Bert Long, Christopher Malice and Whitney Riley are three of the 10 human artists who have collaborated with the Houston Zoo’s animals to produce unique works of art for the event. On Saturday, March 27 the Houston Zoo will present its 4th Pongos Helping Pongos Art Event from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at G Gallery in the Heights at 301 E. 11th Street benefiting orangutan and elephant conservation.

The exhibition and wine and cheese reception will feature more than 40 individual paintings done by the Houston Zoo’s orangutans, elephants, siamangs, babirusa, and clouded leopards and collaborative pieces produced by the animals and their human artist partners.

The paintings, photographic portraits of the featured artists and professional photographs of wild orangutans and Bornean elephants will be displayed at G Gallery for a single night in a fine arts setting. All paintings, photographs, and portraits will be sold by silent auction with all proceeds benefiting orangutan and elephant conservation projects in Malaysia and Indonesia.

Registration begins at 9 a.m. in the Shea Street Building, 320 N. Main St., home to UHD’s College of Business. Visitors will learn more about UHD’s award-winning programs, academic majors, and student activities and organizations.

“This is a perfect time for transfer students and high school students to see what our university has to offer,” said Jose Cantu, admissions director. “UHD is a good fit for students who appreciate small classes, diversity, the chance to work directly with professors on research projects as undergraduates, and a true sense of community.”

Students who bring their transcripts to the open house can apply for on-the-spot admissions for fall semester 2010. UHD’s “Destination Downtown” program includes sessions on financial aid, scholarships, choosing a major, student activities and campus tours.

For more information, call 713-221-8522 or go to http://www.uhd.edu/admissions/.

Bill White answers a rotary member's question about border security on Thursday as Bellaire/Southwest Houston Rotary President Byron Holloway listens.

White talked to about 40 members of the Bellaire/Southwest Houston Rotary Club about his six years as mayor of Houston and his thoughts on the Mexican violence, funding for NASA and alternative energy. He recalled working together with the cities of Bellaire and West University Place when he was Houston’s mayor, and said he was happy to visit with local residents.

“Whether there’s 40 citizens or 500 citizens, I want people to have a chance to know who I am and to ask questions,” he said. “Letting people know who you are, not in some environment controlled by consultants and media gurus, but by citizens who get a chance to talk to you.”

White took the chance to make jabs at Gov. Rick Perry, his opponent in the November general election. A Bellaire rotarian asked the candidate whether he would still take time to visit the club if he were elected governor.

“Old so-and-so has been in office too long,” White jokingly responded. “Whenever you get some politician who is too big in his britches to come see you, that’s when the public needs to impose term limits.”

White told rotarians that after speaking with law enforcement on the border, if he were elected he would order more drones to patrol the area to gather real-time intelligence for border security personnel. He said he thinks the state should use modern technologies to better identify the masses of ordinary, innocent people crossing the border every day, versus the drug traffickers.

Bill White chats with Rotarians Craig Wooten, left, and Don Beckner before his speech to the club.

White said he doesn’t fear the violence in Mexico will spill over to the U.S. unless traffickers are targeting the relatives of their Mexican enemies.

“We have honest law enforcement on this side of the boarder,” White said. “Generally the bad guys, they don’t want to commit a crime where there’s honest and effective law enforcement.”

White told InstantNewsBellaire he remembered working with Bellaire leaders in the past on solid waste and freeway projects, and partnering with West U. officials on sidewalks and street construction on Kirby Drive. Those interactions were “cordial and businesslike,” White said, and he’d use the same skills of merging diverse viewpoints to run the state if he were governor.

“We need folks who will work in particular to cut the drop-out rates and to remove barriers to higher education so we could move our economy forward in the future,” he said. “People in West U. and Bellaire are deeply committed to access to public education. Some of the best public schools in our state are in those communities. They should be proud of that.”

Cyclists prepare to leave La Grange for the 2009 MS 150.

In its 26th year, organizers estimate that 13,000 cyclists will take part in the non-profit fundraising event that benefits medical research into multiple sclerosis. This year, the National Multiple Sclerosis Society: Lone Star aims to raise a record $18 million to support research and fund programs benefiting an estimated 20,000 people affected by MS in 174 Texas counties.

So far, the organization has raised $5.1 million towards its fundraising goal. Registration is still available at www.ms150.org. The group is also still trying to fill more than 3,000 volunteer positions in Houston, Austin and along the route.

