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Memorial Park overhaul elicits mixed reactions

By Adam Zuvanich azuvanich@theleadernews.com

It’s before 5 p.m. on a Monday in January, and the parking lot at Memorial Park Golf Course is nearly full. The same goes for the lighted practice range, where golfers of all ages and ability levels Photo by Adam Zuvanich cycle through hitting bays and Jonathan Hassler practices whack balls until long after the

sun goes down.

It’s nearly dark before the last groups of players complete the 18-hole course in the heart of Houston, which sees more traffic than most public courses around the country.

Close to 64,000 rounds were played at Memorial Park during the 2018 fiscal year, when the facility raked in more than $3.7 million in revenue.

“It’s a good thing that we have here right now,” said Jonathan Hassler, who tees off at Memorial Park at least twice per month. “It’s a good course and fun to play.”

The 83-year-old course will soon be revamped, and no one else will play it for several months.

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a plan to renovate Memorial Park Golf Course, with the goal of having it host the PGA Tour’s Houston Open beginning in 2020. The course closed Thursday and is expected to reopen in October, with the practice range, putting green and Beck’s Prime restaurant slated to remain open for most of that time.

See Golf P. 8A

H-E-B pantry closing Jan. 29

By Landan Kuhlmann landan@theleadernews.com

Drink to that. Houston Cider Co. had a successful first year.

Page 7A

Eating right on the cheap. You can diet on a tight budget.

Page 6B

Photo by Adam Zuvanich A customer arrives at Carter & Cooley Company Delicatessen, a Heights staple on 19th Street since 1989, on Tuesday.

Carter & Cooley building under new ownership; deli staying open

By Adam Zuvanich azuvanich@theleadernews.com

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The INDEX. Church....................................................... 5A Classifieds.............................................. 4B Coupons. ................................................. 6A Food/Drink/Art................................... 7A Obituaries.............................................. 5A Opinion. ................................................... 4A Public Information......................... 2A Puzzles...................................................... 4A

One of the most recognizable parts of the Heights was at a low point when Neil Sackheim arrived in the area.

Many of the buildings on 19th Street, between Ashland and Rutland streets, were boarded up when the native New Yorker bought the old Simon Lewis building in the late 1980s. Sackheim turned it into a popular lunch spot and then watched as neighboring businesses blossomed along with it.

Thirty years later, the block features a bustling and eclectic mix of eateries, watering holes, antique shops and clothing stores. And it could be set to undergo another transformation.

Sackheim, whose Carter & Cooley Company Delicatessen is a cherished neighborhood icon, has passed along the property to a driving force behind new development in the Heights. He

Photo by Adam Zuvanich Carter & Cooley Company Delicatessen, named after the founders of the Heights, plans to remain open.

said he sold the building in late October to a group headlined by Radom Capital LLC, which developed the popular Heights Mercantile and has an even larger mixed-use project in the works at Shepherd Drive and 6th Street.

Sackheim now has a “long-term lease” at the two-story property at 375 W. 19th Street and plans to keep the deli open for the foreseeable future.

“I think that the new owners are going to do some cosmetic and deferred maintenance upgrades as far as the deli goes, but we’re not changing a thing,” Sackheim said. “The main thing is that the new owners are intent on maintaining the charm of the street.”

Steve Radom, managing principal of Radom Capital, did not respond to requests for comment.

Sackheim declined to disclose the terms of the sale, his lease or the identities of the other new owners of the building, which also houses two antique shops on the ground level and an accounting firm, chiropractor, photography studio and film company upstairs. The fate of those businesses is

With its newest location on North Shepherd Drive set to open at the end of this month, the days are numbered for H-E-B’s Heights-area presence in Timbergrove.

H-E-B spokesperson Lacey Dalcour confirmed in an email Jan. 4 that the store at 1511 W. 18th St. will be shuttered before the Jan. 30 grand opening of the location at the northeast corner of Shepherd and W. 24th Street. Jan. 29 will be the last day for shoppers to grab their groceries at the 18th and T.C. Jester Boulevard location.

Dalcour noted that such a decision has always been in the works considering the current location’s proximity – barely a mile away – to H-E-B’s second planned two-story store in Houston.

“Residents have long asked for a new, larger H-E-B,” she said. “We look forward to serving our current T.C. Jester customers at our new location.”

As H-E-B builds newer, modern stores, it has been systematically replacing the older, smaller Pantry stores; but news of the Timbergrove pantry store’s impending closure did not sit right with some residents.

“I really wish they would revamp it and keep it open,” Christina Palomo wrote on Facebook. “I don’t think them being so close to each other will affect the business that much.”

For others, however the announcement brings a mixture of emotions as the date approaches, including anticipation.

“I’m so excited for the new HEB but please let us keep our pantry too! I love that little store,” resident Carrie Bryant wrote on Facebook.

When the 92,000 square-foot store set to border 23rd Street and North Shepherd Drive broke ground in October 2016, it marked the end of a series of setbacks for the San Antonio-based

See Building sale P. 6A

See HEB P. 8A

Fashion show funds care closets at local schools

By Betsy Denson betsy@theleadernews.com When Emily Pennington put on her first fashion show the summer after graduating from Carnegie Vanguard High School, she was looking for a way to give young designers opportunities to show off their work and to give back to her community.

Now she’s tending to last-minute details for her second show to be held Saturday at Evelyn Park in Bellaire. Her beneficiaries are some area schools, courtesy of the nonprofit she’s established called STRUT HTX. “I read a tearjerker article about a

janitor who was doing hygiene closets for a school and got the idea to do it here,” Pennington said. “The care closets are inexpensive to do and to maintain and they have a big impact.”

Pennington said the closets are filled with personal hygiene products, which are free of charge for all students in need. STRUT HTX purchases all supplies and delivers them to schools.

There is a set list of products for elementary schools, middle schools and high schools. In middle and high schools, the students can select what they need. In the elementary schools, parents are invited in to “shop.”

“We hope that by doing this we can

take a bit of stress off the children’s lives, hopefully helping them thrive academically and socially,” she said.

Pennington calls her shows “fashionforward fundraisers” and sees a connection between fashion and personal hygiene.

Currently, STRUT HTX funds closets at Wainwright Elementary, Frank Black Middle School, Waltrip High School and Sam Houston High School, where a recent drive stocked the school with 1,000 sanitary pads. The schools were selected after Pennington reached out on social media asking about the See Fashion P. 6A

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Submitted photo Emily Pennington hopes to expand the care closets to more schools after this Saturday’s show.

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The Leader • Saturday, January 12, 2019 • Page 2A

Bank alarm disturbs its Heights neighbors alarm was set off, and unable to be turned off, because of an ongoing technical malfunction.

“It has been intermittently sounding over the past few days and weeks,” Mitchell said Jan. 4. “We have addressed that. We were able to get a technician out there (Jan. 3), and we think that’s been resolved.”

Mitchell said the bank is notified when an alarm sounds, and the alarms are designed to automatically turn off after a period of time.

In two previous instances at the Heights location – including the attempted theft of an ATM machine in September, which prompted an overnight response from the Houston Police Department – Wolf said the alarm stopped after about an hour.

Wolf said his wife called HPD about the sounding alarm around 9 p.m. New Year’s Day. He said his family did not notice a police presence at the bank until the next morning.

An HPD spokesperson did not fulfill a request for information about the incident

By Adam Zuvanich azuvanich@theleadernews.com

More than a day after ringing in the new year, Christian Wolf’s ears were still ringing.

The Heights resident said the alarm at Regions Bank, located across from his home on Rutland Street, began sounding at about 8:30 p.m.

Jan. 1 and did not stop until about 10 a.m. Jan. 2. The commotion caused a mostly sleepless night for Wolf, his wife and their two children, ages 8 and 11.

“It’s louder than a car alarm would be,” Wolf said.

“There’s a flashing strobe light and the alarm sounding all the time.”

Chris Gallegos, the branch manager for the location at 301 W. 11th St., said the prolonged alarm event was the product of a power outage that lasted from Dec. 31 until Jan. 2. He deferred further comment to Regions Bank’s corporate office in Alabama, which contradicted his account.

Company spokesperson Evelyn Mitchell said the

Shooting suspect killed by police in Independence Heights

By Adam Zuvanich azuvanich@theleadernews.com

submitted Jan. 2.

“The funny thing was it was dark, and the police didn’t show up,” Wolf said.

“I would think police would come.”

