By Melinda L. Lucas City, school, and county officials are on the front lines of the worldwide coronavirus surge as they carefully but quickly navigate state and federal recommendations to rein in the “beast” before it grows to the proportions that it has in other countries.

By Melinda L. Lucas Albany ISD trustees made a tough decision during a Monday night meeting dominated by coronavirus concerns, eventually voting unanimously to suspend local classes through the end of March.

By Melinda L. Lucas Coronavirus protocol for both the health clinic and the ambulance service was reviewed during a regular meeting of the Shackelford County Hospital District’s directors on Monday, March 16.

By Melinda L. Lucas School breakfast and lunch for local students during the period that classes are suspended were still up in the air at press time, but Albany ISD administrators were hopeful that the cafeteria staff could begin distributing meals as soon as Thursday morning, March 19.

By Kathy Thomson Albany High School students are dealing with numerous schedule changes and cancellations due to the COVIC-19 pandemic including postponement of the District 8-2A academic contest, originally scheduled to take place next Monday, March 23.

By Kathy Thomson Members of the Shackelford County Youth and Livestock Association are hoping to meet sometime before April 15 for a general meeting to evaluate the 2020 show, consider any proposed rule changes, and address any concerns that have been brought to the attention of the Association,...

The city of Albany will receive a sales tax allotment of $41,174 from the state this March. The amount is down 40.94 percent from the $69,720 payment received in March of 2019. Payments to date for the city of Albany are $127,219, down by 26.31 percent from the comparable time last year.

By Kathy Thomson The spread of SARS-CoV-2, the novel coronavirus which causes the disease COVID-19, has quickly upended everyday life around the world, with quarantines, school closures, event cancellations, working from home, and empty spaces on store shelves becoming the new normal for many.

By Donnie A. Lucas Albany school officials have announced that all school facilities, including the weight room, gyms and the “green room” have been closed to both students and the public through March 31.

By Kathy Thomson Three local youth made the sale at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo before the event closed early due to the coronavirus pandemic.