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Covering the Heights, Garden Oaks, Oak Forest & the neighborhoods of North HoustonSaturday, February 7, 2015 • Vol. 60 • No. 14

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By Jonathan [email protected]

After 23 years of living in Garden Oaks, Shawn Spear says she is absolute-ly tired of the speeding cars traveling on 43rd Street in front of her home.

Spear has joined with numerous other residents, living on or near 43rd Street, in petitioning the Neighborhood Traf-fic Management Program to investigate a potential solution to what she calls a very serious safety issue for both driv-ers and pedestrians in the area. She cur-rently lives between Golf Street and Alba Street, and said the situation is getting out of hand.

“The speeding has gotten worse,” Spear said. “It seems like in the last cou-ple of years the traffic volume has cer-tainly gone up but so have the speeds.”

Spear said there hasn’t been a strong enough presence from law enforcement to deter speeding, which has a number of residents on edge. Samarjeet Bains, another resident who helped craft the petition to the NTMP, said the increased traffic is becoming a greater safety and health concern for all of those living near the popular thoroughfare.

“At any given hour of the day, one can easily spot multiple vehicles, including Metro buses and 18-wheelers, cruising at 50+ MPH in a 30 MPH zone,” Bains said in an email. “The high speeds and use of street by heavy traffic poses a risk to all residents and their assets. The not-so-obvious health risk is the noise generated by speeding and heavy traffic.”

Bains claimed he can record exces-sive noise levels even from inside of his home which is about 40 feet back from the street. He said he has recorded 70 to 90 decibels inside of his residence, which exceeds a Houston City Ordinance for noise.

“The intent of the petition is to in-volve the various city authorities to ta-per down the traffic and speeds on 43rd

For The Leader

A contractor switch as a result of sub-par work on the 2007 HISD bond project for Waltrip High School was a low point for the process to renovate the campus, which also had $32 million allocated for improvements from the 2012 HISD bond program. Things are now moving along and the progress is apparent.

HISD recently updated their blog with information about the changing look of the campus as glass installation recently got underway, which will re-place aging windows and orange metal panels which date back to 1959 when the school was first built.

The change will give the campus a modern feel and be a welcomed by

many stakeholders who have expressed a strong desire to see the orange panels go.

“The new glass will not only be more energy efficient, it will help transform the look of the school, and I think the students and community will be pleased with the outcome,” said HISD Project Manager Brian Alling.

As part of the current bond pack-

age, Houston voters approved a par-tial building replacement and general renovations to accommodate 1,800 students.

Significant behind-the-scenes work has already taken place, including the upgrading of the campus main electri-cal service feed, replacement of electri-cal panels and transformers in several areas, and demolition work in Area A

of the project. The baseball field bat-ting cage and pitcher’s mound work is near completion, and construction has begun on restrooms and storage build-ings for the field.

This project is currently undergoing a scope to budget review. In the com-ing weeks, the bond team will be work-ing to finalize construction contracts and schedules.

“We are all very eager for the trans-formation and welcome the renova-tions to transform our classrooms into a 21st-century learning environment,” said Principal Andria Schur. “We’re es-pecially excited to see the great designs come to life – a result of the collabora-tion of many who support our students and programs in truly defining a quality comprehensive high school.”

Aging windows, orange metal out at Waltrip HS

See Speeding, P. 2A

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4A

Texas Cafeteria closes its doors

Speeders on 43rd St. face wrath of citizens

Read more in today’s

• Page 3B

Imagine walking down a path by the old rail spur between Saw-yer and Silver Streets and grabbing a bite to eat from a food truck before you listen to a good band or go gal-lery hopping. The ex-perience may not be as far off as you think. Despite a retail boom, a group of visionaries want the area walkable and creative...

Doing Art Smart

Staff photoUpdates are underway at Waltrip High School as a part of their current bond package. Aging windows and metal panels that date back to 1959 are being replaced with glass installation, among other renovations and updates.

By Betsy [email protected]

Sad news from Texas Cafeteria. The restaurant at 2400 North Shepherd Drive announced yesterday on Face-book that it has closed its doors.

“From the staff and family of Tex-as Cafeteria we want to thank all of Houston and the surrounding areas that have supported us for the last 50 years,” read the post. “It was a hard decision, we want to thank everybody for their support we will miss each and every one of you.”

Polly Koumonduros was 26 years old when she and her husband George pur-chased the restaurant from a previous owner and gave it its new name. Now she’s 77.

Pete Koumonduros, who co-owns the restaurant with his mother and brother Alex, said that the family had been weighing their options for the last six months.

“Things have been getting harder,” Pete Koumonduros said. In 2014, The Leader interviewed the family about the permitting issues they’d had with doing a remodel. “Taxes are through the roof. When an investment became a liability we had no choice.”

“I am so sad,” said patron Grace Hernandez. “Everything was home-made. The breakfast and the Thanks-

giving dinner from scratch were so good.”

The property has already been sold to a commercial developer who tells the family that he plans to turn it into retail space. Today the family is work-ing to tie up some last catering orders. After taking a little time off, Pete Kou-monduros said he may get back into the restaurant business on a smaller scale.

“We’ve had four generations of fami-lies come through,” said Koumonduros. “We have loved serving them and want to go out respectfully.”

the building has been sold to a commercial developer who plans retail for the space

Work steadily finishes on Sprouts Farmers Market’s newest Yale location. Find more in Business Leaders.

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JAN. 23ThefT 2:30 PM 4800-4899

WASHINGTONBurglary 2:45 AM 4800-4899

VIKINGTheft 2 PM 1400-1499 W 20THRobbery 9:34 PM 5200-5299

WASHINGTONTheft 5 PM 0-99 26THBurglary 10:58 AM 900-999

FISHERTheft 10:16 PM 0-99 E CROSS-

TIMBERS

JAN. 24Theft 2 PM 4400-4499 ELITheft 2 PM 100-199 HARVARDTheft 3 PM 1000-1099 W 18TH

STTheft 3:30 PM 2600-2699 LINK

RDTheft 8:45 PM 5200-5299

DARLINGRobbery 12:52 PM 4400-4499

SHERWOODTheft 7:30 PM 2400-2499

REINERMAN

JAN. 25Burglary 8:01 PM 200-299 E

24THBurglary 5:17 PM 1000-1099

PINEMONTTheft 7:30 AM 1000-1099

SHEPHERDTheft 7:31 AM 4900-4999

WASHINGTONBurglary 9:09 AM 200-299 S

HEIGHTS BLVDRobbery 8:30 PM 2700-2799

NORTH LOOPTheft 9:32 AM 2000-2099

MANGUMTheft 5 PM 800-899 W 25THTheft 7:05 AM 500-599 W 32NDBurglary 10 AM 3400-3499 LINK

JAN. 26Burglary 12 PM 200-299 HYTA

Theft 1:46 PM 4200-4299 CENTER

Theft 6:12 AM 4900-4999 N SHEPHERD

Theft 5:35 AM 2100-2199 GOSTIC

Theft 12:45 AM 4400-4499 N SHEPHERD

Arrest 5:42 PM 2600 BLOCK OF W 21ST

Theft 3:20 AM 5500-5599 LARKIN

Theft 1 PM 4200-4299 CENTER

JAN. 27Burglary 2:30 AM 400-499 W

31STBurglary 3 AM 100-199 E 32NDTheft 4:24 PM 3400-3499 N

SHEPHERDTheft 11:27 AM 1000-1099 E

25THBurglary 3:30 AM 1600-1699 E

T C JESTERBurglary 4 PM 1200-1299 W

34THTheft 8:20 AM 2200-2299 ELLARobbery 4:58 PM 100-199

CROSSTIMBERSTheft 11:12 AM 1300-1399 W

43RDAssault 3:36 AM 5600-5699

YALETheft 6 AM 3000-3099 N LOOPRobbery 1:38 PM 1800-1899 W

43RD STTheft 5 AM 2000-2099 W 43RDTheft 4:35 AM 2000-2099

WHITE

JAN. 28Assault 2:35 AM 1600-1699

ANSBURY

JAN. 29Burglary 5:33 AM 100-199

HEIGHTS BLVDTheft 12:55 PM 2700-2799 W

18THTheft 12 PM 4900-4999

DACOMATheft 5:10 AM 5000-5099

LAMONTETheft 11:15 AM 2700-2799 N

SHEPHERDBurglary 5 AM 1200-1299

SPRING

JAN. 30Theft 2:06 PM 600-699 W 19THTheft 11:30 AM 1700-1799 W

T C JESTERTheft 4 PM 500-599 HEIDRICHAssault 7:56 PM 1800-1899

MANGUM

JAN. 31Theft 2 AM 1100-1199 N LOOP

WTheft 2 PM 3100-3199 WHITE

OAKTheft 1:06 PM 900-999 CROSS-

TIMBERSTheft 7:18 AM 1500-1599

SHEPHERDBurglary 11:47 AM 2100-2199

N LOOP W

Reports are provided by Spot-Crime.com based on data from the Houston Police Department.

police Reports • Jan. 23 - Jan. 31

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by Jonathan [email protected]

A would-be burglar didn’t exactly hit the jackpot when he was caught in the act of at-tempting to break into an Oak Forest resident’s home on W. T.C. Jester Boulevard late Friday morning.

