, which are smaller and can possibly provide a roadmap for amending the restrictions in Sections 1-3.

Cavazos also is hoping the process can be simplified by Texas lawmakers, who will meet for their biennial legislative session in 2021.

State Rep. Anna Eastman, even though she will leave office before next year, has offered to help area residents who want a law that makes it easier to modify deed restrictions, particularly when they are obsolete. Cavazos said State Rep. Jarvis Johnson and State Sen. John Whitmire also have pledged their support. “I’m extremely happy with the progress and the volunteers and everyone that’s willing to put in the time and the energy to move forward with it,� Cavazos said. “It definitely has its challenges.�

Follow Adam Zuvanich on Twitter @AZuvanich

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The Leader • Saturday, Aug. 15, 2020 • Page 7A

Art Valet: Deatly hits streets for painting inspiration Mitch Cohen Art Columnist

Driving around the Heights and near-town areas creates a constant double-take for many of us as we discover that “progress” in our ever-evolving city continued during the COVID-19 pandemic. Most notable are new buildings, empty lots and, very sadly, empty storefronts.

One sight that had me doing a double-take was seeing an artist setting an easel to paint near the corner of West 19th and Ashland streets. I recognized him immediately as Arthur Deatly.

Painting every day, in the same spot for days on end, is quite normal for Deatly. I introduced you to him at the end of last summer. Deatly spent many days on Galveston Island painting historic and iconic buildings for a solo art show.

Before his Galveston series, Deatly was spotted at various posts around downtown Houston catching the sun reflecting off buildings and the many power lines, utility poles and other “rustic” qualities of inner-city accoutrements.

Deatly, a full-time art instructor in the Klein Independent School District, explained in our interview last summer that teaching allows him the luxury of painting on weekends and summers. Deatly already was interested in the

Photos by Zoe Tucker Arthur Deatly paints plein air on West 19th Street.

urban landscape. It was getting out there and painting that was difficult, until he got started.

“At first I would draw the canvas and paint from photos,” Deatly said in a September 2019 interview in Art Valet about getting his start in painting outdoors. “Then in 2005 after helping to paint my friend and mentor Richard Stout’s house, he suggested we go to James Bute Park, downtown, and paint. Afterward, I realized if I just plein air painted every weekend eventually I would have enough work to show.”

I call Deatly the media dar-

ling because photos of him painting appear frequently in both the news and social media. He’s always portrayed as a type of renaissance artist.

But I assure you, if you see an artist painting around the city, you are witnessing a resurgence, not an illusion.

Follow Deatly on Instagram at www.instagram.com/deatlyarthur.

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

Local theatre company postpones start of season

By Adam Zuvanich azuvanich@theleadernews.com

The opening of the 10th anniversary season for 4th Wall Theatre Company, which puts on live theatrical performances at Spring Street Studios in the Sawyer Yards area, has been postponed because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The award-winning threatre, located at 1824 Spring St., Studio 101, announced this week that it hopes to resume in-person productions in January. The first play will be Stephen Adly Guirgis’ Pulitzer Prizewinning “Between Riverside and Crazy,” which was originally scheduled to debut in

September. Also on tap for 4th Wall’s anniversary season are “A Doll’s House, Part 2” by Lucas Hnath and “The Lifespan of a Fact” by Jeremy Kareken, David Murrell and Gorden Farrell.

In a joint statement, the theatre’s co-artistic directors, Kim Tobin-Lehl and Philip Lehl, said, “We believe that there is no substitute for live, in-person theatre, and as it is our mission to produce extraordinary professional theatrical experiences, we are not willing to migrate our season to a virtual stage.

We are, however, currently producing and developing several virtual projects to keep engaged with our Hous-

ton community during this time we are all apart.”

The Lehls are conducting live-streamed conversations with theatre creatives as part of a series called “Beyond the 4th Wall.” They can be accessed on Zoom, with previous episodes available on 4th Wall’s YouTube channel and Facebook page.

For more information, visit 4thwalltheatreco.com or the theatre’s social media pages @4thwallhouston.

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THE PUBLIC. The Leader • Saturday, Aug. 15, 2020 • Page 8A

City council approves second rent relief package

By Landan Kuhlmann landan@theleadernews.com

Houstonians struggling financially due to the COVID-19 pandemic could soon have more help coming their way.

The Houston City Council voted Aug. 5 to approve $20 million for a second round of rental relief to help city residents who cannot afford to pay rent due to economic challenges caused by COVID-19, according to a news

release from the city.

