Financial figures for both the upcoming year and last year were significant topics during the Albany city council’s meeting on Monday, when a $3.29 million budget was adopted for fiscal year 2019-2020, and the audit was approved for 2017-2018.

City manager Billy Holson told council members that he had trimmed the $275,000 deficit discussed during a budget workshop to about $126,000.

“I cut some things I didn’t really want to cut, but at the same time, I didn’t feel like realistically we could get to it,” said Holson. “We just don’t have the manpower.”

“Leo” the Southern Ocean Carbon and Climate Observations and Modeling (SOCCOM) float adopted by Albany Junior and Senior High School last year has resumed sending data after being trapped beneath ice in the Southern (Antarctic) Ocean for several months.

SOCCOM is a multi-institutional study designed to try and unlock the mysteries of the Antarctic Ocean and its influence on climate. One of the ways the group is collecting data is through the use of oceanic floats that are launched into the Southern Ocean to collect and send back data.

Albany ISD students, faculty, and staff are scheduled to dismiss for the spring break holiday at noon on Friday, March 8.

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

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

Spring break will take place March 11-15. 

Classes will resume at the normal time on Monday, March 18.

T-shirts, sweatshirts, and coffee cups, all sporting the Fellowship of Christian Athletes logo, are available in a wide assortment of colors from FCA Big Country East area representative Paul Johnston.

“I’m selling the stuff to get kids to camp,” said Johnston. “Money made from the fundraiser will be used to send Big Country East kids to an FCA camp that will be held at Hardin Simmons University on June 17-21.”

The $30 coffee cups are RTIC brand, stainless steel, double wall vacuum insulated, 20 ounce tumblers. 

Thomas Aly, CEO and founder of Live Missions and former Albany First Baptist Church youth minister, has once again organized a spring break mission trip to Uganda, and six local residents are among the group traveling to Africa.

“We have 21 people on our trip and will be leaving out today,” Aly said on Tuesday. “We will be doing door-to-door evangelism with Pastor Deo and his church in Namayumba, Uganda. We are not doing a specific project this trip but will be involved in street evangelism the entire time.”

Even though the mercury dipped down into the mid-teens for several days earlier this week, county residents were not reporting any serious problems associated with weather as of press time.

The official low temperature in Albany on Sunday night was 17 degrees, but a north wind made it feel even more frigid.

The National Weather Service posted that the wind chill in Albany at 6:00 a.m. on Monday morning was 7°F, and soon thereafter KTAB News reported that the “feels-like temperature” in Albany had dropped even lower, to four degrees.

Shackelford County voters who wish to vote by mail ballot for either Albany city council members or for trustees for AISD can submit applications from now until April 23.

Albany school district applications can be requested from Morgan Whitley at the AISD superintendent’s office at PO Box 2050, Albany TX 76430, or by phone at 325-762-3974.

City ballot applications can be requested from Becky Wiloth by phone at 325-762-3133, by mail at Albany City Hall, PO Box 3248, Albany TX 76430, or in person at 425 South 2nd Street. 

Fort Griffin State Historic Site will hold a Stars and Skies party this Saturday, March 9, at 7:00 p.m.

“Join us next week for our first star party of the spring season,” said event specialist Eric Abercrombie. “We are hoping for great temperatures and clear skies!”

The forecast calls for a low of 42 degrees, only a 10 percent chance of showers, and mostly clear skies. The sun should set at 6:40 p.m., and the moon won’t rise until morning, leaving a long dark night, perfect for a star party.

Star Party

Moran teams have been running at the track in Cisco to prepare for the spring season, and they will take part in their first meet of the year at Hico today, Feb. 28.

Girls coach Dakota Fowler has 10 tracksters on the high school team and five on the junior high squad.

Harley Ethridge is the boys varsity and junior high coach.

All four track teams competed at Hico today and will participate in a track meet in Gordon on Monday, March 4 before taking a week off for spring break. 

Several weeks ago, 19 dogs from Texas, Oklahoma, and Nebraska came to the Crooked Tree Ranch outside of Albany to compete for the title of “2019 Region 7 AFTCA  Amateur-All Age Champion.”  

Judges for the event were Dr. Alex Jacocks of Edmond, Oklahoma and Scoot Terrell of Canton. 

“Both men have been involved in bird dog trials for many years and are knowledgeable in the ways of pointing dogs and wild quail,” said show secretary Mary Ann Gustafson. “The weather was perfect, and despite the lack of spring rain, quail were there to be found.”