By Loretta Fulton Most people know Travis Craver as City Councilman Travis Craver, representing Place 6. Or, you may know him from his previous position as Director of Spiritual Formation at Hardin-Simmons University. If you’ve been around Abilene long enough, you may even know him for his previous youth work at Pioneer Drive Baptist Church. Now, you’ll know him as
Read moreBy Danny Minton Several years ago, I received a call from someone who wanted to take me out for a cup of coffee. When a request started this way, it usually meant there was some issue they wanted to discuss. So, I was prepared for one of those “What I don’t like” conversations. We sat down and had a friendly
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By Jim Nichols Classroom valentine parties were an exciting time during my early boyhood days. My parents would buy me a multipage scrapbook that contained both valentine cards and envelopes for them. My task was to use my blunt-end scissors to cut them out. The envelopes were the most complicated because they had trim on them that was to be
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By Nancy Patrick I have written several times this past year about how the road of my life has actually led me down paths I had not planned to travel. On the last Sunday of January 2024, I fell in my home and fractured a vertebra—certainly not a planned event. This happened about a year after I had gone through
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By Loretta Fulton The observance of Black History Month will have special meaning for Terrence Penns this year. Each February is set aside to emphasize the contributions of Black Americans to the nation’s history. Abilene is home to Curtis House Cultural Center, 630 Washington St., which houses local Black history. It was founded and overseen for many years by Andrew
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By Jay Moore Should you get caught waiting on the light at S. 14th and Sayles, you have four viewing options: a vape shop on the southeast corner, a pawn shop to the northeast, a convenience store habitually offering non-competitive gas prices on the northwest corner, or you can look to the southwest and see a manicured grassy expanse punctuated
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By Jim Nichols It is unfortunate that John Donne in 1624 did not use gender-neutral language, but the power of his short poem remains the same. He is writing about the interconnectedness of humanity and, specifically, the impact of loss. On a high shelf in a spare bedroom, we have several photo albums. If I were to peruse through them
Read moreBy Marianne Wood Lily intimidates me. Every time she calls, I feel panic rise in my guts. She will ask me questions I do not comprehend. Falstaff has a lovely, resonant voice but also makes me uncomfortable. This may be because of his deep bass instructions and seemingly great size. I usually understand him, but I shake a little as
Read moreBy Danny Minton “On Twelfth Street in the Iris section of Newark, New Jersey, nobody was rich and nobody was poor. The men had blue-collar jobs, and the women stayed home with the children. There were lots of children in the neighborhood, and that was one of the reasons the families knew one another so well. Kids grew up playing
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Spirit Of Abilene 