By Lynsi Musselman The era of COVID-19 has brought schools, students, and parents many challenges, but it has also cleared the path for new ways of learning that are a solution for some.

The Abilene Basketball Chapter (ABC) is actively recruiting new officials for the upcoming 2020-2021 junior high and high school basketball season.  Training is available to all new ABC chapter members and help for uniforms will be provided by current ABC members.

New self-service features on farmers.gov will help farmers and ranchers manage their conservation activities online and request assistance from the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS).

By Lynsi Musselman Every year Shackelford County seems to have an intense wildfire season, and this summer has been no exception. With 13 consecutive days of 100 degree temperatures this month, and one day reaching 110 degrees, the threat for wildfires has increased.

By Lynsi Musselman Registration is nearly full for the annual Albany Golf Club’s Labor Day tournament being held on Sept. 5 and 6. Club officer James Waters said there are only three spots available for the morning tee time.

By Lynsi Musselman Albany Independent School District sporting events will look a little different this year as the school is required to follow government guidelines due to COVID-era safety precautions.

By Lynsi Musselman The 2020-2021 school year for Moran ISD gets underway on Monday, Aug. 24, at 8:00 a.m. The staff has been busy preparing for students to arrive for face-to-face learning or on the computer for remote instruction.

By Lynsi Musselman The Albany Independent School District 2020-2021 school year began yesterday, Aug. 19 with the tardy bell ringing at 7:55 a.m. on the elementary campus and five minutes later, at 8:00 a.m., for junior high and high school students.

By Melinda L. Lucas Members of the Albany city council met briefly on Tuesday morning to propose a tax rate, discussing a couple of options but agreeing quickly that they did not want to “put any more burden” on local taxpayers than necessary.

By Melinda L. Lucas Shackelford County commissioners took care of several agenda items before continuing to work on the budget for the upcoming fiscal year at a special session on Monday afternoon, Aug. 17. Lease agreements for motor graders for both Pct. 2 and Pct. 4 were approved. Pct.