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Covering the Heights, Garden Oaks, Oak Forest & the neighborhoods of North Houston Saturday, October 1, 2022 • Vol. 67 • No. 38
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Area gears up for Oct. 4 National Night Out By Matt deGrood news@theleadernews.com
Residents across Houston will celebrate a longstanding event meant to foster connections between law enforcement and the communities it serves, and several local organizations are hosting events in the area. The Houston Heights Odd Fellows Lodge No. 225, for instance, is hosting a National Night Out event from 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday at the group’s lodge, 115 E. 14th Street, near Heights High
Odd Fellows Lodge No. 225 is hosting a National Night Out event.
School. “It’s a great chance for people to have one-onone conversations with
the constables, who are really important to our community,” said Ken Hoge, a member of the lodge.
Contributed photo
The Odd Fellows Lodge had hosted a National Night Out event for four straight years before the
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INSIDE.
Get your art feels on during busy schedule of events coming up.
Page 7
Patrons celebrate the start of the inaugural Oak Forest Restaurant Week.
Contributed photo
Organizers hope Oak Forest Restaurant Week will become community success Page 8
Not for the faint of heart New restaurant opening in the Heights Oct.15.
Page 8
By Matt deGrood news@theleadernews.com
Move over Houston Restaurant Week, the Oak Forest Restaurant Week is here. At least, that’s how the organizers behind the inaugural event see the future – that one day this event can be a showcase for the entire area, providing funding for beautification projects in Oak Forest and helping restaurants and businesses that might have struggled during the pandemic. “We wanted to do something that would get more of the community involved,” said Gabriel Perez, the chair of the neighborhood patrol for the Oak Forest Homeowners Associa-
Sports ............................................................ 2 Church........................................................... 4 Coupons ...................................................... 6 Classifieds ................................................. 6 Food/Drink ..............................8
Contributed photo The Oak Forest Restaurant Weeks initiative features more than 22 restaurants.
tion and the mind behind the inaugural restaurant week. “On a personal
note, COVID really wreaked havoc on the neighborhood and businesses. And what a fun way to get people active again.” The Oak Forest Restaurant Weeks initiative features more than 22 restaurants, such as Valencia’s TexMex, Saigon Hustle, Rainbow Lodge and more, and runs from Sept. 23 through Oct. 2, according to a news release. Like Houston Restaurant Weeks, participating restaurants offer special menus and offers during the event, as a means of increasing visitors. Because the event follows shortly on the heels of Houston Restaurant Week, organizers gave participating See Restaurant P. 5
More than two weeks since dozens of law enforcement officers responded to Heights High School in response to false reports of an active shooter, investigators have not yet made any arrests in connection to the hoax, according to the Houston Police Department. A spokesperson for the department this week told the Leader the investigation remained ongoing and that officers would provide an update if they made an arrest. But because several agencies are looking into the matter, the department wouldn’t provide updates about an ongoing investigation, according to the spokesperson. Officers on Sept. 13 responded to Heights High School after the Harris County Precinct 1 Constable’s Office received a call about an active shooter, with the original caller reporting 10 people were shot, according to administrators. The report turned out to be untrue, Houston Police Chief Troy Finner said at the time. Responders arrived at the room where the call said the shooting happened and breached the doors of the classroom, but no one inside was hurt, Finner said. Several schools across the Houston region have gone into lockdown over the first weeks of school after local law enforcement received similar hoax calls. The spokesperson for the Houston Police Department this week said the overall number of false reports isn’t up, but that the public is paying more attention because of recent school shootings. A gunman earlier this year shot and killed 19 elementary schoolchildren and two teachers and injured another 17 people in Uvalde, according to a Texas Tribune article.
Multi-family projects bring positives, negatives to neighborhoods By Matt deGrood news@theleadernews.com
THE INDEX.
No arrests yet made in hoax Heights High School call By Matt deGrood
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pandemic began in March 2020, Hoge said. This year will be the organization’s fifth time to host such an event, but its first since the pandemic, he said. Attendees will include Harris County Precinct 1 constables, representatives from Harris County and Houston City Council District C, members of the fire department and more, according to a news release. The event will also feature free snacks, live music and games for children and adults, according to the release.
New apartment complexes are rising across the Leader’s coverage area, and local residents and businesses say such projects bring a mixed bag for those who’ve lived in the neighborhoods for years. “It’s a tough one,” said Kelly Hakes, a member of the North Shepherd Community Alliance. “You’re talking about more potential customers for small busi-
nesses. But apartments also lend to more traffic and more density.” Debbie Cranford recently hosted a discussion on the matter of growing apartment projects across the neighborhood for the North Shepherd Community Alliance in which she echoed Hakes’ comments, saying the trend has positives and negatives. “It is what it is and we need to make the best of it,” she said. Essentially, more apartment complexes will mean more traffic, which is bad, she said. But it will
also bring greater diversity and could help some people afford homes who might not otherwise, she said. “Especially if those people get involved, it could bring new ideas,” she said. An Austin-based multi-family developer with projects across the Houston region is the latest entrant to a growing market in the Heights with a $31 million plan to build a 359-unit complex. Crews will begin construction on the complex, called Lenox
Heights, 333 W. 24th Street, this December, with plans to open the facility in the first quarter of 2025, said Jackson Simons, vice president of development for the Houston market with OHT Partners. “This part of town attracts young professionals and families alike due to its proximity to major employment centers, charming neighborhood setting and rare walkability to some of Houston’s top retail and dining destinations,” Simons said. But that project is hardly alone.
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