By Sandy Morris

The Big Country chapter of Fellowship of Christian Athletes hosted the first event in their annual Weekend of Champions this past Saturday, Jan. 23. 

This year the Weekend of Champions camps were designed to be a one-day only event with the girls gathering at the Solid Rock Christian Camp in Eastland. 

FCA Big Country East representative Paul Johnston said the day was an amazing experience.

“It was wonderful to see the way the girls bonded,” said Johnston. “They really listened to the speakers and asked great questions.”

By Sandy Morris

The post-holiday coronavirus surge is still affecting many people and local businesses and organizations, including Closet Angels and Neighbors in Need. 

Both organizations are available to help local residents when they need a helping hand, but hours and procedures have been changed for the safety of shoppers and volunteers.

Closet Angels’ director Lori Reames said that they had hoped to reopen for donations this past Monday, Jan. 25.

By Sandy Morris

A high school worship night has been scheduled for Wednesday, Feb. 10th The Feed Store. 

Executive director Tisha Wilkins invites all high school students to attend. 

“We will have more information as we get closer to the date, but we’d like the kids to get it on their calendars,” said Wilkins. 

For more information or to help with the worship night, contact Wilkins at 325-660-7443. 

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By Sandy Morris

Twenty-twenty will be remembered for many unusual things, but Shackelford County weather isn’t going to fall into that category.

According to Hector Guerrero with the National Weather Service out of San Angelo, local weather was not the big story of 2020.

“Overall, the weather just wasn’t that horrible last year,” said Guerrero.

Shackelford County saw snow on Jan. 11 with 2.0 inches and again on Feb. 6 with another 2.3 inches. 

Eugene (Gene) B. Creech, 79, of Abilene, formerly of Woodson, died Sunday, Jan. 24, 2021 in an Abilene hospital. Funeral services will be held at 1:00 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 30, at the Woodson Church of Christ with Tommy Wade and Foy Owens officiating under the direction of Bailey Howard Funeral Home of Clyde. Burial will follow in the Woodson Cemetery with Vernon Buse officiating.  

By Sandy Morris

Moran’s junior high girls and boys junior high teams returned to the court on Thursday, Jan. 14, hosting May. 

The junior high girls lost the competition 31-3, with Ashlyn Crawford scoring two points and Cassandra Mendez adding one point.

The Moran junior high girls record is 0-1. 

The junior high boys also came up short on the hardwood, losing to May 44-8. 

Ellis Hise led the scoring with six points, and Cotten Campbell added two points. 

By Sandy Morris

After months of preparation, the annual Shackelford County Livestock Show will take place starting Thursday, Jan. 21 and ending Saturday afternoon, Jan. 23 after the premium sale.

Albany and Moran FFA and 4-H exhibitors are expected to show close to 250 entries at the Shackelford County Youth Livestock Show barn this week.

Weigh-In

The livestock show will start on Thursday, Jan. 21 with weigh-in for hogs, lambs, and goats followed by weigh-in for poultry, rabbits, and cattle on Friday, Jan. 22. 

By Sandy Morris

The filing period for local board elections is now underway and as of press time on Tuesday, a total of six candidates had turned in their paperwork for various positions that will be decided on May 1.

There is not a fee to run for the local offices, but prospective candidates must file by 5:00 p.m. on Feb. 12 to have their names listed on the ballot.

Albany City Council

By Melinda L. Lucas

Shackelford County taxpayers will save more than $800,000 over the next 11 years after county commissioners finalized new bonds for the Law Enforcement Center during Tuesday’s regular meeting.

Vince Viaille, managing director for Specialized Public Finance, reviewed the bidding process, stating that BNY Mellon Capital Markets submitted the winning bid at a true interest cost of 0.89 percent, resulting in a savings of $842,569 as a result of the refinancing.