By Melinda L. Lucas
Local singer songwriter Jeff Martin marked another item off his to-do list when he performed the National Anthem on Labor Day, Sept. 4 prior to the Texas Rangers-Houston Astros game.
The Texas country music artist sang a cappella from the field, standing between the pitcher’s mound and home plate. There were 40,000 baseball fans in attendance at the sell-out, with many of Martin’s family and friends present.
By Sam Waller
Shackelford County 4-H started its new year Monday, Sept. 4 with a kickoff party at Webb Park.
“There were a few families there that I had never met before, which is shocking in a town this size,” Shackelford County extension agent Kelsey Bell said. “That was exciting, getting to reach out further. The kids played and played until they couldn’t play any more.”
Adult leaders gave overviews of different projects.
“We answered lots of questions about shooting sports,” Bell said. “We want to get more kids involved in that.”
By Sam Waller
Work has begun on installing monuments honoring Albany’s three state championship football teams at Robert Nail Memorial Stadium.
“The foundations were poured last Friday (Sept. 1),” Albany superintendent Jonathan Scott said. “I’ve been told to expect the monuments to be installed sometime around the end of September.”
By Sam Waller
The team of Toombs-Toombs shot consecutive rounds of 61 to win the Championship Flight of the Albany Golf Club’s Labor Day Tournament.
The two man scramble, played Saturday-Sunday, Sept. 2-3, at Albany Golf Course, drew a field of 50 teams. The field was divided into five flights following Saturday’s round.
Toombs-Toombs cruised to a seven-shot win over A.Holson-J.Waters, who shot a closing 62 to finish at 129. The teams of Cook-C.Holson and L.Hays-J.Hays tied for third at 133.
By Sam Waller
The Albany Junior High Cubs kicked off the football season with a pair of victories Thursday, Aug. 31, at Dublin.
The seventh grade won 38-14 with the eighth grade winning 36-22.
A combined seventh/eighth grade team will play this week at 4:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 7 at Seymour.
Coaches Ryder Peacock and Tate Thompson are working with both grades, which each have just enough players to put 11 on the field with one or two substitutes. Thompson is handling the offense, with Peacock tutoring the defense.
Seventh Grade
By Sam Waller
Overall, Moran ISD saw higher scores on state-mandated testing for the 2022-23 school year.
“Moran ISD received EOC and STAAR scores for the 2022-23 school year earlier this summer,” Gay Williams, the district’s director of testing, said. “Overall, passing rates are up from the 2021-22 school year.”
In English I, Moran posted 57 percent passing in 2023, compared to 42 percent passing in 2022.
English II saw a drop to 75 percent passing from 89 percent in 2022.
U.S. History produced 80 percent passing, up from 66 percent in 2022.
By Melinda L. Lucas
Team and individual pictures of the junior high football teams will be taken on Thursday, Sept. 14, starting at 3:45 p.m.
Those packages, along with Lady Cubs volleyball, will be ready for pickup in the next couple of weeks.
All cheer packages, high school football and volleyball are ready to be picked up at the news office.
By Melinda L. Lucas
Shackelford County commissioners proposed a tax rate and heard a presentation about building a data center adjacent to the Lone Star Wind Farm during their meeting on Monday, Aug. 28.
A workshop at the end of the regular session gave elected officials some time to refine the $4,955,169 budget that was proposed and filed after an Aug. 14 session, as required by law.
Adjustments can be made before the budget is adopted, but no action was taken Monday to change the total.
Tax Rate Proposal
By Donnie A. Lucas
A record crowd of music festival fans were on hand last Saturday for the fifth annual CareFest benefiting the ResourceCare centers serving six area communities.
The event was hosted at Happy Wife, Happy Life Event Center located about four miles west of Albany.
“It was definitely our best year yet,” co-organizer Mindy Ary said. “We don’t have an official number yet, but between 1,300 and 1,400 people attended.”
By Sam Waller
Despite excessive heat this summer, dove numbers are up across the state as the start of the hunting season approaches.
The downside is the local population is not as robust as other areas.
“We’ve had quite a few birds in the area,” game warden Jacob Mort said. “Unfortunately, in the last couple of weeks, a lot of them have pushed out. By far across the state, our dove numbers are way up, but that’s not going to help us here.”
