By Lynsi Musselman

Low rainfall totals in May and a sunny early June has kept the mosquito population away; however, Albany is far from mosquito free.

Albany city employee Davis Bales said he has yet to spray for mosquitoes this season but the fogging machine is calibrated for the year and there is a full drum of chemicals.

“Albany is broken into two sections that we spray, separated by the highway,” Bales said. “The parks and little league field will be sprayed soon, and other areas will be hit on and off depending on the rain.”

By Melinda L. Lucas

Knox City administrator Glen Hill was approved as the new principal for Albany’s high school and junior high campus during an early morning special session of the Albany ISD board of trustees on Thursday, June 4.

Hill was one of 18 candidates for the position, with three selected for second interviews by a five-member committee made up of secondary staff members.

AISD superintendent Jonathan Scott conducted the final interviews and recommended Hill to the board on Thursday.

By Lynsi Musselman

The Texas Education Agency reported last week that Albany Independent School District earned favorable results for the first year of a new TEA review.

AISD was found to be in compliance of all areas of the review, meeting full credit in disciplines that were monitored in TEA’s first cyclical review of Local Education Agencies (LEA).

By Donnie A. Lucas

There are still 11 of the 36 spots for team entries in the annual Father’s Day Golf Tournament set for June 20-21 at the Albany Golf Club.

Restrictions on activities at the local golf course have been eased in the face of the coronavirus pandemic, allowing the local golf club to host the traditional 36-team tourney. 

By Lynsi Musselman

There are probably few animal species that send shivers up spines more often than snakes, prompting many people to state emphatically that “the only good snake is a dead snake.” 

Snakes are even synonymous with the devil, associated with lies, evil, and temptation.

However, snakes are not always an adversary.

 According to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department website, snakes create a balance in the ecosystem, most often acting as invasive rodent control. 

Sally Ann Judd Harrison, passed away peacefully on June 1, 2020 at the age of 96, in Richmond, Texas. 

She was born in Jan. of 1924 in Houston, Texas to Ardon Berkeley Judd and Sallie Reynolds Matthews Judd and was the oldest of three children. 

Sally Ann attended Saint Mary’s Hall in San Antonio and was a graduate of Lamar High School in Houston. She attended the University of Texas and was a member of Pi Beta Phi Sorority. 

By Lynsi Musselman

 After the absence of regular school events from Spring Break to the end of the regular school year, summer school has started up with some normalcy.

Third grade to sixth grade students at Nancy Smith Elementary School started summer school on Monday, June 1. 

Students will attend in classroom instruction from 9:00 a.m. to noon Monday to Friday.

Summer school will end on Friday, June 19.

By Melinda L. Lucas

Starting next week on June 12, The Albany News will be closed for business on Fridays.

According to publisher Donnie Lucas, the decision to only be open four days a week was made a little earlier in the spring.

“Since we no longer have a lot of office supply business, and the laundry service only delivers on Tuesdays and Thursdays, we don’t have that much foot traffic on Fridays any more,” said Lucas.

By Lynsi Musselman

Albany Chamber of Commerce directors gathered on Tuesday for the first in-person board meeting since March.

Chamber manager  Mary Beth Jones confirmed that Chamber lunches will resume Friday, June 12 with the first lunch being held at the Beehive Restaurant.

Jones also said that more information will be published next week about the Hereford Ball that is planned next February.

By Lynsi Musselman

Today is the last day to register campers or to sign up to work Day Camp 2020 to be held July 6-24.

ResourceCare program director Mindy Ary said registration at the Albany Youth Center will end Thursday at 6:00 p.m.

“If campers or workers are not signed up by 6:00 p.m. today, they will not be able to participate in day camp this year,” Ary said. “Government restrictions due to COVID-19 require strict guidelines be followed for registration.”