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March 12 Section ATRANSCRIPT
Covering the Heights, Garden Oaks, Oak Forest & the neighborhoods of North HoustonSaturday, March 12, 2016 • Vol. 62 • No. 11
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Contributed Photo by Garen OhanianReagan alumni look through books, newspapers, yearbooks and other keepsakes during a Reagan Red Coat reunion last weekend.
Shepherd Forest residents angry at CenterPoint tree removal
By Jonathan [email protected]
A group of residents in Shepherd Forest are bemoaning the loss of trees behind their property, saying that a re-cent tree removal by Centerpoint En-ergy has led to more light and sound pollution from surrounding businesses. However officials say that what hap-pened is necessary to fall in line with new requirements for transmission lines.
Shepherd Forest resident Jennifer Woodruff said that a contractor de-stroyed a significant portion of the greenbelt in the energy company-con-trolled easement late last week, leav-ing some living along West 31st Street with more questions than answers. The easement in question sits between Ella Boulevard and North Shepherd Drive and stretches over Alba Road.
Woodruff said she returned to her home last Friday and saw half the trees were gone. She said not only is there greater noise from the adjacent West 34th Street, but bird nests and other homes for wildlife were also de-
Mayor Sylvester Turner held a special summit for law enforcement leaders across the area last week to discuss how to best maximize cooperation and utilize resources as staffing issues continued to loom over the Houston Police De-partment. Find out some of what was discussed at the summit as The Leader sits down with Harris County Precinct One Constable Alan Rosen.
INSIDe.
All For One
Find it on 2A
Find it on 6B
Photo by Jonathan GarrisStudents at Houston Christian High School took turns painting and fixing up a group of homes belonging to elderly residents in Independence Heights.
Reagan Red Coats take walk down memory laneBy Kim Hogstrom
For the Leader
Last weekend, about 350 alumni women from the Reagan High School drill and dance team, the Reagan Red Coats, met for a reunion luncheon in the school’s cafeteria to dine and sing in celebration of the 90th year of the team.
Founded in 1926, many representatives from the Red Coats attended, with graduates spanning the past 79 years. Eight of the women in attendance were in their 90s. There were
graduates from classes in the 1940s, 50s, 60s, 70s and many from the 1980s.
A particularly interesting element at the luncheon was an exhibit of Red Coat uniforms through the years; it was a fascinating col-lection of headgear, pom-poms, skirts, shirts, dresses and shoes starting with the 1940s through today. The Red Coats have morphed over 90 years, from a pep squad and drill team, to a drum and bugle corp, to a dance team. The uniforms changed several times each decade to reflect current fashions or the new assign-
ments of the team. Today’s Red Coats wear
a beautiful cloak of maroon and gold on the top, short skirts, cowboy hats, and boots, and have won numer-ous awards for their perfor-mances. Although the styles have changed dramatically over 90 years, the name of the organization has not. Notably, for the first time in history, today there is a young man on the team.
Reagan Red Coat Vicki Schmid Faulkner graduated from Reagan in 1967 and
See Reagan P. 3A
teenagers lend helping hands to elderly in Independence HeightsBy Jonathan Garris
Shelby Krummel, a junior at Houston Christian High School, said she was more than happy to join about 140 other fellow students in Independence Heights last week to help fix up homes belonging to the elderly. In fact, commu-nity service like this has been something of a pastime.
“My dad and I have been doing these kinds of projects since I was about 6 years old,” Krummel said.
That’s because Krummel’s father is on the board of Re-building Houston Together, an organization providing “free repair and renovation programs for elderly low-income, dis-abled and service-veteran homeowners in need.” Each year, her high school designates a week as Missions Emphasis Week with outreach programs including Community Ser-vice Day, which was held this year on March 2.
Krummel approached school officials at the start of the year for a partnership with Rebuilding Together for the Community Service Day and months later over 140 juniors
with HCHS came out to help five homes in Independence Heights.
Julie Mintzer, communications and advancement man-ager, said the benefits went beyond simply repainting and fixing up a few homes for those in need. These activities teach teenagers that community service is something that people can participate in throughout their entire lives.
“It connects them to people who need a lot of help,” Mintzer said. “Home repairs sometimes go to the last thing on the list of what the elderly need and connecting the stu-dents to people in need is a big part of what we’re doing here.”
According to a press release, the one day project is part of Rebuilding Together Houston Super Impact 17, the orga-nization’s first major fundraising campaign.
“The goal is to raise in excess of a half-million dollars which will be of critical importance as the organization seeks to rebuild 500 homes, through February 2017 as a
Contributed PhotoSome residents living in Shepherd For-est aren’t pleased about the removal of trees behind their homes.
See Trees P. 3A
A Heights-area youth baseball team is beginning to make waves on both the state and the national level. Read in this week’s Sports about the Houston Crushers and their passion for baseball, winning and all things community.
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See Rebuilding P. 3A
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police Reports • Feb. 28 - March 5
Feb. 28Theft 12 PM 900-999 N LOOP
WBurglary 6:50 P 1400-1499 N
LOOPTheft 4:31 AM 1400-1499 W
25THTheft 3 PM 5200-5299 DARLINGTheft 1:28 PM 200-299 S
HEIGHTS BLVD Theft 1:20 PM 200-299 ROYTheft 6 PM 900-999 LAWRENCETheft 2 PM 5100-5199 LARKIN Burglary 3 PM 1300-1399
BONNERTheft 10:06 AM 1900-1999 W
T C JESTERTheft 8 AM 1700-1799 WEBER
Feb. 29Theft 2:12 AM 2300-2399 N
SHEPHERDTheft 7:45 AM 4300-4399
JULIANTheft 2 PM 2200-2299 BEVISTheft 8 AM 2600-2699 ELLATheft 10:30 AM 3100-3199 T C
JESTERAssault 3:05 AM 900-999 GLENTheft 12 PM 2000-2099
SINGLETONBurglary 7 AM 1500-1599
CORDELLBurglary 4:15 PM 100-199 YALE
Theft 3:04 AM 5400-5499 INKER
Theft 2 PM 500-599 DETERINGAssault 4:30 PM 100-199
DETERINGTheft 3 PM 3200-3299 MAN-
GUMBurglary 2:10 AM 1400-1499
OXFORDTheft 10:23 AM 2300-2399
RADCLIFFE
MARch 1Theft 11:13 AM 900-999 N
LOOP W
Burglary 7:45 AM 500-599 W CROSSTIMBERS
Burglary 6:45 AM 900-999 BYRNE
Theft 6:03 PM 2500-2599 HOUSTON AVE
Theft 5:30 AM 3100-3199 MANGUM
Burglary 2:49 AM 7400-7499 N SHEPHERD
Theft 6:20 AM 5200-5299 W 34TH
Theft 9:27 AM 5100-5199 MILWEE
Theft 3:30 PM 1600-1699 WOODCREST
Theft 7:01 PM 800-899 N SHEPHERD
Assault 9:50 AM 4200-4299 SHERWOOD
Burglary 1:27 PM 10900-10999 NORTHWEST FWY
Theft 7:01 PM 1100-1199 W 9TH
Burglary 1 PM 1100-1199 W 17TH
Theft 7:54 AM 1500-1599 N LOOP W
Theft 1 PM 5000-5099 YALETheft 8:34 AM 2300-2399 W
18THTheft 10:50 AM 2600-2699
KARBACH
MARch 2Theft 3 AM 800-899 E 26THTheft 9:30 AM 900-999 N LOOP
W Theft 7:23 AM 1000-1099
NASHUABurglary 3 AM 600-699 E 38THTheft 10 PM 1700-1799 E T C
JESTERTheft 5:50 PM 500-599 W
CROSSTIMBERS Theft 2:47 AM 5000-5099 YALETheft 12 PM 6800-6899 WYN-
NWOODTheft 12:51 AM 200-299 E
33RD
Robbery 6:06 AM 1000-1099 W 20TH
Theft 2 PM 1400-1499 N LOOP W
Theft 3:27 AM 4300-4399 ELITheft 2:45 PM 0-99 HEIGHTS
BLVD Robbery 2 PM 100-199 E
CROSSTIMBERS Theft 3 PM 900-999 DURHAM
DRTheft 6:28 AM 1200-1299 W
LOOP NAssault 9:16 AM 4500-4599
DACOMATheft 5:34 PM 2500-2599 N
LOOP W
MARch 3Theft 8:45 AM 100-199 CONOLYTheft 5:30 PM 1100-1199
SHEPHERDTheft 10:50 AM 1100-1199
SHEPHERDTheft 1:30 PM 3600-3699
WASHINGTONBurglary 12 PM 2100-2199 E
GOVERNORS CIRTheft 1:04 PM 4000-4099 W
34THTheft 12:01 AM 2200-2299
SILVERRobbery 12:54 PM 6000-6099
N SHEPHERDTheft 1:04 AM 3200-3299 E
CROSSTIMBERSTheft 3:41 PM 1100-1199 YALETheft 3:30 PM 1100-1199
SHEPHERD
MARch 4Theft 12 PM 2400-2499 N
SHEPHERDTheft 5:56 AM 900-999 N LOOP
WBurglary 6:10 AM 300-399 E
8THTheft 2:30 AM 1000-1099
PINEMONTAssault 5:49 PM 3100-3199
MANGUMBurglary 9 PM 400-499 W 26THTheft 3:15 PM 3400-3499
WHITE OAK
Theft 8:45 AM 1400-1499 N LOOP W
Burglary 9:59 PM 100-199 WHITNEY
Theft 2:09 PM 1500-1599 N LOOP W
Theft 3:45 PM 4100-4199 WASHINGTON
Theft 2:11 AM 100-199 T C JESTER
Burglary 12 PM 4200-4299 DACOMA
MARch 5Theft 7:17 AM 1900-1999 W
15THTheft 2:10 PM 900-999 N LOOP
W Theft 7:37 AM 600-699 CO-
LUMBIATheft 4:30 PM 3400-3499
WHITE OAK
Reports are provided by Spot-Crime.com based on data from the Houston Police Department.