Multiple sclerosis is an unpredictable, often disabling disease of the central nervous system that interrupts the flow of information between the brain and body. Symptoms range from numbness and tingling to blindness and paralysis. Most people with MS are diagnosed between the ages of 20 and 50, with at least two to three times more women as men being diagnosed with the disease. MS affects more than 400,000 people in the U.S. and 2.1 million worldwide.

Rep. Ellen Cohen, D-West University Place, served as the House sponsor of the bill creating the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas.

“Seeing the vision we had initially for the CPRIT come to fruition is so exciting,” Cohen said in a statement. “And the impact is incredibly far-reaching. First and foremost, the emphasis on cancer prevention will save lives. Secondly, institutions like Baylor College of Medicine, UT Health Science Center, and The Rose will extend their outreach and their knowledge base.”

The Houston recipients include:

• Baylor College of Medicine (for a statewide web-based childhood cancer survivorship project)
• Hope Clinic (for a cancer prevention education and outreach initiative serving Fort Bend and Harris counties)
• The Rose (for a breast cancer screening and cervical cancer education initiative serving Brazoria, Burleson, Chambers, Fort Bend, Galveston, Harris, Liberty, Montgomery, Waller, and Wharton counties)
• The University of Houston (for a cervical cancer education initiative focused in Harris county)
• The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (for a cancer prevention education and navigation project serving Austin, Brazoria, Cameron, Chambers, Colorado, Fort Bend, Galveston, Harris, Hidalgo, Liberty, Matagorda, Montgomery, Starr, Wharton, Willacy, Walker, and Waller counties)

The grants are part of a $6.8 million slate approved to fund twelve new cancer prevention programs through local clinics, health districts, community-based organizations, and academic institutions across the state of Texas.

CPRIT’s twelve cancer prevention grants cover a broad spectrum of preventative services and programs such as screening for breast, cervical and colorectal cancers; health promotion and education programs aimed at increasing screening and vaccination rates, and improving the quality of follow-up care for pediatric cancer survivors. The twelve awards were selected from 56 prevention applications submitted to CPRIT.

Texas voters overwhelmingly approved a constitutional amendment in 2007 establishing the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT) and authorizing the state to issue $3 billion in bonds to fund groundbreaking cancer research and prevention programs and services in Texas. CPRIT’s goal is to expedite innovation and commercialization in the area of cancer research and to enhance access to evidence-based prevention programs and services throughout the state. CPRIT accepts applications and awards grants for a wide variety of cancer-related research and for the delivery of cancer prevention programs and services by public and private entities located in Texas.

MFAH is opening a new exhibit of 68 paintings by Alice Neel, a 20th-century portrait painter who captured the character of her time and the gamut of New York life over seven decades. Committed to portraiture throughout her life, an era when the genre was considered practically obsolete, Neel captured both the physical likenesses and the psychological essences of her sitters in bold, sometimes searing paintings.

“Alice Neel: Painted Truths” is the first major museum exhibition of Neel’s work in ten years, and the first to present her work in Europe. The show examines Neel’s oeuvre from a highly focused perspective, showcasing masterworks culled from the 1920s to the 1980s. Along with her famous portraits, a section of the show will also be devoted to her lesser-known cityscapes that document tenement life from the inside.

This compares with the national average that has increased 3.8 cents per gallon in the last week to $2.78 per gallon, according to gasoline price website HoustonGasPrices.com.

Including the increases during the past week, prices today are 88.1 cents per gallon higher than the same day one year ago and are 23.2 cents per gallon higher than a month ago.

The national average has increased 16.9 cents per gallon during the last month and stands 88.4 cents per gallon higher than this day a year ago.

Patrick DeHaan, senior petroleum analyst for GasBuddy.com said the trend is likely to continue, and gas prices may hit the $3 mark before summer officially arrives.

“We’re starting off March like a lion with little hope of it going out like a lamb,” DeHaan said. “While conventional wisdom tells us demand will increase as we move towards warmer weather, it appears that gasoline price increases have easily outpaced any potential increases in demand thus far. On that note, I expect most of the country to flirt with prices near or over $3 per gallon come Memorial Day, with the exception of California, where prices will average near $3.35/gallon.”

DeHaan went on to say that the only bright spot for motorists this year is that plenty of spare refining capacity and lower gasoline demand than years prior will keep gasoline prices from rising to record highs.

Last week’s increase was on top of a 5.6-cent rise the week before.

HoustonGasPrices.com is part of a 200-website national gas tracking and analysis organization operated by GasBuddy.com.

