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U.S. Army Pvt. Manuel Ortiz (left) Lancaster, Calif., and U.S. Army Pfc. Cody Crutchfield (right),of Magnolia, examine a model-improvised explosive device (IED) during the Counter IED Training Class Feb. 9 at Camp A in Phitsanulok province, Kingdom of Thailand, during exercise Cobra Gold 2013. The training will be used to teach the Royal Thai Army and the U.S. military effective techniques in identifying IED's. The soldiers are both members of 3rd platoon, Baker Company, 2nd Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment.

Thomas, a snuggly 3-year-old male, is one of three brothers raised together by their recently deceased owner. AAR is looking for a perfect home for Thomas and his black and white long hair siblings. They offer their loyalty and affection to a special person, in exchange for a loving home. If you are interested in adopting these handsome boys contact please email aar.dogs.cats@gmail. com, or stop by the shelter. For more information about Thomas, contact Abandoned Animal Rescue at 281-290-0121, or visitwww.aartomball.org.

Longtime Northwest EMS Chief Brian Petrilla is out of a job and confusion remains among many as to why or how it happened.

Officials with Northwest EMS, including their board president Rick Brown and board attorney John Atwood would only confirm that Petrilla no longer worked for Northwest EMS, while several sources have told the Tribune that Petrilla was fired.

Petrilla is remaining silent on the issue at the moment, but a couple of people talked to the Tribune anonymously, out of fear that their jobs could be in jeopardy if they spoke on the record.

"He was fired," said one source. "I was there when it happened. They asked him to resign and he said no."

The source went on to say that they did not know why Petrilla was fired and that Northwest officials did not give him a chance to defend himself.

"It's not right," the source said. "Brian is the most dedicated person he could be in that job."

Another source also stated that Petrilla was fired and that Northwest EMS officials did not notify any other officials in town, until several days later.

The official word from Northwest EMS board members, however, is that Petrilla moved on to pursue other interests.

"All I can tell you is that Brian has moved on to pursue other opportunities and we wish him well," Brown said. "We have a policy not to discuss personnel issues."

Atwood said that a big reason that officials can't talk specifics is because there is an ongoing internal investigation.

"It's an ongoing internal investigation on some other issues," he said. "I can't tell you who did what to who yet because I haven't received that paperwork."

At first Atwood told the Tribune that Petrilla was terminated, but then stated he misspoke.

"What I should have said was that his relationship with the department was terminated," he said.

When asked via email whether he could clarify whether Petrilla resigned or was fired before last Friday afternoon, he sent a written reply to the Tribune stating that it would not be the board's place to reveal that information.

"I understand that you already have two sources that have told you he was terminated," Atwood wrote. "It would be irresponsible of me or the department to make any other comment on that.  Let's just say that any and all relationships between Brian and the department have terminated and I personally wish him all the luck in his future endeavors."

Complicating matters is the fact the members of the board for Emergency Services District (ESD) 8, still do not know exactly what occurred.

"We have some concerns," said ESD 8 attorney Howard Katz. "Brian was the face of Northwest EMS for a long time and we want to be sure that service is not affected. If they want to give us that information, well that is up to them and their lawyer."

ESD 8 provides taxpayer funds to Northwest EMS, which is a private non-profit company. The taxpayer funds, however, do not compromise all of the Northwest EMS budget, making it only partially subject to open government and public information laws. However, the contract between the two agencies specifically calls for Northwest EMS to "conduct its activities in accordance with all current statutes, rules and regulation of any and all governmental bodies."

Brown said that Northwest EMS is continuing with normal operations and that Terry Rogers, a captain with the department, has taken over the reins as acting chief.

"Terry Rogers is the point man on an interim basis and we are just trying to encourage all the employees to move on with normal operations," Brown said.

The Tribune has sent a public information request to Northwest EMS asking for all correspondence relating to the termination or resignation of Petrilla, as well as any records from an open or closed board session where Petrilla's employment was discussed. Atwood has indicated that he will forward that request to the Texas Attorney General's office for an opinion, however he did provide the Tribune with Petrilla's contract.

