Spring-Klein Community News

Who Say's You Can't Have Fun On A Tuesday Night?

The Tomball-Spring Times — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 00:41:00 GMT

When driving down Louetta on a Tuesday night, not only are they serving .40 cent wings, The Wing Cafe' and Daiquiris is serving the community with "Ninja First Class", a local band, lead by 17 year old Klein Collins Junior, Angelica Hunyadi.

Angelica shares a unique style as-well as many of her original songs with the crowd.

What makes this band even more exciting, is the fact that this young lady shares the stage with her father E.J. on base guitar and mother Sherry on drums.

Ninja First Class has been sharing the stage as a group for nearly 2 years, playing music ranging from Rock to Indies. "We just like to have fun" says E.J. Hunyadi, "and we wouldn't be complete with out guitarist Jim, Parish and Chris Snarber.

Wing Cafe' Owner, Quentin Hollis opened the stage to Ninja First Class nearly three months ago and is honored to have such a place where local residents could come out, enjoy good food and live music.

Community members like Klein High Schools, Blake Brothers and his little brother Robert, drag their mom out after baseball to get their grove on.

It's nice to see The Spring-Klein Community grow into such an amazing community that now has just as much to offer as many of the more popular communities in and around the City of Houston.

Mr Hollis welcomes residents to come out and experience The Wing Cafe for themselves. There are many food and drink specials offered throughout the week. Many of Tuesday nights guest were very clear on the intention of being right back there on Thursday for the Live Blues Band.

See Ya There!

YMCA is Opening Their Doors to the Community During Spring Break Week

The Tomball-Spring Times — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 03:57:00 GMT

Your Passport to Free Family Fun, March 15 – 21, 2010

As families look for creative ways to entertain their kids closer to home, the South Montgomery County YMCA is opening their doors to the community during Conroe ISD Spring Break Week, March 15 – 21. Load up the kids and head over to the YMCA for Spring Break Passport to Free Family Fun!

FREE special events and activities will be planned daily for all ages including dodgeball tournament, open gym for volleyball and basketball, open swim, afternoon movie, game day challenge, pizza and movie, overnight tent campout and movie, arts/crafts, tattoo art, balloons, moonwalk, family fitness classes, wellness center open house and much more . . . Most of these activities are free and the community is also invited to experience all the benefits of a YMCA membership including wellness center, climbing wall, fitness classes and year round swimming! For a complete list of all spring break activities please stop by and pick up a schedule at the YMCA Welcome Center or visit our web site, HYPERLINK "http://www.southcounty-ymca.org" www.southcounty-ymca.org.

In addition to the complimentary community activities, the YMCA will also be offering a variety of fee based programs that requires pre-registration. Join the fun and try something new at the YMCA! The YMCA supports the healthy development of kids.

Spring Break Camp: March 15—19 for kids ages 5 – 12 years, 7:00a.m.—6:30p.m. Spend the day outdoors at YMCA Camp Owen, an outdoor adventure camp situated on 100 wooded acres at the Conroe Family YMCA. Activities will include horseback riding, canoeing, archery, hiking, games, songs and much more. Students are transported by bus from South County YMCA on Shadowbend to Conroe. The bus departs at 8:00am and returns at 4:30pm. Age eligibility as of 09-01-09.

Spring Break Swim Clinics for ages 6—12, 6:00 – 7:30p.m., Shadowbend YMCA Pool. Register for one or all three!
March 16: Freestyle and Backstroke
March 17: Breaststroke & Butterfly
March 18: All Strokes, Turns and Dives

Spring Break Climbing Clinics for ages 5 & older, at the Branch Crossing YMCA Adventure Center.
March 16: 1:30 – 2:30pm, Ages 5 – 9 with parent
March 18: 1:30 – 2:30pm, Ages 5 – 9 with parent
March 18: 3:00 – 4:00, Ages 10+

Spring Break Soccer Clinic: Come and learn the game of soccer from one of the most experienced coaches in the Greater Houston Are. Director of Coaching Girls Seniors at the Texas Rush Soccer Club, Milton Arraez will teach players individual skills through fun and challenging games as well as continue to build a love for soccer. Don’t miss the unique opportunity to work with a true expert in the development of youth soccer players. Clinic date is March 15 & 16 at the Shadowbend YMCA.
March 15 – 16: Ages 8-12: 9:00 – 10:15am
March 15 - 16: Ages 5 – 7: 10:30 – 11:45am

