Thursday LOW HIGH Mean Green’s game Police seek info in IN DENTON 63 82 this weekend at assault reported at A mix of clouds and is canceled North Lakes Park sun / Weather, 2A Sports, 6A Briefly in Denton, 2A

Thursday, September 24, 2020 || Denton, || Vol. 117, No. 53 || DentonRC.com 10 pages, 1 section || $1.50 Meltzer, Mann discuss how to keep city thriving By Paul Bryant “Our city has taken a heck of a beat- that’s hospitable for the new world at Staff Writer ing — our small businesses especial- work,” he said. “The work-at-home as- [email protected] ly,” Meltzer said. “We remain open to pect of life now demands world-class In a livestreamed candidate forum lifting any barrier, open to trying new internet. And part of the appeal of hosted by the Denton Chamber of things to keep businesses going safe- growing in Denton is the quality of life Commerce on Wednesday, Denton City ly. ... I want our grads to have enticing you can find in small cities with univer- Council at-large Place 6 candidates Paul careers here. ... I feel like I’m part of an sities. That means parks and arts ven- Meltzer and Jim Mann shared ideas on extraordinarily productive council.” ues.” how to make one of the fastest-growing The incumbent, Meltzer is in his Meltzer worked in consumer Screenshot cities in the country even better during first term on the council. Glen Farris, top left, hosts a forum between Denton City Council Place 6 and beyond the pandemic. “You have to create an environment See FORUM on 5A candidate Jim Mann, top right, and incumbent Paul Meltzer, below. Grand jury declines to charge police for Taylor’s death; police say 2 Louisville officers shot Denton’s $1.34B budget approved After flap, City Council OKs letter request from Historic Denton

By Paul Bryant Staff Writer [email protected] Denton City Council members have approved a $1.34 billion budget for fis- cal year 2020-21 that includes the same property tax rate as the current budget year. With an operations rate of 38 cents and a debt rate of 21 cents, the com- bined tax rate is 59 cents per $100 property valuation. Denton’s average taxable home val- ue is $256,480 — up from $248,909 in 2019-20. City documents show that based on those values, the average tax bill will increase by $44 annually. But for utility bills, the average ratepayer will see a monthly decrease of $24, ac- John Minchillo/AP cording to the city. Police move after a Louisville officer was shot Wednesday night in Louisville, Ky. A grand jury has indicted one officer on wanton endangerment Mayor Chris Watts, Mayor Pro Tem charges six months after Breonna Taylor was fatally shot by police in Kentucky. Gerard Hudspeth and council members Paul Meltzer, Jesse Davis, John Ryan and Keely Briggs voted to approve the budget. Deb Armintor voted against it. Shots fired amid Ky. protests Historic Denton letter During the same meeting on Tues- By Dylan Lovan, Piper Hudspeth tody but did not offer police blockades, moving down an al- were three counts of wanton endanger- day, council members voted 6-1 to Blackburn and John Minchillo details about wheth- leyway as officers lobbed pepper balls, ment against fired Officer Brett Hank- approve a letter of intent to the Texas Associated Press/Report for America er that person was according to an Associated Press jour- ison for shooting into a home next to Historical Commission that could help LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Hours af- participating in the nalist. People covered their ears, ran Taylor’s with people inside. Historic Denton Inc. in its application ter a Kentucky grand jury brought no demonstrations. He away and frantically looked for places The FBI is still investigating poten- for a grant to fund a survey of a Denton charges against Louisville police for says both officers are to hide. Police with long guns swarmed tial violations of federal law in connec- area yet to be identified. Breonna Taylor’s death and protest- expected to recover, the area, then officers in riot gear and tion with the raid at Taylor’s home on But the approval didn’t come with- ers took to the streets, authorities said Brett and one is undergoing military-style vehicles blocked off road- March 13. out many council members criticizing two officers were shot and wounded Hankison surgery. ways. Ben Crump, a lawyer for Taylor’s Historic Denton president Randy Hunt Wednesday night during the demon- He says the officers The violence comes after prosecu- family, denounced the decision as “out- for how he has handled the application strations expressing anger over the were shot after investigating reports of tors said two officers who fired their rageous and offensive,” and protesters process with them and city staff. killings of Black people at the hands of gunfire at an intersection where there weapons at Taylor, a Black woman, shouting, “No justice, no peace!” imme- “So there was a change in the orig- police. was a large crowd. were justified in using force to protect diately marched through the streets. inal letter of intent to not specify an Interim Louisville Police Chief Rob- Several shots rang out as protesters themselves after they faced gunfire ert Schroeder said a suspect was in cus- in downtown Louisville tried to avoid from her boyfriend. The only charges See TAYLOR on 5A See BUDGET on 5A Texas Republicans sue Abbott over early voting extension

By Patrick Svitek “It is an uninterrupt- seen minimal success so far. But in the West, who took over the state par- The Texas Tribune Elections 2020 ed charter of govern- latest lawsuit, he is joined by not only ty this summer, has openly expressed Republican Gov. is fac- mental structure that West and Miller, but also three state disagreement with aspects of Abbott’s ing a lawsuit over his extension of early limits the Governor senators and four state representatives, coronavirus handling, including his voting for the November election from say the move defied election law that Abbott’s ability to act as well as the chairman of the Harris statewide mask mandate and the early prominent members of his own par- requires early voting to start on the 17th as a king.” County party, Keith Nielsen, and the voting extension. West seemed to tele- ty — including state party Chair Allen day before the election. The plaintiffs ar- Republican National Committeeman graph the lawsuit Tuesday, saying in a West, Agriculture Commissioner Sid It is the latest legal challenge to Ab- Greg gue Abbott needs to from Texas, . statement that he would be partnering Miller and members of the Texas Leg- bott’s emergency powers, which he has Abbott consult the Legisla- However, after the lawsuit became with Hotze to make election integrity islature. wielded aggressively in dealing with the ture before making public, one of the senators listed on the a “top priority.” West said in the same In July, Abbott added six days to the pandemic. such decisions and that “if ever a special suit, Donna Campbell, said she had not statement that he opposes the “exten- early voting period, moving the start “Governor Abbott seems to have session was justified, now is the time.” agreed to join the challenge. In a letter sion of early voting through the decree date up to Oct. 13 from Oct. 19, citing forgotten that the Texas Constitution is One of the plaintiffs is Steve Hotze, to Woodfill, the New Braunfels Repub- of a single executive instead of through the coronavirus pandemic. In the law- not a document that he consults at his the Houston conservative activist who lican said she disagreed with the “basic the legislative process.” suit, filed Wednesday with the state Su- convenience,” Jared Woodfill, a lawyer has launched several lawsuits against construct of the matter” and asked him preme Court, Abbott’s intraparty critics for the plaintiffs, said in a statement. Abbott’s coronavirus response that have to remove her name from the lawsuit. See LAWSUIT on 5A

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