By Melinda L. Lucas

Incumbent commissioner Steve Riley kept his seat in Shackelford County’s precinct 1, fending off challenger Bobby Williams in Tuesday’s Republican primary election.

Riley garnered 39 percent of the 212 ballots cast in precinct 1, where there are 543 registered voters. He will not face any Democratic opposition in the general election in November.

Several other local incumbent candidates, including district attorney Joe Edd Boaz, sheriff Edward Miller, and commissioner Lanham Martin, were unopposed on the Republican primary ballot. 

By Kathy Thomson

Seats on three local boards will be determined by voters on Election Day, those who cast early ballots, and those who return mail in  ballots for the May 2 races, including one with a list of candidates which was revised again this week.

Incumbent Cindy Huskey will be on the ballot for Moran city council after all, said Moran city secretary Teresa King.

The City of Albany has scheduled a regular test of the emergency warning siren to take place at 12:00 noon next Wednesday, March 11, as it does the second Wednesday of every month, depending on the weather.

The tests keep citizens familiar with the three warning sounds, and they are also used to make sure that the siren, computer, software, and radios are working correctly.

The siren should sound one of the three emergency tones at noon on that day, but the siren is not tested if the weather is questionable, according to local fire chief Kyle Tischler. 

By Melinda L. Lucas

Albany city council members will conduct a budget hearing at 7:00 p.m. next Monday, March 9, preceding their regular monthly meeting at Albany City Hall.

The balanced budget of $2,936,850 was proposed at the Feb. 10 session and is expected to be in place before the city’s fiscal year begins on April 1, 2020.

Budget Proposal

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.