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Pasadena: 2008 in review
  
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By YVETTE OROZCO
In a year of negatives and positives, the city of Pasadena refueled for its future and solidified its spirit of community.
When the Port of Houston opened the Bayport Cruise Ship Terminal, it opened the door for several things, including tax dollars for the city, more jobs and the potential increase in tourism, strengthening it economic base.
Amid predictions of an economic downward turn in the U.S., the local retail structure continues to expand, particularly in south Pasadena, with new stores like Ashley Furniture and the Sports Authority and the continuing success of the San Jacinto Harley-Davidson. Some empty lots were filled: another motorcycle retailer on the corner of Spencer Highway and Shaver, and a number of other new businesses built on formerly abandoned properties.
Bayshore Medical Center partnered East Houston Regional Medical Center – which can increase resources by cutting administrative cost and leaving more resources for the community.
There were some beginnings for the Pasadena Police Department as well as the Pasadena Public Library, as those institutions broke ground on new or expanded buildings.
The Pasadena PD begins the year with an interim police chief, Mike Jackson.
While the Pasadena Independent School District continued to add more new schools to its roster — San Jacinto Intermediate, Bobby Shaw Middle School — the district itself was named the 2008 National Model School District by the International Center for Leadership in Education for “successful efforts that are making positive changes in the entire educational program.”
During the Democratic primaries, president-elect Barak Obama made a quick appearance at a Union Hall in South Houston, while Chelsea Clinton stumped for her mother at San Jacinto College Central Campus.
The city made the national headlines three times this year.
In June, Joe Horn, the Pasadena resident who shot and killed two men burglarizing his neighbor’s home in November 2007, was cleared by a Houston grand jury.
While the Horn decision conjured mixed responses from the local community, two other events displayed its solidarity.
In mid-June on a Sunday, seven-year old Randy Sylvester Jr. and his three-year old sister, Denim, were reported missing. That early Saturday morning, the two children were found dead in Houston.
In the days in between and after, Pasadena residents had rallied in groups and individually to search for two children most had never met, and then mourned for them at vigils and memorials.
The community rallied again in September when Hurricane Ike tore through communities and counties all along the Texas Gulf Coast.
Although the damage was primarily to property, many families lost their homes and in response, those who fared better gave back — at shelters, with donations and volunteer recovery efforts.
After many positives, one disruptive act of Mother Nature and one tragedy, the year ended as it prepared for another year of school and library openings, new appointments and new possibilities.
When the Port of Houston opened the Bayport Cruise Ship Terminal, it opened the door for several things, including tax dollars for the city, more jobs and the potential increase in tourism, strengthening it economic base.
Amid predictions of an economic downward turn in the U.S., the local retail structure continues to expand, particularly in south Pasadena, with new stores like Ashley Furniture and the Sports Authority and the continuing success of the San Jacinto Harley-Davidson. Some empty lots were filled: another motorcycle retailer on the corner of Spencer Highway and Shaver, and a number of other new businesses built on formerly abandoned properties.
Bayshore Medical Center partnered East Houston Regional Medical Center – which can increase resources by cutting administrative cost and leaving more resources for the community.
There were some beginnings for the Pasadena Police Department as well as the Pasadena Public Library, as those institutions broke ground on new or expanded buildings.
The Pasadena PD begins the year with an interim police chief, Mike Jackson.
While the Pasadena Independent School District continued to add more new schools to its roster — San Jacinto Intermediate, Bobby Shaw Middle School — the district itself was named the 2008 National Model School District by the International Center for Leadership in Education for “successful efforts that are making positive changes in the entire educational program.”
During the Democratic primaries, president-elect Barak Obama made a quick appearance at a Union Hall in South Houston, while Chelsea Clinton stumped for her mother at San Jacinto College Central Campus.
The city made the national headlines three times this year.
In June, Joe Horn, the Pasadena resident who shot and killed two men burglarizing his neighbor’s home in November 2007, was cleared by a Houston grand jury.
While the Horn decision conjured mixed responses from the local community, two other events displayed its solidarity.
In mid-June on a Sunday, seven-year old Randy Sylvester Jr. and his three-year old sister, Denim, were reported missing. That early Saturday morning, the two children were found dead in Houston.
In the days in between and after, Pasadena residents had rallied in groups and individually to search for two children most had never met, and then mourned for them at vigils and memorials.
The community rallied again in September when Hurricane Ike tore through communities and counties all along the Texas Gulf Coast.
Although the damage was primarily to property, many families lost their homes and in response, those who fared better gave back — at shelters, with donations and volunteer recovery efforts.
After many positives, one disruptive act of Mother Nature and one tragedy, the year ended as it prepared for another year of school and library openings, new appointments and new possibilities.
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