December 26 Section A

Inside Today: News from the world of real estate • Page 1B

WISHING YOU ALL A VERY BLESSED AND MERRY CHRISTMAS Flower & Gift Shop

MICHAEL SILVA

michael@happenhouston.com

713-725-8748 cell

Covering the Heights, Garden Oaks, Oak Forest & the neighborhoods of North Houston

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Saturday, Dec. 26, 2020 • Vol. 65 • No. 51

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Annexation allows flooding issues to be addressed

By Adam Zuvanich azuvanich@theleadernews.com

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Photo by Adam Zuvanich Leigh Killgore, a member of the City Park TIRZ board, surveys the intersection of 12th Street and Seamist Drive, where flooding is common and new construction is underway.

A drainage study from 1966 recommended that a 78-inch pipe be installed underneath 12th Street at its intersection with Seamist Drive, with the line expanding to 90 feet by the time stormwater runoff reached White Oak Bayou to the east.

Nearly 56 years later, though, a good rain causes the intersection to flood. That’s at least partly because the plan – which detailed a series of existing and proposed channels and culverts throughout

the Timbergrove and Lazybrook neighborhoods – was never implemented.

“It’s probably funding,” Matt Zeve, deputy executive director of the Harris County Flood Control District, cited as a likely reason why the 1966 plan was never executed.

The area west of the Heights now has a funding source for drainage infrastructure projects like the one proposed more than a half-century ago, and improved flood mitigation figures to follow closely behind. The Houston City Council on Dec. 9 approved

‘Hope is alive’

Community’s generosity helps others celebrate holiday season

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INSIDE.

Signing on. Five area athletes recently celebrated the continuation of their athletic careers.

Page 4A

See 11th Street, P. 5A

Contributed photo Above: Donations from the North Shepherd Community Alliance helped Impact Houston Church of Christ, 1704 Weber St., surround its Christmas tree with new toys.

Contributed photo Right: Representatives from the Harris County Precinct 1 Constable’s Office prepare gift bags Monday at NRG Stadium.

Photo by Adam Zuvanich A woman pushes a stroller across 11th Street at its intersection with Nicholson Street in the Heights.

Leg lamp lives on with help of local tattoo parlor

By Betsy Denson betsy@theleadernews.com

Page 7A

THE INDEX. Church....................................................... 4A Classifieds.............................................. 5A Coupons................................................... 3B Food/Drink/Art................................... 7A Obituaries............................................... 4A Opinion..................................................... 3A Public Information......................... 2A Puzzles...................................................... 3A

City unveils expanded plan for 11th Street The vision for the 11th Street Bikeway project started with a desire to improve safety at 11th Street and Nicholson Street, considered to be one of the most dangerous intersections in Houston for cyclists and pedestrians.

Nearly two years after the plan was initially hatched, it now aims to transform traffic in a significant chunk of the Heights.

Representatives from Houston Public Works and the city’s Planning & Development Department provided an update on the project during a virtual community engagement meeting Dec. 16, unveiling some changes to the original plan as well as new features that have emerged during the early part of the design phase. In addition to installing bicycle lanes between North Shepherd Drive and Michaux Street, reducing vehicular traffic lanes along the 1.5-mile stretch and constructing a median refuge island at 11th and Nicholson – where the Heights Hike-and-Bike Trail crosses 11th – the project now includes some traffic reconfigurations to the east.

The city is proposing the addition of bike lanes along Michaux from 11th to Stude Park to the south, with another median refuge island planned for the intersection of Michaux and White Oak Drive a little north of the park. Median

See Toy Drives, P. 4A

License to create. Local artist Kiki Neumann has gotten creative with old license plates.

See TIRZ P. 5A

By Adam Zuvanich azuvanich@theleadernews.com

By Adam Zuvanich azuvanich@theleadernews.com Caroline Morales, the children’s minister at Impact Houston Church of Christ at 1704 Weber St., said there are more families in need this Christmas because of economic challenges created by the COVID-19 pandemic. But because of that same shortfall, she also said members of the public are giving less than they usually do.

Fortunately for the Heightsarea church and the families it serves, a group of local individuals and businesses helped fill the gap and brighten their holiday season.

The North Shepherd Community Alliance, through its “Stuff the Bus” drive, collected about 200 new toys and delivered them earlier this month to Impact Houston Church of Christ. Morales said the donation helped the church expand its charitable effort by about 30 additional families, including those in neighborhoods such as Northside and the Fifth Ward.

“In October, we were worried,” Morales said. “But because of what the Shepherd community did, we were able to give gifts to more families than we have before. It’s a huge blessing to our families and our kids to really help a lot of families that are struggling this year.”

Harris County Precinct 1 Constable Alan Rosen is just as appreciative of the community’s giving spirit. His annual toy drive held Dec. 1 at Dr. Gleem Auto Salon & Lube Center,

a 593-acre expansion of the City Park Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone (TIRZ), otherwise known as TIRZ 12, with the intention of freeing up tax revenue for infrastructure projects in the Timbergrove area.

A TIRZ is essentially a fund balance that pulls tax revenue to be reinvested within a specific geographic area. And along with expanding the City Park TIRZ, which previously covered a 91acre area along T.C. Jester Boulevard between 11th Street and

Contributed photo Flying Squid Tattooing & Art Gallery at 1507 N. Shepherd Dr. is now offering a tattoo of icons such as Ralphie from ‘A Christmas Story.’

Not every fan of the iconic 1983 film “A Christmas Story” knows it was based on Jean Shepherd’s 1966 book “In God We Trust: All Others Pay Cash,” which was a fictionalized account of his upbringing in Hammond, Indiana.

But Katy resident Beau Blouin knows — he also has read the other two books in the trilogy — so it is not surprising that

his newest tattoo is an homage to the movie’s famous leg lamp.

Flying Squid Tattooing & Art Gallery, 1507 N. Durham Dr., recently posted an ad on its Facebook page for a tattoo special featuring several of the movie’s icons, including one of Ralphie himself. Billy Ho, a 20year tattoo artist who has been at Flying Squid for two years, said he has offered the special in previous years but no one has ever taken him up on it.

“I guess people think it is a nichey thing,” Ho said.

Blouin saw the online ad and was interested.

“I love the movie but (love) the leg lamp in particular,” he said. “I was going to get a blow-up one for the yard, but instead I’m getting this.”

The leg lamp comes from the story titled “My Old Man and the Lascivious Special Award See Lamp P. 5A

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Houston police are investigating a shooting that put a young woman in the hospital early Monday morning.

The victim, 23-year-old Kadedra Watson, was transported to an area hospital in critical condition, according

ed Watson was hit by gunfire from the passenger side of an unknown vehicle.

Anyone with information in this case is encouraged to contact HPD’s Major Assaults & Family Violence division at 713-308-8800 or Crime Stoppers at 713-222-8477.

Teen charged in area shooting still at large

By Landan Kuhlmann landan@theleadernews.com Houston police are looking for a suspect in connection with a shooting that put a teenage girl in the hospital near Independence Heights last week.

The suspect, a 16-year-old boy, has been referred to Harris County Juvenile Probation authorities on a charge of ag-

gravated assault with a deadly weapon and remains at large, according to the Houston Police Department. HPD said the victim, an 18-year-old girl, was taken to a hospital in critical condition.

