News

Summer has unofficially kicked off as Graham and Olney opened their city pools with precautions in place amid COVID-19.

Olney opened its pool Tuesday, May 19, while Graham held their annual Splash Day Saturday, May 23. Both pools have put precautions in place to protect the community from the spread of COVID-19.

On Splash Day, the city of Graham pool offered two different sessions to allow more people to enjoy the pool and stated there would be limited capacity to protect attendees.

With statewide shutdowns of elective medical procedures, including radiology and surgery, because of COVID-19, Graham Regional Medical Center has seen a decrease in revenue because of patient volumes over the last couple months. However, the hospital has been assisted with close to $6 million dollars in funds over April and May.

GRMC board met Tuesday, May 19 and spent some time going over the financial outlook of the hospital as they continue to tread through this unknown time during COVID-19.

Summer is right around the corner and the Library of Graham will begin their summer reading program the day after Memorial Day, May 26.

With the precautions and protocols in place because of COVID-19 things may seem a little different, but the Library of Graham is doing their best to keep things like the Summer Reading Program and other summer programming in place.

This year’s Summer Reading Program is entitled ‘Imagine Your Story,’ and will be conducted very similarly to years past.

Texas federal judge Fred Biery, on May 20, ruled that all voters afraid of catching COVID-19 can request absentee mail-in ballots due to the pandemic.

Biery ruled that "disability" extends to registered voters who lack immunity from COVID-19 and fear infection at polling places. Texas' election code defines "disability" as "a sickness or physical condition that prevents the voter from appearing at the polling place on election day without a likelihood of needing personal assistance or of injuring the voter's health."

Heavy rain and winds hit Graham Friday night, causing two separate vehicles to leave the roadway and end up in Shawnee Creek, according to Graham Police Department.

Graham Fire and Police Departments responded to the 900 block of Elm Street Friday, May 15 at 8:55 p.m. for reports of a 1995 maroon Buick Regal in the creek.

Graham Police Sgt. Pedro Marrufo, Officer Kirk Freeman and K-9 Officer Hailey Calcote arrived on scene to find the driver, Miranda Cedillo, 29, and passenger Jose Baez, 34, out of the vehicle.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott held a press conference May 18, where he announced the next phase in his plan to reopen the Texas economy. Phase II of Gov. Abbott’s plan includes bars, bowling alleys, child care facilities, professional and youth sports, among other businesses and organizations.

“We are getting through this, but now more than ever we need to work together as one Texas,” Abbott said.

The Graham Farmers Market may have seen a delay to their season, but they opened Saturday with a large crowd and a wide variety of vendors providing goods, even with precautions and regulation in place due to the novel coronavirus.

The city of Graham completed another repair to their 24-inch water line into the city Wednesday and updated the city council with some improvements made to water lines in the city Thursday.

The city released a press release Tuesday afternoon stating they would be performing another repair to their main 24-inch water line into the city Wednesday, May 13 which was anticipated to take six to nine hours. The city enacted a Stage 5 Water Emergency under their Water Conservation and Drought Contingency Plan from Tuesday, May 12 until the leak was repaired and in place.

To allow the city of Graham to honor the Graham High School graduating class of 2020, Graham ISD has organized a reverse parade at GHS on Monday, May 18, from 7:30 to 8:15 p.m.

Seniors will be assigned spots on the sidewalk beginning in front of the classic gym, with the line wrapping around to the front of GHS. GISD invites the community to celebrate the class by driving west down Calaveras St. past the classic gym and senior parking lot, turn north (right) on Kentucky, right on Brazos and then exit by turning left onto Tennessee St.

The Young County Rodeo is still on as the community begins to open up during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The YCR is set to take place Saturday, May 23 and Sunday, May 24, starting at 7:30 p.m. each night. The rodeo originally was scheduled for March 19 through 21, but was rescheduled in the best interest of the community as the restrictions from the novel coronavirus were just going into effect.

In a press release on March 16, the YCR stated that all ticket sales made for the first date will be honored for the new date.