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Northeast News

Aldine ISD will open new Special Purpose “La Promesa” high school in the fall

May 11, 2021
Applications are open for the 2021-2022 school year. La Promesa, a Choice School, will only serve ninth graders during its first year and add a grade level each year until becoming a 9th-12th grade campus. The district will add two CTE pathways in the 2022-2023 school year.

High school students newly arrived in the U.S. from non-English speaking countries or with limited English proficiency — will receive intensive English language learning instruction, core academics, and support services at the new, innovative program set to launch in fall 2021.

Aldine ISD continues to develop programs that give all students access to high-quality schools and learning experiences that prepare them for the future. All means all, including those new to America, also known as newcomers. The latest choice school, La Promesa, aligns with the district’s strategic goal that ensures all Aldine ISD students learn in an environment that is safe, welcoming, and supportive.

Newcomers come to the school district with special needs, like learning a new language, adapting to a new culture, and adjusting to a new school system. The school is the latest initiative from Superintendent Dr. LaTonya M. Goffney. She believes this environment will support them so that they can succeed.

Continue reading...Aldine ISD will open new Special Purpose “La Promesa” high school in the fall

East Aldine District’s new building complete; Opening set for June

May 11, 2021

The East Aldine District’s new office building was completed this month, and furniture was moved into the building, in anticipation of full occupancy and use to take place in June. A ribbon-cutting and formal opening of the building is now planned for Thursday, June 24. The building will house the offices of the district, the Sheriff’s storefront operation, and other government and organization functions.

The building is located at 2909 East Aldine Amphitheatre Drive, a circular street looping into Town Center from Aldine Mail Route. A public park, kids playground, public amphitheater, and walking trails are part of the development.

Continue reading...East Aldine District’s new building complete; Opening set for June

Pct. 2 Commissioner Adrian Garcia distributes laptops at Eckert Elementary

May 11, 2021
Commissioner Garcia at Eckert Elementary.

ALDINE – Harris County Precinct 2 Commissioner Adrian García recently visited Eckert Elementary on April 28 to distribute laptops to 50 students in need of one.

Students and teachers welcomed Commissioner García and Superintendent Dr. LaTonya M. Goffney. The Superintendent first took a moment to laud the students, teachers, and Principal Jennifer Price for their hard work this school year. She also thanked García for helping to close the digital divide. The computers she said would “allow students to reach endless possibilities.”

The Commissioner spoke to students and let them know that he wants to help them be what they want to be, adding that he is “looking for the next commissioner.” He advised the students to continue to wear their masks and encourage their families to get vaccinated against the COVID-19 virus.

Continue reading...Pct. 2 Commissioner Adrian Garcia distributes laptops at Eckert Elementary

Free Event tickets at NRG for those who get a COVID shot

May 11, 2021

NRG Park Community Vaccine Center has Contest Offering Event Tickets and Giveaways to Vaccinated Participants

Random Drawing of Winners from People that Get Vaccinated at NRG Park CVC May 3- 16

Houston – As an incentive, people that receive their vaccination at NRG Park CVC from May 3-16, 2021 will be entered into a random drawing to win tickets to one of the following events or giveaways:

— Houston Texans

— Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo™– (Grounds Passes)

— 2021 Nutcracker Market

— Monster Jam

— Disney on Ice

Continue reading...Free Event tickets at NRG for those who get a COVID shot

Precinct 2 Brings Vaccines to You

May 11, 2021

By Harris County Precinct 2 Commissioner Adrian Garcia

You may have noticed recently that there’s no longer a vaccine waitlist at vaccine mega-sites like Harris County’s at NRG Stadium. Now, at ReadyHarris.org you can pick the day and time that works best for you, and those who want a COVID vaccination don’t have to spend hours and stress waiting online for the very moment slots open. Most vaccination sites now are accepting walk-ins without previous registration and appointments! Just as Precinct 2 mobilized quickly for the first wave of vaccinations, now we’re quickly adjusting to reach and vaccinate people who might be less able to visit shot sites and are perhaps hesitant about getting the shots that will save lives.

Many Precinct 2 residents can’t get to mega-sites like NRG Stadium twice in a month for their shots. For readers of Northeast News, Highlands Star-Crosby Courier, Barbers Hill-Dayton Press, or North Channel Star, committing three or more hours on a workday to get to a vaccine site isn’t feasible. Worse yet, many others don’t have access to effective transportation and struggle with limited Metro routes, especially at the outer edges of our precinct.

For these reasons, I’ve tasked the Precinct 2 team to bring vaccines directly to the communities I serve.

Continue reading...Precinct 2 Brings Vaccines to You

Major 3-alarm fire destroys buildings on Jensen

May 4, 2021
Multiple fire units used ladder trucks and deluge equipment to flood water on the buildings, since access around the sides was not possible.
Six hours later, at 7:00 am, the fire department was still on the scene at Jensen Square, applying water to any hot spots that remained.

HOUSTON – The Houston Fire Department was called to a structure fire early last Thursday morning, April 29, which quickly developed into a major conflagration.

