By Sam Waller

Congregations from Albany’s First Christian Church, First Baptist Church, and First United Methodist Church are participating in the Samaritan’s Purse annual Operation Christmas Child.

Members are asked to fill shoeboxes, which are available at each church, with Christmas gifts for  underprivileged children.

“It’s a fun thing to do with your kids or grandkids,” said First Christian pastor Brad McBee, who coordinates the effort locally.

McBee added that the project is not limited to church members.

By Donnie A. Lucas

An induction ceremony for new members to the Albany chapter of the National Honor Society has been set for Sunday, Nov. 21.

The public is invited to attend the ceremony, which will start at 2:00 p.m. in the high school auditorium.

Officers of the organization will conduct the program, including reviewing the meaning of the four principals of the society and the introduction and pinning of the new members.

A list of new members will be published next week, since the selection process had not been completed at press time this week.

By Sam Waller

ResourceCare collected almost 7,000 cans of food to benefit food banks in Albany and Cross Plains through its Battle of the Schools Food Drive.

“It went better than we could have hoped for,” ResourceCare program assistant Ragan Riley said.

Students collected food throughout the month of October. Results were announced on Friday.

Albany students collected 1,330 cans. Brittani Lefevre’s fourth grade class collected 262 cans, the most of any class at either AISD campus.

By Sam Waller

Fifth grade students from Nancy Smith Elementary School will have a chance to study a wide range of sciences as part of the Camp Grady Spruce Outdoor Education Program.

Students will spend three days and two nights at the camp on Possum Kingdom Lake learning about sciences ranging from geology to biology to astrology.

“Fifth grade science covers all of those subjects,” said Leslie Neve, NSES fifth and sixth grade science teacher. “This camp is all based on the science TEKS that are covered in the STAAR test.”

By Donnie A. Lucas

Junior high and high school students and even members of the community can vote with donations for their “favorite” teachers or staff member, with the winner becoming a turkey for a day.

The recently revived FCCLA Chapter is raising funds to purchase Christmas gifts for local needy children and the elderly with the first-ever project entitled “Turkey Teacher.”

By Donnie A. Lucas

The Albany Junior High drama class will be presenting the comedy “The Trial of Goldilocks” by Joseph Robinette for the public on Tuesday, Nov. 16 starting at 6:00 p.m. at the auditorium.

The play will also be presented as the Junior High One-Act Play contest in Stamford on Nov. 18.

The play includes 16 cast members, two technical crew members, and two stagehands.

By Melinda L. Lucas

Albany city manager Billy Holson went through the city’s capital improvments budget, with the mid-term point in the fiscal year having passed recently.

The council  approved a five-year capital improvements plan along with the regular budget in March, which Holson explained would be adjusted continually as the city moves forward.

The plan includes future expenditures for the water plant, distribution system, wastewater department, streets, and other infrastructure.

By Sam Waller

Plans are gearing up to collect applications and funding for a number of local holiday programs, ranging from those providing for children through senior adults.

ResourceCare works hand in hand with Toys for Tots, asking community members to help them provide holiday presents to all of the local children.

The facility also coordinates the Adopt A Senior project, which is already well underway.

Information and applications are available at ResourceCare and other locations.

By Melinda L. Lucas

Shackelford County commissioners and elected officials met Monday, Nov. 8 to authorize the next step in purchasing new voting machines and also approved the repair of a damaged fire alarm panel at the Courthouse.

They plan to meet again this Friday, Nov. 12 to hear public comment concerning the proposed redistricting of the four county precincts.

The hearing is set for 9:00 a.m. Friday in the second floor courtroom.

The process is required by the state in order to equalize the populations within the four precincts.

By Donnie A. Lucas

While the number of positive COVID-19 cases reported for last week remains lower than most  double-digit reports since August, there was a slight rise in positive results over the previous week.

A combined report from the three testing locations in Albany listed eight positive tests out of 26 tests conducted. Only five positive cases were listed the prior week.

The Shackelford County Health Clinic reported eight tests with four positives conducted on Monday of this week.