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 committee presented its findings to the school board during the Jan. 12 meeting, and trustees are expected to vote at the February meeting on whether to place the bond on the May ballot.

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 approximately 232 animal projects. Each student will be allowed to sell one project in the premium sale, scheduled for 1:00 p.m. Saturday.

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 director Lori Reames posted a simple Facebook message about a coat and clothing drive, Closet Angels quickly grew beyond its original mission and began operating from the Allen House building, where it has served families since its earliest days.

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 approved

Following discussion of increased traffic in the Hamby area, the court unanimously approved the installation of “No Thru Traffic” signage on County Roads 150 and 151.

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. The local couple decided that effort should focus on supporting the Albany Volunteer Fire Department, where Gary Hughes now serves as a volunteer.

The result is the Kolby Hughes Memorial benefit drive, a fundraiser created to help provide equipment and materials for a new training and physical fitness room at the Albany fire station.

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 deep playoff run for the Lions.

Senior Calhan Fairchild was also recognized by the publication as one of the area’s offensive standouts, earning a spot on the Big Country Blitz offensive stars list.

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 quality of whitetails that were taken across the county were up. Not like we saw three or four years ago, but still much better than average.”

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 year, following last winter’s presentation of Rumors. The play was last staged locally in 2010 and was well received, prompting director Lorna Ayers to bring it back more than 16 years later with a largely new cast.

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 the couple’s longtime commitment to children and families served through the ministry.

The Texas Department of Transportation has installed temporary mobile traffic signals that are now in operation as a three-way stop zone at the intersection of State Highway 351 and FM 604 in the southwest corner of Shackelford County following a sharp increase in traffic tied to construction at the Vantage data center site.

Large numbers of construction trucks and service vehicles entering and exiting the site have caused long backups on SH 351, with traffic at times stretching hundreds of feet as trucks wait to pull onto the highway.