According to officials with the Houston Po-lice Department, the 60-year-old homeowner returned to her residence in the 4300 block of W. T.C. Jester Boulevard just after 11:30 a.m. and saw what she described as a black Ford Fusion parked in her driveway. As she walked towards the fence next to her home, a man jumped over the fence from her backyard on to her driveway.

After asking the man what he was doing,

the man reportedly told the woman he was “checking the meter.” The man then ran to his vehicle and sped off and the woman called police.

After arriving on scene, police found the back door had what appeared to be pry marks and a screen was pulled off of a rear window. The man did not, however, make it inside of the home.

The man is described as a Hispanic male, believed to be around 20 years old, about 5’7 in height, at about 150 pounds with a medium build.

Officials said the incident would likely be followed up by the Burglary and Theft Divi-sion. Anyone with information regarding the incident is encouraged to call the division at 713-308-0900.

Oak Forest senior scares away would-be burglar

Garden Oaks hOA

On Saturday January 31, 2015 deputies re-sponded to a dispatched call in the 800 block of W. 41st on a Criminal Mischief and two Burglary of a Motor Vehicle calls.

Upon arrival the three complainants ad-vised their vehicles were parked in the drive-ways in front of their residence at approxi-mately 8:00 p.m. the day before and the next morning at 9:30 a.m. complainants found

their vehicles unlocked with items missing from inside.

One complainant advised his center con-sole latch was broken. Second complainant advised that an iPad mini was taken. Third complainant advised a cell phone charger and a camera memory card was taken. One complainant had video footage of an un-known white male suspect.

Please report suspicious activity to local Law Enforcement.

Area crime Alert

Street,” Bains said. “We intend to seek help from the police and the [NTMP] to implement permanent solution(s) that will slow down the traffic (including the metro buses), if possible re-route the heavy freight, pave the street with tar, etc.”

There is a clear demand for those solutions to come as quickly as possible, Spear said. After walking up and down the street, Spear said people were more than happy to sign the petition and in days had two and half pages worth of signatures.

“It would be very nice to have a light at Golf and 43rd Street to slow down traffic,” Spear said. “I think the main issue overall, however, is safety. We can’t get out of our driveways without someone flying around the corner.”

In a previous Leader article, Houston Police Department North Division Captain Larry Baimbridge said it can be difficult to keep track of speeds in the area without hard data. That might be solved by one of the division’s newest tools – an electronic speed trailer – which was provided through a grant from the Police Foundation in January. The trailer will not only serve as a visual reminder for drivers to watch their speed, but will also help col-lect data about traffic and can allow officers to break down when and where speeders are most problematic.

According to the NTMP website, the program is able to imple-ment “traffic calming measures” such as speed cushions, traffic circles, median islands, diversion techniques and other solutions. Applications for NTMP intervention require final approval by Houston City Council, and Spear said there is still some doubt among homeowners on 43rd if an acceptable solution can be reached.

“There were so many that were happy to sign, but there was one woman who said she realizes there is a problem but has seen it for so long, she doesn’t believe anything will be done about it,” Spear said.

Speeding, from p. 2A

Photo by Christina Martinez

Residents living along 43rd are fed up with

high speed travelers and have doubts that there

is even a solution.

The Topics.Saturday, February 7, 2015 • page 3A

We’ve talked about traffic for the last few weeks, so I can’t think of a better idea

than to ask all of you to get in your cars next month.

If you’ll indulge me, I’d like to share some news from inside The Leader, starting with one of the big-gest accomplishments we’ve had in the past few years.

Last year, we decided to expand The Leader brand beyond just a printed edition each week, and we did that by hosting events geared di-rectly toward the people who live in our community. Our first foray into events came during our inaugural Senior Expo, and no one could have predicted how exciting that day was to residents in the community.

By the time we closed the doors at the SPJST Lodge, more than 500 seniors and 52 local businesses had spent a good deal of the morning and early afternoon getting to know each other, and the comments were overwhelmingly positive.

Now, with a year under our belts and some good lessons learned, we are excited to announce that we’ll host our 2nd Annual Senior Expo on Wednesday, March 18, at the SPJST Lodge (assuming they don’t sell the place in the next month).

If you want the details, you can find them in the advertisement we’ve run on Page 4B. And instead of re-hashing the specifics here, I’d like to tell you a little more about why we believe events like our Senior Expo are so valuable to the community.

As our area has changed over the past five years, the look of the peo-ple who live here also has changed. There are hundreds and thousands of young couples who are raising children in our schools and parks. There are single people living here because they love our entertainment, our night life and our restaurants. There are more established families who left the suburbs because they want to be closer to downtown.

What we sometimes forget (and something I try to mention often) is that our area of town wasn’t always the preferred destination for families

and singles. Instead, people fled this area of town in search of different school districts and bigger lawns.

While we were never on CPR, our neighborhoods needed an IV, and the people who tended to us are some of the same people you will now find struggling to pay their spiking property tax bills. So many of the seniors who live in our neighborhoods have watched their view of the oak trees give way to 3-story homes. They have seen easily traversed streets become congested race tracks. They have seen grocery store parking lots become musical chairs.

In my job running this newspaper, our favorite clientele is the seniors of our community. For starters, they are the ones who love reading a newspaper more than any other demographic. They grew up with ink on their fingers, and they don’t mind rinsing their hands after consuming the day’s news.

I talk to the seniors in our com-munity every week, and there are always themes to the conversations. They love seeing the fruit of their labor in this community. They love seeing schools improve, and they ap-preciate having more options at local restaurants.

But I also hear the struggles – the tax bills, the traffic (yes, that word again), the big houses dwarfing theirs, and the constant motion of their neighborhoods.

When The Leader decided to begin hosting events in this community, the first group we targeted was our seniors, because they need a place to congregate, to get information and to learn about the resources avail-able to them. At no other point in the year is something like this available to them, and if anybody deserves a little giving-back in this community, it’s the people who helped build us.

The 2nd Annual Senior Expo will again be free to those who attend. We’ll have a free lunch, local busi-nesses will have plenty of goodies to pass around, and we’re especially excited about the lineup of speakers we’ll have at this year’s event.

Toni King, considered one of the state’s leading experts on Medicare, will host two sessions on how health-care reform has impacted Medicare and seniors.

We have an insurance expert, Tony May, who will help seniors bet-ter understand what they need and what the government provides.

The Alzheimer’s Association will host a session to explain more about

one of the toughest diseases we face.And we’re working with a lo-

cal healthcare provider to have a general Question-and-Answer period about nearly any health issue facing a senior.

Along with our great speakers, we expect a full house of local business-es who offer products and services that benefit you.

If you are one of the seniors who called to register last year, someone from our office will give you a call in the next couple of weeks to make sure you can attend again this year. If you’re new to the area, or if you’d just like a chance to reserve a spot at this year’s Senior Expo, please call our office at 713-686-8494.

One of the questions we got last year was whether or not this event was only for seniors, and the answer is an emphatic “No.” There are many younger people who now care for their elderly parents, and this will be a wonderful event for you and your family. We’ll have resources for everyone, and we look forward to seeing you on Wednesday, March 18, at the SPJST Lodge.

