Holiday hours:

Saturday, Sept. 4: 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Sunday, Sept. 5: 12 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Monday, Sept. 6: 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.

For more information, call 713-662-7462 or visit www.westu.org.

Myesha Chandler was arrested for an outstanding capias warrant. A capias warrant is a warrant where the suspect is found guilty and failed to pay the fine.

Chandler was released from jail for time served.

On Aug. 28, West U police picked up a 36-year-old Houston resident from a Harris County Constable Precinct 5 Deputy for outstanding warrants.

Rainer Vonfalkenhorst was arrested for failure to appear and speeding warrants.

Vonfalkenhorst was bonded out and released from jail.

The city of West University Place asked the court to review a decision made by the Texas Workforce Commission awarding former West U police officer Rosemarie Valdes unemployment benefits in January 2009.

Valdes was fired from the police department in Oct. 15, 2008 after allegedly reporting that a car hit her while she was directing traffic. She reported that the car knocked her off balance, and she fell on the hood with her feet coming off the ground. Video footage shows that the incident did not happen.

“It’s the right outcome,” West U Police Chief Ken Walker said. “I think the facts were clear.”

It is rare for a decision by the TWC regarding employment benefits to be reversed because the burden of proof is so high, Walker said.

“It’s a sad thing,” said David Donahue, legal administrator for Valdes’ appeal defense attorney Paul Aman. “If the evidence was there, but it’s not. It’s ludicrous.”

Valdes came to work for the city in 1996 as a dispatcher. She then worked as an animal control officer and became a West U police officer in 2000.

Valdes reported that on Oct. 20, 2007 she was directing traffic in the 4200 block of Bellaire Boulevard because ahead on the road, police were drawing their guns to pull over a stolen car.

“I did not want any citizens to be in the line of fire, or in harms way if the occupants of the stolen vehicle were armed,” Valdes wrote in an affidavit about one week after the accident.

Valdes told her supervisors that an elderly driver hit her in the leg while she was directing traffic.

[sic] “my knee is hurt… that old lady hit me with her car,” Valdes wrote to her supervisor in an officer chat log. “in case you were interested she knocked me onto her hood…. i hope i dented it.”

According to Valdes, she tried to get the driver to pull over, but the woman drove away.

The officer returned to the police station and her supervisor sent her to the West U fire station so paramedics could inspect her leg. A paramedic’s report said “the patients [sic] left knee does not have any bruising or swelling and no deformities.”

Valdes later went to Memorial Hermann Hospital and “she was diagnosed as having a sprained knee and ligament damage,” according to an email between police supervisors on the night of the accident.

As a result, Valdes was on “light duty” from Oct. 20, 2007 to Jan. 8, 2008.

The city sued Valdes and the TWC because that agency rejected the department’s determination that Valdes was fired for workplace misconduct.

According to the lawsuit, Valdes applied for unemployment benefits right after she was fired in October 2008 and TWC approved her payments. The city appealed that decision in November 2008 because it said Valdes was fired for workplace misconduct, making her ineligible for unemployment benefits. The TWC reversed its decision and took away the officer’s benefits.

But Valdes re-appealed in January 2009 and in March the TWC again reversed its decision and gave her the benefits. The city tried to appeal again, but the TWC denied the request.

The city then asked the Harris County 157th Judicial District Court to review the TWC’s decision. The lawsuit says the city fired Valdes because she allegedly violated a police department rule “requiring integrity and truthfulness.”

“Valdes’ actions in providing false and/or exaggerated statements to her employer concerning an on-the-job incident constituted misconduct,” the lawsuit said. “The Commission’s decision to the contrary was made without regard to the law or the facts and should be reversed.”

Both Valdes and the TWC filed answers with the court that deny the city’s allegations. The court reversed the decision by the TWC on May 7 and disqualified Valdes from receiving unemployment benefits.

The decision was final on June 8 when TWC withdrew its request for a new trial. Both Valdes and the TWC decided not to appeal the judgment.

Valdes won an appeal to the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement Officers Standards, an agency that certifies police officers and departments, to remove the “dishonorable discharge” from her record in June.