Mitchell said Regions employees “work very closely with local law enforcement on security matters,” but declined to elaborate. When asked whether local authorities have the capability to turn off alarms at bank locations, she declined comment.

The experience left Wolf wondering about the bank’s protocol for responding to alarms. He said his questions to branch employees were unanswered.

“We always seek to be a good neighbor in the communities where we operate and we understand that the alarm was disruptive to nearby residents and a cause for concern,” Mitchell said.

“We sincerely apologize for the difficulties the alarm malfunction caused and the extended timeframe to resolve it, particularly over the holidays.”

A Houston police officer shot and killed a man suspected of shooting three other people, identified by authorities as a family member and friends, on Jan. 4 in Independence Heights.

Houston Police Department Chief Art Acevedo said a 32-year-old male shot his 23-year-old brother “without provocation or warning” after being dropped off at his sister’s home in the 200 block of West 44th Street at about 4:30 p.m., then shot two friends who arrived at the scene.

Acevedo said the suspect later wrestled with his sister over his semiautomatic pistol, which he then used to fire at a pickup truck driving down Yale Street.

Upon walking to the 100 block of East 44th Street, Acevedo said the suspect was fatally shot by an HPD officer after refusing commands to drop his weapon and threatening the officer.

determine appropriate charges.

The suspects allegedly hit a McDonald’s in the 6500 block of Washington Avenue around 7:15 a.m., before robbing the Denny’s in the 7300 block of Washington around 7:40 a.m. HPD spokesperson John Cannon said the group next hit Carl’s Jr. in the 3000 block of Ella Boulevard – near the intersection of Ella and 610 North Loop – around 8:25 a.m., where the owner said there was a cash register stolen. At 8:40 a.m., police received a call to Jack in the

A group of robbers who went on a crime spree the morning of Jan. 3 that included four North Houston fastfood joints were taken into custody and released.

A Houston Police Department spokesperson said five suspects were arrested the afternoon of Jan. 3. All suspects were juveniles, so no names or photos were available for release. The teens will be remanded to the Harris County Juvenile Detention Center to

Box at 2901 Airline Dr., where a cash register was also stolen.

No workers were injured in any of the four incidents.

Cannon said the suspects may also have attempted to rob a dental office in the 2700 block of Yale Street in the Heights, though it remains unclear. Officers responded to a criminal mischief call there shortly after 8:30 a.m.

“We’re trying to figure out whether the incident on Yale is going to be connected in some way, shape or form to the other four,” Cannon said.

ternal affairs units as well as the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences and Harris County District Attorney’s Office. Authorities blocked off sections of 44th Street on the east and west sides of Yale.

While Acevedo addressed reporters, a nearby woman yelled, “Y’all killed my brother and y’all lying.”

Acevedo, while expressing sympathy for the suspect’s family, said he had viewed footage from the officer’s body camera and commended his actions and training.

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Acevedo said no officers were injured, nor was the driver of the truck. He said the suspect’s brother was transported to Ben Taub Hospital.

The other two victims, who Acevedo identified as 30- and 17-year-old males, were taken to St. Joseph Medical Center.

“We believe they hopefully will all survive,” Acevedo said from the scene later that night.

“Our hearts go out to the suspect’s family. We’re not going to identify him at this time. But it’s a sad, sad, sad way to start the year.”

According to reports by the Houston Chronicle and KHOU Channel 11, the officer who shot the suspect is HPD rookie Joshua Sheen.

Floyd Carruthers, who said he was the deceased suspect’s cousin, identified him as Lawrence Thompson.

“I’m just shocked,” Carruthers said.

Carruthers was one of several people gathered at what Acevedo called a “multi-block scene” that included HPD’s special investigations and in-

Houston Police Department spokesperson John Cannon said officers responded to a criminal mischief call shortly before 11 a.m. Dec. 31 at Plonk! Beer and Wine Bistro at

1214 W. 43rd St., where a restaurant employee found a side glass door shattered and an undisclosed amount of cash stolen from the business. Cannon added that surveillance video shown to police at the scene showed one suspect entering the business at 3:15 a.m.

and entering an office before allegedly making away with the cash.

No physical description was available for the suspect, whose face was covered, according to Cannon. Anyone with information is urged to call 713-308-0900.

Residents held up outside local apartments

By Landan Kuhlmann landan@theleadernews.com Houston police are searching for two suspects who held a couple at gunpoint outside an area apartment complex Jan. 6. According to Houston Police Department spokesperson Victor Senties, a husband and wife answered a knock

on their door shortly before 10 p.m. at the Candlelight Gardens Apartments to find a black male with dreadlocks and a Hispanic male standing outside.

Senties said the black male pulled a gun from his backpack and immediately demanded personal items under threat of harm to both.

Around the same time, Senties said a maintenance worker happened to be making his way up the stairs, and the black male turned the gun on him before both suspects took off on foot.

Witnesses say both suspects then climbed into a silver Honda before fleeing the scene.

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The Leader • Saturday, January 12, 2019 • Page 4A

Heads up squirrels, here comes Hank

E

very once in a while, I get a kind comment from a reader who suggests I should write a book. Most of the comments come after I write some knee-slapper (or tear-jerker) about raising children.

When I get these comments, I lean back in my chair, scratch my hair, and wonder if I couldn’t pull 50,000 words together to share some funny stories that became useful parenting tips.

Then Sunday happened, and I realized that if I wrote a book on parenting, my first sentence would read something like this: “I know nothing about parenting.” On Sunday, I was convicted with irrefutable evidence.

As some of our readers know, my wife and I welcomed our third child to the family on Dec. 4. This little girl – and we’ll discuss this in greater depth later – may only weigh six pounds, but she has turned our home upside down. By upside down, what I mean is Mom attends to Eleanor Bo every other hour, leaving me to manage our maniacal boys – Hank, 5, and Cal, 2.

The cliché says Meghan and I are now playing a zone defense. What we’re really doing is trying to keep our children alive, and the mortality of our two sons apparently rests on my shoulders.

Jonathan McElvy Publisher

So here’s what happened: My sons have an aversion to sleep. For the most part, they fight us on the way up the stairs each night, and long before sunrise, they clamor into our room begging for dry clothes and a cartoon. I’m not sure if I’ll ever sleep past 6 a.m. again in my life.

Last weekend, on Sunday morning, our precious little girl finished her 4 a.m. feeding, sending Mom and Bo back to sleep. Meanwhile, Hank and Cal descended from their room with the tact of Chewbacca.

I cursed the pillow, brushed my teeth and did what any self-respecting parent would do: I poured them a glass of Benadryl and turned on the cartoon. OK, not really. They watched YouTube.

Eventually, I made them breakfast, which meant opening the milk and pouring it over purified sugar (“Part of this complete breakfast,” right?).

When my boys wake up early on Sundays, it usually means we have plenty of time to attend early church, which was our plan this past Sunday. I got myself ready and then began the process of trying to fit khaki pants on an electric eel.

The skill of dressing young boys should rank somewhere alongside orthopedic surgery.

With dad and both boys dressed, and 15 minutes until church started, I summoned the boys to the kitchen and told them to go out the back door and wait by my car as I packed a diaper bag.

Our oldest son, Hank, has been part of The Leader pages since the day he was born. Many of you have read similar columns about him in the past, and if you paid attention, you know he is a bright, if not perplexing, young man.

Hank loves the outdoors. If there’s a rock in your yard, he’ll walk straight to it, pick it up, and search for creatures. If you’re not careful, he’ll walk straight through your shrubbery on a quest for lizards. And if there happens to be a neighborhood dog or cat anywhere around, he’ll spend hours sitting in the grass playing with it.

Here’s something else about our oldest son: He is a wonderful big brother. Even though three years separate him from Cal, Hank is

almost clueless when his brother is not around. They play together constantly, which really means they fight over bats and balls and plastic trucks. They eat dinner together.

And most recently, Cal wants to sleep in Hank’s room, which is just fine with us.

Meanwhile, Cal seems lost without his big brother. If he walks in a room, his first question (in broken English) is: “Where’s Hank?”

What I’m trying to say is these boys are absolutely wonderful together, they love each other, and they will spend the next 13 years fighting, which is in the International Code for Brother Behavior.

I tell you all of that to get back to Sunday morning, when I told the boys to walk outside and stand by Dad’s car.

Ever the obedient son, Hank walked to the door, turned the knob, opened the door, and shouted to his little brother: “Come on, Cal. Let’s go pee on squirrels.”

