Inside Today: HISD Superintendent Mike Miles responds to allegations Page 3
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Covering the Heights, Garden Oaks, Oak Forest & the neighborhoods of North Houston Saturday, May 18, 2024 • Vol. 69 • No.20
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By STEFANIE THOMAS editor@theleadernews.com
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In a series of disturbing allegations, Spectrum News 1 Austin has reportedly uncovered a concerning trend of Texas public school funds being funneled out of state, with Houston public school superintendent Mike Miles at the center of the controversy. Despite facing budget deficits and significant cutbacks in Texas schools,
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“A Betrayal of Trust”: Local organizations, leaders call for investigation, resignation of HISD Superintendent
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millions of dollars have allegedly been diverted to Miles’ struggling charter schools in Colorado, exacerbating budget shortfalls and leaving Texas schools, especially at Houston ISD, in a dire financial situation. As panicked parents voice their frustrations and educators lament the state of public education, questions loom about the legality and accountability of such financial maneuvers, prompting calls for a formal investi-
gation from state lawmakers, education experts, as well as Houston area parent and teacher organizations. But while many cry foul over the alleged diversion of funds, others feel it’s too soon to jump to conclusions. Heights resident Rob Talley commented on the investigative report by Spectrum News noting a distinction between a “deficit in net assets” the File photo
Houston ISD Superintendent Mike Miles
BATTLING A ROAD TO RUIN
See HISD REPORT P. 5
Gulf Coast Distillers set to revitalize Buff Brew space at Sawyer Yards By LISA MORALES The Leader News Contributor
HAR releases localized real estate data for April by zip code
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Response from HISD Superintendent Mike Miles
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Photo courtesy of Motorcars Ltd.l
Kent Edwards, owner of Motorcars Ltd., said his business and retirement are threatened by ongoing construction blocking easy access to his auto shop.
TxDOT construction threatens local auto shop
Protesters rally against termination of Crockett Elementary principal
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By CHRIS DAIGLE The Leader News Contributor
Take me home: Say hi to Pimms, Friends For Life pet of the week
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Photographer gifts mosaic photos to local schools
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Kent Edwards has been a fan of British motorcars all his life. In 1972, he turned his youthful passion into a business and called it Motorcars Ltd., a service and repair shop catering to Jaguars, Land Rovers, MGs, and European sports cars from all over. Ironically, the very roadway used to drive these cars to his shop is threatening to ruin his business. Motorcars Ltd. is located at 8101 Hempstead Road, right at the railroad underpass that ends Washington Avenue and begins Hempstead Road. The address should be 1 Hempstead Rd, but the addresses continue from Washington Avenue to Hempstead Road and proceed outward. Edwards takes the same route to come to Motorcars Ltd. every morn-
ing, as did all of his customers: Come south on Hempstead under the railroad tracks and make a right, into the driveway. Very simple. That is, until early 2018. From 2015 to 2018, TXDOT decided that this stretch of road must be improved and widened to get to Old Katy Road or Washington. The project, said TXDOT in 2015, will take two years to complete with a “minor detour.” That “minor detour” turned into a looping, confusing bundle of twists and turns that is reducing Edwards’ business by half. “People can’t get to us and they give up trying,” he said. Now drivers have to go south on Hempstead, under the railroad tracks, go east on old Katy Road, make a dangerous U turn, go west on Old Katy road, hopefully find the right temporary exit, and cut north through the parking lot of a
TXDOT maintenance shop to come to his shop. “Just to get here to open up every day I have to drive this same ridiculous route that’s ruining my business,” Edwards said. “It’s hard to see, it’s hard to navigate, and there’s no answer from TXDOT on when this will change, I’m livid seeing this every day and it’s not safe.” The traffic reduction to his shop is threatening Edwards’ livelihood. The damage caused by the construction mess is immeasurable, he said, to the point of being forced to lay off an employee. “We tried giving a discount to customers just for finding us, but that didn’t work,” he said, adding that the fruitless back-and-forth with TxDOT is taking a personal toll. “This is affecting my retirement. I’m watching See CONSTRUCTION. P. 5
Houston’s iconic Sawyer Yards is poised for a new chapter as Gulf Coast Distillers, also known as Giant Texas Distillers, prepares to take the reins of the space formerly occupied by the Buffalo Bayou Brewing Company. Permits filed with the city of Houston reveal that Gulf Coast Distillers has secured occupancy for the site located at 2101 Summer St. The permits signal the company’s imminent move into the Sawyer Yards venue. The company released two-fold news in recent weeks announcing both the widespread relaunch of the “Tejas Beer” brand and that it has entered into a long-term lease of the brewery and tasting room venue in the Sawyer Yards development. Tejas Beer will be available in over 500 locations, including Houston-area H-E-B grocery stores. The “Clara” and “Negra’’ versions will be distributed initially, with other flavors and styles to follow. Tejas Beer will continue to be available at Gulf Coast Distiller’s Giant Texas tasting room at their eastside distillery and brewery on Clinton Drive, as well as at the new Tejas venue at the revitalized 2101 Summer Street brewery location. “We are proud to be a part of helping bring this Texasstyle brand to Texans,” said Bo Huggins, CEO of Houston Distributing Company. “Tejas Beer will be a prominent part of HD’s distribution portfolio. Look for it everywhere soon!” See DISTILLER P. 3
Photo courtesy of Gulf Coast Distillers
Gulf Coast Distillers prides itself on barrelaging its spirits “from grain to glass”. Pictured is the warehousing facility in Houston.
From Trash to Treasure: The Heights, GOOF embrace composting to reduce environmental impact of food waste Chicken wings, anyone? Battle of the Wangs set for March 18
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THE INDEX. People ���������������������������������������2 Topics ����������������������������������������4 Classifieds ���������������������������������6 Local Culture �����������������������������8
By STEFANIE THOMAS editor@theleadernews.com Ideally, the food you buy goes into your mouth. But, in reality, businesses, restaurants, and private households throw away nearly 40 percent of food, creating a massive food waste problem around the world, and particularly in the U.S. On a local level, Chris Wood, cofounder of Moonshot Compost, is on a mission to transform how communities handle their organic trash. Nowadays, you may see little green
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buckets outside your neighbor’s front door that hold leftover food ready to be transformed into compost. How it started Wood said that in a world where Google and Amazon know pretty much everything about him, right down to his television habits and the temperature set on his thermostat, no one really knew anything about his trash. That moment of realization sparked a business idea and an epiphany about the untapped value of food waste, which ultimately
served as the catalyst for Moonshot Compost. “Food waste is hugely valuable, in several ways, and it’s all going to the landfill,” Wood said. “When you divert food waste from a landfill and turn it into compost, on the other hand, you capture its value and create something good from it.” Moonshot Compost, launched in February 2020, faced an unexpected hurdle when the global pandemic struck just a month after the fledgSee COMPOSTING P. 3
Photo courtesy of Moonshot Compost
Team Moonshot Compost picks up full composting buckets curbside, and replaces them with new sanitized buckets.
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.
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