You may have noticed the paper looks and feels a little different this week. That’s because this issue marks the beginning of a new printing partnership for The Albany News. After many years of being printed in Lubbock, we’ve officially moved our printing operations to Midway Press in Dallas.
One of my favorite things to do is flip through the old Albany News vault books and see what life looked like in years gone by. Every now and then, something jumps off the page and feels just as relevant today as it did back then. In this case, it’s a 2001 “Words about The Word” column written by former First Baptist Church pastor John Tunnell. His message on happiness appeared in the paper the week before September 11—a moment in history that reminded us how quickly life can change.
In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, LORD, make me dwell in safety. -Psalm 4:8 (NIV)
Sometime back, I walked into the living room and my son, Simon, was watching the 1960 movie “The Time Machine,” based on the H.G. Wells book by the same name. I told him that when I was a child that movie gave me nightmares.
By David H. Waller
Last Tuesday night, I got a text from Melinda: “Check your email.” It was somewhat late, and I had a feeling something was up. Sure enough, when I opened my inbox, the subject line of the message confirmed it, “Another Printer to Bite The Dust.”
The email linked to a story from the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal. In short, the printing press in Lubbock, the same one that’s been producing The Albany News for years, will soon shut down. Their printing operations are being moved to Juarez, Mexico.
The Beatitudes, Part 2
By Pastor B. Anderson
Text: Matthew 5:6–8
6. Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.
7. Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.
8. Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.
Hunger and Thirst for Righteousness
By David H. Waller
The final weekend of Fandangle is here. And while I’m certainly worn out—like the rest of my family—I always feel a twinge of sadness when the season comes to a close.
Growing up in Fandangle, I didn’t know anything different. As a young kid, I honestly thought every town had something like this—that every child spent their summer in western costumes, riding wagons and dancing on stage. But Albany is special. And the Fandangle is, without a doubt, one of the most special things about it.
“When Jesus stepped out of the boat onto the land, he was met by a man from the city who had demons…when he saw Jesus, he screamed, fell down before him and said with a loud voice, ‘What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, do not torment me.’” (From Luke 8:27-28)
I played with an 8-year-old girl around the corner. I was 8 also. She got polio and I never saw her again, except once being wheeled in a wheelchair to the car. How come her? I lived 150 feet from her house. Why not me?
Then someone close to my age at 15 died. I asked, “Why?” And I asked myself what is death? I had no answer.
By Lynsi Perry
What started as a typical Friday on Main Street quickly turned into a scene involving an emergency vehicle from the Albany Volunteer Fire Department and several concerned citizens gathered around a large pecan tree behind the CenterWell Home Health office building, located at the intersection of Main and S. 1st Street. The department was dispatched at approximately 2:45 p.m. on Friday for a kitten rescue from the said tree.
