AUGUST 26 2018

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SUNDAY IN DENTON Coupons & savings of

$305

LOW

HIGH

Guest conductor steps up with Bach Society / Arts & Community, 2D

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Exhibit celebrates architect who got his start here Business, 1D

Sunny and hot Weather, 2A

(not in all areas)

Marquez back with Broncos after injury scare Sports, 1B

Sunday, August 26, 2018 || Denton, Texas || Vol. 115, No. 24 || DentonRC.com

30 pages, 4 sections || $2.00

Texas-sized lecture is history-making

It’s not certified as a world record yet, but UNT prof taught for 26 1/2 hours straight

A

ndrew Torget hit his first major obstacle in the ninth hour of his lecture on Texas history. His throat was starting to swell up and it was getting hard for him to speak. He still had at least 15 hours to go. My first obstacle came much earlier and to a much lesser degree. I had run out of coffee and still had at least 22 hours to go. Torget and I were both in the University of North Texas Lyceum on Friday and Saturday to set records, he in a more official way than I. The UNT history professor likely set the

Caitlyn Jones COMMENTARY Guinness World Record for the world’s longest history lesson, talking through the origin story of the Lone Star state for 26 hours and 33 minutes. “During that first and second block, it hit me just how long I would be up here,” he said. “But after that, I settled down and got into a rhythm.” Torget will have to wait until official See HISTORY on 11A

Jake King/DRC

University of North Texas professor Andrew Torget talks in front of a class Friday at the UNT Lyceum, several hours into his attempt to set a world record for longest history lecture.

Applications and aspirations

What the chief selection process conveys about what kind of city Denton hopes to become

War hero’s political career led to Congress, presidential nomination

Candidates’ Files

There are the six finalists for Denton police chief. Their current job titles and years of experience are included.

By Nancy Benac

Floyd Mitchell

Frank Dixon

Associated Press

Position: Assistant police chief

Position: Police chief

Department: Austin Police Department

Department: Temple Police Department

Years in law enforcement: 23

Years in law enforcement: 28

Mark Schauer

Patrick L. Gallagher

McCain dies at 81

Position: Deputy (assistant) police chief

Position: Assistant police chief

Department: Virginia Beach (Va.) Police Department

Department: Corpus Christi Police Department

Years in law enforcement: 28

Years in law enforcement: 36

WASHINGTON — Sen. John McCain, who faced down his captors in a Vietnam prisoner of war camp with jutjawed defiance and later turned his rebellious streak into a 35-year political career that took him to Congress and the ReMcCain publican presidential nomination, died Saturday after battling brain cancer for more than a year. He was 81. McCain, with his irascible grin and See MCCAIN on 11A

Cleveland Spruill

Christy Martinez Position: Assistant police chief

Position: Police chief

Department: Grand Prairie Police Department

Department: Huntersville (N.C.) Police Department

Years in law enforcement: 17

Years in law enforcement: 31

Jason Lee/DRC

By Dalton LaFerney

View candidates’ applications / DentonRC.com

Staff Writer dalton.laferney@dentonrc.com

Virtually everybody who applied to be Denton’s new police chief mentioned how they would engage community members in policing the city. Community policing is not a new concept, and it refers to authorities showing an active effort to listen to the needs of the people who live and work in a city. All six of the people who are on the shortlist for the job included community-focused policing in their application materials. But they went a little further than most of the other applicants: They mentioned community policing with respect to Denton’s high-growth projections. It’s one thing for an applicant to write the word “community” in their cover letters or resumes. It’s another thing entirely for an applicant to come from a city that has experienced similar population or econom-

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ic growth while in a leadership role at a police department. Frank Dixon, an assistant police chief from Austin, talked about “decreasing the negative impacts of growth.” He wrote in an opening paragraph about the nuances of a rapid change. “I have seen first-hand how Austin changed due to explosive growth and development,” Dixon said. “I’ve learned that growth is a double-edged sword which creates culture change, prosperity, and opportunities for its citizens while it also escalates demands on city services, creates increases in homeless population, and causes loss of affordable housing.” Christy Martinez, an assistant police chief from Grand Prairie, said the police department has to work with resources See FINALISTS on 13A

Support local journalism. Call 940-566-6836 to subscribe. Got a news tip or breaking news to report? Email drc@dentonrc.com, call 940-566-6860, or find us on Facebook and Twitter at @dentonrc.

List narrowed down based on work in comparable cities

City Council, staff look to repair past damages By Dalton LaFerney Staff Writer dalton.laferney@dentonrc.com

One man called himself a “law enforcement practitioner,” offering his Ph.D.-level policing expertise to Denton. Another listed his experience as the assistant pastor of a church as a reason he should be chosen. There was also the police chief from Illinois who said he landed his current job after “the last police chief was arrested for DUI and weapons charges after being involved in a car crash in Wisconsin.” Roughly 111 people sent their cover letters

The delivery of citizen input on city business matters was up for discussion Saturday among Denton City Council members. Earlier this summer, an outside consultant recommended the city make certain cuts to its recycling programs. Mayor Chris Watts said he received numerous messages from residents worried about the cuts. But no action has been taken on the matter. The recommendations were made in a work session between council and city staff. Some of the public concern, Watts said, stemmed from a blog post council member Keely Briggs made about

See APPLICANTS on 13A

See COUNCIL on 13A

By Dalton LaFerney Staff Writer dalton.laferney@dentonrc.com

ALSO INSIDE

Fair puts discerning young judges to the test Local news, 4A

ARTS & COMMUNITY 2D BUSINESS 1D CLASSIFIED 2C COMICS & PUZZLES 6C-7C DEAR ABBY 7C

OBITUARIES OPINION REAL ESTATE SPORTS WEATHER

13A 12A 1C 1B 2A


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