Spring Break Hip Hop Clinic for ages 8 – 18 at the Shadowbend YMCA.
March 15 – 16: Ages 8 – 12: 1:30 – 3:00pm
March 17 – 18: Ages 13 – 18, 1:30 – 3:00pm

For more information please call 281-367-9622 or visit HYPERLINK "http://www.southcounty-ymca.org" www.southcounty-ymca.org. The YMCAs are located at 6145 Shadowbend Place and 8100 Ashlane Way in The Woodlands.

LSC-Tomball Theater Students Earn State Honors

The Tomball-Spring Times — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 03:30:00 GMT

The Lone Star College-Tomball Theater production of “Over the River and Through the Woods” received a rating of Excellent at the Texas Community Speech and Theatre Association State Play Festival held recently at Blinn College in Brenham. Several students also earned award and recognition.

“I was very proud of the hard work and talent that my students put into this production,” said Sherri Ryan-White, director of the theater program. “Every one of them was a vital part of the success of this play.”

Photo from left: Jason Tilton, Jessica Kelly, Emily Posch.

The judging results are as follows:

Directors Choice Technical-Superior
Kerri O’Neal-Costume Design
Sarah Johnson-Costume Design
Mark Ham-Sound Design
Marcos Martinez-Lighting Design
Lauren Zepeda-Props Design
Bailey Carlson-Props Design
Leo Ferguson-Production Assistance

Respondents’ Choice Technical-Superior
Kerri O’Neal-Costume Design
Sarah Johnson-Costume Design

Respondents’ Choice Acting-Excellent
Matt Long
Emily Posch
John Kenward

Respondents’ Choice Acting-Superior
Jason Tilton
Jessica Kelly

Respondents’ Choice Ensemble Acting-Excellent
“Over the River and Through the Woods”

Excellent Award-Production
“Over the River and Through the Woods”

U.S. ELECTED WOMEN OBSERVE IRAQI ELECTIONS; WITNESS FEARLESS DETERMINATION

The Tomball-Spring Times — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 03:24:00 GMT

(WASHINGTON, DC) –A delegation of U.S. elected women from across the nation selected by the National Foundation for Women Legislators (NFWL) in conjunction with the U.S. Department of State served as official Election Observers in Baghdad yesterday.

The NFWL Delegation released the following statement:

We were honored to bear witness to the Iraqi People’s fearless determination to exercise their right to vote, even in the wake of violence and bombs aimed at disrupting the election. We met a brave woman who assured us, “I voted today as a challenge to the terrorists!” She told us that violent attempts to scare Iraqis would only encourage more people like her to get out and vote. We witnessed a determined man named Ahmed bring his wife and 2 daughters ages 2 and 4 to vote. He was eager to tell us that, “For 30 years, we lived under Saddam’s dictatorship without the freedoms we’re voting for today. Even though there are bombs and violence, and people will die trying to vote today, the people of Iraq will vote because we see it as a tax for freedom that we are willing to pay for with our lives. We are on a train to freedom and my family and I will do our part in making sure we don’t come off that freedom track.” In the face of death and violence, yesterday [March 7th] the National Foundation for Women Legislators proudly stood with courageous Iraqi voters as they cast their votes for democracy.

·         State Representative Debbie Riddle (R-Houston, Texas), Chairman Elect NFWL

·         State Representative Maria Chappelle-Nadal (D-St. Louis, Missouri)

·         State Representative Bette Grande (R-Fargo, North Dakota)

·         State Representative Gayle Harrell (R-Port St. Lucie, Florida)

·         State Representative Helene Keeley (D-Wilmington, Delaware)

·         State Representative Susana A. Mendoza (D-Chicago, Illinois)

·         State Representative Diane Winston (R-Covington, Louisiana)

NFWL is one of only two groups of Americans that were invited to oversee Iraq’s election on March 7th. The other group includes former Members of Congress.

