By Melinda L. LucasMembers of the Albany Chest’s board of directors originally planned to meet Wednesday, Jan. 12 to distribute funds collected during the 2021 campaign, but with the number of positive COVID cases rising rapidly, the decision was made on Monday to postpone.

By Sam WallerThe Shackelford County Senior Citizens Center has suspended all organized activities for the foreseeable future because of the recent surge in COVID-19 cases.Among the programs out on hold is a monthly lunch that was held for the first time in December.

By Sam Waller4-Her Grace Fry quickly found a cause she could get behind after her family moved to Shackelford County.The 13-year-old donated 10 percent of the proceeds she received last year from the sale of her show ewe to Closet Angels.

By Melinda L. LucasAlbany High School students selected class members as royalty for the 2022 Winter Formal, including this year’s Mr. and Miss AHS. The Winter Formal is organized each year by the AHS student council, and this year’s gala was held last Saturday, Jan. 8 at the Whitney Theatre.

By Donnie A. LucasA presentation originally scheduled for today for students and the public on the use of vaping products and synthetic drugs has been postponed, according to Albany secondary principal Glen Hill.

By Sam WallerThe Albany Chamber of Commerce will conduct its annual business meeting on Feb. 4 with two board positions up for election at the Beehive.“Ramby Anderson and Clayton Snyder’s terms are up, but I feel like they will be nominated again,” Chamber manager Mary Beth Jones said.

By Donnie A. LucasThe filing period for local elections opened Wednesday for several entities such as the school board, city council and hospital board and will continue until Friday, Feb. 18.The election date set by the state for all local elections is Saturday, May 7.

By Melinda L.

By Melinda L. LucasAs is typical, property tax payments at the Shackelford County Appraisal District accelerated just before the end of the year and have continued to come in steadily, according to chief appraiser Clayton Snyder.

By Sam WallerFinal preparations for the Shackelford County Youth and Livestock show are underway with a workday scheduled for 8:00 a.m. Saturday at the show barn.The 2022 show starts with weigh-in on Thursday, Jan. 20 and runs through the sale on Saturday, Jan. 22.