I remember exactly where I stood in the kitchen when he uttered the words. “What did you just say, Hank?” I asked with coffee spilling from my right nostril.

Hank looked at me with a smile the size of my car.

Before PETA and her friends come calling, let me assure you that my children have never been raised

The Russians are coming! – again

THE FRONT DOOR – Who could be knocking on my door at this hour, when I’m trying to recover from that New Year’s Eve party?

How could I have known cops work on holidays? I open the door and see a man and a woman, dressed in outlandish cowboy outfits. “Vee are pollstings, come from Zan Angelo, to take pulse of American voters,” the woman says. “Dis is Billy Bob Horseshoe and I am Zally May Tumbleweed. Vee ask questions, KO?” This seems familiar.

“Weren’t you in town earlier with the same phony disguise and stupid cover story? Yeah, I remember now. You are really Aleksandra Yuryevna Krylova and Mikhail Leonidovich Burchik, known to the feds as a couple of top Russian agents. You were lurking around Texas trying to influence the outcome of the last presidential election in favor of Donald Trump. Get lost before I call the FBI, or, for quicker action to boot you out of the country, I’ll call ICE.” Billy Bob speaks up. “You have bad memory, zitizen. We are not here to re-elect Trump, not yet, but to check your opinions on zings like guns for teachers, transgender bathrooms in Texas schools – dat a hot topic here in the third world -- and zat angry horde storming your Rio.” I slam the door and pick up the newspaper, not that I can believe anything in the press these days. “Two reports reveal new details about the Russian effort to sway American opinion before the 2016 presidential election.” The reports, which were commissioned by the bi-partisan Senate Intelligence Committee, goes on to say that Russian attempts “were far deeper and more insidious that first thought by U.S. intelligence agencies.” The Kremlin worked big time. Russian propaganda had about 187 million engagements on Instagram, reaching at least 20 million users, and 76.5 million engagements on Facebook, reaching 126 million people. Approximately 1.4 million people, the report said, passed on tweets from the Internet Research Agency, or I.R.A., a St. Petersburg, Russia, company owned by a friend of President Donald Trump’s best buddy, President Vladimir Putin.

In one way or another, sometimes very sneakily, the messages were proTrump and anti-Hillary Clinton, causing hundreds of millions of gullible people, mostly Americans, reading and believing fabricated stories to influence the last presidential election. The Ruskies seemed to know a lot about us: “The organic Facebook posts reveal a nuanced and deep knowledge of American

Lynn Ashby Columnist

culture, media and influencers in each community the I.R.A. targeted,” researchers found. Still, not all were experts. They have sent out propaganda with wording like “goode patriots” and “fellow people.” However, you need not worry that you have been taken for a ride or manipulated by the Russians since you don’t use social media. Those separate investigations found the I.R.A., besides inundating Facebook and Instagram, also used Google, Twitter, YouTube, Reddit, Tumblr, Pinterest, Vine and Google+. In their effort to divide Americans, the I.R.A. via Facebook targeted blacks, with phony websites like “Don’t Shoot” and “BlackToLive.” But working both sides of the truncheon, the misinformation campaign hitched aboard the pro-police campaign, “Blue Lives Matter.”

What kind of misinformation were we fed? Hillary Clinton was suffering from a serious illness. There was even a TV clip showing her stumbling while entering a van which proved that she was on death’s door. Sean Hannity and Tucker Carlson kept that “serious illness” story alive for months, meaning those super-patriotic were actually pawns of the Kremlin. It was also reported, and passed on and on, that, as secretary of state, Hillary had approved weapons sales to the Islamic State and that Trump had been endorsed by Pope Francis. We’ve all heard those tales. In an election decided by a rounding error -- fewer than 80,000 voters spread over three states -Russian trolling easily could have made the difference.

In times past, we have discussed the polezni durak, “the useful idiot,” the sort of person the Kremlin secretly holds in contempt but has gone all out to exploit. Luckily, we don’t have that problem with our current leadership. But there’s more. Now we have yet another Kremlin title for the MAGA’s hero: the Russian use of kompromat -- compromising material. Some intelligence experts think it is likely that our President believes the Russians have something on him. One theorized: “He’s never said a bad word about Putin.

He’s exercised a degree of self-control with respect to Russia that he doesn’t with anything else.” Is Trump under the influence of a kompromat? Is the Oval Of-

fice a Red Square?

The term was routinely used throughout the former Soviet Union, and now the current crop of Russian influence peddlers use the k-word as leverage to curry favor, improve negotiated outcomes and sway opinion. Of course, a lot of intelligence services, business folks and political figures exploit gossip and damaging information. (In some cases it’s called blackmail, which is why the FBI warned the White House about Lt. Gen. Mike Flynn who lied about his dealings with Moscow.) However, kompromat has a uniquely powerful role in the Russian intelligence service. They use it all the time. Not to be paranoid, but wouldn’t you love to see the Kremlin’s list of Americans under the headings of “polezni durak” and “kompromat?” If you think for one moment that

there isn’t such a list, then your name is probably on it.

The good news is that you were too smart to fall for these stupid ploys aimed at the lowest common knuckle-dragging denominator.

The bad news is that the investigators found the I.R.A. has not slowed down, but is refining and continuing its efforts to divide Americans and get Trump re-elected.

I think the investigators are over-reacting. Besides, how dumb do the Russians think we are, and… there is another knock on my door.

“Did you know dat Texas is best place in America to influence der voters? Zo gullible. Did you know Elizabeth Warren is dying?”Players Association for promoting all-female parties on New Year’s Eve. A spokesman asks: “What about Adam?”

Ashby predicts at ashby2@comcast.net

to pee on squirrels. Nor have they been instructed to pee on anything that moves. Let’s make that immediately clear. On the other hand, I may or may not have potty-trained my son in the backyard behind a canopy of trees.

The logistics of Hank’s instructions, as we know, are physically impossible. For starters, Hank can’t climb trees. More important, I’m not certain he has developed the aim to hit a basketball court, much less a squirrel.

But in the grand scheme of parenting, Hank’s hilarity sent me into something of a shocked state.

At what point in this young man’s life has he considered the option of relieving himself on a moving creature? He certainly didn’t learn by watching his Dad. And despite some of my concerns over YouTube and children’s TV programming, not once has an airing of this sort of activity ever aired in our home.

As distraught as I should have been, that one phrase from Hank made me realize I probably am a horrible parent. I also spent the next hour in church saying prayers of thanksgiving because I now have the title for my first parenting book.

Email jonathan@theleadernews.com

The reader.

Email us your letters: news@theleadernews.com

Carmalita’s Cuisine to offer healthy, flavorful food

Dear Editor: Welcome to the neighborhood! Please make sure there are at least a couple of things on the menu for vegetarians and I’ll be in to try you out. Also, thank you for retaining a couple of the previous owners’ cake recipes. Keeping that connection to the community is a beautiful gesture. - Susan Nerlove Dear Editor: Congratulations! Finally! How wonderful it is to see this dream finally come to pass for you Carm! You did it sis and I’m so proud of you! I’m excited to see where God will elevate you and John to in this next season. You’re story is both an inspiration and confirmation that we should never abandon our dreams! Love you guys!

- Quella

Timbergrove H-E-B to be shuttered as Shepherd opening nears

Dear Editor: I hope another supermarket like Sprouts or Aldi go into the Timbergrove HEB. I walk to the Timbergrove HEB. I will not be walking to the Shepherd Park HEB. - Kay Dear Editor: Get comfortable walking to Foodarama.

A new grocery store was built a few years ago at 18th and East T.C. Jester but it quickly failed. The area is losing grocery stores not gaining them.

In fact the new HEB is only replacing the Fiesta that closed recently. - Tom Tom Dear Editor: They have closed because they had fallen woefully behind the standards that people enjoy today. The Kroger on 20th needs to go too. HEB will move in and offer a great service to the entire heights area. It will also help clean up the mess that is Shepherd Drive. You can already see it with the used car dealerships slowly closing. Hopefully the city/state will come in and decide to repave the road. Can’t wait for this to open. - Jared

the leader Puzzlers.

Answers found in this week’s Classified section

SUDOKU

aCrOss 1. Russian rulers (alt. sp.)

6. Swedish krona 9. Apothecaries’ unit 13. MN 55121 14. Longer forearm bone 15. Prosperous state of well-being 16. Largest Czech city (alt. sp.)