According to HPD, the victim and a 20-year-old male were at a gas station at 1333 Crosstimbers Rd. around 8:40 p.m. Dec. 17 when the suspect came out of the business, al-

legedly firing a pistol at both victims and hitting the woman in the back of the head.

The 20-year-old male was uninjured, police said.

Anyone with information in this case is encouraged to contact HPD’s Major Assaults & Family Violence division at 713-308-8800 or Crime Stoppers at 713-222-8477.

h o m e y o u r f i n d t o

to the Houston Police Department.

HPD said officers responded to 5600 N. Shepherd Dr. near Tidwell Road about 2 a.m. Monday to see three cars struck by gunfire, with Watson having been shot multiple times in the upper back and right elbow. Police said a preliminary investigation indicat-

p l a c e

By Landan Kuhlmann landan@theleadernews.com

515 E. 28th | Heights $870s Sherri Hughey, 713.858.7170 n

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HPD investigating Monday shooting on North Shepherd

P R O P E R T I E S

The Leader • Saturday, Dec. 26, 2020 • Page 2A

GREENWOOD KING

THE PUBLIC.

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508/518 Louise | Heights $580s+ Amanda Anhorn, 713.256.5123 g

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Police Reports • Dec. 15-21 DEC. 15

Theft 4 PM 600 BLOCK YALE Assault 8 AM 4100 BLOCK DELHI Theft 6 PM 1900 BLOCK HEIGHTS BLVD

DEC. 16

Theft 12 PM 2000 BLOCK SUMMER Vandalism 8 PM 600 BLOCK W 28TH Other 5 PM 500 BLOCK CROSSTIMBERS

DEC. 17

Arrest 2 AM 500 BLOCK RUTLAND PL Theft 8 PM 700 BLOCK T C JESTER BLVD Theft 4 PM 2400 BLOCK COUCH Vandalism 2 AM 4900 BLOCK OF LARKIN Other 4 PM 700 BLOCK HIGHLAND Assault 3 PM 2100 BLOCK DURHAM Theft 9 AM 900 BLOCK W 24TH

DEC. 18

Theft 4 PM 800 BLOCK W 27TH Burglary 7 PM 4600 BLOCK N

SHEPHERD Theft 11 PM 4700 BLOCK BRINKMAN Other 1 PM 200 BLOCK W 19TH Theft 3 PM 2000 BLOCK YALE Theft 1 PM 1000 BLOCK STUDEWOOD Robbery 4 AM 900 BLOCK E 35TH Assault 9 PM 600 BLOCK E 40TH Other 5 PM 300 BLOCK CROSSTIMBERS Theft 1 AM 00 BLOCK E CROSSTIMBERS Arrest 12 AM 600 BLOCK W 34TH Theft 1 AM 2200 BLOCK N SHEPHERD

DEC. 19

Assault 5 PM 1300 BLOCK HEIGHTS BLVD Theft 3 PM 900 BLOCK WINSTON Arrest 11 PM 100 BLOCK W CAVALCADE Theft 8 AM 4600 BLOCK NETT Arrest 3 AM 4800 BLOCK YALE Theft 9 AM 2500 BLOCK SHEARN Other 4 PM 800 BLOCK LEHMAN

DEC. 20

Theft 3 PM 5000 BLOCK E CROSSTIMBERS Theft 2 PM 3900 BLOCK KOEHLER Theft 6 PM 2200 BLOCK ELLA

DEC. 21

Theft 2 AM 100 BLOCK E 28TH Vandalism 1 AM 3500 BLOCK ELLA

814 W. 26th B | Heights $460s Nancy Jane McMillan, 713.906.1979

Reports are provided by SpotCrime.com based on data from the Houston Police Department.

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THE TOPICS. The Leader • Saturday, Dec. 26, 2020 • Page 3A

Give yourself the gift of community engagement

A

month ago, we reported about the repaving of the trail at T.C. Jester Park, which had become deteriorated with cracks in the asphalt and sink holes. It had therefore become a safety hazard.

I found out last week what had prompted the Houston Parks Board to undertake the project, which was simple in the world of infrastructure improvements but still an endeavor that cost upwards of $100,000. There had been a minor bicycle accident involving an experienced rider, and one of his friends and fellow cyclists from the area then took it upon himself to contact whoever he could in an attempt to fix the problem.

This concerned citizen contacted representatives from the Houston City Council, Houston Public Works, the Houston Parks and Recreation Department and eventually the parks board. Once he made enough of a fuss to the right people, the work got done and the trail became safer for all the community members who use it.

“If you keep barking, they finally get around to fixing things,” said John Zavala, the retired

Adam Zuvanich Editor

Timbergrove Manor resident who did the poking and prodding. “But you have to keep barking.”

Zavala asked to remain anonymous, but I’m naming him anyway because he deserves credit for initiating a fix that benefits people who live in his neighborhood and several others in the area. He also serves as a great example during this holiday season, because sometimes the best gifts are the ones we give ourselves and those around us.

As you read about in today’s edition of The Leader, Zavala also played a role in the recent annexation of a 593-acre area in Timbergrove and Lazybrook to the City Park Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone (TIRZ). The expansion of the TIRZ, approved by the Houston City Council, will enable tax revenue to be used for

much-needed drainage infrastructure improvements in the area.

Another Timbergrove resident, Leigh Killgore, might have played an even bigger role. She’s also the president of the Super Neighborhood 14 Council and, to borrow Zavala’s analogy, she barked the longest and the loudest to convince city leaders to make the annexation happen.

There are lots of other engaged residents in the Heights, Garden Oaks and Oak Forest areas who have spoken up at public meetings and in online forums to advocate for improvements to their neighborhoods, both for their own benefit and for that of their friends and fellow residents. And in the giving spirit of the holiday season, I’d like to publicly give them credit.

One is Candlelight Plaza resident Courtney Romero, who submitted a 311 request to Houston Public Works to ask for a pedestrian crossing signal at the intersection of Ella Boulevard and Thornton Road. It’s a popular crossing spot for Frank Black Middle School students who ride their bikes to and from campus, but it also was dangerous because Ella is a busy, four-lane road and

Lynn Ashby Columnist

tions against Hicks include attempted assault on a public service worker and damage to city property. Dallas-based Neiman Marcus became the first major department store company to file for bankruptcy during the Covid-19 pandemic. Luby’s, the beloved 73-year-old Texas cafeteria, found no buyer and announced it would liquidate its assets and dissolve. The U.S. Department of Justice, five years after the 2015 listeria outbreak that killed three people, levied the largest criminal fine in a food safety case in U.S. history against Blue Bell, holding the company responsible for the outbreak to the tune of $17.25 million.

Virus Quote of 2020: Lite Gov. Patrick suggested on Fox News that he’d rather perish from the new coronavirus than see instability in the state’s economic system. “In Texas, we have 29 million people. We’ve lost 495 and every life is valuable, but 500 people out of 29 million and we’re locked down,” Patrick said. Five boats sank in Lake Travis during a nautical parade in support of President Trump as tightly packed boats created large waves. Boaters began calling for help “almost immediately” after the procession for Trump’s reelection got underway. Deputies ultimately responded to 15 distress calls and received three other reports of boats taking on water.

No one was injured or killed.

Texas Atty. Gen. Ken Paxton sued to overthrow the presidential results in four other states.

