Local News
Col. Ryan Stallsworth, deputy commander of the 7th Bomb Wing at Dyess Air Force Base, called on those gathered Monday, May 25, to treat remembrance as an ongoing duty rather than a single-day observance, delivering remarks to what was described as one of the largest crowds in recent memory attending the annual Memorial Day…
A forgotten building has been reintroduced as what may become one of Abilene’s most unforgettable landmarks. By Greg Jaklewicz/West Texas Tribune The doors are open again to the three-story Abilene High School, which opened to students in 1924. More than 100 years later, it’s Abilene Heritage Square, the home to the city’s new central…
By the Family of William J. Brown Let us introduce you to our 94-year-old dad, William J. Brown, who has never met a stranger. He’s one of those that could have a conversation with a sign post. Dad is one of 12 children born to Governor and Mary Brown in Thornton, Texas. He married…
Community
By Dr. Jerry Andrew Taylor We are living through a heavy and weary season in our nation and throughout the world. Amid ongoing chaos and confusion, many people are starving for simple human connection. We pass one another like silent ships moving through dark water at midnight. We look at faces but rarely enter the…
By Glenn Dromgoole One of the most popular book events in Abilene – the Friends of the Library Book Sale – gets under way on Thursday, June 18, and runs through Sunday, June 21, at the Abilene Convention Center. The Thursday night preview sale, from 5-8 p.m., is for FOL members only, but family and…
By Mashall Lowry May 14–16, 2026, was a very emotional and eye-opening week for me as I walked through the Greenwood District in Tulsa. As a young Black woman from Abilene, I realize there is so much history I was never taught or fully understood. Although Abilene has faced its own struggles, learning the history…
Opinion
By Floyd Miller/Publisher It is a pleasure to honor several fathers this year. I really wish that we could honor more. Fathers have such important roles, and most individuals see fathers as protectors and providers, which are just two of the many roles they are charged with. Our honorees are William Brown, Hank Davis, Billy…
By Jennifer Christine “Paint the City Purple” started with one name: Desree. What began as a way to honor Desree’s life and ensure her story would not be forgotten quickly became something much bigger than I ever imagined. The 32-year-old mother died in December after being stabbed in her Abilene home. Her husband has…
By Kelvin Kelley/Director of Ministry at Hardin-Simmons University I really can’t believe these things are happening in America. Yes, those are actually my words as I reflect upon the daily news that the republic that was built on democratic principles is now, before our very eyes, being dismantled! I shake my head incredulously as I…
Education
McMurry University President Dr. Lynn Murray challenged a group of Abilene’s top academic achievers to embrace uncertainty, persist through self-doubt and invest in others as she delivered the keynote address at the Kiwanis of Abilene Foundation’s annual scholarship luncheon. Five students were awarded $1,500 scholarships: Luke Schonerstedt, Wylie High School; McKenzie Hamon, Jim Ned High…
By Gail Jay The Kiwanis Club of Abilene recently awarded the organization’s 2026 David Ratliff Scholarships. Ratliff was a Cooper High School graduate in 1967. He was married and had a son, David, Jr., and daughter, Tamie. Ratliff was an Abilene businessman who supported the Kiwanis Club, Ben Richey Boys Ranch, and other agencies serving…
The West Texas Tribune is proud to present the valedictorians and salutatorians from high schools across the Abilene area. Reaching the top of the class requires years of hard work. As they close this chapter and look toward the future, we invite our community to join us in celebrating their achievements. Explore the gallery below…
Arts & Entertainment
By Clay Landen Harris At the Grace Museum in downtown Abilene, glass becomes meaning over material, bending light and thought into an experience both intimate and expansive. This is at the heart of the exhibition by Dallas artist Carlyn Ray, on display until Sept. 19. “Glass is one of the few materials that holds…
The Abilene Quilters Guild will host its 32nd annual Stars Over Abilene Quilt Show at the Abilene Convention Center, at 1100 N. 6th St. from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. June 5 and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. June 6. The show, themed “Let Freedom Ring,” commemorates the 250th anniversary of the United States.…
By Floyd Miller/West Texas Tribune George Levesque came to the Paramount Theatre the way most good things happen — not by planning, but by paying attention. After 18 years in television news as an anchor and news director, Levesque was watching the industry change around him when the Paramount job opened up. He did not…
Obituaries
Ollie Beatrice “Bea” Mays passed on peacefully on May 18, 2026, at the age of 87, having been born on September 7, 1938, and residing in Abilene, Texas. Ollie was born in Sawyerville, Alabama, in Hale County; she was the beloved daughter of Mable Cooper and Richard McCruter. Bea attended Alabama A&M University in Huntsville,…
Tammy Guy Tiner, age 65, of Buffalo Gap, Texas, passed away on Sunday, April 19, 2026, surrounded by her family and many close friends. A visitation was held at Fry-Smith Funeral Home in Tuscola on Friday, April 24, 2026, from 5 to 7 p.m. A funeral service was held at Baker Heights Church of Christ on Saturday,…
Billye Proctor Shaw, 91, passed away on Monday, April 6, 2026, in Abilene, Texas. Graveside services for immediate family were led by Felicia Hopkins, District Superintendent for the Northwest Texas Conference of the United Methodist Church, with hymns sung by Twyla Pearce Foreman, and under the direction of The Hamil Family Funeral Home. Billye was…
Sports
By Floyd Miller/West Texas Tribune Sam Nichols spent decades teaching Abilene how to read the weather. Long before that, he was teaching young women how to win basketball games. Now, in retirement, he continues teaching kids in the Bahamas how to play the game he loves — and the Kiwanis Club of Greater Abilene…
By Bruce Campbell/West Texas Tribune Six outstanding Big Country athletes were inducted into the Big Country Athletic Hall of Fame at a ceremony on April 20 at the Abilene Convention Center. Almost 500 were on hand to applaud as each of these gifted sports figures were introduced by Hall of Fame Chairman Al Pickett. This…
By Jack Walker/West Texas Tribune In over 12 years of coverage and independent submissions for this publication, Mr. Miller has rarely given me a particular sports assignment to write about for the West Texas Tribune. The boss knows I’m in tune with the game when it comes to the wide world of sports, and the…
Politics
Early voting is underway in the runoff election for the Abilene City Council’s Place 4 position, and Election Day will be Saturday, June 13. The runoff election is necessary because none of the candidates for Place 4 received 50 percent or more of the votes in the May 2 election. The election included four candidates,…
Ben Bailey says he has spent his entire adult life in service — to his country, to elected officials, and now to the business he owns — and believes that accumulated experience is exactly what Abilene needs on its city council. Bailey, an Abilene native running for Place 4, faces Tammy Fogle in a runoff…
Tammy Fogle says years of showing up to city council meetings as an ordinary citizen taught her something the council itself had not been doing well enough: talking plainly to the people it serves. Fogle, a candidate for Abilene City Council Place 4 in the June 13 runoff election, sat down recently with Floyd…
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