Email [email protected]

Jonathan

McElvyPublisher

Consider this a personal invitation to our Senior Expo

THE CASINO -- Phat Duc, that inscrutable Asian hiding behind his dark glasses, takes an-other drag on his cigarette, and puts down five. Lubbock Slim (he didn’t quite make it to Ama-rillo) smiles his trademark smile and tosses in 10. The crowd gasps. Lucky Bunny makes it 15. I make it 25. Why not? Fortunately, I am down the aisle at the penny slots, so I can blow a quarter. Eh? You think I’m in that poker league? Maybe if I were a union plumber, but I am only a mere casino critic, here to check out the lat-est vacuum cleaner into Texans’ pockets. It’s a huge new casino called the Golden Nugget, next to the L’Auberge. Both overlook the scenic refineries and barge traffic of Lake Charles.

This place is not quite finished. The swim-ming pools, so many they look like a well-scrubbed Venice, have yet to get wet. My room is very new and nice, but no chairs. Elsewhere, workmen and workwomen wearing belts loaded with pliers and tape, walk about carrying step-ladders. When the workers were hired here, I think each one was issued a stepladder. They all smile and say for me to have a good morning or nice day or just hi. When done, the Golden Nug-get will cover 1.3 million-square-feet, cost $700 million with 740 hotel rooms and suites, an 18-hole golf course, shops, an 18,000 square-foot ballroom, 30,000 square feet of meet-ing space. 1,600 slots, a poker room, 70 game tables, a bunch of restaurants, a private beach front and marina (I think they haven’t quite fin-ished the Gulf). In the marina floats Tilman J. Fertitta’s yacht with helicopter. The boat could easily be mistaken for the USS George H.W. Bush except the yacht probably has a better bar. The casino’s parent company is Landry’s, owned by Houstonian Fertitta (whom I always call Fajita). His empire already has more than 500 restaurants in the U.S. and abroad, plus this Golden Nugget and four more elsewhere. The company is now bidding to take over operation of San Antonio’s River Walk party barges. May-be he’ll load them with slot machines. That’s the only way we’ll ever get them in Texas. But this is a gutsy time to open a huge casino. The Caesar’s Palace operation is in the midst of bankruptcy. Atlantic City has had casinos for four decades and they never really took off. Four of that town’s 12 casinos closed last year, putting 9,000 workers out of a job, and Trump Taj Mahal just avoided closure.

Texas is currently only one of 10 states that does not allow casino-style gambling. That brings us to HJR (House Jiganic Resolution) 47, a bill introduced in the new session of our Texas Legislature that would start the dice rolling on casinos in Texas. Yawn, because we see this sort of movement every session of the Texas Leg-islature since it was the Texas Congress. Rep. Carol Alvarado of Houston wants to set up a “gaming” – never gambling -- commission that would allow casinos in or in conjunction with race tracks in areas with a population of at least 675,000. That leaves out Fredericksburg.

Texans love to gamble and do it daily – Lotto, scratch-offs, bingo, horse racing (do we still have dog racing?) and the biggest gamble of all, a Texas freeway at rush hour. And, of course,

we go out of state to lose money to pay for other states’ teachers and roads. Polls show those Texans opposed to casino gambling are mostly of the conservative nature, so perhaps they should look to Louisiana which says it has 14,061 of its citizens working in the gambling biz. Of these, 11 percent got off welfare due to their employment, 20 percent are no longer re-ceiving unemployment benefits and 13 percent got off food stamps. I guess this means a lot of them are still are on the rolls.

All these big promises of the loot that casi-nos will be brought to the state’s treasury must be viewed with suspicion. Remember the same story about horse racing? At its peak horse rac-ing brought $5.5 billion to the Texas economy (economy, not taxes) per year, but now the hors-es have mostly been rustled off to neighboring states offering higher purses and large, casino-style gambling. According to the Texas Racing Commission, horse racing attendance in the state dropped 12 percent and wagers dropped 23 percent in 2011, the latest figures available. Meanwhile, up in Oklahoma the racetrack game has greatly expanded in recent years, bringing the state $3.6 billion in revenue during 2012 alone. So the Texas horse racing industry, which promised so much and is delivering a dwindling coin, wants to hook up with casinos under the grandstands or at least next door.

Now back to my critique of this newest en-try. The restaurants are excellent and the staff, like the stepladder carries, couldn’t be nicer, al-though some operations need a bit more experi-ence. We made dinner reservations at Landry’s the day before for 7 p.m. Went by the next after-noon just to check. They had no record of my upcoming red snapper. Finally found me under Hashby. We were told to arrive 10 minutes early to make sure we got a good table. We did. At 7:10, while waiting at the restaurant’s entrance, we noted a table by the wall opened. Perfect. Just then another couple came up, walked in and sat down there. Huh? I was told they were members of the High Rollers Club or some name. This is bad business. Whales, as we big losers are called, get preferential treatment. OK, that goes in most businesses, but slip them in the side entrance, don’t march them past the great unwashed. Fajita should know better.

Back at the tables, Phat Duc and the others are cleaning up. With my poker skills, the Gold-en Nugget is the Lead Lump. Still, when I left everyone wished me a nice day.

Hashby wins at [email protected]

Construction of Gulf still under way at Golden Nugget

Lynn

Ashby

Columnist

ThE rEadEr. Email us your letters: [email protected]

Dear heights neighbors, Last year I was fired by the Heights Association

from my job as park caretaker, after some friends and I installed the train I had built in Donovan Park. My firing generated a lot of bad P.R. for the association. Some of the association’s directors responded by initiating a word-of-mouth smear campaign against me. There were three tales that were told by some of the directors each time they were asked about the train controversy.

Tale No. 1: Paul Carr was a racist who told Hispanic people that they could not use Donovan Park.

The basis for this story was an incident that happened at Donovan Park last fall. While inspecting the park, I saw a Hispanic woman and her son sitting on one of the wooden benches. The boy had a felt tip marker and was putting graffiti on the bench. I told them they would have to leave the park. The woman said she was going to report me and refused to leave until I told her I was going to call a constable. After the woman contacted an HHA director, the director told this story at an HHA board meeting, but made no mention of the graffiti.

Tale No. 2: Paul Carr told people that they couldn’t have parties in the park.

The basis for this story was an action I took to deal with a garbage problem in the park. In the spring there are many parties held in the park on Saturdays. When the trash cans become full, trash and garbage is piled around the trash cans. On Saturday nights, critters (cats, dogs or opossums) scatter the garbage over the park. The problem is the worst when the trash has fried chicken bones in it. On Sunday mornings the park is a mess. I put signs in the park that indicated that parties had to be approved. When someone called HHA to have their party approved, they were told they could have their event, but would they mind us-ing trash bags to remove their trash. This solved the problem until an HHA director removed the signs. This tale was told following the train controversy, but no mention was made of the gar-bage problem or the fact that not a single person was actually told that they could not use the park for their party.

Tale No. 3: Paul Carr built a train that would cause children to be hurt by coming in contact with splinters.

I took great care to make sure that all parts of the train, where children’s hands could touch, were rounded and sanded or protected with round moldings. This is the exact same type of construction and materials that we used as Ann Culotta’s volunteers when we built the park playground 13 years ago.

I learned about these poisonous stories last summer when a woman who was interviewing me for a Heights history project asked me about the racist allegations she had heard.

It hurts that these lies and half-truths were told over and over and no one challenged the people that were spreading them.

paul carr

stop using ‘GooF’Dear editor:As a native Houstonian and Oak Forest resident,

where I also attended elementary, Jr. High and High School, I am personally offended by your use of the slang acronym ‘GOOF’ when referring to our neighborhood. I don’t believe I am being naive or prudish about this issue. There is already an undercurrent of unease occurring between life-long residents and the new move-ins who are recreating this area. So why drive a further wedge between these groups with a lame attempt by your newspaper to be hip? Quite frankly it shows great ignorance of the history of our area and just labels you as just another arrogant come-lately. And it’s actually denigrating the area you always try to hype as trendy. Plus, if I’m building a new million-dollar home, why would I want to do it in a place called ‘GOOF?’ A little respect and education can go a long way. There is Oak Forest and Garden Oaks, two totally independent suburbs. And it may come as a surprise to your newer readers, there is no such thing as Rice-Military or Shady Heights. It’s all just made up by realtors hoping sell properties at higher prices for something that they think sounds better than the original name. Which is more than I can say about your term. I’ll tell you what, if you agree to stop using it, I’ll stop calling your publication “The Rag.”

