County voters have the opportunity to cast ballots in three separate elections this Saturday, May 4, with contested races being decided for the Albany Independent School District board of trustees, Albany city council, and Fort Griffin Special Utility District (SUD).

A total of 200 early voters had already been to Albany City Hall by the end of the early voting period at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday to mark their choices in both city and school races.

About 45 showed up for early voting at the SUD office.

Polling Sites, Hours

Although bank robber Lacey Anderson and her accomplices Megaen Birdwell, wagon driver Cody Leech, and sheriff Shannon Leech made off with a huge haul of phoney bills stolen from the bank during the first annual Albany Chamber of Commerce Wild West Day last Saturday, their counterfeit treasure could not compare with the pride beaming from the eyes of Maggie Spraberry, who baked the winning pie using her great-grandmother Bess Hobbs’ recipe.

Albany native Kirstin Hilliard won the top spot at the crooner contest, earning $400 in CareFest tickets and $200 cash.

Albany High School junior Addison Asher is headed to the UIL state academic meet at the University of Texas campus in Austin this weekend, along with sponsors Donnie Lucas and Jenny Scott.

A sendoff is planned Thursday afternoon at 3:00 p.m. as the group passes through the downtown area.

Asher is advancing in three events after taking first in headline writing and third in both news writing and feature writing at the Regional 1-2A meet in Odessa last month.

The youth of First Baptist Church of Moran are raising money to go to summer camp by delivering pizzas this Saturday, May 4.

The $12 each, single topping pizzas from Pizza Heaven, must be pre-ordered by today, May 2, and will be delivered to houses in Moran around 5:30 p.m. on Saturday, and in Albany around 6:00 p.m. the same evening.

Payment by either cash or check is due at the time of delivery.

Pizzas can be topped with any one of the following: cheese, canadian bacon, hamburger, pepperoni, or sausage.

The Moran Future Farmers of America poultry team of Jaylynn Roberts, Johnnie Hise, Sage O’Keefe, and Hannah Rogers placed sixth in the Big Country District at the Tarleton Area IV CDE contest at Stephenville on Wednesday, April 17. 

The top five poultry teams from Area IV, which included the top two teams from the Big Country district, one from the Pecan Valley District, and two from the Oil Belt District qualified for the state poultry competition that will take place at Texas A&M University in College Station on Saturday, May 4.

Kindergarten and 

Two Moran High School tennis teams competed at the Region 3-A meet at Whitney last Thursday, April 18, and although the season ended for both the girls doubles team of Kaylin New and Hannah Rogers and the boys doubles team of Kobee Lapp and Harley Schafer at the regional meet, coach Jo Hise praised her athletes for all of their efforts over the year.  

“I’m very proud of how these teams played and represented Moran ISD,” she said. “We had a wonderful season, and I’m looking forward to another great season next year.”

Anyone who would like to add a veteran’s name to the Shackelford County veterans memorial marker is asked to contact Mary Kay O’Connor at 325-660-2498 by Friday, May 10 at the latest.

Veterans do not have to be deceased, nor do they have to have served in a war to be included on the memorial marker.

O’Connor hopes to have all names updated on the marker in time for Memorial Day, Monday, May 27.

She will need the veteran’s name the way it will appear on the marker, as well as proof of service. 

The cost of engraving each name is currently $65.

The Fort Griffin Special Utility District (FGSUD) is in the process of conducting its first contested board election in more than a decade, with early voting already underway, and the actual election day set for May 4, the same day as elections for the Albany city council and school board.

Two three-year terms on the seven-member board are expiring with two candidates for each seat.

Incumbent Kenneth Hill of Albany is being challenged by Donald (Don) Stutsman of Moran.

A total of 25 Albany FFA students competed on seven Career Development Event teams at the Tarleton Area IV CDE contest at Stephenville on Wednesday, April 17. 

District winners for CDEs were also named at the TSU Area IV event.

None of the Albany teams advanced from area competition to the state level, but other Albany CDE teams are headed to a state level contest at TSU today and two contests at Texas Tech on Friday.

The city of Albany will receive a sales tax allotment of $33,565 from the state this April. The amount is down 10.54 percent from the $37,522 payment received in April 2018.

Payments to date for 2019 to the city of Albany are $206,214, up by 16.38 percent from last year, when payments of $177,177 had been made.

The city of Moran will receive a net payment of $1,194, for a 7.95 percent decrease from the $1,297 received in April 2018.