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Saturday, November 23, 2019 • Vol. 64 • No. 47
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Community grapples with death of coyote By Betsy Denson betsy@theleadernews.com
The news that a neighborhood coyote had died last week brought a torrent of comments on The Leader’s Facebook page – especially after one commenter said the animal had been shot. Houston Police Department spokesperson John Cannon confirmed that police were Photo by Betsy Denson called to 2200 Eclipse St. on Area resident Charles Gibbs found the dead body of a coyote along Nov. 12 about a dead coyote. a bayou while on a walk with his wife last week.
An officer later talked to a woman who was walking a dog along the bayou around 7:15 a.m. when she heard a popping sound that she thought was a gunshot. Cannon said the woman reported seeing a coyote run across the gully and also saw an older white male who had a gun. The woman then left immediately. Stephanie Campbell, an area resident who owns a dog-walking business, said the walker who was employed by her does
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713-434-6923 Photo by Adam Zuvanich Oak Forest homeowner Jason Spencer received a deed restriction violation notice regarding his 18-year-old carport.
Oak Forest resident challenges HOA on carport issue By Adam Zuvanich azuvanich@theleadernews.com
Long-awaited honor. Joseph Puccio’s name was added to an area veterans memorial.
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Selfie mode. An art installation in Near Northside gives visitors a “Snapshot” of downtown.
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Not going to waste. A nonprofit uses discarded campaign signs to house the homeless.
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THE INDEX. Church....................................................... 5A Classifieds.............................................. 7A Coupons. ................................................. 7B Food/Drink/Art................................... 4B Obituaries.............................................. 5A Opinion. ................................................... 4A Public Information......................... 2A Puzzles...................................................... 4A Sports. ....................................................... 5B
See Coyote P. 5A
Stevens student recognized in HISD holiday card contest By Betsy Denson betsy@theleadernews.com
Jason Knebel (713)232-9712
INSIDE.
not live in the neighborhood and was unaware of any coyote sightings. Campbell said her employee was frightened by her proximity to the man with the gun. “She said that (when she yelled) he seemed very surprised to see her,” Campbell said. It was Campbell who initially called 3-1-1 and was told that since the incident involved the
Carports might be more common than basketball goals in the driveways of Oak Forest, where many of the original homes in the historic Northwest Houston neighborhood were built with one-car garages. The carport attached to the front of Jason Spencer’s home has been there since long before he bought it two years ago, and it’s one of four on his block on Lamonte Lane in Section 13. So he was taken aback last month when he and his wife, Helen, received a letter from the Oak Forest Homeowners Association (OFHA), which said the carport was in violation of the community’s longstanding deed restrictions because it was situated too close to the front of the property line. The letter told the Spencers they had 15 days to remove the 18-year-old carport or the violation would be reported to the City of Houston, which enforces deed restrictions in the neighborhood. “When we bought this house, it was pretty much an eyesore
See related column by Publisher Jonathan McElvy Page 4A
HOA that the state of Texas has a four-year statute of limitation on the enforcement of deed restrictions. Spencer also bought a silverand-black flag that includes an image of a cannon and the phrase, “COME AND TAKE IT,” which now hangs from the top of his carport. The OFHA’s Deed Restriction & Architectural Review Committee, after being asked to reconsider by the Spencers, told them Nov. 8 that it had voted unanimously to uphold the violation notice. The homeowners’ organization then reversed course Nov. 17, saying that in light of concerns raised by the Spencers and consultation with legal counsel, “… we hereby withdraw the demand that was previously sent to you and will not pursue further action regarding the demolition of your carport at this time.” “It sounds like the HOA did the right thing and backed off once they talked to their lawyers,” said Omar Izfar, a Houston real estate attorney with Wilson Cribbs + Goren.
on our street. We’ve invested close to $100,000 to fixing up this house, and it’s gone from one of the ugliest on the street to one of the nicest,” Jason Spencer said. “And the HOA wants to crack down on me because of this carport that’s been there at least 18, 19 years? If you had a baby when my carport was put in place, they would be a senior at Waltrip High School now.” Spencer pushed back against the OFHA, which is run by volunteers, sharing his experience on social networking site Nextdoor and asking the organization to rescind its violation notice. He pointed out language in the Section 13 deed restrictions that says homeowners are not liable for violations committed before their ownership and See Carport P. 6A also informed the
Stevens Elementary School fourthgrader Carlos Ordóñez-Flores wants to be an art teacher when he grows up. So it was no surprise that he took his time in art class with his holiday scene, created with pencil and oil pastel on black paper. “I liked the idea of the snowman,” Ordóñez-Flores said. “I wanted him to be watching the sunset.” After further thought, however, Ordóñez-Flores kept the sun in the background and gave the snowman some familiar clothing. “The colors in the scarf reminded me of the scarf I have at home,” Ordóñez-Flores said. “The hat looks like one of my dad’s.” All the work paid off as OrdóñezFlores was one of 17 students from Houston ISD elementary, middle and high schools who were named finalists in HISD’s holiday card competition. The finalists were chosen by the district’s area superintendents from a total of 95 entries. Interim Superintendent Grenita Lathan selected winners at the elementary, middle and highschool levels. Matthew Juarez, the art teacher at Stevens, said the school had an elementary school finalist last year as well. Juarez selected Ordóñez-Flores’ work as a standout this year because See Stevens P. 9A
Photo by Betsy Denson Carlos Ordóñez-Flores, right, of Stevens Elementary was one of 17 Houston ISD students who were named finalists in HISD’s holiday card competition. At left is his art teacher, Matthew Juarez.
Owner, residents remain at odds over fate of Heights property By Adam Zuvanich azuvanich@theleadernews.com A deal was in place that would have given the Frank family $3.6 million for its property in the Heights. It was thwarted in part by a group of homeowners that want the land – which includes a vacant commercial building and adjoining vacant lots – to be used for other single-family houses instead of an apartment complex. The latter use was the plan by Chicago-based Brinshore Development, which entered into a contract for the land last December and earmarked it for at least 60 affordable housing units.
“They want single-family there. They may get a couple double-wides for rent.” -Mike Frank
That deal fell through, partly because Brinshore failed in its bid to receive federal housing tax credits through the state of Texas and also because nearby homeowners succeeded in securing an ordinance from the City of Houston that requires undeveloped land in the area to be used for single-family residences. Mike Frank, whose family estate owns the See SMLSA P. 9A
Photo by Adam Zuvanich The property at the northeast corner of 4th Street and Columbia Street has been the subject of an ongoing dispute.
Everything you need. Right in Greater Heights. To schedule an appointment or check in online, visit memorialhermann.org/ccc or call 713.222.CARE. 1431 Studemont Street Houston, TX 77007 I-10 at Studemont