by Jonathan [email protected]
Local law enforcement agencies are reminding any residents with outstanding war-rants to take care of them as soon as possible with the start of the 2016 Great Texas War-rant Round Up which began March 5.
Houston police and Harris County law officials will be hit-ting the streets throughout the month with lists provided by
the City of Houston Municipal Courts containing names and addresses of those still with outstanding warrants. Notices are also being sent to those with active warrants and infor-mation on how to clear them.
Harris County Precinct One Constable Alan Rosen said those who don’t take care of their warrant issues will leave law enforcement with no oth-er choice but to arrest them. There is also a risk of incurring other charges such as having
a vehicle towed if a person with an outstanding warrant is pulled over.
“It’s better for us and better for people to either come in or give us a call,” Rosen said. “I would much rather work with people than put them in jail.”
More information about war-rants or outstanding citations can be found at www.houston tx.gov/courts or by contacting the Houston Helpline at 3-1-1 or 713-831-0311.
Warrant Round Up begins throughout Texas
by Jonathan [email protected]
Despite the gloomy outlook for the city’s budget, the mood was a bit more positive among law enforcement last week af-ter Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner called a summit aimed at improving cooperation be-tween police entities across Harris County.
Among the agencies partici-pating in the summit included the Houston Police Depart-ment, the Harris County Con-stable’s Offices, Harris County Sheriff ’s Office and area school district and university police departments. Precinct One Constable Alan Rosen said this was the first meeting of its kind that he could think of in his three years in office and was excited about the meeting.,
“Any time we can collaborate within our law enforcement processes is a plus,” Rosen said. “It was an open forum where we had the chance to discuss impediments that outside agen-cies have with HPD and other issues.”
One of the strongest top-ics of discussion was focused on improving communication, Rosen said. HISD Police and other school agencies have had issues communicating with larger departments like HPD and districts are also looking at other ways to enhance cover-age in their areas.
“One idea that was floated at
the meeting was [school district police agencies] expanding their jurisdiction range around the boundaries of their respec-tive schools,” Rosen said.
Referring local or precinct agencies in lieu of a response from HPD had also been dis-cussed a the meeting.
“I discussed that, if we have a particular contract with de-putes working in areas like the Heights or Garden Oaks, and an alarm or call comes in to HPD, they can refer it to us as we already have an officer as-signed to that neighborhood,” Rosen said.
Rosen also said officials de-sired to see more collaboration among agencies during com-munity, county-wide and city-wide initiatives. While HPD faces complex issues regarding staffing over the next few years,
the general feeling at the meet-ing was one of finding ways to manage resources and supple-ment each individual agency.
“We also talked about how HPD just joined Harris County in the same computer system,” Rosen said. “Now Harris Coun-ty law enforcement agencies can communicate with HPD directly on the street.”
As an example, Rosen said photos or footage of suspects can be sent directly to other of-ficers from computers inside of patrol vehicles.
Rosen praised Turner for the summit and felt that now is as an important time as ever to keep all channels open between law enforcement agencies.
“We’re very appreciative of the mayor for doing this as it has been long overdue,” Rosen said.
Summit focuses on cooperation between law enforcement agents
Contributed Photoharris county law enforcement agencies participated in a summit aimed at improving communication among entities.
A statewide effort by the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission to identify retailers illegally selling alcohol to minors is now underway, with TABC agents conducting undercover visits to businesses along travel corridors from Texas cities to the coast.
The campaign is part of TABC’s annual Spring Break operations, which last year resulted in more than 900 Texas retailers visited by undercover agents. During the operation, TABC agents will ac-company a minor-aged volunteer who will attempt to purchase
alcohol. Retailers who sell alcohol to the underage person could face possible administrative ac-tion by TABC.
“Every Spring Break, we see a huge movement of young people from our urban areas toward our coasts,” said Chief Robert Saenz, TABC Chief of Field Operations. “This operation is designed to ensure our retailers are doing the right thing and refusing sales of alcohol to minors. Last year, more than 90 percent of retailers were found to be in full compliance, and I expect we’ll see similar
numbers this year.”According to data from the
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 26 people under age 21 died on Texas roads in alcohol-related accidents during the Spring Break period in 2014. Saenz said he hopes both retail-ers and their customers will put safety first in 2016.
For more information on TABC’s efforts to curb underage drinking, visit the Agency’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/TXABC.
TABC goes undercover for Spring Break
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helps organize the luncheon each year. She holds the mem-ories of her time with the Red Coats close to her heart.
“When we wore our uni-forms in the 1960s, they were modest, knee-length, pleated skirts with jackets, both made from wool,” Faulkner said. “There were days in Septem-ber when cheering the football team, that it would get really, really hot out there.”
The event was the 17th time the Red Coats have held their reunion luncheon. This year, it was catered by Shade on 19th St. in the Heights. Attendees
not only dined on fine fare, but “got to renew our life val-ues of loyalty, friendship, and honor gained as members of this Red Coat organization,” stated Faulkner.
Five Reagan Red Coat alumni spearhead the event each year – Marsha Good-wyn (1968), Sharon Sicinski Skeans (1976) Donna Wingo Mair (1967), Ms Faulkner, and adhoc adviser, Marialice Slater Hampton (1938).
“The luncheon is a lot of work,” said Marsha Goodwyn, “But I absolutely love doing it. It offers continuity for the com-
munity and an opportunity for us to stay in touch with friends for a lifetime. We all love it.”
With the re-designed Rea-gan High School cafeteria, the women chose the school itself for the luncheon this year. The cafeteria is large enough that attendees were encouraged to invite their daughters.
“Sharing memories with our families as well as other mem-bers from the community is a wonderful way for all of us to keep the team alive in our hearts,” Goodwyn said.
stroyed in the process.“Section 1 of Shepherd
Forest is where this easement essentially starts,” Woodruff said. “They cleared a path of trees not even close to the power lines and some of us feel it’s really unnecessary.”
However, Ken Coleman with Davey Tree Services, the con-tractor hired by CenterPoint, said what he was instructed to do was routine maintenance and the removal of some of the extra trees is due to new clearance requirements estab-lished by the North American Electric Reliability Corpora-tion.
“We ended up taking about
80 feet more of space to the south and 30 feet to the north,” Coleman said. “We’ll be leav-ing all the rest of the trees in that area but we did have to drop four or five trees that were substantial in size.”
Coleman said the larger clearance requirements for the transmission lines ex-tends throughout the entire right of way, which runs from the White Oak Substation to the Greens Bayou watershed. Coleman said he understands concerns, and says that he met with some of the homeowners regarding the maintenance, but emphasized that Center-Point owns the right of way in
that area right up to the fence lines for adjacent properties.
“They have a right to do what needs to be done,” Cole-man said. “We’re completing routine maintenance to bring this area up to code.”
However, Woodruff and others have said they would like CenterPoint to work with local organizations like Trees For Houston to ensure that proper care is taken of the ar-ea’s greenspaces. She hopes to hear back from State Rep. Jes-sica Farrar’s office to assist.
“We’re called Shepherd For-est for a reason,” Woodruff said. “We don’t want those trees removed.”
countdown to Super Bowl LI 2017 at NRG Stadium in Hous-ton,” the release states.
For the elderly, sometimes it can be overwhelming to see so many people ready and willing to help them out, Mintzer said, but it’s all a part of RBH’s mis-sion since 1982. In 2014 alone, the group supported nearly
400 home-repair projects in the Houston area.
