The Albany Lions closed out district play last week with an 11-4 loss to Hawley, a result that secured the district championship for the Bearcats and left Albany finishing as the runner-up.

The Lions wrapped up district with a 7-3 record and stand at 12-4 overall heading into the postseason. Despite the loss, Albany remains in strong position as it shifts its attention to the playoffs.

A former Albany Lion received a surprise honor recently when a newly improved girls softball field in Sundown was named after him, recognizing years of work in the community and local athletics.

Ron Holson, a 1988 Albany High School graduate, said the recognition was unexpected.

“It caught me completely off guard,” Holson said. “I’m very honored to have received that.”

The U.S. Highway 180 bridge over Hubbard Creek Reservoir will be fully closed to traffic beginning Monday, April 27, as TxDOT crews conduct routine maintenance work on the structure.

According to information released by the Texas Department of Transportation, the closure will allow crews to complete work that could not be safely performed with traffic on the bridge. The project is expected to take approximately one week, though it could be completed in as little as five days if weather conditions remain favorable.

A newly filed recommendation from state regulatory staff has added a new layer to the ongoing discussion surrounding the proposed Dinosaur–Longshore 765-kilovolt transmission line, identifying a preferred route that differs from the one submitted by Oncor.

In a filing submitted April 16, 2026, Public Utility Commission staff engineer Eduardo Acosta of the agency’s Infrastructure Division recommended Route 713 as the option that best meets state routing criteria. The filing is part of Acosta’s direct testimony in the case.