The Azle News

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Volume 63, Number 15

Azle News

Wednesday, September 24, 2014

THE

www.azlenews.net

National anthem turns 200

Azle Christian pulls away from THESA

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Page 13A

Now hiring

Hornet Nation

City seeking APD Chief, development director, others

Azle volleyball player Natalie Smith plays before a raucous, supportive student body Sept. 19 as the Lady Hornets swept visiting Brewer in a district match. A big night looms Sept. 26 at Boswell High when the volleyball and football teams face the Pioneers in key 5-5A contests. More on the ladies’ victory on Page 13A. Photo by Mark K. Campbell

Ouch! by carla noah stutsman Just about six weeks into the training phase as Azle’s newest cop, Officer Kristen Smith is on light duty waiting for some minor on-the-job injuries to heal; an Azle man is in the Tarrant County jail as a result of causing her injuries. Donnie Ray Beam, 19, of Azle, was arrested Sept. 17 in the 1700 block of Boyd Road behind Sandy Beach Mart and charged with assault on a public servant, a third-degree felony; evading arrest or detention, a class A misdemeanor; tampering with evidence, a third-degree felony; and possession of a controlled substance in penalty group 1, less than one gram, a state jail felony. Beam remains in the Tarrant County jail in lieu of a total of $53,005 bond. According to Azle PD Detective Sgt. Kevin Rogers, Smith and Officer Rich-

Rookie officer hurt when suspect flees ard Lukowski, her field training officer in the second of four phases of training, were on patrol Sept. 17 when they observed a traffic violation. After pulling the vehicle over in the 1700 block of Boyd Road, Smith approached the driver’s side of the vehicle while Lukowski approached the driver’s side. “They began to question the driver, Donnie Ray Beam, about some paraphernalia he had,” Rogers said. “Suddenly, he got out of the vehicle and started to run. Officer Smith grabbed at him to try to stop him, but her fingers got tangled in his shorts as he pushed and swung at her.” Smith was thrown to the ground during the struggle, and Beam took off on foot. “The terrain was uneven with lots of brush and six-foot-tall weeds in a dry

obey commands to remove his hands from beneath his body. “A short struggle ensued, but Officer Lukowski was able to take him into custody without further incident.” Smith came away from the incident with one sprained finger and another that is broken and/or dislocated. Following a couple of days off for doctor visits, she returned to work on light duty status until she’s cleared by her doctor to return to active duty. She was selected by the Azle PD to attend the Tarrant County College Police Academy. She received a partial salary funded by the Azle Crime Control and Prevention District while attending the academy. Officer Kristen Smith Smith began work at the Azle PD creek bed,” Rogers explained. “Of- Aug. 2, after successfully graduating ficer Lukowski was able to catch up from the academy and receiving her with him, but Beam at first refused to commission as a Texas Peace Officer.

by carla noah stutsman Now that the city of Azle has adopted a budget and corresponding tax rate for fiscal year 2014-2015, city administrators are on the hunt for some key leaders to fill vacancies. The city officially posted job openings for a Municipal Development Director – a recently created position – as well as for a police chief. The chief position was vacated upon the sudden retirement of Randy Reed May 30. Longtime Lt. Darrell West was appointed interim chief June 4 and will continue to lead the department until a new chief is selected and begins work. Two-thirds of the Municipal Development Director position will be funded by the newly-created Municipal Development District (MDD), with the remaining one-third coming from the city’s general fund. Municipal Development Director According to an announcement of the open position by the city of Azle, the person selected for the position will have an opportunity to create a department from the ground up and to serve as a catalyst for growth and development in Azle. The ultimate goal of the director will be to forge strong relationships and lead development activity for Azle. The director’s primary focus will be to create and implement an Economic Development Strategic Plan for the MDD and the City, which should include new business attraction, building relationships with existing industries, business retention and development. Qualified candidates for the position will hold a bachelor’s degree in business administration, public administration, marketing, planning or a related field from an accredited university. A master’s degree is desired, along with current CLS, CCIM, CED/ CID or equivalent certification. The hiring range for the position is $70,500-$75,923 depending upon qualifications, with the salary range PLEASE SEE NEW, PAGE 2A.

Low water: Twin Points, deepest ramp on EML, shut due to drought by carla noah stutsman If you’re still planning that last day of boating or fishing on Eagle Mountain Lake, listen up. Tarrant Regional Water District (TRWD) officials announced Monday, Sept. 22, the closure of its Twin Points boat launch. Touted as the deepest boat launch on the lake, its closure reflects the severity of the ongoing drought with a current water level barely shy of 10 feet lower than its conservation pool level of 649.10. TRWD spokesman Chad Lorance explained that low water levels on EML have made it more and more difficult for boaters to use the courtesy dock at Twin Points, as well as the boat launch. It’s one thing if you can’t get your boat into the lake. But what if your boat is on the lake and you want to get it out of the wa-

ter for winter? Lorance said TRWD personnel will make every reasonable effort to assist residents who need to get their boats off the lake. Boat owners who need help can call TRWD’s Eagle Mountain Lake office at 817-237-8585 to request assistance. Note that members of the Fort Worth Anglers Club may still be able to launch at the club’s boat launch. Stage 1 still in effect Lorance confirmed that Stage 1 of the TRWD Drought Contingency Plan is still in effect – meaning area residents may only water their lawns two days per week. While there are no immediate plans to move to Stage 2 restrictions, Lorance pointed to the obvious: rainfall. “The good news is that weather

forecasters are still predicting an El Niño pattern, which typically brings more rain to this area,” Lorance said. “If we have a rainy winter and spring, it Nov.-Jan could mean we could reopen the launch and ramp in time for next summer.” As of Sept. 18, the National Weather Service predicts above average rainfall in North Central Texas beginning in November and lasting until March

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or April 2015 (see map). In its latest El Niño/Southern Oscillation (ENSO) Diagnostic Discussion dated Sept. 4, the Climate Prediction Center’s synopsis is that the

chance for an El Niño weather pattern during the Northern Hemisphere fall and winter is now at 60-65 percent. The ENSO Alert System Status is currently listed as “El Niño Watch.”

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September 1989, AHS princi25 Years Ago palInRouel Rothenberger was chosen the UIL district chairman for 5-4A that included Boswell, Burkburnett, Castleberry, Northwest, and Wichita Falls Hirschi.

34 pages plus supplements

$1 Azle, Texas 76020


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