By Melinda L. Lucas

Local paramedic Mateo Millan was offered and accepted the position of EMS director after members of the Shackelford County Hospital District’s board of directors met in closed session for about 30 minutes Monday night, April 18.

Mike Folsom made the motion to employ Millan as permanent director, seconded by Janna Ledbetter. The four directors present were all in favor of the motion. John Peterson had been in the closed session, but had to leave for another engagement before the vote was taken.

By Sam Waller

Moran’s Johnnie Hise and Hannah Rogers were recognized last week by two coaches associations for their academic achievements with inclusion on academic all-state girls basketball teams.

Both Rogers and Hise were selected to the Texas Six-Man Coaches Association team, while Hise was also named to the Texas Girls Coaches Association honor team.

For the Texas Six-Man Coaches team, students must have a 90 average or above in each core classes and be either a junior or senior in good standing, and the school must be an association member.

Children in Moran will have the opportunity to practice their egg hunting skills on Saturday, April 16 at the Chuck Reynolds Memorial Park.

The annual Easter egg hunt will be hosted by the Moran Volunteer Fire Department and the Moran City Park and will begin at 11:00 a.m.

All children will need to gather at the entrance of the park across from the community center prior to the start of the hunt.

The park will be divided by ages prior to the hunt.

The event will be held in conjunction with a Moran PTO bake sale.

By Sam Waller

The Moran Independent School District will go to a four-day school week for the 2022-23 school year, superintendent Dr. John Denson announced.

Denson said the MISD school board formally adopted the calendar for the next school year at its meeting Friday, March 25.

Denson said the only Friday class days will be the week of Labor Day in September and the first week of the spring semester in January.

“That way, those are still four-day weeks for the students even with the holidays,” Denson said.

By Melinda L. Lucas

Shackelford County commissioners heard a report from Clifford Teinert about the historic bridge at Fort Griffin, the object of vandalism over the last few years.

The bridge, which spans the Clear Fork of the Brazos, touches the Collins Creek Ranch on the south side, and is in Throckmorton County on the north. It has been closed to vehicle traffic for a number of years, but is a popular foot bridge and location for photos.

By Melinda L. Lucas

Representatives of local organizations and boards that award scholarships to Albany High School graduates are asked to collect applications from Ann Riley at the AHS office on Wednesday, April 20.

The original schedule was to hand those out on Friday, April 15, but the school offices will be closed both Friday and Monday for a long Easter weekend.

Riley said seniors were required to turn in their application letters by Wednesday, April 13.

By Sam Waller

The Albany FFA chapter competed in the Big Country District and Area 4 contests Wednesday, April 13, at Tarleton State University in Stephenville.

Local students prepared for the event by competing in several practice meets over the last three weeks, attending contests at Weatherford, Sweetwater and San Angelo.

By Melinda L. Lucas

In only six weeks, the senior class of Albany High school will walk across the stage and receive their diplomas.

After the ceremony, the graduates will enjoy the tradition of Project Graduation, which is the alcohol and drug-free event that concludes a student’s experience at AHS.

The 45 members of this year’s graduating class will be staying in town and celebrating in a progressive style by enjoying all the fun facilities Albany has to offer the youth.

By Donnie A. Lucas

Only one positive case of COVID-19 was recorded at the three Albany testing sites over the last two weeks.

A total of 13 tests were administered during the period, according to a report issued by county judge Bob Skelton.

The number of hospitalized cases in Trauma Service Area D which includes Abilene and Brownwood hospitals dropped to just two patients, including one in ICU at the time of the report on Tuesday.

By Sam Waller

Father Prakash Dias took a rather convoluted path to his post as priest at Albany’s Jesus of Nazareth Catholic Church and Breckenridge’s Sacred Heart of Jesus Catholic Church.

A visit home to his native India turned into a nearly year-long ordeal to return to work.

Dias, a native of Honavar, Karwar, Karnataka, India, originally planned a 30-day visit, leaving in late April last year. He finally returned to the United States on Feb. 10 after nine months and 10 days.