I am not familiar with the program but I am zoned to Pine Shadows Elem. I still have a few year til they get there but I would be interested in learning more

RenoAg said:

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Fyi my mother lives in those homes affected by the blast. Total loss. Walls knocked off the foundation. I'm having to figure out what to help her decide to do. Rebuild? Or sell to a developer that might just want the land. Location isn't bad with relatively quick access to BW8. Could potentially put much nicer homes here. Maybe. Depends on if they can get everyone to sell though.

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RenoAg, sorry to hear that. Silver lining here is if you have to have your house be a total loss-your mom doesn't lose any personal mementos or valuables. Its not like fire or flood. Does your mom's homeowners insurance require her to rebuild to be made whole? Does the neighborhood allow empty lots?

Chewy said:

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You people aren't seeing the real value of the non-Memorial and Stratford Dirty Branch schools. With even a barely half ass effort you're a lock for Top 10% and auto admit to Aggieland while the suburban ISD schools bust their ass to be top 25% and sweat their admission.

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Waltrip, Reagan, and Davis didnt get this gassed up.

Fairly certain she does not have to rebuild to be paid the policy limits by her insurance company. Her house was free and clear so no mortgage company in the picture to require it either. However, her current intentions are to rebuild. Her financial resources are limited and this is probably the best option. She did have some personal property destroyed inside the house but you are correct - it was not total devastation of most everything like a fire or flood.

Not certain but I'm guessing the HOA would be very against having an empty lot. However, given the circumstances, I would also guess they would find it difficult to enforce for a few years due to the amount of homes that were affected.

My kid did the dual language at cedar brook elementary. We think it definitely put him behind on language arts once he got to middle school, but that was a minor issue as he was able to get up to speed quickly. Cedar Brook is by no means a great elementary but the dual language program was a better option than the local elementary we are zoned to. The upside was that by doing the d/l in elementary it helped him get into corner stone academy for middle school. Corner stone has been a phenomenal experience. Outstanding teachers and staff, all ap classes. Kid will be a freshman next year and he was able to choose what high school he wanted to go and he picked Spring Woods. We had concerns about spring woods hs, but after wife and I had a meeting with the principal and touring the campus we feel great about the boy going there.

ETA: re dual language program, Our kid didn't learn to speak Spanish, but it made the middle school Spanish classes a little easier.

Thanks for the insider view. I stare at stats all day but they don't tell you everything.

I was thinking the kids would be fluent in Spanish by 1st grade lol. Maybe the 50/50 program at Pine Shadows will help but may put him farther back in language arts...

Good to know about Cornerstone. I have also had my eye on that.

Thanks for the input

So where can a gringo go in the dirty branch for some good kung pao chicken?

RenoAg said:

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So where can a gringo go in the dirty branch for some good kung pao chicken?

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No clue about kung pao but there's like 10 Korean fried chicken places at Gessner/LoPo.

Never eaten here but people in Greenway say it's good and always a line.

More additions to the Dirty Branch.

http://houston.culturemap.com/news/restaurants-bars/02-17-20-feges-bbq-second-location-spring-branch-village-patrick-feges-erin-smith-braun-enterprises/

Guess this is the place for this...

Anyone know what's up with vacant lot there on Blalock just south of Hammerly? Right across from the Polish food store.

It's completely vacant with a few trees and what looks like a shed but there's always what assume is an unmarked security guard in car.

I've always wondered who or why anyone would pay for a security guard to sit and watch a vacant lot all day every day.

That lot is owned by/related to the business directly to the west on Neuens (Dennis T Williams Inc), so my guess is its security for them.

That's huge. One of my favorite BBQ spots in town. The meat is excellent and the sides are also great.

Erin went to Stratford or MHS I believe.

I run by there regularly and there's not always a security guard in that car. It's really just a vacant car.

He's usually there around 5:30ish. He rolls up on a bike and sometimes with a compadre. I think he has a day job and just rolls up there after work to make it look like someone is there all the time when it's busiest. They cleared a bunch of the trees a few years ago to make it much more open so that car is more noticeable.

We're old pals as he'll give me some ineligible words of encouragement and I smile and wave at him. It's about halfway through my run so it's a huge help and I don't know what I'd do without him.

I've only ever heard good things about it. It should be great for the Dirty Branch because there's really no good BBQ options around.

I've been meaning to try Virgies but believe it's lunch only and never have made it over there.

Feges is great bbq. I'm excited they are opening a spot here.

Virgies isn't bad but it's only open for lunch, so I can only head there on Saturdays. Looking forward to checking our Feges. Heard good things!

While discussing all things Dirty Branch has anyone seen the "art installments" along LoPo?

There's one right at LoPo and Witte at the Haden Park entrance. It's big and red and looks part rundown mobile home and stroller. There's another one at the NE corner of LoPo and Gess that looks like some fort. Guessing there's more down LoPo as well.

Guessing it's not the art the SB Improvement District has long term visions of but I suppose it's a start.

