The Albany High School Ragin’ Red Band returned from the Seymour Band Festival on Oct. 4 with a first division rating from all five judges, a milestone band director Jessica Watkins praised as a testament to the students’ focus and adaptability.

Fort Griffin State Historic Site will host its annual Living History Days this Friday and Saturday, Oct. 10–11, offering visitors an immersive look at life on the Texas frontier through a full slate of historical demonstrations, live performances, and special programming.

The Albany Mainstreet Playhouse will open its 2025–2026 performance season this Saturday, October 11, with its annual Cabaret fundraiser at the Whitney Theatre, which has officially sold out.

Victoria Richards, youth director at Matthews Memorial Presbyterian Church, recently returned from a 12-day mission trip to Northern Egypt, where she joined a team of volunteers sharing the gospel in one of the world’s restricted nations.

Plans for a new museum in downtown Albany were formally presented last week, with local stakeholders gathering Thursday afternoon to review architectural renderings and discuss next steps for what promises to be a major new attraction for the city.

The new data center site in the southwest corner of Shackelford County has been officially confirmed as a new campus for the Stargate project—a $500 billion artificial intelligence infrastructure initiative spearheaded by OpenAI, Oracle and SoftBank.

A semi-truck hauling galvanized pipe flipped inside the Albany city limits early Friday morning, Sept. 26, causing significant property damage and a temporary road closure after striking multiple structures along Highway 6.The wreck occurred at approximately 6:30 a.m.

A Saturday afternoon grass fire in Moran quickly escalated, damaging multiple structures and sending several civilians to the hospital for smoke inhalation. The fire, which began around 1:35 p.m., burned well into the evening and was finally extinguished by 10:30 p.m.

By David H. WallerWhen we moved our printing to Midway Press in Dallas, it opened up an exciting opportunity to refresh Albany’s visitor guide and take advantage of improved printing options.In years past, the guide was square-shaped, printed on newspaper stock, and unbound. 

The gazebo in downtown Albany recently received a full restoration, wrapping up a three-week project to update the 50-year-old structure. The work included new decking and repairs to help preserve the historic downtown structure.