‘Tasty Bakes’ puts Moran on map

By Lynsi Musselman

Good & Tasty Bakes, a company dedicated to helping people have their sweets and eat them too, is putting Moran on the map.

The endeavor was created by mother and daughter duo Joey Weir of Moran and Lauren Jo Gandillon, formerly of Albany,.

Gandillon said she and her mother wanted to enjoy something sweet while eating clean and healthy.

Water report distributed

By Kathy Thomson

Albany water customers should have received a “2019 Annual Drinking Water Quality Report” this week showing that locally treated water meets or exceeds all federal drinking water requirements and that there were no violations during the year 2019.

“The report shows our water quality is normal,” said Albany water manager David Bales. “There were no violations.”

Report Summary

Moran students to start Aug. 24

By Lynsi Musselman

Students at Moran Independent School District will begin the 2020-2021 school year on Monday, Aug. 24.

MISD superintendent Danny Freeman said the projected enrollment is  112 for this year.

Parents and guardians of Moran ISD students are asked to complete a  “return to school” survey by Monday, July 27.

“The survey will help the district determine the mode of instruction we will use in the upcoming academic school year,” Freeman said.

The survey can be found on the Moran ISD website, www.moran.esc14.net.

Albany News

Dry conditions elevate fire dangers

By Lynsi Musselman

The month of July has been a scorcher, not unlike most summers in Albany.

Temperatures have hit 108 degrees twice in one week with more hot, dry, and windy days in the forecast, drying out vegetation and causing more concern for wildfires.

Shackelford County Rural Volunteer Fire Department secretary Kristy Brooker said last week alone there were five small local wildfires with one mutual aid fire in Lueders.

Official numbers show only 2 active

By Donnie A. Lucas

The number of confirmed test results for COVID-19 continues to rise, with a cumulative total of 14 positive results as of Monday, compared with nine at the same time last week.

County Judge Robert Skelton received an update on Wednesday morning from the regional office of the Texas Department of Health Services reporting the 14 total positive cases, corrected from 16 confirmed cases reported earlier in the week. According to a state dashboard, 77 tests have been administered.

Albany News

AISD rolls out plan to start school year

By Donnie A. Lucas

Albany school officials rolled out the plan for opening the 2020-2021 school year this week, with the first day of classes still set for Wednesday, Aug. 19.

While the instructional plan does provide some alternates for parents who are considering keeping their child at home due to the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, most of the plan outlines business as usual for students in the district.

Photo packets now available

Photographs taken of various teams and individuals by The Albany News during the local t-ball, coach pitch, and baseball seasons are available for pickup.

Summer baseball packages are priced at $18 plus tax. Many of the packets have already been paid for, and although many have already been picked up, there are dozens still at the News office.

Graduation photos of the 2020 Albany High School seniors are also in, but several members of the class have not yet placed their orders.

Albany News

2020 CareFest postponed

By Lynsi Musselman

Like most planned events for 2020, ResourceCare’s CareFest has met a similar fate with the  cancellation announced this past week.

Festival directors Mindy Ary and Ragan Riley explained that due to circumstances beyond their control, they have made the decision to postpone CareFest until Summer 2021.

“We were running out of days to ‘hope and pray’ that the current restrictions in the state of Texas would improve,” Ary said. “With the uncertainties that lie ahead, we could not continue to move forward.”

Albany News

Local rancher John Matthews dies at 101

By Melinda L. Lucas

A “sold out” event in March 2019 celebrating his 100th birthday was a perfect example of how Albany residents felt about John Matthews. The free tickets to the musical held at the Aztec were gone within a few hours, with a long waiting list in case someone was unlucky enough not to be able to attend.

Matthews, an authentic Old Timer who belonged to the legendary pioneer Shackelford County family, died Saturday at the age of 101.

Directors okay purchase of CPR system

By Melinda L. Lucas

Shackelford County Hospital District directors decided to purchase a Lucas 3 chest compression system for the ambulance service at Monday night’s meeting, but opted to continue to look for grants for the more expensive self-lifting Stryker stretcher proposed by EMS director Tina Ulbrich.

The CPR machine, which can be used both on-scene and in-transport, is available temporarily at a reduced price because of a COVID-19 “Disaster Purchasing Program.”

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