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Saturday, December 7, 2019 • Vol. 64 • No. 48
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Catholics offended by black mass at Brash By Adam Zuvanich azuvanich@theleadernews.com
Part of the event’s purpose was to unveil bottles of a new beer. It also benefitted two animal rescue groups, which received hundreds of dollars in cash donations as well as food, toys and cleaning products for pets. One of the people who visited Brash Brewing Company on the night of Nov. 23 described it as a “very welcom-
ing, very upbeat and happy environment.” But to Oak Forest resident Natalie Phillips, along with fellow Catholics in the Houston area and beyond, what took place at the popular local brewery was an abomination. A spokesperson for The Satanic Temple Houston said the religious organization was invited by the brewery to perform a black mass – coinciding with the sale of bottles of Black Masses, the name of
Photo by Adam Zuvanich A black mass recently was held at Brash Brewing Company.
an imperial coffee milk stout brewed by Brash. The black mass ritual is considered to be a mockery of a Catholic Mass, a ceremony that is sacred to one of the world’s most prominent faiths. “This really, really shocked me,” Phillips said. “To have a black mass and desecrate something that means so much to so many people, that’s pretty hateful.” The specifics of the black mass held at Brash, which
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uses demonic imagery and language in its marketing and incorporates the anarchy symbol in its logo, are unclear. Laura Winningham of The Satanic Temple Houston, an 11-month-old chapter of a national organization based in Salem, Massachusetts, declined to provide details about the ritual. But Winningham said no humans or animals were See Brash P. 7A
Kennedy gets conservative support in runoff vs. Kamin By Adam Zuvanich azuvanich@theleadernews.com
Jason Knebel (713)232-9712
free online learning platform that Price said she has utilized for about 10 years while teaching at Hamilton. Her class completed an EverFi course called Character Playbook, which is sponsored by the NFL and United Way and teaches students about character and relationship development, avoiding peer pressure and serving others. EverFi selected participating
Shelley Kennedy calls herself a “through-and-through Democrat.” Through the course of campaigning for a seat on the Houston City Council, however, she has leaned over the aisle and made friends on the political right. Kennedy, who is in a runoff with fellow Democrat Abbie Kamin for the District C seat being vacated by Mayor Pro Tem Ellen Cohen, said she has been endorsed by two of the Republicans in the original ElecKennedy tion Day field of 13 candidates. Those endorsers are Greg Meyers and Mary Jane Smith, who finished third and fourth, respectively, on Nov. 5. “What they were looking Kamin for is inclusion,” Kennedy said. “They want to be included at the table, at the city council table that’s representing them. They find me to be the most inclusive.” Kennedy, a Garden Oaks resident, might need as many allies as posRead about the sible to beat Karunoff candidates min, the Heightsfor District II on area resident who the HISD board of received more trustees than twice as many votes as any other Page 7A candidate on Election Day. The civil rights attorney appeared on 31.8 percent of the 37,641 ballots cast, while Kennedy was second with 14.5 percent of the vote. Kamin said she is not resting on those results during the runoff. Early voting for the runoff lasts through Dec. 10, with the final voting day scheduled for Dec. 14. “We’re not taking any voter for granted,” Kamin said. “I’m going back
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INSIDE. Photo by Adam Zuvanich Houston Texans center Greg Mancz, center, helped Hamilton Middle School students such as Jisela Cobian, left, decorate holiday gift bags for residents of the Heights Home retirement community on Tuesday.
Texans assist Hamilton students with service project By Adam Zuvanich azuvanich@theleadernews.com Shift on Shepherd. The mix of businesses on North Shepherd Drive continues to evolve.
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Magical meals. We review Aladdin Mediterranean Grill, a popular eatery on 34th Street.
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Back home. Former Heights residents John and Rebecca Stoll are back to play music.
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Alyn Ortega already liked the Houston Texans, but she didn’t know what they were like in person. The Hamilton Middle School student found out Tuesday afternoon, when three players from her hometown NFL team paid a visit to campus and interacted with her and several of her classmates. Now Ortega likes the Texans, and especially reserve running back Buddy Howell, even more. “I thought he would be different. I thought he wouldn’t be that nice,” Ortega said. “He was pretty cool.” Howell and two of his Texans teammates, reserve wide receiver DeAndre Carter and backup center Greg Mancz, visited with about 60 students in Natalie Price’s principals of information technology class and helped them complete a holiday-themed community service project. They filled and decorated gift bags and then delivered them to Heights Home, a retirement complex
Photo by Adam Zuvanich Hamilton Middle School student Alyn Ortega, right, sits next to Houston Texans running back Buddy Howell on Tuesday in the campus cafeteria.
across the street. Mancz helped with the decorations, Carter assisted the students in writing and illustrating cards and Howell helped put the finishing touches on the gift bags. “My Santa Claus doesn’t look very good, but I’m trying my best,” Carter said. “I’m not the artistic type, but I’m having fun with it.” The arrangement was the result of a partnership between the NFL, United Way and EverFi, a
Angels for Aidan aim to lift up cancer-stricken families By Betsy Denson betsy@theleadernews.com
THE INDEX. Calendar/Church............................... 5A Classifieds.............................................. 4B Coupons................................................... 6A Food/Drink/Art................................... 3B Obituaries............................................... 5A Opinion..................................................... 4A Public Information......................... 2A Puzzles...................................................... 4A Sports......................................................... 7B
Contributed photo Aidan McSpadden, whose parents live in Oak Forest, died at age 3 in 2012 after a battle with acute myeloid leukemia.
Aidan McSpadden died seven years ago, but his memory is as strong as ever thanks to the family who loves and misses him. When Oak Forest couple Jared and Kelli McSpadden lost their 3-year-old son to acute myeloid leukemia in May 2012, they knew they wanted to give back to the cancer community that had helped sustain them. Now they serve on the board of an organization that is putting on a Santa Dash this Saturday, Dec. 7 at the Pearland Town Center to raise funds for a number of pediatric cancer care initiatives.
“We’ll have hot cocoa and snow and photos with Santa,” Jared McSpadden said. “There will be open registration the morning of the race for anyone who wants to come out.” Teams and individuals can participate in a 5K or 10K, and there will also be a handful of children’s races, which get shorter in length as the kids do. Proceeds benefit B.I.G Love Cancer Care Services, a nonprofit, volunteerbased organization committed to providing basic necessities and personalized care to child cancer patients and their families. The McSpaddens were introduced to B.I.G See Angels P. 8A
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