Santa Claus came to town early as he visited the Sumiton Public Library on Thursday for the library's annual Breakfast with Santa event. Local children were able to meet Santa and tell him what they wanted for Christmas before sitting down to eat breakfast and listen to Santa read “The Night Before Christmas.” more

MONTGOMERY — With AAA predicting the highest year-end travel volume on record expected and some reports predicting that road trips may take as much as three times longer than normal, the Alabama Department of Transportation (ALDOT) is reminding travelers to have patience and drive responsibly this holiday season. more

The state drought has begun to worsen recently on the south end of Walker County, although the county held steady this week without much change, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor on Thursday. more

Students in Ginny Vines’ self-contained special needs classroom at Curry Elementary/Middle School got to tell Santa what they wanted for Christmas at their party on Tuesday. more

Some special elves have helped Santa Claus provide toys for students in need in the Jasper City Schools system this year. Many parents picked up wrapped … more

After a lengthy presentation by an attorney Monday, the Walker County Commission decided to wait until the Thursday, Jan. 4, commission meeting to decide whether to join a class action lawsuit against opioid manufacturers. more

Former Circuit Clerk Vinita Thompson of Jasper, who became a reliable, hard-working fixture at the Walker County Courthouse as she worked in various positions in that office for 38 years, died Wednesday. She was 83. more

The Salvation Army of Walker County’s Red Kettle Campaign is gearing up for its final few days as it strives to meet this year’s $100,000 goal. The Red Kettle Campaign will end on Saturday, Dec. 23, instead of the usual Christmas Eve deadline, since Dec. 24 falls on a Sunday this year. more

CORDOVA — The Cordova Street Department began site preparation last week on a new boat launch at Cane Creek. more

Jasper Police Chief J.C. Poe, Tina Aaron, Jacque Allred and JPD Officer Heath Allred look over toys that were collected by Jasper police for this year’s toy drive sponsored by the Youth Advocates Program at the Jasper Family Services Center. Aaron is director of the program. The toys will be given as Christmas gifts to 40 kids served by the program. more