By Sam Waller

The Albany Volunteer Fire Department presented Chief Travis Gardenhire with the 2021 Firefighter of the Year merit award at its annual Christmas party and meeting on Monday, Dec. 6.

The annual award is voted on by department members to honor an individual whom they believe has best met the five following qualifications:

The firefighter must not be on probation.

The firefighter must have shown to be highly active in the department through meetings and fire/emergency calls.

By Donnie A. Lucas

Over 525 Christmas wreaths were placed on the graves of local veterans at the Albany Cemetery last Saturday during the second annual observance of Wreaths Across America Day.

More than 50 volunteers and another 15 to 20 family members of veterans spread out to place the fresh green wreaths with red bows on local graves. This is the second year Albany has participated in the program.

By Sam Waller

The Albany Lions varsity basketball team went 3-1 last week at the Hermleigh tournament in its first action of the season.

The Lions, who didn’t start practice until after the football team completed its season, got started on Thursday, Dec. 16, with a 43-27 victory against Bronte and a 44-35 decision against Merkel.

On Friday, Albany beat Coa­homa 64-48 before suffering a 43-34 loss on Saturday to San Angelo Cornerstone.

By Sam Waller

The slow starts that have beleaguered the Albany girls basketball team basketball team continued as the Lady Lions dropped their District 10-2A opener on Tuesday, Dec. 14, 89-21 at Haskell.

The Lady Lions made their second district outing Tuesday with a home game against Hawley, recording a loss. Details will be reported in the Jan. 6 issue of the News.

During the Christmas break, Albany will play in the Eula tournament Monday-Wednesday, Dec. 27-29. The Lady Lions will resume district play Jan. 4 at Hamlin.

By Sam Waller

After a slow fall dove season, the outlook for the winter season is also disappointing for outdoorsmen, according to game warden Jacob Mort.

The winter season opened Dec. 17 and runs through Jan. 2.

“Everything as far as hunting migratory birds is below average this year,” Mort said. “It’s been pretty sporadic. There was a week or two there during the first part of October that was pretty good, but other than that, it’s just been a below-average year.”

Mort said a number of factors have contributed to the lower bird count.

Moran ISD offices and schools are closed for the holiday break.

Teachers and staff will return to work on Monday, Jan. 3, with a staff development day.

Classes resume on Tuesday, Jan. 4.

School holidays are scheduled for Monday, Jan, 17, and Friday, Jan. 21. The end of the six weeks is Friday, Feb. 11.

By Sam Waller

The Moran Lady Bulldogs split a pair of home games last week, winning in their final outing before the holiday break, while the varsity boys teams suffered a pair of losses.

On Tuesday, Dec. 14, the Moran girls lost a heartbreaker 36-35 to Rotan, then defeated the Knox City JV 42-23 on Friday.

In boys action, the Bulldogs lost 50-28 on Tuesday, Dec. 14 at Mullin, then dropped a 54-30 decision on Friday to Ranger at home.

Both Moran teams will compete in the Gordon Holiday Ford Classic on Tuesday-Wednesday, Dec. 28-29.

By Sam Waller

Shackelford County FFA and 4-H members are in the final month of getting animals ready for the county stock show, and members of the Shackelford County Youth and Livestock Association are doing their parts to make the event a success.

Members of the association met Dec. 7. to discuss plans for the show, which is scheduled for Jan. 20-22 at the county show barn.

By Melinda L. Lucas

The start of a new year is a time for celebrating, and local emergency responders remind county residents to make sure that any fireworks used in the festivities are handled safely and legally. 

Dry conditions and high winds have sparked the county commissioners to continue the county burn ban, with several wildfires fought by local and area volunteers in the past month. 

By Sam Waller

A Shackelford County landmark was damaged and a well-traveled road in the county cut off just before Thanksgiving.

The Landreth Dam bridge has been closed to traffic since Nov. 23, when an excavator collided with the crossbeam of each portal, cutting off access to the southeastern part of the county by that route.

The bridge, located about 11 miles east of Albany on FM 601 at Hubbard Creek, is of historical significance, according to Texas Department of Transportation’s Glenn Allbritton.