By Donnie A. Lucas

In-person early voting started Monday for the May 7 constitutional amendment election and the Shackelford County Hospital District trustee election and continues through Tuesday, May 3.

All voting is being conducted at the Shackelford County courthouse from 8:30 a.m. until 5:30 p.m. each workday, including during the lunch hour.

The deadline for requests for a ballot by mail ended Tuesday, with a total of 70 ballots sent out including annual ballot requests.

By Donnie A. Lucas

About 125 tickets remain available for the Radney Foster concert set for Friday, April 29 at the Aztec Theater, with doors opening at 7:00 p.m. for the 8:00 p.m. show.

The performance is sponsored by Albany Live, a nonprofit organized last year to bring live musical events to Albany. Foster’s show is the fourth in an ongoing singer/songwriter series that will wrap up in June.

“We still have plenty of seats available,” Trey Davis said Tuesday. “People can buy tickets on the website, and any that are left will be available at the door.”

By Melinda L. Lucas

The list of honor students in the 2022 Albany High School senior class was released last week, naming Luke Ivy as valedictorian and Sarah Cotter as salutatorian.

Ivy, son of Paul and Ginny Ivy, has a near-perfect four-year average of 99.586.

The salutatorian, daughter of Mike and Darla Cotter, has earned an overall average of 96.857.

Both are Albany natives, and both are extremely active in all aspects of student life, ranging from success in multiple sports to appearances at UIL state academic events.

By Sam Waller

Moran senior Johnnie Hise will compete in Ready Writing at the Region II-1A academic meet Saturday, April 23 at San Angelo.

Hise placed first in the event at the District 13-1A meet with an essay on inequalities between jobs in agriculture and other career fields.

Moran’s Danny O’Keefe is a regional alternate after placing fourth at district in Mathematics.

The top three finishers in each event at regional qualify for the state meet May 5-7 at Austin,

Biology Field Day

A meteorological station has been constructed and is up and operational on the Sanders Compton Ranch, located just east-northeast of Albany.

The station will provide near real-time information on weather data such as wind speed, direction, daily and yearly rainfall, soil temperature, and moisture levels along with barometric pressure, humidity, dew point, and solar intensity data.

The site also offers a ­real-­time source of weather information to groups such as the National Weather Service and the Texas Forest Service from Shackelford County.

By Melinda L. Lucas

The second week in April is traditionally designated as National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week and last week,  April 10-16, local dispatchers were recognized for work they do behind the scenes.

Many people don’t realize the training and discipline necessary to become a public safety dispatcher, according to Shackelford County sheriff Ed Miller.

By Donnie A. Lucas

Over 250 members and guests ventured to Rey­nolds Bend on the Matthews Ranch last Saturday for the annual Sampler of the Fort Griffin Fandangle, performed by a cast and crew of about 80.

It was the first time that the membership sampler had been held at the ranch in 25 years, giving many of those attending their first look at the idyllic setting of where the “interwoven” story of the Matthews and Reynolds families began some 150 years ago.

By Melinda L. Lucas

The ResourceCare Community Health Center will host a Murder Mystery Dinner fundraising event at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, May 5.

“Cinco de Mayo Mayhem: Murder at Isadora’s Fiesta” will be performed in collaboration with the Albany Mainstreet Playhouseat the Albany Youth Center located at 84 North Avenue B.

Tickets for the fundraiser are $60 each and will benefit the Vittles by Vehicle program.

George “Clint” Barrett, DDs MD of Lubbock was recently recognized by Texas Monthly in an elite group of “Super Dentists of Texas for 2021.”

The list of “Top Dentists in Texas” was published in a special advertising section in December 2021.

Dr. Barrett is the son of Charles Barrett and the late Georgia Barrett of Albany.

An all-state football and basketball player in high school, he graduated from Crane High School as valedictorian of his class. He attended Howard Payne University on a football scholarship and graduated from Angelo State University.

By Sam Waller

The Feed Store student council is reviving Powder Puff football in Albany with two teams of high school girls meeting at 2:00 p.m. Sunday, April 24 at Robert Nail Memorial Stadium.

The event, formerly sponsored by the Albany High School student council, has been dormant for several years, according to Feed Store director Tisha Wilkins.

“This is for fellowship and fun,” Wilkins said. “It’s free admission, but we are going to be asking for donations to The Feed Store at the gate.”