By Sam Waller

While the Shackelford County Youth and Livestock Show closed out in late January, the final payoff is still two weeks away.

Statements were mailed recently by the Shackelford County Youth & Livestock Association, and donors and bidders are asked to respond as quickly as possible.

Checks for animals sold at this year’s show will be distributed Friday, April 8. Before receiving their payout, exhibitors have a checklist of tasks to complete.

Checks will be handed out from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. at the Albany Visitors Center parking lot.

By Sam Waller

Callan Edgar and Kenzie Neve both came away with second place results last week at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo as local exhibitors began wrapping up the winter show season.

Edgar finished second with her crossbreed barrow. Neve finished second with her middleweight Shorthorn steer, the second year in a row she has placed second at Houston.

Also exhibiting swine at Houston were Tye Edgar, Paige Price, Colter Edgar, Tatum Grady, and Ryan Turner.

Others showing steers at Houston were Hattie Braly, Kam Browning, and Gracie Price.

By Donnie A. Lucas

The Albany High School band will compete in the UIL Region 2 East Zone Concert and Sight Reading contest in Abilene next Tuesday.

The contest will be held at Wylie High School, with the Albany band taking the stage at 10:15 a.m. for the concert portion of the contest.

The band will then move to another hall for sight reading at about 10:40 a.m.

“We will perform three prepared numbers for the concert portion, then move to the band hall to sight read a piece they give us,” director William Vaughan said.

By Sam Waller

The Albany community garden has been tilled and is ready for planting, according to Ramby Anderson, who has helped coordinate the project for several years.

The garden, which began five years ago, is located behind King & Robertson Insurance on Main Street and is open to the public. Anderson said he would like to get more youth involved in the project.

By Donnie A. Lucas

For the first time since last summer, there were no new cases of COVID-19 cases reported from the three local testing sites in Albany.

A total of 11 tests were administered with no positive results during March 14-18. There were just three positive cases the prior week of the 17 tests conducted.

According to the weekly report issued by county judge Bob Skelton, the hospitalized cases in Trauma Service Area D which includes Abilene and Brownwood hospitals dropped to just four patients, including two in ICU at the time of the report on Monday.

By Sam Waller

Last week’s wildfires in Eastland County saw several Shackelford County residents lend a hand in battling the blazes, while more have joined the relief effort this week.

The Albany Volunteer Fire Department sent three firefighters and a truck to Ranger, according to Fire Chief Travis Gardenhire.

“We assisted with the three structure fires in downtown Ranger,” Gardenhire said.

He added that AVFD personnel fought fires until late Thursday night.

By Melinda L. Lucas

EMS supervisor Tina Ulbrich announced at Monday’s meeting of the Shackelford County hospital board that she is resigning to take another position.

Ulbrich, who has been director of the ambulance service for slightly over two years, told SCHD directors that on the previous Friday, she had been “offered a job that is too good to turn down.” She stated that she would be here until the end of March.

By Sam Waller

The Albany FFA team of Coy Lefevre, Ty Everitt, Cole Read, and Laithe Leech placed ninth out of 25 teams on Monday, March 7 at a wildlife judging contest at Anson.

Albany FFA advisor Chris Beard said the contest included segments on biological facts, game laws, safety laws, techniques, plant identification and which animals feed on specific plants, and habitat evaluation.

By Sam Waller

The second phase of repair work on the Landreth Dam bridge has begun, closing the bridge to vehicle traffic for the duration.

Shackelford County Precinct 2 commissioner Ace Reames said work began Monday, March 14. The project is expected to take eight working days, according to a release from the Texas Department of Transportation Abilene District office.

“I haven’t been there to see what the contractor’s doing this week,” Reames said. “I know they closed the bridge Monday, and they were there working Tuesday morning.”

By Melinda L. Lucas

A blood drive is scheduled to take place in Albany next Thursday, March 24.

Hendrick Regional Blood Center will park its bloodmobile at First Baptist Church at the usual time from 1:00 until 6:00 p.m.

The blood center depends on volunteer blood donors to supply 100 percent of the blood that is used for patient care at 17 area hospitals.