By Sam Waller

The Albany Junior High Cubs and Lady Cubs basketball teams had a busy week with games on Thursday, Jan 20, against Hawley and Monday, Jan. 24 against Haskell.

The seventh and eighth grade boys teams will compete in the Breckenridge tournament on Saturday, Jan. 29, while the girls will send one team to the Guthrie tournament.

The junior high teams will close out their schedules against Stamford on Monday, Jan. 31. The girls teams will be at home with the boys on the road.

Eighth Grade Boys

By Sam Waller

Nearly 70 players have registered to participate in Albany Little Dribblers, showing significant growth in the girls division.

League organizer Joe Tidwell said 42 girls and 24 boys are registered for the program, which is open to boys and girls age eight through fourth grade.

The number of girls signed up led to the formation of six teams, leaving Tidwell to figure out a workable schedule.

By Sam Waller

Albany’s youth basketball teams have faced scheduling issues through the first three weeks of their season, but competition is ongoing.

Teams of fifth and sixth graders have played two weekends, but games on Saturday, Jan. 15 were cancelled and likely will not be made up, according to league organizers.

Albany’s sixth grade girls team, which has just six players, has yet to play a game because of illness.

The sixth grade boys and fifth grade boys and girls have each played two weekends.

By Donnie A. Lucas

The annual Pinewood Derby competition for local Cub Scouts has been rescheduled for Monday, Jan. 31 at the Scout Hut.

Originally set for this past Monday, the event was moved to next week due to a schedule conflict.

Several Scouts are expected to participate in the event.

Check-in will begin at 5:30 p.m. with races starting at 6:00 p.m.

For more information about the derby, contact Cubmaster Jacey Shack at 325-762-0006.

By Sam Waller

The Moran Lady Bulldogs picked up their second District 13-1A victory last week to split two home games.

The Lady Bulldogs lost 68-26 to Eula on Tuesday, Jan. 18, but held off Rising Star 42-38 on Friday, Jan. 21.

Meanwhile, the Moran boys team lost 86-30 to Eula, then fell agonizingly short in a 47-45 loss to Rising Star.

The Bulldogs played at Cross Plains on Monday, Jan. 24 in a game postponed from Friday, Jan. 14. Results were not available at press time and will be reported next week.

By Sam Waller

Moran ISD officials are taking a visual approach in helping students prepare for state-mandated testing.

Superintendent Dr. John Denson said a data room has been established to better chart student progress.

“We’ve got a secure room where we can put all our students’ progress on the walls to help them prepare for the STAAR tests,” Denson said. “It helps us figure out the individual needs of each student. We can determine if a student needs more help in reading, while another might need extra time in math.”

By Melinda L. Lucas

Pick-up dates for the February distribution of the commodity food program will be Thursday, Feb. 3 and Friday, Feb. 4.

Eligible families in Moran should pick up their monthly commodity food at the Moran City Hall between 9:00 and 11:00 a.m. on Thursday, Feb. 3.

Albany families can pick up on Friday, Feb. 4, from 9:00 to 11:00 a.m. at the rear door of the JP office.

Families are reminded to complete a 2022 application to apply for the 2022 program when they pick up their food.

Judith Dorine Wood, 80, of Albany passed away peacefully Jan. 23, 2022 in Anson surrounded by her loving family. Judy was born May 24, 1941 in Benton, IL to parents George Leonard “Cocky” and Joan Wood. The family moved to Texas when she was five years old, and she often said “she got to Texas as quick as she could!”

Claude Lanier Campbell of San Angelo passed away on Jan. 18, 2022, at the age of 82.

He was born on March 30, 1939, in Corpus Christi, Texas, to Mervyn “Mutt” Campbell and Pauline (Winters) Campbell. Raised in South Texas, he graduated from Calallen High School in 1957, where he was a sports star, participating in basketball, baseball, and golf, achieving state-level honors in the latter.

By Donnie A. Lucas

A rapid increase in the number of positive COVID-19 test results last week, along with the Shackelford County Health Clinic having to close for a day and a half at the end of the week, led Albany school officials to cancel classes last Friday.

The number of positive test results reached a one-week high last week with 116 positive results from the 235 tests administered locally, according to the weekly update issued by the county judge on Tuesday.