17. Moss genus larger than Bryum 18. ____ Marie Presley 19. White native of Cape Province 21. Took the same position 22. About Sun 23. Respectful (abbr.)

24. Southeast 25. Rocket launching platform 28. Stake 29. Innermost parts 31. Bowfin genus 33. Past it’s prime 36. Valleys on moon 38. Cheer 39. Abrupt response 41. Leave in disgrace 44. Israeli politician Abba 45. Of an ecological sere

46. Former Kansas Sen. Dole 48. Very fast airplane 49. Blood group 51. This moment 52. Body cavity 54. Patrician 56. Exposing to ridicule 60. Beowulf’s people 61. Gooseberry genus 62. Ali __ & the Forty Thieves 63. A French abbot 64. In a way, nailed 65. His equation predicted antimatter 66. Smaller quantity 67. Danish krone 68. Heartbeat

dOwn 1. Used for insect sterilization 2. Arabian coffee cup 3. Culture medium & a food gelling agent 4. Finger millets 5. Tin 6. More guileful 7. Tree gnarl 8. Force into place 9. Drawn 10. Sudden attack 11. Donkeys 12. George Gordon __ 14. Behaving in an

artificial way 17. Moundbird 20. Orange-brown antelope 21. Flocks of mallards 23. Hall of Fame (abbr.)

25. Golf score 26. Friends (French) 27. Pickling herbs 29. In a way, dwelt 30. Pierces forcefully 32. Estranges 34. Shooting marble 35. Amounts of time 37. Register formally 40. Explosive 42. Kanza people, ____ Nation 43. Symbolize Shakti 47. Burdock seed vessel 49. Wild sheep of central Asia 50. Am. naturalist Charles Wm. 52. A fencing sword 53. Romanian city straddling the Cibin River 55. Small talks 56. Not well 57. Astronomer Sagan 58. Overgarments 59. Twist together 61. Radioactivity unit 65. Double play

WORD SCRAMBLE

The Leader • Saturday, January 12, 2019 • Page 5A

Things to do.

The Arts

Tunes in the Tap Room Tuesday, Jan. 15 6:30–9:30 p.m.

Harold’s Restaurant & Tap Room 350 W. 19th St. Enjoy live music in Harold’s Tap Room every Tuesday night.

Mike and the Moonpies Saturday, Jan. 12 7-11 p.m.

The Heights Theater 339 W. 19th St. Mike and the Moonpies are performing with Jamie Lin Wilson at The Heights Theater.

Siempre Selena Friday, Jan. 11 7:30 p.m.

White Oak Music Hall 2915 N. Main St. Siempre Selena is performing at White Oak Music Hall. Advanced tickets: $12, tickets bought day of show: $15.

Bayside Friday, Jan. 11 8 p.m.

White Oak Music Hall 2915 N. Main St. Bayside headlines with support from Kayleigh Goldsworthy.

Advanced tickets: $22, tickets bought day of show: $26.

Color:Story 2019 Saturday, Jan. 12 5-8 p.m.

The Silos at Sawyer 1502 Sawyer St. Color: Story 2019 is a Community/ Visual Art /Literary Art event.

It’s an exhibition of artwork

by Marlo Saucedo and Leslie Gaworecki featuring 17 local authors: A project bridging Houston’s worlds of writing and visual art. It opens with a Reading/Poetry Slam event January 12 in the Gallery 200 space. The exhibition will run through March 23.

New Lead Art Show Sunday, Jan. 13 5-9 p.m.

Winter Street Studios 2101 Winter St. This free art show is being put on to benefit artist Lisa Hilton for her life-saving surgery.

Bifurcation Show Through Jan. 31 6-8 p.m.

HCC West Loop Art Gallery 5601 W. Loop South Oak Forest resident, Sculptor James Ciosek’s new series of paintings, “Bifurcation,” will be displayed at HCC West Loop Art Gallery, 5601 West Loop South, through Jan. 31.

The Empress of the Laundry Through Feb. 2 8:30 p.m.

Theatre Suburbia 4106 Way Out West Theatre Suburbia presents Empress of the Laundry Room, a farce by award-winning Texas Playwright Paullette MacDougal. Performances are 8:30 p.m.

Friday and Saturdays, and 3 p.m.

Sunday matinees (Jan. 20 and 27 only). Call 713-682-3525 or visit www.theatresuburbia.org for information.

Matt Braunger Saturday, Jan. 12 6:30 p.m.

White Oak Music Hall 2915 N. Main St. Matt Braunger is performing at White Oak Music Hall. Tickets: $17.

Motel Radio Saturday, Jan. 12 8 p.m.

White Oak Music Hall 2915 N. Main St. Motel Radio headlines with support from The Holy Knives.

Tickets: $10.

The Murder City Devils Sunday, Jan. 13 7 p.m.

White Oak Music Hall 2915 N. Main St. The Murder City Devils headlines with support from Big Business and Deep Creep.

The Pink Spiders Tuesday, Jan. 15 7 p.m.

White Oak Music Hall 2915 N. Main St. The Pink Spiders will perform at White Oak Music Hall. Tickets: $10.

Bayou City Funk Wednesday, Jan. 16 7 p.m.

White Oak Music Hall 2915 N. Main St. Bayou City Funk will perform with Bourgeois Mystics at White Oak Music Hall.

The Wanderers Thursday, Jan. 17 6 p.m.

White Oak Music Hall – 2915 N. Main St. The Wanderers headlines with support from Diosa, Set/Display, Relive the Crisis, and Familiar with Failure.

The Markets Little White Oak Night Market Saturday, Jan. 12 4 p.m. – 8 p.m.

Sideout Volleybar – 2623 Keene St. The Little White Oak Night Market brings together local farmers, craft merchandisers, and artists.

Eleanora’s Market Saturday, Jan. 12 8 a.m. – 12 p.m.

Cavatore 2120 Ella Blvd.

There will be local growers, makers, designers, artisans and food producers.

Heights Morning Market Sunday, Jan. 13 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.

3106 White Oak Dr. Heights Morning Market gathers local talented artisans, farmers, and entrepreneurs to bring you closer to the goods you need.

Stop by to shop and stay to brunch, drink mimosas, and listen to live music at Onion Creek.

The Market at Sawyer Yards Saturday, Jan. 12 11 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Sawyer Yards – 1502 Sawyer St. The market hosts a mix of artist

mediums with a focus on folk art.

Sip & Shop Market Saturday, Jan. 12 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.

Bungalow Heights 1919 Beall St. Have brunch at Bungalow Heights and then stroll through the market to find unique goods.

The Pews Women’s Bible study at St. Stephen’s Tuesday, Jan. 15 9:30 a.m.

St. Stephen’s UMC - 2003 W. 43rd St. Weekly parenting classes are being offered on Mondays (0-6 years) and Thursdays (6-12 years) at 9:30 a.m. on a drop-in basis at a cost of $20 per person. There will be new topics each week. A new women’s Bible study, “Courageous Women of the Bible,” will be presented. Childcare is available on request. Please register at stsumc.org/events.

Peace Through P.I.E. Saturday, Jan. 19 10 a.m.-noon St. Matthew’s UMC - 4300 N. Shepherd St. Matthew’s will host the Peace Through P.I.E. (Peace Includes Everyone) in the fellowship hall.

The event will feature free food, pies, cooking demos, and a homemade pie contest. Live entertainment includes performances by Marquis Moore, a MLK orator, The Bayou Theatre Company, and the Garden Oaks Montessori School choir. The community is welcome.

Call 713-697-0671 or visit www. stmatthewsmethodist.org for information.

Women’s Bible Study Group Monday, Jan. 14 6:30 p.m.

YMCA 1234 W. 34th St. The Women’s Bible Study meets every Monday at the Harriet and Joe Foster YMCA. The new Bible study will be the Parables of Jesus, six in depth studies connecting the Bible to life. Guests and new members are welcome to attend this non-denominational Bible study. Email scripturesharing@earthlink.net for information.

Men’s Scripture Sharing Group Thursday, Jan. 17 7 a.m.

YMCA 1234 W. 34th St. The Men’s Scripture Sharing Group meets every Thursday at the Harriet and Joe Foster YMCA. There will be music, Bible study and fellowship. Guests and new members are welcome to attend this non-denominational Bible study. Email scripturesharing@ earthlink.net for information.

Fun & Games Open Mic Night Tuesday, Jan. 15 9 p.m.

Heights Vinyl 3301 Cline St.

The Obituaries.

