THE IDLE AMERICANCommentary by Dr. Don Newbury Okay, I confess. I am–as many retailers know–a sucker of the first order. I’ve ignored pleas of loved ones and friends warning me about buying items at greatly reduced prices. I want to do better, but can’t help it if adrenaline jumps into overdrive upon my noticing signs like “drastically reduced” or
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By LORETTA FULTON St. Paul United Methodist Church is remaining united. The congregation voted Sunday, Oct. 16, by a margin of 80 percent to 20 percent to remain affiliated with the United Methodist Church, rather than disaffiliate and either align with a conservative denomination or go independent. The new pastor of St. Paul, Benji Van Fleet, saw the vote as
Read moreBy DANNY MINTON Growing up, I played a lot of sandlot baseball. In the summer, every week, we’d get a group together and head to the field behind the old high school building. Sometimes we’d have a dozen or so, and other times we’d have only seven or eight. In those days, we had so few players, we’d play scrub
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The new main building at Hendrick Home for Children will be open to the public for tours on Sunday, Oct. 23. Guided tours will be held 2-4 p.m. Light refreshments will be served in the ballroom. Hendrick Home for Children, founded by Thomas Gould Hendrick and Ida Nations Hendrick, opened at the corner of Treadaway Boulevard and South 27th Street
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The Rev. Dr. Wil Gafney, a scholar, pastor, preacher, and activist, will be guest speaker for the Fall Religion Lectureship at McMurry University. The Abilene Interfaith Council also will count the two-day event as its October meeting. Lectures will be held at 7 p.m. Monday, Oct. 24, and at 11 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 25. Both events will be in Matthews
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By NANCY PATRICK For many years my husband and I did not lose any close family members to death. In my early sixties, I still had both my parents and both in-laws. The closest relatives I had lost were my grandparents. That status quo began shifting during my late fifties. My parents began having multiple health issues, including cancer for
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By LORETTA FULTON A different kind of hurricane is threatening the country, one that is just as destructive as Hurricane Ian that struck Florida, Abilene Christian University professor Jerry Taylor warns. “It is an emotional hurricane that is filled with the high velocity winds of hostility and the rising flood waters of racial violence,” said Taylor, an associate professor of
Read moreTHE IDLE AMERICANCommentary by Dr. Don Newbury When my aged Uncle Mort tells a story that is not “truth-proofed,” it merely means he heard it somewhere, and details may be accurate–or, more likely–figments of his imagination. Herewith is his most current tale. An habitual criminal–swearing to lead a new life on the straight and narrow–still owed society some “slammer time” for
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By JIM NICHOLS Occasionally, a question is asked whose answer is difficult. This is because there seem to be multiple facets that are conflicting. The consideration features a series of, “Yes, but . . . “statements. Sometimes we try to deal with it by asking related questions. If one enters Walmart or Starbucks, one clearly is a customer. However, if
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Spirit Of Abilene 