Keene Star (Keene, Tex.), Vol. 19, No. 9, Ed. 1 Thursday, September 29, 2011 Page: 1 of 12
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Thursday
Sept. 29, 2011
U l The Star Group
Seventy-five Cents
E-mail the Keene Star at:
keenestar@thestargroup.com
Birdwell
Sen. Birdwell
speaks today
State sen. Brian Birdwell,
R-Granbury, will speak at
the monthly luncheon of
the Keene Chamber of Com-
merce at noon today at the
Keene Senior Center. Doors
open at 11:30 a.m.
The meal will be catered
by Lemon Sisters Restaurant
and Bakery. Admission is
$14 at the door.
On Sept. 11, 2001, Bird-
well was serving in the
Army as an aide in a depart-
ment in the Pentagon when
American Airlines Flight
77 was crashed just yards
away from his second floor
office. Birdwell was criti-
cally wounded and severely
burned. Of the burns that
covered 60 percent of his
body, nearly half were third
degree in severity.
Today, following 39 oper-
ations, months of hospital-
ization and numerous skin
grafts, Birdwell has made
a miraculous recovery. De-
spite physical limitations,
he testifies not only to his
physical healing, but the
ultimate miracle of grace
through Christ. He was
awarded the Purple Heart
for wounds received that
day. Upon retirement in July
2004, he was awarded the
Legion of Merit.
After his retirement from
the Army, Birdwell and his
wife Mel launched Face The
Fire Ministries, a non-profit
organization that supports
critical burn survivors and
wounded servicemen and
women and their families.
In June 2010, Birdwell was
elected to the Texas State
Senate in a special election.
He was re-elected to serve a
full term in the general elec-
tion that November.
Angel Tree
applications
The Salvation Army will
take applications for its An-
gel Tree program next week.
Applications will be ac-
cepted from 9 a.m.-5 p.m.
Oct. 3-14 and 5-8 p.m. Oct.
17-28 at the Salvation Army
office, 111 South Anglin St.
in Cleburne.
Applications must be
filled out in person.
Alzheimer’s
support
An Alzheimer's support
group will meet at 7 p.m.
Tuesday, Oct. 4, at The Gar-
dens, 513 S. Old Betsy Road
in Keene. The facilitator is
Larry Schneider. Call him at
817-526-4748.
MOW needs
volunteers
Meals-on-Wheels of John-
son County needs volunteers
to help deliver noontime
mealsto homebound elderly
and disabled residents.
If you can volunteer, or if
you know of someone who
could benefit from MOW
services, call Amy Jackson at
817-558-2840.
6 6
Oldest church
CTA AT SPEEDWAY
Services are
X/ \
Chisholm Trail
Saturday, Oct. 8,
Academy students
at oldest Adventist
meet Army Race Team
church in Texas
__lii.
n
members at TMS
Page 2
Drill o
^ • 1
Page 12
City budget,tax rate vote is tonight
PAUL GNADT
keenestar@thestargroup. com
The city tax rate for fiscal 2011-
2012 should remain at its current lev-
el —79.7861, or 80 cents —per $ 100
valuation, city administrator/finance
director Bill Guinn told a budget
workshop session of the City Council
Monday night at City Hall.
“The proposed budget keeps the
same tax rate,” Guinn said.
The budget will be adopted at a
special called meeting of the City
Council scheduled for 7 p.m. today in
the council chambers at City Hall.
A vote on the tax rate will follow
adoption of the budget.
The proposed budget projects reve-
nue in the general fund at $4,634,478
and revenue in the water and sewer
fund at $3,471,692, for a total rev-
enue of $8,106,170, according to
spreadsheet documents presented by
Guinn.
In the general fund, revenue is
generated from items such as prop-
erty tax ($ 1.7 million), sales tax
($406,000), franchise fees, fire and
ambulance services, court fines and
fees, and other fees.
Water and sewer fund revenue is
generated from the sale of water and
sewer services.
The proposed expenses in the
general fund are $4,634,055, while
proposed expenses in the water and
sewer fund are $3,468,909, for a
grand total operating expense of
$8,102,964.
General fund expenses include
personnel ($2.9 million), equipment,
supplies, and debt payments.
“We ended up with a better than
break even proposed budget,” Guinn
said. ‘The bottom line for the general
fund is an estimated revenue over
expense of $423, and for the water/
sewer fund it’s an estimated $2,782,
for a positive total of $3,206.”
This budget will raise $32,387 less
from property taxes than last year’s
budget, including $ 10,379 in taxes on
new property, Guinn said.
The budget does not include any
payroll increases for staff, but it does
Turn to CITY TAX RATE, PG. 2
heriff asks public’s help in catching suspect
Man wanted for questioning about
a Sept. 21 murder near Rio Vista is
considered armed and dangerous
PAUL GNADT
keenestar@thestargroup. com
A man with the words “ex-
clusive taste” tattooed on the
left side of his neck may have
the opportunity to experience
prison food for a long time.
