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Saturday, October 29, 2016 • Vol. 62 • No. 45
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The 41st edition of The Guide is inside today’s edition of The Leader. If you’ve never read it, you must. If you have, it’s an all-new look at the area.
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Voting Records Shattered
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Resident has taken littering personally By Landan Kuhlmann landan@theleadernews.com
More than 100 witches swooped down on Hunky Dory in the Houston Heights.
Page 7 Voters wait in long lines for early voting at the SPJST Lodge. More than 3,400 Leader-area residents had joined a record turnout for Harris County early voters as of press time. (Photos by Landan Kuhlmann)
Rush to beat long lines creating even longer ones By Landan Kuhlmann landan@theleadernews.com With Halloween approaching there are numerous scary haunts available worth seeing... no matter how many eyes you have.
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Artist Liz Conces Spencer and Gene Hester find detail within social monotony.
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Find it. PAINT AND BODY TECHNICIAN: Experience and tools required. Please contact Adolph at 713-956-5100. Texas Bus Sales. MULTI-FAMILY GARAGE SALE: Saturday, 9 a.m.-3 p.m. 2210 Wilde Rock Way. Glass patio table with six chairs, gas grill and much more. BARMAID/WAITRESS NEEDED: Apply in person. FT/PT, nights, weekends. Catty-Corner Ice House, 895 Wakefield, 713294-2054. info@cattycornericehouse.com.
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The INDEX. Church........................................................... 6 Classifieds.............................................. 11 Coupons. ..................................................... 7 Food/Drink/Art................................... 13 Obituaries.................................................. 6 Opinion. ....................................................... 5 Public Information............................. 2 Puzzles.......................................................... 5 Sports. ....................................................... 10
It appears as though a contentious presidential election and close local races may have spurred voter interest to an all-time high this year. Thousands of area voters lined parking lots out the door at the SPJST Lodge earlier this week as they eagerly awaited the opportunity to cast their ballot for president as well as heated local races, joining a record contingent in Harris County this election cycle. “I’ve never seen any lines like this around here before,” resident Greg Copperthite said. Copperthite has resided in the area for more than a decade and spent time as a precinct sheriff; but the backed up lines surprised even him. In all, a total of 141,013 voters have hightailed it to one of the 46 polling locations throughout Harris County as of press time according to Harris County Clerk Stan Stanart. He told The Leader that the day one total of 67,471 voters broke the county’s previous record (2012, 47,093) by more than 40 percent, while the two-day total also shattered 2012 numbers (98,671); and they were not alone. According to the Texas Tribune, polling locations reported a record number of early voters across the state, in places such as Williamson, Bastrop and Hays counties as well as Brazos County and more.
“We’ve also never sent out more than 100,000 ballots [by mail], but we’ve already sent out over 116,000 in this election and gotten more than 60,000 back. It’s just huge numbers,” Stanart said Tuesday. Additionally, more computers were needed at targeted locations throughout the county in order to deal with such a monumental spike. “We planned for some of this, but to have a turnout on Monday 42 percent above the highest previous record was incredible,” he said.
While unable to pinpoint the exact reason for the spike in early turnout, Stanart could not deny the piqued interest amidst the current race for the nation’s highest position. “I don’t know what’s in the voters’ minds, I just know that they’re interested and turning out to vote,” he said. “It could be a strong liking or something else completely; and obviously they’re feeling it strongly because they’re turning out in big numbers.” For Copperthite, the drive to come out early (or at all) this year in a highstakes election remains the same as it has in years past, regardless of it being a presidential election year or who the candidates are—his gut and his beliefs. “You exercise the right to vote for who you believe in, which means the person you vote for is the right person,” he said. “ We can only vote for what we believe in, and hopefully whoever wins it makes the right choices.” “I recommend everybody votes, and votes for what they believe in— but vote intelligently,” he added. “We have this right to vote that’s been instilled by many people who have given their lives for it. Be informed, vote for what you believe in and don’t pay so much attention to the rhetoric.” Early voting lasts until Nov. 4. To find any information and the nearest polling location, readers can go online to harrisvotes.com.
An area resident believes citizens must either take on more responsibility for the look of their neighborhood or watch it decay before their very eyes. When Beryl Kaminsky moved up into the Candlelight Plaza neighborhood two years ago, one of the first sights she noticed was trash and various objects strewn about the sidewalks and streets— a sight she could not stand. “I thought it looked awful, but then thought ‘Oh, it’s under construction, it’s gonna look awful,’” she said. “Then in January I started looking around and thought ‘They’re not really doing Photo by Landan a lot of work Kuhlmann around here.’” Beryl Kaminsky scoops Set to take up trash along Ella and no prisoners, 610. She has taken Kaminsky sent the litter problem out an alert on personally, organizing Nextdoor in- a community cleanup quiring about earlier this year. interest in a community project to beautify the area; and in late March, with the help of Keep Houston Beautiful, she and six others chose to forgo sleeping in on Saturday mornings and do just that. The crew of seven volunteers managed to fill up 13 bags of trash for their efforts. “The area looked pretty nice afterwards, if I do say so myself,” she said, laughing. However, she soon realized the project would require more than the occasional neighborhood volunteer pickup. Just four days following the collective effort, Beryle noticed the 610 entrance ramp was covered — again. “It was as if we had never even done a cleanup,” she mused. “So I stepped back See Litter P. 3
Day of Dead alive in Heights By Kim Hogstrom For The Leader Macario and Chrissie Ramirez have owned and operated Casa Ramirez FOLKART Gallery at 241 W. 19th St. for 30plus years. Together, with their remarkable gallery full of art and treasures from south of the border, they have added much to the cultural texture and colorful art scene of the community. The couple also launched a wonderful Heights street party decades ago; the community now celebrates the Mexican tradition of “Día de los Muertos” or “Day of the Dead.” It took time for Americans to embrace the tradition, with its leering skulls and skeleton icons, but today, it is eagerly awaited. On Saturday, Oct. 29 they are doing it again. All are invited to observe the celebration designed to honor loved ones and
CELEBRATE
ancestors who have passed away. This year, the couple will host two live bands and a marching procession, including authentic Aztec dancers, who will start at Yale and W. 19th Street at 5 p.m. The public is welcomed to watch or join the parade carrying photos of their departed. Members of the procession will scatter pedals of marigolds on the route so the spirits can follow along. (Think of it as kind of a New Orleans second line, only invisible.) The tradition of Día de los Muertos collides with American Halloween which is a source of confusion sometimes. The traditions are unrelated. “My father never liked Halloween,” stated Macario Ramirez, a first generation Mexican American. “He always felt that Halloween distracted from Día de los Muertos. But as more people See Dia P. 3
Public Reception & Procession October 29 from 5pm to 8 pm
Altar display & candle lighting
Casa Ramirez FOLKaRT GaLLeRy
Casa Ramirez Folkart Gallery will host a Day of the Dead celebration with two live bands, Aztec dancers and marching procession at 5 p.m. Oct. 29.
Tuesday & Wednesday November 1 and 2 from 11 am to 5 pm 241 W. 19th St •Houston, TX 77008 713-880-2420