“We are an orgnaization that always needs more vol-unteers,” Mintzer said. “we always want to bring people in and if anyone has any time to join us we would love to have them. At the end of the day you make a big change in
somebody else’s life.”Students like Krummel have
already had plenty of fun mak-ing such change a reality.
“I think it’s just a good op-portunity to come out and serve and I think it’s fun,” Krummel said.
Trees from P. 1A
Rebuilding from P. 1A
Reagan from P. 1A
Reagan High School Red Coat Reunion Luncheon organizers (from left to right): Marsha Goodwyn, Vicki Schmid Faulkner, Sharon Sicinski Skeans, and Donna Wingo Mair.
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The Topics.Saturday, March 12, 2016 • page 4A
What do you want first - the good news or the bad?Last week I got to attend my
first HISD State of the Schools event. I found it both very
inspiring and very depressing.HISD is the largest school district
in Texas and the seventh in the US and like all other large businesses – the business in this case runs 283 schools, educates 215,000 students, and employs nearly 30,000 people – it has its share of successes and failures.
We’ll start with the good stuff. I’m always a pushover for kids front and center sharing their own achieve-ments and there was plenty of that. The welcome was given by the Arabic Immersion Magnet School Principal Kate Adams and two cam-era ready five year olds who greeted us in Arabic.
We found out from the new board president Manuel Rodriguez, Jr. that by the 2016-2017 school year, one-third of HISD’s schools will have a dual language program. While most will have a Spanish focus – right now there’s Chinese and Arabic too – next year HISD will open Mark White Elementary School, a French-language immersion program, on the district’s west side.
A foursome from Jane Long Academy of Pharmacy Technology in Sharpstown took to the stage to talk about their experience at one of HISD’s seven Futures Academies where students fulfill high school graduation requirements while also getting their industry certifications, and some college credits. One of the students was understandably thrilled that she could pay her college tuition with her salary from Walgreens where she worked as a pharmacy tech.
Rodriguez also talked about the district’s EMERGE program, which
recruits talented kids from under-served communities and helps them through the college application process, including targeting top tier universities. I was familiar with it from meeting Waltrip High School’s Joey Hernandez last year. Thanks to EMERGE – as well as his own intel-lect and perseverance – he’s now at his dream school, Pomona College in Claremont, California, on a full scholarship.
There were other HISD highlights, among them: the number of students taking AP classes has hit an all-time district record, as has the number of students earning college credits from AP; the number of students taking the SAT is at an all-time high; last year’s seniors were offered $265 million in scholarships, a 227 percent increase from 2007; and, in recogni-tion of its Literacy by 3 initiative which is credited for the district’s 2 percent rise in third-grade reading scores, outpacing state gains, HISD recently received a first-place Magna Award from the National Association of School Boards.
Cue the violin music.After a message from outgoing Su-
perintendent Terry Grier, the interim Superintendent Kenneth Huewitt
took the stage. His aside to Greer as he took the podium was something to the effect of, ‘thanks - you’re leaving me with all these kids and no money.’
It’s great Huewitt is funny because he’s going to need a sense of humor in addition to the financial acumen he’s gained in a 20 year career in the audit and finance industries.
If you haven’t heard, HISD will face a $107 million shortfall next year as a result of the state’s school funding structure, which requires property-wealthy districts – or those with rising property values – to send local tax dollars back to the state as part of the so called Robin Hood rule. While nearly 80 percent of HISD students come from low-in-come communities, apparently we’re not bad off enough.
Listening to the rationale behind the money grab, I was reminded of Saturday Night Live’s spoof of the 1992 presidential debates where Phil Hartman/Bill Clinton defends his state: “I’m tired of the Bush campaign trying to portray my home state as some sort of primitive Third World country. The fact is, Arkansas did have a long way to go, but we’ve made progress. When I started as governor, we were fiftieth in adult literacy, and last year, I’m proud to say, we shot ahead of Mississippi. We’re #49, and we’re closing fast on Alabama. Watch out, Alabama - we got your number!”
I’ll admit – while Huewitt was talking, the selfish part of me was thinking about all the potential ways that the inevitable cuts would affect my kids. But I also absorbed his other message – that the kids who are going to suffer the most are those at the schools with less parent involvement, and as a consequence,
fewer resources. Huewitt said that in many cases,
neighborhood schools are stripped of a third of their brightest students, and most involved parents, leaving more of the students who have a profound need and no advocate. Huewitt said there are currently 58 HISD schools that do not meet state standard and while said he would not make excuses, he stressed that the inequity in resources was one factor in their underperformance. He talked about “choice done right.”
The proposed budget for next year would give campuses half as much for each gifted student, reduced to $211, while increasing the amounts for low-income or at-risk children by $88, to $352 per pupil, and for each homeless or refugee student from $500 to $704.
Outgoing Superintendent Terry Grier’s views about school choice were unpopular with many. He believed that if people sent their kids to their neighborhood school, then those schools would improve, and we wouldn’t all be chasing after admission to the select number of magnet schools with high scores and low teacher turnover. I can’t imagine there will ever come a time that HISD will end the school choice system – it’s too entrenched – but what’s the middle ground? I do not have an answer.
I do know this. It takes a great deal of administration, parent and community involvement, as well as time, to turn a school around – and everyone has to be on the same page. Travis Elementary did it back in the day. Black Middle School and Hogg Middle School are doing it now.
I’ve also learned a school doesn’t have to have an affluent population
to excel. In 2014, Field Elementary met all the standards that the TEA had set and also earned distinctions in reading, math and post-second-ary readiness. The Children at Risk organization gave the school its Gold Ribbon Award and ranked Field one of the top 15 percent of elementary schools in the state. This despite the fact that 90 percent of Field’s stu-dents are considered economically disadvantaged.
What they do have is a respected principal who has been there for more than 10 years and a small but growing group of passionate parents who give the gift of their time to the school.
And while a new school building is not the chicken that’s automatically going to lay the golden egg – Field doesn’t have one of those either – there are elementary schools in our area that desperately need new buildings. HISD has a responsibility to rectify any of the issues with the past mismanagement of the school bond funds which are currently rebuilding 40 schools in the district. When elementary school rebuilds come up on some future bond, vot-ers need to have confidence.
Huewitt is correct in saying that the potential for division is great as we move into the next school year. And, like him, I want every student to be able to share their HISD success story. But as he, and after him the new superintendent, move to implement their plans to equal the playing field, I expect complete transparency and fiscal responsibil-ity at the district level. Despite the fact we have a hand in selecting our trustees, many parents feel like shareholders without a vote. But we do have a voice. Parents – now’s the time to use it.
Betsy Denson
THE VOTING BOOTH – You can vote the straight tea party ticket in the primaries, same in the general elections where the candidates’ names sport an R for righteous, re-ligious and – in the case of several -- ridiculous. That’s what I was told to do, time and again, and who can ar-gue with Karl Rove when he’s backed by the IRS? You see, in one of the strangest decisions ever made by our beloved tax collectors, they ruled that Crossroads GPS, the dark-money machine of Karl Rove, is a tax-exempt “social welfare” organiza-tion.
Before you get all worked up over what might ap-pear, as The New York Times thundered, “a farcical abuse of common sense and the American taxpayer,” we must consider the entire farcical abuse. And see how little this matter is costing the rest of us compared to, say, a Maz-aratti. It all began when the Supreme Court freed cor-porations and unions from political spending limits in the infamous Citizens Unit-ed case. GOP Presidential candidate Mitt Romney ex-plained, “Corporations are people, too.” The reply from some wag was: “I’ll believe corporations are people when Texas executes one.”
The ruling, aka the Koch Brothers Hidden Hand De-cision, completely changed the way we run elections in this country, allowing donors to give as much money to any candidate or candidates without the voters know-ing who gave how much to whom. For their part, our elected leaders can be on the dole from the Mafia or ISIS and we’ll never know. One suggestion was that members of Congress should show up for work dressed like NAS-CAR drivers, wearing over-alls with patches showing the names of their sponsors, instead of Bud and Tundra, listing Soros and Adelman.
This brings us to section 501(c)(4) of the tax code – I know you’ve been ask-ing about it -- dealing with nonprofit organizations and who qualifies. This is im-portant because donations made to these organizations are deductible to the full ex-tent of the law as charitable contributions. But the IRS flatly states: “The promo-tion of social welfare does not include direct or indirect participation or intervention in political campaigns on behalf of or in opposition to any candidate for public of-fice.” However, it “may en-
gage in some political activi-ties, so long as that is not its primary activity.” Apparently the strings attached to this money are not purse strings.
The operations of Rove, the Republicans’ fomenter of dirty money and slimy cam-paigns, are clearly promoting “direct and indirect interven-tion in political campaigns,” including political fund-rais-ing and fund-dispenser. His group has spent $330 million on election ads and candidate support since it was created in 2010, to Republicans. This money came from, well, we don’t know. Even so, Cross-roads GPS applied to be rec-ognized as a “social welfare” organization, and the IRS agreed. The ruling, quietly made in November, was only exposed in February by the Center for Responsive Poli-tics.