Johnson County Sheriff
Bob Alford is asking for the
public’s help in locating Nico
Allen-Antonio Cogdill for
questioning about the Sept.
21 murder of Rich ard Eugene
Warren, 48, at his home on
County Road 1202 southeast
of Rio Vista.
“We consider Cogdill to
be dangerous,” Alford said
during a Monday press con-
ference at the Clifton Taylor
Law Enforcement Center in
Cleburne. “We think he is
probably armed by now. He’s
carried weapons in the past.
“We need the public’s
help in locating him so we
can bring him in and he can
answer to the allegations
against him, namely the capi-
tal murder of Richard War-
ren.”
Two men, Jeremy Chad
Bukowski. 25. known on the
street as “Bounce,” and Isaac
Paul Milne, 25, with a street
name of “Rooster,” have been
arrested for the crime and
have implicated Cogdill, Al-
ford said.
Alford said a reported sight-
ing of Cogdill at the Cleburne
Walmart on Saturday night
tuned out to be a false alarm.
“Crime Stoppers received
a tip that Cogdill was seen
going through the check-out
line,” Alford said.
Cleburne PD, Cleburne
SWAT and sheriffs depart-
ment deputies arrived about
10 p.m. and shut down the
store and parking lot. All
vehicles leaving the lot were
searched and the store was
searched. Cogdill was not ob-
served on video, Alford said.
“He was not located, but a
cousin of Milne’s was at the
store and was arrested for an
outstanding felony warrant
on an unrelated matter,” Al-
ford said.
The cousin and Cogdill do
not resemble each other. The
cousin’s presence at the-
Turn to SHERIFF, PG. 3
PAUL GNADT/KEENE STAR
Sheriff Bob Alford displays a photo of Nico Allen-Antonio Cog-
dill, 21, at a press conference Monday at the sheriff's office in
Cleburne. Alford is asking for the public's help in locating Cog-
dill, who is wanted for questioning about a Sept. 21 murder.
THE TEMPLE TRAVIS TRIO
PAUL GNADT/KEENE STAR
Southwestern Adventist University vice president for university advancement Gary Temple, left, and his wife,
Elaine, human resources director at SWAU, visit with country singer Randy Travis before the Huguley Memorial
Medical Center Crystal Heart Gala Sunday at the Worthington Renaissance Hotel in Fort Worth. The Temples live
in Keene. More photos from the 18th annual fundraiser are on pages 6 and 7.
Fate of White
Building unclear
KISD school board still
considering options
PAUL GNADT
keenestar@thestargroup. com
It appears a committee of Keene ISD
administrators and principals will meet to
decide what to do about the White Building
after a group of residents could not come
up with anything during a public hearing
Monday at the district office.
Residents Robert Bischoff, Warren Ea-
sley, John Hopps, Charlene Masters, Dan
Roberts, Cheryl Schram and Louis Speyer
presented a variety of options, but none that
generated unanimous support.
The district would like to use the building
as an administrative office, but remodeling
will cost about $500,000, contractor Jim
Bailey said at the Sept. 19 board meeting.
“Demolishing it would relieve traffic
problems,” Schram said. “Why keep it? Is
using it for storage what we really want
esthetically?”
Adding a new roof and making it ADA
compliant are too costly for an old building,
Speyer said.
City Council
Also approve funds
for two market studies
on health care facilities
PAUL GNADT
keenestar@thestargroup. com
The City Council Sept. 22 talked
about Keene’s role in the Emergency
Services District, discussed the value
of another antennae on the South Col-
lege Drive water tower, and debated
giving a refund on a replat request, but
became uncomfortably silent before
voting on new language in an ordi-
nance about vehicles parked on resi-
dential property.
agrees to $181,300 contract with ESD
In a Powerpoint presentation to the
council, Emergency Services District
No. 1 executive director Mike John-
ston said he is visiting councils, boards
and committees throughout the coun-
ty with a goal of improving relation-
ships with those entities and the ESD.
“We’re your partners, so I’ve titled
my presentation ‘partnering,’” John-
ston said.
The ESD is responsible for fire pro-
tection and first responder emergency
medical services in all of the unincor-
porated areas of the county, Johnston
said. It contracts with 16 fire depart-
ments to provide those services.
“Keene and Alvarado are the only-
Turn to CITY COUNCIL, PG. 10
PAUL GNADT/KEENE STAR
Emergency Services District No. 1 executive director Mike Johnston, right, ad-
dresses the City Council Sept. 22 about the district's contract with the city as
Councilman Roger Ackermann listens.
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Gnadt, Paul. Keene Star (Keene, Tex.), Vol. 19, No. 9, Ed. 1 Thursday, September 29, 2011, newspaper, September 29, 2011; Burleson, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth803997/m1/1/?q=Lamar+University: accessed June 4, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Burleson Public Library.