Joni Hruska Fichter

Joni Hruska Fichter has been the face of the Friends of West University Place Parks Fund, a nonprofit that has gathered nearly $4 million in donations over the decade for park renovations and most recently, helped fund the new West U. Recreation Center. In June, Fichter will step down as chair of the group and longtime volunteer Leah Ragiel will take her place.

“One of my goals before I did that was to make sure we were in tip-top shape … I feel really secure in handing over a great board,” Fichter said. “It’s been a long time and I feel like we’ve accomplished so much. It’s been wonderful, and a truly good experience.”

Fichter said with two teenagers with hectic schedules, the oldest preparing to enter college, she plans to spend more time with her family and other endeavors. However, she will remain as chair through the opening of the West U. Recreation Center and Colonial Park pool. She also will remain on the Friends advisory board.

“We were lucky to have her for that long,” said Friends Executive Director Donna LaMond, who said Fichter has become one of her closest friends.

LaMond describes Fichter as an inspirational leader who trusted others to do good jobs without micromanaging, and was skilled at keeping board members focused on important goals. She said those who work with Fichter develop a deep level of respect for her.

“It’s been a wonderful camaraderie, and there’s no words to adequately convey what she’s done,” LaMond said. “She eats, sleeps, breathes West University parks.”

Parks and Recreations Director Tim O’Connor said he was “kind of freaked a little bit” when he learned Fichter was stepping down, but he took “consolation” in knowing she would still volunteer on the advisory board and be available to answer questions when Friends volunteers need help.

Leah Ragiel

“I was definitely more than a little nervous and scared until I found out her successor would be Leah Ragiel,” O’Connor said. “Joni’s successor is going to be someone I think very highly of, who doesn’t lightly take on commitments.”

Ragiel, a stay-at-home mother of two children, has been committed to being an active Friends volunteer for the past 10 years. She has served on important subcommittees of the Friends, including chairing the Park Lovers Ball, the group’s major fundraiser. She helped organize the first Fathers and Flashlights event an also founded the West U. Friends and Neighbors Guild. Her 10-years’ volunteer experience has prepared her to take over the chair position, she said.

“I think it’s a personal challenge. It’s an opportunity to do a good job and have the satisfaction of having done good for the community,” Ragiel said. “I know there are some new directions we can take out there, and I look forward to figuring out what they are with this new group of people.”

Some new ideas that Ragiel said she’s interesting in pursuing include the creation of a community garden, the development of a new park in one quadrant of West U. without a park in walking distance, and coming up with new ideas for fundraising events. Ragiel said she understands it will be a challenge to juggle the time commitments of being the Friends chair. But all the board members contribute so much time and energy, she said.

“I won’t be alone,” Ragiel said. “I invite anybody, no matter how new they are to the community, to please contact us and get involved because we welcome new ideas, new people, and we need all the support we can get.”

The Texas Connections Academy at Houston began operating a free, full-time, statewide virtual school program in December of 2008. It’s the only Texas Education Agency approved statewide virtual school program.

The pilot program began with 100 students in grades three through eight in December 2008 and currently serves 1,000 students from all over Texas. With grades nine and ten being added to the online offerings the goal is to expand to serve 3,000 students. Future plans call to add 11th and 12th grades to the virtual school.

Students enrolled in the Texas Connections Academy work with Texas state-certified teachers over the Internet and on the phone while an adult “Learning Coach” (usually a parent) monitors progress in the home.

The online academy is tuition-free. Students receive school materials and support including: Texas-certified teachers, textbooks, other curriculum materials and online resources. Eligible students can also receive a loaned computer and a subsidy for Internet service.

Although all the course work is done at home, the students must take the state mandated, standardized TAKS tests in person at locations designated by TCA, as close as possible to the student’s home.

A wide range of students are taking advantage of the Texas Connections Academy, including Home bound students, home schooled students, those who are significantly ahead or behind in the classroom, students who want more individualized instruction, those who want a more flexible learning schedule and those who need a learning environment outside of the traditional classroom.

InstantNewsWestU requested copies of the West U. Police Department’s 2008 and 2009 Uniform Crime Reports, which contain statistics that local police departments submit to the FBI for a program that tracks nationwide crime.

A review of the 2009 crime reports reveals an overall decrease of 8.7 percent compared to 2008, which includes decreases in reports of rape, assaults, home burglaries and thefts. Reports of robberies remained the same year to year, and the number of arrests also remained virtually the same.