Less you Dems get all condescending and preachy, your man Barack Obama, ran on a platform of fight-ing against dirty money and sneaky campaign contribu-tions, but then forgot about it. This time around, Bernie (Free Tuition) Sanders is sticking to small, transpar-ent donations, but Hillary is in deep with Super PACs. The GOP crop of candidates won’t even talk about it. Another point: If Karl Rove can spend $330 million then it stands to reason that he brought in that much, and doesn’t pay taxes on that money. So you and I have to make up the difference. Does that seem fair?
OK, so what’s the solution? Simple. If we can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em. We do the same thing, but instead of Cross-roads GPS, we’ll call our organization Double Cross-roads IOU. We take in funds from any billionaire, million-aire or drug lord needing a secret friend in high places -- like the Oval Office – and promise to pass the funds along eventually, if you get my drift.
To satisfy the IRS tax laws, we need cover, so we open an airport. I’m not kidding. We qualify as a social wel-fare group if we operate “an airport that serves the gen-eral public in an area with no other airport, and is on land
owned by a local govern-ment.” We lease 2,000 remote acres from Pecos County and outfit the cactus and sand for night drops from Mexico. (See “drug lords” above) Or we can work to improve residential parking, publish a free community newspa-per; sponsor a community sports league, hold holiday programs or an annual festi-val of regional customs and traditions. We are not tax dodgers. We are festival en-trepreneurs sponsoring the 1st Annual Waco Croatian-Tibetan Fair. Want to polka
to a monk’s chants? We can only wonder how
many tax-evading groups are using this embarrassingly transparent dodge. I’d love to see a list. Certainly those numbers will grow, once word gets out that you are exempted from most, if not all, federal taxes by claiming that you have contracts with a private security service to patrol the community. That qualifies too. At this point we can safely guess that not one single exemption was thought up by Congress. No, what happened was that lob-
byists for, say, airport con-tractors, festival sponsors and, obviously, the Koch brothers, made campaign contributions, and bingo!
And I’d like to know who sits on the IRS’s committee deciding which organiza-tions qualify and, again, how many dollars you and I have to give Uncle Sam to make up the difference. Fill out those forms and under the line, “End run around paying taxes,” write in: “Social wel-fare -- community associa-tion devoted to preserving the community’s traditions.”
If questioned, note section 501(c)(4) which specifically allows that exemption on community traditions, and explain: “It’s traditional in my neighborhood to put up lights at Christmas.”
Your annual federal in-come tax day is approach-ing, so while you sweat over ways to avoid paying the IRS all that money, just ask your-self, “What would Karl Rove do?”
Ashby is on welfare at [email protected].
Lynn
Ashby
Columnist
Tax season is when IRS eyes are smiling
SUDOKU
WORD SCRAMBLE
the leader Puzzlers.
aCrOss 1. Russian rulers (alt.
sp.) 6. Swedish krona 9. Apothecaries’ unit 13. MN 55121 14. Longer forearm
bone 15. Prosperous state of
well-being 16. Largest Czech city
(alt. sp.) 17. Moss genus larger
than Bryum 18. ____ Marie Presley 19. White native of
Cape Province 21. Took the same
position 22. About Sun 23. Respectful (abbr.) 24. Southeast 25. Rocket launching
platform 28. Stake 29. Innermost parts 31. Bowfin genus 33. Past it’s prime 36. Valleys on moon 38. Cheer 39. Abrupt response 41. Leave in disgrace 44. Israeli politician
Abba 45. Of an ecological
sere
46. Former Kansas Sen. Dole
48. Very fast airplane 49. Blood group 51. This moment 52. Body cavity 54. Patrician 56. Exposing to ridicule 60. Beowulf’s people 61. Gooseberry genus 62. Ali __ & the Forty
Thieves 63. A French abbot 64. In a way, nailed 65. His equation
predicted antimatter 66. Smaller quantity 67. Danish krone 68. Heartbeat
dOwn 1. Used for insect
sterilization 2. Arabian coffee cup 3. Culture medium & a
food gelling agent 4. Finger millets 5. Tin 6. More guileful 7. Tree gnarl 8. Force into place 9. Drawn 10. Sudden attack 11. Donkeys 12. George Gordon __ 14. Behaving in an
artificial way 17. Moundbird 20. Orange-brown
antelope 21. Flocks of mallards 23. Hall of Fame (abbr.) 25. Golf score 26. Friends (French) 27. Pickling herbs 29. In a way, dwelt 30. Pierces forcefully 32. Estranges 34. Shooting marble 35. Amounts of time 37. Register formally 40. Explosive 42. Kanza people, ____
Nation 43. Symbolize Shakti 47. Burdock seed
vessel 49. Wild sheep of
central Asia 50. Am. naturalist
Charles Wm. 52. A fencing sword 53. Romanian city
straddling the Cibin River
55. Small talks 56. Not well 57. Astronomer Sagan 58. Overgarments 59. Twist together 61. Radioactivity unit 65. Double play
Answers found in this week’s Classified section
Saturday, March 12, 2016 • Page 5A
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HISD priorities?Dear Editor: Last Saturday morning KHOU’s Sherry Wil-
liams was interviewing a couple who teach etiquette lessons to children. She made the profound statement the school teachers here should be teaching this to the students instead of trolling the campuses “for dates.”
Right on! Monday it was announced that a tutor had a 16 year old living with him for a week. Sadly, this isn’t all that exceptional. Run of the mill lately, in fact.
But a few bored members – and a politician – are hell-bent on renaming certain HISD schools; I guess that $200K emergency fund is burning holes in their collective pockets. Perhaps this fund would be better spent to screen for predatory teachers?
If HISD is truly ranked 47th, it sounds to me like we have the wrong personnel running the show.
And the politician? Someone suggested he may be pondering for support to take over a county job left open by an unfortunate recent death. His motivation is a mystery currently.
R. Lee Young
P.S. In my travels, I passed a William Sut-ton Elementary School. Google only shows bankrobber Willie Sutton. This offends me: change the name.
Name of a state representative of-fensive?
Dear Editor:All of this name change of our schools to
pacify many radicals to justify their egos is
absurd. Prohibition, women’s sufferage, the Civil War, Civil Rights all are part of our “his-tory” – we have learned and moved on. This is called progress! If this is allowed to contin-ue, our state representative should be made to change her name “Sheila Jackson Lee.” She has two confederate names which should also be offensive to our school ‘bored.’
Ray A. Bartula
HISD to consider changing name of Reagan High School
Dear Editor:I usually do not voice strong opinion on
this venue but I have very strong feelings about what took place at HISD board meeting recently. I just want to say thank you to a very special group of people who stood up in that meeting and fought for a very special event. This year is my 50 year reunion from a very special place – JOHN H. REAGAN HIGH SCHOOL in the Heights. Hooray to my fellow alumni who still have the fighting bulldog spirit! This movement to change the names of schools because the names offend some-one is ludicrous. Where will it stop? Those schools have been part of history since 1927. How come they are just now being thought racial? I remember standing on the front lawn of Reagan in 1965 when the buses brought the first negroes to the campus. What about those alumni of that era? Are you ashamed of your high school? Do YOU want this to happen to your school? I would pray that it will not happen.
Billie Forrest
The reader. Email us your letters: [email protected]
By Elizabeth [email protected]
Neighbors wish lifelong happi-ness to David Lorms and Andres Pineda, our neighbors in Oak For-est, who were married on Jan. 29th. Lorms, owner of Lorms Insurance Services and an involved supporter of our community’s schools and neighborhood fundraisers, has been offered an exciting opportunity by Farmers Insurance and the newly-weds are in the process of moving to Tacoma, WA.
Lorms’ father passed away in January after a struggle with Parkinson’s Disease and Lorms himself had a very serious health scare when he was diagnosed with diabetes, high blood pressure and kidney disease in September 2015. His doctor advised him a pivotal part of regaining his health would be to reduce the stress in his life and focus on healthy life changes.
Doctors always advise us to reduce stress, don’t they?! Unfor-tunately, I usually giggle - and then outright laugh. Well, doctor, which stressor should I reduce? Work? Cleaning my house? As if, right?
On the contrary, Lorms didn’t laugh; he was really thrown. As he worked to regain his health he reflected, thinking, “what do I want the rest of my life to look like?” And he said the answer was obvious.
Lorms’ gratitude for his career which has allowed him to help and give back is obvious, and he feels very fortunate for all the opportuni-ties he’s had and the people who have come into his life in the Leader community. At the same time, he al-lowed the stress of his job to affect his health and he realized he had to make some dramatic changes in order to take care of himself.