NFWL has been asked to participate in the Iraqi elections due to the unique status of women in Iraq. There are over one million widows in Iraq, many very highly educated, and there is a requirement that 25% of the candidates on the ballot be women. NFWL is charged with bringing a calm and credible presence to the elections, and women leaders such as the hearty band of 7 women leaders representing NFWL recognize the importance of free and fair elections to the stability of Iraq and the United States’ national security.

The women leaders were invited to join this delegation to lend their integrity and experience to a process that is new to the citizens of Iraq, and graciously answered the call.

“These incredible women have shown themselves to be strong leaders through NFWL and I know their presence in Iraq during this historic time will ensure the Iraqi people have a real chance at Democracy,” stated Robin Read, NFWL’s President and CEO.

NFWL has been invited by the U.S. Department of State and foreign nations to bring delegations of elected women together to monitor elections, mentor women leaders across the globe, and participate in important dialogues concerning free trade and other vital issues on several occasions starting in 1993.

“There is a sense expressed by our elected women that Iraq is an incredibly important place to reach out, not only because of the United States’ current relationship with the country but also due to women in Iraq traditionally having enjoyed a unique level of education and public visibility.” stated Read. “We see a wonderful opportunity to empower and support women in public leadership in Iraq.”

Seven ETF Advantages to Boost Your Portfolio Returns

The Tomball-Spring Times — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 03:18:00 GMT

By Ken Faulkenberry

Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) are an investment vehicle; a hybrid of stocks, mutual funds, and closed-end mutual funds. ETFs are a basket or portfolio of stocks much like mutual funds or closed-end funds. Much like a stock or closed-end fund, on a given day each EFT trades on an exchange with a number of shares outstanding that investors buy and sell. But unlike closed-end funds which can trade at a discount or premium to their NAV (Net Asset Value), ETFs typically trade close to their NAV. Most ETFs track a specific index, in other words they are passively managed. Like mutual funds and closed-end funds ETFs can segment to very specific or targeted indices or sectors.

Here are 7 important advantages of ETFs:

ETFs have low costs. Since ETFs trade like stocks, you can buy a diversified portfolio with the same low commission (typically $8 - $12) as a stock. Also, ETFs typically have lower expense ratios than mutual funds. Why pay up to a 2% a year management fee when an ETF will do it for as little as 0.13%?

ETFs provide Instant Diversification. Whether following a broad index or a specific sector, an ETF provides a basket of stocks with one purchase.

ETFs Are Liquid. ETFs trade on a market exchange so they can be traded (intraday) anytime stocks trade, not just at the end of the day.

ETFs are Tax Efficient. Since most ETFs are not actively managed, but are programmed to follow a specific index, they don’t have realized capital gains and income that are required to be passed on to owners each year. This means you won’t be taxed until you sell your ETF, giving you more control.

ETFs can invest in specific sectors. ETFs can segment to very specific or targeted sectors of the economy. This allows investors to have a diversified position in a small slice of a sector you want to be invested in.

ETFs can be purchased in small amounts. Since ETFs trade like stocks, small positions can be purchased either to dollar cost average into a large position by taking a single small position in a particular sector.

ETFs are available in alternative investments. ETFs allow investors to take positions in alternative or even exotic investments that are unavailable in any other form to small investors. New products become available regularly and already include ETFs in commodities, hedges, and leveraged short positions in indices and sectors.

The advantages of ETFs are so strong that the Arbor Investment Planner no longer uses mutual funds in the Arbor Asset Allocation Model Portfolio (AAAMP). With a combination of stocks and ETFs the portfolio can capitalize on the advantages of combining these two investments for an optimum risk to reward ratio.

Like any investment, ETFs require research and knowledge to be able to place them in a properly diversified asset allocated portfolio. If you could use help in assembling your personal portfolio consider hiring a firm with a successful record such as the Arbor Investment Planner.

More information available at: www.ArborInvestmentPlanner.com
Or contact Ken Faulkenberry at KFinvest@aol.com or 281-719-8904.

Are Your Children Eating Breakfast?

The Tomball-Spring Times — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 04:16:00 GMT

National Breakfast week is March 8-12

The purpose of the week is to educate students about the importance of eating breakfast and the benefits of eating breakfast at school. The Klein ISD food service department serves approximately 1.2 million breakfasts annually.

March is National Nutrition Month. On Klein campuses, students will receive guidance in making informed food choices and developing good habits related to eating and physical activity.

