By Sandy Morris With the holidays just around the corner, holiday schedules are being announced. City Hall The Albany City Hall will be closed on Dec. 24 and 25 for the Christmas holiday.  The city also will be closed on Friday, Jan. 1 for New Year’s Day.

Republic Services, trash pickup contractor for the City of Albany, will run its regular schedule for the week of Christmas. Residential trash containers and business and industrial containers normally picked up Christmas Eve, Dec. 24 will run as scheduled.

By Sandy Morris The 11th annual Christmas Feast will be held Friday, Dec. 25 beginning at 11:30 a.m. at the Matthews Memorial Presbyterian Church fellowship hall and ending at 1:30 p.m.  The dinner is still free to the public, and anyone is welcome to receive food.

By Sandy Morris The Albany Chamber of Commerce continues to stay busy promoting the local community and businesses as Christmas draws nearer. Memorial Ornaments Residents are reminded that it isn’t too late to purchase a personalized ornament for the Shackelford County Memorial Tree.

By Sandy Morris With Christmas a week away, local churches have announced their traditional Christmas activities scheduled for the holiday. First Christian  First Christian Church will hold a traditional Christmas Eve candlelight communion service at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 24.

By Sandy Morris With the help of local volunteers, members of the Albany Ministerial Alliance distributed almost all of the requested Christmas baskets on Sunday, Dec. 13.

By Sandy Morris Local citizens still have time to “adopt” a local teacher from a Christmas tree sponsored by the AJHS Academic Booster Club as the deadline has been extended.

By Sandy Morris Several students and teams from Nancy Smith Elementary School and Albany Junior High placed at the district A+ Academics University Interscholastic League meets held during November and December.  Due to COVID concerns, the competetion looked a little different this year.

By Donnie A. Lucas Albany school board members got their first look on Monday at the required financial rating, along with briefly discussing extending leave for employees that test positive for COVID-19, and hearing an update on the elementary school’s dyslexia and reading comprehension program.

By Melinda L. Lucas Shackelford County elected officials and others honored outgoing district attorney Colton Johnson at a special retirement reception Monday afternoon following the regular meeting earlier that day.