John Askins

Editor’s Note: We’d like to hear from more readers about this. There are many in the neighborhood who use this term; others deride it as degrading. If you have a thought, please email it to our publisher at [email protected].

Dear editor: In July 2014, my daughter, looking to buy a

home, spotted a sign “House for Sale.” The realty company was well known and assumed to be le-gitimate. She was taken through all of the proper “steps” and unfortunately bought the property and soon after found it to be a junk house. The so-called legitimate real estate company told her the property is now her responsibility, to pay for all repairs and to hire an attorney.

Although now broke, she cannot find an attor-ney because “the real estate lobby in Austin is too strong.” If the real estate company legitimately represented her, then the law needs to be exam-ined and improved. If she was not legitimately represented, they need to step up and help solve this issue. Anyone who has experienced similar circumstances please write to: John M. Nash at 2034 Viking Dr., Houston, Texas 77018.

Alone I have hit the wall but if we can form a coalition, maybe we can help others who are des-tined to suffer similar fraud. Silence often proves very costly as happened in Germany when no one would stand up to Fascism.

John M. Nash

Built byLee Burge, Publisher

from 1957-1969Terry Burge, Publisher

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independently audited by the Circulation Verification Council.

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For those who have passed by the White Oak Confer-ence Center on Antoine Drive lately, you may have noticed a set of peculiar-looking PODS decorated outside of the or-ganization’s building. No, the group isn’t relocated – in fact the PODS are part of a new traveling art exhibit, hosted at the NNWMD’s facilities for the next week.

PODS of Houston, the moving and storage company famous for its large mobile containers, teamed up with the Houston Arts Alliance for the Portable on Demand Art 2.0, or PODA 2.0, project with extra support from Gensler. It is the HAA’s second iteration of a temporary public art in-stallation series featuring the transformation of PODS Con-tainers into works of art, ac-cording to a press release.

Wayne Norden, President and CEO of NNWMD, said his group jumped at the chance of having the exhibit stay at the facility at 7603 Antoine Drive.

“It’s very much out of the norm in this part of the city,” Norden said. “This is a part of the city that doesn’t get art around on the street and, on top of that, it’s one more attraction for people to come to this property. The Butterfly Garden is a major attraction for people living in this area and this is one more addition to it.”

“It’s such a unique opportu-nity,” Business Development

Director Eileen Egan said. Each artist, or team of art-

ists, received their PODS Con-tainer last fall and spent three months constructing their containers. The artists select-ed include Elaine Bradford, and Emily Link, Brandon Ray and Team Paper Brain (Darwin Arevalo, Rodney Flores, Rob Mozell, Lisa Ray and Janiece Rivas), Thomas Rolls, Jr. and Troy Stanley.

Bradford and Link collabo-rated on Invasive Species, which combines the artists’ soft sculptureal style depict-ing life-size human figures exploring and encountering unknown flora and fauna, ac-cording to the release. The ecosystem will evolve over the course of the installation with designated days in which the public can interact with the installation.

Ray and Team Paper Brain’s Repurposing Cyclical City of-fers three plexiglass windows with a recreation of the city of Houston. The miniature city scape is made from repur-porsed cardboard, paper and trash, recreating some of Houston’s most recognizable dowtown buildings, which even light up in a familiar fashion during nighttime, ac-cording to the release.

Thomas Rolls turned his PODS Container into an inter-active art piece, which invites viewers to “witness his/her own reactions to emotional stimuli,” as part of Look at Me. Troy Stanley also made an interactive piece with Park on Demand Space (...greener on the other side), which utilizes a

two-way mirror and reflective vinyl. The mirror allows the visitor to “see himself existing in this space” and offers a new perspective for the viewer, ac-cording to the release.

Egan said the NNWMD started the process of speak-ing with HAA several weeks ago, which said it was having issues finding a good space for the exhibit to “kick it off.”

“We said we’ve got plenty of space here,” Egan said. “This is the first time we’ve done something like this.”

Egan said they are also speaking with HAA about a future project, but it’s still too early to share the details.

“We have a lot of folks mov-ing into the area and come to talk to us about how glad they are to live here,” Egan siad. “It brings another layer of places to go and things to tell your friends about.”

Norden said he hoped exhi-bitions like this will ultimately lead to the facility being seen as a “gathering spot” for resi-dents.

“In two months, there will also be a wine and cheese event to gather new residents into the community with the Butterfly Garden, as well,” Norden said.

The POD Containers will be placed in different locations across Greater Houston in the coming weeks and will “re-convene in Oyster Creek Park in Sugar Land, where they will be on display from late April until the end of May.”

“An important component of the Houston Arts Alliance mission is to expand the reach of local arts beyond gallery and museum walls,” HAA President and CEO, Jonathon Glus, said in the press release. “The Portable On Demand Art project takes this mission a step further by delivering con-temporary art to Houstonians outside the city limits, pro-viding easy access to quality family-friendly and interactive artworks.”

For more information about PODA 2.0, visit www.houston-artsalliance.com

Transforming art‘Art PODS’ find temporary home in NW Houston

Photo by Jonathan Garris Wayne Norden, President and CEO of the Near Northwest Manage-ment District, and Business Development Director Eileen Egan stand near one of four decorated PODS in the parking lot of their facility, located at 7603 Antoine Drive. The temporary art exhibit is part of a collaboration between the Houston Arts Alliance and PODS of Houston.

Saturday, February 7, 2015 • Page 5A

SUDOKU

WORD SCRAMBLE

the leader Puzzlers.

aCrOss 1. Expression of

sorrow or pity 5. Mama __, rock

singer 9. Takes off 11. Make an arrest 13. Ear tube 15. Limit 16. Small shelter 17. Cavaliers’ #23 19. Digits 21. French kings’

name 22. Winter time in

Colorado 23. Platform 25. Gambling town 26. Vietnamese

offensive 27. Fermentation

sediment 29. Load anew 31. Bile 33. A wooded val-

ley 34. Soap opera 36. Cervus nippon 38. Belong to he 39. Women

(French) 41. Olive, motor

and mineral 43. Norse goddess

of death

44. Military award 46. Annexes 48. One who

adorns book pages

52. Affirmative 53. Fricative 54. Coal blacks 56. Faculty of sight 57. Leans 58. Low, sideless

cart 59. Locomotion

limbs

dOwn 1. Close to 2. Lactic 3. Burn residue 4. Offer for sale 5. Verb formation

(abbr.) 6. __ Romeo 7. Lost weight 8. Soundest mind 9. Sound repetition 10. Sew up the

eyelids of falcons

11. Allays sorrow 12. Repose 14. Mirish 15. Devised a new

phrase

18. One who feels regret

20. War encircle-ments

24. Burn the sur-face

26. “The Jazz Singer”

28. Process of achieving #7 down

30. Miscellaneous collection

32. Express sorrow 34. More foolish 35. Queen of

Sparta 37. Associating by

treaty 38. Served 40. Satisfy 42. Frozen rains 43. Snake sound 45. High arc tennis

shots 47. Cheek 49. Murre genus 50. Multiple 51. List of names

called 55. No (Scot.)

Answers found in this week’s Classified section

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For the second straight year, St. Pius X High School’s Kathleen Blute earned top honors in the University of St. Thomas/Archdi-ocesan Essay Contest. Blute and three other St. Pius X students received their awards at the 11th annual Mass and Awards Cer-emony on Jan. 20 at the Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart.

Blute won first place out of 350 submitted essays by sopho-mores. As a freshman last year, she also wrote a first-place es-say and received a $2,500 scholarship to UST, should she enroll. Blute’s essay this year was on the topic of a picture of Jesus titled “Forgiven.” It included what stood out to her in the picture, what symbols she saw and how the picture helped her discover God’s love more fully.

Fellow sophomore Julia McNulty, junior Elizabeth Hopmann and senior Anna Laflin were awarded honorable mention for their essays. Each student received a metal cross, and Blute re-ceived a cross decorated with barbed wire.

