By Lynsi Musselman The Albany Independent School District 2020-2021 school year began yesterday, Aug. 19 with the tardy bell ringing at 7:55 a.m. on the elementary campus and five minutes later, at 8:00 a.m., for junior high and high school students.

By Melinda L. Lucas Members of the Albany city council met briefly on Tuesday morning to propose a tax rate, discussing a couple of options but agreeing quickly that they did not want to “put any more burden” on local taxpayers than necessary.

By Melinda L. Lucas Shackelford County commissioners took care of several agenda items before continuing to work on the budget for the upcoming fiscal year at a special session on Monday afternoon, Aug. 17. Lease agreements for motor graders for both Pct. 2 and Pct. 4 were approved. Pct.

By Donnie A. Lucas For the third consecutive week, no positive tests for the COVID-19 coronavirus were reported in the county, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services.

By Melinda L. Lucas Albany ISD’s board of trustees set a date for a special meeting to adopt the 2020-2021 budget and tax rate during a regular session on Monday, Aug. 17. The board plans an early morning meeting on Monday, Aug.

By Lynsi Musselman Albany’s United Parcel Service (UPS) man, Larry Loveland, has delivered countless packages to residents for over 15 years. Some might say he is one of the most important visitors to town, next to Santa Claus.

By Lynsi Musselman Board members of the Albany Chest will meet to organize the 2020 fundraising campaign, nominate and elect new directors, and choose officers for the upcoming year during a Sept. 2 meeting that will be held at The Feed Store at 5:15 p.m.

By Melinda L. Lucas Members of the Shackelford County Appraisal District’s board of directors passed a proposed budget of $391,745 for 2021, an increase of just 1.1 percent from the current budget, during a meeting held Aug. 14.

By Lynsi Musselman The Old Jail Art Center was notified recently that the museum had received a Humanities Texas Relief Grant. This summer, Humanities Texas awarded over $1.1 million to 198 Texas nonprofits that suffered financial losses as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

By Melinda L. Lucas Even during unusual times like the current coronavirus pandemic, regular blood donations are needed in order to ensure the continued adequacy of the supply at area hospitals, so Hendrick Regional Blood Center’s bloodmobile is in Albany on Thursday, Aug.