The city said the package includes $15 million in funding from the CARES Act as well as $5 million from private donors to help residents pay rent for the month of August.

Eligible households will be able to receive up to $2,112 to be distributed by Houston nonprofit BakerRipley.

Funds will be committed on a prioritized basis in terms of who is deemed the most vul-

nerable, according to Mayor Sylvester Turner, as opposed to a first-come, first-served basis, which was the case with the city’s first round of rental assistance this spring.

“I want to stress that there is no perfect formula, and we know there are Houstonians with a lot of needs as a result of the pandemic,” Turner said in a news release. “This program will provide relief to thousands of families.”

The city’s first round of

rental assistance earlier this year provided about $15 million in CARES Act funds to assist more than 6,800 households for the months of April and May. In order to qualify for rental assistance, residents must: - Live within the city of Houston - Be late on residential rental payments for August or prior months and cannot pay the rent due to economic challenges caused by CO-

VID-19 According to the city, participating landlords must agree to the following terms: - Waive late fees and interest on late payments for August or prior months - Agree to a payment plan; and Postpone evictions through September The city also said the noeviction rule applies to all tenants on any participating property, even if only one

tenant in the complex qualifies for rental assistance.

To sign up or see if they qualify, interested tenants and landlords can visit HoustonRentAssistance.org.

“If you are at the lowest level, and you are not able to pay rent, pretty much the only place left is on the street,” Turner said. “So we want to make sure people don’t find themselves forced out of their homes and on the street.”

Jury trials suspended through September

By Landan Kuhlmann landan@theleadernews.com

The City of Houston is extending the suspension of all scheduled trials by jury, according to Houston Municipal Court.

According to a news release from the city, all trials will remain suspended through at

least Sept. 30 due to the continued presence of COVID-19 in the region. If a jury trial was scheduled from June 1–Sept.

30, the city said rescheduling will be available in person at all city court locations through 5 p.m. Sept. 30. Residents can visit any city court location to speak with an annex judge to reset a case once they have

been cleared by a physician.

Unless otherwise noted, trials and jury duty will resume Oct. 1, according to the city.

Though the courts will remain open for all other proceedings, face coverings must be worn at all times inside courthouse facilities and each visitor will have their temperature checked prior to entering

the courthouse.

For the most up-to-date announcements and information regarding the courts, residents can call 3-1-1 or 713-8370311. They can also visit the city’s municipal courts website at houstontx.gov/courts.

Police Reports • July 31 - Aug. 7 JULY 31

Theft 12 PM 00 BLOCK E CROSSTIMBERS Robbery 1 PM 600 BLOCK W 18TH Burglary 2 PM 300 BLOCK SYLVESTER

AUG. 1

Theft 8 AM 1100 BLOCK WINSTON Vandalism 2 AM 400 BLOCK E 37TH

AUG. 2

Theft 9 AM 1300 BLOCK W 19TH Assault 8 PM 4500 BLOCK LELAY CIR Theft 8 PM 6800 BLOCK FULTON

AUG. 3

Vandalism 9 PM 3700 BLOCK HARVARD Theft 2 PM 1400 BLOCK STUDEWOOD Assault 8 AM 5100 BLOCK SHEPHERD Theft 10 AM 2500 BLOCK ELLA

AUG. 4

Burglary 11 PM 400 BLOCK W 19TH Theft 10 AM 900 BLOCK STUDEWOOD Theft 3 PM 1600 BLOCK W LOOP Vandalism 8 PM 600 BLOCK STUDEWOOD Robbery 9 AM 3900 BLOCK N SHEPHERD Theft 7 PM 1700 BLOCK W 23RD Vandalism 9 PM 200 BLOCK PATTON

Theft 9 PM 2700 BLOCK AIRLINE Vandalism 9 AM 1000 BLOCK KERN Burglary 7 PM 3200 BLOCK AIRLINE Theft 11 PM 4100 BLOCK OF DELHI Theft 12 AM 700 BLOCK T C JESTER Theft 11 AM 4500 BLOCK YALE

AUG. 7

MICHAUX Assault 8 PM 3300 BLOCK ROGERS Assault 7 PM 3800 BLOCK AJAX Vandalism 11 PM 4200 BLOCK E CROSSTIMBERS Assault 11 PM 4200 BLOCK E CROSSTIMBERS Reports are provided by SpotCrime.com based on data from the Houston Police Department.

Arrest 1 AM 5500 BLOCK

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