By Dr. Paul Fabrizio The white smoke from the Vatican chimney carried a big surprise. After decades of it being assumed wisdom that the pope could not be an American, Chicago-born Robert Francis Prevost was elected by the Roman Catholic Church College of Cardinals to be the pope. Choosing the name Leo XIV, Prevost is the first American to be
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VATICAN CITY (RNS) — In a shocking vote that caught the Catholic world by surprise, the College of Cardinals elected Robert Francis Prevost the 267th pope on Thursday (May 8). He is the first United States citizen to become the bishop of Rome. The Chicago-born Prevost, 69, has chosen to take the name Pope Leo XIV, signaling a kinship with
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By Glenn Dromgoole My mother was the kindest person I ever knew. Smart. Brave. Humble. But most of all, kind. Maybe we all grow up thinking our own mother is the closest thing to perfection we’ll know. At least I hope that’s how you feel. I did. And she was. It wasn’t easy being a preacher’s wife and a mother.
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By Danny Minton There’s an old tale from Scotland that tells of how a mother rescued her son from life-threatening danger. Workers were in a quarry preparing to blast the walls to enlarge the mining area. One day, they had set the explosives, connected the fuses, made their way to a safe location, and gave the alarm that they were
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By Jim Nichols Why do we get sick sometimes but not at other times? Why do some people get sick, but others do not? Is it because some of us eat a healthier diet? Is it because some of us are more consistent with getting regular exercise? Is it because “germs” (bacteria, viruses, fungi, or another microscopic entity) invade our
Read moreTHE IDLE AMERICANCommentary by Dr. Don Newbury It’s got to be a borderline miracle when Eastland–a town with fewer than 5,000 people–can lay claim to not one, but TWO “facts” worthy of the Guinness Book of Records recognition. “Facts” has quotation marks for a reason. It’s not certain that a horned toad named Ol’ Rip actually hibernated for 31 years in the
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Tickets and more informationIndividual tickets are $150. Click here to purchase tickets.Meals on Wheels is requesting a favorite memory or story from the past 50 years to share with others. Click here to add your story. For more information about sponsorships or tickets, contact Betty Bradley, executive director, at 325-672-5050 or bbradley@mealsonwheelsplus.com By Loretta Fulton Legendary Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Terry Bradshaw will be guest speaker for
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By Jim Nichols The internet notes that Everly, Iowa, had a population of 575 in the 2020 census. Over the decades that has remained steady and is similar to the time when our family would venture on summer vacation to Aunt Bea and Uncle Bill’s farm outside Everly. That farm was what one would envision as a true Midwest farm.
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By Loretta Fulton Abilenians will have a choice of services to attend on the National Day of Prayer Thursday, May 1. And, a breakfast that is free and open to the public will be held on Wednesday, April 30, at Hardin-Simmons University. Theme for this year’s National Day of Prayer is “Pour Out to the God of Hope and Be
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Spirit Of Abilene 