The Texas Historical Commission’s (THC) Fort Griffin State Historic Site re-opened for visitors on May 1, offering its regular business hours until further notice. 

The site’s grounds will be open daily and available to visitors for walking tours. The Fort Griffin Visitor Center will be limited to six persons at any one time, and the outdoor capacity is 25 people at a time. 

The campgrounds are closed, and on-site programming will remain suspended at this time. 

By Melinda L. Lucas

Shackelford County chief appraiser Clayton Snyder is again extending the deadline to submit property renditions to the end of the month, May 30, in light of the impact on local businesses by the coronavirus.

The renditions were originally due by April 15. 

“Business owners just have a lot to deal with right now,” said Snyder, “so I decided to once again move the deadline back.”

Normally, taxpayers must submit a written request for the extension, but Snyder is lifting that requirement for this year only.

Parents of Albany High School graduating seniors are reminded to gather baby pictures for The Albany News’ upcoming graduation section.

Pictures are due by the end of this week, on Friday, May 8, if at all possible.

Parents need to select a clear, sharp baby picture of their graduate, preferably a face and shoulders close-up under age three or four.

High resolution images for the graduation section can be emailed to news@thealbanynews.net or photos can be brought by the News office to be scanned and returned immediately.

By Kathy Thomson

The Fort Griffin Fandangle board of directors met in person at the Depot the evening of Monday, May 4 and considered various options for the 2020 summer show before officially voting to postpone Fandangle until June 2021.

“I had no doubt that we could have put on a good show; we have a core group of participants with a lot of experience,” said board president Branch Bartee. “But when we talked about the age range of our audience and our cast members, we had to wonder if it would be in their best interest to have the show this year.”

By Kathy Thomson

A “pepper spray” training at the Shackelford County Law Enforcement Center last week gave local LEC employees an “in your face” experience.

County sheriff Ed Miller taught the four-hour OC session.

“This was for all of our new employees who haven’t been through the training,” said Miller. “Three hours were in the classroom, followed by a one-hour practical.”

Oleoresin Capsicum (OC) is a noncarcinogenic food product derived from jalapeño peppers that is the active ingredient in “pepper spray.” 

By Melinda L. Lucas

The summer production of the Fort Griffin Fandangle and the October Gala for Friends of Fort Griffin are the latest to be struck down by the coronavirus pandemic.

Also, restaurants will be able to reopen their in-house dining facilities at 50 percent capacity on May 1.

The governor announced this week that hair and nail salons, along with barber shops can open May 8 with restrictions. Gyms and bars will follow the next week.

By Kathy Thomson

School board members, administrators, teachers, seniors dressed in caps and gowns, numerous family members, friends, and special speakers, all packed into the gym or auditorium, celebrating the occasion together – those are things that Albany High School graduates from years past may recall. 

Undoubtedly most everyone, especially this year’s graduates, were anticipating something similar until COVID-19 swept around the world, changing everything. 

By Lynsi Musselman

The Old Jail Art Center in Albany has decided to be cautious and wait for a future open date even though last week’s announcement by Gov. Greg Abbott allows for reopening.

Old Jail Art Center executive director and curator Pat Kelly said the museum is still currently closed to the public as the safety and health of visitors, staff, and community are a top priority. The museum’s board of directors is currently thinking about an appropriate time to reopen for visitors, he said.

By Kathy Thomson

Moran’s seven seniors have picked up their caps and gowns, and the location of the graduation ceremony has been determined, but most everything else is still “kind of up in the air,” according to MISD superintendent Danny Freeman.

“I’m going to talk to Shackelford County judge Robert Skelton to find out what our options are,” Freeman said. “We hope we can have an in-person graduation ceremony with a very limited number of guests present on Friday, May 29, outside the south end of the gym, just inside of the WPA rock wall.”

By Kathy Thomson

The City of Moran, along with much of the State of Texas and other states across the nation, is starting to reopen after the recent coronavirus shutdowns.

Moran City Hall opened its doors to the public this Monday, May 4. The First Baptist Church of Moran is meeting in the sanctuary on Sundays, along with continuing online streaming of the service. DAs will be open and serving ribs, potato salad and red beans this Friday and Saturday. 

“Of course, we want everyone to observe proper social distancing,” said city employee Teresa King.