By Sidney Bartee
Summer rehearsals for all band members began on Monday, July 25 with no practices scheduled for Fridays.
On Monday, Aug. 2, percussionists will not have separate practice, but will join the rest of the band from 6:00 to 8:30 p.m.
Wednesday night practices are from 5:00 to 6:30 p.m. so students can attend church.
Students will continue to rehearse, splitting their time between inside and outside practice, until Monday, Aug. 16.
By Sidney Bartee
ResourceCare Day Camp officially ends tomorrow, averaging 86 campers a day.
The Day Camp has been held annually since 1998, when 15 kids participated in the program to provide students with a safe place, food, activities, and experiences during part of their summer vacation.
This year, the camp started on Monday, July 12, and it will continue from 8:30 a.m. until 3:00 p.m. through tomorrow, July 30.
Drop-off is between 8:20 and 8:45 each morning at the youth center.
By Sidney Bartee
Students who are a part of 4-H have attended camps and other events throughout the summer.
“Several kids attended a variety of camps throughout June and July,” volunteer leader Kristie Smith said.
Students from Albany attended three camps in July, the first of which was a fishing camp that students attended June 16-18.
The second was the Outdoor Adventure Camp from July 7 through July 9.
By Melinda L. Lucas
Shackelford County elected officials continued to work on the budget for the upcoming fiscal year, spending a good part of Monday afternoon going through the line items prepared by county treasurer Tammy Brown.
During the three-hour session that morning, the commissioners and other officers watched a demonstration of new voting machines, voted to change copier providers, and finalized the verbiage to advertise for bids to repair a bridge on CR 179 (Caldwell Lane).
Voting Machines
By Sidney Bartee
A blood drive is scheduled to take place in Albany next Thursday, Aug. 5.
Hendrick Regional Blood Center (formerly Meek Blood Center) will park its bloodmobile at First Baptist Church at the usual time from 1:00 until 6:00 p.m.
Hendrick Regional Blood Center offers COVID-19 antibody testing at no charge for donors who successfully donate.
The blood center depends on volunteer blood donors to supply 100 percent of the blood that is used for patient care at 17 area hospitals.
By Sidney Bartee
Cornerstone Community Action Program in Coleman is facilitating a grant, funded by the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs (TDHCA), to help households impacted by COVID-19 pay part or all of their mortgage payments for six consecutive months.
Shackelford County families can apply for the funding, according to information received last week.
Applications for the program are available online or in-person at the Cornerstone Community Action Program, 114 Needham St., Coleman TX 76834.
By Melinda L. Lucas
One new teacher was hired and a resignation accepted during a regular meeting of the Albany ISD board of trustees on Monday, July 26, a week later than usual because of the lack of a quorum on the previous Monday.
The board also spent a good portion of the 2-1/2 hour session discussing a new state bill that allows public school districts to decide if homeschool students can participate in the district’s UIL activities.
By Donnie A. Lucas
Online registration for all Albany students opened on Monday, with only about 60 of the anticipated 475 enrollments complete as of Tuesday afternoon.
The school district is using the Ascender Parent Portal for registration and a link can be found by using one of two locations on the school’s website, including clicking on the registration information page on the left side of the home page or accessing the red button labeled “Parents Sources.” Then look for the Ascender link.
By Sidney Bartee
The final day for the swimming season at the Albany city pool is Sunday, Aug. 1.
Pool manager Jennifer Bowman said the pool’s closing coordinates with Albany’s two-a-day schedule.
All lifeguards hired at the pool are high school students, and many participate in sports.
“With the pool closing on Aug. 1, we will stop taking pool party reservations after this date,” Bowman said.
Last year, the pool was only allowed to be at half capacity due to COVID-19 restrictions, but it was back to full capacity this year.
By Jillian Lucas
A new Junior FFA organization is being established in Moran for the 2021-2022 school year.
Moran FFA advisor and agricultural science teacher Minnie Denson will be heading up the program.
“Moran students who are eight years of age and in third grade to sixth grade will be eligible to join the Moran FFA chapter as junior members,” said MISD superintendent John Denson.
Denson also stated that students in grades seventh through 12th are eligible now for “active” membership.