Paxton, who has been indicted on securities fraud and accused by top aides of bribery, abuse of office and other potentially criminal offenses, was joined by 16 other state atty gens. Several others said it looked like Paxton was actually looking for a presidential pardon. Legal experts called the stunt “embarrassing” and wondered about the sanity of Texans. The U.S. Supreme Court rejected the suit.

Moving along, on Sunday, May 31, The New York Times Magazine published an in-depth feature about the San Antonio Food Bank that claimed, “San Antonio is the economic heart of a swath of south-central Texas called the Alamo, where thousands have lost their jobs, particularly in restaurants and the oil and gas industry.” Quote of the Year (Paper or Plastic Category): “From a sustainability viewpoint, plastic packaging beats alternatives.” – Jack Williams, a senior vice president at Exxon, citing a study sponsored by – one guess – the American Chemistry Council industry group. Now for some good news: The Post Oak Hotel at Uptown has earned Forbes’ double five-star rating, becoming the first in Texas to receive

streets, which was a result of the Texas Department of Transportation’s repositioning of the entrance and exit ramps along the U.S. 290 access road in 2017.

Davis and Rich contacted their city council members, the city’s traffic department and The Leader, and they asked their neighbors to sign petitions to get traffic-calming measures. It look a lot of time and a lot of effort, but they eventually got what they wanted when TxDOT and the city agreed to partially close their streets from the frontage road to prevent cars and trucks from turning onto them.

Once the work was done in the fall, Davis and Rich were so happy that they sounded like giddy children who had walked downstairs on Christmas morning and found a tree surrounded by presents.

So I’m asking you to be more like Davis and Rich, and Killgore and Zavala, and Romero and Weltin, and don’t wait for Santa Claus to bring you what you wished for.

Go out and get it for yourselves and those around you, giving us all a reason to celebrate.

Email azuvanich@theleadernews. com

THE READER.

2020 in hindsight “Annus horribilis.” A horrible year. That’s the term Queen Elizabeth II used to describe 1992 -- the year that the marriages of her two sons, Charles and Andrew, broke down and Windsor Castle caught fire. And the tea was cool. We had our own annus horribilis and then some. The plague, the lines for food, the closed adult book stores. So let’s remember a year to forget. The overwhelming disruption in our lives was Covid-19 with its deadly destruction, and the ways it was handled, and not handled, by our state and national leaders.

In Houston, every time County Judge Lina Hidalgo and Mayor Sylvester Turner tried to clamp down on bars and churches with their shoulder-to-shoulder gatherings, Gov. Greg Abbott overruled them, giving us more body bags.

The 2020 Atlantic hurricane season was the most active and the seventh costliest on record. Houston didn’t have another Hurricane Harvey, although some Houstonians are still waiting for help from FEMA. Dr. Stella Immanuel of Houston promoted hydroxychloroquine as a treatment for Covid-19, earning a retweet from President Donald Trump and a rebuke from medical experts. She targeted Dr. Anthony Fauci, one of the nation’s top infectious disease experts. She tweeted, “Fauci you are lying.

You know it. Americans are dying and you are playing Russian roulette with their lives.”

U.S. Rep. Dan Crenshaw of Houston, the guy with the eyepatch, also backed Immanuel’s stand. Crenshaw, who early-on discounted wearing masks to prevent the spread of Covid-19, hosted a no-mask, no social distancing meet-and-greet for local Trumpsters. He sat next to our Lite Guv, Dan Patrick, at a “packed house” Kingwood Tea Party event. Mayor Turner cancelled the Livestock Show and Rodeo one of the city’s largest events. Last year, it generated $227 million in total economic impact, directly supporting nearly 3,700 jobs.

Elsewhere in Texas, Louie Gohmert, the congressman from East Texas, said the Germans had invented a “mist” that kills the Covid-19 virus; nominated Newt Gingrich to be the speaker of the House in 2012; claimed that ISIS was sending Muslim women to the United States to bear “terror babies” and accused the Jewish George Soros of complicity in the Holocaust. After weeks of defiantly refusing to wear a mask in Washington, D.C., Gohmert caught the coronavirus. He claimed he got it from wearing a mask.

Commons Ford Ranch Metropolitan Park, in northwest Austin, has become a popular spot for Austin college students who want to defy guidelines about social distancing. As a park ranger urged visitors to maintain a six-foot distance from one another, one of those visitors, 25-year-old Brandon James Hicks, was arrested for shoving the park ranger into the lake at the park. Allega-

the bike-riding kids on Thornton often had to wait for the light to turn green and sometimes just sped across the intersection when they saw an opening.

Within a matter of weeks of her making the request, and with the support of some fellow Frank Black parents, Romero’s request was granted and the city began a project to install push-button activated pedestrian signals. For good measure, they’re also putting one at the intersection of Ella and Wakefield Drive a little to the south.

A group of Frank Black parents, along with Houston ISD wraparound specialist Tim Weltin, also are pushing for a traffic signal at the northwest corner of campus at West 43rd Street and Chantilly Lane. They submitted 311 requests to trigger a traffic study by the public works department, and the guess here is that those parents also will get the safety improvements they want.

Earlier this year, longtime Oak Forest Section 17 residents Don Davis and Chris Rich also proved that being persistent pays off.

They noticed a few years ago that there was more cut-through traffic than ever on their neighborhood

There’s fondness, even in our darkest hours

the rating. Owned by Tilman Fertitta, the hotel is the city’s first five-star hotel, and is one of 19 in the nation to receive the five-star rating as both a hotel and a spa.

The Black Lives Matter movement hit us with politically incorrect street names changed, schools were renamed and statues were taken down. The iconic statue of a Texas Ranger, a fixture at Dallas Love Field since 1963, was removed by a crew from the city of Dallas. The decision was prompted by an excerpt from a book, “Cult of Glory: The Bold and Brutal History of the Texas Rangers,” written by Doug J. Swanson about the law enforcement agency’s nearly 200year history, which includes episodes of police brutality and racism.

QE II was right. 2020 was, indeed, annus horribilis.

Ashby is celebrating 2021 at ashby2@comcast.net

and no evidence of any active repair work being performed. Nice job HPB! Bill Clancy

Dear Editor: Terrific column Jonathan…one of your best.

A much-needed perspective on the trade-offs of a challenging year. Clearly there are blessings in every situation, if only we recognize them. Thanks for pointing out a few.

Terry Burge

City grants request for pedestrian signals on Ella

Dear Editor: Well done Jonathan. Keep preaching the good news. Hope is not dead. Bless you.

Douglas McElvy Dear Editor: All to often we forget to acknowledge God’s blessings, especially in the darkest hours. Your column clearly points out that in the midst of serious and unusual problems, that we have much to be thankful for.

Tony Cooper Dear Editor: We have much to be thankful for. God has blessed us with many things during this crisis.

We too soon forget our blessings when we complain or when we look at only the negative. Great letter!

Rodrigo

Bridge fire sheds light on homelessness in Heights Dear Editor: Four months later ... still not reopened ...

Dear Editor: Why wasn’t this implemented in the Heights on 11th Street at the Nicholson crossing?

I understand that it was requested numerous times. My recollection was that cost was deemed an obstacle but at the cost of these listed on Ella it sure seems negligible to the safety benefits it could have provided.

David H.

