By Kathy Thomson

Fandangle season is fast approaching, with memberships coming in, practices starting in just over a week, a date set for the membership sampler, and tickets to the summer shows already on sale to the general public.

Ticket Sales

Albany ISD students, faculty, and staff are scheduled to dismiss for the spring break holiday at 12:00 noon this Friday, March 6.

Prior to the break, cheerleader try-outs will be held Friday morning, with local sixth graders bused over to the Albany High School gym for the competition.

Pre-kindergarten, Head Start, and kindergarten students will be released at 11:30 a.m. , with all other students leaving at noon. 

Spring break will take place during the week of March 9-13. 

Classes will resume at the normal time on Monday, March 16.

Representatives of local organizations and boards that award scholarships to Albany High School graduates are asked to contact Ann Riley at the AHS office by Monday, March 23.

The office will be closed next week for spring break, but will be open again for regular hours on Monday, March 16.

Riley added that the scholarship list will be uploaded to the district’s website and distributed to local seniors by Friday, March 27, informing them of the requirements for specific scholarships. 

A blood drive is scheduled to take place in Albany Thursday afternoon, March 5.

Hendrick Regional Blood Center (formerly Meek Blood Center) will park its bloodmobile at First Baptist Church from 1:00 p.m. until 6:00 p.m.

The blood center’s vehicle was parked at Albany High School this week on Monday, March 2, collecting from 12 students and staff members in the bi-annual event, which allows graduating seniors to qualify for a blood cord at commencement.

Blood drives in Albany have been sponsored by the Kiwanis Club for over 20 years.

By Kathy Thomson

School schedules typically get crowded once the weather warms up, with spring sports, spring break, exams, UIL meets, and other activities filling the calendar, and that seems to be the case in Moran. 

Spring Break

MISD will release at the normal time on Friday, March 6 for spring break.

The campus will be closed during the week of March 9-13, with classes resuming at the usual time on Monday, March 16.

Cheer Tryouts

By Kathy Thomson

One of five candidates for three Moran city council positions withdrew from the race during the past week, and Moran officials clarified that a sixth candidate had filed for a one-year unexpired term rather than a full two-year term, as had been previously reported.

Moran city secretary Teresa King said Friday that after consulting with the Texas Municipal League, she found that the unexpired term that will be on the ballot this May will only span one year instead of two.

By Kathy Thomson

The National Weather Service (NWS) encourages all residents, businesses and schools across West Central Texas to practice a tornado drill on Thursday, March 5 at 10:00 a.m. or at a time that is more convenient. 

More tornadoes strike Texas than any other state, and the San Angelo office has designated March 1-7 as the official opening of severe weather awareness season.

School Drills

By Kathy Thomson

Almost 200 local Republicans and Democrats participated in the first week of early voting in the Texas primaries, around 100 less than at the comparable time during the last presidential election race in 2016.

Election Day is next Tuesday, March 3. 

Four years ago, there were several contested local races in addition to the national and statewide contests, while in 2020 the only Shackelford County office with more than one candidate on the primary ballot is for the Republican nominee for County Commissioner Precinct 1. 

By Melinda L. Lucas

Shackelford County elected officials are combing through three IT bids opened Monday, Feb. 24, with plans to meet with each vendor separately in the next couple of weeks before making a decision.

Sealed bids were received from Computer Transition Services Inc., Tolar Systems, and Goldsmith Solutions, the current vendor.

Consultation meetings  with representatives of the companies have already been posted for March 5-6, with plans to vote at the next regular meeting on Monday, March 9, according to county judge Robert Skelton.

The Hendrick Regional Blood Center bloodmobile will be at Albany High School next Monday, March 3 from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., then at First Baptist Church on Thursday, March 5 from 1:00 p.m. until 6:00 p.m. 

While the AHS location is primarily for students, anyone can donate blood at either event, depending on which is more convenient.

Hendrick Regional Blood Center supplies all of the blood and blood products used for patient care at 17 area hospitals.