Inside Today: Renovations upcoming for SJMC Heights • Page 1B
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Saturday, February 2, 2019 • Vol. 64 • No. 5
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HCC pulling out of Pinemont location in August By Betsy Denson betsy@theleadernews.com Houston Community College plans to close its Pinemont Campus, leaving a 63,489 square foot shopping center mostly vacant. While speculation will commence about the ultimate fate of the space at the southeast corner of Ella Boulevard and Pinemont Drive, Brixmor, a publicly traded real estate investment trust that invests in shopping centers, is playing it close to the vest. “We do own the entire center and we are still working on the
plans for its future at this time,” said Michelle Bauer, a senior leasing representative. An HCC statement said it plans to close the Pinemont Campus, located at 1265 Pinemont Dr., when its lease expires in August. The HCC Board of Trustees approved the closure of Pinemont in October 2018 and said a smooth transition for the community, students, faculty and staff is the priority. “Enrollment at the Pinemont Campus has been declining for years and there is no indication this trend will reverse,” the statement said. “Created in a former
strip center in the late 1990s, the instructional environment, physical condition and range of services at Pinemont are below state standards and below newer HCC locations, peer institutions and student expectations.” Even if enrollment picked up, officials say, there are other nearby HCC campuses, mainly the Northline and Acres Homes campuses, which are within a 10-minute drive of Pinemont. HCC spokesperson Mike Edward said the school is looking See HCC P. 4A
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Photo by Betsy Denson HCC is preparing to close the doors on its Pinemont campus when its lease expires in August.
GOMO gets go-ahead to present plan By Adam Zuvanich azuvanich@theleadernews.com
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Photos by Adam Zuvanich Hana Lee of Tokyo Garden Catering, which provides sushi for H-E-B, talks to H-E-B executive Scott McClelland on Wednesday, when the much-anticipated grocery store opened at 2300 N. Shepherd Dr. in the Heights.
inside.
Enrique Sapien represents the “I” in Heights. Casa Ramirez FolkArt Gallery is taking Valentine’s Day to heart with an upcoming show.
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A Down House brunch review pays tribute to their biscuits and berry jam.
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The Hogg Middle School wrestling team got 2nd place at a state tournament.
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The INDEX. Church/Calendar............................... 5A Classifieds.............................................. 7A Coupons................................................... 6A Food/Drink/Art................................... 9A Obituaries............................................... 6A Opinion..................................................... 3A Public Information......................... 2A Puzzles...................................................... 3A
A customer checks out Wednesday at the new H-E-B.
Jackson Lee’s constituents express mixed opinions By Adam Zuvanich news@theleadernews.com Mark Steuer is a supporter of Sheila Jackson Lee, the United States congresswoman who has represented his slice of Houston since 1995. He likes her voting record as a Democrat, her presence in the communities she represents and the fact she fights for the underprivileged. But Steuer does not like the controversy surrounding Jackson Lee, who keeps one of her offices in the same Heights neighborhood where he resides. So his opinion is subject to change. Jackson Lee, in the aftermath of a federal lawsuit filed against her office and the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation on Jan. 11 in Washington, D.C., stepped down from two key posts last week. She is alleged to have fired a former female staffer in retaliation to a sexual assault claim the woman made against a former supervisor at the foundation, of which Jackson Lee was the chair.
Sheila Jackson Lee
“I’ll certainly be interested in how this pans out,” Steuer said. “And if she has ignored a very serious problem, I think she’s going to have to face some sort of reckoning for it.” Jackson Lee publicly denied the allegations of retaliation and mistreatment. Nonetheless, she resigned last week as chair of the foundation and temporarily resigned as chair of the House Judiciary subcommittee on crime, terrorism and homeland security. So her lengthy political career is at a crossroads, just a few months after her latest landslide election win granted her a
The fate of Garden Oaks’ homeowners association now rests in the hands of the homeowners themselves. Federal bankruptcy Leader Staff photo court judge David Jones A restructuring plan will soon be presented to Garon Monday den Oaks homeowners. conditionally approved a Chapter 11 restructuring plan by the Garden Oaks Maintenance Organization (GOMO), which has enforced deed restrictions in the affluent northwest Houston neighborhood since the early 2000s. The plan includes revamped bylaws and deed restrictions, which would change the fee structure for homeowners and streamline the process for future amendments, and calls for the organization to change names and officers while enlisting a third-party management company to enforce deed restrictions. An information package outlining
13th two-year term. Jackson Lee secured more than 75 percent of the vote in a District 18 race against three other candidates. “I thought she was doing a good job,” Oak Forest resident Maria Reyes said. “I’m not so sure now.” Despite Jackson Lee’s history of runaway wins – she never has garnered less than 70 percent of the vote in a general congressional election – she already was a polarizing figure in the area. Most of the 22 commenters on The Leader’s Jan. 23 Facebook post about Jackson Lee applauded the news of her resignations, with some saying they wanted her out of office altogether. Oak Forest resident Eddie Gonzales, a political independent, said he hasn’t voted for Jackson Lee in recent years in part because of her reputation for being “hard to get along with.” Gonzales also said Jackson Lee plays favorites among her constituents. See Jackson Lee P. 4A
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HISD superintendent search clouded by ongoing controversy By Betsy Denson and Landan Kuhlmann news@theleadernews.com Houston ISD serves more than 215,000 students. A total of about 40 people showed up to Jan. 23 meetings at Heights High School and Frank Black Middle School, where community members were given the chance to chime in about HISD’s nationwide search for a new superintendent. “It is not going to matter who the superintendent is if the (school) board cannot get its act together,” said Heights High School parent Amy Maddux, who also is the president of the parent-teacher organization at Frank Black Middle School. The Texas Education Agency recently opened a special accreditation investigation into the HISD Board of Education, which also faces the possibility of a takeover by the TEA if any of four consistently underperforming schools do not meet state academic standards in 2019. That casts a cloud over the country’s seventh-largest public school district as it searches for a new leader. The two community meetings at area schools were among 15
Grenita Lathan
hosted by HISD and Illinois-based firm Hazard, Young, Attea & Associates from Jan. 14-24. The board is in the process of consolidating feedback from those meetings to finalize its superintendent profile and begin searching for candidates to potentially replace interim superintendent Grenita Lathan. Lathan took over in March after former superintendent Richard Carranza departed the district to become New York’s head of public schools after just 18 months on the job. “HISD needs a superintendent who values stability at the school See HISD P. 4A
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