That contract, which is dated from September of 2002, states that Petrilla is an at-will employee and can be terminated for any reason at any time. It also states that Petrilla will receive a severance package equal to three months pay, for every year employed under that contract. Petrilla's most recent salary was a little more than $82,000 in 2012, according to Atwood.

Harris County deputies are searching for a man they believe walked into a Tomball area office and shot a worker in the face on Valentine's morning.

The Harris County District Attorney's Office has accepted charges of Aggravated Assault with a Deadly Weapon and Aggravated Assault with Serious Bodily Injury against Gary Ishmael Bolin, 61.

Detectives said that Bolin walked into a home that had been converted into office space for a nearby business at the corner of Dogwood and Hufsmith Kuykendahl Road at about 10:30 that morning and shot a 54-year-old employee in the face, after an argument quickly escalated.

Deputies claim the two men had an ongoing dispute, when the suspect walked into the offices.

They said that Bolin did not communicate with anyone else in the building, but went directly to the victim's office and minutes later pulled out a handgun.

Detectives claim that Bolin then fled from the scene in a dark red or possibly maroon over white dually pickup truck. They won't confirm what relationship the pair had, but said that Bolin does have something to do with the property. They also claimed that the two are currently involved in a civil lawsuit against each other.

The suspect was described as a white male, wearing a white cowboy hat, light colored western shirt and blue jeans.

As of press time he was still not in custody. If arrested, Bolin will be held on $60,000 bond.

The Harris County Sheriff's Office is asking that anyone with information on Bolin's whereabouts contact Crime Stoppers at 713-222-8477, or the Harris County homicide unit at 713-967-5810.

Taking the reins of a large church is never easy, but it's something that Salem Lutheran Church's new senior pastor, Tim Niekerk has spent the last two years preparing for.

Two years ago, Niekerk was promoted to executive pastor in an effort to learn the ropes and to ensure a smooth transition once longtime senior pastor Wayne Graumann retired.

"The history here is amazing," Niekerk said. "I feel humbled and honored to be on the shoulders of giants like Wayne."

That effort paid off, as Graumann officially handed the reins over to Niekerk on Jan. 20 of this year, the same day that Presidential inaugurations are traditionally held. Still, despite the preparation, Niekerk admitted the moment was bittersweet.

"It was a little bit weird to come in and realize that Wayne was no longer in the office next to me," he said. "To know that the mantle of leadership passed weighed a bit heavy."

Niekerk came to Salem in 2006 and has served in numerous capacities at the church. He started his pastoral career in 1997, after graduating from Concordia Seminary in St. Louis, Mo. His route to the pulpit didn't come automatically, however.

Niekerk said he had a bit of a rebellious streak in him following high school and when friends and family tried guiding him towards a career in the ministry, he didn't listen at first.

"I had determined at one point that I wasn't going into the ministry and I was going to go into business," he said. "It was about halfway through college that I started to get pulled back towards the ministry and I had friends asking me if I had ever considered becoming a pastor."

By that time he was a couple of years behind others his age who had already chosen that course.

"I started taking different biblical language courses and I asked God to help me catch up if this is really what he wanted me to do," Niekerk said. "He helped me to excel and catch up and the decision was made."

A few years after graduating seminary school, Niekerk ended up starting a church that shared its space with a funeral home in Milwaukee.

"It was a challenge and I almost decided to quit the ministry altogether then," he said. "I had it lined up where I was going to work in my father-in-law's business. I came home and my wife was sitting at the table and said to me 'I firmly believe you were meant to be in the ministry'."

A decade-and-a-half later, as Niekerk sits in his new office, he says he knows the decision that God, his family and friends guided him towards was the right one.

"I absolutely love what I do," he said. "Sure, there can be some days where it is extremely challenging like in any job, but it's so rewarding."
Niekerk said he has some very specific and lofty goals for himself.

"My own personal mission in life is to do whatever it takes to make Jesus real for people," he said. "Part of that includes wanting to encourage men and fathers to be the true spiritual leaders they were called by God to be."

Niekerk also said he hopes to build on the 160-plus year legacy of Salem Lutheran Church.

"I take very seriously what this church means to the community," he said. "We want to have a compelling message of grace – not by just talking about it, but we want to live it. Any way this congregation can leverage what we have been blessed with to help the community, we will do."