Sonja Brake

Sonja Elizabeth Lewis Brake, 59 of Albany, Texas, passed away on June 20, 2025. She was born on August 11, 1965, in Arlington, Texas, to Tryon Temple Lewis and Patricia Maurine Keesee. Sonja was baptized at Wilmeth Baptist Church and was a member of First Baptist Church in Clyde, Texas.

Bobbie Cox

Bobbie LaNell Cox, age 77, of Albany, Texas, passed away Sunday, June 22, 2025, at Hendrick Hospice Care in Abilene, Texas. A memorial service will be held Thursday, June 26, 2025, at 10:00 a.m. at the Albany Cemetery pavilion.

Moran ISD will welcome a new principal and counselor for the 2025–26 school year.

Ryan McElroy, formerly of Hondo ISD, has been named principal. His wife, Destaney McElroy, will serve as the new school counselor and will also teach some classes. Additional details will be shared once the couple arrives on campus.

As Independence Day approaches, Shackelford County officials are reminding residents to take extra precautions when using fireworks – especially inside city limits and along county roads, where they remain strictly prohibited.

While the spring of 2025 has been notably wet, conditions can shift quickly in Texas weather. 

Shackelford County Judge John Viertel said that although the Keetch-Byram Drought Index, maintained by the Texas A&M Forest Service, still shows the county in a safe condition, there are always reasons for concern.