By Melinda L. LucasSeveral new candidates for local offices have emerged during the past week, with the filing deadline now two weeks away on Feb. 14.

Seafood in beef country? Being 12 hours from the coast typically does not scream fresh seafood as a culinary option. If you are like most readers and grew up in the Big Country, you only ate salmon croquet patties or fried catfish.

By Melinda L. LucasAfter ordering the May 3 election and hearing some routine administrative reports, the Albany ISD board of trustees spent more than an hour going over an assessment of the AISD facilities, presented by J.D. Coffee of Teinert Construction.

By Melinda L. LucasShackelford County commissioners approved a big-ticket expenditure of $211,109 for IT upgrades and replacements during its regular meeting on Monday morning, Jan. 27.

By Sam WallerTwo Albany FFA members brought home blue ribbons from major stock shows last week.Kenzie Neve placed first in her class with a steer and made the sale at the National Western Livestock Show in Denver, Colo.

By Sam WallerThe 2025 Shackelford County Livestock Show is in the books, wrapping up just in time to beat a change in the weather.The event, held Thursday-Saturday, Jan. 16-18, drew 128 participants from Albany FFA, Moran FFA and Shackelford County 4-H, down slightly from the past few years.

By David H. WallerThe Albany Live 2025 concert series continues this week with a highly anticipated performance by Texas music legend Gary P. Nunn.

By Melinda L. LucasThere were times when it looked as though the Albany Chest wouldn’t come anywhere close to its 2024 goal, but donations flooded in at the end of the year, surging past the $48,000 goal and reaching what was possibly a record year with $53,310.75 in collections since October.

By David H. WallerBrookshire’s grocery store in Albany has made a generous donation of $1,100 to Resource­Care Community Health Center, a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing comprehensive healthcare services to underserved individuals in the area.

By Melinda L. LucasNo major skirmishes were recorded at the Jan. 20 meeting of the Shackelford County Hospital District’s board of directors, with those present voicing a desire to move forward from the problematic sessions over the last four months.