However, reports of non-residential building burglaries increased 27 percent, car burglaries jumped 22 percent, and vehicle thefts climbed 14 percent. Even considering the scattered increases, the number of crimes reported in each category remain very low. Following are the findings of InstantNewsWestU’s analysis.

2009 crime compared to 2008 reports

• TOTAL CRIME — decreased from 229 to 209 crimes in 2009 (8.7 percent drop)
• Rape — decreased from 2 to 0 reports in 2009
• Robbery — 4 reports each year
• Assault — decreased from 20 to 6 incidents in 2009 (70 percent drop)
• Home burglary — decreased from 44 to 30 reports in 2009 (32 percent drop)
• Building burglary — increased from 11 to 14 reports in 2009 (27 percent climb)
• Car burglary — increased from 82 to 100 cases in 2009 (22 percent climb)
• Car theft — increased from 7 to 8 incidents in 2009 (14 percent climb)
• Other theft — decreased from 59 to 47 reports in 2009 (20 percent drop)

Other comparisons

• Arrests — increased from 159 to 161 arrests in 2009 (1 percent climb)
• Total value of stolen property — decreased from $476,829 to $443,363 in 2009 (7 percent drop)
• Total value of recovered property — decreased from $103,746 to $22,291 in 2009 (78.5 percent drop)

The incidents reported to West U. police from March 7 to 15 include:

• On March 7, a resident found a bicycle in the 3700 block of Arnold and police took it to the police station.
• On March 7, a man in the 2900 block of Wroxton reported that someone broke into his car and stole items.
• On March 8, an officer pulled over a car for speeding and ended up arresting the driver for giving a fake driver’s license.
• On March 9, a woman reported someone used her identification to open an account with Synergy Bank and then wrote a bad check at Wal-Mart.
• On March 10, a woman reported someone had damaged the door of her vehicle in the 6600 block of Academy.
• On March 11, a resident found a silver boy’s mountain bike and police took it to the police station for safekeeping.
• On March 12, an officer pulled over a car for having an expired registration sticker and ended up arresting the driver for driving with an invalid license.
• On March 13, an officer picked up a prisoner with outstanding West U. warrants.

The church is inviting the public to hear a talk by Susan Baker on March 20 at 2 p.m. at The Murray Center, 4900 Jackwood in Houston. Baker is co-founder of the National Alliance to End Homelessness, recipient of the 2007 Eisenhower Leadership Distinguished Public Service Award, and author of the upcoming book, Passing It On: An Autobiography with Spirit. She is married to James A. Baker III, former Secretary of State under President George H.W. Bush. Tickets cost $30, and table sponsorships are also available. For more information, contact Robin L. Phillips at (713) 666-5840 or rlphillips01@comcast.net.

On March 22, the church is hosting the Kilts and Clubs Charity Golf Classic at the Wildcat Golf Club, 12000 Almeda in Houston. The tournament benefits the St. Thomas’ Episcopal School Scottish Arts Program and the Children’s Cancer Hospital at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center. Registration costs $200, and additional sponsorships are available. For more information, contact Tom at 713.201.7488 or tom@camelotrealty.com.

“We’re just glad no one was injured and we were able to get him in custody without him or the officers being injured,” said Bellaire Police spokesman Tim Quimby.

Quimby said the Bellaire Police Department was getting frequent furious calls from motorists stuck in traffic because of an overturned, leaking gasoline tanker that forced emergency personnel to close Loop 610 nearly all day.

But the incident involving 67-year-old Nolan Keller was the most extreme by far. When people called 911 reporting a man with a gun, officers responded to Keller’s home in the 5300 block of Evergreen Street around 4:20 p.m.

“Traffic was backing up, people were trying to get around the city,” Quimby said. “He got irate with someone stopped too long at a stop sign at Evergreen and Ferris. He said some profanity at her, basically. While that person was walking their dog by the house, he went and got a rifle and pointed it at them.”

Although traffic made it difficult, officers arrived at Keller’s home relatively quickly and found the man in his backyard with the gun leaning against his house. Quimby said Keller told police he had been gardening and didn’t do anything, but multiple witnesses told police they saw Keller point the weapon at the woman walking her dog.

“I think personally, since it happened with all the traffic, a lot of people can’t take that type of stress,” Quimby said. “We were getting calls all day, people telling us they were going to jump the curb and run over stuff.”

Police charged Keller with 2nd degree aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. The sentence for the charge ranges from two to 20 years in prison and up to a $10,000 fine, said Assistant District Attorney Donna Hawkins.

