By Donnie A. Lucas

The number of new ­COVID-19 cases reported last week jumped to 18 positive tests, compared to five the previous week based information provided by Albany’s two health clinics.

The weekly report by county judge Robert Skelton issued Tuesday reported 18 positive test results out of 27 tests administered at the two local clinics for the period of Aug. 22-26.

The use of home testing has also increased after tests were made more readily available, making it unclear as to the actual number of local cases.

By Sam Waller

Ben Richey Boys Ranch will celebrate its 75th anniversary this fall with the Albany campus taking part in the festivities.

A reception is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 24 at the Abilene campus located at 501 Ben Richey Drive in Abilene.

The ranch opened in August 1947 as a project of the Abilene Optimist Club to help young men get a second chance in life.

By Melinda L. Lucas

Pick-up dates for the September distribution of the commodity food program will be Thursday, Sept. 1 and Friday, Sept. 2.

On Thursday, eligible families in Moran should pick up their food at the Moran City Hall between 9:00 and 11:00 a.m.

Certified eligible Albany families for the September food distribution program can pick up their commodity food on Friday Sept. 2 at the back door of the Justice of the Peace office from 9:00 to 11:00 a.m.

By Melinda L. Lucas

Team and individual pictures of the junior high football teams will be taken today (Thursday) starting at 3:45 p.m.

Those packages, along  with Lady Cubs volleyball, will be ready for pickup in the next couple of weeks.

All the cheer packages that have already been ordered, along with high school football and volleyball are ready to be picked up at the Albany News office.

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By Sam Waller

Moran ISD appears to be one of just three school districts in the state offering students on-campus driver’s education, according to superintendent Dr. John Denson.

Moran has six students enrolled in the class, which is being taught by Jeff Blackburn.

Denson is aware of just two other districts offering the course as part of a high school curriculum.

The superintendent said students will receive classroom instruction during the fall semester before beginning driver training in the spring.

By Melinda L. Lucas

Shackelford County commissioners continued reviewing the budget for the 2022-2023 fiscal year that starts Oct. 1 and got their first look at tax rate options during a meeting on Monday.

In addition to budget concerns, elected officials spent some time looking at options  for using part of funding received through the American Rescue Plan Act for “premium pay” for employees and discussing a request for help from Moran mayor Tyler George.

Premium Pay

By Donnie A. Lucas

As part of an effort to increase security at both Albany ISD campuses, the school board hired an experienced local resident as the director of school safety and security.

Retired DPS officer and current Shackelford County Constable Xavier Perez took the position over the summer to help secure both campuses during the school day and at some extracurricular functions.

By Melinda L. Lucas

A quorum of the Albany city council met in special session on Tuesday night, Aug. 23 to propose a tax rate, acting on the recommendation of city manager Billy Holson to go with the “No New revenue” (NNR) rate of 61.04 cents.

The NNR rate, formerly called the effective tax rate, is calculated to produce the same amount of taxes if applied to the same properties taxed the previous year, and is actually lower than last year’s rate of 67.55 cents because of higher property values.

By Sam Waller

A record crowd is expected for this year’s CareFest, according to organizers, with numbers possibly nearing 2,000.

The fourth CareFest, a fund­raiser for ResourceCare’s outreach programs, is scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 27, at Happy Wife Happy Life event venue.

Preceding that will be “Lunch on the Lawn” planned from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at the Bank Park, with Jeff Martin playing from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Several food trucks will be on hand to provide lunch.

By Donnie A. Lucas

Certified taxable values for each taxing entity in Shackelford County were announced recently, with minerals and property increasing 7.85 percent overall.

The total taxable value for the county increased by slightly less than $45 million from $571,814, 787 in 2021 to $616,705,866.

Similar increases in the mineral and real estate values were reported within the other taxing entities in the county, the exception being the value of industrial property, which decreased by $14.2 million.