Charlie Alderman, Commerce ISD superintendent, says Commerce High School seniors will graduate in a video event on YouTube and Facebook Friday night. Video clips of each senior receiving his or her diploma will be edited into a virtual ceremony that will be streamed online at 7 p.m. Seniors participated in a car parade from school to school Tuesday night. The school board has voted to re-open classrooms for the 2020-21 school year Wednesday, August 12.

Our books commentator, Sharon Feldt of Sulphur Springs, says the recent best-selled "One for the Blackbird, One for the Crow" by Olivia Hawker has a storyline that relates to our situation in the current coronavirus crisis. It is the story of two families facing extreme hardship on the Wyoming frontier. Sharon also reviews "The Town with No Roads" by Joe Siple.

Bert Cooper, director of Community Seeds in Lone Oak, says the Services of Hope organization in Dallas has agreed to provide food that will allow Community Seeds to feed 3,000 to 5,000 people a week. In fact, Bert says Services of Hope has offered enough food to feed up to 15,000 people per week if necessary. Community Seeds will now be seeking volunteers to help distribute the food to people in need. Community Seeds is a faith-based, charitable organization.

Steve Killian, superintendent of Cooper Lake State Park , says the park will reopen for camping Monday, May 18 for those with existing reservations. Campers may begin making reservations, but Steve says it may be June 1 or thereabouts before they'll be able to camp. Meanwhile, the park has been hitting its occupancy limit early in the afternoon on Saturday and Sunday, so it's important to pay for admission online in advance before arriving at the park.

Tim McMurray, Texas A&M-Commerce athletic director, discusses the installation of the new 1,900 square foot scoreboard at Memorial Stadium/Ernest Hawkins Field, which is now well underway. Tim says he's optimistic that football and the other fall sports will be played, but their status remains uncertain. He says social distancing would be possible in the stadium.

Cynthia Beacom, Hunt County Master Gardener , discusses hydrangeas , a beautiful, flowering perennial. Cynthia says hydrangeas require a lot of water, but otherwise are not difficult to grow. She says the color of the plants can be changed by providing acidic plant food.

Carol Taylor, chairman of the Hunt County Historical Commission, says the U.S. Census provides historians with a rich source of information on life in America. Carol says the 1880 Census especially provided a bounty of information on communities and individuals. But Carol says the 2020 Census asks so few questions that it will not be very useful to historians of the future.

Pud Kearns with Housewarmers of Greenville and Bras for the Cause says the Hunt Regional Medical Center is using a robot provided by Bras for the Cause several years ago to sterilize personal protective equipment (PPE) each day. The robot was originally provided to sterilize cancer-treatment facilities with ultraviolet light, but Hunt Regional realized it could also be used to sterilize valuable PPE in the coronavirus crisis. Pud also says she believes most Hunt County businesses are resourceful

Dr. Bob Johnson and Dr. John Ballotti of the Commerce Community Action Program (C-CAP) says the organization has created a "Go Fund Me" pag e to raise money for an "Impact and Recovery Initiative" to help people return to work as the coronavirus crisis continues. C-CAP would provide help for such things as child care, clothes, gasoline, and haircuts. The organization hopes to raise up to $20,000.

Paul Voss, manager of the Commerce Chamber of Commerce , says the chamber will assist businesses in applying for the federal loans that have been made available. He says the council can help businesses apply online, and has packets that contain the information needed to apply.