INSIDE: HCAD property value notices have been mailed • Page 6
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Surfhouse set to close next month By Landan Kuhlmann
landan@theleadernews.com For nearly six decades, Surfhouse has sat in a shopping center at the corner of West 34th Street and Ella Boulevard to provide the Oak Forest, Garden Oaks, and Heights communities with the chance to satisfy all of its surfing material needs complete with a smile and good conversation. But its run will soon be coming to an end nearly 60
years after it began. Earlier this month, the shop announced on Facebook that owner Carol Sandel is retiring and that Surfhouse will be closing at the end of May. Carol Sandel ran the business with her late husband Lloyd until he passed away from complications from an infection in May 2022, and has been running the shop at 1737 W. 34th St., Suite 400 herself since his passing nearly a year ago. “She would like to thank
everyone that has supported Surfhouse and Lloyd and her during all these years and to say it was an honor to provide this service to the community,” she wrote on Facebook earlier this month. The business bills itself as the oldest surf shop in Texas as well as the state’s oldest skateboard shop, having opened in June 1967 on Spring Branch Drive before relocating to the southwest See Surfhouse P. 6
Photo from Facebook Surfhouse, which has operated in the area for nearly 60 years, will close at the end of May,
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Man charged in fatal Northside shooting
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By Landan Kuhlmann landan@theleadernews.com
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INSIDE.
HS roundup See how local baseball and softball teams fared on the diamond last week in our weekly recap
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Photo from Twitter Heights High School’s softball team celebrates its District 18-6A championship following its final regular season game last Saturday. The Lady Bulldogs won the program’s first district title as a member of Class 6A.
Lady Bulldogs looking to build on historic district title By Landan Kuhlmann landan@theleadernews.com
Mix and match Art will meet architecture at Cross Creek Ranch this weekend
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New in charge St. Pius X has a new head of school. Read our story today for more on the new head man
Coming into this season, Heights softball coach Lamont Robins felt that a special season could be on the horizon. And it has morphed into one that the program has never before had as part of the state’s largest classification. “Before the season, my girls said no one in this district will beat us this year,” he said Tuesday. And nobody, in fact, did beat them in district play. Last week, the Lady Bulldogs finished off a perfect run through District 186A, taking down Sam Houston 18-0 on April 18 before winning 4-3 against Chavez on April 21 to secure the district championship. This is the first district championship at the Class 6A level for the Lady Bulldogs since moving to the state’s largest classification prior to the 2015 season, and the first district title at any level in more than a decade. Heights (25-2-1) is set to square
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By Landan Kuhlmann landan@theleadernews.com
There’s nothing like the feeling of the wind going past someone as they fly down the road. At least, that’s the way Sinclair Elementary physical education teacher Emily Gregor sees it. And with help from a local parent, she’s hoping an upcoming event will help inspire more in the community to use the alternate form of transportation when going to work, school, and more. On May 2, Sinclair Elementary in the Heights will host a Bike to School event ahead of National Bike to School Day on May 3.
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off with Stratford (17-10), District 17-6A’s fourth place finisher, in a best-of-three bi-district playoff series that kicks off at 7 p.m. Friday at the Delmar sports complex. “It means a great deal, to make history at Heights,” said Robins, who is in his third sea-
See Bulldogs P. 6
Sinclair Elementary hosting community “Bike to School” event May 2
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THE INDEX.
Photo from Twitter The Lady Bulldogs head into the playoffs as district champs for the first time in more than a decade.
son as the Lady Bulldogs’ head softball coach. “There’s a first time for everything.” The Lady Bulldogs are no stranger to the postseason, having made the playoffs five times in the previous seven full seasons. But they have taken it to a level not seen in recent seasons at the school this year. Heights has not lost since Feb. 21, and enters the postseason on a 23-game unbeaten streak – 22 wins and one tie. And for Robins, the success is not much of a surprise to the third-year head coach. He said a trust has developed between him and his team that is nearly unmatched, as a number of them played on teams he coached at Hamilton Middle School that won district titles themselves. “They trust me, I trust them, and we have created a great bond,” he said. Robins said he felt 2023 could be a special one even after their 2022 season ended with a close area-round loss to Katy Cinco
Police have arrested and charged a man who is accused of shooting and killing another man in the Northside/Northline area last November, according to the Houston Police Department Joseph Magee, 22, has been charged with murder, unlawful carry of a weapon, and theft of a firearm in connection with the fatal shooting of 19-yearMagee old Anthony Deadrick Jr., according to Harris County court records. He was arrested in Roswell, Georgia on April 19, according to HPD, and was awaiting extradition from the state of Georgia. Police responded to an apartment complex in the 200 block of Sunnyside Street in the Northside/Northline area just before 5 p.m. on Nov. 14, 2022, according to police, to find Deadrick inside the apartment having been shot. He was later pronounced dead, according to the department. According to HPD, an eyewitness told investigators that Deadrick had been with a friend – alleged to be Magee – who was allegedly messing around with a gun when it went off, hitting and killing Deadrick. Magee then allegedly fled the scene on foot. He was arrested last week, police said, and is awaiting extradition back to Houston.
“The thing I want to see the most with this event, is that families start making this a normal way of transportation to school,” Gregor said. “Even if it’s just once a week, to build that healthy habit and enjoy being more in nature.” Students and their families will meet the morning of May 2 between 6:30-7 a.m. at the restaurant depot and Discount Tire parking lot near 18th and 20th Street in the Heights. From there, they will depart at 7 a.m. and make their way to Sinclair (6410 Grovewood Ln.) via 20th Street and Ella Boulevard. See Sinclair P. 6
Contributed map Pictured is part of the route that the Sinclair Elementary Bike Bus will take on May 2
Allegiance Bank and CommunityBank of Texas have come together as Stellar Bank. While our name has changed, our commitment to serving our customers and supporting our local communities will stay the same. We look forward to a bright future together.
2222 North Durham | 281.517.8760 Margaret Vandever, Bank Office President Cecilia Rodriguez, Office Manager