Leader0519a

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Inside Today: May is BBQ month - Just ask Tru-Lite • Page 1B

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

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Saturday, May 19, 2018 • Vol. 63 • No. 19

About Us 3500 East T.C. Jester Blvd Suite A (713) 686-8494 news@theleadernews.com www.theleadernews.com Facebook/THE LEADER.

There are hundreds of vape and smoke shops across Houston, but law enforcement zeroed in on three locations for selling “illegal and dangerous” vape oils. Two of those locations are on Bingle Road. On May 9, Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo and representatives of the Harris County Attorney’s Office as well as a doctor with Houston Emergency Medical Services held a press briefing at police headquarters about CBD oil seized at the three shops.

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“As part of a months-long investigation, HPD Narcotics Division officers have repeatedly purchased CBD oil from multiple Houston smoke shops,” stated an email ahead of the briefing. “The oil was then tested in a laboratory.

CBD oil purchased at three smoke shops was found to contain synthetic cannabinoids, the same substance found in the illegal drug Kush.” On May 2, HPD officers working with the Harris County Attorney’s Of-

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Back to the water

Heights dive shop teams up with foundation to help disabled divers.

Photo supplied Even the pews must go in the Temple Oaks sale.

Temple Oaks church items up for grabs

By Zach Maxwell zach@theleadernews.com

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fice, served search warrants at three smoke shops, seizing large quantities of CBD oil. In addition, all three smoke shops have been sued in civil court for being a nuisance and are under injunctive order prohibiting them from selling illegal substances. Those businesses are: Smokey Doke, 5784 Bingle; Dreamerz, 2961 Bingle; and Fantasy, 1412 Westheimer Road. The Leader reached out to the Bingle Road locations for comment; one owner did not return our call by presstime, the other referred us to an attorney but his

In the scuba diving world, having a buddy is priceless. A Richmond man’s story shows that having numerous buddies is even more valuable. Kevin Smith was an offshore oil industry worker until a motorcycle accident left him with paraplegia. One of the passions he refused to part with in this life transition was recreational diving. Enter the Dive Pirates Foundation. This group helps folks like Kevin – the disabled, or injured military veterans – link up with dive instructors to get certified and get into the water. The otherworldly environment beneath the waves is a welcome respite. So there’s one buddy; now bring in brothers Russell and Sigmund Potocki, scuba diver instructors who give of their time to help folks like Kevin. And the final link in the chain, Divetech Dolphin Travel, a Heights dive shop that offered time at its specialized indoor pool to get Kevin trained and ready for certification. Smith recently met up with the brothers at Divetech for his final pool training session before obtaining his Open Water Certification earlier this month. The goal: Getting out of the wheelchair and into the reefs around Cayman Brac in June. “These guys give of their time and talents and volunteer, make all of this accessible, and to me it’s just amazing,” Smith said. “I couldn’t say enough about them and what they do for veterans or people like

For The Leader Everything is for sale at the former Temple Oaks Baptist Church and school, from pew to steeple – except someone’s already taken the steeple. Laryssa Lee and Lee Smith are business partners with Off the Hook Vintage and Estate Sales, working on behalf of church trustee R.P Jones. They have been trying to parcel out furnishings and fixtures in the church on 34th Street for weeks, with a big push this Friday through Sunday on-site at TOBC. They are urging area churches, See Sale P. 8A

Final week... Photo by Zach Maxwell Russell and Sigmund Potocki help Kevin Smith prepare his scuba gear.

myself. These guys here get all the credit for doing this.” Divetech is considered a chapter of the Dive Pirates Foundation, a Houston area non-profit that provides gear, training, and a trip for people with mobile disabilities to enjoy the freedom of diving. It’s all part of what divers call their “Pi-

rate Code” of looking out for each other. For Kevin, the opportunity to train at Divetech and travel to the Caymans is a big step on the road to a better quality of life. “I did have a diving background

Final voting on our Annual “Best-of” contest ends Friday, May 25 by 5pm. See Ballot and Info Page 7B

See Diver P. 8A

Travis art doors open windows of discovery Wild Culinary - If you are hunting for a taste of a different game. Some locals are in play.

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The INDEX. Church....................................................... 5A Classifieds.............................................. 4B Coupons. ................................................. 6A Food/Drink/Art................................... 1B Obituaries.............................................. 6A Opinion. ................................................... 4A Public Information......................... 2A Puzzles...................................................... 4A Sports. ....................................................... 6B

By Landan Kuhlmann landan@theleadernews.com Art is often viewed as a window or door to the soul. Now, a local elementary school is home to what educators hope is the beginning of something greater than them. Under some cloud cover, the students, and staff of Travis Elementary – joined by dignitaries from the French Consulate, former consul of Mexico and the Pan-American Roundtable – gathered May 11 for a ceremony to dedicate the recently-installed Art Door sculptures in the school’s garden. Sponsored by the Texan French

Alliance for the Arts (TFAA), it was Travis parent Yvonamor Palix, a TFAA board member, who brought the idea of opening these doors to the Travis community and who coordinated the installation. “What wonderful additions [the doors] are to an already magnificent setting,” Travis Elementary Principal Tom Day said. Just a few of more than 80 found throughout the city, and commissioned in 2012 as part of the community “Open the Door” project, the Art Doors symbolize expression of “an open heart and mind in a community.” One side of each door has been painted by a local artist, the other by a for-

eign artist. “It’s about a seed that we plant in the minds of our children,” Palix said. Students were invited to write a poem or a text inspired by the doors and to present it that day. And those spoken words reinforced Palix’s thought that art, inspiration, and creativity must be encouraged and nourished. Further, both Day and Palix felt a sense of destiny when the job was complete. “[These doors] symbolize the opening of an entire realm,” Palix said. “A revolving door is just such a beautiful symbol – we hope See Travis P. 7A

Photo by Landan Kuhlmann Shown here is one of Travis Elementary’s newly-installed art doors.

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