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Saturday, November 9, 2019 • Vol. 64 • No. 45
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Owner vows to resurrect destroyed Heights shop charged with arson after allegedly walking into the store, emptying two cans of gasoline and starting a blaze that resulted in an estimated $120,000 in damages, according to the Houston Fire Department. Douglas, who lived in the back of the building at 1446 Yale St. with his partner and 19-year-old son, said Tuesday he has not found anything salvagable inside the store and that the structure may need to be demolished and rebuilt. Rekindling The Wilde Collection is the only option as far as Douglas is concerned, because of the out-
By Adam Zuvanich azuvanich@theleadernews.com
Lawyer B. Douglas II is devastated. So is his home, his business and much of his life’s work. He’s determined to resurrect all of it, though, because he feels a responsibility to a community that won’t let him stay down. Douglas and Tyler Zottarelle are owners of The Wilde Collection, a macabre gift shop and taxidermy business in the Heights that was ravaged by fire on the afternoon of Nov. 1. Jonathan Jindra has been
pouring of support the business has received from the Heights, the rest of Houston and beyond. As of Wednesday morning, a GoFundMe page created by Douglas had raised more than $55,500. “While my items have been destroyed and my store has been destroyed, I have not been destroyed,” Douglas said. “While my store and items have been burned, I have not been burned. Some day, I will give the city another experience like the one I had given previSee Wilde P. 7A
Photo by Adam Zuvanich The Wilde Collection was damaged in a Nov. 1 fire.
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Area resident Andrea Shiloh high fives Houston firefighters after voting Tuesday at Candlelight Park.
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Blessing box. A local Girl Scout troop came up with a creative way to help the community.
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Runoffs on tap for mayoral, area city council races
Mayor’s race provides mixed bag in terms of turnout By Adam Zuvanich azuvanich@theleadernews.com
By Adam Zuvanich azuvanich@theleadernews.com
Michael and Marcia Erickson were in A heated race for the Houston mayor’s ofand out of Oak Forest Elementary in a fice is headed to a runoff. matter of a few minutes. So are all the other races most important That made voting enjoyable for the to citizens of Northwest Houston. Shepherd Park Plaza couple, who headed Mayor Sylvester Turner held a large lead to the polls before 10 a.m. Tuesday. But but did not surpass the 50 percent threshit didn’t necessarily bode well for the City old required for an outright victory based on of Houston, which had a less-than-robust unofficial municipal election results released Sylvester Turner turnout for its municipal election. Wednesday morning by the office of Harris “There’s a problem when there’s more County Clerk Diane Trautman. With 754 of people in line for a chicken sandwich than 757 precincts reporting after Tuesday’s Electhere is for voting,” Michael Erickson said. tion Day, Turner received 46.4 percent of the There are 2.3 million registered voters 239,936 votes cast for mayor. Attorney Tony in Harris County, and fewer than 240,000 Buzbee, the incumbent’s fiercest competition cast ballots for mayor Tuesday, according throughout the campaign, was second with to results released Wednesday morning 28.75 percent of the vote, setting up the two by Harris County Clerk Diane Trautman. men for a Saturday, Dec. 14 runoff. That was a slight increase in numbers Businessman Bill King, who narrowly lost compared to Election Day turnout for the to Turner in a runoff in 2015, was third with last municipal election in 2015, but num14 percent of the vote. Tony Buzbee bers were down this year for early voting Even though the mayoral race is designed from Oct. 21-Nov. 1. to be non-partisan, a local political expert The Ericksons, along with several other area resisuspects it will now become partisan. Bob Stein, a podents who voted Tuesday, said the race for Houston litical science professor at Rice University, said he exmayor was the most important item on the ballot. Inpects Democrats to vote for Turner and Republicans to See Voters P. 7A
See Election P. 7A
Ciao, partner. We review Spaghetti Western, where Italy meets the Old West.
By Adam Zuvanich azuvanich@theleadernews.com His three older brothers fought for the United States in World War II. Henry Martinez wanted to be an American hero like they were, so he couldn’t wait to serve as well. He couldn’t even wait until he was old enough to legally do so. Martinez was only 16 years old when he Henry Martinez skipped out on attending John H. Reagan High School in the Heights and enlisted in the U.S. Army, which has a minimum age requirement of 17. But it was 1947, well before the time of online databases, and Martinez’s parents signed paperwork that said their youngest son was old enough to join. So he was sent to basic training in Fort Ord, California, and then to Incheon, Korea, and later to Yokohama, Japan, before going back to Korea, where Martinez served his country in the Korean War. “It’s the only lie I ever told in my life,” he said. See Martinez P. 7A
Affable judge from area makes courtroom enjoyable By Adam Zuvanich azuvanich@theleadernews.com
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THE INDEX. Calendar/Church............................... 5A Classifieds.............................................. 4B Coupons................................................... 6A Food/Drink/Art................................... 7B Obituaries............................................... 5A Opinion..................................................... 4A Public Information......................... 2A Puzzles...................................................... 4A Sports......................................................... 6B
Photo by Adam Zuvanich
Photo by Adam Zuvanich Judge David Patronella, a lifelong area resident, has served as Harris County Justice of the Peace for Precinct 1, Place 2 since 1989. He recently was honored as a statewide judge of the year.
Juanita Clark never saw it coming, at least not from her 31-year-old boss who was only two months into his tenure as a judge. It was April 1, 1989, and Clark was the chief clerk for Harris County Justice of the Peace Court Precinct 1, Place 2. That morning, a constable’s deputy served her with a lawsuit from a catering business, which claimed she had not paid a bill worth about $1,600. Clark had enlisted the company a few months beforehand while organizing a retirement party for outgoing Judge Larry Wayne. Clark called the business, insisting she had paid, but to no avail. She also looked to her co-workers for support and corroboration, but she got neither.
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That’s because the whole thing was cooked up by Judge David Patronella, who got the business, the deputy and the rest of his staffers to play along as part of an April Fools’ Day prank. “At the end of the day she started laughing,” Patronella recalled. “She did not think it was funny early in the day.” Patronella, now 62, said he’s played other practical jokes during his 31 years on the bench. So the 30-plus people on his staff have long learned to stay on their toes, and they also know their boss likes to keep things light at times. Fostering a relaxed, fun-loving environment at work is part of the appeal of Patronella, a lifelong area resident who is wellSee Patronella P. 7A
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