What began as a crowded local leaderboard ended with a single winner after the final whistle of the College Football Playoff National Championship Game.Five participants finished the bracket challenge tied after the first round, quarterfinals and semifinal games.

Albany ISD will decide next month whether to call a $26 million school bond election, following months of work by the district’s Long Range Facility Planning Committee, which members say has revealed that the district’s facilities are no longer safe, functional, or financially sustainable.The...

The 2026 Shackelford County Livestock Show is set for Thursday-Saturday, Jan. 15-17, at the county show barn.Annually the largest single extracurricular activity in the County, this year’s show has 120 students from Albany and Moran FFA chapters as well as Shackelford County 4-H entering...

Closet Angels Ministry, a longtime Albany outreach effort that has quietly met some of the community’s most basic needs for the past 15 years, is beginning a new chapter as leaders seek a temporary home and launch a campaign to purchase a permanent facility.Founded in the fall of 2010 after...

Shackelford County Commissioners Court met Monday, Jan. 12, approving new traffic restrictions in the Hamby area and continuing discussion on safety concerns at a busy highway intersection.No-thru-traffic signs approvedFollowing discussion of increased traffic in the Hamby area, the court...

When Gary and Emily Hughes lost their son Kolby in October, they began looking for a way to honor his memory in a meaningful way.

Albany senior Tristan Howe was named the 2025 Big Country Blitz Class 2A Division II Defensive MVP after a dominant season in the trenches for the Lions.Howe anchored Albany’s defense throughout the fall, consistently disrupting opposing offenses and setting the tone up front in what was another...

The 2025-2026 general deer season officially closed Sunday, January 4, and local game warden Jake Mort says Shackelford County hunters wrapped up an above-average year in both numbers and quality.“Across the board, I think it was an above-average season,” Mort said.

The Albany Mainstreet Playhouse will bring back a familiar favorite next month with its production of God’s Favorite, a comedy by Neil Simon inspired by the biblical story of Job, with performances scheduled for February 6, 7 and 8.This marks the second Neil Simon production for AMP in less than a...

A retirement reception honoring Mike and Pam Bean was held Monday, Jan. 5, at The Feed Store, celebrating more than 20 years of dedication to the Ben Richey Boys Ranch and Family Program.Several leaders from the Ben Richey organization attended and spoke, including CEO Kerry Fortune, recognizing...