By Melinda L. Lucas
Pick-up dates for the October distribution of the commodity food program will be Thursday, Oct. 6 and Friday, Oct. 7, with no restrictions.
Shackelford County Justice of the Peace James Breeden, who oversees the program, said that if October commodities are not picked up, those individuals will not be eligible for the Thanksgiving bag in November.
The Thanksgiving bag is in addition to the regular November commodities.
By Melinda L. Lucas
The Culpepper & Merriweather Circus, sponsored by the Albany Lions Club, will be in Albany in a little over a week, with two shows on Friday, Oct. 7.
Billed as “America’s last traditional Big Top Circus,” the troupe will feature 90 minutes of action including animal acts and high-flying aerials, according to the company’s website.
Shows are scheduled at 5:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. on that Friday.
By Sam Waller
Sue Breeden likes to bead, and judges at the West Texas Fair and Rodeo seem to like her work.
For the fourth year in a row, Breeden earned a blue ribbon for winning her class in the Pinterest Division at the fair.
“I enjoy doing it and probably will continue,” she said this week.
This year’s entry showed a bluebonnet garden with a hummingbird and different kinds of bees buzzing around a bouquet of colorful flowers.
“The whole project is beads,” Breeden said. “It took me quite a while to make this.”
By Sam Waller
More than 20 people gathered in Shackelford County earlier this month for the Women of the Land dove hunt sponsored by the Texas Wildlife Association.
The event was held Friday, Sept. 16 through Sunday, Sept. 18, with attendees staying at the missile silo south of Albany.
The Texas Wildlife Association’s stated mission is to serve Texas wildlife and its habitat while protecting property rights, hunting heritage, and the conservation efforts of those who value and steward wildlife resources.
By Melinda L. Lucas
In addition to a school safety report from Albany ISD superintendent Jonathan Scott, AISD trustees also heard the 2021-2022 financial review during a meeting on Monday, Sept. 19, but approval of the audit is delayed until the October session at the earliest.
Safety Update
Scott informed board members that a representative of the Texas School Safety Center will conduct an “Intruder Detection Audit” on the Albany campuses sometime before the end of the month to make sure all exterior doors are secure.
By Melinda L. Lucas
After about 90 minutes of further work on the 2023 budget during a Sept. 19 meeting, Shackelford County Hospital District board members approved combined expenditures of $3,994,467 for the district administration, EMS, health clinic, and pharmacy.
Even though the figure is only about $1,300 more than the amount formally proposed on Aug. 24, it includes several significant line items in each of the separate budgets that had been inadvertently omitted in the proposed budget.
By Melinda L. Lucas
Entire families are invited to celebrate the Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival this Saturday, Sept. 24 at the Old Jail Art Center.
Starting at 1:00 p.m., participants of all ages but particularly children, can enjoy traditional food, art, and games observing the “Moon Festival,” a harvest celebration of family and gratitude similar to the western Thanksgiving holiday.
Many of the activities will be held in the Stasney Center, but others are planned outdoors, according to Kirsten Hahn, OJAC Education Programs Coordinator.
By Donnie A. Lucas
While the COVID-19 pandemic appears to have leveled out in recent weeks, residents will soon be faced with the annual outbreak of flu cases, predicted to be the largest in the last five years.
Vaccinations for this year’s variant of influenza will be available locally starting next week, and local health care providers are urging the public not to treat the virus lightly.
By Sam Waller
Around 100 4-Hers and parents attended the Shackelford County 4-H kickoff party Sunday, Sept. 18 at Webb Park.
Extension agent Kelsey Bell said more than 20 families were represented.
“It was very casual, just a lot of fun,” Bell said. “We had lots of yard games like cornhole, football, basketball, and croquet, and we gave the adults an opportunity to ask questions.”
The event was the first for the new 4-H year.
Bell announced that the first club meeting will be held at 5:00 p.m. Monday, Oct. 3 at The Feed Store.
By Donnie A. Lucas
The number of new COVID-19 cases reported last week stayed steady at four positive tests, the same number as reported the previous week, based information provided by Albany’s two health clinics.
The weekly report by county judge Bob Skelton issued Tuesday reported four positive test results out of 17 tests administered at the two local clinics for the period of Sept. 12-16.
The use of home testing increased after tests were made readily available, making it unclear as to the actual number of local cases.
