Inside Today: City organizes special pickup for replacement garbage containers Page 6 PLUMBING, LLC ~Family Owned and Operated~ • Residential/ Commercial • Water Heater • Leak Detection • Licensed, Bonded & Insured • No Hidden Fees
Covering the Heights, Garden Oaks, Oak Forest & the neighborhoods of North Houston
“Your Neighborhood Plumber”
832-441-9683
Saturday, September 13, 2025 • Vol. 70 • No. 37
ABOUT US 713-371-3600 news@theleadernews.com www.theleadernews.com Facebook/FromTheLeader
you’re reading this, so are your potential customers call today to advertise!
713-371-3600
INSIDE.
Longtime cyclist and mechanic remembered after fatal crash By STEFANIE THOMAS editor@theleadernews.com Houston’s cycling community is mourning the loss of Dan Kan, a beloved mechanic, mentor, and road-racing enthusiast, who died on Tuesday, Aug. 26, after being struck by a truck while riding his bike to work. He was 70 years old. According to a Houston Police Department (HPD) press release, the crash occurred around 10:15 a.m. at 4000 Watonga Boulevard. Investigators said a black GMC Denali exited a private drive-
way and failed to yield the right of way, colliding with Kan as he traveled northbound on his bicycle. Paramedics transported Kan to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced deceased. The driver of the GMC remained at the scene, showed no signs of intoxication, and was questioned and released. HPD’s Vehicular Crimes Division continues to investigate.
known in Houston’s bike community for his dedication, skill, and passion for the sport. Matt Wurth, owner of i Cycle Bike Shop, where Kan worked, shared an emotional tribute on Facebook: “Dan never complained. He rode rain or shine, lived on trail mix and pistachios, and never called in sick. He would come in on his day off to finish bikes he promised to customers. Dan has every bike tool you can posA Life Devoted to Cycling sibly get and fixed bikes other i Cycle Bike Shop Facebook photo Kan, described by friends as Dan Kan, center, shown with fellow cycling enthusiasts Dan Hardin and Juan Cruz. See CYCLE P. 3 a “cycling guru,” was widely
FLAG FEVER
A Family Legacy Worth Saving: Cavatore calls on community By BETSY DENSON The Leader News Contributor When Federico Cavatore got the call from his father in 2001, he was building homes on the coast of Baja California - living a completely different life from the family restaurant business back in Houston. But his father had been diagnosed with a rare form of cancer, and the question was simple: would Federico come home to help run the family’s restaurant and ensure his mother would be okay? “Obviously, it didn’t take much,” Federico recalls of that moment. “I was on a flight the following week.”
Fall Call 2025: Houston Junior Forum launches new season of service
Page 5
From Duty to Calling
Sept. 21: Sun Day Houston 2025 shines light on clean energy and climate action
Page 5
Photo courtesy of the Houston Texans
Heights High School took home the 2025 championship for the Houston Texans Girls Flag Football League this May.
Houston Texans partnership helps Heights HS Girls Flag Football make history By STEPHANIE SHIRLEY The Leader News Contributor
Houston Arboretum hosts Latino Conservation Week Sept. 13-20
Page 6
Kids' Meals: Calling all young professionals to join new group
Page 6
The Houston Texans are rewriting the playbook for young athletes in Texas — and Heights High School is helping lead the charge. What started as a bold initiative in 2023 to create the state’s first Girls Flag Football League has exploded into a fast-growing movement that’s giving young female athletes opportunities once thought impossible. With championship titles, college pathways, and even the 2028 Olympics on the horizon, Heights High’s team has become a shining example of how passion, perseverance, and community support are transforming the game. The mission of the Houston Texans Foundation is to leverage the power of football to strengthen the community, support youth development, and break down barriers to fundamental resources. One of the most inspir-
That phone call drew Federico back to Cavatore Italian Restaurant in the Heights, where he had spent childhood summers washing dishes and prepping ingredients alongside his parents, who opened the restaurant in 1984. What began as a son’s duty evolved into his calling, a heritage he is determined to preserve for the next generation. The restaurant sits on nearly an acre of land where a historic barn, originally disassembled in Bastrop, Texas, was rebuilt to house the Italian eatery. For years, the family operated both Cavatore and a French fine-dining restaurant called La Tour d’Argent across the street, where Rainbow Lodge now stands. After his father’s death 20 years ago, Federico and his sister made the difficult decision to sell the French restaurant and focus entirely on Cavatore, which they continue to operate together today. See CAVATORE P. 2
Photo courtesy of the Houston Texans
Heights HS coach DeVincent Idlebird receiving the 2025 Coach of the Year award after his first Flag season.
ing and successful initiatives began in 2023 when the organization’s first Girls Flag League was established in Texas. Believing that every girl should have a chance to get in the game, the league provides unequaled opportunities for young female athletes with a love and passion for the sport to compete in
what has been primarily considered a male-dominated arena. The program is ever-evolving and expanding, embodying every tenet of the foundation’s mission statement. And the Heights High School Girls See FLAG P. 2
2020 file photo by Adam Zuvanich
Federico Cavatore, owner at Cavatore Italian Restaurant
Houston’s Viet Culture Fest finds strong local support By BETSY DENSON The Leader News Contributor
ATTN Men: Get screened during Prostate Cancer Awareness Month
Page 8
THE INDEX. Topics ����������������������������������������4 Classifieds ���������������������������������7
time after her father’s death. “I feel like it’s my mission to tell stories through food.” The festival, expected to draw 15,000 attendees to NRG Center’s Halls A and B on Sept. 21, represents more than just a cultural celebration. This year’s theme, “Gratitude to People Who Paved the Path Before Us,” or Uống Nước Nhớ Nguồn, pays tribute to earlier generations while highlighting five decades of Vietnamese American experiences in the U.S.
For Heights-area chef Nikky Tran, a traditional Vietnamese dish holds the power to bridge generations and preserve cultural memory. This month, she’ll judge cooking competitions featuring one of these dishes, caramelized fish stew, at Houston’s fourth annual Viet Culture Fest, where food becomes a vessel for storytelling and heritage preservation. “For me, food is not just food,” Tradition on a Plate said Tran, who closed the wellTran will judge what she calls regarded Montrose restaurant Kau Ba and returned to Vietnam for a “one of the most difficult dishes”
in Vietnamese cuisine, caramelized fish stew, a traditional recipe from the Mekong Delta region where her father was born. It’s a dish she believes Vietnamese people love even more than pho, but one that’s largely unknown outside Vietnamese homes. “People nowadays don’t understand why it was created that way,” Tran explained. “It’s like an heirloom that we brought to the US. You cannot get that dish anywhere - you have to get it at home from your grandma’s or your mom’s cooking.” See VIET P. 4
LIKE WHAT YOU’RE READING? Scan this QR code to make a donation through Paypal today!