By Lynsi Musselman

The city of Albany will receive a sales tax allotment of $36,394 from the state this June. The amount is down 22.23 percent from the $46,797 payment received in June 2019.

Payments to date for the 2020 year to the city of Albany are $235,443, down by 21.41 percent from the comparable time last year, when payments of $299,589 had been made.

The city of Moran will receive a net payment of $2,300.18 this period for a 74.79 percent increase from the $1,316 received in June 2019.

By Lynsi Musselman

Church doors are beginning to open a little wider with Sunday school, camps, and Vacation Bible School starting up in the next few weeks.

First Baptist Church

Sunday school will officially start back at First Baptist Church on Sunday, Aug. 1.

Worship service is at 10:45 a.m. each Sunday, as well as a live stream of the service on FBC Facebook page.

Camp JAM

 Camp JAM will be July 16 to 19 for campers going into eighth through 12th grades.

By Lynsi Musselman

Board members for the Shackelford County Senior Citizen Activity Center announced this week that a “soft opening” will take place on Monday, July 6.

Board secretary Mary Beth Jones said Tuesday that the opening is dependent on COVID-19 numbers prior to the event.

Senior center hours will be weekdays from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., closed on weekends.

Jones said games will begin Friday, July 10, for seniors who feel comfortable coming to the center.

By Lynsi Musselman

Two recent graduates of Albany High School competed in the Texas High School Rodeo Association finals that took place last week in Abilene at the Taylor County Coliseum.

Contestants Gracie LeMay and Mady Connally, along with Albany High School senior Addie Beth Denton, all qualified with Region 3 to compete in the state finals.

Denton broke her hand and underwent surgery two weeks before the finals, putting her out of competition.

By Lynsi Musselman

Moran High School alumna and now Hardin-Simmons University graduate Sydney Ten Cate was recently named the 2019-2020 Academic All-Conference female cross country athlete of the year.

HSU Track and Field representative said Ten Cate is “without a doubt the best cross country athlete the HSU program has ever seen.”

Ten Cate owns the top 11 5k times and the top six 6k times in the history of the HSU women’s cross country program.

By Lynsi Musselman

ResourceCare’s summer day camp is less than  one month away, and sponsorships are still being requested to help provide a safe and fun three weeks of camp for Shackelford County youth.

ResourceCare program director Mindy Ary said the camp also will employ 45 Albany high school students and college bound kids.

The event will run weekly from July 6 to July 28, starting at 8:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

“We believe in this mission and all that it provides to our community,” Ary said.

By Lynsi Musselman

The Old Jail Art Center  will reopen to members by appointment only beginning Tuesday, June 16 through Tuesday, June 30, and then open to the general public on July 1.

For the rest of this month, members can schedule a visit by calling the museum from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

New and renewing memberships are available through theojac.org or by calling 325-762-2269.

OJAC will open to all visitors beginning Wednesday, July 1. Visitor hours will be 12:30 to 4:30 p.m. The museum will remain closed on Saturdays until July 11.

By Lynsi Musselman

Albany High School 2018 graduate and McMurry University sophomore Reyna Garcia has been named  2020 Academic Winter-Spring Academic All Conference for softball.

During Garcia’s Albany softball career, she was named four-time first team All-District and team MVP as a junior and senior.

Garcia is an accounting major at McMurry with the goal to be a CPA after graduation.

She is the daughter of Kristen and Jamie Garcia of Albany.

By Donnie A. Lucas

Albany coaches reported larger than usual attendance at daily conditioning workouts for high school and junior high aged students that started last week.

The morning sessions for strengthening and conditioning will continue on Mondays through Thursdays through the end of July, with the exception of a couple of blackout periods in July.

The boys will meet for morning strength and conditioning from 7:00 a.m. until 8:30 a.m. on Monday through Thursdays.

By Donnie A. Lucas

Local elementary aged youth have the chance next week to participate in what will probably be the only youth camp held this summer.

Two local coaches are hosting an All-Sports Outdoor Camp for both boys and girls starting Monday, June 22 and continuing through June 24.

The camp will be split between two age groups, with students entering grades K-3 meeting at 9:00 a.m. until 10:20 a.m. each day. Students entering grades 4-9 will meet at 10:30 a.m. until 12:00 noon.