The event began with a Mass celebrated by the Most Rev. George A. Sheltz, auxiliary bishop of Galveston-Houston, and concelebrated by priests from throughout the Archdiocese. The awards ceremony and a reception at the Cathedral Centre fol-lowed. Bishop Sheltz shook the hands of each student, and dur-ing his homily he expressed gratefulness for the Catholic schools, including UST. SPX students were also greeted by Dr. Julie Vo-gel, superintendent of Catholic schools, and UST President Rob-ert Ivany, who pinned students with the UST star.

A total of 6,157 Catholic school students from third through 12th grades in 49 schools wrote essays and the winners were selected from 633 finalists. Finalist essays from each grade level were read and ranked by 90 UST faculty and staff members and alumni, who chose the winners. The essays of all first-place win-ners were enlarged as posters and put on display at the recep-tion. The contest was held just prior to National Catholic Schools Week, a time to focus on the benefits of Catholic education.

Winning words

Contributed photoFrom the left, Kathleen Blute, Anna Laflin, Elizabeth Hopmann and Julia McNulty.

SPX Sophomore wins First Place in UST/Archdiocesan essay contest for second year in a row


New park benches and drinking fountains are some of the im-provements the Central Northwest Super Neighborhood Council is hoping to bring to Mangum Manor Park and Oak Forest Park as the group applies for Super Neighborhood Action Plan grants with the city of Houston.

Mark Klein, President of Super Neighborhood 12, said the group met last week to discuss potential projects that could ben-efit from SNAP grants. While approval of the grants by the city is not a guarantee, Klein said residents would like to see several small improvements to area parks and improvements to the es-planades entering Garden Oaks.

“The deadline to submit requests for SNAP grants was this week and we felt we got some really good feedback and good ideas for our parks,” Klein said. “In Oak Forest Park, we’re look-ing to get some new park benches, tables and restriping the tennis courts among other smaller improvements. In Mangum Manor, we’re seeking to have new drinking fountains installed, along with trash cans, updated barbecue pits and grills and other aspects.”

Klein said some of the amenities at these parks have become dated and, in some cases, rusting away from years of use. Beyond the parks, the group is also applying for a grant to mulch the Gar-den Oaks Boulevard Park esplanade, between North Shepherd Drive and Sue Barnett Drive, and include a sign that better shows the Garden Oaks Montessori Magnet 7th grade class that has adopted the park.

Improvements to streets and other elements covered by Public Works and Engineering were not considered during the process as “very little is eligible for SNAP funds.”

“A lot of that is covered by 3-1-1,” Klein said. “If you see a crosswalk that needs to be restriped or other work that needs to be done, residents can make that request by dialing the city directly. The projects under SNAP tend to be served by smaller grants, from around the $500 to $5,000 range.”

According to the Parks and Recreation Department’s 2014 SNAP Matrix, eligible SNAP requests also incude minor drainage corrections on park grounds, standard park signage, minor trail and parking lot repair and similar projects. Larger requests, such as land acquisition, construction work, security lighting, major drainage improvements and bleachers are typically considered under capital improvement projects.

For more information on Super Neighborhood 12, visit www.s12.org.

Super Neighborhood sets sights on SNAP grants


From the Pews.

the cAlendAr.

ChurCh

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1700 West 43rd at Rosslyn713-682-4942

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Morning Worship10:45 AM

Oaks ChristianChurCh

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Pastor Don Joseph

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Gospel Truth Church

1624 W 34th • 713-686-7689www.gospeltruthchurch.org

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Life Equip classes for all ages

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MESSAGE OF THE WEEK

The Second BirTh

The transforming power of spiritual experiences has made metaphors of birth or rebirth common in religious literature. Saint Paul’s conversion on the road to

Damascus is perhaps the paradigm of being born again, but we see it throughout the Bible. In the Old Testament Jacob is renamed Israel after wrestling with God, surely a sign that he has been transformed in the process. But these transformations are not always so sudden or dramatic. Sometimes they take months or even years to occur, and while there is a tendency to be impressed by the sudden change when someone goes from being a profligate drunkard to a sober penitent overnight, usually these changes take time to occur and time to settle in. Perhaps it is better to think of conversion as an ongoing process of God working continuously to bring us as near to perfection as we are capable of. Those who are quickly converted are sometimes also quick to relapse into old habits, while those in whom God makes slow but steady progress may be more unswerving in their faith. Williams James remarks in “The Varieties of Religious Experience” that “The real witness of the spirit to the second birth is to be found only in the disposition of the genuine child of God, the permanently patient heart, the love of self eradicated.” The true test of the conversion experience, or of any religious experience, is the fruit which it bears.

So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see,

Severything has become new

2 Corinthians 5:17

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 6:00pm 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.

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• To protect unsuspecting buyers of trash houses• Individually you have no solution. Together as a

coalition there may be hope for a solution.• Please write a brief statement describing your

situation.

Warnin

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Mail to: John Nash 2034 Viking Dr. - Houston, TX 77018

Apply in person:Aztec RentAl SeRviceS

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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.

The month of February is National Children’s Dental Health Month! This is a great time to be sure that your child is practicing

the best of dental habits to promote long-term dental health. It is important for the parents to provide a good example to their children by having regular check-ups themselves. It is recommended that children are seen twice a year for dental visits. Being a good role-model gives kids the reinforcement of good dental hygiene and a lifetime of good oral health.Children should be eating a diet that is low in processed sugars and should limit the amount of fruit juices they are drinking as they are often times high in acid content. This will help to protect the teeth from cavity related to sugars and erosion caused by acidic diets.The use of fluoride helps prevent cavities as well, and it is recom-mended that children drink fluoridated tap water over bottled water to strengthen their teeth and provide a resistance to decay. Children should be brushing and flossing their teeth at least twice a day and should be monitored by their parents to ensure that they are using proper technique and are not developing poor hygiene habits.

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st. rose Altar Guild host chocoholic feast, games

The St. Rose of Lima Altar Guild will be hosting a Choco-holic Feast and Games party at 7 p.m. Feb. 6, at St. Rose of Lima West Hall, 3600 Brink-man. Proceeds benefit the ministry of St. Rose.

For information call 713-692-9123 or email Giovanna Colonnetta at [email protected].

heights christian church welcomes new pastor

Heights Christian Church, 1703 Heights Blvd., welcomes new pastor, Rev. Elizabeth Grasham. She will have her first service at 10:45 a.m. Feb. 8.

Rev. Grasham graduated from Grand Canyon Univer-sity in Phoenix, Ariz. in 2006 with a Bachelors degree in Christian Studies and Theatre. From there, she went straight to seminary and graduated from George W. Truett theo-logical Seminary at Baylor University in 2009 with a Mas-ters of Divinity degree. Rev. Grasham was ordained by the Southwest Region of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in 2009.

For information, call 713-861-0016.

st. mark’s presents sweetheart serenade

The St. Mark’s Choir will present Sweetheart Serenade with music and desserts at 4 p.m. Feb. 8, for a Valentine cel-ebration. Enjoy desserts and a variety of musical selections prepared by the St. Mark’s Scholarship Singers. Proceeds benefit the choir fund. Tick-ets are $10 for adults, $5 for children with $30 family maxi-mum.

Shrove Tuesday will be held at 5:30-7 p.m. Feb. 17,

in the fellowship hall. An all you can eat pancake dinner will be served which includes pancakes, sausage, fruit, juice, coffee and tea. Tickets are $5 per person with a $20 fam-ily maximum. The proceeds benefit the Heights Interfaith Ministries Food Pantry.

St. Mark’s is led by the Rev. Emily Chapman. The church is located at 600 Pecore. Call 713-861-3104 for information.

All saints third Age learning center begins classes

All Saints Third Age Learn-ing Center (TALC) senior pro-gram, open to seniors 50-plus in the community, will begin classes Feb. 9, and registra-tion will continue the first two weeks of the semester, Feb. 9-13.

All Saints Catholic Commu-nity is located at 215 E. 10th St. For TALC program infor-mation or lunch reservations, call 713-248-1277.

the Gathering Place ministry at st. stephen’s

St. Stephen’s United Meth-odist Church, 2003 W. 43rd St., hosts “The Gathering Place,” a ministry for persons with Alzheimer’s disease or other memory loss, and their care-givers, will begin Feb. 9, from 10 a.m.-1:30 p.m. For informa-tion and to register (required), call 713-682-5995.

