January 10, 2008 Issue

Other Links: City Calendar l City News

Brent Stroman Selected
as New Police Chief

Brent Stroman was selected as the new police chief on Dec. 18. He has worked for the City of Waco for 30 years.

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Brent Stroman, a 30-year veteran of the Waco Police Department, was appointed as the new police chief in December.

City Manager Larry Groth selected Stroman from a pool of 25 applicants. The appointment was confirmed by the Waco City Council during their meeting on Dec. 18.

“Brent has very methodically prepared himself for this opportunity, and I am extremely confident in his ability to provide excellent leadership to the Police Department as they carry out vital responsibilities in the community,” said City Manager Larry Groth. “It is also very gratifying to me to be able to provide promotional opportunities to someone within the department.”

Chief Stroman served as the Interim Chief following the resignation of Alberto Melis in October.

His academic credentials include a bachelor’s degree in police administration from Sul Ross State University and a master’s degree in public administration from Texas State University.

During his career, Chief Stroman has served and managed most areas of the Waco Police Department including patrol, planning and crime prevention. He was promoted to Assistant Chief of patrol for 11 years and most recently served four years as Assistant Chief of the criminal investigations division.

“This is an exciting time for our department and for the law enforcement profession,” Chief Stroman said. “Many changes are on the near horizon and I’m honored to have this position of trust in an environment of change. I’m looking forward to serving as Chief for this group of dedicated employees.”

One Book, One Waco Returns

A popular community-wide reading and discussion program is being revived by the Greater Waco Chamber of Commerce and several community partners. They recently announced “Same Kind of Different as Me“ by Ron Hall and Denver Moore with Lynn Vincent will be the One Book, One Waco community book for Spring 2008.

One Book, One Waco is a community-wide reading program and is part of a larger nationally recognized movement that encourages the pursuit of education and literacy. From 2002-2004, local community leaders selected three books for this program.

Throughout the month of February and early March, a series of community events will be hosted by the Greater Waco Chamber of Commerce and program sponsors. Waco-McLennan County Library Director James Karney is serving on the steering committee for the project. More information on One Book, One Waco events can be found at wacochamber.com/onebook.php.

One Book, One Waco organizers hope that many organizations including universities, colleges, businesses, churches, literary groups, and others, will hold book discussions as well as attend the official One Book, One Waco events. For more information, contact Allan R. Marshall at 752-6611 ext. 312.

Czech Genealogy Workshop

The Waco-McLennan County Library in cooperation with the Texas Czech Genealogical Society and the McLennan-Hill Chapter of the Czech Heritage Society of Texas is sponsoring a free day-long Czech genealogy workshop on Feb. 23, 2008.

The workshop will be held at the Austin Avenue United Methodist Church, 1300 Austin Ave., from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The workshop will cover basic and advanced Czech genealogy topics. To register or for additional information call Bill Buckner at 750-5945.

Black History Month

The City of Waco Parks and Recreation invites the community to attend the annual Black History Month Celebration at Bledsoe-Miller Recreation Center, 300 Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd.

The event is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. on Feb. 23. Community performance groups are welcome to participate in the event. For more information, call 750-8684.