Also, speaking of art, the new Korean place Bori where the old Faces used to be on Witte has an art gallery. It's actually really nice in there.

I saw this the other day. Looked like an old red sleigh from a shutdown mall.

I've wanted to try Bori. Haven't made it over there yet. How's the food?

Bori was really solid. Really nice inside and unique as they grill in front of you. I'd recommend not getting their premium cuts. The meat is really good but you get a filet, ribeye, and/or strip. You can get that anywhere.

I really liked the beef belly and marinated short rib the most just because it was different than the norm. Wish we'd tried more of their unique meats.

I'd definitely go back. It's a little pricey as it's more along the lines of a decent steakhouse but you get a lot of quality food. They have some cheaper options too if red meat isn't your thing.

They did a tremendous job with the place.

Chewy said:

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They did a tremendous job with the place.

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I hope so. Seems like it took them 8 years to finish it.

Had you ever been in Faces? The transformation makes sense when you see it.

They owned the building back when it was Faces so they weren't in any major hurry.

It's a typical Houston place where it doesn't necessarily fit in with its surroundings but that's all part of the charm because the food is solid. I mean across the street on the same side of Witte is a staging area for heavy equipment.

Art gallery and front end loaders just steps from each other.

Quote:

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Spring Branch Independent School District has bought a 4.7-acre tract as part of its multimillion-dollar expansion of Northbrook High School.

The district purchased the land at 2425 Campbell Road to turn into a detention pond to help with flooding at the high school. Currently, the tract is commercial, with a 23,381-square-foot commercial warehouse. It was one of the largest available tracts in Spring Branch, according to a press release from Houston-based NewQuest Properties.

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Check Out Spring Branch's Cool New Public Art

Quote:

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AS IF WE NEEDED MORE PROOF that Spring Branch is still blossoming into one of Houston's hottest hoods, Long Point Road is now home to a new public art installation, aptly called "Art on Long Point."

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AggieLong said:

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Check Out Spring Branch's Cool New Public Art

Quote:

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AS IF WE NEEDED MORE PROOF that Spring Branch is still blossoming into one of Houston's hottest hoods, Long Point Road is now home to a new public art installation, aptly called "Art on Long Point."

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Username checks out.

Also saw that Feges BBQ is going in the new shopping center on Long Point. I'd expect a lot of growth in that specific area.

Chewy said:

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I've only ever heard good things about it. It should be great for the Dirty Branch because there's really no good BBQ options around.

I've been meaning to try Virgies but believe it's lunch only and never have made it over there.

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Big thumbs up on Virgies, but they do have strange hours and there is not much room to actually eat inside. I suggest getting it to go. I used to work at Beltway and Clay and we would leave before 11 if we wanted to sit down and eat lunch there.

Texicurean said:

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My kid did the dual language at cedar brook elementary. We think it definitely put him behind on language arts once he got to middle school, but that was a minor issue as he was able to get up to speed quickly. Cedar Brook is by no means a great elementary but the dual language program was a better option than the local elementary we are zoned to. The upside was that by doing the d/l in elementary it helped him get into corner stone academy for middle school. Corner stone has been a phenomenal experience. Outstanding teachers and staff, all ap classes. Kid will be a freshman next year and he was able to choose what high school he wanted to go and he picked Spring Woods. We had concerns about spring woods hs, but after wife and I had a meeting with the principal and touring the campus we feel great about the boy going there.

ETA: re dual language program, Our kid didn't learn to speak Spanish, but it made the middle school Spanish classes a little easier.

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I've had 4 kids in Spanish Immersion for a total of 20 years. When they start handing out the English/Reading awards in middle school, it seems like the Spanish Immersion kids usually win them. What's cool is that my HS kids are now passing AP Spanish 4/5 exams. I have one who wants to be a linguist. Pretty cool stuff that I never got to do.

LoPo Buildings for sale

Anyone want to pool $$$ together and add on to what Lazy Oaks Beer Garden started?

I just noticed this morning that there is construction fence around multiple buildings on the southwest corner of the Blalock and Long Point intersection. I didn't notice any other signs as it took me a second to process the fence being there. I just did a quick google search and couldn't find anything, so does anyone know what may be going on there?

ptothemo said:

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I just noticed this morning that there is construction fence around multiple buildings on the southwest corner of the Blalock and Long Point intersection. I didn't notice any other signs as it took me a second to process the fence being there. I just did a quick google search and couldn't find anything, so does anyone know what may be going on there?

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Around the gas station?

My 8th grader is scheduled to take a "credit by exam" Spanish test next week. If he passes, he will get a high school "Spanish 3" credit. He has made all A's so far and is confident he will do well on the test. All of his core classes are AP (granted its still jr high), but if he can test out at the end of high school with some college credit'$, that would be great.

that is awesome news. Now if the property owners of the rats nest apartments at the ends of Shadowdale at both West View and Hammerly would bulldoze and build fresh, I would be a happy homeowner.
I just have to think that those properties are too valuable to leave as is for much longer.