What began as a police manhunt Sunday afternoon turned out to be a major misunderstanding.

Shortly after noon, a crew of windmill workers were parked outside a residence on Eaheart Street rented by one of their coworkers. The group, who do not speak English but are in the U.S. legally, were sitting in their vehicle while one member stood outside. When it was determined they could not stay at the residence, the driver reportedly called out to his coworker standing outside the vehicle, asking to use his phone to book a room at a local motel.

This week marks one year at The Albany News. Where in the world did that time go? The older I get, the faster it seems to move. I know, I know—some old-timer is already shaking his head saying, “Wait, kid, it only gets faster.” And I believe it. I’m just starting to fully grasp how fast it’s going by.

For Brian Woodyard, the rush of a wrestling crowd never really goes away. Once the walk-out music hits — in his case, “Blood” by Dropkick Murphys — he says it all comes back like riding a bike. That was the feeling Saturday, Nov. 1, when he stepped through the curtain at the DoubleTree Hilton in Abilene and returned to the ring for the first time in two years.

Woodyard is known in the wrestling world as Conor Murphy, the Pub Rat — an Irish-accented brawler with a catchphrase ready for any challenger: “I’m serving up a pint of beatdown.”

Members of the Albany Masonic Lodge visited Nancy Smith Elementary School on Friday, Oct. 31, to deliver toothbrush kits and share a lesson on oral health with students. With many children dressed in their Halloween costumes, it proved to be a fitting day to learn about taking care of teeth before an evening filled with candy.

As part of the visit, school nurse Heather Nitschke spoke with first-grade students about the importance of brushing and demonstrated proper techniques to help keep their smiles healthy.

Excitement is growing for this weekend’s Fall Fest, an annual fundraiser sponsored by the Albany PTO. Fall Fest is set for Saturday, Nov. 8, from 4 to 8 p.m. at Nancy Smith Elementary School, featuring game booths, Bingo, a cake walk, face painting, food and drinks, and a few new attractions.

A “Glow in the Dark” Silent Disco – new this year – will take place in the gym from 5 to 7 p.m., with 10-minute sessions starting every 15 minutes.

When Madison Jones stepped to the starting line of the New York City Marathon on Nov. 2, she wasn’t sure her goal was possible. She had trained for five months in the Texas summer heat, but the thought of running 26.2 miles in under four hours — something she had never attempted — still felt uncertain.

Jones, a 2014 graduate of Albany High School now living in Austin, powered across the finish line in 3:58:28 — a strong result in one of the toughest and most iconic races in the world.

It’s time to break out the recipe cards and family secrets — The Albany News is cooking up this year’s Holiday Recipe section and we need your help to make it delicious. From cherished family desserts passed down through generations to new dishes you’ve perfected for the holiday table, every recipe tells a story. We want to celebrate those stories and the cooks behind them.

This year’s recipes will appear in the regular newspaper instead of in a separate section.

The Shackelford County Commissioners Court approved a new set of regulations Monday morning establishing minimum standards for recreational vehicle parks throughout the county. The decision comes less than two weeks after the City of Albany adopted its own RV park ordinance on October 13, signaling a coordinated effort to manage fast-moving growth tied to regional construction and workforce housing.

When rain threatened to wash out Friday night football last week, Albany and Cross Plains coaches scrambled to reschedule. What started as a simple forecast adjustment quickly turned into a community effort—complete with makeshift referees, borrowed shirts, and a few laughs along the way.

On Wednesday morning, Albany head coach Denney Faith and Cross Plains coach Jared Sanderson agreed to move the varsity game to Thursday night and the junior high and JV games to Wednesday to beat the approaching storms. The only hitch: no officials were available for the Wednesday matchups.

A Baird man who led law enforcement on a high-speed chase and sparked a large-scale manhunt through Albany in January has been sentenced to 15 years in federal prison, while other charges related to the incident remain pending in Shackelford County.

Micheal Z. Haley, 38, of Baird, received the sentence after pleading guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm. The charge stems from a January 30 pursuit that began east of Abilene and ended with Haley’s arrest north of Albany following several hours of searching by law enforcement.