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Saturday, April 8, 2023 • Vol. 68 • No. 14
City breaks ground on Greater Inwood flood mitigation project
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By Landan Kuhlmann landan@theleadernews.com
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With Houston having endured a number of significant weather and flooding events in recent years, city of Houston officials recently broke ground on a project that is aimed at mitigating the effects of future major weather events. On March 29, officials broke ground on the Greater Inwood Basin Detention Project, which it claims will
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protect more than 4,000 homes and business buildings in the Greater Inwood area when the project is finished The project is the first of four Hazard Mitigation Grant Projects approved by FEMA following Hurricane Harvey in 2017. It is a joint project with FEMA, the Harris County Flood Control District, and the city of Houston. Other projects are in the North Canal Diversion Channel, Lake Houston Dam
Gate Structure and TIRZ 17 Regional Detention. According to Mayor Sylvester Turner, the city has experienced seven “federally-declared disasters” over the last seven years, including Hurricane Harvey in 2017. The flood mitigation project plans to construct a series of 12 interconnected basins at the 226-acre site of a former golf course on Contributed photo Antoine Drive north of West turn over dirt at last week’s groundbreaking of the Greater Little York Road, which is Officials Inwood Detention Basin project. See MITIGATION P. 6
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Person of interest sought in fatal shooting By Landan Kuhlmann landan@theleadernews.com
Back on track St. Pius X baseball got back on track with a sweep to pace local teams on the diamond last week
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State’s best Several local boys’ basketball players recently earned All-State honors for their play
Photo by Landan Kuhlmann The Waltrip High School band performs during a concert last year. The band recently received a proclamation from the city of Houston.
Waltrip Roaring Ram Band receives city proclamation
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By Landan Kuhlmann landan@theleadernews.com
Art meets tech In this week’s Art Valet, read how Casey Campbell bends tech to his will to create art
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Celebration Among this week’s Nibbles and Sips news, Urban South - HTX celebrates three years at Sawyer Yards this weekend
The Waltrip High School Roaring Ram Band is renowned locally, having played many concerts, events, and ceremonies throughout the area. Now, they have a day dedicated just to them. During a Houston City Council meeting on March 28, the city of Houston and Mayor Sylvester Turner proclaimed the date as Waltrip Ram Band Day on the heels of winning the SAFE Diversity Battle of the Bands contest. “The band is beloved and renowned, not just in District C, but throughout the city,” said District C councilmember Abbie Kamin, whose district includes Waltrip. “From playing district concerts where my two-year-old has rocked
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See Waltrip P. 6
Photo courtesy HPD Pictured is a person of interest sought for questioning about a shooting in the area last week
Local spots hosting special Easter celebrations this weekend By Landan Kuhlmann
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out to them, to Super Bowl events, and playing so many events throughout Houston – we are so excited to honor them.” Last week’s honor is another in a long line of accolades and opportunities for the Roaring Ram Band. It has twice performed in Washington D.C. – first at former President Barack Obama’s second inauguration in 2012 – as well as at Super Bowl and Final Four events held
in Houston. The Waltrip band has performed Christmastime concerts at the Heights Theater, and just last year played at the Jazz Education Network’s annual conference in Dallas. The Waltrip band has qualified for the UIL area marching band competition every year since 1997, meaning it has advanced past the regional round every year during that span. That is the longest such streak in HISD And having a day dedicated to them, simply for the kids doing what they love, is even more special to the ones who lead them – not to mention the encouragement they said it provides for the students in their charge to continue pursuing musical opportunities.
Police are looking for information on the whereabouts of a man they want to question in relation to a local fatal shooting last week, according to the Houston Police Department. The man has not been charged in the shooting, according to the department, though HPD says the department believes the man “has direct knowledge of the circumstances of this case.” The identity of the victim is pending an autopsy from the county’s medical examiner, according to the department. Officers responded to a shooting call at a strip center parking lot in the 7500 block of Long Point Road around 6:45 p.m. on March 28 to find the victim unresponsive and lying on the ground and having been shot, according to HPD. The man was taken to a local hospital, police said, where he was later pronounced dead. The person of interest is a Hispanic man, according to police, who was seen on surveillance video wearing a gray hooded sweatshirt According to police, a preliminary investigation indicates that an unknown suspect was allegedly involved in an armed robbery at the shopping complex, and that the victim may have been trying to stop the alleged robber from running away. Police are asking anyone with information about the shooting or the whereabouts of the person of interest to reach out and call HPD’s Homicide division at 713-308-3600 or speak anonymously to Houston Crime Stoppers by calling them at 713-222-8477.
If community members are looking to occupy their children for a few hours, a few upcoming neighborhood Easter egg hunts and Easter community events might be just the ticket. As the holiday comes up this weekend, there are several events happening in the local area that
aim to give children, families, and community members a chance to have some fun in the sun. Village Heights Church Village Heights Church will host its annual Easter egg hunt at Marmion Park, 1802 Heights Blvd., on Saturday, with five different age-specific hunts from 10 a.m.-noon. Those age 0-2 years will start at 10:10 a.m., those ages
2-4 will begin at 10:35 a.m., and children ages 5-6 will start theirs at 11 a.m. For the older children, kids ages 7-9 will start at 11:25, and those ages 10-12 will begin at 10:50 a.m. The event is open to the general public. For more information, visit, EasterInTheHeights.com Houston Farmers Market On Saturday, the Houston See EASTER P. 6
Photo from Facebook A young girl looks for Easter eggs during a previous Easter egg hunt at Marmion Park in the Heights.
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