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Saturday, December 24, 2022 • Vol. 67 • No. 50
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MKT Spur Connector trail opens in Heights By Landan Kuhlmann landan@theleadernews.com
The dream to connect two of the Heights and Houston area’s busiest and most popular bike trails has now officially come to fruition. On Tuesday morning, officials with Houston Public Works and the Houston Parks Board celebrated the completion of the MKT Spur Connector trail link-
ing the MKT and White Oak Bayou Greenway trails in the Heights with a ribbon cutting. The connector closes a gap between the MKT and White Oak Bayou Greenway trails. It features 850 feet of a 10-foot-wide concrete hike and bike trail, according to the city. Improvements include stormwater upgrades, a retaining wall, and safety railings. Houston Public Works
director Carol Haddock said the connector is the final missing piece to link users to 17 miles of hikeand-bike trails along the greenway, creating a “more pleasant experience.” “There are lots of gaps in Houston’s bike network, so it’s always good news when one of them is filled,” Joe Cutrufo, executive director of nonprofit Bikes For Houston, said in a text See MKT P. 7
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Contributed photo Officials cut the ribbon to officially open the completed MKT Spur Connector, which links the MKT and White Oak Bayou Greenway trails in the Heights.
Winter Street Studios damaged in Tuesday fire By Landan Kuhlmann landan@theleadernews.com
A local art studio is reeling after many studios in the complex caught fire and had artwork damaged or destroyed Tuesday morning. Winter Street Studios at Sawyer Yards caught fire just after 6 a.m. Tuesday, and the community is thinking through what to do in the aftermath. Multiple artists told Houston television station ABC-13 that they believe it was intentional, though the Houston Fire Department officially is still investigating and had not released an official cause of the blaze as of Tuesday afternoon. All studios have at least some smoke damage, according to a Facebook post from Taylor Clendennen, an artist with the studio, while the report from ABC-13 says a number of pieces and studios have sustained significant damage. “It’s hard enough being an artist, but to go through this is just unimaginable,” Clendennen wrote. “All the hard work into creating so much amazing and beautiful artwork, just gone.” According to the Houston Fire Department, crews from stations 15, 6, 8, 17, 19 and 30 first responded to the studios at 2101 Winter St. at 6:17 a.m. on Tuesday. The department was not able
Home market update Catch up on home sales trends around the area in our monthly rundown
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In the groove Several local high school hoops teams are hitting their stride. See how they fared last week
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See Studios P. 7
Pulling together Fundraising efforts are set to start for Winter Street Studios after it caught fire
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Contributed photos Earlier this week, the Harris County Precinct 1 Constable’s Office played Santa, dropping off gifts for local students at Garden Oaks, Stevens, Durham, Travis, and Helms elementaries in the neighobrhood.
Nibbles and Sips A local brewery has a new leader, and a new pizza spot is in
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THE INDEX. Sports ............................................................ 9 Church........................................................... 6 Coupons ...................................................... 7 Classifieds ................................................. 8 Food/Drink ............................10
Photo from Facebook A burn trail is pictured at Winter Street Studios in Sawyer Yards, which caught fire Tuesday morning and sustained damage to many studios inside.
New urgent care center open on North Shepherd By Landan Kuhlmann landan@theleadernews.com
There is another urgent care option now available in the area for those needing immediate medical attention. On Dec. 12, Memorial Hermann-GoHealth Urgent Care opened a new location at 2400 North Shepherd Dr. in an effort to bring convenient, high-quality care to families and residents throughout the Houston Heights community. It is the third Memorial Hermann-GoHealth Urgent Care center in the area, joining existing locations at 300 North Loop W. Suite 100 and 4500 Washington Ave., Suite 100.
The center offers patients ages 6 months and older a wide array of services for non-life-threatening conditions, the release said, such as on-site X-ray services, COVID-19 testing and treatment, and more. In addition to treating non-life-threatening illnesses and injuries, the center also offers sports physicals for kids and flu vaccines. “Communities and families benefit from expanded access to high-quality, affordable healthcare, when and where they need it,” said Betsy Koickel, M.D., See Urgent care P. 7
Contributed photo Pictured is the new Memorial Hermann Go-Health Urgent Care center on North Shepherd Drive, which opened Dec. 12.