THE IDLE AMERICANCommentary by Dr. Don Newbury Minnie Pearl–queen of country humor for a half-century–”country-talked” her way into our hearts, mostly from the stage of Nashville’s Grand Ole Opry. Nowadays, the $1.98 price tag dangling from her hat is but a distant memory. A character fabricated by Sarah Ophelia Colley Cannon, who made Minnie’s hometown of Grinder’s Switch and stories of
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Editor’s Note: Zachary Ingle joined the faculty of Hardin-Simmons University in fall 2022 as an adjunct professor of strategic communication and teaches a Survey of American Film course. He previews the Oscars, with an eye toward the spiritual element, in the following piece. The 2023 Oscars will air at 7 p.m. Central Time Sunday, March 12, on ABC. By ZACHARY
Read moreJen Eikenhorst, author of “Left Turn: Life Unimagined,” will be guest speaker for a free talk at the Abilene Public Library’s main branch at noon Friday, March 10. Released last March, the book is a memoir that tells the story of how one tragic left turn while driving home led to an accident that would begin to unravel her life
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It will be time to “spring forward” again next weekend as Daylight Saving Time officially sets in. DST begins at 2 a.m. Sunday, March 12. Set your clocks ahead one hour before going to bed Saturday night. Daylight Saving Time will end at 2 a.m. Sunday, Nov. 5.
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Registration for ACU’s annual Summit will end March 15. The two-day event is scheduled for March 30-31. Most classes will be held on campus, with the exception of a dinner on Thursday night, March 30. Theme is Living Word. Keynote speaker for the Thursday night dinner, to be held at the 201 Mesquite Event Center in downtown Abilene, is Kristin
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Tony Dungy, who coached the Indianapolis Colts to a Super Bowl victory in 2007, will be guest speaker for the 50th anniversary dinner honoring Day Nursery of Abilene. The dinner begins at 7 p.m. Monday, March 27, at the Abilene Convention Center. Reservation deadline is March 17. Click here to order tickets or to sponsor a table. “The Day Nursery
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By NANCY PATRICK How much empathy can one heart muster? I find myself aching as I see images and hear stories of the crises around the world. I tend to over-invest myself in others’ lives, but I cannot ignore the pain occurring to fellow human beings. Earthquake in Turkey and Syria I cry as I watch the rescues of those
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By JIM NICHOLS Following is a short Facebook item I posted a few years ago. It just went out there into Facebook Land somewhere and may or may not have garnered any attention or “likes”; I do not know. I had forgotten about it until someone recently resurrected it and reminded me about it. I have no recollection of the
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Editor’s Note: March is Women’s History Month. Throughout March, contributors to Spirit of Abilene will pay tribute to Women of Influence. By DANNY MINTON The armed services still existed in segregation as the United States entered World War II. When I browse my dad’s battleship book, there is picture after picture of the different groups of sailors on the ship.
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