The “dishonorable” designation hurts Valdes’ chance of continuing her career in law enforcement.

The city is currently seeking a judicial review of the Administrative Law Judge’s decision regarding Valdes’ request to correct her employment termination report, or F-5.

Gary Messick was pulled over in the 4000 block of Browning for expired registration of 7/10.

During the traffic stop, Messick was found to be driving without insurance and with a suspended license, police said.

Messick was arrested for the offense and transported to the Harris County Sheriff’s Department.

Among the Mexican-origin women with breast cancer who were surveyed, half were diagnosed before age 50, years earlier than the national average for non-Hispanic white women. This puts them outside the recently released U.S. Preventive Task Force guidelines that recommend screening, including mammograms, begin at 50. The guidelines have been controversial, and MD Anderson opted to continue to recommend screening beginning at age 40.

“Under the revised Task Force guidelines, up to half of Mexican-origin women with breast cancer may be undiagnosed or diagnosed in late stages, possibly increasing disparities in rates of breast cancer mortality,” said Patricia Miranda, Ph.D., a Kellogg Health Scholar post-doctoral fellow in the Department of Health Disparities Research at MD Anderson and the study’s lead author. “Hispanic women are not recognized in the guidelines as a high-risk group, and we would like to see that decision revisited.”

One-Size-Fits-All Approach Falls Short

Breast cancer is the leading cause of death among Hispanic women in the United States. Previous studies have shown they are more likely to be diagnosed with advanced breast cancer and 20 percent more likely to die from the cancer than non-Hispanic white women.

Hispanics are the nation’s largest and fastest growing minority group. According to the American Community Survey, more than 45 million Hispanics live in this country. By 2050, the population, which has the lowest rate of insurance coverage, is expected to reach 132 million.

“As the new national health care policy is implemented, if a one-size-fits all screening recommendation is implemented as the Task Force recommends, we fear a huge number of breast cancer cases won’t be picked up at an early stage, especially with the growth of the Hispanic population in this country,” said Melissa Bondy, Ph.D., professor in the Department of Epidemiology and senior corresponding author.

The study, which is among the first to use a non-clinical, population-based sample to examine the risk of breast cancer in this group, identified 714 Hispanic women in the Houston area from MD Anderson’s Mano a Mano Mexican-American Cohort Study: 119 with breast cancer and 595 without cancer.

Several factors were compared including:

• Age at diagnosis
• Family history of breast cancer
• Marital status, number of children and education
• Health insurance status
• Language acculturation (ability to speak English)
• Country of birth (U.S. or Mexico)

Family History, Acculturation Raise Risk

Women at highest risk for breast cancer – 2-1/2 times other women surveyed – had a family history of the disease, spoke English well and were born in Mexico.

The strongest risk factor was family history, which increased odds fourfold and was found to be true of 85 percent who had breast cancer. This indicates that women with a strong family history of breast cancer should receive earlier and more frequent screening, Bondy said.

The role of acculturation was striking too. Women who spoke English well had 2-1/2 times the risk of women who did not. The longer a woman had lived in the United States, the higher her risk.

Single women were almost twice as likely as married women to develop breast cancer, and women without insurance were 1-1/2 times more likely than those with insurance to be diagnosed. Women who do not have insurance are less likely to be screened.

Although the study is fairly small, researchers believe it shows the need for clear action on several fronts.

“Going forward, we believe it’s essential to create education programs specifically for this population, especially if any of the screening guidelines change,” Miranda said.

In addition, the study recommends assistance with acquiring health insurance, which may increase access to screening and early detection, and working with affected communities to help formulate policy agendas.

More Research Planned

Although Hispanics are the fastest growing group in the country, they are markedly under-represented in medical research. MD Anderson, which has been studying Mexican-American health through the Mano A Mano study for 10 years, is involved in a major study of Hispanic women in Mexico, Arizona and Texas.

“We are looking at reasons these women are getting breast cancer earlier and tend to develop later stage breast cancer,” Bondy said. “We’re hoping to find answers that will help save lives.”

