Inside Today: An area charter school is in the works • Page 7A
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Saturday, January 18, 2020 • Vol. 65 • No. 03
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Jackson Lee facing rare fight in primary By Adam Zuvanich azuvanich@theleadernews.com U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee has never come close to losing a congressional race, let alone a Democratic primary. For the most part, those in her own political party have not even bothered to challenge her. This year, though, the fiery Houston congresswoman appears to be in for a fight. Jackson Lee, who has had to compete in primary elections
only twice since being elected as District 18’s representative in 1994, faces six opponents in a Democratic primary scheduled for March 3. The 11-day early voting period begins Feb. 18. “We’ve been to literally every corner of the district, and the No. 1 thing we’re hearing is people want change,” challenger Marc Flores said. “They’re ready for a new, younger vision and approach to the most imSee Challenge P. 8A
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La Rotta looks to flip seat in statehouse runoff vs. Eastman By Adam Zuvanich azuvanich@theleadernews.com
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PROPERTIES
INSIDE.
Tea time. This month’s Food & Drink section delves into the ins and outs of drinking tea.
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Contributed photo Two young children play in the sand on a volleyball court at Wakefield Crowbar, located at 954 Wakefield Dr. The new owners of the popular Garden Oaks bar are making it more family friendly during daytime hours.
Crowbar taking new path under new owners By Betsy Denson betsy@theleadernews.com
Art activated. Moving into an urban studio has provided inspiration for a suburban artist.
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Patio party. An expansive indoor-outdoor bar is planned for the Heights.
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County accountability. Harris County wants citizens to report fraud or waste in government.
Omid Rafiei, who along with wife Andrea and partner Aly Valiani are the new owners of Wakefield Crowbar, said that he had known previous owner Randy Meador when the property was just Meador’s house with two volleyball courts on it. “We were involved well before it was the Crowbar,” Omid Rafiei said. He and Andrea Rafiei, who met in a kickball league in Austin, started the Houston Sports & Social Club in 2011. In 2012, they began hosting their volleyball leagues on Wakefield Drive in Garden Oaks. “The league had grown so much,” Omid said. “Randy asked if we thought he should open a bar and restaurant and we said yes.” After some flush years and a few rockier ones following Hurricane Harvey and all the road construction on Alba Road, which Meador detailed for The Leader in 2017, Omid said Meador asked the couple if they’d like to become investors in the restaurant to help enliven the venue. After thinking it over, Omid proposed what he thought might be a better option – buying Crowbar outright.
Contributed photo Wakefield Crowbar hosted a Brushes and Booze art exhibit in December.
The purchase was a separate venture from the social club with different investors. “We worked on the deal for about a year and closed the day of Game 6 of the World Series,” Omid said. “That day was a pretty fast sprint.” Now with two months under their belt, the new owners have started their own reimagining of the space. As near neighbors – the couple has lived in the area since 2012 – with
See Crowbar P. 8A
See District 148 P. 8A
City holding tree-planting event at T.C. Jester Park
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By Adam Zuvanich azuvanich@theleadernews.com
THE INDEX. Calendar/Church. ............................. 4A Classifieds.............................................. 5A Coupons. ................................................. 3B Food/Drink/Art................................... 7A Obituaries.............................................. 4A Opinion. ................................................... 3A Public Information......................... 4B Puzzles...................................................... 3A
two boys younger than 4 years old, they knew that the neighborhood needed another venue that was family friendly but would still appeal to other loyal clientele. To that aim, they are testing a new menu that includes both a kids menu and brunch. While Omid said the goal is to improve the quality and diversity of food options, An-
The runoff election for the District 28 seat in the Texas House of Representatives has commanded national attention, with two presidential candidates and a former one offering public support for the Democrat in the Houston-area race. The goal of Joe Biden, Mike Bloomberg and Beto O’Rourke, who have backed Eliz Eastman Markowitz in her runoff against Republican Gary Gates, is to flip what has historically been a Republican stronghold and strengthen the blue wave that’s rippling across La Rotta the state. The other statehouse special election in the Houston area, which also is in the midst of a runoff, has been surrounded by far less hoopla. Both remaining candidates in District 148 said many of their prospective constituents don’t even realize a race is being run, and the district is considered to be solidly Democratic. But that isn’t stopping Lui La Rotta, a Republican and first-time political candidate, from trying to start a red wave in Northwest Houston. He is competing against Heights Democrat Anna Eastman, a former Houston ISD trustee who was the leading vote-getter among 15 candidates on Nov. 5. “I think Republicans have been on the defensive ever since the last election cycle (in 2018), when we lost so many seats and lost all our judges,” La Rotta said. “I think there’s been a lot of Republicans sitting back waiting to take the blow of another Democratic strike. But I think this is a weak spot, a definite weak spot in this district, because a 25-year history of no improvements, people notice that. I’ve noticed
Photo by Adam Zuvanich City of Houston employees plant a tree Tuesday near the trail and disc golf course at T.C. Jester Park.
The City of Houston is fortifying T.C. Jester Park with thousands of trees, and members of the community are invited to help plant them. As part of the city’s Arbor Day, a tree-planting event will be held at 9 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 25 at T.C. Jester Park, located at 4201 T.C. Jester Blvd. The event will begin near the park’s pool, where parking is available for volunteers, and then 2,500 trees will be planted in
pre-dug holes along White Oak Bayou. Kelli Ondracek, natural resources manager for the Houston Parks and Recreation Department, said city workers are planting about 500 larger trees leading up to the event. She said it’s all part of a citywide initiative to create forested buffer strips along Houston’s bayous, which improve air quality, assist wildlife and mitigate flooding, erosion and the effects of climate change. “Historically, before development and the channelization of
the bayous, the bayous were lined with trees,” Ondraceck said. “A lot of that has been cleared, so the city has this initiative to install these forested buffers back into our park areas.” Ondracek said the project is largely funded by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. She said most of the trees to be planted are being provided by Apache Corporation, a Houstonbased oil and gas exploration and production company. See Tree Planting P. 7A
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