By Sam WallerThe Albany Volunteer Fire Department selected Lt. Casey Kimbrough as its 2022 Firefighter of the Year last month at its annual Christmas party.“The department appreciates Casey’s service, and we’re proud that he received the award this year,” Albany VFD Chief Travis Gardenhire said.

By Melinda L. LucasThe filing period for local elections opened Wednesday for several entities such as the school board, city council, and hospital board and will continue until Friday, Feb. 17.The election date set by the state for all local elections is Saturday, May 6.

By Melinda L. LucasAlthough it looks as though the Albany Chest will fall short of its 2022 goal, directors are planning to meet next Wednesday evening, Jan. 25 to distribute funds to 25  applicants.

By Donnie A. LucasPositive cases of both COVID-19 and the influenza have been on the decline since the beginning of the month, according to numbers reported this week by a local health clinic.A total of seven positive cases of COVID-19 were reported for the period of Jan.

By Sam WallerTwo Albany FFA students received blue ribbons last week for their entries in the Fort Worth Stock Show’s Junior Agricultural Mechanics Show.Junior Ayden Balliew constructed a high rack for hunting, while sophomore Jacob Hale built a deer blind on a trailer.

By Donnie A. LucasThe 2023 UIL academic season will kick off on Saturday with local high school students attending the first practice meet of the year.A total of nine students will travel to Haskell for the meet, competing oin a number of events.

By Donnie A. LucasAlbany students and staff will have another holiday on Friday, Jan. 20 to allow participation in the Shackelford County Youth and Livestock Show which starts Friday and ends on Saturday at the county show barn.

By Sam WallerFour teams from Shackelford County 4-H will participate in the District 7 Food Challenge, scheduled for Wednesday, Jan. 25 at San Angelo.The teams, all composed of junior members, took part in a mock contest last month to prepare for the district competition.

By Sam WallerThe spring semester of a school year offers plenty of opportunities to get out of class for extracurricular activities.

By Sam WallerThe Albany Lions continued to work their way into basketball mode last week with a pair of District 10-2A wins.The Lions (7-3 overall, 3-2 district) carried a five-game win streak into their Tuesday, Jan. 17 district showdown at Cisco, a 65-51 loss. Details will be reported next week.