HPD investigating vehicle burglary at Oak Forest Kroger

Dear Editor: When I was on the Harris county grand jury for a 3mo term 2 yrs ago, the DA from the division that handles bank jugging told us that if you get money from a bank anywhere in & around the 610 loop, he said it’s a 90% chance you were watched and scoped out to be the next jugging victim. He cautioned us to be VERY vigilant when conducting banking transactions. Just bc we’re not hearing about as many bank juggings on the news doesn’t mean it isn’t still happening. Be safe everyone!

Jeanne Gebo

Email us your letters: news@theleadernews.com

the leader Puzzlers.

Answers found in this week’s Classified section

SUDOKU

aCrOss

1. Leg shank 5. Small amount 8. Roman emperor 10. Having ears 12. Innocent young woman 14. No wrinkles 16. Small coin (French) 17. 19 hundred hours 19. A way to inform 21. A seal or signet 22. Tobacco smoke residue 23. Tai language branch 25. Set afire 26. Partridge FamilyÕs actress Susan 27. Canadian flyers 29. Faculties of perception 32. A light two-wheel carriage 34. Was ___ (looked at) 35. Appear with 37. Natives of Thailand 39. Hill (Celtic) 40. Runs PCs 42. Visualizes 44. Mistake

45. Riding horses 47. Point of purchase 49. Armless Aphrodite 53. Having negative qualities 54. Protective visual folds 55. Crystallized calcium carbonate mineral 57. Beach grains 58. One who presents a bond for payment 59. Car mechanics group 60. & & &

dOwn

1. Small paddle boats 2. Usual 3. Economic consumption 4. Without (French) 5. Powder mineral 6. Fleshy seed covering 7. Indicates 8. Stone lined grave 9. Feels remorse 10. Chemical structure 11. Decomposition 13. Morally base 14. Joins

15. Danish krone 18. Breastplate 20. Lesson reader in church 24. 1921 Turkish/ Armenian Treaty 26. In a way, refutes 28. Zoftig 30. Fish, hair or inter 31. Mains 33. Fathers 35. Transparent eye membranes 36. Stray 38. Seafowl 39. 3 pip cards 41. Invests in little enterprises 43. Placards 44. 1st woman 45. Finds a sum 46. Thick piece of something 48. River in Hesse, Germany 50. Inner forearm bone 51. 1 of 2 contesting groups 52. Olive tree genus 56. Metal container

WORD SCRAMBLE

Page 4A • Saturday, Dec. 26, 2020 • The Leader

Area high school athletes sign with colleges

By Landan Kuhlmann landan@theleadernews.com

Five high school athletes from local private schools participated in national signing day last week to celebrate the continuation of their athletic careers.

Fresh off a season that ended in the TAPPS 6A state quarterfinals, St. Thomas had three football players sign letters of intent Dec. 16, the start of the NCAA’s national signing period. St. Pius X had two baseball players commit.

St. Thomas wide receiver

Cameron Bonner is headed to Waco to play for Baylor after a senior season in which he had 754 yards and eight touchdowns while averaging better than 21 yards per reception. He amassed more than 2,000 yards and 20 touchdowns in his high school career.

Tight end Drake Martinez, who totaled more than 1,200 yards and 11 scores in two seasons as a starter, signed with Colorado State.

He had 693 yards and four touchdowns this season.

The Eagles’ trigger man, quarterback Maddox Kopp,

signed with the University of Houston after orally committing to the Cougars earlier this year. Kopp threw for 6,223 yards and 58 touchdowns in two seasons as a starter, leading the Eagles to a 16-7 record as well as a berth in the TAPPS state semifinals in 2019.

Two baseball players from St. Pius X plan to continue their careers at the junior college level. Austin Hunter will be playing at Ranger College, while Tregan Hyder will be at Labette Community College.

Photo from St. Thomas High School Twitter St. Thomas’ Cameron Bonner, third from left, celebrates with family after signing with Baylor University on national signing day Dec. 16.

Bulldogs’ football season ends in area round

By Landan Kuhlmann landan@theleadernews.com

The Heights Bulldogs had a football season like no other in 2020, but it will not end with them hoisting a state championship trophy.

Heights hung with the Katy Taylor Mustangs but lost 28-13 last Friday, Dec. 18 in a Class 6A Division II arearound playoff at Delmar Stadium. The Bulldogs finished the season with a 7-2 record, their winningest campaign since 2015 under head coach Stephen Dixon.

Junior quarterback Jalen Morrison threw for 189 yards in the loss. Senior running back Kendric Rhymes rushed for two touchdowns in his final high school game and added 67 yards receiving. Senior receiver Zyan Primes led the Bulldogs with six catches for 70 yards.

After the Mustangs jumped out to a 14-0 lead early, the Bulldogs turned an early second quarter fumble into points when Rhymes powered in from 7 yards out to cut it to 14-7. Then late in the quarter, Rhymes scooted in from 3

yards out to bring the Bulldogs to within 14-13 at halftime.

However, they were unable to break through Taylor’s defense in a second-half defensive struggle. Despite the Bulldog defense holding strong in forcing three total turnovers and stuffing the Mustangs on the goal line early in the final quarter, Taylor was equal to the task as the Bulldogs succumbed to a couple of late rushing scores.

It was still a banner season for Heights, which was able to celebrate its first district championship since 2013 with a 6-0

record against District 18-6A competition. Another notable highlight included the Bulldogs’ 22-21 overtime victory over Lamar, which snapped the Texans’ 72-game district winning streak and catapulted Heights into the pole position in 18-6A. “Not a good ... but great season by my Bulldogs,� Dixon said in a Saturday tweet. “Love my coaches and players and everyone who supported us.�

Looking ahead to 2021, the Bulldogs will lose their two leading rushers in Rhymes

3103 Ella Blvd., yielded an event-record donation total of more than $23,000.

Rosen’s office used that money to purchase new toys, some of which have been distributed to 22 different schools in his precinct, including local elementary schools Durham, Garden Oaks Montessori Magnet, Helms, Katherine Smith, Oak Forest, Stevens and Travis.

Thousands more toys purchased with the donations were distributed Tuesday morning at NRG Stadium. “I’m just blown away by it,�

Rosen said. “I’m so inspired by the fact that people dug deep into their pockets, even though many of them may be suffering. It sent a very clear message to me that hope is alive, even during a pandemic.�

Kathryn van der Pol, the

By Betsy Denson betsy@theleadernews.com

Contributed photo Highland Heights Elementary School, one of the schools receiving the grant, opened the Highland Heights Resource Center this fall, which offers families much-needed items such as food, clothes, shoes and toiletries.

ents.

The district said some of the schools were selected from the Achieve 180 schools that have high rates of crisis, SEL support and student discipline data.

Achieve 180, which began in 2017, is a strategy to assist and reinforce “underserved and underperforming HISD feeder pattern communities.�

Other non-Achieve 180 schools were also selected because of recent grantbased data which revealed an increase in the number of students who have significant mental health issues, such as significant behavioral challenges, poor coping skills, emotional resiliency as well

as significant increases in the number of students who have exhibited suicidal thoughts/ ideations, non-suicide self-injury, self-harm/mutilation and elopement.

HISD said the grant will be utilized to provide mental healthcare, care coordination, evidence-based behavioral health and social-emotional support services, and academic coordination to students identified as needing assistance on select school campuses in the 2021-22 academic year, once traditional class attendance resumes.

Parents can request services by calling the Let’s Stay Connected Hotline at 713556-1340.