Co-authors with Miranda and Bondy on the study include: Anna Wilkinson, Ph.D.; Carol Etzel, Ph.D. and Renke Zhou; all of MD Anderson’s Department of Epidemiology, and Lovell Jones, Ph.D., of Health Disparities Research at MD Anderson; and Patricia Thompson, Ph.D. from the University of Arizona, Arizona Cancer Center.  Zhou also is a graduate student in The University of Texas Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences at Houston, a joint program of MD Anderson and The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston.

An unknown person entered the resident’s garage and stole the bike.

On Aug. 25, a lawn mower was stolen from the front yard of a home in the 3500 block of Plumb.

On Aug. 26, a purse was stolen from a vehicle in the 4100 block of Lehigh.

An unknown person smashed the vehicle’s passenger side window and stole the purse.

On Aug. 28, a portable DVD player was stolen from a vehicle in the 6100 block of Charlotte.

On Aug. 28, someone stole cosmetic items from a package on the front porch of a home in the 6700 block of Westchester.

The company issued the recall in conjunction with the Food and Drug Administration after Goya Foods recalled its frozen mamey pulp for the same health risk. Fruiti Pops uses mamey pulp from Goya in its frozen fruit bars.

The Fruiti Pops Mamey frozen fruit bars are sold at a number of retail and grocery stores throughout the West U area.

No illnesses have been reported to date in connection with Fruiti Pops Mamey fruit bars.

No other flavors of Fruiti Pops fruit bars, nor any other products produced by Fruiti Pops, are affected by the recall.

Salmonella Typhi bacteria can cause typhoid fever, a potentially life-threatening illness, according to the FDA.

Once S. Typhi bacteria are eaten or drunk, they multiply and spread into the bloodstream. The body reacts with fever and severe abdominal pain, among other symptoms.

Most persons infected need to be hospitalized for antibiotic treatment.

Individuals with typhoid fever carry the bacteria in their bloodstream and intestinal tract. In addition, a small number of persons recover from typhoid fever but continue to carry the bacteria. Both ill persons and carriers shed S. Typhi in their feces, FDA officials said.

Anyone experiencing illness after consuming Fruiti Pops mamey paletas should seek medical attention.

In addition to Texas, the recalled fruit bars were also distributed in California and Arizona. Consumers may have purchased the recalled product from retail locations, mobile vendors, vending machines or distribution outlets.

The recalled fruit bars come in clear polypropylene packaging and is not labeled with lot numbers or expiration dates. The UPC of the recalled product is 763734000097

Consumers who have purchased Fruiti Pops 4 oz. Mamey fruit bars can return the product to the place of purchase for a refund.

If consumers have any questions regarding the recall can contact Fruiti Pops, Inc. at 562-404-2568. Company personnel will be available Monday through Friday from the hours of 8 a.m. – 4 p.m. to answer questions.

The production is based on the 1969 rock opera album “Tommy” by music hall of famer Pete Townshend.

Featuring an all teen cast of students from TUTS’ Humphreys School of Musical Theatre, “The Who’s Tommy” takes the stage at Zilkha Hall in the Hobby Center Sept. 10-11.

Broadway veteran and original “The Who’s Tommy” cast member Michael Tapley will direct.

Episcopal High School junior Austin Arizpe is a featured performer in “The Who’s Tommy” and has appeared in such productions as “The Drowsy Chaperone,” “Pippin,” “The Tempest,” “Dracula,” “When You Wish,” “School House Rock” and “The King and I.”

Ian Bouillion, a 16-year-old Strake Jesuit College Preparatory student, will be appearing in the upcoming performance as “Kevin’s Father.”

Bouillion recently won a St. Agnes Theatre Award for Best Leading Actor as “Jack” in “Into The Woods” and was nominated for a Tommy Tune Award for his role as “Thenardier” in “Les Miserables.”

St. John’s School sophomore Sam Burkett is in his sixth year of training at the Humphrey’s School of Musical Theatre and has performed in 10 TUTS shows.

Some of Burkett’s previous shows with TUTS include “13 – The Musical,” “Little Shop of Horrors” and “Gepetto & Son.”