The commission’s recommendation to approve the rezoning application is a significant victory for Bob Orkin, whose company Kirby Retail Fund Ltd. owns the tract at 5800 Kirby Dr. But final approval must come from the West U. City Council.

“I think the Planning and Zoning Commission is a reasonable group of people,” Orkin said. “I feel like it was the right decision.”

Orkin began the arduous rezoning process in November 2009, asking the city to turn his tract into a commercial zone to allow him to demolish the Shipley Donuts store and construct a new building for Potbelly Sandwich Works. Right now the land is in a townhouse district, but it has prior non-conforming status for a commercial use. That status would not carry over if Orkin constructs a new building, making rezoning mandatory to achieve his goals.

After considering West U. residents’ comments at a public hearing on Feb. 8, Commissioners Bob Higley and DeDe DeStafano lead an extensive debate at last month’s Zoning and Planning Commission meeting about whether the city should grant the rezoning application. The two-hour discussion stalled a decision until the March meeting.

But Higley and DeStafano were absent on Thursday, and Vice Chair Bruce Frankel, who has voluntarily abstained from voting for the entire process, decided to leave the room. Frankel is Orkin’s brother in law, and he helped negotiate the deal with Potbelly Sandwich Works.

Residents near the Shipley Donuts raised concerns on Feb. 8 that the sandwich restaurant would bring more traffic, parking problems, noise and trash into their lives. They said they purchased their properties knowing the tract and others adjacent to it were zoned for town homes, and they always hoped one day the townhouse-district strip would turn residential.

“I’m very disappointed,” said West U. resident Rosemary Beauvais, who attended the Feb. 8 public hearing and both subsequent commission meetings. “I think that it is setting a precedent, and I think the other properties will end up going commercial. And I think that’s not what the residents expected.”

Orkin and his associates have shown a willingness to work with residents to allay their concerns. They agreed to install sound abatement walls and landscaping, and approached neighboring businesses to secure parking spots for restaurant employees. Most recently at Thursday’s meeting they announced another measure to stop employees from parking on West U. streets.

“The property is going to be restricted so employees can’t park within 500 feet of the property,” said acting City Attorney Josh Golden, interpreting a declaration letter from Orkin’s attorney. “This is bound to the property itself … The consequence of the violation would be up to the city to determine.”

The offer has one catch: If the city doesn’t grant final approval to the rezoning application by May 30, the employee-parking safeguard will expire. Now that the commission gave its thumbs-up to the rezoning request, the application is headed to city council.

Hannah Luedke, Andrew Jacobs, Conner Albert, Arin Drtil, Andrew McCulloch and Justin Bernard proudly showcase their first place trophy.

An academic decathlon team from Presbyterian School recently received first place in the Southeast Texas Academic Challenge, which tested students on depth of knowledge and speed of recalling answers.

The Southeast Texas Academic Challenge was held Feb. 20 at the John Cooper School in the Woodlands for 20 high school, 6 Junior Varsity, and 13 middle school teams. The winning team from Presbyterian School included eighth graders, Connor Albert, Justin Bernard, Arin Drtil, Andrew Jacobs, Hannah Luedke and Andrew McCulloch.

During the contest, students had to respond to questions from a variety of categories including science, math, history, current events, and more.

All three Presbyterian School teams qualified for the middle school playoffs, a single-elimination contest. Presbyterian School’s first place decathlon team is now invited to compete at the National Academic Championship in New Orleans on May 29 to 31.

“A random spark or anything could cause an explosion or pretty major fire,” said Bellaire’s Assistant Police Chief Byron Holloway.

He said police do not know what caused the truck to flip, but they are diverting traffic away from the intersection of the Loop 610 frontage road and Bellaire Boulevard as fire personnel try to clean up the mess.

“It started to leak. Some of the gas leaked into the storm system. We’ve been able to stop that,” Holloway said. “They’re trying to determine how safe it is to approach the truck.”

Loop 610 is completely closed between the Southwest Freeway and Beechnut Street. Holloway said he doesn’t know how long the freeway will be closed. Emergency personnel from Houston, Bellaire, West University Place and state agencies are on scene helping determine what to do about the overturned tanker and deal with the traffic backup.

Another gasoline tanker recently arrived on the scene to try to transfer the remaining fuel from the overturned truck and cart it away from the accident scene, Holloway said.

“Things are happening pretty fast and changing just as fast,” Holloway said. “We are suggesting people detour around the Bellaire area at this time.”