When asked what his favorite vol-unteering experience has been here, Lorms stated without hesitation, “Working with the schools.” His father was a high school industrial arts teacher (in Lorms’ own high school) and so Lorms grew up in that culture of teachers. The experi-ence built a strong appreciation for what teachers do – using their own resources and bringing joy to kids’ lives. Lorms created The Oaks Business Association (“TOBA”) and gathered numerous members of the business community (Garden Oaks, Oak Forest, Mangum Manor, Candlelight Oaks, Candlelight Es-tates, Candlelight Plaza, Shepherd Forest, Shepherd Park Plaza and surrounding neighborhoods). In late 2015, the TOBA Board named architect Greg Ryden, designer of Fire Station No. 13’s new building, as its new president.
Lorms, who will be training other Farmers Agents in sales and marketing strategies as well as working with community outreach
in Tacoma, was surprised to be honored with a coveted 2016 Hous-ton Grand Opera Ovation Award just a few weeks ago. The award honors Houston’s next generation of dynamic young leaders.
Pineda, an architect, and Lorms are overjoyed with these new personal and professional changes, and one of the prime reasons for their joy is they will be living near Lorms’ godchildren. Lorms has al-ready taken his goddaughter, Greer Brewer, on a funtabulous road trip this week to check out the Univer-sity of Montana, one of her choices for her college career. And that is just where he wants to be. Lorms said, “Thank you to all my friends and clients for their business and friendship. It has been a wonderful 10 years and I’ll miss everyone and my life in Houston.”
Junior Girl Scout Troop 24987 is completing their Bronze Award projects and needs your help. Group 1 is working on a project involv-ing swamp rabbits at the Houston Arboretum and Group 2 is con-structing a Little Free Library to be located at the Garden Oaks SPARK Park. They are in need of cardboard type egg cartons and books for all ages, gently used. Contact Sandra O’Guynn at [email protected] and she will let you know where to direct your donation.
Neighbors: Bidding farewell to a longtime neighbor
Page 6A • Saturday, March 12, 2016
Sunday services 10:00 & 11:30amSpanish Translationavailable at 11:30amwww.gethsemanelutheran.org LCMS
Maundy Thursday7:00pm with communion
Good Friday7:00pm
Easter Sunday7:00 am Sunrise Service
with communion9:15 am Children’s Celebration
10:00 am Easter Egg Hunt10:30 am with communion
4040 Watonga • 713-688-5227Rev. John Cain, Pastor
invites all to Easter worship
GethsemaneLutheran ChurCh
1245 Heights Blvd.GraceInTheHeights.org
March 20Palm Sunday Worship Service .......................10:45 AMMarch 24Holy Thursday Service ................................... 7:00 PMMarch 25Good Friday Tenebrae Service ........................ 7:00 PMMarch 27Easter Sunrise Service ....................................7:00 AMEaster Sunday Worship Service .....................10:45 AMEaster Egg Hunt ............................................12:00 PM
holy week
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Sunday Worship @ 11:00 am
Easter Egg Hunt(Easter Morning) @ 10:15 am
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Heightspc.org240 W 18th
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211 Byrne • www.holytrinityrec.org
• Wednesday, March 23 .............. 6:30 pm• Thursday, March 24 .................. 6:30 pm• Friday, March 25....................... 6:30 pm• Saturday, March 26 .................. 7:00 pm• Easter Sunday, March 27 Holy Communion at 8:15 am and 10:30 am
Hope and Reflection
Easter Worship GuideEaster celebrates God’s rais-
ing of his only son Jesus from the dead. His resurrection is our absolute guarantee that the cycle of despair, death and decay is broken once and for all. God has shown us the way that first Easter dawn. The resurrection of Jesus Christ is God’s way of telling that in the darkness, light will shine and conquer the darkness.
And so, even in the midst of deep struggles in life, when divine absence and silence is more palpable than presence, when life seems to bring prob-lems of Joban proportions, Easter is a stark reminder to smile because we have the divine assurance that death is not the last word.
When we are in dark, di-sastrous and depressing life
circumstances, well-meaning folks often tell us to face the facts and to be content with our lot because there is noth-ing more that can be done. They tell us to just adjust, to deal with it. But there is always more! We have only to remem-ber Easter. Such situations of life do not have to hold us, just as the tomb did not have the power to hold Jesus. Easter is our proof. Life, in a more glori-ous form, is the last word, for God always desires life, and more of it, for his children. God has the last laugh. And so, we laugh with God, even in the darkness. Easter gives us that reason to smile.
Thanks and have a great Easter, Fr Francis St. Joseph
Catholic Church (- 2014 reprint)
Dear Curious,FIV stands for Feline Immu-
nodeficiency Virus. This virus is typically spread from cat to cat via the close contact of infected and non-infected cats. It is normally spread via saliva and is typically not spread in urine or feces. It can also be transmitted from a mother cat to a kitten in utero or during nursing. FIV is not HIV, the virus that cause AIDS in people. You can’t be infected by FIV. An FIV positive cat is not a health threat to you or your family nor is an FIV positive cat contagious to your non-feline pets.
The good news is this: Cats that test positive for FIV can live long for a long time with no symptoms at all; however they do require some special care. FIV can be transmitted to other cats, usually through a bite. Therefore, FIV positive cats need to be kept indoors to avoid infecting other neighborhood cats. Most vets recommend that they need to live in a household as the only cat, or with other FIV
positive cats. Conversely, other veterinary professionals feel as though it’s safe to have an FIV positive and FIV negative cat living in the same household, as long as they get along well and don’t fight.
As for the care of your FIV positive kitty, vets have a few recommendations. Carolyn McDaniel, VMD, of Cornell College of Veterinary Medicine and the Cornell Feline Health Center, says, “Many veterinar-ians believe that the ideal diet for ‘healthy’ FIV-positive cats should be relatively high protein and low carbohydrate,” but she emphasizes tailoring the diet to each cat’s unique needs, which may change as the disease progresses. Also, your kitty should see the vet for a checkup twice a year (as opposed to once a year for healthy cats) and any illness that she incurs should be addressed immediately by your vet. FIV positive cats tend to experience respiratory problems more than healthy cats and a quick trip to the vet can help your cat feel better in no time.
Another common virus that af-fects cats is the Feline Leukemia Virus, which shares many of the same characteristics as the FIV virus. The primary route of transmission for both viruses is bite wounds, but FELV is more likely to also spread through close contact (e.g., mutual grooming or sharing food bowls and litter boxes) than is FIV. Pregnant females can pass both diseases to their offspring.
Feline Leukemia and FIV are both diagnoses that result in an immediate death sentence for cats in traditional shelters. FIV and Feline Leukemia cats can live perfectly happy lives, and they deserve to do so. Currently, Friends For Life (www.adopt-
friends4life.org) is one of the few local shelters who adopts out FIV and Feline Leukemia cats to the right household. Through the month of March, all Feline Leukemia cats’ adoption fees are covered at Friends For Life, thanks to a generous donor! There’s no excuse not to change the life of a sweet kitty.
Lastly, let us remember that even a “healthy” cat never comes with a “no sickness”
guarantee. The bottom line is when adopting any pet, with known medical problems or not, there is always the possibility of a health issues at any point in their life. The risk is almost always worth the reward, once you’ve fallen in love with that special kitty.
Do you have a question for Tabby? If so, email her at deart-abby [email protected].
RoyaltyPet Center
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Dear Tabby,What does it mean if a cat is FIV
positive? What limitations will this cat have and does it carry a disease that could harm my family?