CHURCH D I R E CTO RY

president of the North Shepherd Community Alliance and co-owner of Liberty Hoepfl Garage at 4610 N. Shepherd Dr., said the first “Stuff the Bus� drive since 2017 also was fruitful. Among the other participating businesses was Acme Architectural Hardware, Inc. at 1006 W. 34th St. Van der Pol said some of her garage customers were especially generous. She said Jerry Zavodny donated a big bag full of presents, Ann Zaller provided a basketball arcade game and Karen Zorn chipped in vintage Barbie dolls.

Another customer, who donated anonymously, dropped off a box full of arts-andcrafts products from Hobby Lobby. “I think the people who were moved to give, they really put their heart into giving

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something,� van der Pol said. “They were trying to give something meaningful, something really special.�

Van der Pol said Houston Impact Church of Christ was selected as the beneficiary in part because she’s a member there. She also said it’s because the church got its start as a ministry to nearby residents who were in poverty or experiencing homelessness.

Supporters of the cause could not connect directly with the benefiting families, because of the pandemic, but their impact was felt nonetheless.

Morales said some of the children served by the church were given the opportunity to personally pick their presents. “We had them spread out on tables,� she said, “and their eyes just lit up.�

GET OVERO IT!Holy Night

t goes without saying, but I’ll say it anyway: “we have all made mistakes.� As Alexander Pope so aptly put it: “To err is human, to forgive, divine.� We should remember this the next time we make a mistake. Most certainly, we must learn from our mistakes, and hopefully not continue to repeat them, but we should also forgive ourselves. While it can be hard enough to forgive others for their mistakes, it can sometimes feel almost impossible to forgive ourselves.

We sometimes cannot bring ourselves to forgive something we’ve done, and we may punish and harangue ourselves for years, or even decades, over youthful indiscretions. In addition, some of us may not be able to forget the sins of our past. And although that may prevent us from repeating them, we must be charitable and forgive ourselves, just as we should forgive others. So, we should make a real effort in the coming days and weeks to forgive the offenses of others as well as our own. Sometimes, it helps to just forget about them; that is, to try to put them out of our mind and stop repeatedly mulling over them. One of the reasons we use the phrase “forgive and forget� is because sometimes that is the only way to forgive, i.e., by forgetting. But far better, and more divine, is to be able to forgive even while remembering the offense. So, we should let go of those unforgiving, vindictive, shameful feelings about the past, and get over it! Corrie ten Boom, who survived incarceration in a Nazi prison camp said, “Forgiveness is to set a prisoner free, and to realize that the prisoner was you.�

By Pastor Will Cover

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

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thrill of hope the weary world rejoices for First Church St. James Lutheran Church, ELCA Weekly Sunday Services yonder breaks a new Gethsemane Lutheran Church • Bible Study: 9:15 a.m. t 8PSTIJQ &OHMJTI

BN BN • Morning:10:30 a.m.

We invite you to worship with us! and glorious morn. This line • Evening: 4:15 p.m. t -FBSOJOH )PVS

BN QN 1700 Sunday West 43 at Rosslyn School ........9:15 am MANNA 713-682-4942 from the middle of the first t 8PSTIJQ 4QBOJTI QN QN Pastor – Dr. Richard Walters Sunday Worship......10:30am 4QPOTPS Ad # 32285 stanza of O Holy Night really Wednesday Bible Study 8FTU SE 4U t )PVTUPO 5Y t & Prayer 6:00pm Candlelight Church ofService Christ speaks to our situation this Join us for Services FC Heights Family and Staff in English or Spanish year. We live in a weary world.

Sunday Morning Worship 8:30 and 11:00 201 E. 9th St. • 713-861-3102 Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn Sunday Worship 10am & 5pm Sunday School for Children, Youth and Adults 9:40 not, and you will not be condemned; Please website at: Sund visitforour Sunday Bible Classes 9am www.fbcheights.org Our world is wearyforgive, of division, Ministries All Ages and you will be forgiven...

Wednesday Bible Study 7pm Home of Johnson Memorial School for Little Children www.lazybrookbaptistchurch.org for the following: Rev. Nathan Lonsdale Bledsoe, Pastor weary ofLuke Covid-19, and weary 4215 Watonga Blvd. • 713-681-9365 R.S.V. 6:37 Sunday Services: @ 9 AM and 2003 W. 43rd St.Wed 713-686-8241 s t s u m cIn-person .org Houston, TX 77092 of all that has gone on in 11 AM (Live stream during 11 AM service) Say a Bible Studies: From Homepage, click on 2020. When Jesus was born,

Prayer 1822 W. 18th • 713-864-1470 Connect/Small Groups he was born to a world under Today the control of a dictator. His people were oppressed. The Gethsemane Lutheran Church religious leaders were taking Pastor Jerry McNamara 4040 Watonga • 713-688-5227 advantage of the people.

We invite you to worship with us!

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DEBBIE ourrealtordebbie@aol.com ELLIOTT

Contributed photo Members of the North Shepherd Community Alliance delivered donated toys to Impact Houston Church of Christ on Dec. 14.

I

In light of theSunday COVID-19 outbreak, please check with church below for updated St.each James Lutheran Church, ELCA Bible Studies For All Ages ... 9:30am Morning Worship ............... 10:45am • Worship (English) ..... 10:00 am - 11:00am information Wednesday about services and events.

In-person services are temporarily restricted.

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Toy Drives, from P. 1A

Grant to provide mental health support at area schools At its December meeting, the Houston ISD Board of Education approved a $250,000 grant for family mental health supports related to the COVID-19 pandemic. The grant is from the School-Based Healthcare Solutions Network and will be used to address students’ and parents’ mental health issues caused by the pandemic.

According to an HISD news release, only 25 recipients across the nation are receiving the grant. The program will begin in the academic calendar year 2021-22.

Of the 10 schools that will utilize the monies in HISD, three are in or near area. Students and parents at Highland Heights and Wesley elementary schools and Waltrip High School will be able to get help, whether their students were enrolled in virtual or face-toface instruction in the 2020-21 school year.

A request to interview a principal from one of the area schools was not granted by the HISD press office.

HISD said its Grant Development Department identified the grant opportunity and submitted it, working collaboratively with HISD’s Social Emotional Learning (SEL) Department. They were notified in November that the district was one of the 25 grant recipi-

(1,045 total yards, 18 touchdowns) and Patrick McDowell (532 rushing yards, five TDs) along with receivers Keyondrick Douglas (912 all-purpose yards, 6 TDs) and Primes.

However, they will return their quarterback in Morrison (1,467 yards, 15 TDs passing).

On the defensive side, Heights will need to replace Darius Cleveland, who led the team with eight sacks. However, the Bulldogs will return their two leading tacklers in juniors Karl Williams (72 tackles, two interceptions) and David Nico (53 tackles, 1 sack).

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“O Holy Night The stars are brightly shining It is the night of our dear Savior’s birth Long lay the world in sin and e’er pining ‘Til He appeared and the soul felt its worth A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.�

â—†

www.gethsemanelutheran.org

If you are weary and looking for hope, I would encourage you to look to Jesus. If you are feeling alone, Jesus will be your friend. During this Christmas season that is quite different than many others, take time for Jesus. He is the reason for the season!

The Leader • Saturday, Dec. 26, 2020 • Page 5A

TIRZ, from P. 1A

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fund a new drainage study to see what work can be done.

