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.

By David H. Waller

Note: Dad has never been one for attention, and he would much rather stay quietly behind the scenes. Not everyone gets a fancy article in The Albany News when they retire, but this is one of the perks of having a son who runs the paper, I get to honor him with words. Now to the article...

In the days leading up to Christmas, Albany is normally quiet aside from last-minute shopping and church services. This year, however, the town found itself in the middle of a 10-day kidnapping spree involving an inflatable Christmas cow named Kyle. What began as a lighthearted idea from Molly Cauble and her family, inspired by a TikTok trend, quickly grew into a full-blown crime saga that will be talked about in Albany for years to come.

Construction activity continues to ramp up at the site of the planned Vantage Data Centers “Frontier” campus in Shackelford County, drawing increased attention from local residents as work progresses on one of the largest developments ever announced in the area.

The Aztec Theater will launch a new concert series this Friday as Goodnight Steakhouse and Saloon presents The Aztec Sessions.

The series is intended to bring a regular schedule of live music to downtown Albany, using the historic Aztec Theater as its home. Goodnight Steakhouse has long supported live music through its dancehall shows and weekly Pickin’ Party, and organizers say the strong response to those events led to plans for larger concerts at the theater. A cash bar will be available inside the venue with the purchase of an event cup.