Because of last week’s fire at the Abilene Reporter-News, the Albany News will be printed in Wichita Falls until further notice.

The News will be printing Santa letters and holiday essays in the Christmas issue to be published on Thursday, Dec. 20. Students at Albany and Moran schools will write letters at school, which will be submitted to the News office by their teachers.

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.

After a two-month delay, audit “reviews” from 2015 and 2016 were finally approved by a full board during the Shackelford County Hospital District’s directors meeting held Nov. 19.

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.

Four Albany junior high one-act play members received individual awards at the District 8-AA competition last Thursday, Nov. 15 in Albany. Ella Webb won a place on the district All-Star Cast again this year. Keatin Russell was given the Technical Award.

Nancy Smith Elementary School’s fifth grade class will attend an outdoor science camp right after the Thanksgiving holidays. Teachers Candy Balliew, Teri Antilley, André Raymond and principal Jonathan Scott will attend camp with the students.

Fourth grade students from Nancy Smith Elementary School and their teachers traveled to the Abilene Ballet Theatre’s 31st annual performance of The Nutcracker last Friday, Nov. 16, at the Paramount Theatre. “We had a really good time,” said NSES fine arts instructor Robbin Guinn.

Friendship Baptist Church members held their third annual Harvest Acres on Saturday, Nov. 17.   “Even though Harvest Acres was initially intended as an event to raise funds for local missions, it has turned into one of the church’s favorite days of fellowship as well,” said member Danita Johnston.

This Christmas season the Albany Ministerial Alliance is sponsoring both the annual Christmas Basket food program and for the first time this year, a new drive called “Believe Trees,” to help collect donations for Christmas gifts for local teens.