Mia Gerachis, a 15-year-old Episcopal High School student, will be portraying the “Acid Queen” in “The Who’s Tommy.”

Gerachis has appeared in such productions as “Oliver,” “Annie,” “Seussical” and “Once On This Island.”

She was recently nominated for a Tommy Tune Award as Best Supporting Actress in her role as “Chaperone” in “The Drowsy Chaperone.”

HSPVA junior Christian Warner has been on tour for several productions since he was 9 years old.

He played the role of “Nipper” in “Oliver” and “Young Simba” in “The Lion King.”

After traveling for five years he returned to Houston and worked with TUTS in several shows including “13 – The Musical,” “The Stephen Schwartz Project,” “Aladdin Dual Language,” and “Little Shop of Horrors.”

“The Who’s Tommy” chronicles the life of a child trapped inside his own mind and his family’s desperate attempts to free him. As an adolescent, he discovers an uncanny knack for playing pinball, and that leads him to international stardom once he is freed from a catatonic state.

The cast of “The Who’s Tommy” is composed of 30 students from the Humphreys School of Musical Theatre including  Austin Arizpe, Melissa Beaird, Aaron Boudreaux, Monica Brown, Ian Bouillion, Sam Burkett, Emily Coleman, Rebecca Eckert, Mia Gerachis, James Hamrick, Sean Hardin, Brooke Humphrey, Austin Jacobs and Ryan Jacobs. Also in the cast are Mark Jammal, Connor Jones, Drew Jones, Ryan Kennedy, Dylan Lambert, McCall Montz, Ryne Nardecchia, Sydney Roberts, Morgan Starr, Terran Swonke, Sandy Valles, Charity Van Tassel, Christian Warner, Katy Wilson and Chris Wolff.

Michael Tapley, the Artistic Director for Theatre Under The Stars’ Tommy Tune Awards, will direct the production. Tapley began his career with TUTS in 1973 while appearing in “Kismet.” Over the years he has appeared in such TUTS productions as “Gypsy,” “The Sound of Music,” “A Chorus Line” and “West Side Story.” Tapley has also appeared on Broadway, most notably, in m “The Who’s Tommy.”

Assisting the director is Shay Rodgers, a native Houstonian who is currently in her 23^rd year with Theatre Under The Stars. Through her time at TUTS, Rodgers has held various roles including student, performer, teacher, production assistant, choreographer, stage manager and now manager of education.

John Cornelius serves as music director for the performance. Cornelius has been the music director, arranger and composer for a number of theaters including The Great Caruso, The Ensemble Theatre, Main Street Theatre and Theatre Under The Stars’ Humphreys School.

Tickets for “The Who’s Tommy” are available online at www.tuts.com, by phone at 713-558-8887 or in person at the Theatre Under The Stars box office at 800 Bagby in downtown Houston.

About 50 seniors were entertained by Elvis Presley at the West U Senior Center on Tuesday during a meal at 11:30 p.m.

Police found Elias Perez working under the hood of a disabled vehicle in the 5900 block of Sewanee, blocking the roadway.

Perez was trying to get a 1995 Honda to start and as police approached, he got the car started and drove away, police said.

Police said they pulled Perez over to make sure everything was OK.

During the traffic stop, the officer found Perez to be driving without a driver’s license.

His license was found to be suspended because of a failure to appear warrant. He had a history of driving with a suspended license, police said.

Perez was arrested for the offense.

Under today’s agreement, Bally must provide refunds to Texans who were deceived into paying fees they did not actually owe and who did not utilize the company’s fitness facilities.

Bally operates 24 fitness centers in and around the Dallas, Houston and San Antonio areas, including one in the West U area.

An investigation by the AG’s Office revealed that between summer 2009 and March 2010, Bally mailed more than 11,000 misleading “past due” collection notices to former customers in an attempt to encourage them to rejoin their former gym. The collection notices created the false impression that former members owed Bally outstanding membership fees.

The notices were actually an attempt to get former members to renew their memberships.

Today’s judgment also includes an injunction prohibiting Bally from indicating that current or former members owe a balance unless the balance is actually owed. Bally was also enjoined from claiming harmful information may be submitted to a credit bureau when Bally’s records do not support such a representation.

