The new year is always advertised as a time for change. A clean slate. A fresh start. A chance to improve yourself in ways you fully intend to abandon by mid January. New diets, new routines, new outlooks on life.

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.

The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told. -Luke 2:20 (NIV)

It’s about that time, (for many the time has already passed), to box up Christmas and put it back in storage for another year. Soon the city will be de-decorating. The decorations will come down at homes, stores, and places of worship. Everything will be back to normal. So is Christmas truly over?

I’m reminded of a story I came across in one of my books, from a man in Illinois:

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...