First, the county learned the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts awarded Harris County the Gold Leadership Circle Award for efforts to make its finances open and accessible to county residents. Next, the county became one of just 13 local governments nationwide to earn a perfect score on government transparency by Sunshine Review, a national non-profit that recently evaluated the Web sites of every state and more than 5,000 local governments.

“We always strive to be as open as possible with county residents,” said Harris County Judge Ed Emmett in a statement. “After all, it’s their money, and they have the right to know how it’s being handled.”

In a letter to Emmett, officials with the Comptroller’s Office congratulated the county for “implementing financial transparency” and achieving the highest score of 15 points in the rating criteria. Local governments are judged on their success in opening their books to the public, providing clear, consistent pictures of spending, and sharing information in a user-friendly format that allows taxpayers to access more information.

For the national award, Sunshine Review granted Harris County a “Sunny Award” after an evaluation of the county’s Website, www.hctx.net, showed the county provided the necessary public information in all 10 categories evaluated. No other local government in Texas earned a perfect score.

“Sunny Award winners deserve recognition for making information available to citizens and for setting a transparency standard that all governments can, and should, meet,” said Mike Barnhart, the president of Sunshine Review.

Rain water flows under the Bellaire Boulevard Bridge during a rain storm in mid February. Construction should be complete by late March.

InstantNewsWestU requested a copy of the drainage study from the Harris County Flood Control District after West U. leaders became concerned that flood restrictors on the soon-to-be-completed Bellaire Bridge in Southside Place would stop flood waters from intense storms from fully draining out of West U. The drainage study researches how more flood water would affect down-stream areas: Poor Farm Ditch, a water detention area called the Meyer Tract, and eventually Brays Bayou.

But in a Feb. 23 letter to Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott, Turner argued on behalf of Harris County Attorney Vince Ryan that the flood control district should not have to disclose the drainage study. Turner is asking for an exception to the Texas Public Information Act.

Turner wrote that the flood control district is working with other governmental entities involved in the process to review a draft version of the drainage study. Eventually, the district will release a final version to the public.

The attorney argues the draft drainage study should remain secret under the “deliberative process privilege,” which holds that internal communications consisting of advice, opinions or recommendations can be kept secret if they relate to processes that help the governmental body fulfill its policy mission.

“The mission of the District includes planning and constructing flood control and drainage projects,” Turner wrote. “The engineering study requested, which is still in the process of being formulated, is essential to carrying out those purposes.”

West U. leaders said at a Feb. 8 city council meeting that they hope the flood control district allows the removal of flood restrictors on the Bellaire Bridge that control the flow of water leaving West U.

Engineers assured the city council that during ordinary rain storms, the restrictors would not hinder efficient drainage out of West U. But during rare, massive storms like Tropical Storm Alison in 2001, the restrictors could cause water to back up into the city. West U. Mayor Bob Kelly said he hopes the flood restrictors will be gone before hurricane season, which officially begins in June. Read more here.

But before approving the removal of the flood restrictors, the flood control district must know how more water would affect the down-stream areas. The drainage study requested by InstantNewsWestU essentially answers that question.

The Texas Attorney General will make a ruling within the next couple of months about whether the flood control district can withhold the drainage study as an exception to the Texas Public Information Act.

Screenings at MFAH include:

Flame & Citron (Flammen & Citronen)
6 p.m. on March 13 and 3 p.m. on March 21
While the Danish population hopes for a swift end to the war, freedom fighters Flame and Citron secretly put their lives at stake fighting for the Holger Danske resistance group. The film is based on actual events and eyewitness accounts.

Ajami
8:45 p.m. on March 13 and 3:15 p.m. on March 14
Nominated for Best Foreign Language Film at the 2010 Oscars, Ajami is a powerful crime drama set on the streets of Jaffa. The stories of a young Israeli, a Palestinian refugee working illegally, a Jewish police detective, and an affluent Palestinian intersect with tragic consequences.

Hey, Hey It’s Esther Blueburger
1 p.m. on March 14
Esther Blueburger’s (Danielle Cantanzariti) quest to fit in begins when she escapes from her Bat Mitzvah party and is befriended by Sunni (Keisha Castle-Hughes), the effortlessly cool girl who is everything Esther thinks she wants to be. With the help of Sunni, Esther goes AWOL from her ordinary life, leaving behind her dysfunctional Jewish family, to hang out with Sunni’s super-hip single mom (Golden Globe winner Toni Collette) and attend public school as a Swedish exchange student.

The MFAH will screen additional movies the weekend of March 20 to 21. Check the Website for details.