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Local councilmember proposing gun violence dashboard By Landan Kuhlmann landan@theleadernews.com
A city of Houston council member whose district includes much of the local area is proposing an additional resource to help address gun violence within the city of Houston that officials say might be the first of its type. District C councilmember Abbie Kamin, whose district includes much of the Heights and part of
Garden Oaks/Oak Forest, is heading up an initiative that is proposing creating a public dashboard that would keep track of all firearm death and injury data from multiple sources in one place for all departments to be able to access it. The city’s health department is pushing to partner with its medical partners to put all data regarding injuries from firearms in one place – which officials say
Abbie Kamin
is not currently possible. “In order to be collecting all of the data that is necessary to make informed, scientific public health decisions by experts on prevention, you need to be having the same baseline information across the board that then you can look at,” Kamin said when she first presented the dashboard proposal during a June budget meeting. As part of the dashboard, Houston Health
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of hearing her name called. This was the third year HDW had sent dancers to the national competition, according to director Autumn Rosemond, but the first time to have anyone See Dance P. 7
See Suspects P. 7
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INSIDE. Contributed photo Marina Hart, who is part of Houston Dance Works studio in the local area, performs during the Platinum National Dance Competition in Washington, D.C. earlier this month. Hart was one of two local dancers crowned in their respective categories at the competition.
Local dance studio boasts national competition winners
Winning it all Read more about how a local youth baseball team took home the title at a prestigious national tournament.
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Unexpected find See what art columnist Mitch Cohen says might be an unexpected discovery at an arts market, but is as fascinating as anything
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By Landan Kuhlmann landan@theleadernews.com
Houston Dance Works director Autumn Rosemond has a passion for inspiring her dancers to find their own power and strength through dance. And not only have two dancers from the studio done so, they have been recognized as being the best in their craft during a recent national competition. Earlier this month, HDW works dancers Marina Hart and Charlotte Sanchez were crowned the grand champions in their respective divisions during the Platinum Dance Company’s National Finals Gala at the Ultimate Invitational that took place in Washington, D.C. July 14-16. The Ultimate Invitational is an invitation-only national competition where only the top scoring dances from each regional city receive an invite. Dancers compete again upon arrival in D.C. against the nation’s top scoring routines to receive invites to compete in the Gala.
Contributed photo Hart (back left) and Charlotte Sanchez (back right) both earned top marks in their dances during the competition.
Hart was the Grand Champion in the 11U group at the competition for her piece entitled “Cute,” while Sanchez took home the Grand Champion title in the 12 and over division for her dance called “100 years.” “It was really cool,” Hart said
Area charter school announces head of school By Landan Kuhlmann landan@theleadernews.com
A local charter school set to open its doors over the next couple of years has named its inaugural leader. Heritage Classical Academy, which is set to begin operations in the 77092 zip code for the 2024-2025 school year, announced Friday that the school has appointed longtime educator Melissa Martin to serve as its inaugural head of school. Martin, who has been an educator in Texas for more
Melissa Martin
than 20 years according to the school, will oversee all school operations including preparing HCA to open its doors to students beginning with the 20242025 school year. A United States Air Force veteran who holds a master’s degree in education, Martin has also previously served on the Texas Commission on Public School Finance, the Texas Juvenile Justice Department, and Innovative Teachers of Texas. HCA will open with grades K-1 in its first year and grow into a full Pre K-8 classical school by
Everyone is welcome at Heights Church. We are an exciting blend of old and new, yone isand welcome at Heights Church. we warmly invite you to visit.We are an exciting blend of old and new,
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adding a new grade every year, according to the school. “All children deserve access to quality education and the opportunity to expand their minds and possibilities for their future,” Martin said in a news release. “I look forward to leading HCA as we work to open our doors and prepare a new generation of Houstonians to reach their greatest potential.” According to a 2022 article from the Texas Tribune, Heritage had previously been controversial among state board members See Charter P. 7
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Murder suspects extradited to Harris County Two men accused in a fatal shooting in Timbergrove earlier this year have been extradited from San Francisco back to Harris County to face charges, according to the Houston Police Department. J a i d a n Nguyen, 25, and Polie Phan, 26, are charged with capital murder in the fatal shootings of 37-yearold James Martin and Jaidan Nguyen 3 5 - ye a r - o l d Dana Ryssdal in the L a z y b ro o k / Timbergrove area this past January, according to Harris County court records. Phan was extradited to Harris CounPolie Phan ty on July 19, the department said, and Nguyen was extradited July 21. Both men are currently in custody in Harris County, according to court records, and both men have been denied bail. Another suspect, 22-year-old Kathy Vu, was previously arrested and is accused of tampering with evidence according to Harris County court records. She was arrested in March, and is currently out of jail on a $40,000 bond according to court documents. Officers initially responded to a home in the 1700 block of West T.C. Jester Boulevard around 8:30 a.m. on Jan. 27 to do a welfare check after detectives said a neighbor noticed a car running with nobody inside, according to HPD. A man, later identified as Ryssdal, was later found dead with multiple gunshot wounds inside the home – which Martin owned – according to the department.
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By Landan Kuhlmann landan@theleadernews.com
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A good cause Area residents can donate to the YMCA’s Operation Backpack through Aug. 15.
Department Chief Environmental Science Officer Dr. Loren Hopkins said data would automatically be pulled from the city’s Level I Trauma Centers as well as the Houston Police Department, the Harris County medical examiner, and more in order to compile everything into one go-to spot. And though the city has made efforts to combat
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