Edward Mervin Ledbetter, 79, passed away Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2019 in Bowie, TX. Funeral services were held Saturday, Sept. 21, at White Family Funeral Home with Pastor Chris Osborne officiating. Ed was born Dec. 20, 1939 in Gorman, TX to Thomas and Lois (Robertson) Ledbetter.

By Melinda L. Lucas Shackelford County conducted the first of two public hearings along with moving through a few other pieces of business on Monday morning, Sept. 16. The hearing was required as part of the county’s plan to set a tax rate of 58.

By Kathy Thomson Fall officially starts next Monday, Sept. 23, and the Albany downtown area will soon be dressed for the autumn season.

By Melinda L. Lucas With very little discussion, directors of the Shackelford County Hospital District okayed the proposed budget and tax rate at meeting on Monday, Sept. 16. A budget of $2,957,259 was approved unanimously on a motion by Janna Ledbetter, with a second by Mike Folsom.

By Kathy Thomson Shackelford County senior adults (50 and up) are invited to attend the Shackelford County Resource Center’s September senior luncheon to be held on Friday, Sept. 20 at the Youth Center beginning at 11:15 a.m.

Sen. Charles Perry will be hosting a town hall meeting in the Albany High School auditorium from 11:30 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. on Sept. 25. Sen. Perry currently chairs the Senate Committee on Water and Rural Affairs and is Vice-Chair of the Health and Human Services Committee.

By Kathy Thomson Sue Breeden placed first in her class of Pinterest Pinners in the Creative Arts department at the West Texas Fair and Rodeo Sept. 5-14, and her shadowbox featuring hand sewn bead work was also chosen as Best in Show.

By Melinda L. Lucas The Albany FFA Chapter has elected its officers for the 2019-2020 school year, and the new chapter leaders plan to attend a Chapter Officer Leadership Training conference in Abilene on Oct. 7.

By Kathy Thomson Open registration for the Albany General Education Development (GED) classes will continue on Monday nights at the Shackelford County Library, according to local instructor Kenzie Fairchild.

By Kathy Thomson Twenty-nine sale sites took part in the 26th Annual Community Wide Garage Sale last Saturday, Sept. 14, and many locations reported that they did really well, while others did not, according to Chamber of Commerce manager Mary Beth Jones.