By Sandy Morris The holiday season is here, and there are several opportunities to help others in the community. Special Gift Drive The Wallace Insurance Agency of Breckenridge is hosting a Christmas gift drive for local students in Albany and Breckenridge.

By Lynsi Musselman Albany’s Cause for Paws helps keep the stray animal population under control by contributing towards the cost to spay and neuter local dogs and cats. However, the non-profit is struggling to keep up with the requests for assistance, and they are asking for help themselves.

The News will be printing Santa letters and holiday essays in the Christmas issue to be published on Thursday, Dec. 24. Students at Albany and Moran schools will be writing letters at school, which will be submitted to the News office by their teachers.

By Sandy Morris Albany fans are invited to join in several of the activities planned by the Albany Athletic Booster Club to help motivate the Lions to be at the top of their game for Friday’s playoff bout with the Ralls Jackrabbits at Tiger Stadium in Snyder.

By Sandy Morris Shackelford County residents will be able to enter their prize pecans in the upcoming 2020 Abilene Area Pecan Show on Tuesday, Dec. 1. According to Shackelford County Extension Agent Kloey Painter, entries will be accepted starting Monday, Nov. 23 with a deadline of 4:00 p.m.

By Donnie A. Lucas Thanks to her determination over the last eight years, senior Elia Hebel signed last week with D1 University of Louisiana at Lafayette to play softball for the next four years.

By Sandy Morris  The district-wide canned food drive competition sponsored by the Moran junior and senior classes is still going strong.  According to Moran ISD principal Jo Hise, the food drive has become very fierce.

Big Country Electric Cooperative requests your help spreading word amongst local 10th, 11th and 12th grade students about the Government-in-Action Youth Tour, an all-expense-paid trip to the nation’s Capital.  Big Country EC will send three students on the 2021 Youth Tour, scheduled June 13-22.

By Sandy Morris Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar released November state sales tax revenue amounts for counties across the state of Texas, including Shackelford County. The City of Albany will receive a sales tax allotment of $40,378 from the state this month. This amount is up 0.

By Sandy Morris The Albany Junior High School one act play cast and crew competed in the district contest on Thursday, Nov. 12 in Stamford.  The students performed a comedic fairy tale, “The Magic Well.