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Saturday, April 22, 2023 • Vol. 68 • No.16
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INSIDE.
HISD holding off on proposed budget cuts By Landan Kuhlmann landan@theleadernews.com
Ahead of a June transition to a board on managers upon the Texas Education Agency’s takeover of the district, Houston Independent School District is holding off on proposed budget cuts and making changes to its proposed
budget for the 2023-2024 school year. The announcement came during an April 13 board meeting in which superintendent Millard House II said the district would be “pressing pause” on several proposed cuts that had been proposed and would have saved the district more than $40 mil-
Millard House II
lion. “I’ve heard loud and clear that the will of the board is to not move forward with any campus-level budget reductions,” House said during the meeting. The most significant cut that is now no longer being proposed would have been taking away the district’s ADA harmless provision
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that protected campuses from having funds reduced due to lowered enrollment. HISD’s enrollment has decreased by about 5,000 students since last year, and by roughly 31,000 since 2017 according to House. It began as a state provision during the COVID-19 See HISD P. 5A
City announces initiative to remove dangerous buildings By Landan Kuhlmann landan@theleadernews.com
Charged A woman has been cahrged in connection to an auto-pedestrian crash in the area last
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Diving ahead St. Pius X baseball continued their strong play last week to lead our annual recap
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Contributed photo Pete Santikos, who owned Santikos and Sons Texaco Auto Repair in Oak Forest for more than 40 years, passed away in February. One of the most recognizable businessmen in the area, he is also remembered as a loving family man and became a mentor and father figure to many in the community.
Former Santikos and Sons owner known as loving family man, mentor By Landan Kuhlmann landan@theleadernews.com
Art all around Check out this week’s Art Valet for an array of art happenings in the area this weekend
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Seth Santikos is going to miss his go-to ride-along and lunch buddy. And two months after the passing of his father, Peter Santikos, he said it hits hard every day. On Feb. 24, Peter Santikos passed away at the age of 79 following a battle with cancer that lasted more than a year after he was diagnosed in November 2021. “We did a lot of stuff together,” Seth said. “But it got cut short.” Peter Santikos was born on Aug. 6, 1944 in Corpus Christi, but the family has been in Houston for decades, moving there when Peter See Santikos P. 5A
An icon lost Longtime realtor Pat Walker passed away last month. See our story as we share memories from those who knew her
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THE INDEX. Public.................................... 2A Topics ................................... 3A Sports ........................................................ 4A Classifieds ............................................. 6A Local Culture ........................ 7A Food/Drink ........................... 7A
A city of Houston initiative that aims to take down buildings deemed as presenting a danger to public safety kicked off last week. On April 15, Mayor Sylvester Turner and other city officials kicked off the city’s 2023 demolition initiative, which the city said is aimed at removing 300 buildings citywide that the city’s department of inspections have deemed as dangerous by the end of the year. “My top priority to ensure that our neighborhoods are safe and livable,” Turner said in a news release. “This means tackling the problem of abandoned buildings that degrade our neighborhoods, harbor vagrancy and crime, and pose real safety concerns for residents.” According to the city, nearly 130 “residential dangerous” structures have been demolished so far this year, with plans for more than 100 more by the end of the year. A number of such buildings reside in underserved neighborhoods including the city’s 10 Complete Communities, according to the city, among them Acres Homes and Near Northside. Since 2016, the city said nearly 11,500 cases involving dangerous buildings have been resolved through owner compliance or demolition of a building if the owner does not comply with the city’s standards. The demolition process is undertaken by the Department of Neighborhoods, according See Demolition P. 5A
Contributed photo Pete Santikos, left is shown at a restaurant with son Seth Santikos.
Photo courtesy city of Houston The city of Houston has begun an initiative aimed at taking down dangerous buildings in area communities.
Artist applications open for Memorial Park art festival Staff Reports
Any local artists who want to be a part of the massive art festival happening at Memorial Park later this year can now submit their works of art for consideration. The Bayou City Art Festival announced in a news release Monday that interested artists can now apply for the opportunity to showcase and sell their art at the upcoming outdoor art festival scheduled for Oct. 14-15 at Memorial Park. Applications can be submitted online at zapplication.org/event-info. php?ID=10785 through midnight (Central Standard Time) on June 18
for consideration for the prestigious festival, according to the organization. According to the organization, more than 1,000 qualified applicants from 19 different disciplines typically submit their applications to be reviewed by ACA jurors from countries around the world including Canada, Mexico, South America, and Israel. Of those, only 300 will be selected to have their artwork shown in the festival. The organization said interested artists must submit five images and an application fee of $50 by the See Art Festival P. 5A
Photo from Facebook An artist explains a piece to an interested customer at a previous Bayou City Art Festival. Applications are now open for area artists to submit their work to be considered for the upcoming spring festival in October.