Celebrate Valentine’s Day at the Dessert Extravaganza, from 1-3 p.m. Feb 14, in the fellowship hall. Sample six desserts for $5, and additional tastes for $1 each. Bid on a whole dessert at the silent auc-tion. Valentine flower arrange-ments will also be available.

Call 713-686-8241 or visit www.stsumc.org for informa-tion.

Zion lutheran’s men in mission hosts chili supper

Zion Lutheran’s Men in Mis-sion are hosting their annual chili supper from 5 p.m.-7 p.m. Feb. 11, in Zion’s Great Room. This is their annual fund-rais-ing event for their Seminary Scholarship Program. The meal will be for a free will of-fering and there will be quarts to go for $10. The community is welcome to attend.

Zion Lutheran is located at 3606 Beauchamp. Call 713-869-1493 for information.

mAnnA brings new ser-vices to the community

MANNA has partnered with the Women’s Resource of Greater Houston to offer free financial classes and increase financial literacy in the com-munity. Class is called Finan-

cial Recovery and will help teach the basics of money management. The next class is from 6-7:30 p.m. Feb. 18, at St. James Lutheran Church lo-cated at 1602 W. 43rd St. All who attend will receive a 50% off coupon to MANNA’s resale store at 1806 W. 43rd St.

For information, call 713-504-5486 or email [email protected].

Idol oF the heIGhts PrelImsGreater heights Area chamber of commerce

Calling all vocalists and music lovers, enter to win cash prizes and to perform at the annual Crawfish Festival March 7. Prelim events are held as follows: Coun-try, Feb. 6 at Gabby’s BBQ, 3101 N. Shepherd; Rhythm & Blues and Ballads, Feb. 13 at Corkscrew, 1308 W. 20th St.; Rock of Ages, Feb. 20 at Little J’s Bar, 5306 Washington. The cost is $30 pre-registration and $40 at the door. Information: heightschamber.com/idol.

FIeld trIP to nAtUre’s wAYheights Garden club

Meet up at 101 Sherbrook Circle in Conroe at 10 a.m. or come to Boulevard Realty, 1545 Heights Blvd., at 9 a.m. for ride sharing, Feb. 7. John Ferguson, will discuss how they made their compost, mulches and soils as well as showing off several demonstra-tion gardens and a new plant nursery. Wear outdoor shoes. Free admission. Information:

www.heightsgardenclub.com.

lAtIn JAZZ concertreagan high school Auditorium

The José-Miguel Yamal Latin Jazz Quintet will be performing at 4 p.m. Feb. 8, in the Reagan High School Auditorium, 413 E. 13th St. José-Miguel Yamal is a Grammy nominated pianist and longtime Houston resident. Proceeds go toward the purchase of new instruments for the Hogg Middle School Razorback Band. Visit the website to purchase tickets. Information: jazzhogg.bpt.me.

BreAKFAst connectIonGreater heights Area chamber of commerce

Come hear author Larry Payne talk about leadership in Houston. The breakfast will be from 6:45-8:30 a.m. Feb. 12, at Sheraton Brookhollow Hotel, 3000 North Loop West. The cost is $20 for members and $25 for non-mem-bers. Information: heightscham-ber.com, 713-861-6735.

hoUston AssocIAtIon oF retIred teAchers meetInG

The Houston Association of Retired Teachers will meet Feb. 13, at Bethany United Method-ist Church, 3511 Linkwood Dr. Social time begins at 9:30 a.m., followed by the 10 a.m. meet-ing. The speaker will be Judi Quesonova, vice president of the Greater Houston Convention and Visitors Bureau. Information: www.houstonarearetiredteach-ers.org.

AmerIcAn leGIon FIsh FrY And steAK nIGhtAmerican legion Post 560

Come by to the American Le-gion Post 560, 3720 Alba Rd., for a delicious meal. The Fish Fry will be from noon until sold out, Feb. 14. The Sons of Legionnaires will have the Steak Night at 6 p.m. until sold out, Feb. 20. There will also be entertainment. Informa-tion: 713-682-9287, americanle-gionpost560.org.

crAwFIsh BoIlKrewe of cajuns and cowboys

This non-profit group of young professionals with roots in both Louisiana and Texas has orga-nized this annual crawfish boil to benefit the Texas Children’s Hospital and its Heal the Sick Children campaign. The event will be held March 7, at Lucky’s Pub, 801 Saint Emanuel St., 77003. To donate, make check payable to TEXLA KCC, Attn. Coby Gawlik, 3131 W. Bellfort #1113, Houston 77054. All donations are tax de-ductible. Information: 281-546-3568, [email protected].

hoUston heIGhts cItY hAll FIre stAtIon 100th AnnIVersArY

Built in 1914-15 by the mu-nicipality of Houston Heights, this building housed city offices, fire fighters, jail cells, and a combination city council chamber and courtroom until the Heights merged with The City of Houston in 1918. Come celebrate this historic landmark, 107 W. 12th St., from 2-4 p.m. March 8.

Food, drink & ArtSaturday, February 7, 2015 • Page 7A

Leader Nibbles

Art ValetA look into four artists and their specialization

Cocktail competition at onion Creek

350 West 19th Street • 713.360.6204 w w w . h a r o l d s h e i g h t s . c o m

Treat your ValentineThis Valentine’s Day,

Chef Antoine Ware has created a delicious southern creole prixe fix menu for you and your special someone. Choose your favorites to complete a memorable evening with us for $60 per person. Harold’s mixologists will also feature their favorite Valentine’s concoctions to warm up the evening.

Roasted Duck Breast Black Hill Ranch Rack

of Lamb Roasted Gulf Fish Grilled Pork & Kale Roasted Local

Vegetables in Hay

Sweet Treats to include: Chocolate Strawberry

Mousse Bite Salty Caramel Eclair Olive Oil Cake & Sour Cream Icing Bacon Pecan Bar

EntrEEs DEssErt tray

Gulf Fish Ceviche lemon foam & house

made crackers

Black Eyed Pea Tortellini Roasted Scallops Beet & Yogurt Salad Little Gem Salad Artisanal Bread & Honey

appEtizErsstartEr

Seafood Kitchen

6 Shrimps & 2 pcs Fish$ 6.99

2 Pcs Fish $4.9930 Shrimps $11.95

7 Days MON-SUN 11AM-9:30FR& SAT Open Til 10 PM

Also Grilled Platters. Poboys Etou�ee . Gumbo and more

11011 Northwest FRWY 832-409-5222Same center as Academy and Conn’s @ 34 / 290

Lunch . Dinner

Visit our website: www.tyseafoodkitchen.com

Also Grilled Platters, Poboys, Etouffee, Gumbo and more

Meraki (may-rah-kee) - doing something with soul, creativity, or love — when you put “something of your-self” into what you’re doing, whatever it may be. From modern Greek. Meraki Artists Consortium is a group of four artists who work in mixed media with a specialization in poly-mer clay. They are Bet-sy Fraser, Joey Barnes, Paula Kennedy, and Milli Jewell.

Polymer clay is not clay of the earth, it is based on the polymer polyvinyl chloride (PVC) resin and a liquid plasticizer. What? Okay, it looks like clay, feels a bit like clay and will only harden in an oven. The Meraki artists utilize many different skills to create their objects d’art. Color matching, mixing, welding, metal smith-ing, enameling (in a kiln), beading, machining on a very small scale and of course jewelry de-sign. Every color imaginable is available too.

Designs are as diverse as the universe rang-ing from kaleidoscope designs, painted broken eggshell, enameled copper and even, um flip-flop earrings. Beads, tubes and even a veneer as thin as 1/32 of an inch can be crafted with the right tools. Some artists have recreated real wood, gemstones or ivory (which is now banned in the U.S.) out of polymer.

The timeframe for creating these masterpiec-es varies from half an hour to 3 to 4 weeks, thus prices will vary depending on the time involved to create.