The goal of the Klein ISD food service department is to provide students with nutritious, well balanced meals while they are at school and to teach them to make healthy food choices when they are not at school.

Rescue from Child Abuse.

The Tomball-Spring Times — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 04:03:00 GMT

Barbara Bush Library presents: Sharon Jenkins

The Barbara Bush Public Library is pleased to present Sharon Jenkins, author of Beyond the Closet Door: Christ’s Rescue from Abuse, as the featured speaker at thr next Spotlight on Local Authors program.

Sharon is a current resident of Houston, Texas. She is an educator and often refers to herself as a “teacher of teachers.” Sharon’s abilities to effectively communicate and adapt to a wide variety of audiences have been the keys to her success as a minister and speaker. She has had the privilege of sharing with businesses, social organizations, churches, and schools as well as at professional conferences. She is also a public speaking coach.

Sharon Jenkins’ goal is to remain teachable. As a professional, she feels that education and application go hand in hand. She has had the privilege of sharing with businesses, social organizations, churches, and schools as well as at professional conferences. Sharon is also a public speaking coach.

Spelling Bee Winners Announced

The Tomball-Spring Times — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 03:56:00 GMT

The winners of the annual Klein ISD spelling bee are as follows: elementary school-John Fihiol of Haude and Emily Ha of Krahn and intermediate school-Ryan Lindenfeld of Doerre and Jeffrey Cook of Kleb.

The greater-Houston competition will be at the University of Houston on March 27.

A Word From Debbie Riddle

The Tomball-Spring Times — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 18:43:00 GMT

The Riddle Report

Dear Friends and Neighbors,

I can hardly believe January and February have already flown by and the March primary season is upon us. Before you know it, 2011 will be here and we will be commencing the 82^nd Legislative Session. We are allowed to file new legislation as early as November 8^th of this year for the upcoming session, and I always like to file a big chunk of my bills on the very first day, to give them the best chance possible to be passed.

During the interim between sessions is when I am working on legislation to introduce the following year. I have specific priorities for next session that will include property taxes, border security, and economic development. Those, however, are not the only priorities. We have a multitude of issues we are working on. The feedback I receive from my constituents is always the most important element in drafting my legislative agenda, so please continue to let me hear from you as we work together.

DEFENDING THE 2ND AMENDMENT

These last few years have been crucial for the advancement of our Second Amendment rights. In 2007, I joint-authored the Castle Doctrine that has expanded your right to defend yourself and your family at home or at work. Then, in June of 2008, the Supreme Court of the United States (the Court) issued the landmark decision ofDistrict of Columbia vs. Heller, which struck down a D.C. ban on handguns.

With gun-control advocates on the ropes, the NRA is looking to land a knock-out punch with McDonald vs. Chicago, a case which will be before the Court beginning on March 2. The city of Chicago has a similar handgun ban as the one ruled unconstitutional in Heller. It's a very complicated argument from a legal perspective, but essentially, the question in this case is whether or not the Fourteenth Amendment would make the protections of the Second Amendment binding on all states, not just a federal district (such as Washington, D.C.).

In other words, if the Court rules on this case as they did in the Heller case, all state and city governments would be prohibited from banning firearms.

For this reason, I've added my name to an "amicus brief" that has been filed by hundreds, if not thousands, of state legislators across the nation. This brief asks the Court to stay the course of their previous decisions and strike a blow for liberty and self-defense in keeping with the wishes of our Founding Fathers.

The Texas State Rifle Association has also been very instrumental in bringing forth this challenge, and most experts agree that the Court will rule in favor of Second Amendment rights on this issue. In a time where there has been very little to cheer for in the federal political scene, this is very good news. I am proud to add my name to this brief and stand up for District 150's right to self-defense!

CRACKING DOWN ON ILLEGAL MASSAGE PARLORS

It is no secret that our area has become infested with brothels posing as massage parlors. These despicable establishments use the good name and reputation of legitimate massage therapists to run human trafficking operations and prostitution rings, the scope of which would absolutely take your breath away if you were able to personally witness it. By posing as legitimate businesses, these criminal organizations have been able to largely avoid legal consequences up to this point. But that is all changing very quickly.

