When a devastating accident happened along Albany’s Main Street in March of 2000, it made headlines and left a lasting impression on the community.
At the time, The Albany News covered the details, the chaos, the injuries, and the immediate aftermath. But like many small-town stories, once the sirens faded and the headlines moved on, there was never a full follow-up.
What happened after?
Twenty-six years later, that question finally has an answer.
Construction of the new Vero fiber internet system in Albany began a little over a month ago and is expected to continue for about two more months, according to city employee Brian Holson.
Vero representatives said service will be activated in stages as construction progresses, rather than all at once across the community. Construction is being completed in “zones,” each serving roughly 300 to 400 homes, allowing service to begin in each area as it is finished. The first zone is expected to go live in early April, with additional zones coming online over the following two months.
Shackelford County commissioners moved quickly last week to oppose a proposed high-voltage transmission line that could cross portions of the county, adopting a formal resolution during a specially called meeting on Friday after local landowners Mark Moon and Robert Montgomery warned commissioners at the March 9 regular meeting that they are entering the regulatory process months later than other affected areas.
Albany received much-needed rainfall overnight and early Saturday morning, March 7, with some areas reporting up to four inches of rain.
The steady rainfall brought relief to dry pastures and fields across the area after several months of limited precipitation. The system also brought noticeably cooler temperatures, a change from the warmer-than-usual conditions that had lingered through the end of winter.
On the morning of March 10, 2026, a coordinated law enforcement operation led by Shackelford County Sheriff’s Office Corporal Jason Price was carried out in Moran, Texas, to execute a search warrant and an arrest warrant related to an investigation involving multiple burglaries in which firearms had been stolen.
Albany ISD trustees received a detailed update Monday night, March 9, on the district’s efforts to implement the state’s Teacher Incentive Allotment program, a system that could significantly increase pay for highly effective teachers while allowing them to remain in the classroom.
Leigh Lowe presented the report, explaining that the Teacher Incentive Allotment, commonly known as TIA, is a state program that provides additional funding to school districts when teachers earn performance-based designations.
Architect Jeff Garnett, who moved to Albany with his family in August 2025, recently earned two honors at the 2025 American Institute of Architects Fort Worth Design Awards. Garnett received a Design Award of Merit for the Elk Edge Retreat and a Studio Award for a concept project known as the Animal Sanctuary.
Readers of The Albany News saw the lengthy 23-page legal notice published in last week’s February 26 edition outlining Oncor’s proposal to construct a new 765-kilovolt transmission line stretching across Central and West Texas.
While the notice includes Shackelford County among the areas studied, the regulatory process requires Oncor to submit a geographically diverse set of potential routes for consideration by the Public Utility Commission of Texas. Shackelford County is included among the full list of proposed routes submitted to the commission.
Albany’s well-known “Home of the Hereford” sign was knocked down early Saturday morning after a vehicle struck the structure, according to local authorities.
The crash occurred in the early morning hours, with Texas Department of Public Safety troopers responding to the scene.
A driver, identified through Shackelford County Jail records as Robert Wayne Leisher, was arrested at the scene on a charge of driving while intoxicated. Officials indicated the intoxication was believed to involve a substance other than alcohol.
In the only contested local race, Shackelford County Judge John Viertel was reelected with 396 votes, or 60.64%, to challenger Raleigh Breeden’s 257 votes (39.36%) in Tuesday’s Republican Primary election. Viertel will begin his second term in January 2027.
County voters turned out in modest numbers for Tuesday’s midterm primaries. Of the county’s 2,445 registered voters, 721 (29.5%) cast ballots – 669 on the Republican side and 52 on the Democratic ballot – with well over half of those cast during the early voting period.