Keith W. Champion, 61, born Sept. 21, 1957, died Jan. 3. He is survived by his mother Joyce Champion, children Bryan and Morgan, brother Kevin Champion, and one granddaughter.

Donna Jean Cox, 64, born July 31, 1954, died Jan. 6.

Patricia Maureen Elsner, 56, born May 29, 1962 in San Diego, Calif., died Jan. 3. She is survived by her husband, Theodore Edward Elsner, daughters Melissa

Sharon Ann Grochett, 74, born Oct. 20, 1944 in El Campo, died Jan. 2. She was a member of St. Rose of Lima Catholic Church.

Jaroslav “Jaro” R. Nevlud, 92, born April 21, 1926, died Jan. 2. He is survived by his wife of 71 years, Henrietta, sister Marie Stryk, children Paul, Mark, Connie, Jerry, Claire, Cynthia, Phillip, Tim, 22 grandchildren, and 16 great-grandchildren.

Hugh Patrick Jones, 79, born Feb. 22, 1939, died Jan. 7.

Gary Linden Parker, 78, born July 10, 1940, died Jan. 2.

Beth, Rachel Marie, Traci Dee, son Theodore Lee Elsner, and three grandchildren.

This is a free flowing, “tap in,” share the mic event where everyone is welcome.

Bingo in the Biergarten Monday, Jan. 14 6 p.m. – 8 p.m.

Karbach 2032 Karbach St. Come out to Karbach for bingo and brews. Multiple rounds, prizes every round and no fee to play.

Parish launch party Thursday, Jan. 17 6 p.m. – 10 p.m.

Hughies 1802 W. 18th St. Parish Brewing Company Taproom will launch in the Houston market at Hughies.

Thursday Night Bingo Thursday, Jan. 17 7 p.m.

SPJST Lodge 88 1435 Beall St. Bingo at SPJST Lodge 88 is held every Thursday night. Bingo pads are $5 each. Doors open at 5:15 p.m. Early bird special starts at 7 p.m. with regular bingo games beginning at 7:30 p.m.

Houston Republican Women Meeting Thursday, Jan. 10 7 p.m.

Candlelight Church of Christ 4215 Watonga Pat Lycos, former District Attorney, will be the guest speaker this month. Meetings are the second Thursday of each month. Light refreshments will be served. Men are also welcome to attend. Call 713-688-3256, 713-682-0496 for information.

Happy hour Friday, Jan. 11 5 p.m. – 6 p.m.

Noted 1901 Lawrence Come sip and shop every Friday at Noted. They’ll pop a bottle of something as you shop or just get to know the owners.

Book Signing Saturday, Jan. 12 1 p.m.-3 p.m.

The Book Scene 1820 W. 43rd St. New York Times bestselling author Olivia Drake, who lives in Houston, will sign and discuss her new book, The Duke I Once Knew. Come in for the discussion, refreshments and prizes. Call 713-869-6117 for information.

College GPS Saturday, Jan. 26 8:30 a.m.-noon Heights High School 413 E. 13th College GPS - A Guide to Texas College Admissions is recommended for parents and students.

Call 832-834-4751 or email hlcwuptexas@gmail.com to register for this free event.

Community Alliance Meeting Wednesday, Jan. 16 6 p.m. – 8 p.m.

Taqueria El Tapatio 4550 N Shepherd Dr. The North Shepherd Community Alliance, a business networking group in the developing North

Local business is our business.

Send your story of interest news@theleadernews.com

Rosemary Ann Jones, 79, born Jan. 29, 1939, died Dec. 28.

CHURCH • Bible Study: 9:15 a.m.

• Morning:10:30 a.m.

• Evening: 4:15 p.m.

1700 West 43 rd at Rosslyn 713-682-4942 Pastor – Dr. Richard Walters

Gethsemane Lutheran Church 4040 Watonga • 713-688-5227

We invite you to worship with us!

Weekly Worship Services 9:00 a.m.

Sunday School & Bible Classes 10:30 am Preschool Program • Mon. - Fri. 9-2 p.m. www.gethsemanelutheran.org

Sunday Morning Worship 8:30 and 11:00 Sunday School for Children, Youth and Adults 9:40

Ministries for All Ages Home of Johnson Memorial School for Little Children Rev. Nathan Lonsdale Bledsoe, Pastor

2003 W. 43rd St. ◆ 713-686-8241 ◆ s t s u m c . o r g

Walk With A Doc Saturday, Feb. 2 9 a.m.-10 a.m.

Langwood Park - 3975 Bolin Rd. Walk With A Doc takes place every first Saturday of the month.

The walk has a new location at Langwood Park.

Pruning for Bloom Time Thursday, Feb. 14 7 p.m.

Cherie Flores Garden Pavilion,

1500 Hermann Dr. Pruning for Bloom Time is the topic of the Houston Rose Society meeting. Expert consulting rosarians with the Houston Rose Society will demonstrate pruning techniques on actual bushes of all types of roses. The free event will have refreshments, door prizes, and raffle. Visit www.houstonrose.org or call 832-978-4848 for information.

5th Annual Heights Kids Day of Music Saturday, March 23 10 a.m.-2 p.m.

Love Park - 1000 W. 12th St. The only music festival in Houston for kids with a mission to inspire a lifelong love of music and the arts. Two stages of music, creative zone with arts organizations, instrument petting zoo, singing station, and more. Visit www.heightskidsdayofmusic.com for information.

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Hit The Trail

New research has found obesity and in ammation have a direct and complex relationship that effects overall health. The more weight pets and people gain, the more our joints hurt, we become less active and gain more weight.

New research also con rms the best treatment to reverse this vicious cycle remains eating correctly and gradually becoming more active.

Dogs love to walk and play, people need encouragement. Too often resolutions and unreachable exercise goals lead to disappointment.

A pleasant walk with an enthusiastic partner can warm your heart and reverse the aging process. Compliance is easy.

A daily walk will give you purpose to get up, go outdoors and make someone else happy. That wagging tail is a natural anti-depressant.

Even though walking will increase longevity and stave off disease, there are risks. Be aware of these when and where you walk. Also an annual health exam is essential for everyone.

Dogs can acquire diseases and parasites along the trail. They must be properly vaccinated and given prescription parasite preventive monthly. Also, be responsible and scoop the poop with plastic bags.

Houston’s climate and crowded population provide a haven for parasites and contagious disease.

So hit the trail today. Plan ahead and make it a fun routine you can’t miss. It will add years to your life while adding life to your years.

Always call your Vet if you have any concerns or questions

FAIRBANKS ANIMAL CLINIC WWW.FAIRBANKS.VETSUITE.COM 7151 Fairbanks N. Houston (1 mile North of HWY 290)

(713)-937-7274

MESSAGE OF THE WEEK

Incomplete Information, Keeping Complete Obedience Resolutions

DIRECTORY Weekly Sunday Services

Shepherd area, is hosting an after-hours gathering. The event is free and open to the public, and the NSCA is inviting representatives from area civic clubs and homeowners associations.

Call Kathryn van der Pol at 713695-5071 to RSVP or for more information. The mission of the NSCA is to promote responsible development of businesses in the North Shepherd area and to network and support local business owners, churches and schools while embracing the area’s history and diversity.

By Pastor Will Cover By Pastor WillChurch Cover Arise Baptist AriseSt. Baptist Church 803 Curtin Houston, TX 77018 803 Curtin St. Houston TX 77018 713-659-9697 • www.arisebaptistchurch.org 713-659-9697 • www.arisebaptistchurch.org

T

he Christmas story is full of fascinating characters. Of course, Have you ever a New Year’s isresolution?

How did we know that made the main character the Christ-child, but other people can give us some you studying do? Didtheyou keep it? surrounding Every yearhim articles come out interesting insight and help for our own lives. Learning about how about how to keep yourother Newand Year’s and studHeights they interacted with each howresolutions they responded in the midst a verythat unique canpeople help us as we think ies areofgiven showsituation how few actually keep about their Sunday School ........9:15 am our lives and the situations we face. Mary and Joseph faced some resolutions.

I believe that God’s Word has the answers to Sunday School 9:30am difficult choices when it came to the birth of the baby Jesus.

Sunday Worship......10:30am They were engaged to be married and in their day, to break an every area of life.

The Bible teaches us that every human Sunday Worship 10:30am Wednesday Bible Study engagement was on the same level as divorce. For a young woman Wednesday Bible Study struggle is the result of sin.

