Parents of students and prospective students at Moran Independent School District have been asked to look over possible changes to the 2019-2020 school year calendar and then fill out an online survey.

Both the calendar and the survey can be accessed from the MISD website home page at www.moran.esc14.net. 

The modified schedule would lengthen the school day to last until 4:00 p.m. each regular day, 22 minutes longer than the current release time of 3:38 p.m. The proposed calendar also includes several scheduled half days with a 12:00 noon release.

Rain gauges across Shackelford County measured well above average rainfall during 2018, and that trend is continuing in 2019. 

Residents reporting totals to the -USDA-Service Center office showed anywhere from 34 inches to over 40 inches of rainfall in various parts of the county during 2018, even though there were several months when less than 25 percent of the expected normal was reported. 

Albany ISD will release at 3:00 p.m. today, May 9, and students have a holiday tomorrow, May 10.

Friday, May 10 is designated as a staff comp day, and it is the last student holiday before the school year ends on May 22.

Teachers will still report for work days on May 23 and 24.

High school commencement will close out the school year and takes place at 7:00 p.m. on Friday, May 24.

In February, the Alzheimer’s Association – North Central Texas Chapter launched meetings for a new caregiver support group in Abilene. 

The Memories Matter group meets the last Thursday of each month from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. at Lyndale Abilene – Memory Care, located at 6568 Central Park Boulevard. The next meeting is set for May 30.   

County voters have the opportunity to cast ballots in three separate elections this Saturday, May 4, with contested races being decided for the Albany Independent School District board of trustees, Albany city council, and Fort Griffin Special Utility District (SUD).

A total of 200 early voters had already been to Albany City Hall by the end of the early voting period at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday to mark their choices in both city and school races.

About 45 showed up for early voting at the SUD office.

Polling Sites, Hours

Although bank robber Lacey Anderson and her accomplices Megaen Birdwell, wagon driver Cody Leech, and sheriff Shannon Leech made off with a huge haul of phoney bills stolen from the bank during the first annual Albany Chamber of Commerce Wild West Day last Saturday, their counterfeit treasure could not compare with the pride beaming from the eyes of Maggie Spraberry, who baked the winning pie using her great-grandmother Bess Hobbs’ recipe.

Albany native Kirstin Hilliard won the top spot at the crooner contest, earning $400 in CareFest tickets and $200 cash.

Albany High School junior Addison Asher is headed to the UIL state academic meet at the University of Texas campus in Austin this weekend, along with sponsors Donnie Lucas and Jenny Scott.

A sendoff is planned Thursday afternoon at 3:00 p.m. as the group passes through the downtown area.

Asher is advancing in three events after taking first in headline writing and third in both news writing and feature writing at the Regional 1-2A meet in Odessa last month.

The youth of First Baptist Church of Moran are raising money to go to summer camp by delivering pizzas this Saturday, May 4.

The $12 each, single topping pizzas from Pizza Heaven, must be pre-ordered by today, May 2, and will be delivered to houses in Moran around 5:30 p.m. on Saturday, and in Albany around 6:00 p.m. the same evening.

Payment by either cash or check is due at the time of delivery.

Pizzas can be topped with any one of the following: cheese, canadian bacon, hamburger, pepperoni, or sausage.

The Moran Future Farmers of America poultry team of Jaylynn Roberts, Johnnie Hise, Sage O’Keefe, and Hannah Rogers placed sixth in the Big Country District at the Tarleton Area IV CDE contest at Stephenville on Wednesday, April 17. 

The top five poultry teams from Area IV, which included the top two teams from the Big Country district, one from the Pecan Valley District, and two from the Oil Belt District qualified for the state poultry competition that will take place at Texas A&M University in College Station on Saturday, May 4.

Kindergarten and 

Two Moran High School tennis teams competed at the Region 3-A meet at Whitney last Thursday, April 18, and although the season ended for both the girls doubles team of Kaylin New and Hannah Rogers and the boys doubles team of Kobee Lapp and Harley Schafer at the regional meet, coach Jo Hise praised her athletes for all of their efforts over the year.  

“I’m very proud of how these teams played and represented Moran ISD,” she said. “We had a wonderful season, and I’m looking forward to another great season next year.”