Will, could you please make it so that the five year window start/end dates do NOT automatically come up AND make it so an announcement with no start/end dates is shown?  An announcement created without start/end dates should be shown at all times until it is deleted.

Two reasons.  First, the start/end date "default" five year window does not always get set when I create an announcement for some reason.  Second, a five year window is arbitrary when the intent is simply to not have a start/end date by not filling it in.