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Payne Springs police chief resigns
By Pearl Cantrell
Monitor Staff Writer
PAYNE SPRINGS– Payne Springs council members accepted the resignation of
acting police chief Shane Renberg Tuesday.
In a memo to the mayor and city council, Renberg advised that he had
accepted a job as the Henderson County deputy fire marshal for Precinct
2. His last day on the job was Jan. 15.
“Thank you to all the citizens who have stood behind myself and the
Payne Springs Police Department,” he wrote.
With his departure from city employment, Renberg leaves patrol officer
James East as the only full-time officer serving the city.
In addition, the city is served 16 hours a month by a reserve officer
who works full-time for the Eustace school district.
A third reservist is currently being trained, accompanying East on his
rounds. She is a recent academy graduate, East said.
In related action, the council voted, 3-1-1, to park all city vehicles
at the city hall when patrolmen are off duty.
Councilman Rodney Renberg opposed the action, and Vic Brazzell abstained
from the vote.
“We should support and encourage our police instead of discouraging
them,” Renberg said.
A brief discussion on the need for more storage for city records took
place, before approving the construction of shelves in another room of
the building.
Former city mayor Michael McDonald told The Monitor after the meeting
that “Chief Renberg did a great job for the city.
“He put up with a lot of undeserved animosity from the city council. He
deserves our gratitude,” McDonald said.
Mayor pro-tem Carl Powell presided over the meeting in the absence of
Mayor J.T. Noble.
No public comments were heard “because I failed to get it on the
agenda,” Powell said.
Trailers stolen, store burgled
Monitor Staff Report
GUN BARREL CITY–The Gun Barrel City Police Department is investigating
two stolen trailers and a burglary.
Jan. 14, officer Cody Dickerson was dispatched to the public boat ramp
at Tom Finley Park.
Jason Taylor reported that he discovered his 2003 black boat trailer
missing and likely stolen.
A few days later, Jack Stevens Construction, located at 454 S. Gun
Barrel Lane, reported the theft of a 20-foot trailer.
The black bumper-pull tandem-axle trailer, loaded with used roof
trusses, turned up missing sometime Jan. 16 or Jan. 17.
In addition, Sgt. William Crawford responded to a burglary report at
Customer Choice at 3015 W. Main St.
Burglars entered through the front glass doors and stole a 42-inch LCD
Phillips TV, a Dell Laptop computer and about $150 in cash.
If anyone has any information relative to these three events, they are
asked to contact the Gun Barrel City Police at (903) 887-7151, or to
CrimeStoppers at (903) 675-6183.
For the week of Jan. 12-18, Gun Barrel City Police reported 18 arrests,
20 city warrants served and another 90 calls for service answered.
They also make the following on-site arrests:
• assault family violence,
• theft under $50,
• theft more than $1,500 and less than $20,000,
• public intoxication (two arrests),
• Driving While Intoxicated (DWI),
• DWI open container,
• driving while license suspended, and
• fraudulent use/possession of identifying information.
Forguson named Assistant
Coach of the Year
Monitor Staff Reports
KEMP–The Texas High School Baseball Coaches Association named Kemp High
School assistant baseball coach Randal Forguson “3A Assistant Baseball
Coach of the Year.”
Forguson received quite a surprise at the THSBA convention in Waco Jan.
16, as he had no idea what was in store.
KHS head baseball coach Cody Ross made the nomination. Ross was informed
of the selection, but told to keep it a secret from Forguson.
This was no easy feat, as Forguson had not planned to attend the awards
banquet.
With much persuasion from Ross, Forguson did attend, and then was
speechless when the award was announced.
“It was a pretty neat deal when his name was called, because he
literally had no clue as to what was going on,” Ross said.
“Being my first year to be head coach, I was incredibly lucky and
blessed to have someone with the kind of experience Coach Forguson has,”
Ross added. “He is a big reason we were able to have the success we did
last year.”
Last spring, the KHS Yellowjackets, along with the Eustace Bulldogs and
Kaufman Lions, all tied for first place in District 13-3A, forcing a
playoff at Mabank High School.
Eustace swept both Kaufman and Kemp to grab the district’s first-place
playoff berth, while Kemp was second and Kaufman third.
In the bidistrict round at Corsicana High School, Kemp swept a
best-of-three series from the 14-3A runner-up Brownsboro Bears,
advancing to the area round against the Texarkana Pleasant Grove Hawks.
At Kilgore’s Driller Park, the Hawks knocked the ’Jackets out of the
state playoffs for the second straight year, sweeping a best-of-three
series 2-0 and 10-2.
The Yellowjackets finished the season at 19-10, notching five more wins
than they had in the 2007 district championship season.
In 2007, Forguson came out of semi-retirement to step into the head
coach’s position and lead the ’Jackets to the 13-3A district baseball
championship with a 9-1 record.
With a first-round bye, the ’Jackets were knocked out of the playoffs in
the area round by the Hawks, who swept a best-of-three series.
The opening game of the series was interrupted in the eighth inning by a
severe thunderstorm, and had to be completed the following day. Kemp
finished the season at 14-10-1.
Forguson has 33 years in the coaching profession, 17 of those years as
an assistant or head coach in baseball.
Several years were spent as an assistant at Waxahachie High School,
including the year the Indians competed for the state title.
Forguson was then named head baseball coach at Corsicana High School.
His teams at CHS made the playoffs a number of times, and were ranked in
the state’s top 10 during his tenure as head coach.
Forguson has taught at Kemp for 10 years, coaching junior high football,
basketball and track.
In 2008, athletic director Greg Anderson asked Forguson to assist Ross
in baseball, and Ross said he is especially grateful Forguson is with
them. |