At shows, the Meraki Artists display all of their collective work in a boutique style with no recognition to the artist until purchased, then they’ll drop that artist’s business card in the bag. Design demos are quite popular at shows as I’ve seen crowds clamor to see “how it’s done.”

How the Merakis got together is the burning question in my mind. Each was already involved in clay, and met at the Houston Polymer Clay Guild as each took on leadership roles in the organization. Coming from unique professional backgrounds, the Merakis also found their way to clay in unusual ways. I also wondered, what one thing or occurrence in their lives would their patrons fascinated to hear about?

Betsy Fraser came up with the name Meraki, she’d been holding on to it as I was told until that right moment came along. Fraser was an admirer of art until she found polymer. Fraser’s art is visual and tactile. It is about movement: one color flowing into or juxtaposed next to another; the topography of a texture, the po-

sitioning of polymer next to metal, paint or beads. Fascinating tale: Fraser was an intern at the White House Press Office for a summer un-der President Ford. Wow!

Milli Jewell was first introduced to polymer clay when she bought some Sculpey III and a book of polymer clay projects for children to keep her daughter and some friends entertained on a play date. Too bad kids, Mom’s got this now. Fascinating tale: until the 4th grade Jewell was raised on a Navajo Reservation and spoke it fluently at the time. She was the minority.

Paula Kennedy has always dabbled in the arts but it was not until she was well into her career as a Medical Physicist that she took up met-alsmithing to enhance her polymer creations. Now her award winning work takes up most of her time. Kennedy tells me her years as crew member of a hot air balloon would most sur-prise her customers. That and that she was the 1983 Texas Women’s Wind Surfing Champion.

Joey Barnes is the type of person that pushes the envelope in everything she does. Now re-tired from the corporate world of medical sales, she takes her art as seriously as any profession.

Like Kennedy, Barnes utilizes metal and also enameling in her creations. For her parents an-niversary once, she sat next to Jay Leno before the Tonight show as he called and left them a happy anniversary message. Oh, and she’s the Mother of Women’s Rugby in Texas!

You see, they are artists and they are a force to be reckoned with! Find the Meraki Artists Con-sortium at First Saturday Arts Market February 7 and at www.facebook.com/merakiartists.

The market is located at 540 W. 19th Street, details online at 1stSatArtMarket.com

Cohen is the founder and manager of First Satur-day Arts Market. Contact him at [email protected] or visit him on the web at ArtValet.com.

Contributed photoMitch with 3 of the Meraki’s at White Linen night in the Heights, from left, Paula kennedy, Betsy Fraser, Mitch Cohen and Joey Barnes. Milli Jewell is not pictured.

Mitch CohenArts Columnist

Let’s talk steak.You’ve had a long day at

work. You spent the weekend decompressing from your long work week and somehow you skipped out on your weekend grocery shopping. Whoops! Monday comes rolling around and you ask yourself “what’s for dinner?” The grocery store is just a hop-skip-and-jump away, but everyone else who forgot to do their grocery shopping this past weekend will be there, and those pesky birds too. Who wants to go to the grocery store after work anyway? What does sound like a good idea is steak. A few of our area restaurants and bars dedicate one night a week to hosting a dinner special dedi-cated to meat lovers and meat eaters alike. Here are a few to consider.

Sassafras 5022 Pinemont Dr. 77092Mondays @ 6 p.m. Steak night at Sassafras on

Mondays might be one of the best kept secrets hidden over on Pinemont Dr. For $20 your money buys you a steak of your choice – usually strip or ribeye – and about three sides. This week’s menu consists of strip or ribeye, tarragon grape-fruit butter, boiled potatoes, sausage, slaw, pickles and bread. The first 20 steak lovers are promised a surprise with their meal this week. Chef Mike McElroy will keep the steaks coming every week.

Little J’s Bar5306 Washington Ave.

77007Mondays @ 7 p.m.Little J’s over on Washing-

ton has done some revamp-ing and has added some new additions. The pop-up eat-ery, Bourbon & Bacon, calls Little J’s kitchen home. Their menu takes a second look at the term “bar food” and their steak night on Mondays is bar food you don’t want to miss. For $14 you get a ribeye grilled to your liking, potatoes au gra-tin, arugula and any domestic beer to wash it all down. Chef Joseph Zerwas starts grilling at 7, so get there early before they sell out.

*If one night just isn’t enough, or you can’t make

steak night on Mondays, Thursdays the kitchen rolls out ribeye tacos. Another must have.

Beer Market Co.920 Studemont St. 77007Wednesdays @ 4 p.m.Steak isn’t the only thing

happening on Wednesdays over on Studemont. Beer Market Co. hosts a beer event every week for beer sampling, fire sales, tappings, featured casks and more. Wednesday night steak night is $14 for a ri-beye with your choice of mac N cheese, fries, grilled veggies or side salad.

Wakefield Crowbar954 Wakefield Dr. 77018Tuesdays @ 6 p.m.

On Tuesdays you have a couple of options. For $15 you get a ribeye and two sides and for $20 you get a filet and two sides. Chef Victor Garcia hand slices the filets himself and will grill your steaks to order. Maybe if you ask nicely, Chef Vic will make you the Califor-

nia salad as a side option. Say please!

Luke’s Icehouse 903 Durham Dr. 77007Wednesdays @ 11 a.m. If steak is calling your name

early and you just can’t wait for dinner, Luke’s Icehouse is your destination. The grill gets fired up starting at 11 a.m. and goes on until closing. For $12.99 you can enjoy a ribeye and side of your choice and you can grab a $2 Pabst Blue Ribbon or Lone Star Beers.

The Hay Merchant 1100 Westheimer 77007Tuesdays @ 5 p.m.This craft beer house isn’t

exactly close to home, but their steak night earns hon-orable mentions that can’t be left out. Starting at 5 p.m., Hay Merchant will be rockin’ locally raised marbled beef steaks to go along with your beer. For $15 they have a 44 Farms Sirlon with two sides. Sides vary each week, but re-cent pairings have been sweet potato puree, root vegetables, roasted potatoes, swiss chard and a mushroom glaze. If you get there before 6:30 p.m. you can pair steak night with one of their happy hour beers.

Some of these steak nights may have you “forgetting” your grocery shopping this coming weekend. Enjoy!

Have a tip for nibbles? Email [email protected]

Chef Victor Garcia.

The legend goes, in 1836 at the battle of San Ja-cinto, the Yellow Rose of Texas helped ensure Sam Houston’s victory in paving the way for the Republic of Texas. The winning tradition of the Yellow Rose is some-thing that Houston’s first le-gal whiskey distillery, Yellow Rose Distilling, is looking to honor. Founded in 2010, Yel-low Rose is the child of two neighbors, Troy Smith and Ryan Baird. With the help of

partner Randy Whitaker, Yel-low Rose launched into the Texas market in 2012. The distillery has made their way into our area bars and this weekend you can try a few cocktail creations made with Yellow Rose Whiskey.

onion Creek’s H-town Chili throw-down + Whiskey drinking

3106 White Oak Dr. 77008Saturday, Feb. 712- 4 p.m.This Saturday will be the

sixth annual H-Town Throw-down with Onion Creek. Con-testants will be individual chili teams, restaurants, breweries and distilleries. At the end of the day, the grand prize will be $500 and a year’s worth of bragging rights. Live music will be provided by Nick Gai-tan & The Umbrella Man and

the Paul Ramirez Band. You can buy tickets online for $20 at www.onioncreekcafe.com. Your ticket purchase comes with a 2015 Throwdown T-Shirt, chili tasting and a Peo-ple’s choice vote for chili as well as the whiskey cocktail competition.

Six area bartenders will be competing in the cocktail competition that will kick off at 2 p.m. Bartender competi-tors must make their cock-tails using Yellow Rose.

Your very own will be a judge for these whiskey cocktail creations. Tweet me at the event of a photo of you and your cocktail and I’ll have a Yellow Rose tour pass for you. Stop by and say hello!

