4040 yearsyears ofof coveringcovering SSouthouth BBeltelt Voice of Community-Minded People since 1976 Thursday, January 12, 2017 Email: [email protected] www.southbeltleader.com Vol. 41, No. 49 Dobie parent meeting set Dobie High School will hold a parent night Thursday, Jan. 12, in the auditorium at 6:30 p.m. for incoming freshmen for the 2017-2018 Almeda Macy’s stays; Pasadena goes school year. School offi cials say they cannot ex- nate more than 10,000 jobs – 3,900 directly re- is pleased with the announcement. press enough the importance of this meeting, as By James Bolen tive or are no longer robust shopping destina- The Macy’s Almeda Mall location was spared tions due to changes in the local retail shopping lated to the closures and an additional 6,200 due “We are delighted the Macy’s list has been they will share important course registration in- to company restructuring. published, and as we expected, the Almeda formation with parents and students before they closure this past week when the retail giant an- landscape,” Macy’s CEO Terry Lundgren said in nounced the sites of 68 stores it plans to close a statement. Opened in 1962, the 209,000-squre-foot Pasa- Macy’s is not part of the nationwide store clos- register for classes for the upcoming school dena Town Square Macy’s will account for 78 ings,” Felton said. “Macy’s has always shown year. There will be an update on the new fresh- this year in an effort to cut costs amid lower The announcement came fresh on the heels sales. of a 2.1 percent decline in sales during Novem- of those losses. The Greenspoint Mall and West confi dence in Southeast Houston and the Alm- men campus at Monroe and Fuqua. Oaks Mall locations will account for 70 and 135 eda Mall trade area, as evidenced by their total This orientation will offer parents an oppor- The Pasadena Town Square Macy’s location ber and December compared to the same period wasn’t as fortunate, however, as it was named in 2015. Individual store sales fi gures were not job losses, respectively. remodel of the store after Hurricane Ike. The tunity to meet the administrators and counsel- In all, the measure is expected to save the mall ownership has made similar commitments ors who will work with their students at the new one of three locations in the Greater Houston made available. area to be shut down. The remaining two are The 68 store closures are part of a larger group company approximately $550 million annually. with the recent renovation of the mall common Dobie freshman campus. The session will pro- Originally opened as Foley’s in 1966, the areas. We recognize the retail environment is vide important information for parents to en- the Greenspoint Mall and West Oaks Mall loca- of around 100 stores to be closed, company of- tions. fi cials said. The closures were originally an- Almeda Mall Macy’s branch has long served as constantly changing, but with our loyal customer sure everyone is involved in their child’s course the shopping center’s primary anchor store. It base from the South Belt area, we fully expect to selection for the upcoming year. There will be All three stores are scheduled to permanently nounced last August, but specifi c stores were not close this spring. identifi ed at that time. celebrated its 50th anniversary this past year. meet the shopping needs of Southeast Houston tables set up for families to purchase T-shirts Almeda Mall General Manager Terry Felton for years to come.” and other items as well as receive information “We are closing locations that are unproduc- The downsizing measure is expected to elimi- from the many organizations at Dobie. All up- coming freshmen and parents should attend. Cook-off date announced Roses, icicles paint pretty picture Jabbary named distinguished citizen The 21st annual South Belt Spectacular By Reesha Brown, Pasadena ISD Born to a businessman and stay-at-home Cook-off will be held Thursday, April 27, At age 19, Iraj Jabbary left his native city of mother, his family was comprised of 13 mem- through Saturday, April 29, at El Franco Lee Bam, Iran with only bers who lived in a small city with a population Park, 9400 Hall Road. See future editions of $1,300 to his name to of only 70,000. the Leader for additional information. start a new life in Amer- When he was growing up, his family did not ica and pursue his life- have a lot of money. long dream of becom- Unable to afford dental treatment, at age 8, Genealogy group meets ing a dentist. Jabbary suffered from a severe toothache. This The Parker Williams Genealogy Group meets “In the beginning, was a pivotal time in his life, as his pain fueled Monday, Jan. 16, from 2 to 4 p.m. at