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Happy
Holidays! Covering the Heights, Garden Oaks, Oak Forest & the neighborhoods of North Houston Saturday, December 6, 2025 • Vol. 70 • No. 49
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Jury awards $13 million to family of Charles Payne Sr., citing systemic HPD failures in deadly 2021 crash STAFF REPORTS
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A federal jury has delivered a landmark $13 million verdict to the family of Charles Payne Sr., a 75-year-old father and grandfather killed when a speeding Houston Police Department officer slammed into his car on North Shepherd Drive in December 2021. The verdict— issued in the Southern District of Texas—finds the City of
Houston liable for Payne’s death, citing unconstitutional policies and long-standing failures in training and supervision that allowed dangerous driving practices to go unchecked. The decision marks a pivotal moment in a case that has drawn intense scrutiny throughout the Heights, Garden Oaks, and Oak Forest communities, where the fatal crash occurred.
A Preventable Tragedy
Payne was driving home from church on Dec. 26, 2021, when Officer Christopher Cabrera—who was not responding to an emergency call and had no lights or sirens activated—sped northbound along the 4600 block of North Shepherd at nearly 70 mph in a 35 mph zone. Payne attempted to make a left turn
onto Thornton Road and never saw the fast-approaching cruiser. He died hours later at a hospital. HPD initially released few details, and the officer was placed on paid administrative leave pending investigation.
Pattern of Dangerous Driving
During the recent federal trial, Payne family attorneys
ARMORED AND ADORABLE
presented evidence that HPD routinely allowed officers to drive more than 20 mph over posted speed limits even when not responding to emergencies. This unofficial practice, the jury concluded, created unacceptable risks to the public and represented deliberate indifference on the City’s part. The jury determined that See PAYNE P. 2
Kamin unveils nation’s first firearm-injury dashboard By STEFANIE THOMAS editor@theleadernews.com
Pct. 1 deputies hit the streets for annual toy drive
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Nice Winery dedicates holiday wine to benefit Periwinkle Foundation
Page 5 An armadillo mother and baby looking at the camera at Houston Arboretum.
Photo by Kelsey Low, courtesy of Houston Arboretum
Armadillo sightings abound at Houston Arboretum Save the Date: See what’s happening in the neighborhood and around town
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Coming to a Table Near You: Holiday menus, specials abound
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By BETSY DENSON The Leader News Contributor If you’ve noticed more armadillos scuttling through the Houston Arboretum & Nature Center lately, you’re not alone. Tiffany Ritter, Education Director at the Houston Arboretum, confirms that staff and visitors alike have observed a notable increase in armadillo sightings over the past several years. This year brought particularly encouraging signs: Photo by Stephen Benigno, three different groups of baby armadilcourtesy of Houston Arboretum los, called pups, which Ritter says “is A baby armadillo at Houston Arboretum; not that common.” the armored animals have made a
A Story of Resilience
While the Arboretum doesn’t conduct official population monitoring, Ritter attributes the apparent rebound to a period of relative habitat stability following years of environmental stress
comeback in recent years.
2013. Combined with sustained master plan construction, conditions were less than ideal for the sensitive animals, who prefer quieter surroundings. But it was the back-to-back floods of 2016 and 2017, including Hurricane Harvey, that likely impacted the population most severely. “They really like to nest along streams, so all along the bayou, all along our ravine,” Ritter said. There’s a high probability that with all of the floods we experienced back-to-back, there was maybe even a high mortality.” Since 2020, however, conditions have been relatively stable, giving the population time to bounce back.
and construction disruption. When to Spot Them The severe 2011 drought resulted Though armadillos are technically in the loss of 55% of the Arboretum’s nocturnal with crepuscular tendencies, tree canopy, leading to extensive dead See ARMADILLO P. 2 timber removal throughout 2012 and
Houston has introduced a first-of-itskind firearm-injury dashboard—integrating hospital trauma data with police, EMS, and medical examiner records—in an effort to confront rising accidental shootings involving children and young adults. Council Member Abbie Kamin unveiled SAFEWatch Houston, the nation’s first dashboard to combine Level I trauma center clinical data with emergency response systems. While overall gunrelated trauma visits have fallen since 2021, the new tool reveals a troubling countertrend: unintentional shootings among Houstonians ages 0–24 are increasing. The data underscores the concern. In 2024, Houston’s three Level I trauma centers treated 991 firearm-related injuries. Of the 203 unintentional injuries, about half—101 cases—involved children and young adults. Through June 2025, hospitals recorded 56 trauma visits for victims under age 25, meaning that “on average, every week in Houston, a child or young adult arrives at an emergency room because of an accidental shooting.” “Firearm injuries are preventable. I’m sick and tired of seeing headline after headline, when there is something we can all be doing to solve this very real public health crisis,” Kamin said. She spearheaded the creation of the dashboard, securing funding and coordinating the multi-agency collaboration. See GUN P. 3
Council Member Abbie Kamin
File photo
Dallas Fed Forum: Houston’s young workforce and billions in new investment fuel a new economic era By STEPHANIE SHIRLEY The Leader News Contributor This Saturday: The Mayor’s Holiday Tree Lighting Concert at City Hall
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THE INDEX. Topics ����������������������������������������4 Classifieds ���������������������������������7
Federal Reserve Banks have been around since 1914 and are empowered to estimate currency demand, distribute, and regulate according to policy. There are 12 primary Federal Reserve banks across the U.S. The Dallas Fed represents and supports the 11th Federal District. The district is comprised of all of Texas, northern Louisiana, and southern New Mexico. Additionally, the Dallas Fed has branches located in Houston, San Antonio and El
Paso to assist in the endeavor. The Houston Branch was originally located downtown. In late 2005, they moved into the iconic structure at 1801 Allen Parkway, between south Heights and downtown. The 280,000-square-foot building occupies 9 acres, previously the site of Jefferson Davis Hospital. As with all reserve bank buildings, it was self-funded and constructed at a cost of $95 million and no taxpayer dollars were used to build the facility. The Dallas Fed introduced its Global See FED P. 2
Photo by Stephanie Shirley
The symbolic Houston Branch of The Dallas Federal Reserve Bank serves 41 counties in Southeast Texas.
Warmest Holiday Wishes to all the readers of The Leader!