By Kathy Thomson

Monday, Oct. 28 is a fifth day optional/required school day at Moran Independent School District.

“Please remember that only students with excellent attendance, behavior, citizenship, and classroom performance are permitted to take these optional days off,” said superintendent Danny Freeman. “If you have not been contacted directly by your child’s teacher, then please send your student to school.”

Children who attend school on Monday, Oct. 28 will be released at 12:00 noon.

Cooler weather is finally making an appearance, and there are several activities planned in Moran during the fall season.

Halloween is next week, and the annual PTO organized Trunk or Treat will be held in the Moran school parking lot on Thursday, Oct. 31 to give children a safe place to trick or treat.

The City of Moran Volunteer Fire Department will not be offering game booths this year, but they will host a hayride starting at 8:00 p.m. that evening. 

Other Events

Other upcoming events include commodity pick-up on Tuesday, Nov. 5.

By Kathy Thomson

Albany residents will soon be seeing red as the annual Red Ribbon anti-drug campaign kicks off next Monday morning.

The annual “Red Ribbon Campaign” has been officially set for Oct. 21-25 at the Albany school district. 

This is the 31st straight year that the event, which is designed to draw as much attention as possible to the problems of drug and alcohol abuse and its prevention, has been conducted locally. 

The national theme for 2019 is “Send a Message. Stay Drug Free.” 

By Melinda L. Lucas

The dream of a place for local senior citizens to call their own is close to becoming a reality after Albany city council members voted to facilitate the purchase of the Shekinah office building for use as a senior citizen center.

At their regular meeting on Monday, Oct. 14, the council also approved members of a committee that has already started raising the $85,000 asking price for the structure, as well as funds that will be needed for remodeling.

By Donnie A. Lucas

The annual Albany Chest campaign is off and running, with directors setting a 2019 goal of $42,000, the same as last year’s. 

Twenty-four different organizations, including one new applicant, submitted requests for this year’s funding, all of which were considered by the board during a meeting held on Wednesday, Oct. 9. 

By Melinda L. Lucas

Fires on opposites sides of the county had all available volunteers busy on Tuesday night, as well as a number of surrounding fire departments.

Rural fire chief Brad Henry said that local firefighters concentrated on a fire that burned about 550 acres on Davis and Van Zant properties, caused by a malfunctioning wind turbine.

Henry thought that a second fire to the north was actually in Throckmorton County and was taken care of by firefighters there.

By Melinda L. Lucas

Four directors were re-elected to another term and plans made for the 2020 show during the annual membership meeting of the Fort Griffin Fandangle Association held Tuesday night, Oct. 8.

Fandangle veteran and longtime director Lanham Martin stepped down as president after one term but will remain an active member of the board.

by Kathy Thomson

Early voting for the Tuesday, Nov. 5 Special Election to adopt or reject the Proposed Constitutional Amendments to the Texas Constitution will take place at the Shackelford County Courthouse from Monday, Oct. 21 through Friday, Nov. 1.

Early in-person voting is held on the first floor of the Courthouse Mondays through Thursdays, 8:30 a.m. to 12:00 noon and 1:00 to 5:00 p.m., and on Fridays, 8:30 a.m. to 12:00 noon and 1:00 to 4:00 p.m.

By Melinda L. Lucas

Shackelford County commissioners will take a look at recycling a ramp that was once located on the north side of the Courthouse after discussing the need for a handicapped ramp at the justice of the peace office.

The regular meeting was held on Tuesday morning, Oct. 15 instead of the usual second Monday schedule because of the Columbus Day holiday.

Handicap Ramp

By Kathy Thomson

Any new applications for the commodity food program need to be turned in by Monday, Oct. 21 in order to be eligible to receive the special Thanksgiving bag along with November commodities on Nov. 1 in Albany or Nov. 5 for Moran residents.