Rena Mae Shack, age 83 of Moran, passed away Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2020. Funeral services were held Saturday, Feb. 22 at Bethel Assembly with Jeff Pleasant officiating. Interment followed in the Albany Cemetery.  

Rena Mae Booth was born Oct. 3, 1936 in Stephens County to parents, William John Booth and Ola Mae Beasley Booth. She attended schools in Breckenridge. 

On April 12, 1953, Rena married Billy Jack Shack in Ranger, Texas. She and her husband started Shack Well Service in 1964 in Albany. 

By Melinda L. Lucas

Three new exhibitions, including one that cele-brates the Old Jail Art Center’s 40 years of collecting, will be open to the public starting next Tuesday, Feb. 25.

OJAC members can attend a preview reception this Saturday, Feb. 22 from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m.

The three collections will be featured at the Old Jail’s 40th anniversary gala next month on March 28.

Permanent Collection

By Kathy Thomson

There are new faces in the Fandangle office starting this month, with Jamie Parsons taking over as office manager and Scarlett Yates heading up the marketing for the 2020 season. 

Fandangle board president Branch Bartee said this week that directors met several times in January in order to determine how best to fill the vacant office positions, announcing their decision in time for Parsons and Yates to both start working during the fist week in February.

By Melinda L. Lucas

A one-year contract extension was approved for Nancy Smith Elementary School principal John Gallagher, along with similar offers for district business manager Angelyn Faith and director of student services Leigh Lowe, following a closed session at the end of Monday’s regular school board meeting.

Three percent raises, although approved in the separate contract motions by Joe Tidwell, Ginny Ivy, and Kelly Head, are contingent on the 2020-2021 budget.

By Kathy Thomson

Text-to-9-1-1 is now available in Shackelford County, according to sheriff Ed Miller.

“The project has been in the works for a while, and it is now up and running as of the first of the year,” said Miller. 

The nationwide project was designed to give 9-1-1 callers the ability to send a text message to reach emergency call takers from a mobile phone or device. Work on the project began in 2014, was rolled out in a few Texas counties in 2017 and 2018, and more counties were added in 2019.

By Kathy Thomson

The city of Albany will receive a sales tax allotment of $48,901 from the state this February. The amount is down 4.05 percent from the $50,966 payment received in February of 2019.

Payments to date for the 2020 year to the city of Albany are $86,045, down by 16.40 percent from the comparable time last year, when payments of $102,929 had been made.

The city of Moran will receive a net payment of $2,344 this period, for a 34.88 percent increase from the $1,738 received in February 2019.

By Melinda L. Lucas

Shackelford County Hospital District administrator Jera Fairley was given a raise, and board members were updated about intensified “drug security” policies during the hospital board’s regular monthly meeting on Monday, Feb. 17.

The directors also formally called for an election on May 2 since the filing period ended Friday with five candidates signed up for four positions.

Closed Session

By Kathy Thomson

Various Shackelford County 4-H and FFA members showed project animals at the San Angelo Stock Show and at the San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo last week, and local students are still competing with market steers and market barrows at San Antonio this week.

Upcoming “majors” include the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo in March, and Rodeo Austin, also in March.

Conner Clark was seventh in Class 46, Medium Wool Junior Market Lambs at San Antonio, and qualified for the premium sale. 

By Kathy Thomson

Sixteen Albany students are registered for an academic invitational practice meet at Stamford this Saturday, Feb. 22, but according to UIL coordinator Rick Davis, the actual number who can go and compete may be a few less.

“We have 16 kids going to Stamford with 46 individual contest entries,” said Davis. “I am afraid some of those kids will have a conflict with softball that they did not realize when they signed up.”

By Kathy Thomson

First Baptist Church youth minister Campbell Terry has invited everyone to come to The Feed Store to eat lunch at a summer camp fundraiser this Sunday, Feb. 23 from 12:00 noon to 1:30 p.m.

Meal tickets are $20 each for adults, and are available from campers. Tickets will also be sold at the door. 

Children up to sixth grade can eat for free.