By Melinda L. Lucas
Albany city council member James Waters resigned and Austin Sherwood was appointed to replace him at a special session held on Thursday, July 2.
Waters’ letter of resignation stated that he was giving up his seat “due to family issues.” He had filed for reelection without opposition earlier this year, with his present term scheduled to end in May 2022.
By Lynsi Musselman
Online registration for the 2020-2021 school year is now underway for both campuses in the Albany Independent School District.
Director of student services Leigh Lowe reported that online registration is available district-wide this year. Last year, it was only accessible to parents of elementary students.
With the first day of school beginning on Wednesday, Aug. 19, parents need to go online to get students registered before the deadline coming up in early August.
By Lynsi Musselman
New Albany band director William Vaughn has scheduled 2020-2021 summer band rehearsals for the week of Monday, Aug. 3 through Friday, Aug. 7, and the week of Monday, Aug. 10 through Friday, Aug. 14.
Practice sessions will be for eighth through 12th grade band members.
Vaughn has not announced a practice time or location as of press time on Tuesday, but the schedule will be posted on the school website and Facebook page as soon as it has been determined.
A meeting of Band Boosters will be scheduled in the near future.
By Melinda L. Lucas
New and ongoing recipients of Albany ISD Education Foundation scholarships need to provide proof of enrollment in order to receive their benefit for the fall 2020 semester.
New 2020 graduate recipients need proof of enrollment and the letter that was in the scholarship envelope they received at graduation.
This is the 11th year for the Foundation scholarships, with an additional $25,000 in awards given this spring.
By Lynsi Musselman
The reopening of the Shackelford County Library continues with the transition to regular hours of Monday through Thursday 12:00 to 5:30 p.m. and Friday 12:00 to 5:00 p.m.
The library was open on Mondays in June and is still limited to four patrons at a time.
Gloves will be provided, and a face covering from home will be required to be worn while readers are inside the building.
By Lynsi Musselman
The Monday, July 20 deadline is approaching quickly for the Old Jail Art Center’s virtual summer camps.
Education director Erin Whitmore said camp slots are still available for families to register for the August camps and receive their free mailed camp kit.
“Daily camp videos will post each morning at 10:00 a.m. on our Facebook page, including step-by-step crafts and activities by OJAC educators,” Whitmore said.
By Lynsi Musselman
With clear summer nights in the forecast for the coming weekend, the crescent moon and bright Venus will appear luminous in the sky at Fort Griffin State Historical Site.
The popular once-a-month “star party” at the fort has been cancelled for Saturday, July 18, due to COVID-19 restrictions, but astro-photographers are welcome to take advantage of this weekend’s view of the night sky.
By Melinda L. Lucas
Starting with this issue, The Albany News print version will not be on newsstands until early Thursday morning.
The paper is now being printed in Lubbock as a result of decisions made by the parent company of the Abilene Reporter-News.
By Lynsi Musselman
Albany Cubs Cheer Camp 2020 will be held Monday, July 27 through Wednesday, July 29, 8:30 to 10:00 a.m.
Parents of girls three years old through sixth grade can register their daughters starting now through the first day of camp.
Camp will be located at the Albany Bank Park this year, due to COVID-19 restrictions.
Cheerleading sponsor Audrey Faith said the Bank Park seemed to be the next best place after the gym, where the camp traditionally is held.
By Donnie A. Lucas
Several new local positive cases of COVID-19 were reported over the past two weeks, with the total increasing to nine for Shackelford County.
The county is now using data provided by the Texas Department of State Health Services rather than relying solely on the tests administered by the two local health clinics.
The DSHS COVID-19 Dashboard was showing a total of 62 tests administered as of Wednesday, with nine positives.