Last session, Representative Patricia Harless, Senator Dan Patrick, and I teamed up with Precinct 4 Constable Ron Hickman to pass Representative Harless's HB 3094, which allows counties to pass regulations aimed at targeting these fake businesses. Recently, I accompanied Constable Hickman on raids of two of these establishments. I cannot fully relate to you the horrors of what I saw.

These young women, most of whom are here against their will, live in conditions so unsanitary that it is difficult to even describe. They are treated no better than animals. In fact, most of us would not dare keep our pets or livestock in conditions as cruel as these. Some employees are very young girls. Some are much older women. But none of them are treated like humans. It was absolutely sickening.

HB 3094 will go a long way in getting after these businesses, but the fight has really just begun. I will continue to search for legislative solutions to prevent these evil persons from exploiting the loopholes that allow their businesses to operate.

Additionally, the Speaker of the House has recently issued the Interim Committee charges for our respective committees in Austin. The Committee on Criminal Jurisprudence, of which I have been a member for seven years, is charged with studying human and sex trafficking in Texas this next year. This study has profound implications, not only for these brothels, but for our illegal immigration issue as well. I will be very closely involved with this issue as it progresses, and plan on continuing to introduce legislation in the 82nd Session to wipe these businesses out once and for all.

SPEAKER RELEASES INTERIM CHARGES

As I just mentioned, the Speaker of the House has given us our Interim Charges for 2010. For those of you who may not be familiar with the process, we call the time in between sessions "the interim." Since we're only in session for five months every other year, a lot of the heavy lifting gets done during the interim, in terms of researching and hashing out the issues we'll address during session.

Every member of the House is on at least two committees, and each of those committees get anywhere from five to 10 "interim charges" for the committee to look into and hold formal public hearings on. I am still the chair of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Criminal Justice, and as such, it appears that my subcommittee will have two charges to investigate this interim.

One is to examine the implementation of the diversion pilot programs, juvenile case management system, and other policy and funding initiatives to determine whether the Texas Juvenile Probation Commission and the Texas Youth Commission have adhered to legislative directive in implementing these programs, and the impact of these programs on commitments at the Texas Youth Commission. We will join the House Committee on Corrections in this charge.

The second charge is to monitor and review the disbursement and use of border and homeland security funds, and evaluate the effectiveness in meeting the state's border and homeland security program goals and objectives. We will join the House Committee on Defense and Veteran's Affairs in continuing to investigate and develop workable solutions. Obviously, border security has been one of my top priorities since I first began serving in this position. I will keep you updated as we make progress towards these public hearings. I know many of you will be interested in monitoring their development.

Here are a few other interim charges that may interest you:

House Committee on Elections: Examine the prevalence of fraud in Texas elections. Study new laws in other states regarding voter identification and recommend statutory changes necessary to ensure that only eligible voters can vote in Texas elections.

House Committee on Land and Resource Management: Examine unresolved issues relating to eminent domain legislation introduced during the 81st Legislative Session. Monitor any pending litigation.

House Committee on Public Safety: Investigate best practices to process concealed hand gun licenses in order to alleviate backlog and make recommendations for implementation, if appropriate.

House Committee on Redistricting: Conduct public hearings in appropriate locations to obtain public input on all issues relating to the redistricting of legislative, congressional, and State Board of Education districts following the release of the federal census in 2011.

House Committee on State Affairs: Review state compliance with federal law regarding undocumented immigrants. Evaluate the costs of services and benefits provided to undocumented immigrants by state agencies and local governments.

Free Job Search Seminar

The Tomball-Spring Times — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 17:09:00 GMT

Series Offered at LSC-Tomball Community Library

Workforce Solutions, a source for job seekers, is offering the following free seminars at Lone Star College-Tomball Community Library in March:

· Creating a Resume / Completing the Application. Learn how to develop a professional resume that will match your skills and experience to the job and employer, and how to complete an application for employment thoroughly, accurately, and neatly.

Wednesday, March 3, 2 - 4 p.m.

· Interviewing. Get advice on effective interviewing techniques, respond appropriately to common interview questions, and negotiate salary and benefits for your new job. Wednesday, March 17, 2- 4 p.m.

Seminars will be held in the library second floor computer lab, room L207. Seating is limited. For more information and to register for these free classes, please call 832-559-4211