In Romans chapter seven, & Prayer Service 6:00pm to be found with child and not be married would be a great scandal. culture ofPaul the details day didout nothis make easy for astruggle single woman the Apostle ownit personal with Pastor C. David Harrison 6:30pm The th 201201 E. 9 St St. • 713-861-3102 713-861-3102much less a single mother to provide for herself. Joseph would E. 9th sin.

The reality for all of us is that we often struggle to have not had it easy either. God commanded him to take Marydo to www.fbcheights.org be his wife, but to do meanourselves taking Jesus as hiswhat son even what we should dothis andwould we find doing we Pastor Larry D. Young though it wasn’t his biological child. God asked Mary and Joseph Pastor C. David Harrison really shouldn’tvery be doing. fundamental is sin. to do something difficult Our and they had no wayproblem of knowing how www.fbcheights.org the situation wouldinside work out. fact, it would There is a battle eachInof ushumanly betweenspeaking, good and evil. seem quite difficult. Mary had to give birth in a manger, they lived Someone dogs each in a differentonce townsaid, away that from there family are and two friends, andinside then had to Sunday Bible Studies For All Ages ... 9:30am move toThese Egypt to fleerepresent for Jesus’ life.

Later on, Mary would watch of us. dogs good and evil.

If we feed the Morning Worship ............... 10:45am her son be crucified on a cross. From Mary’s perspective this was good if we theDuring bad dog, not an dog, easy he taskwill thatwin, Godbut asked herfeed to do. her he lifewill she Wednesday Bible Studies For Youth, Children most because of her to accept God’slogiplan win. likely Whilesuffered this sounds good andchoice may seem to make and Adults............................ 6:15pm for her life. We don’t know as much about Joseph, but we know cal changed sense, the Bible very teaches that they noneobey of life dramatically for clearly him as well.

Howuscould 1822 W. 18th • 713-864-1470 without all of answers? obey us can knowing overcome thetheevil inside The of usonly in way our they owncould strength. completely without having complete information was to trust God Trying reallyWe hard be good is notwith good enough.knowledge No matand His plan. aretofinite creatures incomplete of world livetry, in we andwill no way future.

Wesome serve terthe how hardwewe still to failsee in the some way at a God that knows everything, that is everywhere, that has all time.

The book of Romans teaches us that we need Jesus!

St. James Lutheran Church, ELCA power, and is always good. We can trust Him just as Mary and Joseph trusted In this Christmas season the my prayer is that He is the onlyHim. home for us to overcome sin struggle • Worship (English) .10:00 am - 11:00am you will learn to trust the God of the universe who sent His only that we all face.

I hope with this New Year that you • Learning Hour.......11:00am - 12:00pm Son to this earth to die so that your sins would be paid in will full!

MANNA Iftrust you in would likeand to discuss this further or focus have questions, Pastor Jesus allow Him to be the and the center • Worship (Spanish) 12:30 pm - 1:30pm Sponsor Will Cover can be reached at Arise Baptist Church at 803 Curtin St., of www.arisebaptistchurch.org, your life! or or 713-659-9697.

1602 West 43rd St. • Houston, TX 77018 • 713-686-1577

First FirstChurch Church

Page 6A • Saturday, January 12, 2019 • The Leader

Planning to add a pet to your home in 2019? home might change the type of pet you end up with.

“The first thing that you need to think of is if your children are old enough and responsible enough to handle a pet around the house,” said Dr. Mark Stickney, Clinical Associate Professor at the Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences. “You also need to be aware of the temperament of the new pet that you’re bringing in.”

Low maintenance animals, such as hamsters and fish, prove to be great starter pets for children. They require minimal amounts of time and care, introducing the child to the responsibilities of pet ownership without giving them more than they can manage.

Dear Tabby, One of my family’s New Year’s Resolution is to add a pet to our home in 2019. We’ve never had pets before and are unsure about immediately adding a dog or a cat.

Can you give us any advice on how to go about dipping our toes into the world of pet ownership?

Considering a Pet in Timbergrove Dear Considering a Pet,

Owning a pet is a big responsibility -- even if it’s just a fish. Pets require (at a minimum) regular feedings, attention, baths or cage/tank cleanings, someone to care for them when you’re out of town...the list goes on and on.

It’s not a decision to make flippantly and I applaud you for pausing to do some thinking on the topic before diving in.

Here are a few things to consider:

Any allergies?

Another point of contention is allergies. Do you or anyone in your home suffer from allergies that might be made worse by the introduction of a furry friend? If so, maybe it’s a good idea to consider a reptile, fish or even a hypoallergenic breed, such as a poodle, Schnauzer or Yorkie. There is even evidence to support that infants exposed to animals (like pets) earlier in life are less likely to develop allergies later on.

Getting the kids on board Kids are usually the first ones in the family to warm up to the idea of getting a pet, but having children in the

Speculating on a snake: If you or your kids are dead-set on a snake consider what Dr. Stickney has to say

on the subject.

“With animals like lizards and snakes, their care and feeding requirements can be a bit tricky as far as humidity, temperature, etc.,” Stickney said. “These animals also eat other animals for food, which may be upsetting to some children. Depending on their age and maturity, that might be something beyond a child’s ability to handle.” Gulp. Duly noted.

Here’s the good news!

According to Dr. Stickney, research has shown numerous health benefits of owning a pet, including lower blood pressure and elevated mood.

There is even evidence to support that interaction between pets and children with disabilities, such as Down’s syndrome or Autism, is extremely beneficial. “The key is that you need to have a nice, docile pet,” Stickney said.

“One that isn’t too active or rough, but that just wants to be loved on and to love right back.”

As always, if you’ve decided to bring a pet into the family, please consider adopting before buying. Even for small animals, such as hamster and guinea pigs, check the ASPCA or Humane Society first, as they often have small animals available for adoption in addition to dogs and cats..

Do you have a question for Tabby? If so, email her at dear tabbyquestions@gmail.com

Pet of the Week Meet Cash!

This handsome fellow is about 2 years old and was found as a stray in Oak Forest not long after Hurricane Harvey. Cash gets along with other dogs (after a proper introduction, of course), and is healthy, happy, and ready to start anew in 2019.

While Cash would love a forever home, for now, he’d be just as happy with a foster parent to take him in and show him how great living with a family can be. Are you game? If so, contact Scout’s Honor rescue at: www.scoutshonor.org.

Building sale from P. 1A more uncertain.

The owners of Gen’s Antiques and Blueprint Film Co. said they have monthto-month leases and are paying the same rent they paid to Sackheim, but they expect the rate to increase.

They’re just not sure when that will happen.

Citing conversations they’ve had with Radom, Greg Nolte of Gen’s and Brian Frye of Blueprint Film both said they were told there would be no immediate changes.

“We all know we’re in a little bit of a limbo situation, depending on what market rate is and at what point they determine they have to do that,” Nolte said. “That’s life. It’s the ever-growing Heights.”

Sackheim said he does not know if Radom Capital has purchased any of the other buildings on the block. Cindy Sheffield, who

ate lunch Tuesday at Carter & Cooley and works a few doors to the east at Dramatika Custom Framing, said that building has a Floridabased owner who has vowed to keep ownership within his family.

“But never say never,” Sheffield said.

Sheffield said the influence of mixed-use developers such as Radom Capital and Braun Enterprises is good for the area both commercially and residentially.

She also worries that such evolution comes at the expense of some of the “old Heights charm.”

Heights resident Jordan Stovall, who sat on Carter & Cooley’s patio Tuesday afternoon and ate muffalettas along with her family, said she likes the deli because it’s a “mom-and-pop shop” decorated with old photos that remind customers of the building’s history. It opened

in the 1920s as Ward’s Drug Store, closed in the mid1960s and reopened as the deli in 1989.

Sackheim, who said he did not seek out a buyer for the building but capitalized on a “very good opportunity,” also said he intends to keep his business open.

But one of the deli’s loyal customers wonders for how long.

Steve Palmer, who does not live or work in the Heights but has been making regular trips to Carter & Cooley for at least 10 years, expects its complexion to change sooner or later.

“Why would somebody buy this place and leave it as is? No. They’re going to try to make money,” Palmer said. “So if they’re going to try to make money, they’re going to renovate the thing and try to get higher rents so they can make more money.

Of course. That’s natural.”

Fashion from P. 1A needs of schools and connecting with some of Houston ISD’s wraparound specialists.