According to records obtained by the state, more than 1,000 Texas residents made payments to Bally after receiving the misleading past-due collection notices.

Under today’s agreement, Bally will send out settlement notices to customers who are automatically eligible for restitution. Any customers who do not receive a notice but believe they are entitled to restitution should file a complaint with the Texas Attorney General’s Office.

The notices that led to the state’s enforcement action indicated that recipients owed “past-due” fees under Bally’s “Value Plan” – fees for which the notice demanded immediate payment. Some of Bally’s past due notices even claimed that failure to remit a payment could result in a negative entry on the former members’ credit reports.

The AG’s legal action charged Bally with attempting to confuse its former Value Plan members with deceptive bills so they would make payments that were not actually owed. The payments were actually applied to reinstate a lapsed membership former clients did not want.

For its part, Bally denied any intentional wrongdoing. Company spokesman Pete Marino said the company decided to settle the claim to avoid “the cost and disruption of litigation.”

“Although Bally denies all allegations made by the Texas Attorney General’s office, we have chosen to resolve this matter consensually in order to minimize the cost and disruption of litigation,” Marino said. “Notably, our settlement does not involve any finding of any wrongdoing on the part of Bally, nor were any civil penalties imposed.  We are pleased to put this matter behind us so that we can continue to focus on enhancing our member experience.”

Anyone believing they have been deceived by similar fraudulent business practices may call the Office of the Attorney General’s toll-free complaint line at 800-252-8011 or file a complaint online at www.texasattorneygeneral.gov.

The average price of unleaded regular now stands at $2.46 per gallon as of yesterday.

This compares to the national average that dropped 1.2 cents per gallon last week, bringing the nation wide average to $2.69 per gallon, according to gasoline price website HoustonGasPrices.com.

Including the change in gas prices in West U during the past week, prices yesterday were 6.9 cents per gallon higher than the same day one year ago. They are 6.7 cents per gallon lower than a month ago.

The national average has decreased 5.8 cents per gallon during the last month and stands 9.4 cents per gallon higher than this day one year ago.

Ryan Arterburn was pulled over in the 5300 block of Buffalo Speedway for not wearing a seat belt.

During the traffic stop, police thought they smelled marijuana coming from the vehicle and asked Arterburn and his passenger to step out of the vehicle.

During the investigation, police found 30 hydrocodone pills in the vehicle, but they did not find any marijuana, police said.

Arterburn was arrested for possession of narcotics.

His passenger, Carrie Hargraves, an 18-year-old Winnie resident, was arrested for possession of a controlled substance.

Hargraves also had a warrant for her arrest from Harris County for theft.

Arterburn and Hargraves were transported to Harris County Jail.

Michael Saccone was pulled over in the 3200 block of Robinhood for a defective brake light.

During the traffic stop, police suspected that Saccone had been drinking and asked him to step out of the vehicle, police said.

During the investigation, police patted Saccone down and found a medicine bottle in his pocket, containing 1 gram of mushrooms and 1 gram of marijuana.

They also found a pipe, more marijuana, vodka, tequila and beer in the vehicle, police said.

He was arrested for the offense and was transported to Harris County Jail.

DINOSAURS! At the Houston Zoo features10 life-like animatronic dinosaurs presented in a wooded, landscaped setting.  The Houston Zoo’s horticulture department selected plant species for the exhibit that represent those found in the fossil record.

State-of-the art electronics control the dinosaur’s fluid, choreographed movements, punctuated by spine chilling roars.  Along the exhibit’s winding trail, guests will be greeted by knowledgeable guides who can answer questions about each species.

Created by Billings Productions of McKinney, Texas, each dinosaur is built on a steel frame and covered with an intricately designed foam rubber ‘skin’ and painstakingly hand painted.

Baryonyx – Name means: “Heavy Claw”
BAR-ee-ON-iks

Baryonyx had crocodile-like jaws and teeth and is one of few dinosaurs to have preyed upon fish. When first discovered, its enormous, foot-long claws were actually thought to be feet.

