By Sam Waller

Myleigh Leveridge of Albany placed first in Class 7 with her Hereford heifer Saturday at the West Texas Fair and Rodeo in Abilene.

The 9-month-old unbred heifer advanced to the championship judging, but did not place.

“In this division, they only have a grand and a reserve champion,” Nickie Leveridge, Myleigh’s mother, said. “She could not compete with some of the bigger cows.”

Heifers were divided into classes based on their date of birth.

The calf was bred by Leveridge’s grandfather, Mike Leveridge.

By Melinda L. Lucas

Board members of the Shackelford County Appraisal District (SCAD) will meet on Friday, Sept. 10 at 7:30 a.m. to make a final decision about the proposed SCAD budget for 2022. A copy of the budget can be viewed at the SCAD office at 132 Hill St., where the meeting will be held.   

The $397,937 proposed figure approved by the SCAD board is $6,192 more, about 1.58 percent, than the current adopted budget of $391,745.

By Sam Waller

Shackelford County 4-H will host a come-and-go kickoff party and organizational meeting next Monday, Sept. 13 at 6:00 p.m. at the Feed Store.

Shackelford County extension agent Kelsey Bell said the meeting will offer an overview of programs available to 4-Hers in the coming year.

“We’ll have each of our project leaders giving information about what the year will look like in each of those areas,” Bell said. “This is just to come and learn and will be very casual.”

By Donnie A. Lucas

Directors of the Albany Chest met on Wednesday, Sept. 1, to organize the 2021 fundraising drive, elect four board members, and vote on officers.

The deadline for organizations to turn in funding requests was set for Friday, Oct. 1, and the board’s next meeting will be held at The Feed Store on Wednesday, Oct. 6 at 5:15 p.m. to evaluate the applications and decide on the fundraising target for the 2021 Chest drive.

Members of the Shackelford County community are invited to join the Albany Masonic Lodge and the local Brookshire’s Grocery Store in honoring the first responders of Shackelford County at the 3rd Annual First Responder Appreciation Breakfast on Saturday, Sept. 11 at 8:00 a.m. 

Peace officers, dispatchers, jailers, firefighters, and emergency medical personnel from across the county will gather at the First Christian Church’s Fellowship Hall for the event. 

By Donnie A. Lucas

The annual citywide garage sale is set for Saturday, Sept. 11, with about 20 local individuals signed up as of Tuesday.

A few more local residents may have signed up for the event, which is sponsored by the Albany Chamber of Commerce, after the press deadline.

On Saturday, shoppers can pick up maps showing locations of participants.

“The maps are free, and I will hand them out at the Depot from 7:00 a.m. until 10:00 a.m.,” Chamber manager Mary Beth Jones said. “After that, you can pick up copies at the door.”

By Melinda L. Lucas

After holding the required public hearing prior to their 9:00 a.m. session, Shackelford County commissioners adopted the proposed budget and tax rate at a meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 7.

There was no one from the general public to voice any opposition or comment on the proposals. 

Elected officials also acted on a number of other routine items in a fairly long agenda on Monday morning.

Budget Okayed

A $4,401,613 deficit budget proposed at the Aug. 14 session was approved unanimously without discussion. 

By Donnie A. Lucas

The number of new COVID-19 cases held fairly steady last week at the Shackelford County Hospital Clinic, with 26 positive results out of the 57 tests given through Friday, Sept. 3.

The clinic was closed Monday for Labor Day, but reported 18 more tests administered on Tuesday with eight additional positives.

County Judge Bob Skelton issued a report on Tuesday, Sept. 7 with the hospital clinic’s numbers, but was not able to obtain the number of tests or results for ResourceCare’s medical clinic in Albany.

By Donnie A. Lucas

Opening week of dove season including Labor Day weekend typically brings droves of hunters to town, but initial reports indicated few hunters because of a lack of local birds.

According to local game warden Jake Mort, it has been an usually slow start to the season.

“It has been extremely slow since the season opened last week on Sept. 1,” Mort said. “The average kill has been just three to five birds per hunter, so those who are hunting are having a hard time filling their limits.”

By Donnie A. Lucas

An investigative report involving an alleged wastewater violation by a local refining facility has been released by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, with a separate investigation on air quality and pollution still pending.

 The final investigation report concerning wastewater disposal at Texas Renewable Group, LLC, was sent to the named complaint, Darla Cotter, by the TCEQ on Aug. 19.