Kaeler Russell, a 2018 graduate of Albany High School, is a member of the Cisco College meats team that finished in seventh place overall at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo Intercollegiate Meat Judging contest held on Saturday, March 2, at Martin Preferred Foods in Houston.

The team from Cisco College placed fourth in lamb judging, fourth in pork judging, fourth in questions, and fifth in beef judging. 

Russell also placed seventh high individual in pork judging.

He is the son of Keith and Kim Russell of Albany.

Representatives of local organizations and boards that award scholarships to Albany High School graduates are asked to contact Ann Riley at the AHS office by Wednesday, March 20.

The office will be closed next week for spring break, but will be open again for regular hours on Monday, March 18.

Riley added that the scholarship list will be uploaded to the district’s website and distributed to local seniors by Monday, March 25 informing them of the requirements for specific scholarships. 

Albany FFA sent a team to the Panther Creek FFA Invitational Horse Judging Contest on Feb. 26.

“Most of our horse judging team members were at a tennis contest,” said advisor Chris Beard. “But we had already paid our entry fee, and Addie Beth Denton was able to go, so we filled in with members of our livestock judging team.”

Competing for Albany were Denton, Conner Clark, Brayden Sullivan, and Seth Hale.

The team earned 996 points for sixth in the Big Country District. Bangs and Cross Plains tied as the top ranked district teams with 1087 tallies each.

Thomas Aly, CEO and founder of Live Missions and former Albany First Baptist Church youth minister, has once again organized a spring break mission trip to Uganda, and six local residents are among the group traveling to Africa.

“We have 21 people on our trip and will be leaving out today,” Aly said on Tuesday. “We will be doing door-to-door evangelism with Pastor Deo and his church in Namayumba, Uganda. We are not doing a specific project this trip but will be involved in street evangelism the entire time.”

The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo is underway, with junior market goat, market lamb, and breeding heifer classes taking place this week, market barrows this weekend, and market steers next week. 

Three local youth competed in the junior commercial steer show at Houston, and although they were not in the top four (the only ones placed out of the 151 contestants in the class), they are learning animal husbandry, nutrition, and business skills that will last throughout their lifetimes.

Jr. Commercial Steers

Moran Independent School District will release for spring break at the normal time, 3:38 p.m., on Friday, March 8. 

MISD offices will be closed for spring break March 11-15. Classes will resume at the normal time on Monday, March 18.

The next school holiday at MISD will be Good Friday, April 19 and Easter Monday, April 22. 

Cheerleader tryouts were held at Moran on Tuesday, March 5. Results will be reported when they are available.

The Albany Chamber of Commerce sponsored “FamilyFest” will be held this evening, March 7 at the Albany Golf Course from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m.

Over 100 individuals have called in their RSVPs for the meal and family fun event, according to Chamber manager Mary Beth Jones.

“We’ve had an outstanding response to our fish fry,” Jones said on Tuesday. “We already have over 100 reservations right now. We even have several people coming in from out of town to join our Chamber!”

The event is being held in place of the Chamber banquet.

Even though the mercury dipped down into the mid-teens for several days earlier this week, county residents were not reporting any serious problems associated with weather as of press time.

The official low temperature in Albany on Sunday night was 17 degrees, but a north wind made it feel even more frigid.

The National Weather Service posted that the wind chill in Albany at 6:00 a.m. on Monday morning was 7°F, and soon thereafter KTAB News reported that the “feels-like temperature” in Albany had dropped even lower, to four degrees.

The Old Jail Art Center’s Junior Docents will host the opening reception and awards ceremony of the 14th annual Student Art Show, entitled Talking Back, at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, March 9. 

Around 250 submissions for the contest were created and entered by seventh to 12th grade students from local schools that participate in the OJAC school outreach program, Art-To-Go, including Moran, Anson, Throckmorton, Stamford, Wylie, and Abilene. 

Shackelford County voters who wish to vote by mail ballot for either Albany city council members or for trustees for AISD can submit applications from now until April 23.

Albany school district applications can be requested from Morgan Whitley at the AISD superintendent’s office at PO Box 2050, Albany TX 76430, or by phone at 325-762-3974.

City ballot applications can be requested from Becky Wiloth by phone at 325-762-3133, by mail at Albany City Hall, PO Box 3248, Albany TX 76430, or in person at 425 South 2nd Street.