Brachiosaurus – Name means: “Arm Lizard”
BRAK-ee-uh-SORE-us

Brachiosaurus was one of the tallest and largest known dinosaurs, eating over 400 pounds of food every day. Scientists believe it had a very large, powerful heart to pump blood all the way up its long neck.

Dilophosaurus – Name means: “Double-Crested Lizard”

die-LOF-o-SOR-us

Dilophosaurus had paired semi-circular plates that grew on top of its head. It was bipedal (stood on two feet) and extremely fast-moving, running at speeds of up to 17 mph. Their hind legs and feet were armed with very powerful claws and were likely used as weapons and for locomotion.

Dimetrodon – Name means: “Two Measures of Teeth”
die-MET-roe-don

The Dimetrodon preceded the earliest dinosaurs by more than 40 million years. Interesting characteristics of the Dimetrodon included two types of teeth (shearing and sharp) and a spiny sail along its back likely used for defense, thermoregulation, and mating rituals.

Euoplocephalus – Name means: “Well-armored Head”
YOU-o-plo-SEFF-a-lus

The Euoplocephalus had bony horns on its head, large spikes along its body, a club-like tail, and bony plates embedded in the skin on top of its body. Recent studies suggest that its mace-like tail struck with over 5,500 pounds of force.

Parasaurolophus – Name means: “Beside Crested Lizard”

PAIR-a-SORE-o-lo-fus

The Parasaurolophus had a hollow head crest that is believed to have been used to produce a distinctive call to other members of the herd. It relied on herding, acute senses, and above-average intelligence for protection against predators.

Parasaurolophus – Egg Nest

PAIR-a-SORE-o-lo-fus

Because Parasaurolophus babies do not have fully formed limbs, hatchlings may have remained in the nest for over eight months. Hatchlings grew four inches in length each month.  Once outside the nest, they may have followed the mother in a similar manner as ducklings.

Stegosaurus – Name means: “Roof Lizard” or “Plated Lizard”

STEG-uh-sawr-us

One of the most famous and well-known dinosaurs, the Stegosaurus is characterized by its broad triangular plates. Preserved trackways suggest that the Stegosaurus led a solitary life. Not known for being a very intelligent dinosaur, its brain was only about the size of a walnut.

Triceratops – Name means: “Three-horned Face”
Try-SAIR-a-tops

Triceratops horns were most likely used to display dominance; there was one above the snout and two above each eye. Scientists believe that the Triceratops had up to 800 closely-packed teeth. Although this has been the most commonly discovered dinosaur, it most likely lived solitary lifestyles.

Tyrannosaurus Rex – Name means: “Tyrant Lizard King”

tye-RAN-o-SORE-us rex

The Tyrannosaurus Rex was one of the largest, fastest, most powerful, and most feared dinosaurs. Scientific tests have shown that the T-Rex had the greatest bite force of any dinosaur. Its cone-shaped, serrated teeth were continually replaced. Some researchers suggest its stomach held nearly 500 pounds of meat at once.

The Zoo is open daily through Oct. 31. DINOSAURS! At the Houston Zoo is $2 per person with regular Zoo admission.

The last ticket will be sold at 6:30 p.m. daily; last entry at 6:45 p.m. daily.

For more information about the exhibit visit, www.houstonzoo.org/dinos.

The resident was caught by Radio Shack staff as he was trying to steal electronic repair equipment, police said.

The man, whose name was not released, was asked to leave the store.

As he was backing out of the Radio Shack parking lot, he hit a parked car.

Damage to the vehicle was minor, police said.

West U police responded to the scene and the man was cited for theft under $50.

St. Vincent de Paul Catholic School’s varsity football team kicked off its 2010 season with a 15-8 opening game victory over rival St. Michael’s Catholic School on Aug. 27.

Head coach is Ivory Young.  He is assisted by offensive coordinator Cravon Rogers; defensive coordinator Scott Muckelroy; strength and conditioning coach Marion Jones; assistant line coach Marvin Love; assistant coach-wide receivers and quarterbacks Coach Ronald Gilmore; and assistant coach-offense George Walker.

