By Kathy Thomson Hannah Snyder placed well with all three of the barrows she showed at the Gillespie County Fair last Saturday, Aug. 24, winning a reserve champion breed banner, as well as winning two first and a third place ribbon. Snyder won Reserve Champion Hampshire.

By Kathy Thomson The Albany Chamber of Commerce annual garage sale is just over two weeks away, on Sept. 14, so participants may want to take advantage of this weekend’s slightly cooler temperatures to sort through items stored in garages, spare rooms, sheds, and attics and gather up items to sell.

By Melinda L.

By Kathy Thomson The “Albany Home of the Hereford” sign and three people selected as “Lights of Albany” will all be honored at the Albany Chamber of Commerce’s bi-annual party Friday night, Aug. 23 at the Aztec Theater.

By Kathy Thomson With a significant impact expected in state funding, Albany Independent School District enrollment totals for the beginning of the new school year are now sitting at 525, 39 more than last August and 14 more than at the end of the 2018-2019 school year.

By Melinda L. Lucas Proposed budget totals for the Shackelford County Hospital District for 2020 decreased about $50,000 for the upcoming year, primarily due to the fact that $150,000 was included in the current budget for the purchase of a new ambulance, which will be delivered in the near future.

By Melinda L. Lucas During their regular meeting on Monday, Aug. 19, school board trustees learned details about the Albany ISD’s “B” grade in the state’s accountability ratings, and reviewed some of the plans to make improvements during the upcoming year.

ResourceCare’s second annual Carefest fundraiser is scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 7 at the Happy Wife Happy Life venue just outside of Albany, and those who want to enjoy some of the special ticket options may be running out of time to purchase their selections.

A monthly country and western musical will continue this month on Saturday, Aug. 24 from 6:00 to 10:00 p.m. at the Moran Community Center. Moran singer-songwriter M.L. “Marty” Clifford is coordinating the event, which got underway in May.

By Kathy Thomson The school year is underway and with it comes a daily commute by hundreds of children to and from the local campuses by school bus, car, bicycle, and on foot.