Zeve, who also serves on the board for the local TIRZ, said the 1966 study is now outdated. “A lot has changed in the engineering world and on the ground,� Zeve said. “There’s been development and more development and now redevelopment. We design storm sewers and drainage infrastructure with different rainfall data and different engineering standard.

So that plan may have been viable at the time. It’s just not viable today.�

The funding infrastructure is now in place, though, and Zeve said now is a good time to upgrade the drainage infrastructure because new development – and therefore construction – is occurring.

Kamin said she’s grateful to the local residents and city leaders who made the TIRZ annexation, and the possibilities it presents, come to fruition. “It took everyone to really push this through,� she said. “I’m just glad at the end of the year, we have a success to show for it.�

JE

vester Turner, former Houston City Council member Ellen Cohen and her successor in District C, Abbie Kamin. Zavala said the elected officials agreed the issue needed to be addressed, but how to fund such improvements was a sticking point.

Killgore said another engaged Timbergrove resident, Ashley Stubbs, suggested becoming part of a TIRZ as a way to fund the infrastructure projects they wanted. So they pursued that avenue, which came to fruition earlier this month. “We had to lobby heavily,� said Ralph De Leon, the administrator for the City Park TIRZ, which was founded in 1998. “It was not easy.�

Kamin said the annexation application was submitted last year, and in January she met with the Mayor’s Office of Economic Development to discuss the possibility. Kamin said she advocated for it along with Turner, who during the Dec. 9 city council meeting credited Killgore for championing the cause and convincing city leaders to get behind it.

Now that the Timbergrove area is part of the City Park TIRZ, Killgore said it needs to

TC

Ella Boulevard, the city council also extended its project life from 2028 through 2050.

Timbergrove resident Leigh Killgore, who in recent years joined the TIRZ board and helped lead the push for annexation, said it will enable the area to upgrade its drainage infrastructure at a time when it is transforming from a cluster of warehouses to highly dense residential uses. For example, a series of new townhomes are planned for the northwest corner of 12th and Seamist, where there is a history of flooding. “This is a tremendous, tremendous win for the neighborhood,� Killgore said, “for Timbergrove, for residents, for the next 100 years.�

Killgore, who is president of the Super Neighborhood 14 Council that also serves the area, said the annexation was more than two years in the making. That’s when she and other members of the Super Neighborhood group, including Pete Davies and John Zavala, begin taking city and county leaders on tours of the area and pointing out their flooding risks and infrastructure needs.

Among those they engaged was Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo, Houston Mayor Syl-

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11th Street, from P. 1A

Lamp, from P. 1A

refuge islands provide safe havens for cyclists and pedestrians while they cross streets designed for vehicles. “I’m excited about the proposed pedestrian island at White Oak and Michaux to provide safer access from our neighborhood to Stude Park and the White Oak Bayou Trail,� said Woodland Heights resident Brad Snead, who added that his family likes to navigate the neighborhood by bike and foot.

Ian Hlavacek, a managing engineer for Houston Public Works and the project co-leader along with Lauren Grove of the planning department, said during the Dec. 16 meeting that the design phase is expected to be complete by the summer of 2021. He also said the work that’s part of the plan, which mostly involves restriping the street along with some construction work, could be completed by the end of 2021.

The project is being funded by the Houston Bike Plan, which was adopted by the Houston City Council in 2017 and aims to make the city safer and more accessible for

that Heralded the Birth of Pop Art.�

It was the “major award� that Ralphie’s dad won during a crossword contest and the lamp’s demise is much mourned by him.

According to the website of A Christmas Story House and Museum in Cleveland, Ohio – yes, there is one – the leg lamp was inspired by an illuminated Nehi Soda advertisement. Production designer Reuben Freed created three leg lamps for the movie and a few shade styles before finalizing the golden bell shade with black fringe seen in the movie.

Ho’s tattoo of the leg originated from a stencil that was transferred to Blouin’s skin before Ho applied the needle.

Blouin has several tattoos and said getting one “hurts less than a root canal and more than a haircut.�

He said his friends will no doubt get a laugh about it, and because it is on his lower leg it is easy enough to cover up. “If anybody asks why I got it, I’m just going to tell them it’s a major award,� Blouin said.

cyclists. It calls for protected bike lanes on both sides of 11th and along Michaux as well as a reduction in lanes used by cars, trucks and motorcycles. “We want to make the street safer,� Hlavacek said of 11th. “We feel pretty good that this is going to work.�

The initial plan called for a “road diet� in which the street’s configuration from two vehicle lanes in each direction would be converted to one lane in each direction with a center, left-turn lane. That is still the plan for the stretch of 11th between Michaux and Yale Street to the west, but Hlavacek said it’s been determined that 11th is too narrow to accommodate that configuration between Shepherd and Yale to the east.

The plan now calls for that stretch to have one lane of vehicular traffic going in each direction, without a center, left-turn lane but instead a solid median separating the lanes.

Vehicles would be able to turn left from 11th onto Lawrence Street and Rutland Street, and from those cross streets onto 11th, but left turns

would be prohibited along the rest of the stretch between Shepherd and Yale.

Hlavacek the plan also calls for the removal of all left turns at the two intersections with the median refuge islands as well as at the intersection of 11th and Heights Boulevard. The latter road is split by an esplanade that runs north and south and includes its own trail, with walkers often crossing 11th Street.

There currently are left-turn lanes in that same intersection, although Hlavacek said those types of turns account for only about 10 percent of all traffic movements there. Bus traffic also comes into play. “The grand total is we’ve got a lot of stuff going on at this intersection, and it doesn’t work that great for anybody,� Hlavacek said. “It’s too much.�

Hlavacek said drivers who would normally turn left onto Heights Boulevard from 11th, or from 11th onto Heights Boulevard, could use Yale Street as an alternate route. Yale runs parallel to Heights Boulevard and is one block to the west.

Traffic models show there could be some congestion at 11th and Yale during about a 15-minute period during afternoon rush hour, Hlavacek said, but traffic should otherwise flow smoothly throughout the project area.

The idea is general is to promote multimodal transportation and reduce vehicular speeding, which is a hazard to cyclists, pedestrians and motorists alike. On the same day as the latest presentation to neighborhood residents, the city launched its Vision Zero Action Plan that aims to eliminate traffic deaths in Houston by 2030. “The dangerous crossing at 11th and Nicholson, which is one of my major safety priorities, will be addressed through this project,� Houston City Council member Abbie Kamin said. “My office has heard a lot of feedback from residents who have had near misses, from bicyclists to parents with strollers.�

Follow Adam Zuvanich on Twitter at @AZuvanich

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The Leader • Saturday, Dec. 26, 2020 • Page 7A

Art Valet: Neumann takes creative license with old plates Mitch Cohen Art Columnist

The name Kiki Neumann has appeared in this column many times. Neumann, a longtime Heights resident and self-described folk artist, has a knack for turning abandoned items into art.

Her most recent, and arguably most successful trash-totreasure endeavor has been with recycling license plates.

She cuts the letters and numbers up and arranges them into phrases and messages and then prints them out on greeting cards. Her license plate cards have been displayed for

sale in Buc-ee’s stores for several years.

Looking back at previous columns that included Neumann, I’ve already told the story about her being nicknamed the “media darling” for her many appearances in print, radio and TV. I’ve also relayed how she and I met, in her own words, referencing our first meeting some 17 years ago is worth repeating.