Dan Huges III was observed by police around 12 a.m. with his headlights on, stopped in a moving lane of traffic in the 6300 block of Wakeforest.

When the officer approached Huges vehicle, he was found slouched over in the driver’s seat talking on a cell phone, police said.

He was found to be intoxicated and was arrested for public intoxication.

Huges posted bond and was released from jail.

On Aug. 20, Kenedy Hughes, a 26-year-old Houston resident, was arrested for public intoxication.

Hughes was found facing the parked in the wrong direction in the 2600 block of Fenwood, a one way street.

When police asked Hughes why she was parked the wrong way on Fenwood, she said her GPS pointed her that way, police said.

Hughes was found to be intoxicated and was arrested for public intoxication.

She was transported to West U Jail.

Every Tuesday this month at 10 a.m., learn how to play Mah Jongg. This class is designed for beginners to learn this complex and historic 2000 year-old gam. $60

On Sept. 10, join resident Ann Hornbeak as she presents the Houston Deaf Choir at this Potluck and Concert. Time: 5 p.m. Please bring a dish to pass.

Ambassadors Caregivers present “Senior Housing-Beyond the Beautiful Lobby,” Sept. 13 at 10 a.m. This presentation gives tips on what to look for and questions to ask when you are ready for a change.

Shangri La Gardens in Orange, TX on Sept. 14 – Take the Harris County precinct bus to visit this exotic and beautiful garden. Departure 7:30 a.m. $24

See the Astros in Action. Take part in a great package deal that includes free all-you-can-eat Hot-Dogs, Nachos, Soda and more. Astros vs. Brewers @ home—Sept. 15, 11:30 a.m. $30

West U Senior Services also has a number of exercise classes and cultural programs offered on a weekly basis, as well as our “Last Tuesday Theme Meal” every month.

Sign up early for these programs as space is limited.

For registration or information call 713-662-5895, or stop by the Community Center at 6104 Auden St.

Exercise

Pilates: Pilates focuses on building a balanced body. It helps improve muscle control, flexibility, strength, and good posture. Tuesdays & Thursdays 9 – 10 a.m. $25/month

Gentle Yoga: Full-body strengthening using light weights and resistance band. Increases flexibility, balance, posture, stamina, and circulation. Reduces stress and tension. M/W/F 9:30-10:30 a.m. $45/month

Tai Chi Mon/Wed. 8:30 a.m., $45/6weeks; Afternoon Aerobics Mon/Wed. 4 p.m., $24/month; Early Risers Tues/Thurs. 9 a.m.

Games

Every Thursday is Game Day. At 2 p.m. come by and play canasta, bridge, bunco, dominoes, or any number of games. Bring friends, start your own weekly game.

Presentations

Mixing Meds: Sept. 14, 10 a.m., join a professional nurse for advice and suggestions on what to ask your pharmacist.

Bo’s Place Facility Tour: Sept. 21, 10 a.m., Come learn about the offerings of Bo’s Place, a facility for grieving. Several volunteer opportunities are available here as well.

Buena Vista Social Club: Sept. 22, 11 a.m., an award winning documentary will be shown, hosted by Harris County Public Library.

Rheumatoid Arthritis: Sept. 30, 1:30 p.m., a rheumatologist will discuss the differences between osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. Lunch will be provided.

Nick Caledonia

Nick Caledonia, a 20-year-old West U resident, was recently named NCAA Division 1 Academic All American for his academic record as a tennis player at the University of California, Santa Barbara.

Caledonia is a 2008 graduate of Episcopal High School and was ranked nationally as a high school player before signing to play Division I tennis and at UCSB. He is in the Honors College and will graduate with a BA in Economics and Accounting in May 2012.

At UCSB, Caledonia has continued to excel in tennis qualifying for the 2009 NCAA championship, playing on the 2009 Big West Conference championship team and being named Big West Academic All-conference prior to his All American honors.

He received the Men’s Living Tennis Scholar Award, Highest GPA Award for men’s tennis, and Academic Director Honor Roll status.

Caledonia is the president of UCSB Investment Advisory Committee.  He is also a member of Lambda Chi Alpha Fraternity, the Finance Connection and the Investment Club.