the library it was scary,” Jabbary his passion for the dental profession. at Scarsdale and Beamer. This group meets the said. “I was constantly taking over-the-counter fi rst and third Mondays to discuss genealogy It’s been 37 years pain medication and it didn’t help much,” Jab- research. Meetings are free and open to any- since he moved to the bary said. “I went from place to place and no one one interested in tracing family history. United States. In that could do anything for me.” time, Jabbary, DDS, has Dr. Iraj Jabbary Despite the hardships his family faced fi nan- PIP meets Jan. 17 established himself as a dentist and community cially, Jabbary’s late father and staunch support- The The Houston Police Department’s servant as owner of several ABC Dental loca- er, used the resources they had to help others in Positive Interaction Program will meet Tues- tions and sponsor of various Pasadena ISD Edu- need. day, Jan. 17, at 7 p.m. at Memorial Hermann cation Foundation fundraisers. “When it came to money, we didn’t have Southeast Hospital, 11800 Astoria in the staff On Jan. 17, the Pasadena ISD community will much, but my father always taught us that we meeting room on the first floor. Guest speaker gather to celebrate Jabbary’s accomplishments have to give back,” Jabbary said. will be Dori Wind from the Harris County when he is honored as Pasadena ISD’s 2016 Dis- His father taught him two essential values to Attorney’s offi ce. PIP consists of police and tinguished Citizen of the Year. live by: always give back to the community and citizens working for safer neighborhoods. For Life in Iran Continued on Page 4A information, call HPD Officer Richard Buit- ron at 832-395-1777. Deputies to enforce trespassing laws Melillo holds garage sale Local deputies have begun enforcing tres- ments and Park Center Apartments. Melillo Middle School will hold a commu- passing laws at area apartment complexes in the The move comes in response to multiple re- nity garage sale Saturday, Jan. 21, from 9 a.m. unincorporated parts of Harris County to all of cent burglaries that have taken place at the com- to noon in the school gym. Items for sale will The South Belt community experienced a hard freeze Saturday, Jan. 7, with several resi- those who either do not reside at the facilities or plexes. Sanchez said the facilities have also be- include clothing, sports/fi tness, toys/games, dents reporting icy conditions to the Leader. According to the National Weather Service, who are not verifi ed visitors, according to Pre- come common places for social gatherings and household, electronics, furniture, books, out- temperatures dropped to a low of 26 degrees at Hobby Airport. The above photo was taken cinct 2 Sgt. Robert Sanchez. loitering. door and more. Proceeds will go toward a per- near the intersection of Scarsdale and Sageglen. Photo by Marie Flickinger Affected apartment complexes include High- All violators will be subject to arrest, Sanchez formance opportunity in New York City for a land Meadow Village, Cimarron Landing Apart- said. group of vocal students led by Melillo Choir Director Bridget Bellach. Cash only. To do- nate items, contact Bellach at Bbellach@uarts. edu to arrange a drop-off or pickup. Leader remembers highlights of 2016 Kirkwood South to meet The year in review is continued from the last school’s playground, reportedly stemmed from a roughly one mile. In addition to installing a new traveling south on Blackhawk on a silver Harley The Kirkwood South Committee will hold a issue. Stories up to Sept. 8 can be found in the faulty electrical transformer that snapped at its four-lane road, complete with curbs and gutters, Davidson when he struck a blue Dodge Durango board meeting Friday, Jan. 27, at Judge Jo Ann Jan. 5 edition of the Leader. base, causing it to collapse and catch fi re. No one crews also installed a new detention pond south of SUV at the intersection of Wolcott Park Lane. Delgado’s courtroom, located at 10851 Scars- Sept. 15 was injured. El Dorado to help with storm water drainage. The driver of the SUV had reportedly failed to dale, Suite 500, beginning at 7:30 p.m. Easthaven Church celebrated its 75th anniver- San Jacinto College was named as one of 10 Oct. 6 yield the right of way after leaving a stop sign, sary. Begun as a mission of First Baptist Church fi nalists for the prestigious 2017 Aspen Prize for A man was found fatally shot in a vehicle police said. The driver of the SUV exhibited no HPD chief visits Kirkwood of South Houston, then-Easthaven Baptist Church Community College Excellence, the nation’s pre- parked in the parking lot of a townhouse com- signs of intoxication.