“Mitch found me selling birdhouses and garden items from cast-off wood fences on the curb of White Oak Boulevard,” Neumann recalls. “I wasn’t making very much money but it was a beautiful day in the Heights. He drove by and then came back to ask if I would consider being at your show. ‘What? Where?

You bet!’ Because of you, I found my people! You took me

Contributed photo Kiki Neumann displays her new MASKUP number sticker.

off the streets quite literally.”

That is one of my favorite stories, and Neumann is definitely one of my favorite people. In fact, I’d be willing to bet everyone that meets Neumann ranks her high on their list of favorites.

Regrettably, for most of 2020, I have only had the opportunity to catch Neumann on social media versus in person. She’s still spreading good cheer, though. Even in a medium (social media) that has many running away, Neumann’s humorous cartoons keep us all chuckling at the daily onslaught.

Recently, Neumann wrote to me telling me of a new fundraiser and awareness campaign she started, featuring her license plate art in the form of a sticker that reads, “MASKUP.” Proceeds for the

sale of the stickers go to the Houston Food Bank.

To get your sticker, donate to the Houston Food Bank through the fundraising page Neumann set up on Facebook and she’ll mail you the sticker.

There are details on the page about getting your address to her. The vinyl stickers are 4 inches by 8 inches in full glorious color.

If you can’t find Neumann on Facebook, use this link to the fundraiser, https://tinyurl. com/maskuphoustonfoodbank. Neumann has a website, kikineumanncreations.com.

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.

Review: Robot Noodle delivers on delicious ramen Zarah Parker Managing Editor

The space at 1221 W. 11th St. hasn’t been the luckiest spot for the restaurants owned

by Delicious Concepts. Over the last few years it’s been repurposed for different concepts with the most previous one being Blackbird Izakaya.

A few months ago, it was repurposed as Robot Noodle, a simple ramen outpost that uses the Roovy app developed

by Delicious Concepts owner Ken Bridge that allows patrons to order and pay for meals contact-free.

After my recent trip to the noodle spot, I hope the concept is here to stay.

Inside the restaurant the lights are dim and yellow and the wooden tables are spaced out. There was one server who explained I needed to download the Roovy app and then sit wherever I liked. On the table was a number I would input into the app to let the server know where to bring my meal.

The menu is simple. It consisted of a few sodas (no diet), beer and sake, two ramen options, a create-your-own-bowl of ramen option, fried rice, pad Thai and extras like edamame and spring rolls.

When creating your own bowl, you can choose from a variety of proteins, noodles, rice and vegetables. Instead of creating my own bowl, I decided to try what Robot Noodle already had made on the menu.

The Tonkotsu Ramen has seasoned pork broth, pork belly, chashu, bean sprouts, green onion, tree mushroom, marinated egg and scallion oil. If I wanted anything different in the dish, I could have put that in the special instructions section of the menu item when adding it to the order on the app.

I also ordered the fried rice, which comes with chicken, egg, onions, scallions, bean sprouts, salt and pepper. For a side item I chose the Robot Rolls, the fried vegetarian eggrolls.

It wasn’t long before the food was placed on my table.

I started with the ramen. The best part of it was the broth.

It was hearty and didn’t just taste like pork. I could tell that it had been seasoned and simmered with other flavors.

The noodles are denser, but still fully cooked. My favorite vegetable ended up being the bean sprouts because when they got wrapped up in the noodles, I enjoyed the crunch they added. Also, you can rarely go wrong adding green onions to a dish.

The ramen was a great dish to enjoy on a chilly night and made me nostalgic for the 25cent packaged ramen I ate as a kid, but not in the way that made me want to go back to eating the cheaper ramen. Instead it fueled my appreciation for the ramen at Robot Noodle.

The fried rice had subtle hints of the peanut oil it was wok-fried with. The onions were cut into thicker strips, maybe a half-inch, which I wasn’t used to in fried rice, but I ended up liking how much onion came with each bite.

The chicken tossed in was cut into pieces around the size of a small chicken nugget.

While it didn’t change the flavor, I wished for smaller pieces of chicken.

When I bit down into a fried

Photo by Zarah Parker The Tonkotsu Ramen from Robot Noodle is made with seasoned pork broth, pork belly, chashu, bean sprouts, green onion, tree mushroom, marinated egg and scallion oil.

vegetarian eggroll, I liked the thicker breading, but wasn’t too impressed with the vegetables. I found them to be a little too mushy.

At the end of the meal I was able to close my tab through the app and leave.

The app was easy to use, but as a first-time user I had a few times of confusion, like how do I get to-go boxes?

Do I wave the server down

or do I do something through the app? I found a message feature on the app and sent a message, which was connected to my order number, asking for to-go boxes. A few minutes later I realized it hadn’t worked so I ended up asking the server for some the next time she walked by.

Other than that, I had no problems with the app and look forward to my next bowl

of ramen.

Robot Noodle Address: 1221 W. 11th St. Hours: 11 a.m. - 9 p.m. daily Pricing: $8.95 - $10 Kid-friendly: Yes Alcohol: Yes Healthy options: No Star of the show: Tonkotsu Ramen

Local restaurant owners hopeful about 2021

By Zarah Parker zarah@theleadernews.com

After 35 years in the hospitality business, Rainbow Lodge owner Donnette Hansen had thought she’d seen it all.

“But this pandemic has been a wild ride,” Hansen said. “I don’t mind challenges, I thrive on a bit of chaos, and persevering through adversity keeps me young. I still love what I do and I encourage all aspiring hospitality people to learn from 2020. These difficulties make us stronger.”

Beginning in mid-March, precautions to help slow the spread of COVID-19 changed the way restaurants were able to operate. From closing indoor dining and starting curbside operations to limited indoor capacity and mask mandates, a lot has changed over the course of the last 10 months.

“To-go food and drink will continue to be big at least for the first half of next year,” said Casey Motes of Eureka Heights Brew Co., 941 W. 18th St.. “Pre-COVID there was al-

ready a shift happening with all of the delivery apps and this year has definitely accelerated things.”

To help with to-go sales, Eureka made a drive-through to make stopping by for a 6-pack of beer easier.

And while it’s been a difficult year for the hospitality industry, restaurateurs like Hansen believe in a bright future.

“I see positive changes in the second quarter of 2021, sales-wise,” Hansen said. “I am an optimistic person and the challenges of 2020 have made me and my team stronger and, in my opinion, better.”

Hansen said safe and effective vaccinations will lead to good things for the industry because once dining restrictions are lifted and people feel safe eating out, it won’t take much business to bounce back.

“I know people really want to gather again and celebrate.

They are craving it,” Hansen said.

Alli Jarrett, owner of Harold’s Restaurant, Bar and Rooftop Terrace, 350 W. 19th St., said everyone she knows,

Contributed photo Rainbow Lodge owner Donnette Hansen, center, poses for a picture with her restaurant team.

no matter what industry they work in, is ready for the new year.

“We will all have battle marks going into 2021 and the push to keep our doors open will remain challenging and call for continued creativity,” Jarrett said. “Consumer habits have shifted and all of us still standing have taken on additional debt to remain afloat.

While we are pivoting and doing different things to stay open and encourage guests to eat with us, whether through dining in, takeout or delivery, the fact that we are still in the middle of a world health crisis that led to an economic crisis is the reality.”

But she is still hopeful that by the end of the 2021 summer, the vaccine will have

been readily distributed and the want and desire for human interaction will hold fast to regathering in places like Harold’s.