Martee Boose with the HFD said that initially they answered a “structure fire” call at 1:00 am and arrived on the scene within three minutes. He noted that the fire had spread to multiple shops even before the initial alarm was turned in.

The buildings were heavily involved when the first fire units arrived, and a third alarm was requested at about 1:50 am. It was not until six hours after the initial call, around 7:00 am, that the fire department said they had the fire under control and hot spots tapped out.

The location of the fire was a strip shopping center at 9011 Jensen Drive, near Hurley. The buildings involved stretched from the Dollar General Store which was formerly a food market, to the historic Granada Theater. The Dollar store and a beauty supply store reported some damage, but the theater was saved. All the other buildings between were reduced to rubble by the fire. Most were vacant, according to HFD, and their structure and roofs collapsed.

Continue reading...Major 3-alarm fire destroys buildings on Jensen

Pct. 2 “Adopt-a-Block” program cleans Vickery

May 4, 2021
Unveiling the Adopt A Block sign on Vickery.

ALDINE – The Green Forest Civic Club combined with workers from Pct. 2, to initiate a new program from Commissioner Adrian Garcia, called “Adopt-A-Block.” This combined effort targets a particular neighborhood or street in Precinct 2, and with county employees and local volunteers, a thorough clean-up makes the environment shine.

The first street chosen for this program was Vickery, from Aldine Mail Route to Lauder Road. Workers and volunteers met last Saturday, April 24 in front of Oleson Elementary school, and spent several hours working.

Volunteers from the Green Forest Civic Club, and Pct. 2 workers cleaned up Vickery.
Continue reading...Pct. 2 “Adopt-a-Block” program cleans Vickery

President nominates Sheriff to head ICE

May 4, 2021

HARRIS COUNTY – President Joe Biden is intent on nominating Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzales to lead Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Under the Department of Homeland Security.

Considering the history, it is a sudden change of direction, in that Gonzales took the Harris County Sheriff’s office out of a voluntary ICE program that would have had deputies fulfill the role of federal agents in jails.

Continue reading...President nominates Sheriff to head ICE

FEDS TELL TXDOT TO HALT I-45 EXPANSION

April 20, 2021

Cite Civil Rights concerns, Seek further Study

HOUSTON – The Federal Highway Administration is invoking the Civil Rights Act to pause a highway project near Houston, a rare move that offers an early test of the administration’s willingness to wield federal power to address a long history of government-driven racial inequities.

The FHWA’s intervention follows complaints from local activists that the state’s proposed widening of Interstate 45 would displace an overwhelmingly Black and Hispanic community, including schools, places of worship and more than 1,000 homes and businesses.

It also comes as Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg has identified racial equity as a major priority for his department — after decades in which federal highway money has paid for projects that leveled minority and low-income communities.

“I think this project is the poster child for [the administration’s] policies,” said Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, a Democrat representing the Houston area, who has joined local officials in challenging the project.

In a March 8 letter to the state, the Federal Highway Administration, citing complaints from local activists and Jackson Lee, requested that the Texas Department of Transportation hold off on its expansion of I-45, including initiating more contract solicitations, until the federal DOT has time to review civil rights and environmental justice concerns.

Federal officials could ultimately allow the project to proceed, but the action to freeze it at all, and in particular DOT’s use of civil rights laws to underpin that decision, has buoyed activists on the ground and surprised even seasoned regulators in Washington.

Continue reading...FEDS TELL TXDOT TO HALT I-45 EXPANSION

COVID-19 Vaccinations now available “OnDemand,” no wait list

April 20, 2021

Harris County Launches On Demand COVID-19 Vaccine Appointment System; 55,000 COVID-19 Vaccine Appointments Now Available for the Week of April 19

Harris County Public Health Transitions from Waitlist System to Offering Residents Appointment Options Immediately Upon Signing Up; Unvaccinated Residents Strongly Encouraged To Sign Up Now at ReadyHarris.org

Harris County, Texas – Friday, April 16, 2021, Harris County Public Health (HCPH) today announced that it has opened 55,000 COVID-19 vaccines for the week of April 19th. In response to vaccine supply starting to meet demand, residents who sign up for a vaccine from HCPH will now be given appointment options immediately after registering for a vaccine while supplies last. Individuals will be provided with a choice of date, time, and location to get vaccinated upon registering online at ReadyHarris.org or via phone with the HCPH Vaccine Hotline.

To register, residents should visit ReadyHarris.org, vacstrac.hctx.net or call the HCPH Vaccine hotline at 832-927-8787 for assistance. The Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) also directed vaccine providers to prioritize people 80 years and older when scheduling appointments and accommodate anyone in that age group who presents for vaccination, whether or not they have an appointment.

The new registration system will continue to support Harris County’s commitment to providing vaccines efficiently, fairly and equitably by lowering barriers to registration and providing information in multiple languages online and via phone. The county will also continue to prioritize vaccines for vulnerable communities by offering vaccines at mobile sites in hard-hit zip codes, conducting targeted outreach, offering transportation for those who cannot drive to an appointment on their own, and partnering with community organizations to support vaccine distribution.

Continue reading...COVID-19 Vaccinations now available “OnDemand,” no wait list