By Kathy Thomson

Students at the Moran Independent School District are celebrating national FFA week, Feb. 22-29 with different themes each day.

“Monday was camo day, and Tuesday was dress as a farmer,” said administrative assistant Jeanne TenCate. “This Wednesday was ‘bring a stuffed farm animal to school’.”

Thursday’s theme was dress like a cowboy. 

On Friday, Feb. 28, students are encouraged to wear the FFA colors, blue and gold. 

Danny Hebel, age 61 of Albany, passed away Sunday, Feb. 23, 2020. Funeral services were held Wednesday, Feb. 26 at Friendship Baptist Church with Pastor Paul Johnston officiating. Interment followed in the Albany Cemetery under the direction of Morehart Mortuary. 

Danny Lynn Hebel was born May 3, 1958 in Knox City, Texas to parents Robert Allen Hebel and Lola Bea Hawley Hebel. He grew up and attended schools in Albany. Danny was a self-proclaimed Jack-of-all-trades, working as a rancher, a cook and in the oilfield. 

Dr. Weldon Ernest Viertel of Tyler, TX was born Dec. 4, 1930 in Stamford, TX to the late Max E. Viertel and Alice Byrd Viertel. He passed away on Feb. 18, 2020 at the age of 89.

Funeral services were held at The Woods Baptist Church in Tyler on Saturday, Feb. 22 with Rev. Charles Dodson and Rev. Pike Wisner officiating. Burial was in Mason Cemetery in Arp, TX.

Weldon was the husband of Jo Barnett Viertel for six years following a 58-year marriage to the late Joyce Garrett Viertel. 

Thelma Burge

Thelma Irene Burge, 98, of Albany TX was called home and embraced by her Lord and Savior on Sunday, Feb. 23, 2020. She was born on Feb. 19, 1922 in Quinlan, TX and was the daughter of James and Ethel Henrise, Jr. She married Floyd Cecil Burge in 1938 and the two made Albany their home.

Graveside service will be held at 2:00 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 28, at the Albany Cemetery. The service will be directed by Baum-Carlock Bumgardner Funeral Home, with Chuck Sheppard officiating. 

Rena Mae Shack, age 83 of Moran, passed away Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2020. Funeral services were held Saturday, Feb. 22 at Bethel Assembly with Jeff Pleasant officiating. Interment followed in the Albany Cemetery.  

Rena Mae Booth was born Oct. 3, 1936 in Stephens County to parents, William John Booth and Ola Mae Beasley Booth. She attended schools in Breckenridge. 

On April 12, 1953, Rena married Billy Jack Shack in Ranger, Texas. She and her husband started Shack Well Service in 1964 in Albany. 

By Melinda L. Lucas

Three new exhibitions, including one that cele-brates the Old Jail Art Center’s 40 years of collecting, will be open to the public starting next Tuesday, Feb. 25.

OJAC members can attend a preview reception this Saturday, Feb. 22 from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m.

The three collections will be featured at the Old Jail’s 40th anniversary gala next month on March 28.

Permanent Collection

By Kathy Thomson

There are new faces in the Fandangle office starting this month, with Jamie Parsons taking over as office manager and Scarlett Yates heading up the marketing for the 2020 season. 

Fandangle board president Branch Bartee said this week that directors met several times in January in order to determine how best to fill the vacant office positions, announcing their decision in time for Parsons and Yates to both start working during the fist week in February.

By Melinda L. Lucas

A one-year contract extension was approved for Nancy Smith Elementary School principal John Gallagher, along with similar offers for district business manager Angelyn Faith and director of student services Leigh Lowe, following a closed session at the end of Monday’s regular school board meeting.

Three percent raises, although approved in the separate contract motions by Joe Tidwell, Ginny Ivy, and Kelly Head, are contingent on the 2020-2021 budget.

By Kathy Thomson

Text-to-9-1-1 is now available in Shackelford County, according to sheriff Ed Miller.

“The project has been in the works for a while, and it is now up and running as of the first of the year,” said Miller. 

The nationwide project was designed to give 9-1-1 callers the ability to send a text message to reach emergency call takers from a mobile phone or device. Work on the project began in 2014, was rolled out in a few Texas counties in 2017 and 2018, and more counties were added in 2019.

By Kathy Thomson

The city of Albany will receive a sales tax allotment of $48,901 from the state this February. The amount is down 4.05 percent from the $50,966 payment received in February of 2019.

Payments to date for the 2020 year to the city of Albany are $86,045, down by 16.40 percent from the comparable time last year, when payments of $102,929 had been made.

The city of Moran will receive a net payment of $2,344 this period, for a 34.88 percent increase from the $1,738 received in February 2019.