Curious about FIV in Woodland Heights
I n M E M o r I a M
Scott Taylor Burge
March 29, 1983 - Feb. 21, 2016
Scott Taylor Burge gently left this life February 21, 2016
at his home in Grand Forks, North Dakota. A cherished son, husband, father and friend, he was treasured for his strength, compassion, integrity and hu-mor by all who knew him. He is survived by the great loves of his life, his wife Samantha Eliza-beth Burge, his daughter Taylor Marie Burge and his son Rowan James Burge. Scott was born in Houston, Texas March 29, 1983 and was raised in the Candlelight Estates neighborhood where he was a Vanguard student at Oak For-est Elementary. After graduating Bellaire High School he enlisted in the US Air Force and was as-signed to the 319th Air Refuel-ing Wing based at Grand Forks AFB maintaining KC-135R air tankers. He participated in Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom serving in Qatar, Kyrgyzstan and Cyprus and traveling the world before retiring with the rank of staff sergeant after developing a glio-blastoma in 2006. When his disease went into remission following radiation treatment at the Mayo Clinic, Scott earned his FAA Airframe and Powerplant Technician cer-tification, and joined L3 Cor-poration maintaining military support aircraft in Afghanistan until the recurrence of the brain tumor necessitated his perma-nent retirement. For nearly a third of his years Scott faced the diagnosis of a brief life with a resolve and grace that enabled him to not only far surpass his prognosis, but make those years his most joyous and meaningful: raising a lovely, in-telligent and confident daughter; encouraging and supporting his wife as she blossomed in her career as a professional photog-rapher; and participating in the
birth of his beautiful and blessed son. His lifelong spirit of adven-ture led him to motorcycling, skydiving, parasailing, jet skiing, canoeing, white water rafting, snowmobiling, hunting and a passion for heavy metal rock concerts. But his greatest joy was time spent with his family and friends. Always a proud Texan, with the guidance of the won-derful Rustvang family, Scott also became a naturalized North Dakotan, embracing the charms of lutefisk and snowblowers. In addition to his wife and children Scott is survived by his parents Terry and Deborah Burge of Houston, TX, and Pa-mela Burge of Brainerd, MN, his brother Tyler Burge (Cynthia) of Rockdale, TX, his grandmothers Paula Butler of Comfort, TX and Emma Butler Duke of Barton-ville, TX, aunts Diana Brinley of Houston, TX, Billie Nowak of Friendswood, TX and Terry Sue Butler of Comfort, TX, his moth-er-and father-in-law, Pamela and Daniel Rustvang of Grand Forks, his brother-and sister-in-laws, Eric Rustvang, Monica Rustvang and Jessica Varriano (Joel) of Bismarck, ND, and Rebecca Vigen (Cory) of Grand Forks. Scott also leaves behind a nephew, Alexander Burge and a niece, Amelia Varriano. A memorial service celebrat-ing Scott’s life will be held at 2:00 p.m. Thursday, March 17, 2016 at St. Martin’s Episcopal Church, 717 Sage Road in Houston with The Rev. Dr. Russell J. Levenson, Jr., Rector will officiate. A recep-tion will immediately follow in the church’s Bagby Parish Hall. Rather than floral tributes the family requests that dona-tions designated for brain tumor research be made to the Mayo Clinic, 200 First St. SW., Roch-ester, MN., or to the charity of your choice.
Clearing up confusion on cat diseases
Pet of the weekMeet Scarlet. This 4 month old Vizsla-mix is lovely inside and out. Scarlet was turned in by friends of her previous owner when he became unable to prop-erly care for her. Scarlet is a sweet girl who is learning her manners and is ready for her fresh start. Scarlet just wants someone to “give a damn”...could that be you? If so, contact Citizens for Animal Protection at www.cap4pets.org
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From the Pews.
the cAlendAr.
Prepared as a public service to promote better dental health. From the office of: Chase Baker, D.D.S.,
3515 Ella Blvd., 713-682-4406.
Chase Baker, D.D.S.
Delta Dental, a dental insurance company, recently released its annual Tooth Fairy In-
dex which tracks the average earnings children receive from the Tooth Fairy for their missing chompers. According to the company, their index has tended to closely follow the economy’s ups and downs since its beginning in 1998. They state that the index has correctly followed the trends in 11 of the last 12 years, and with the latest results from their poll showing a 25% increase in baby teeth earnings, there is a good possibility that the economy is on the rise. This is great news for everyone, especially those youngsters with some loose teeth.
tooth Fairy BringS gooDnEwS on thE
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Shame and fear are the twin enemies of feeling worthy. Most of us feel that there are certain things that we dare not share with others, dark
secrets so shameful that were we to reveal them no one would accept us. But, all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, and we should not doubt that God loves us even so. God’s making us was no mistake, and he certainly knew the many ways in which we would fall short. God’s only requirement for us is that we have the courage to confess our sins and own up to our shortcomings. Confessing those sins and shortcomings to our fellow man takes even more courage than confessing them to God, but the payoff is worth it. We will thereby discover which of our friends and family members will accept us just as we are. One of the earliest meanings of the word ‘courage’ is ‘to speak one’s mind,’ or literally ‘to tell one’s heart.’ And indeed, courage is required to ‘tell one’s heart.’ Remember, though, that being worthy is less about being blameless and more about opening our heart to others and trusting that they will accept us.
ChurChMESSAGE OF THE WEEK
◆
Preschool Program • Mon. - Fri. 9-2 p.m.www.gethsemanelutheran.org
4040 Watonga • 713-688-5227
Member of MANNA
Worship Services 8:00 a.m. & 10:30 a.m. (Nursery Provided)Sunday School & Bible Classes 9:15 a.m.
GETHSEMANE LUTHERAN CHURCH
Reverend John Cain, Pastor
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• Bible Study: 9:15 a.m.• Morning:10:30 a.m.• Evening: 4:15 p.m.
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Worthiness
It is the Norhill Church of Christ.Hear The Gospel - Mark 16:15; Roman 10: 14-17Believe The Gospel - John 8:24; Hebrews 11:6Repent - Luke 17:3-5; Acts 17:30Confess - Mathew 10:32; Romans 10:9-10Be Baptized - Mark 16:16; Acts 2:38; 22:16; Col 2:11-13Live Faithfully Till Death - John 8:31; Revelation 2:10; Hebrew 10:23The Norhill Church of Christ is a non-denominational church locat-ed in the near north side of Houston in the inner loop 77009 area. It has operated as a church of Christ since 1927, it is located at 634 West Cottage on the corner of West Cottage and Reagan streets. The Norhill Church of Christ teaches only the Bible, without refer-ence to any man-originated creed. Bible study services for all ages are held at 9:30am Sunday mornings. Sunday morning Worship be-gins at 10:15am. Sunday evening worship is at 5:00pm Wednesday evening worship and Bible study is held at 7:30pm. Norhill welcomes everyone to attend worship or Bible study to learn more about the truth of the Bible.
www.noRHiLLCoC.oRG
You are cordially invited to the church that can guide you in what you must do to be saved.
www.fbcheights.org201 E. 9th St. • 713-861-3102
First Church Heights First Church
Sunday School ........9:15 amSunday Worship......10:30am
Pastor C. David Harrison
Thursday Bible Study & Prayer Service 6:00pm
Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.-
James 5:16
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the ForeIGnerhouston Family Arts center
Larry Shue’s award winning comedy, “The Foreigner,” is coming to the Houston Family Arts Center, 10760 Grant Rd. This madcap farce will debut on the Garza Main Stage March 11 through April 3. Visit the website for showtimes and tickets. Infor-mation: www.houstonfac.com, 281-587-6100.
KIcK-oFF celeBrAtIonAlabama Furniture
Come spend the day at the new location, 4900 N. Shepherd Dr., and find great deals on furniture, home decor, and accessories while enjoying outdoor festivities, local artists, vendors, food truck favorites and more. There will be special discounts. The event will be from 10 a.m.-9 p.m. March 12. Information: www.alabamafurni-ture.com, 713-862-3035.
commUnItY dAncesPJst lodge 88
The SPJST Lodge 88, 1435 Beall St., will host the Red Ravens, Polka and variety music, from 8 p.m.-11:30 p.m. March 12. The cost is $10 per person. There will be no dances held on March 19 or March 26. Reservations are suggested, but not required. Res-ervations held only 30 minutes past start of dance. Information: 713-869-5767, lodge88.org.
UPcomInG mArch eVentsm.d. Anderson Family YmcA
The M.D. Anderson Family YMCA, 705 Cavalcade, is featuring several activities for the month of
March. CPR Classes will be from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. March 12. The cost is $25 for members, program only $35. Contact [email protected]. Spring Break Camp is from 7 a.m.-6:30 p.m. March 14-18. Contact [email protected]. Practice for Spring Youth Sports begins March 21. Games begin April 2. Contact [email protected]. Tax filing assistance is available each Saturday from 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Contact [email protected]. Information: 713-697-0648.
GArdenInG mAde sImPleBeauty’s community Garden
Beauty’s Community Garden presents Gardening Made Simple with Mike Atkinson of Atkinson Farms. Atkinson Farms is a lead-ing producer and supplier of fresh produce. Learn basic farming techniques such as soil health, fertilization, and more. The class is from 6-7:30 p.m. March 14, at Montie Beach Community Center, 915 Northwood St. 77009. Information: eventbrite.com/e/gardening-made-simple-tickets-22132206024.
Free worKoUt clAssesoak Forest neighborhood library
Oak Forest Neighborhood Library, 1349 W. 43rd St., is of-fering free workout classes every Thursday evening. Join the E-Fit class, where library staff will also work out with Leslie Sansone’s Just Walk DVDs. Get lean in 2016. Please consult with your doctor before attending this program.
Bring a water bottle and a towel. Classes are held from 6-7 p.m., March 17, March 24, and March 31. Information: 832-393-1960.
