By Melinda L. Lucas

Local business owners need to file renditions by next Tuesday April 15, according to Shackelford CAD County chief appraiser Richard Petree.

Business taxpayers are required by the state to render by April 15, but Petree explained that he is allowed to grant a 30-day extension to May 15 if those requests are received in writing by April 15, with a possible second 15-day extension.

Email is considered a written request, he added.

Guest Writer

Matthew Howard

By Melinda L. Lucas

A total of 25 Albany FCCLA members will compete in the FCCLA State Conference in Dallas this weekend, including all three parliamentary procedure teams plus a two-person team, all of whom qualified for state after placing in the regional conference held last month.

Albany Fire Chief Joel Viertel was re-elected to a second term during the department’s annual officer election, which saw every position filled by unanimous vote—an outcome Viertel described as a sign of unity and strong leadership within the volunteer force.

Cyrena Wooster was re-elected as Secretary Treasurer, and Casey Kimbrough will continue serving as Second Captain. The only newly elected officer is Zack Waggoner, who was chosen as First Lieutenant and also named Firefighter of the Year in 2024. He steps into the role following the resignation of Ryan Walser.

By Melinda L. Lucas

Shackelford County horse judging teams placed well at the District 7 Horse Judging contest held in San Angelo last week, with the senior team qualifying for state for the third consecutive year.

Veteran team members Madailein Beard and Grace Fry were joined by Bradee Stautzenberger for the senior competition, finishing first in the team standings to earn the trip to the state roundup.

By Melinda L. Lucas

Moran athletes competed at the area track meet last week, advancing one thrower and placing in several events.

Ellis Hise qualified for the regional competition, to be held next week at Abilene Christian University. Hise earned a fourth place spot in the discus with a throw of 109’05”.

“The kids competed well, and there was some improvement on times and throws,” coach John Hughes said. “Overall, I was extremely pleased with how they did.”

On the boys side, Moran scored four points to finish 13th overall.

Legendary country artist Neal McCoy will perform live in Albany this Saturday, April 5, headlining the latest installment of the Albany Live concert series. Doors at the Aztec Theater will open at 6:00 p.m. and the show will  begin at 7:00 p.m.

The show marks the fourth concert of the season presented by Albany Live. Previous concerts have included performances by Cory Morrow, Gary P. Nunn, and the Bellamy Brothers.

By Melinda L. Lucas

Ten out of 17 Albany High students are advancing to the Region II Academic Meet on April 25-26 after placing in the top three at the District 10-2A Academic Meet in Anson last Wednesday.

Albany finished the district competition in fifth place out of seven schools, primarily because of the low participation numbers.

By Melinda L. Lucas

Four Albany middle school students competed in competition sponsored by the Texas Math and Science Coaches Association (TMSCA) during the state meet in San Antonio last weekend, with two of them placing in the top 20 in three categories.

Sixth grader Tanner Howe was second in science, seventh in number sense, and 11th in math.

Fellow sixth grader Travis Hill was 17th in science, 13th in number sense, and 18th in math.

By David H. Waller

Albany police are investigating multiple incidents involving counterfeit cash passed at local businesses, including Prairie Star, a donut shop, and potentially Allsup’s. The incidents, which occurred on May 14, involved at least four individuals suspected of using fake $100 and $50 bills.