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Covering the Heights, Garden Oaks, Oak Forest & the neighborhoods of North Houston Saturday, January 7, 2023 • Vol. 68 • No. 1
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Police ask for help finding suspects in fatal shooting By Landan Kuhlmann landan@theleadernews.com
While many celebrated Christmas in late December, Sandy Casillas was out looking for a burial plot for her brother Luis, who was shot and killed outside a Northside mechanic shop the day before Christmas Eve. And she, along with the rest of her family and Houston authorities, are asking for help finding
the suspects who allegedly fatally shot her brother. He leaves behind a wife and two children, ages 2 and 3, along with the rest of his family. “We didn’t even celebrate,” Sandy Casillas said during a Tuesday press conference with Houston Crime Stoppers. “...And that’s not fair. No one deserves this.” Police responded to a mechanic shop in a shopping center at 7676 North
Freeway in the Northside/Northline area just before 1 p.m. on Dec. 23,
according to the Houston Police Department, to find Casillas suffering from a single gunshot wound. He was later pronounced dead at an area hospital, according to the department. Sgt. Blake Roberts, the lead investigator on the case, said Tuesday that police believe a dispute over a bill for a car that Casillas was working on at the shop led to an argument and him being
fatally shot. Roberts said police are looking for six Hispanic male suspects in their late teens to early 20s. Police are also looking for two extended cab Chevy Silverado pickup trucks, one maroon and one a tannish color, Roberts said. Police do have surveillance video from the shop, but are not yet releasing the footage to See Shooting P. 5
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Turner tabbed to lead annual MLK Day parade
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INSIDE.
By Landan Kuhlmann landan@theleadernews.com
Holiday hardware Several local high school hoops squads fared well at recent holiday tournaments
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sues and various weather delays over the last year have caused the project to be pushed back from its initial fall 2022 hope and projection. “Final completion is scheduled
Houston’s top elected official, who is also a native of the local neighborhood, will be the leading the city’s annual celebration of Martin Luther King Day this year. On Dec. 29, the city announced that Houston’s Black Heritage Society has tabbed Mayor Sylvester Turner as the Grand Marshal for the 45th annual Original MLK Jr. Day Parade on Jan. 16. The parade will take place in downtown Houston beginning at 10 a.m., and will begin at the intersection of Lamar Street and Smith Street according to the city. The Original MLK Day Parade was the very first MLK Day Parade held in the nation after being sanctioned by the King family in 1978 in Houston, according to a news release from the city. MLK Day is the annual celebration that “honors the legacy of Dr. King, focuses on civil rights issues, highlights the use of nonviolence to promote change, and calls people into public service.” “I am honored and humbled to serve as the grand marshal and encourage all Houstonians to participate by lining up along the parade route or signing up to sponsor a float,” said Turner, a native of Acres Homes. “Houston is part of Dr. King’s legacy, and he came here during the civil rights movement, and his leadership on behalf of all people is something we should commemorate.” The parade will showcase marching bands, decorated floats, dance teams, military and ROTC groups, first responders, city and county officials, and more. It will also feature a
See Playground P. 6
See Parade P. 5
Photo by Landan Kuhlmann A construction worker moves dirt Wednesday morning at the site of the under-construction T.C. Jester Park playground. Initially scheduled for a fall 2022 opening, officials say supply chain issues and weather delays have pushed completion back.
T.C. Jester Park playground delayed, slated for late February completion By Landan Kuhlmann
landan@theleadernews.com
Welcome to the world See the first baby born in 2023 at Memorial Hermann Greater Heights Hospital
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Going solo Gatlin’s executive chef is striking out on her own, and more in Nibbles and Sips
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THE INDEX. Sports............................................................. 4 Church........................................................... 5 Coupon......................................................... 3 Classifieds.................................................. 7 Food/Drink...............................8
Officials in February 2022 broke ground on a new “state of the art” playground set to be installed at T.C. Jester Park, and set construction was tentatively and set to hopefully be completed by the time school rolled around in the fall fall. Almost a year later, however, residents and families in Oak Forest wanting to use the new park for their and their families’ recreational needs are still waiting for it to be finished. “This has been obscenely slow going. It has pretty much been torn up since 2021 it seems,” Tyler Longbotham said. “I feel bad, because it was always being used.” Skip Nichols echoed the sentiment in a social media post. “At the rate they’re going the Gulf Freeway could be finished before the playground,” he wrote Dec. 21. Lisa Johnson, the division manager for the Houston Parks
Photo by Landan Kuhlmann Completion on the new state of the art playground at T.C. Jester Park is now scheduled to be completed in late February.
and Recreation Department’s general services division – which is overseeing the playground project – said Wednesday via email that final completion of the playground is now scheduled for next month. Johnson said supply chain is-
Suspect wanted for alleged sexual assault of child in area By Landan Kuhlmann landan@theleadernews.com
Houston authorities are searching for a man who has been accused of sexually assaulting a boy in the Central Northwest neighborhood, according to a news release from Houston Crime Stoppers. There has been an arrest warrant issued for Gregorio Juarez, 73, who is accused of aggravated sexual assault of a child under the age of 14,
Juarez
according to Harris County Court records. He currently remains at large, according to Crime Stoppers. Juarez is a Hispanic man with a thin build, Crime Stoppers said, who has brown eyes and black hair. According to Crime Stoppers, HPD officers responded to the 800 block of Martin Street on Aug. 12, 2022 after receiving a report of the alleged aggravated sexual assault of a child. During the investigation, Crime Stoppers said the victim accused Juarez of sexually assaulting
them. Crime Stoppers may offer a reward of up to $5,000 for information leading to the charging and/or arrest of Juarez in this case, the organization said. Information may be reported by calling Crime Stoppers at 713-222-8477. Those who believe they may have pertinent information can also submit their tips online at www.crimestoppers.org or through the Crime Stoppers mobile app.
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