PUBlIshers worKshoPhouston writers Guild
Learn what it takes to get your manuscript in front of the right people. The Houston Writers Guild presents “Prepare to Pres-ent Yourself to Agents and Pub-lishers Workshop” at McGovern Community Center, 7405 Stella Link, at 9:15 a.m. March 19. The cost is $45 for members and $55 for non-members. Information: www.houstonwritersguild.org.
commUnItY dAncesPJst lodge 88
The SPJST Lodge 88, 1435 Beall St., will host the Moonglow Orchestra, Big Band music, from 8 p.m.-11:30 p.m. March 27. The cost is $15 per person. There will be a dress code. Reservations are suggested, but not required. Res-ervations held only 30 minutes past start of dance. Information: 713-869-5767, lodge88.org.
Prom dress GIVe-AwAYlone star college-cyFair
The 12th Annual Prom Dress Give-Away benefiting teens without the financial means to purchase a dress for prom this spring is set at Lone Star Col-lege-CyFair Branch Library, Rm. 131, 9191 Barker Cypress Road, Sunday, April 3 from 1:30-4:30 p.m., and Saturdays April 2, April 15 and April 23 from 1-4 p.m. Dresses are free to the recipients thanks to community donations.
All dress sizes 0-30 (plus sizes are in most need) and accessories are accepted year-round. Informa-tion: [email protected], 281-290-5248.
JoInt PAIn semInArmemorial hermann Greater heights
Memorial Hermann Greater Heights will be hosting a com-plimentary Joint Pain Seminar at 11 a.m. Friday, April 8. Everyone is welcome to attend this event which will cover advancements in the prevention and treatment of joint pain and sports injuries. For more information or to register, call 713-222-CARE.
sPrInG FlInG And socIAlsunset heights civic club
Come out and meet neighbors and talk to law enforcement. Bring the whole family for cupcake walk, games, bake-off, raffle and homemade ice cream. The event will be from 2-5 p.m. April 16, at Sojourn Church, 608 Aurora St. All proceeds support the Sunset Heights Civic Club. Information: [email protected].
ongoing
thUrsdAY nIGht BInGosPJst lodge 88
Bingo at SPJST Lodge 88, 1435 Beall St., is held every Thursday night (unless otherwise noted, or announced). Bingo pads are $5 each. Doors open at 5:15 p.m. Early bird special starts at 7 p.m. with regular bingo games begin-ning at 7:30 p.m. Information:
713-869-5767, lodge88.org.
Free GArdenInG clAssesBeauty’s community Garden
Beauty’s Community Garden, 3201 Airline, holds free gardening classes the first Saturday of every month. Call to reserve a space. Volunteers are also needed to teach gardening classes. Informa-tion: 832-910-8261, [email protected].
leGAllIne: Free leGAl AdVIcehouston Bar Association
The Houston Bar Association offers free legal advice over the phone through LegalLine from 5-9 p.m. the first and third Wednes-day of every month. Consejos Legales for Spanish speakers is the first Thursday of every month from 6-8 p.m. Information: 713-759-1133, www.hba.org.
oaks Presbyterian to hold GooF game day
The community is invited to GOOF (Garden Oaks Oak Forest) Games Day of strat-egy-based board games from 10 a.m.-10 p.m. March 12. Ad-mission is $5 per person.
Holy Week will be March 20-27, with Palm Sunday wor-ship at 10:30 a.m. March 20, beginning with a palm and musical procession into the sanctuary. Maundy Thursday family supper and reflection, commemorating Jesus’s last supper with the disciples, is at 7 p.m. March 24, in the fellow-ship hall.
Good Friday interdenomi-national worship and lunch is at St. John United Church of Christ, 4606 Mangum, at noon March 25. Easter Sunday wor-ship is 10:30 a.m. March 27. An Easter egg hunt for chil-dren and fellowship will follow the service.
Oaks Presbyterian Church is located at 1576 Chantilly. Visit www.oakspresbyterian.org or call 713-682-2556 for information.
st. Ambrose to hold annual bazaar planning meeting
St. Ambrose Catholic Church, 4213 Mangum, will be holding the next bazaar planning meet-ing at 1 p.m. March 13.
The bazaar will be from 11 a.m.-7 p.m. April 24. The Tel-stars will perform. The show will start at 3 p.m. Bring the family for food, fun and enter-tainment.
The bazaar committee is looking for groups, compa-nies and/or individuals for sponsorships. For information, call 281-851-6324 or 713-443-9254.
Volunteers are needed to
help make things for the Easter sale March 12-13. The group meets from 1-3 p.m. Tuesday afternoons in the auditorium.
Call 713-686-3497 or visit stambrosehouston.org for in-formation.
tAlc announces special closing dates
All Saints Third Age Learn-ing Center (TALC), 215 E. 10th St., is announcing the follow-ing dates the senior program will close to observe Spring Break and Holy Week.
TALC will close Monday through Friday, March 14 through March 18 for Spring Break. In observance of Holy Week, TALC will close on Holy Thursday, March 24 and on Good Friday, March 25. TALC will reopen for a full schedule of activities at 9 a.m. Monday, March 28.
For information, call 713-248-1277.
the Gathering Place ministry held at st. stephen’s
The Gathering Place, a monthly ministry for persons with memory loss and their caregivers, will take place Monday, from 10 a.m.-1:30 p.m. March 14, in the fellow-ship hall. Volunteers lead carepartners in fun, memory-stimulating activities, provid-ing caregivers with a break.
All are welcome to attend worship on Palm Sunday, March 20, and participate in a Palm Procession at the begin-ning of both 8:30 a.m. and 11 a.m. services.
Additional Holy Week ser-vices include Maundy Thurs-day Communion at 7 p.m. on March 24, Good Friday Wor-ship at 7 p.m. on March 25, featuring the chancel choir
cantata “The Final Hours,” and Easter Sunday worship at 7 a.m., 8:30 a.m. and 11 a.m. March 27.
St. Stephen’s United Meth-odist Church is located at 2003 W. 43rd St. For information, call the office at 713-686-8241, or visit www.stsumc.org and the church’s Facebook page.
Upcoming worship services at st. mark’s
St. Mark’s United Methodist Church, 600 Pecore, is holding upcoming worship services in preparation for Easter. Palm/Passion Sunday services are at 8:30 a.m. and 10:50 a.m., and will feature a Palm Procession. Maundy Thursday will be at 7 p.m. March 24. Good Friday, Service of Tenebrae is at 7 p.m. March 25. Holy Satur-day, Service of Light is 7 p.m. March 26.
Easter Sunday morning wor-ship is 8:30 a.m., followed at 9:30 a.m. with the Easter egg hunt and breakfast. Later wor-ship service is at 10:50 a.m.
Call 713-861-3104 or visit www.smumc.org for informa-tion.
mAnnA resale store seeking donations
Your continued support and generosity is amazing and greatly appreciated. “Gently used” donations allow MAN-NA’s mission in helping those in need. MANNA is available to pick up donations. Contact the Resale Store at 713-686-6440 to schedule a pick up.
MANNA has partnered with the Women’s Resource of Greater Houston to offer free financial literacy classes. The class is called Money Matters and will help teach the basics money management. Classes are offered the first and third
Wednesday every month from noon-2 p.m. at St. James Church located at 1602 W. 43rd St.
MANNA has partnered with the Houston Food Bank and the Health and Human Ser-vices Commission to assist in-dividuals in applying for social service programs. MANNA will provide assistance for SNAP, TANF, Medicaid, etc. to all individuals the first Friday of every month, starting Friday, March 4, from 9 a.m.-noon at St. James Lutheran Church lo-cated at 1602 W. 43rd St.
Page 8A • Saturday, March 12, 2016
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Publishes April 30 • 2016
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THE LEADER.713.686.8494
A special focus issue with articles on home building, home decorating, curb appeal and home trends in our area.
Leader Nibbles
Food, drink ArTSaturday, March 12, 2016 • Page 9A
Art Valet By Mitch CohenArts Columnist
Thirsty ExplorerManaging Editor
By Christina Martinez
Dynamo season is here, catch a game this Saturday
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Archway Gallery celebrates 40 years as Texas’ Oldest artist-owned gallery
Last week I introduced you to John Bern-hard, photographer and publisher of ArtHous-ton Magazine. At the time I was unaware of Bernhard’s opening exhibit featuring his pho-tography.
The reception happens this Friday evening, 6-8 p.m. at 2000 Edwards St., Silver Street Stu-dios #117 in Serrano Gallery. John Bernhard’s series is titled “Displaced”, where he merges homeless portraits with collages of old manu-facturing plant.
“For the first time since the Industrial Revo-lution, fewer than ten percent of American workers are now employed in manufacturing,” a press release states, “and as a consequence, we are now manufacturing homelessness.”
Bernhard will be joined by photographer Carlos Ocando.
This week Archway Gallery announced their upcoming celebration of their 40th an-niversary party on April 16. A unique life-size wish tree art installation will be unveiled cu-rated by Cecilia Villanueva. Food trucks, cake, wine and a local DJ are planned for the event, plus the first 144 attendees will receive a com-memorative wine glass.
