Classes in the Albany schools will resume on Monday morning, March 18 following a week-long spring break.

The tardy bells will ring as usual at 7:55 a.m. at Nancy Smith Elementary School and at the secondary campus.

The remainder of the semester will include mandatory state testing, interrupted by two holidays.

The next scheduled break is the Easter holiday, and students will be off on Good Friday, April 19, and Easter Monday, April 22. 

State Testing

State STAAR testing occurs April 9-12 and May 13-17. 

Financial figures for both the upcoming year and last year were significant topics during the Albany city council’s meeting on Monday, when a $3.29 million budget was adopted for fiscal year 2019-2020, and the audit was approved for 2017-2018.

City manager Billy Holson told council members that he had trimmed the $275,000 deficit discussed during a budget workshop to about $126,000.

“I cut some things I didn’t really want to cut, but at the same time, I didn’t feel like realistically we could get to it,” said Holson. “We just don’t have the manpower.”

Photographs taken at the Shackelford County Youth & Livestock Show will be ready for purchasers to pick up at the Shackelford County Courthouse early next week.

The photos are taken by the News staff, but proceeds benefit the stock show association.

The packages should be picked up from Jeannie Balliew on the second floor of the Courthouse.

“Leo” the Southern Ocean Carbon and Climate Observations and Modeling (SOCCOM) float adopted by Albany Junior and Senior High School last year has resumed sending data after being trapped beneath ice in the Southern (Antarctic) Ocean for several months.

SOCCOM is a multi-institutional study designed to try and unlock the mysteries of the Antarctic Ocean and its influence on climate. One of the ways the group is collecting data is through the use of oceanic floats that are launched into the Southern Ocean to collect and send back data.

A celebration honoring the life of Cindy Miller will be held at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, March 16, 2019 at Davis-Morris Funeral Home in Brownwood. Interment will follow in Clear Creek Cemetery. 

Visitation will be Thursday, March 14 from 6:00-8:00 p.m. at the funeral home. 

Cindy was called home on Monday, March 11, 2019, following a courageous battle with cancer. Throughout her illness she always remained positive and a light to those who loved her.

No single event signals the beginning of the warm weather season more than the act of “springing forward.”

Daylight Saving Time returns this Sunday, March 10 at 2:00 a.m., when Albany residents, along with most of the rest of the U.S., will have to set their clocks ahead by an hour, stealing sleep that might not be restored until clocks “fall back” on Nov. 3.

Daylight Saving Time starts on the second Sunday in March and ends on the first Sunday in November, which in 2019 is Nov. 3.

Fandangle performers, especially those that will be out of pocket over spring break, need to note that artistic director Lorna Ayers has rescheduled rehearsals to try and decrease conflicts.

“I have changed the days of Sampler rehearsals for March to Mondays, to get rehearsals off baseball/softball game days,” Ayers said. “All rehearsals will start at 7:30 p.m. unless otherwise specified, and we will be at the Aztec.”

Starting in April, two rehearsals will be held every week, she added.

A community blood drive will take place in Albany on Thursday, March 14, sponsored by the Kiwanis Club. The Hendrick Regional Blood Center bloodmobile will be parked at First Baptist Church from 1:00 p.m. until 6:00 p.m. 

At the most recent blood drive just before Christmas, local residents gave 21 pints of blood.

There were actually 28 donors, but some weren’t able to give for various reasons, according to donor recruiter Frances Baker.

The City of Albany will test the emergency warning siren at 12:00 noon next Wednesday, March 13, as it does the second Wednesday of every month, depending on the weather.

The tests keep citizens familiar with the three warning sounds, and they are also used to make sure that the siren, computer, software, and radios are working correctly.

With the spring severe weather season quickly approaching, and deadly tornadoes already reported in southern states this year, the tests become especially important.

By Kathy Thomson

The Albany High School 2019 competition one-act play The Fourth Ward was performed in front of a live local audience at the high school auditorium on Sunday, March 3, to prepare for the district competition that took place yesterday.

“I was impressed with the amount of community members who came to support our kids,” co-director Jenny Scott said on Tuesday. “I am very proud of the students and the efforts they have put forth with this play. The performance went well, and I am excited to see how we do at district.”