By Kathy Thomson

Recently the Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) branch of the U.S. Department of Agriculture relaxed some of their requirements for schools serving meals to students during the COVID-19 pandemic, which allowed Albany cafeteria staff to make changes in lunch and breakfast pickup times and requirements.

One change is that the FNS has waived the rule preventing parents and guardians from picking up meals for their children, as long as the district protects accountability and integrity. 

By Lynsi Musselman

Earth Day is April 22, and will present a great opportunity to do something close to home.

Planting milkweed and other native grasses can help promote the migration pattern and save the Monarch butterfly.

In 1995, the iconic Monarch became the state insect of Texas. 

Albany resident and local wildlife educator Tamara Trail is on the board of Texan by Nature, an organization founded in 2011 by former First Lady Laura Bush. 

By Kathy Thomson

The Fort Griffin General Merchandise & Beehive Saloon was featured on the Texas Bucket List TV program, shown across Texas and also in Nevada, North Carolina, and Tennessee last weekend.

The Texas Bucket List is aired in Abilene on KTXS ABC on Saturdays at 5:00 p.m. and on KTXS CW on Sundays at 11:30 a.m. 

For those who missed the program last weekend, a short preview was posted to Facebook by the Albany Chamber of Commerce, Fort Griffin General Merchandise & Beehive Saloon, and the Texas Bucket List.

By Kathy Thomson

The community of Moran, along with towns across the state, throughout the nation, and around the world, is adjusting to the impacts of maintaining social distancing while going on with everyday life as much as possible during the coronavirus pandemic.

As of press time on Tuesday, April 14, there were no positive cases of COVID-19 in Moran or in Shackelford County. However, mayor Steve Taggart issued a disaster declaration on April 3 due to the imminent threat of the virus, cancelling all public gatherings of greater than 10 people.

By Melinda L. Lucas

After a week of working to abide by a shelter-in-place order, Shackelford County residents were among the 73 Texas counties that didn’t have a confirmed case of COVID-19 as of press time.

Since last week’s publication, two more test results have come back negative, and an eighth test was administered, with results pending.

Confirmed cases have been reported in adjacent counties except for Haskell and Throckmorton counties, said Albany mayor pro tem Susan Montgomery.

By Kathy Thomson

Five trustees of the Moran Independent School District board met at called meeting in the school auditorium last Friday, April 10, to consider accepting a tax deferment proposal by a windmill company which intends to start a project south of Moran.

Part of the planned windmill farm will be in the MISD taxing district.

By Melinda L. Lucas

In a meeting where discussions ranged from COVID-19 practices to trash roll-offs, Albany city council members sat six feet apart at their temporary meeting place in the larger conference area at the Aztec Theater’s reception room, most wearing face masks.

Mayor pro tem Susan Montgomery told council members that she appreciated the “hard decisions” that they were having to make and urged them to continue to do what is best for the citizens of Albany.

By Melinda L. Lucas

Shackelford County commissioners worked through a typical agenda during their regular meeting on Monday, April 13, most of which had little or nothing to do with the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

The locked doors of the Courthouse and social distancing of elected officials along an extended conference table were the only signs of COVID-19 restrictions.

Speed Limit Signs

By Kathy Thomson

Throughout Texas and most of the nation, only businesses considered essential are allowed to be open, and even those must abide by social distancing rules, causing many stores in Albany to be locked for the duration of the shelter in place order. However, that does not mean that they are not operating at all.

Many are accepting orders online or by phone. Many of the businesses have a website and/or a Facebook page that allow customers to view items for sale.

By Kathy Thomson

The Shackelford County hospital district board of directors met for a short seven-minute phone conference at noon on Monday, April 6, with one item on the agenda at the special meeting.

“The state sent us an email advising us that we had to postpone the May 2 election until Nov. 3, as per Governor Abbott’s instructions,” said district secretary Regina Whitt.

The motion to postpone the election was made by Janna Ledbetter and seconded by Leslie Belcher.