Staying in business 40 years is no small accomplishment. Add to that, this is an art gallery, and not only a gallery, but an artist owned and artist run gallery, and we’re look-ing at what most would consider a miracle. You met one of the member owners here just two weeks ago, Joel Anderson.
In 1976, when America celebrated its bicen-tennial, Archway Gallery opened its doors for business with Stephanie Nadolski as the first Gallery Director. A few years later when she was ready to step down, artists Margaret Scott Bock (now soon to be age 90) and Ann Bell-inger Hartley (now soon to be age 80) agreed to take on the position as Co-Directors rather than see the gallery close. These two artists, whose collaborative show will be on display in May, played pivotal roles in the gallery’s 40-year history.
Forty years later, Archway Gallery is thriv-ing. In 2015, when many galleries have shut-tered and closed, Archway Gallery saw record sales. The success thrills this group of creative minds who have found a penchant for fusing creativity and business acumen. Archway Gallery has succeeded in giving Houstonians a place to not only view local art, but also to become immersed in it in a very approachable manner.
The 30 member artists are each assigned a unique role in gallery operations, and there is always an artist on site, making this gallery experience unique in a sometimes cold, alien-ated environment to the uninitiated.
That approachability is what sets this gallery apart and has become a moniker of sorts for Archway. After all, art is unique. It only makes sense that the experience is also unique.
Current Gallery Director Christie Coker re-flects on how much the gallery has changed over the years.
“Archway Gallery’s evolution and progress over the years is truly amazing. To know that the original small group of artists has now ex-panded into a group of 30+ creatively eclectic minds who are still succeeding in spite of a current world transfixed with technology and rapid change is astounding,” Coker contin-ues, “The artists of Archway are like a family who share their warmth and friendliness with all who visit the gallery. Being a part of the Archway family has been rewarding beyond measure.”
Archway Gallery is located at 2305 Dunlavy and is open Monday – Saturday, 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. and Sunday, 1 – 5 p.m. archwaygallery.com.
Cohen is the founder and manager of First Saturday Arts Market. Contact him at [email protected] or visit him on the web at ArtValet.com.
ISKON of Houston to open vegetarian restaurantBy Christina Martinez
On Sunday evenings, you can venture to Oak Forest for a feast that isn’t like many others. Every Sunday, ISKON of Houston opens their doors at 5:30 p.m. for an all vegetar-ian meal that is open to the public.
In more recent news, the temple has decided to open a new, vegetarian restaurant. An opening date or in-depth details have not be given at this time, but the temple has confirmed the restaurant ad-dition in their current con-struction.
ISKON of Houston is lo-cated at 1320 W 34th St. in Oak Forest.
Cafeza looking to open in May
Permits are in and con-struction is in full swing, Cafe-za, the new coffee shop off of Houston Avenue reported to The Leader last week.
As previously reported, Cafeza will feature coffee, ta-cos, churros, cocktails, beer, non-alcoholic beverages, and a lunch and dinner menu.
“It’s looking like a May opening date! Building per-
mits are in, so construction is in full swing! Will post up-dates soon,” Cafeza tweeted.
Another recent update, Cafeza just recently part-nered with local artist Wiley on focal art for the coffee shop.
We olive! Confirmed After we went to press last
week, the We Olive! fran-chise confrimed that one of their franchises would be moving into the previous 18 Hands Gallery location at 249 W 19th St. We have more details developing, stay tuned.
The Boil House now delivers
If you’ve driven down 11th Street in the Heights on the weekend, you’ve probably noticed the crowd that stands
for The Boil House. Widely known for their weekend crawfish boil and king cakes, the Boil House has now signed up with Favor Deliv-ery, an application that will deliver just about anything in certain area codes.
So if you’re dreading the crowd or long lines, down-load Favor to your phone and see if the mud bugs can be delivered to your door.
Email [email protected]
Twitter photo Art by local artist Wiley for Cafeza Houston.
Photo by Christina Martinez iSkon of Houston, located at 1320 W 34th St. will be opening a vegetarian restaurant this year.
The Houston Dynamo opened their season last week against New England Revolu-tion. In the last seconds, the Revolution scored a goal to draw the game at 3 - 3.
I couldn’t be more excited for the soccer season to be here. My family purchases season tickets every year and I’ve been lucky enough to join in on the Forever Orange fun since moving to the Bayou city. The games are a thrill, and my family puts on one of the Dynamo’s best tailgates, but maybe I’m just biased.
Come catch a home game with us this weekend at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, March 12 at BBVA Compass Stadium - 2200 Texas Ave. as the Dy-namo take on Dallas FC.
The Dynamo have done a great job on their video mar-keting efforts this year. Here’s a must-watch promo video for Saturday’s game against Dal-las - youtu.be/a52A5KhgMzE
8th Wonder Brewery 3rd Anniversary: A Ce-lebr8ion of Beer
8th Wonder is turning three, and they are throwing a big party to celebrate, rain or shine!
The party starts at noon, Saturday, March 12 at the brewery - 2202 Dallas St.
Tickets will include beer and will grant you admission to the festivities, which will include killer live music, ven-dors, food trucks, and more. The amount of beer, and the accessibility to the venue de-pends on the ticket.
Music Lineup Black Joe LewisThe Hot 8 Brass BandWalker Lukens MusicFat TonySay Girl SayKhruangbinThe WaxaholicsDJ Gonz
Check out 8th Wonder’s website for tickets at 8thwon-derbrew.com
Blues and BBQSouthern Goods will be
hosting their once a month music and barbecue event this weekend. Like every month, John Egan will be playing the blues, while Patrick Feges does the barbecue.
The party kicks off at 11 a.m. on Saturday, March 12.
Southern Goods is located at 632 W 19th St.
Mud bugs at Town in City The Heights brewery will be
hosting their first ever craw-fish boil! They will be boiling up tasty mud bugs, serving up their tasty cold beer and live music will be on the patio.
The brewery opens at 10 a.m., but the boil will start at noon and go until they run out.
Live music will be provided by Coyote Union. They’ll be rocking out Live starting at 2 p.m. The Unbearable DJ Juan 1 will be in full effect, too.
Town In City is located at 1125 W Calvacade St.
Johnny’s Gold Brick turns 1
It’s probably no secret that JGB is my favorite Heights bar. You can walk in in work attire, casual or on a pit-stop during a run. However, what-
ever, JGB has something for everyone.
The new bar is celebrating their one year anniversary on March 13. To celebrate, there will be all day drink specials featuring Bartender Favorites and a Golden Cocktail, with commemorative Johnny’s Rocks Glass.
The celebration starts at 2 p.m. on March 13 and goes until 2 a.m. on March 14.
If you need a recommenda-tion for your first drink, order the Boiler Maker.
Johnny’s Gold Brick is lo-cated at 2518 Yale Dr.
Have a tip for Thirsty Explor-er? Email [email protected] and follow on Twit-ter @ThirstyExplorer and on Instagram @FromTheLeader
2120 Ella Boulevard • (713) 869-6622www.Cavatores.com
C a v a t o r ei t a l i a n r e s t a u r a n t
Hey Kids..
NOW EveryWednesday Night.
Kids FREE table side Pizza.
They make it. We bake it.
1 Free Table side kid pizza with each adult
entree purchase. Limit 2 per table.
Join us for FREE Pizza
Night!
713-869-61171820 W. 43rd St
The Book Scene
Houston TX, 77018
Your neighborhod Bookstore • New, Used and Collectible Books •
like us on Facebook
Fri & Sat, March 11 & 12 Huge garage Sale
ThePurple Cat
Market
(Benefitting Rescued Pets Movement)Local Vendors,
Resale Shop Open10:00am-3:00pm 2126 West 34th
Photo by Christina Martinez opening ceremonies for the Houston dynamo against new England revolution.
610
I-45
E. Whitney
Airline D
r
Crosstimber
NorthlineMall
www.whitneyoakshall.com
Spaghetti ThursdayEvery Thursday 11:00 am - 1:15 pm
North Houston’s 50 Year Tradition
Call for details
Spaghetti Meatballs Italian Sausage Chicken Pork Chops Lasagna Eggplant Parmesan Salad Garlic Bread Desserts Beverages
Drive ThruAvailable
816 E. Whitney Dr. 713-692-0198of Little York
SaCrED HEarT SoCIETy
Hall Rental available...
It’s not an emergency, but it’s still urgent to you.
Now there’s a new option from Houston’s acknowledged emergency care leaders. Introducing Memorial Hermann Urgent Care. Walk in and get the care you need when you need it – without the wait.
9 a.m. - 9 p.m. Daily Walk-ins welcome
mhmg.memorialhermann.org
Coming Soon to Heights area
4500 Washington Avenue, Suite 300
Houston, TX 77007
713.861.6490
COMING SOON