Inside Today: Heritage society celebrates Pride Month by honoring activist Monica Roberts Page 6
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After Beryl & The Derecho: Are we ready for the next ‘Big One’?
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One year after the back-to-back punch of the 2024 spring derecho (May 16, 2024) and Hurricane Beryl (July 8, 2024) knocked out power, spoiled refrigerators and rattled Houstonians’ sense of security, new data and agency warnings show both progress and persistent gaps in the region’s readiness for the 2025 season that began June 1.
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Kinder Institute numbers paint a mixed picture
A fresh stat sheet from Rice University’s Kinder Institute for Urban
Research found 58 percent of Harris County residents said they felt “somewhat or very well” prepared for disaster, yet most households had taken only about four of ten recommended preparedness actions. Financial resources mattered: higher-income residents not only felt safer, they were safer, reporting more concrete steps such as stocking supplies or owning generators. Concerns over climate change ran even deeper. Nearly 60 percent of respondents said they were “worried, very worried or extremely worried” about its local impact, and more than See READY P. 2
2024 photo by Ruth Katz Calabrese
Hurricane Beryl struck Houston only two months after derecho winds devastated the area last year.
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By LISA MORALES The Leader News Contributor
Guest Column: A perspective on Houston’s new short-term rentals ordinance
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Community Calendar: See what’s happening in the neighborhood and beyond
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Photos by Stephanie Shirley
241 W. 19th has been home to Casa Ramirez Folk Art Gallery for decades, sharing its mission of preserving and protecting Hispanic Culture in Houston.
Hispanic cultural beacon Casa Ramirez announces March 2026 closure was represented in educational channels and became an activist, working diligently to change that. In the mid70s, he relocated to Houston. He used his affiliation with HISD as a platform for cultural change and awareness. He would even host activist meetings in the back of his original location, located in Houston’s Second Ward in the 1980s.
By STEPHANIE SHIRLEY The Leader News Contributor Pet of the Week: Think Stevie Wonder is great? Wait ‘til you meet Stevie Wonpurr!
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Casa Ramirez Folk Art Gallery, a downtown Heights Hispanic cultural icon, held a media event earlier this week, announcing its anticipated closure in the spring of 2026 due to its owner’s retirement.
Mission and Early Activism
Ready to put a ring on it? Bridal Extravaganza is coming to town
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The gallery is the legacy of Chrissie Dickerson Ramirez and her late husband and social activist, Macario Ramirez. Macario’s father was a craftsman and folk artist who immigrated to San Antonio from Zacatecas, Mexico, inspiring Macario’s passion and mission to preserve his cultural heritage and advocate for equity amidst racial and educational injustices. While teaching in San Antonio, he began to see how little his heritage
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Heights High School student Alyssa Villarreal has officially been named the 2025 Big Squeeze Youth Ambassador by Texas Folklife, earning her spot through talent, perseverance, and a love for the accordion that has taken social media by storm. Villarreal, a sophomore, first discovered the accordion on YouTube when she stumbled across a video of a young boy playing the instrument. Intrigued, she asked her father if she could have one. “He told me I had to show I was serious about playing the instrument,” she recalled. Determined, Villarreal downloaded an accordion app on her iPad and practiced every day. After seven months, she had mastered her first song—and her dad purchased her a real accordion. That dedication paid off. In 2024, Villarreal competed in Texas Folklife’s Big Squeeze accordion contest, a prestigious statewide event celebrating young accordionists across genres such as conjunto, Tejano, zydeco, and Cajun music. After winning, she went on to perform in Edinburg, Texas, with a guitar accompanist. It was there she was named the official Big Squeeze Youth Ambassador for 2025. See ACCORDION P. 5
A Love Story Rooted in Culture
Chrissie Dickerson Ramirez announced the impending ‘retirement’ of the legendary Casa Ramirez Folk Art Gallery on June 2, 2025, after continuing it for five challenging years following her husband’s death
In the 70s, Macario was speaking at an event at the Unitarian Church in Houston. “It was at a singles group with the church. Macario was giving a presentation on being involved in educational issues with HISD,” Ramirez recalled. “We met and got to know each other at a social afterwards. Our friendship See CASA P. 2
Submitted photo by Mariela Freirel
Villareal was the 2024 Big Squeeze competition winner.
Heights fifth-grader Harrison Wall earns 26th Nell Baham Award By STEFANIE THOMAS editor@theleadernews.com
4th of July plans: Details about this year’s Freedom Over Texas celebration
Heights High School sophomore accordionist to be featured at Miller Outdoor Theater
on to mentor future educators at the University of Houston. The award recognizes “good citizenship, academic excellence and worthy contributions within the community,” criteria Baham still hopes to both reward and instill. “Whether you think you can or whether you think you can’t, you’re right,” Baham told the rising middleschoolers during her annual address. Wall, the son of Eric and Amanda Wall, follows a roster of standout Superstars who have claimed the accolade in recent years.
For a quarter-century, Sinclair Elementary’s fifth-grade promotion ceremony has ended with one suspenseful moment: the announcement of the Nell Baham Achievement Award. At this year’s festivities, held at Frank Black Middle School, that honor went to Harrison Wall, a Sinclair fifth-grader in Mrs. Chambers’ class who has already racked up commendations in math, science, reading, robotics and athletics. Wall became the 26th recipient of the A legacy that spans six prize established in 1999 by the Sinclair decades PTA to salute retired master teacher Submitted photo Founded by former PTA president Nell Baham congratulates Harrison Wall Nell Baham, who spent more than half of her 60-year career on Grovewood Jill Hlavinka, the award doubles as a on becoming the 26th recipient of the Nell Lane in the Heights before moving living tribute to Baham’s life in educa- Baham Achievement Award.
tion and community service. Even after retiring from Sinclair, Baham remained a fixture in the community and at St. Matthew’s United Methodist Church, tutoring children and leading ministry programs. She still attends every promotion ceremony and reminds students to “do your very best every day.” This fall, Wall will join many other past Sinclair graduates at Black Middle School, a Vanguard/Dual Language Magnet Campus, bringing with him the same curiosity and work ethic that earned him his elementary school’s highest student honor. With fresh inspiration, Sinclair’s newest alumni marched out, ready to test that advice in the next chapter of their academic journeys.
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