Three juniors at Albany High School are looking for ideas for an award worthy community service project and the funding needed to complete the task.

Taylor Scott, Tyler Beard, and Brayden Sullivan, along with mentor Chris Beard, each need to raise $150 to participate in the Texas Midwest Community Network (TMCN) training sessions and scholarship competition.

The TMCN scholarship contest has been held for several years, but this is the first time that Albany students have participated.

The Albany Chamber of Commerce will host a Family Funfest for Chamber members, their families, and invited guests from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. on Thursday, March 7 at the Albany Golf Course.

“This is an appreciation dinner for current Chamber members,” said Chamber office manager Mary Beth Jones. “And we are encouraging them to invite others to join. We are trying to include more families, not just businesses, in the Chamber.”

Current Chamber members are encouraged to invite friends who might want to join the Chamber to attend the event with them.

The Texas Junior Livestock Association held its 39th annual year end awards at the Will Rogers Memorial Auditorium during the Fort Worth livestock show, and two local youth placed in the cattle divisions.

Albany eighth grader Gracie Price, a junior director of the organization, led the pledge of allegiance at the heifer presentation on Friday, Jan. 25 and the invocation at the steer presentation on Wednesday, Feb. 6.

Price won year-end awards in the heifer cate-gory.

Both Price and Moran junior JT Holland placed in the steer division.

Almost 94 percent of the 2018 tax levy had been collected as of Tuesday, according to chief appraiser Clayton Snyder, with mailed payments coming in for a week or so with the required Jan. 31 postmark deadline.

He also said that there had been fairly steady walk-in traffic since Feb. 1, with property owners paying a little penalty and interest in addition to their original taxes.

Reports from the Shackelford County Central Appraisal District (CAD) showed that $9,009,400 of the $9,593,390, or 93.9 percent had come in or was postmarked before the Jan. 31 deadline.

A free pipeline awareness class will be offered at no charge next week on Thursday, Feb. 28 at the Aztec Theater.

The 11:00 a.m. class, which includes lunch, is mandated by federal regulations requiring annual public awareness and emergency response training by pipeline owners for emergency responders, public officials, excavators, and the general public.

TCOLE and fire credits are given for the training.

Register at pipeline response.org.

All of the Albany school bands will be performing for the community this Sunday, Feb. 24, at 2:00 p.m. in the high school gym, and band director John Stockdale is hoping that there will be a large audience to appreciate all of the work and practice the students have put into the concert.

“I want to make sure that everyone knows about the concert, and that they realize that it will be in the gym this time, not the auditorium” said Stockdale. “We are hoping to have a good crowd, and we’d really like for them to stay to hear all of the bands if they can.”

Seniors Cameron Dacus (seated, l) and Ryan Hill (r) both signed letters of intent to play football for Hardin-Simmons University. Witnesses for the Feb. 8 signing included coaches (standing, l-r) Rod Britting, David Fairchild, Denney Faith, Jimmy Fuentes, and Ryder Peacock.

Albany High School’s theater troupe performed The Fourth Ward by Amanda Guthrie at a one-act play (OAP) festival in Clyde on Thursday, Feb. 14.

“The festival went well, and we got a lot of good feedback in our critiques,” said co-director Jenny Scott. “There is no placing at festivals. It is really a time to show where your production currently stands and get constructive feedback on what to improve on prior to the district contest.”

Scott said that they have already implemented a few of the suggested changes.

Delton Peacock, age 80 of Brownwood, passed away Wednesday, Feb. 13, 2019. Graveside funeral services were held Friday, Feb. 15 at the Albany Cemetery with Rev. Jeff Turner officiating. Interment followed under the direction of Morehart Mortuary. 

Inez Benda was born Aug. 18, 1922, in the Pueblo Community near Putnam, Texas, to Chester and Emogene (Jeter) Allen and died Feb. 13, 2019, in Quitman, Texas. 

She was raised in the Pueblo Community and graduated from Moran High School and Abilene Business School. 

She later worked for the General Motors Corporation and was honored by earning Oldsmobile’s Nationwide Highest Achievement Award (twice) as part of the Oldsmobile Business Management Club.