By Lynsi Musselman

As Albany organizations, along with other parts of the country, begin to relax strict social distancing measures,  members of the Albany Chamber of Commerce will start back to in-person meetings on Tuesday, June 2.

The next merchants meeting will be held at Vintage Vanilla at 9:00 a.m., and the June board meeting will be held at the Prairie Star Cookshack at 12:00 p.m.

Chamber manager Mary Beth Jones said Chamber lunches will resume on Friday, June 12, with the location to be determined at the board meeting and announced next week.

By Lynsi Musselman

It’s happening more frequently as the pandemic continues – residents who avoid calling 9-1-1 in time of need because of the fear of COVID-19 exposure.

Shackelford County EMS director Tina Ulbrich emphasized this week that county residentsdefinitely need to call 9-1-1 if they are having any type of medical emergency.

“We are here to help. The consequences of not calling can outweigh the risks of possibly going to the emergency room,” Ulbrich said. “All hospitals are taking the proper precautions to not expose patients.”

By Lynsi Musselman

After much anticipation, the Shackelford County Library will reopen on Mondays only, starting June 1 from 1:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Albany Study Club member Janna Ledbetter said the library will be limited to four patrons at a time. Gloves will be provided by the library to wear, and a face covering from home will be required to be worn while readers are inside the building.

Levi Britting of Albany earned a Bachelor of Science in Biology from Angelo State University at its spring 2020 ceremony.

A 2016 honor graduate of Albany High School, he is the son of Rod and Susan Britting and Kristi Espinosa.

Britting was among 571 students who received undergraduate degrees from Angelo State University.

By Lynsi Musselman

Albany senior citizens are still waiting for the green light to meet in their new activity center.

Shackelford County Senior Citizen Activity Center board president Tracy Sullivan said because of coronavirus fears, there is no opening date set for the new activity center located at 5 South Jacobs Street.

Eventually, the center will be open Monday through Fridays from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Sullivan said the center will provide a gathering place for senior citizens to  meet for fellowship and drink coffee.

By Lynsi Musselman

After a winter and spring of cancelled events for high school students, the Texas High School Rodeo Association finals will take place in Abilene June 7 to 13 at the Taylor County Coliseum.

Three Albany High School students qualified to represent Region III in a modified version of past years’ events. 

Junior Addie Beth Denton and seniors Mady Connally and Gracie LeMay will compete Monday, June 9 in two go-rounds of competition.

By Lynsi Musselman

The Albany Academic Booster Club recently handed out $6,700 in 23 academic scholarships for two separate programs that reward local seniors for success on the SAT and ACT college entrance exams.

Top Scores

The Booster Club awarded $4,500 to students who shared the highest scores in a program called “Top Scores.”

Booster Club members Tamara Trail and Darla Cotter explained that traditionally, these competitive awards are meant to honor the three students with highest scores on the ACT exam and on the SAT exam. 

By Donnie A. Lucas

Albany Little League action will finally get underway next week with full team practices and games following more than a two-month delay due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Local teams had gone through the draft and were preparing to start practices when the shutdown occurred, according to league president Paul Hamilton.

“We have been able to hold practices this week for groups of five or less,” Hamilton said. “Full team practices and games can begin starting May 31.”

By Lynsi Musselman

With summer arriving and state restrictions easing up, golf in Albany is getting back into full swing.

The annual Father’s Day golf tournament will take place June 20-21, after many wondered if it would get to be played at all.

Tee times on Saturday include morning spots at 8:30 a.m. and afternoon tee offs at 1:30 p.m.

The tournament will have a three-person scramble format, and the tournament fee is $210 per team.

By Lynsi Musselman

Seven Moran seniors will receive high school diplomas at commencement exercises Friday, May 29 at 7:00 p.m. in the Moran ISD gymnasium courtyard.

Honor graduates include valedictorian November Meredith and salutatorian Harley Schafer.

Other members of the Moran High School Class of 2020 are Charles Andrew Farner, Jim Tom Holland, Raygan Mendez, Cody Rucker, and Jonas Sotelo.

The ceremony will begin with a procession of the seven seniors to Pomp and Circumstance.