By Sam Waller

The Old Jail Art Center is going straight from its holiday programs into planning its next big event, the Jewel of the Prairie gala fundraiser in February.

Current exhibits will close Jan. 29, the Lunar New Year Family Festival will be Feb. 5, and new exhibits will open Feb. 26 in conjunction with the gala.

The Old Jail hosted a holiday family festival last Saturday and also brought the Peeler-Rose Puppet Shows back to the museum earlier this month.  

After a brief break for the holidays, weekly programs will start back in January.

Georgia Barrett, age 76 of Albany, passed away Tuesday, Dec. 14, 2021. Funeral services were held Saturday, Dec. 18 at First United Methodist Church of Albany with Rev. Tim Trimble officiating. Interment followed in the Albany Cemetery under the direction of Morehart Mortuary. 

Georgia Ann Bowsher was born Nov. 5, 1945 in Stamford, Texas to George Madison Bowsher and Anna Shelton Bowsher. She graduated from Albany High School. Georgia married Charles Barrett in Albany on Dec. 14, 1963. 

By Sam Waller

The Chelsey’s Project ministry will continue despite a fire that destroyed its building last week.

A structure in the 500 block of North Sixth Street that Chelsey’s Project director Blanca Sanchez used to store items caught fire on Wednesday night, Dec. 8.

Lt. Casey Kimbrough of the Albany Volunteer Fire Department said the local department received assistance from the Shackelford County Rural VFD and Breckenridge in combatting the blaze.

By Donnie A. Lucas

For the second year, Albany will honor its veterans at the Albany Cemetery with a Christmas wreath laying ceremony on Saturday, Dec. 18.

Volunteers and family members will gather at 11:00 a.m. at the pavilion at the cemetery for a brief ceremony, then fan out across the cemetery to distribute 525 wreaths on the graves of veterans.

The program is held as part of the National Wreaths Across America Day, with Henry and Melinda Musselman donating the wreaths.

By Donnie A. Lucas

The filing period for the March 1 primary elections ended on Monday, with no new candidates signing up for the available offices this election cycle.

Several candidates filed last Tuesday with Republican party chairman Rodney Casey, and two others turned in their paperwork on Monday of this week.

The filing period ended at 6:00 p.m. on Monday.

Officially adding their name to the list of candidates on Monday were Raleigh Breeden for county judge and incumbent Cody Jordan for the Precinct 4 commissioner’s office.

By Sam Waller

The Albany Ministerial Alliance is in need of volunteers to help distribute Christmas baskets.

The program strives to provide ingredients needed for a traditional holiday meal to families who need assistance.

The drive received 101 applicants this year, with 41 in Albany, 35 in Moran, and 25 through Vittles by Vehicles.

Donations can be mailed to the Ministerial Alliance at PO Box 3084, Albany TX 76430. 

Ministerial Alliance secretary Tisha Wilkins said deliveries will begin about 2:00 p.m. Sunday from The Feed Store.

By Melinda L. Lucas

News readers and advertisers are reminded that there will be no paper published Dec. 30 during the week between Christmas and New Year’s Day.

The News office will be open on Monday through Thursday, Dec. 27-30 of that week. The office is always closed on Fridays, so it will be closed all day on New Year’s Eve, Dec. 31.

Because Christmas Day falls on Saturday, there does not have to be an early deadline this year. The normal Tuesday noon deadline will apply for the week of Dec. 27. 

By Donnie A. Lucas

The Albany school board moved to appoint a  new member to fill a vacant seat, accepted one resignation, and approved a one-time payment to all school employees during a meeting held Monday, Dec. 13.

Albany resident Matt Bellah was sworn in to fill the Place 5 seat for the unexpired portion of a three-year term that ends in May 2022 on a motion by Kim Fuentes. The position opened after the resignation of longtime board member Kelly Head earlier in the year.

By Melinda L. Lucas

Most of Monday night’s brief December city council meeting was a review of November and year-to-date finances by city manager Billy Holson, along with an explanation of the need to replace “trains” of membranes at the water plant.

Billy Holson noted that the capital outlay line item will jump from $418,000 to over $600,000 before the end of the year because there are currently 71 membranes failing at the local water plant. 

By Melinda L. Lucas

Two different proposals heard by Shackelford County commissioners on Monday could cost the county as much as $300,000, although there are already funds that could cover a lot of that amount.

Zach Fitzgerald of CTSI, the county’s IT consultant, recommended using some of the recently awarded American Rescue Plan Act money to install county-owned fiber between the Courthouse and the Law Enforcement Center at a cost of more than $200,000.

The project would eliminate the $1,700 monthly fiber charge from AT&T.