With funds raised from Saturday’s show and other donations, Pennington hopes to expand into 35 more area schools over time.

Pennington said it costs about $250 to start up a closet and so far she’s been getting supplies from dollar stores, but as more schools are added, she hopes to start using other suppliers to stock up in bulk. Pennington has been helped in the endeavor by friend Katie Craig and also by her family. She has plans to expand the brand to include more helpers.

She’s making sure everything is lined up for this weekend and checking weather reports. Even

though the show is an out- She plans to keep growing door event, she’s ready for the care closets in Houston inclement weather with tent and maybe starting some in walls and heaters. This is Dallas once she settles in.

Pennington’s first show in For more information which she’s selling the tick- about the show, and how ets herself though Event- to support STRUT HTX, brite, a process she said is visit https://www.struthtx. easy. com/.

The show includes a kid’s fashion component and designs from local boutiques before a student designer Experience and fashion show where Pen- Knowledge...

A Powerful nington will debut 10 gowns of her own. There will also Combination be performances from stu- 713-906-5481 Realty Associates dents at local schools who DEBBIE benefit from the care clos- ourrealtordebbie@aol.com EllIott ets.

Pennington procured designers and models through AIKIDO & AIKIJUTSU contacts at the Art Institute, TRADITIONAL WEAPONS Texas State, word of mouth Academy for Elite Samurai Arts and social media outreach.

Classes Enrolling Now Age 14 & Up Next up for Pennington is 713-826-5877 college in the fall at Southern Methodist University. www.aikibudo-aikido.com

Local business is our business.

Send your story of interest news@theleadernews.com

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The Leader • Saturday, January 12, 2019 • Page 7A

Art Valet: MacramĂŠ, not just for sailors anymore Mitch Cohen Art Columnist

Practicality never comes to mind when I hear the word macramĂŠ. Most often I recall gaudy interior designs from the 1970s, not the sailors and artisans from centuries ago using various knots to create covers for knife handles, bottles and to literally tie up loose ends. Decorations have always been a part of macramĂŠ; the Victorian era is most notable for using macramĂŠ in decoration. It tends to go in and out of style, and if history repeats itself as is said, macramĂŠ is back.

Rebecca Stevens was born and raised in a small town outside of Beaumont. She was so anxious to get out of her small town that she never toured or visited the University of Houston campus. Upon acceptance, she just showed up for orientation. That’s probably when she found out what the mascot was, too.

Currently, Stevens creates woven and macramĂŠ wall hangings on handmade looms that she made herself. Like many artists, Stevens started creating to relax, and before long, a new career was born.

Photo supplied Local artist Rebecca Stevens creates woven and macramĂŠ wall hangings that she has created by her own hand. She stumbled upon the art of waeving last year, and it has only grown from there.

AV: What’s your background?

RS: “I was the VP for a small startup at age 25,� Stevens said. “It was exciting but so so stressful. It’s funny to think about it now because I am extremely introverted. I’d get home from work and be totally exhausted, and now I realize that comes from being an introvert. My outlet from my sales job was to craft. Daily. I would go to Hobby Lobby on my lunch breaks and pick out what I would make that evening. I started making furniture and was encouraged by my husband to put some items online for sale. I got 7 orders the first week, which sounds great,

but it was actually a huge logistical nightmare. We figured out how to fill the orders and ship the items safely, and I quit my job 2 weeks later. I’ve been Stevens Home Furnishings ever since.�

AV: How did macramĂŠ come about? RS: “It was strangely kind of forced on me in a cosmic way.

I had to walk away from woodworking last year. My husband and I are trying to start a family,� Stevens said. “I have been on a fertility journey for some time now. After a few surgeries in 2018, I’ve had to prioritize my health and reevaluate my work environment. It was time to postpone the woodworking,

and get away from all those toxic materials and fumes and sawdust.

I stumbled upon the art of weaving in the last year.

I bought 3 woven tapestries from a local discount store.

They weren’t great, but yeah, they were cheap. I started thinking, “I want to add texture to these. I want these to pop off the walls. They’re just so... boring.� So the gears started turning. I wanted to make tapestries that I would want hanging in my own home. So I just started weaving. It felt natural to me.

I love the freedom of it. With wood, mistakes weren’t very forgiving. But with weaving,

there are no mistakes. Sometimes a piece doesn’t turn out as I intended, but I keep going, and more often than not, I’m pleased with the outcome.

I love working with color.

Don’t get me wrong, my walls are painted grey and my house is riddled with neutrals just like any other 30-year-old with a Pinterest account. But with weaving, I can spend hours and hours inside a color combination that I’ve hand-selected, and it’s so fun and energizing.�

AV: Any of your work stand out?

RS: I do have a Succulent Series that I favor,� Stevens said. “It’s meant to be a sub-

New year, healthier eating plan

By Zarah Parker zarah@theleadernews.com It’s January of the new year, so chances are Google is being used to search “how to eat healthy in 2019.�

New year, new eating habits.

At least that’s what we tell ourselves before February creeps up and those heartshaped candy boxes are impossible to resist. Next thing you know, you’ve eaten Chickfil-A almost every day for a week and you can’t even remember what lettuce looks like.

But maybe that’s only happened to me.

Truth is, when eating “right� isn’t already a part of everyday eating habits, it’s really hard to adapt. Yet, for some reason with the changing of the year -- which is really just a day after another day -- comes this overwhelming sense of a clean slate.

Suddenly, you feel like you can do anything -- like, pretend you don’t love Oreos anymore because they’re not good for the body.

Eating right takes discipline and dedication.

When a new year’s resolution is to eat healthier and a few months in it’s gone off the rails, it’s incredibly tempting to give it up and say you’ll try again next year. Kind of like when you tell yourself you’ll start something on Monday, but something gets in the way

Photo supplied

and you can’t so you decide to start it the next Monday.

Most of my own failure with eating healthier is because I try to cut out all the foods that are considered bad, which usually happen to be my favorite foods. I’m a sucker for sweets and for French fries, so

I always struggle giving those up.

As 2019 dawned and I decided to eat healthier because I wanted to stop feeling like a slug, I also realized I couldn’t completely reverse my longingrained awful eating habits.

I thought I’d ease my way into it and change a little at a time. This will give not just my body the opportunity to adjust, but more importantly, help the way I think about eating healthy. Because eating healthy isn’t actually hard, and the food isn’t necessarily bland.

I’ve also learned that one of the worst things someone who wants to get into eating healthier can do is to go grocery shopping with that mindset. Every fruit and vegetable option will be piled into the basket, along with anything that’s labeled organic. You get home and find yourself miserable surrounded by healthy food when you’re really just craving Gushers.

So, here’s to eating healthier, but not beating yourself up if you have tacos every once in a while.

Houston Cider growing in the Heights

By Zarah Parker zarah@theleadernews.com Houston Cider Co. made a splash last January when it opened Houston’s first craft production cidery. Owner Justin Engle said year one of the company saw a lot of growth and he’s looking forward to the growth that year two will bring. “All of the ciders prior to us were developed by out-ofstate cider companies and relabeled for the Houston company,� Engle said.

With a lot of the out-ofstate cider being sweeter, it caused some of the Houston market to shy away from cider because of their reluctance to drink it. Engle said they had to taste-test people with their cider to help them realize that not all ciders are as sweet.

Houston Cider Co. accomplishes its flavoring by using, as Engle put it, no-nonsense ingredients and adjunct sugars. It uses all-natural ingredients to make cider. “Initially we released our dry and semi(-dry) ciders,�

Engle said. “The Houston market was very young and we used these ciders to judge the market.�

The difference between the dry and semi-dry is the sweetness level. While the cider company uses pure, non-GMO

stitute for houseplants that you can’t kill.

AV: Anything surprisingly unusual about you that might shock us?

RS: I played Australian Rules Football at Nationals in the USAFL (United States Australian Football League). It’s an awesome sport that I’ll never play again! Find Stevens at The Market at Sawyer Yards every second Saturday. Follow her www.etsy. com/shop/stevenshome and on Instagram @stevenshomefurnishings.

Cohen is an artist and founder of First Saturday Arts Market and the Market at Sawyer Yards, find him at ArtValet.com

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While the year has brought clarity on what Houston wants in a cider, the company has also faced some changes that weren’t part of the initial plan.

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apple juice to back-sweeten its ciders, the difference is in the eight grams of sugar per 12-ounce serving in the semi.

