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Former Hamilton PTO head charged with theft By Adam Zuvanich azuvanich@theleadernews.com A former president for the Hamilton Middle School Parent Teacher Organization has been accused of stealing thousands of dollars from the Heights nonprofit organization, according to Harris County court records. Candlelight Park resident William Jaudon, 49, was arrested earlier this month and charged with felony ag-
William Jaudon
gregate theft after allegedly making nearly $24,000 in unauthorized withdrawals from the PTO’s bank account, according to court records. Court documents show that current PTO president Oscar Gonzales told a Houston ISD Police Department detective that Jaudon served as president from May 2018 through May 2019, and the unauthorized withdrawals were alleg-
edly made between June 1, 2018, and July 31, 2019. The PTO’s bank account had a balance of approximately $29,000 when Jaudon took over as president but had dwindled to about $2,100 when his term ended, according to court records. Jaudon’s arrest followed a Feb. 7 investigate report by KHOU about missing money at the PTO, which is a nonprofit that operates independently from HISD
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INSIDE. Photo courtesy of Mike Daily Heights native Mike Daily, the steel guitar player for George Strait’s Ace in the Hole Band, performs at last year’s Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo.
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Line starts here. To wait in line or not to wait in line? Zarah Parker answers the question.
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s rodeo season begins in Houston and our attention turns toward some of the greatest musical acts to come through town, read the story of how George Strait and his Ace in the Hole Band made their first recording at a studio in the Heights. The family of Strait’s steel guitar player had a key role.
See Full Story, Page 1B
Photo by Adam Zuvanich Mike Daily stands in front of the former Doggett studio at 1045 Studewood St. while holding a record made there.
It doesn’t matter who ends up being on the ballot in November. If a “D” is next to their name and they’re running for President of the United States, they will have earned the vote of Alejandro Hirschfeld. “We have to Sanders defeat (Donald) Trump,” Hirschfeld said, “and I‘ll vote for whoever that candidate is.” The Shady Acres resident still has a favorite in the Democratic primary, and he made his pick Tuesday by voting early ahead of ElecKlobuchar tion Day on Tuesday, March 3. Hirschfeld said he voted for Joe Biden, who served as Barack Obama’s vice president from 2009-17. An unofficial exit poll of area residents who voted early Tuesday afternoon at Resurrection Metropolitan CommuBiden nity Church, located in Timbergrove Manor at 2025 W. 11th St., revealed that the people of Near Northwest Houston lean Democratic. That same was true during the last few elections. The sampling of voters who spoke to The Leader also showed that area Democrats have mixed feelings about who should be the party’s nominee to take on the Republican incumbent Trump in November’s general election. Three of the seven voters said they support Bernie SandSee Democrats P. 6A
Harvard students get hands on with oil and gas By Zarah Parker zarah@theleadernews.com
Match made in a tent. The annual rodeo cookoff helped a Heights couple fall in love.
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THE INDEX. Calendar/Church............................... 5A Classifieds.............................................. 4B Coupons................................................... 6A Food/Drink/Art................................... 7A Obituaries............................................... 5A Opinion..................................................... 4A Public Information......................... 2A Puzzles...................................................... 4A Sports......................................................... 8A
Toppling Trump paramount for area Democrats By Adam Zuvanich azuvanich@theleadernews.com
Jason Knebel (713)232-9712
Can’t beat beets. A local dessert business is capitalizing on foods grown by area students.
and the Hamilton campus at 139 E. 20th St. Gonzales told KHOU that he analyzed the PTO’s bank statements after becoming president. “That’s where I discovered that all the funds were missing, almost everything,” Gonzales told KHOU. “It makes me very angry, upset, disappointed.” According to court records, Jaudon is out on bond and has his next court date April 17.
Photo by Zarah Parker Harvard Elementary School students take part in one of the Mobile Oilfield Learning Unit activity stations on campus Monday.
Amazement shined in the eyes of one fifth grader who was taking a closer look at microorganisms. On the other side of the room, another laughed as she operated a robotic arm. The two students, plus dozens of others in their grade, were able to receive a unique STEM experience on Monday at Harvard Elementary School, 810 Harvard St. They got to spend an hour-and-a-half with a Mobile Oilfield Learning Unit (MOLU), a hands-on exhibit containing six stations that taught kids about energy, technology and scientific methods used in the oil and natural gas industry. “We take the oil field to the classroom,” said Sandra Mourton, the executive director at the Oilfield Energy Center. The MOLU is brought to a school for a day. Each MOLU has six stations and four activities, providing 24 oil-and-gas-related activities for the kids to enjoy. “It’s geared toward fifth graders because it complements their curriculum,” Mourton
said. “It’s learning while doing, rather than just a textbook. They touch and play and get more of a feel for it. Reading needs to be done, too, in cognizant with the on hands.” The MOLU that made a stop at Harvard is one of three the Oilfield Energy Center uses to expose students to the industry. The other two are currently in different states. The cost to have a MOLU at the school is $1,500, but Mourton said usually the visit is sponsored. The stop at Harvard was part of a 50-school tour across Texas, all sponsored by the Texas Oil and Gas Association (TXOGA). The MOLU is on its seventh week of the 10week tour across the state. “Increasingly so the oil and natural gas industry is high tech and innovative and we need to spark that interest and that passion as early as we can so we can fill those jobs in the future,” said Caroline Conte, the director for community affairs at TXOGA. “There’s nothing more important than giving back to our students and our communities.” Both the Oilfield Energy Center and TXOGA hope to enlighten students to how much the oil and gas industry impacts our everySee MOLU P. 5A
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