Albany Junior High theater students delivered a strong showing at the 2025 UIL district one-act play contest on Nov. 13 with their performance of The Book of Dog by Jiggs Burgess.

The production earned Best Performer for Parker Rose, Honorable Mention All-Star Cast for Patton Smith, and the Tech Award for sound technician Iathan Torres.

Director Nickie Leveridge, in her first year leading the junior high program alongside Kay Leigh Oliver, praised the students for their commitment and rapid growth.

Albany athlete Hunter Waddell brought home a gold medal after competing in the 2025 Special Olympics Area 14 Bowling Competition in San Angelo.

The event, held November 14-15 at Stadium Lanes in San Angelo, featured teams from across the Area 14 region, including delegations from Abilene, Brownwood and San Angelo. Athletes spent two days competing in multiple divisions.

Waddell competed as part of a four-member team called The Goats. In the championship match, he rolled a solid score of 208 to help secure the gold medal for his team.

In Albany, mention of the “Bazaar” means the holidays are near — and this year’s event carries extra significance. Matthews Memorial Presbyterian Church will celebrate the 125th anniversary of its first Bazaar this Saturday, Nov. 15, continuing one of the town’s oldest and most beloved community traditions. What began as a small gathering of church women raising funds for local mission work in 1900 has grown into an annual event that continues to bring together friends, families, and neighbors from across the area.

Entries are being sought for the 2025 Lighted Christmas Parade set to roll through downtown Albany on Saturday, Nov. 30 starting at 6:00 p.m.

The annual event is sponsored by the Albany Chamber of Commerce.

Shop Small Town Saturday activities are also planned, with drawings for Albany Bucks at various times both before and after the parade.

Chamber manager Brandi Lehew said that parade entry forms are available online on the Chamber’s Facebook page.

What began as a police manhunt Sunday afternoon turned out to be a major misunderstanding.

Shortly after noon, a crew of windmill workers were parked outside a residence on Eaheart Street rented by one of their coworkers. The group, who do not speak English but are in the U.S. legally, were sitting in their vehicle while one member stood outside. When it was determined they could not stay at the residence, the driver reportedly called out to his coworker standing outside the vehicle, asking to use his phone to book a room at a local motel.

This week marks one year at The Albany News. Where in the world did that time go? The older I get, the faster it seems to move. I know, I know—some old-timer is already shaking his head saying, “Wait, kid, it only gets faster.” And I believe it. I’m just starting to fully grasp how fast it’s going by.

For Brian Woodyard, the rush of a wrestling crowd never really goes away. Once the walk-out music hits — in his case, “Blood” by Dropkick Murphys — he says it all comes back like riding a bike. That was the feeling Saturday, Nov. 1, when he stepped through the curtain at the DoubleTree Hilton in Abilene and returned to the ring for the first time in two years.

Woodyard is known in the wrestling world as Conor Murphy, the Pub Rat — an Irish-accented brawler with a catchphrase ready for any challenger: “I’m serving up a pint of beatdown.”

Members of the Albany Masonic Lodge visited Nancy Smith Elementary School on Friday, Oct. 31, to deliver toothbrush kits and share a lesson on oral health with students. With many children dressed in their Halloween costumes, it proved to be a fitting day to learn about taking care of teeth before an evening filled with candy.

As part of the visit, school nurse Heather Nitschke spoke with first-grade students about the importance of brushing and demonstrated proper techniques to help keep their smiles healthy.

Excitement is growing for this weekend’s Fall Fest, an annual fundraiser sponsored by the Albany PTO. Fall Fest is set for Saturday, Nov. 8, from 4 to 8 p.m. at Nancy Smith Elementary School, featuring game booths, Bingo, a cake walk, face painting, food and drinks, and a few new attractions.

A “Glow in the Dark” Silent Disco – new this year – will take place in the gym from 5 to 7 p.m., with 10-minute sessions starting every 15 minutes.

When Madison Jones stepped to the starting line of the New York City Marathon on Nov. 2, she wasn’t sure her goal was possible. She had trained for five months in the Texas summer heat, but the thought of running 26.2 miles in under four hours — something she had never attempted — still felt uncertain.

Jones, a 2014 graduate of Albany High School now living in Austin, powered across the finish line in 3:58:28 — a strong result in one of the toughest and most iconic races in the world.