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Saturday, October 8, 2022 • Vol. 67 • No. 39
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Citgo 6 executives released from Venezuela By Landan Kuhlmann landan@theleadernews.com
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INSIDE.
Staff file photo Heights resident Alexandra Forseth’s (front) father and uncle are among Citgo 6 executives recently released from Venezuela.
Families of five oil executives, including two family members of a local resident, have been reunited after the being imprisoned abroad for nearly five years. Last Saturday, President Joe Biden announced that five Citgo executives, including the father and uncle of a Heights resident, and two other men were on their way home after being jailed in Venezuela since shortly before Thanksgiving 2017. Heights resident Alexandra Forseth’s father, Alirio Zambrano,
and her uncle, Jose Luis Zambrano, were among those released. Jorge Toledo, Tomeu Vadell, and Jose Pereira were the other Citgo executives who are coming home, while former U.S. Marine Corporal Matthew Heath and a Florida man named Osman Khan were also released. One member of the “Citgo 6,” as the executives came to be known, Gustavo Cardenas, was the first one released earlier this year. “Today, after years of being wrongfully detained in Venezuela, we are bringing home Jorge Toledo, Tomeu Vadell, Alirio Zambrano, Jose Luis Zambrano, Jose
Pereira, Matthew Heath, and Osman Khan. These individuals will soon be reunited with their families and back in the arms of their loved ones where they belong,” Biden said in a statement last Saturday. Forseth did not respond to two Tuesday text messages requesting comment. According to an article from CNN, the executives were released in exchange for the release of two Venezuelans imprisoned in the US for conspiring to smuggle cocaine into the country, both of whom are relatives of Venezuelan first lady Cilia Flores. See Citgo 6 P. 2
National Night Out Torres
Man wanted in connection to fatal apartment shooting
Undefeated The St. Thomas Eagles continued its unbeaten run last weekend.
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By Landan Kuhlmann landan@theleadernews.com
Senior Expo The annual Leader senior event drew dozens of vendors and attendees.
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Contributed photo An officer with the Harris County Precinct 1 Constable’s Office helps with face paining during the Near Northwest Management District’s National Night Out event. It was one of several around the area on Tuesday.
Celebrating 50 Years Artists and musicians at the Houston Arts Festival will provide a fun outing for local attendees.
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Contributed photo Aldine ISD students performed at the NNMD’s National Night Out for nearly 3,000 attendees.
Tail wagger Doggie Express opens its doors to hungry canines, and more in this week’s Nibbles and Sips.
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THE INDEX. Sports............................................................. 2 Church........................................................... 3 Coupons....................................................... 7 Classifieds.................................................. 6 Food/Drink...............................8
Contributed photo Festivities included face painting, rock climbing, fun games, chances to try on fire hats, and more.
Local neighborhood association hosting annual home tour By Landan Kuhlmann landan@theleadernews.com
An annual event aimed at showcasing some of the Heights’ unique neighborhood home styles is set for next weekend. Next Saturday and Sunday, the Norhill Neighborhood Association will host its 2022 Bungalow Home Tour on Oct. 15-16 from noon-4 p.m. each day. During the event, six homes will be featured that the association says will bring attention to the unique style of bungalow homes in the
Heights-area neighborhood. The Norhill neighborhood was first developed more than 90 years ago by William and Michael Hogg, and the Stude family led by Henry Stude, according to the organization. And organizers say the annual tour is the perfect way in which to celebrate the neighborhood’s unique style “Norhill has benefited from green parks and esplanades, conveniently located schools and churches, and more than 90 years of protective deed restrictions,” the association said. “The result is a rare and well-preserved collection of
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Houston police are searching for a man accused of shooting and killing a man and hospitalizing two women late last month at a Northside Village apartment complex, according to the Houston Police Department. Reginald Torres, 20, is charged with murder in connection to the shooting, according to Harris County court records. He is still at large, according to the department. The man has been identified as Brayan Cuevas, 22, while the two women – ages 18 and 22 – were treated at nearby hospitals and released, according to the department. Officers on Sept. 24 responded to a report of a shooting in the 4000 block of Irvington Boulevard and found a man and two women with several gunshot wounds, according to the department. Cuevas was unresponsive and transported to a nearby hospital, where he was later pronounced dead, according to the department. The women were treated and released, according to police. Anyone with information on Torres’ whereabouts is urged to contact the department’s homicide division at 713-308-3600 or speak anonymously with Houston Crime Stoppers at 713-222-8477.
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bungalow style homes not found elsewhere.” Homes to be featured will be 1127 Fugate St., 1129 E. 16th St., 1038 E. 16th St., 4610 Oak Ridge St., 830 W. Temple St., and 1115 Walling St. Tickets can be purchased online at norhill.org or at Heights-area retail spots for $25 through Oct. 14, or for $30 at several homes the days of the event. For more information on the tour or to purchase tickets, visit https://www.norhill.org/ events/2022-bungalow-hometour/.
Photo by Gia Guidry Pictured is one of the homes to be featured during the Norhill Neighborhood Association Home Tour Oct. 15-16.