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Saturday, April 18, 2020 • Vol. 65 • No. 16
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Contributed photo Garden Oaks resident and nurse Sherry Chavez, second from left, and her children were thanked by neighbors on April 10.
The director of critical care for the Houston Methodist Hospital system said the community should express gratitude to its doctors and nurses – and their families – who face daily risks during the COVID-19 pandemic. A group of Garden Oaks residents recently did just that, showing their appreciation for a Houston Methodist nurse who lives in their neighborhood. Before dawn on the morning
Cooped Up
of April 10, more than 20 Garden Oaks residents gathered in front of the home of Sherry Chavez as she was leaving for her shift at an emergency care center in Southwest Houston. They surprised Chavez and her children by cheering for her, displaying pompoms and personalized posters, giving her food she could take to work and, above all, saying thank you. “I thought, ‘Sherry definitely deserves that, and so do all the healthcare professionals and so do all the first responders
on the front line,” said Garden Oaks resident Shellye Arnold, who organized the sendoff. “I know Sherry. She is very selfless in what she does.” Dr. Faisal Masud, who oversees the eight intensive care units in the Houston Methodist system, said treating COVID-19 patients has been “very exhausting” for the hospitals’ staffs. They are combatting an upper-respiratory disease that is new to the human species, encountering gravely ill patients who must be separatSee Hospitals P. 8A
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Contributed photo St. Pius X High School senior Babette Bright leaps into a jumping pit at a track and field meet.
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Bright future on track? St. Pius X athlete uncertain about career after shortened season By Landan Kuhlmann landan@theleadernews.com
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She recently planted two gardens in the sun-splashed parts of her property – one in the front yard and one along the side of her house – where beans, cucumbers, eggplant, okra, peppers, squash, spinach and tomatoes are in the process of growing. “It’s all within the square footage of my house that I’m going to be providing this food,” Mongeon said. “That is just a really satisfying feeling.” Since March 9, two days before the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo was cut short because of concerns about the spread of COVID-19, Mongeon said the only times she’s left her home is to visit Wabash Feed & Garden at 4537 N. Shepherd
When Babette Bright walked off the track at St. Agnes Academy on March 12, she had no idea it would be for the final time this year. More than a month later, the St. Pius X High School senior has little clarity on what her future holds in track and field -- or if she may have sprinted through the finish line for the last time. Soon after last month’s meet, the Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools (TAPPS) announced that school sporting events and other extracurricular activities throughout Texas had been suspended because of the COVID-19 pandemic. All schools in the state are closed until at least May 4 per an executive order by Gov. Greg Abbott, effectively ending high school sports for the 2019-20 school year. Bright, who was part of two medal-winning relay teams at last year’s TAPPS state meet, is still debating where to go to college next year and hopes to continue running track. She does not have any scholarship offers. “It’s been really weird not having anything to do. My mom and I were just trying to see what we could do to help myself in this situation, because I really want to run track in college,” said Bright, who is considering Houston Baptist University, West Texas A&M and Texas A&M at Corpus Christi as potential options. She has competed at the varsity level as a short-distance sprinter for the Panthers since her freshman year, and added the long jump to her repertoire this year in efforts to become a more well-rounded athlete. But she’s not getting the chance to display her athleticism. “Without having this season, it’s going to be really hard to show other coaches that I can run at that level,” Bright said. “It’s really disappointing to see everything was suspended and I couldn’t compete anymore.” As the cancellation has set in, Bright has
See Cooped, P. 8A
See Bright, P. 8A
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Man missing. Remigio Maldonado, 75, was reported missing from the area on Monday.
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Contributed photo Maxine Mark, the 1-year-old daughter of Oak Forest residents David and Kaitlyn Mark, plays with the three chickens the family keeps in its backyard. Raising chickens has become a growing trend among area residents.
Area residents bringing farm life to big city By Adam Zuvanich azuvanich@theleadernews.com
That sounds cool. Waltrip’s jazz band earned the right to perform with a Grammy winner.
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Creative craft. Local breweries are thinking outside the box during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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THE INDEX. Church....................................................... 4A Classifieds.............................................. 5A Coupons. ................................................. 3B Food/Drink/Art................................... 1B Obituaries.............................................. 7A Opinion. ................................................... 3A Public Information......................... 2A Puzzles...................................................... 3A
Bridgette Mongeon is not taking any chances. The professional sculptor and grandmother from Kentwood Manor said she is at risk for serious complications from COVID-19, both because of her age and her chronic lung problems, so she’s going to great lengths to avoid contracting the upper-respiratory disease caused by the new coronavirus strain. For the most part, that means Mongeon isn’t going anywhere or interacting with anyone – not even her 7-yearold granddaughter. She still relies on others and especially for food, with delivery service from Kroger and Imperfect Foods providing everything she needs for
Contributed photo A customer checks out the plants at Wabash Feed & Garden.
sustenance. But if all goes according to plan, Mongeon will be more selfsufficient in the coming months.
Local ‘Spider Lady’ enjoys getting cozy with critters By Betsy Denson betsy@theleadernews.com
While many in the area know Kristen Barnett as the “Spider Lady,” it would also be correct to call her the Snake Lady, the Bird Lady, the Reptile Lady or the Millipede Lady. The Forest West resident is building up a reputation as the go-to person when you find an unusual critter in your yard – and don’t want to touch it. “My parents were animal loving,” Barnett said. “I grew
up in Puerto Rico and we had snakes (and) a 6-foot iguana. My dad had a baby alligator at one point. My mom was a bird breeder. They didn’t want me to be afraid of anything.” As a speech communication major in college, Barnett could have taken a different path when she moved to Houston. But a job as an assistant to an exotic veterinarian got her happily, and permanently, sidetracked. “He was an avian specialist and handled all kids
of exotics,” Barnett said. “I learned a lot about nighthawks and falcons.” Once Barnett had a son, she quit the vet for a more flexible gig as a pet sitter. But her social media posts – both about her own collection of creatures, including tarantulas, millipedes, screaming cockroaches and a praying mantis, as well as her answers to other people’s questions – got her a lot of additional, unpaid, work. See Spider, P. 8A
Contributed photo Forest West resident Kristen Barnett, pictured with one of her tarantulas, has gained a reputation for helping neighbors with their unwanted guests.
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