From there Houston Cider Co. added cherry. “We tested over 10 cherry orchards for the cherry juice we wanted for our cider. We settled on an orchard in Michigan and use a tart Montmorency cherry for our cherry cider,â€? Engle said. “In midsummer, we released our rosĂŠ.â€?

Most rosĂŠ ciders use grape to give the cider a wine-like flavor and aroma profile, but the company wanted its rosĂŠ to have more of a floral aroma and flavor. It ended up working with Granel Spice Shop on Airline Drive to get hibiscus

and rose buds for the rosĂŠ. “I think the most fulfilling thing is the shear demand of a high-quality cider with no BS ingredients,â€? Engle said. “When you get a rosĂŠ cider, why do you want to drink beet juice and hibiscus extract from our national competitors with a high sugar content? Because of the demand over the year, we had to take beer fermentation tanks and convert them to cider fermentation tanks.â€?

Houston Cider Co. worked with HopDrop to provide its Hazy Hopped Cider to people who would usually order New England IPA-style beers. Most people were surprised that they were drinking cider and commented that they’d drink it again.

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Page 8A • Saturday, January 12, 2019 • The Leader

GOMO saga continues

By Adam Zuvanich azuvanich@theleadernews.com The federal bankruptcy case involving the Garden Oaks Maintenance Organization (GOMO) took a small step toward resolution Tuesday, but remains far from settled.

GOMO’s Chapter 11 restructuring plan that includes amended bylaws and deed restrictions was reviewed by bankruptcy court judge David Jones, who set a continued hearing for Jan. 28. Jones also gave the go-ahead for GOMO to continue devising its plan and negotiate with the court-appointed committee of unsecured creditors, which comprises five Garden Oaks homeowners.

Now that GOMO’s period of exclusivity for devising a plan has expired, the creditors committee is free to file its own restructuring plan with the court. A continued point of contention is what to do with the more than $720,000 in assets that GOMO had as of Oct. 31, the end of the fiscal

year.

GOMO president Vic Seghers said its restructuring plan calls for a total of $50,000 to be distributed to a list of claimants that exceeds 400 current and former homeowners. Creditors committee chairman Gary Ingram said many creditors want more than that.

Most of GOMO’s assets have been acquired through the collection of a transfer fee that is 0.75 percent of a home’s sale price. A 2016 state district court ruling in favor of Garden Oaks resident Peter Chang, a member of the creditors committee, revealed that GOMO had no authority to collect transfer fees because it violated the Texas Property Code while petitioning residents to include them in the deed restrictions.

Jones suspended the collection of transfer fees in August and instructed GOMO to replace them with mandatory annual fees. GOMO’s restructuring plan calls for a mandatory fee of $80 and

the appointment a third-party management company to enforce deed restrictions, which would be selected by a new set of officers for the homeowners association.

At some point after Jan. 28, if GOMO and the creditors committee reach an agreement on a restructuring plan, it would need to be approved by a majority of Garden Oaks homeowners before taking effect. Jones instructed the two sides to create an information package with a distinguishable cover that would highlight the major points of change and be easily digestible for homeowners.

The judge asked that a warning of sorts be included: If Garden Oaks homeowners do not ultimately approve the changes, they could be subject to the existing deed restrictions that include a transfer fee.

“The whole thing about rises or falls on that,” Jones said of the neighborhood’s approval.

Heralded Gunnell takes part in national senior showcase Staff Report Arizona-bound Grant Gunnell, former star quarterback at St. Pius X, joined some of the nation’s top high school talent when he took the field Jan. 5 for the All-American Bowl in San Antonio.

With nearly two decades as

one of the premier high school football showcases, the game annually features the nation’s 100 best seniors.

After only three snaps, however, Gunnell exited with a minor leg injury, and was held out for the remainder of the contest as a precaution.

The injury is not viewed as

any hindrance to beginning his work in Tucson, Arizona, which he did earlier this week.

Gunnell graduated in December, completing his fouryear career with the Panthers as Texas’ all-time high school leader with 16,020 yards and 195 touchdowns passing.

had slightly delayed completion back to a late fall opening prior to the most recent delay in September 2018.

But through all the setbacks, from permitting to Hurricane Harvey and more, the creation of what McClelland previously called his “dream store” is now here.

“I’m going to miss my dear pantry, but excited about the new location,” resident Amanda Weaver wrote on Facebook. “I hope to see the same friendly faces at the new check-outs!”

McClelland was unavailable for comment prior to publication.

is needed because the space is becoming crowded, but the opportunity hasn’t arisen.

“It is no surprise that property taxes are eating in to our bottom line. As a property owner in the Heights, we are fighting for a proper tax value and production area. We only have so much room to grow on our little lot that we are looking at other locations as well as trying to maximize our property’s potential.”

Houston Cider’s first year brought cans of its dry, cherry, and rosé and as the second year begins it looks forward to producing a variety of cider in cans, including a style using Texas Ruby Red Grapefruits, as well as Hazy Hopped and

Pieders.

In early February, Houston Cider is throwing a luau and releasing several tiki-style ciders. And you may be able to grab a Singapore Sling cider in the taproom. Also new for the company will be its “Tea for Victory” styles that will move from Cream Earl Grey to a Thai Tea, as well as working with several breweries and brewpubs in the area to bring grafs, which is half-beer, halfcider.

Houston Cider Co. is taking all that was learned in the past year, moving on to the next and excited for those to come.

quenters are fans of the plan, which at some point will require closure of the practice range to replace it with a twotiered facility that also will be lighted. And while the course will be longer, lusher and more challenging when it reopens, players will be forced to spend more than the current average cost of about $40 to play it.

The city, in a move it says is unrelated to the renovation of Memorial Park Golf Course, has decided to increase green fees at all of its municipal courses for the first time since 2010. It is unclear how much the fees will increase.

“It’s just a shame,” Copperfield resident Lynn Killingsworth said before using the range Monday evening.

“We already have plenty of unaffordable, high-priced golf courses.”

Longtime Memorial Park player Mike Tolson welcomes a fee increase, saying it’s necessary to elevate the course and accompanying facilities to PGA Tour standards. He said the venue needs to expand and upgrade its clubhouse.

Upon completion of the redesign, Tolson said Memorial Park also needs to reduce course traffic.

“It’s great for the city, it’s great for the Memorial Park Golf Course, but they’ve got to drastically increase the green fees,” Tolson said. “Otherwise, it’s ridiculous. You can’t have a PGA Tour-worthy course and charge $25 to play it or $50 to play it. And you can’t let it be just beaten to death.”

For better or worse, a popular part of Houston’s golf scene will soon be forever changed. The plan is to make the course more suited for the best players in the world while also making it more attractive to local players.

But those who already make Memorial Park their home course don’t want it to lose its allure. They’ll find out for sure in about 10 months.

“If it improves the golf course overall, and it justifies the increase in value, OK. I don’t have an issue with it,” Hassler said. “But if that’s not the case, I’ll be pretty disappointed.”

HEB from P. 1A grocer’s expansion efforts.

The day of the groundbreaking, H-E-B Houston Division President Scott McClelland said the schedule had the grocery giant’s Heights creation coming to fruition in August 2018. A company spokesperson said in March 2018 that permitting issues

Cider from P. 7A One of those being Brandon Baldridge’s departure this past summer to move back to Colorado to be with family.

Baldbridge was Houston Cider Co.’s head cider maker.

Along with missing a good friend at the company, Engle said Baldridge taught him a lot during the start-up phase of Houston Cider and he hopes to keep his memory in the ciders by putting out innovative ciders.

While the company first opened in the same space as its sister company, Town in City Brewing Company at 1125 W Cavalcade St., it was going to move to another space as soon as it was plausible. A year later and the move

Golf from P. 1A The Astros Golf Foundation, which has underwritten the Houston Open since Shell dropped its longtime sponsorship in 2017, has pledged more than $13 million to cover renovation costs. World-renowned course architect Tom Doak has been enlisted to overhaul the property.

The project, supported by Mayor Sylvester Turner, will bring the Houston Open inside the city limits for the first time in nearly 40 years and is expected to have an annual economic impact to the city of at least $50 million. The Houston Parks and Recreation Department, which operates Memorial Park and four other 18-hole municipal courses, will receive $1 million per year as part of the privately-funded plan.

“I think it’s great they’re pouring some money into it,” said Cinco Ranch resident Kevin Rodriguez, who often practices at Memorial Park.

“They’re also helping some other parks in the process. I think it’s a good thing.”

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