There’s been a lot of changes at Harold’s, specifically improving the technology they utilize, and Jarrett said the new year will bring more change, while keeping in mind that when people dine out at

Harold’s, they do so for the experience of a full-service restaurant, not just to push a lot of buttons themselves.

“Change is a big word and for us we are trying to adapt with consumer habits and find ways of getting our experiences to the guest if they are not yet ready to dine out,” Jarrett said.

As a small business owner, the last year has taught Jarrett that hospitality and service is the core of her being and always has been even when she didn’t work in the industry.

“I have recognized and learned that I have to do things differently, lead my team differently and focus on having profitability in order to fulfill hospitality,” Jarrett said. “We struggled in areas prior to the pandemic and this has helped me be a better business owner and continue to make changes so that we can stay alive and eventually thrive.”

In the coming year, Jarrett said all small businesses need support and encouraged people to eat out or take out.

Food briefs: Eureka Heights introduces new ‘society’

By Zarah Parker zarah@theleadernews.com

Eureka Heights Brew Co, 941 W. 18th St., recently announced its new “High Five Society Brew Club.”

For the annual cost of $199, members will get three pints in the taproom each month, one take-home beer each month, a members-only T-shirt, a members-only 20-ounce glass, a 10 percent discount in the taproom or drive-through and early access to select beer releases and events.

Eureka estimates the value

to be over $400.

Learn more at https:// my.stitch.vip/memberships/4.

Winter cocktail collaboration McIntyre’s, 1230 W. 20th St., collaborated with the Heights dessert shop Red Dessert Dive for a winter cocktail.

The collaboration features McIntyre’s signature frozen eggnog paired with Red Dessert Dive’s white chocolatedipped funfetti sugar cookie.

The cocktail and cookie are available at McIntyre’s.

New Year’s Eve dinners City Orchard, 1201 Oliver St., is hosting a three-course New Year’s Eve dinner with cider pairings, With your choice of steak or lamb chops, the cider dinner takes place from 6–8 p.m. Dec. 31. For more information, call 832-648-7773.

La Lucha, 1801 N. Shepherd Dr., is offering a special New Year’s Eve menu at $65.95 per person with four courses featuring a chilled seafood platter, gumbo z’herbes, fried chicken, Jimmy’s shrimp, hushpuppies, a New York strip, banana split,

pecan ball and more. Call the restaurant at 713-955-4765 to make a reservation.

Eight Row Flint’s ‘Pappy Day’ Eight Row Flint, 1039 Yale St., has a post-Christmas tradition called “Say Goodbye To Our Pappy Day,” which is a yearly event when the bar sells off its Pappy Van Winkle bourbon at cost.

The event will be on Saturday, and patrons will be limited to one Pappy purchase.

Wristbands will be given out at 11 a.m. In years past, the line

for wristbands started hours before the handout time, and Eight Row can only guaran-

tee 100 people receiving one bottle of Pappy, so plan accordingly.

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Page 8A • Saturday, Dec. 26, 2020 • The Leader

A family legacy continues at Harting Automotive

By Landan Kuhlmann landan@theleadernews.com

Jack Moore knows how blessed he is that Harting Automotive repair shop has grown steadily since opening its doors in 1982.

He also knows why it has been able to do so, and his commitment to the mission has not changed, even amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. “A lot of times the auto repair business has a bad reputation, like a used car salesman,� he said. “We’ve been lucky that people trust us and like us enough to refer us to their friends and families because they feel we’re being fair and honest with them.�

When Jack bought the business from founder Bob Harting in 1999, he said he wanted to continue Harting’s commitment to his customers beyond a simple car repair. So whether it’s tackling a bad transmission or giving customers a chance to relax with some water or coffee in their comfortable waiting room, each trouble is tackled like the shop has done for nearly four decades – with dignity and respect for each individual. “Of course you have to fix cars properly and do a good job there, but you also have to do a good job in the office by treating your customers fairly,�

Jack said. “So I’ve always had

that mix of good repairs out in the shop and good customer service in the office. That’s what has helped this business do as well as it’s done.�

And though Jack is coming up on retirement soon, the business won’t falter – in fact, it will go into the hands of his son Greg, who shares his father’s philosophy of business. “When you take pride in what you do, it always shows through,� Greg said. “And there’s nothing I would have more pride in than taking over my father’s business...I think God has put me where he wants me to be,� he said. “I believe in honoring my parents, so that’s what I’m doing.�

Whenever the transition might occur, one thing the two remain focused on is developing and maintaining a trustworthy relationship with the members of our community. “Over the years I have been dealing with people one on one, getting to know them better and helping them solve their problems,� Jack said. “This business affords me the opportunity to do that on a daily basis.�

As a result of that dedication to its customers, Harting has won numerous Better Business Bureau Awards for Excellence in customer service in the auto repair category. The company won the BBB’s Pinnacle Award for Ex-

cellence in 2013 which honored Harting as the Best in the city of Houston. It’s been a core principle for more than four decades, and doesn’t look to be changing anytime soon no matter who’s in charge.

There is great satisfaction in taking care of our customers, from the initial customer concern to the successful repair of their vehicle. “Good mechanics are the meat and potatoes of the job, and we have good mechanics, but what keeps people coming back is treating them with respect and building trust with them. Ultimately it’s about solving problems and helping people.�

To find out more, stop by the shop at 4934 Acorn St. or give them a call at 713-6880967.

Photo by Landan Kuhlmann Jack Moore, left, and his son Greg stand in front of Harting Automotive Repair Shop at 4934 Acorn St. Jack will pass the business off to Greg when he retires in the coming years.

This article is part of The Leader Experts series, where companies pay for editorial content on topics important to the community. If you’d like to be a Leader Expert, contact us at 713-686-8494.

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)RU WKH XOWLPDWH VKRSSLQJ Your One Contributed photo Cafeza, a live music venue located at 1720 Houston Ave., was among the arts-related organizations to receive grant money through the City of Houston and the Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs.

City provides grants to cultural organizations

By Landan Kuhlmann landan@theleadernews.com

Members of Houston’s arts industries were recently awarded grant funds to help the individuals and performance venues financially impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The City of Houston announced Dec. 17 that the Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs (MOCA) recently collaborated with with Houston Arts Alliance (HAA) and Mid-America Arts Alliance (MAAA) to distribute $5 million to artists, cultural organizations, music venues and musicians - including a number of venues in the

Heights, Garden Oaks, Oak Forest and Washington Avenue areas. “We want to thank musicians and artists for their role in community as we, as a city, work together during this global pandemic,� Mayor Sylvester Turner said.

According to a news release from the city, MOCA provided more than $1.2 million in relief to 691 individuals artists, cultural organizations, music venues and musicians in Houston.

Among the local venues receiving grant money were: - Art Colony Association, Inc. (7026 Old Katy Rd., Suite 221) - 14 Pews Church (800 Au-

rora St.) - Cafeza (1720 Houston Ave.) - Dan Electro’s Bar (1031 E. 24th St.) - Heights Theater (339 W. 19th St.) - Rockefellers (3620 Washington Ave.) - White Oak Music Hall (2915 N. Main St.) - Open Dance Project (747 N. Shepherd Dr.) To learn more about the city’s cultural programs, visit houstontx.gov/culturalaffairs or follow MOCA on Facebook and Instagram @ HoustonMOCA.

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