Have a tip for Thirsty Ex-plorer? Email [email protected] and follow on twitter @ThirstyExplorer

@ThirstyExplorer


I n M e M o r I a M

Louise Eva Janda, age 89, was born on December 24, 1925 in San Gabriel, Texas and died on February 01, 2015 in Houston, Texas. She was raised in Rogers, Texas and graduated from Rogers High School. Louise was a parishioner of Saint Rose of Lima Catholic Church. She retired from Southwestern Bell Telephone Company with 31 years of service. As strong-willed as she was kind, she worked full time while raising her family. Louise was a wonderful and caring mother and grandmother who always put her family’s needs ahead of her own. Louise is preceded in death by her parents Edward and Aneska “Agnes” Jarosek, husband Fred, brothers Edward, Stanley, Emil, and sister Mary. She is survived by son Larry, daughter Eva Herman and husband Steve, son Doug, grandchildren Jeanette Janda and fiancée Eric Charanza, James Janda, Kristi Smith and her husband Shane, and Cole Janda. Louise is also survived by her brother Felix Jarosek, sister Mildred Lange, and numerous extended relatives. The visitation will be held Tuesday, February 03, 2015 from 5:00 to 9:00 p.m. The funeral service will be Wednesday, February 04, 2015 at 10:00 a.m. and a graveside service to follow at Woodlawn Funeral Home and Garden of Memories.

Louise eva JandaI n M e M o r I a M

Evelyn M. Lewis, born, October 17, 1913,

entered into eternal rest on January 27, 2015. Evelyn was a lifelong charter member of St. Marks Methodist Church. She spent her life in Woodland Heights, attending Travis Elementary, Hogg Jr High and Reagan High School, taking part in Red Coats and all activities. After graduation, she joined the family business, Houston Wholesales A F Metzler Inc. Later in life she helped her husband at his business, George J. Lewis Plumbing Co. She also opened up her own business, Evie’s Variety Shop.Evelyn is preceded in death by: Father, A F Metzler; Mother, Theresia Metzler; brother, Doc Metzler; Husband, George J. Lewis Sr. She is survived by son, George and wife Shirley; Grandchildren, Cody, Tara, Cheyenne and Sailor; Nieces, Shari Jo, Vicki Lu, Linda Su and families.In lieu of flowers, please give to St. Marks United Methodist Church or Charity of your choice.

evelyn M. Lewis

The ObiTuAries.Mercedes Anna Demaret, 89, born Sept. 23, 1925 in New

Orleans, died Jan. 26. Demaret is preceded in death by her husband, Mahlon J. Demaret, Sr. and survived by her son, Jay, two grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren.

henry Lloyd Jennings, 95, born Sept. 14, 1919, died Feb. 1.

Mary M. Jetel, 90, born Jan. 3, 1924, died Feb. 1.

Vida Marie stephens McKenzie, 88, born April 30, 1926 in Dallas, died Jan. 21. Marie was born in Dallas, Texas on April 30, 1926. McKenzie attended Wharton Elementary School, Lanier Middle School, and graduated from Lamar Senior High School. She also attended Rice Institute and the University of Houston with degrees in Elementary Ed-ucation and English. She attended and taught Sunday school at Heights Church of Christ, Central Church of Christ, and Westbury Church of Christ. McKenzie, a highly acclaimed teacher, retired from the Houston

Independent School District after 58 years of service. She is survived by her children, Linda Joyce McKenzie and Michael Lee McKenzie.

Clayton W. ramsay, 89, born June 29, 1925, died Jan. 30.

Cynthia Ann Trujillo, born and raised in Houston. She gradu-ated from Incarnate Word Academy High School and the University of Houston. Trujillo worked as a devoted educator for many years, most recently at Sylvan Rodriguez Elementary. She is preceded in death by her father Rudy Trujillo. She is survived by her mother, Virginia Trujillo and by numerous cousins, aunts, uncles, Godchildren, and countless friends.

Gertrude M. Twardowski, 87, born Feb. 10, 1927 in Chappell Hill, Texas, died Jan. 26. She is survived by her son Gene Twardowski, three grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren.

Mr. Waltrip 2015 was crowned amid cheers and laughter after 2+ hours of music, dancing and real enter-tainment Jan. 23. The Mr. Wal-trip Contest, a male pageant which is a cross between Miss America and Saturday Night Live, consisted of 20 Senior men competing in Introduc-tion, Swimwear, Talent and Formalwear. The contestants were: Miguel Munos, Kevin Stallones, Erick Velazquez, Nick Jones, Jose Andino, Leobardo Martinez, Jr., Jordan Gomez, Tristan Pilato, Carey Webb, Ed-win Torres, Jonathan Ri-vera, Kevin Smith, Daniel Zerangue, Xavier Smith, Benjamin Lemond, Eric Pedraza, Joe Flores, Ar-nulfo Hernandez, Michael Gonzalez, and Alex Guerra. The contestants were assisted throughout the evening by Se-nior ladies as escorts and they were: Amanda Edwards, Julia Pena, Brooke Welch, Destiny Nolley, Lizbeth Caballero, Robyn Castillo, Gabriella Fuentes, Odaliz Haro, Miranda Fuentes, Alyssa Morin, Jamie Pena, Abigail Villarreal, Karina Flores, Destinee Johnson, Monica Velazquez, Abby Buchanan, Samantha Va-quera, Suzette Reyes, So-phia Espinosa, and Blanca Sanchez.

The evening was made pos-sible by generous donations

of area businesses, athletics teams, teachers, school clubs, Impression Bridal Store-Gal-leria and Men’s Wearhouse. School clubs and teams spon-sored each contestant while Impression Bridal Store-Galle-ria donated the use of stunning prom gowns which were worn in the Formalwear event by the escorts. Men’s Wearhouse donated the use of 10 tuxedos for half the Senior men, and the remaining 10 tuxes were paid for by donations.

Sincere thanks goes out to these generous neighbors and alumni who sponsored the event: Billy Hartman of Hartman & Associates, Kevin Dunn of Big Power-ful Media (donated a $500 Senior Portrait Package and videography for the contest it-self), Freddy Jones and Suzy Jones of Ella Blvd. Motors, City Cottage Builders, The Leader Newspaper, Ann

Brock and her shop The Posh Petal, Pat Walker of Keller Williams Metropolitan, Shawn Salyers and Baskin Robbins on 43rd, Edible Arrangements on W. 43rd, Ashley Lawrence and Kyle Strine.

Emcee for the evening was the very suave and debonair Coach Mike Evans who did a beautiful job at covering rough stage management moments with his witty repartee and clever ad libbing. The director of this year’s Mr. Waltrip Con-test was yours truly.

Sincere thanks to the judges for the evening: Waltrip’s be-loved Dr. Jon Enloe, Waltrip Class of 1961; one of Waltrip’s favorite alumni - Billy Hart-man, Waltrip Class of 1974, and Hilda Gonzalez, General Manager of Impression Bridal Store-Galleria. The judges and all of the contestants did a fan-tastic job. The winners were:

2nd Runner Up - Eric Pedra-za, 1st Runner Up - Benjamin Lemond, and Joe Flores was crowned Mr. Waltrip 2015.

Lastly, the Senior Class sends thanks to the parents and faculty involved who made the contest possible: Donna Webb, Debby Ho-bart, Sandy Espinosa, Susan Porterfield, Blanca Hernandez, Kathy Bush, Coach Darcy Ruffino, Cath-erine Clay and her crew - Jose Gallegos and Syd-ney Tucker, Jeff Turner, Stephanie Witherspoon, Jennifer Donaldson, Jesse Espinosa, Ayesha Ahmad, and Coach Buress.

Cub Scout Pack 648 recent-ly held their annual Pinewood Derby. For the Tigers, first place was Liam Blackmon and second place was Alex Kelly. In the Wolf Den, first place Everett Denson, sec-ond place was Wyatt John-son and Den Favorite was Tai Poole. Bears first place was Miles Fleming and second place was Carter Medina. Den favorite was Robert Kelly. Webelos first place was Regan Skeele, second place was Nicholas Standley and favorite was Vincent Pena. Pack 648 overall results – First place Miles Fleming, second place Regan Skeele and third place Everett Denson. Over-all pack parents favorite was Vincent Pena. Open division winner was Cub Master Kirk Rodgers. Go Cub Scouts!

Neighbors: Flores,crowned Mr. Waltrip 2015by elizabeth [email protected]

Mr. Waltrip 2015 Joe Flores and his escort samantha Vaquera.

Child Care Center now interviewing

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