SUNDAY IN DENTON Coupons & savings of
$305
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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
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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