The Albany Lady Lions volleyball team is ready to take the court for the 2025 season, with practice beginning tomorrow, Friday, August 1. Head coach MJ Reneau said she expects around 20 girls in the program this fall, with both varsity and junior varsity teams in place. In addition to the first practice, the team will volunteer at Closet Angels Friday afternoon. 

With a new school year and athletic season just around the corner, the Albany Athletic Booster Club is launching several initiatives to build support for student-athletes and coaches.

For the first time, fans can officially become members of the Booster Club, with multiple membership levels ranging from $25 to $500. Each level offers increasing benefits like recognition in the football program, booster yard signs, decals, flags, and even T-shirts. All memberships and sponsorships apply to the 2025–2026 school year and are now available at albanyathleticboosterclub.com.

This week marks the end of an era and the beginning of a new one for The Albany News.

As I shared in the paper a few weeks ago, the printing facility in Lubbock is shutting down. The news came as a surprise, even to the team up there. The Lubbock Avalanche-Journal is moving its printing operations to Juárez, Mexico. While there was an option to move our printing there as well, it did not feel like the right fit for our paper.

Atmos Energy crews are currently at work along North Main Street as part of a system modernization project to improve the safety and reliability of Albany’s natural gas infrastructure.