By Melinda L. Lucas

In a meeting where discussions ranged from COVID-19 practices to trash roll-offs, Albany city council members sat six feet apart at their temporary meeting place in the larger conference area at the Aztec Theater’s reception room, most wearing face masks.

Mayor pro tem Susan Montgomery told council members that she appreciated the “hard decisions” that they were having to make and urged them to continue to do what is best for the citizens of Albany.

By Melinda L. Lucas

Shackelford County commissioners worked through a typical agenda during their regular meeting on Monday, April 13, most of which had little or nothing to do with the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

The locked doors of the Courthouse and social distancing of elected officials along an extended conference table were the only signs of COVID-19 restrictions.

Speed Limit Signs

By Kathy Thomson

Throughout Texas and most of the nation, only businesses considered essential are allowed to be open, and even those must abide by social distancing rules, causing many stores in Albany to be locked for the duration of the shelter in place order. However, that does not mean that they are not operating at all.

Many are accepting orders online or by phone. Many of the businesses have a website and/or a Facebook page that allow customers to view items for sale.

By Kathy Thomson

The Shackelford County hospital district board of directors met for a short seven-minute phone conference at noon on Monday, April 6, with one item on the agenda at the special meeting.

“The state sent us an email advising us that we had to postpone the May 2 election until Nov. 3, as per Governor Abbott’s instructions,” said district secretary Regina Whitt.

The motion to postpone the election was made by Janna Ledbetter and seconded by Leslie Belcher.

By Melinda L. Lucas

With the circle of confirmed COVID-19 cases closing in on Shackelford County earlier this week, and after Gov. Greg Abbott further defined his week-old executive order on Tuesday, Albany mayor Susan Montgomery called for local citizens to shelter in place effective at midnight on Wednesday, April 8.

By Kathy Thomson

Last month, 8.29 inches of rain fell in the official rain gauge, making it the wettest March ever recorded in Albany. The previous record was 5.2 inches in March 1979.

The abundant March rainfall brought the 2020 first quarter totals up to 12.36, slightly below the record 13.11 inches recorded during January, February, and March of 1968, but well above the average of 5.42 inches for the first three months.

Average Albany rainfall for the month of March is 2.33 inches. 

By Donnie A. Lucas

Local schools remain closed this week and throughout the rest of the month by order of Gov. Greg Abbott in an effort to minimize the threat of coronavirus - COVID 19.

Schools across the state will stay shuttered until May 4 under the most recent order, which could be extended through the remainder of the school year.

Teachers and staff have been busy over the last three weeks delivering content to students at Nancy Smith Elementary and Albany Jr/Sr. High School.

By Melinda L. Lucas

With Gov. Greg Abbott’s newly defined stay-at-home orders and a local shelter-in-place announcement, all but essential businesses are now closed as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Albany Pet Hospital was closed for several days, but is now open, according to their Facebook post.

CLOSED UNTIL 

FURTHER NOTICE

•All businesses except those considered essential, such as grocery stores, pharmacies, banks, feed stores, health clinics, etc. 

By Kathy Thomson

Social distancing requirements have resulted in the cancellation or reformatting of most community Easter activities in Albany this year, including church services, gathering of extended family and friends, and Easter egg hunts. 

By Melinda L. Lucas

Shackelford County commissioners met in two separate special sessions on Thursday, April 2, first extending the county judge’s week-long disaster declaration and then later in the day reluctantly agreeing to pay an almost $20,000 “migration” plan from Sam Goldsmith of Goldsmith Solutions.

They also approved a master service agreement with the county’s new IT vendor, Computer Transition Services Inc. (CTSI).

Disaster Extension