Almost two dozen students from Albany Junior High and Nancy Smith Elementary will compete in Stamford at a UIL contest next week. Stamford is hosting the District 8 UIL Junior High Speech Contest next Thursday, Dec. 6, and Cross Plains, Haskell, Hawley, and Roscoe are also expected to attend.

The Christmas season is underway and local churches are hosting numerous activities to spread Christmas spirit throughout the community. Some pastors and congregations have not yet scheduled all of their Christmas events, and several could not be contacted before this week’s deadline.

This Sunday, Dec. 2, there will be a Celebration of Remembrance at Matthews Memorial Presbyterian Church, and everyone is invited to attend and take a few minutes to honor family, friends, and other loved ones who have passed on.

Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service in Taylor County will be hosting the 2018 Abilene Area Pecan Show on Monday and Tuesday, Dec. 3-4, with the entries on public display from 3:00 to 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 4, and an Awards Program starting at 6:00 p.m. that same evening.

Friday, Nov.

Photo packages of local flag football teams and individuals have been printed and are now available. Parents who paid in advance or who have valid accounts can pick up their packages at The Albany News office. Others can be ordered when they are paid.

The December Moran city council meeting has been rescheduled, according to city secretary Jackie Wallace. The Moran city council normally meets on the third Tuesday of each month, but next month they will meet on Dec. 11, the second Tuesday instead.

After weeks of interviews and deliberation, Albany ISD trustees unanimously selected local elementary principal Jonathan Scott as the district’s lone finalist, topping a list of 41 applicants for the post of superintendent. The action came at the end of a closed session on Monday, Nov.

Donations of $2,825 were made to the Albany Chest last week, bringing the total contributed toward the 2018 campaign goal of $42,000 up to $24,257.

Two Shackelford County 4-H members were among the participants at the District 7 4-H Food Show held Thursday, Nov. 15 at the Taylor County Expo Center in Abilene.  Johnnie Hise took fourth in the Senior Main Dish category with her Olive Garden Lasagna Re-creation.