Local News
Season tickets for Abilene Independent School District’s 2026 varsity football season are available through Aug. 6. All ticket sales will be handled through HomeTown Ticketing. To help ensure the safety of fans at events held at Shotwell and the Shotwell Annex, only clear bags will be allowed in with spectators. Ticket Prices Abilene High…
By Bruce Campbell The new Abilene Public Library location at Heritage Square on South First Street has received as many visitors in its first six weeks as it had in one full year at the old location from 2024 to 2025. Jay Moore, Abilene’s un-official historian, who now offices at Heritage Square, has reported…
Abilene ISD will host a district-wide Enrollment Event on July 23 and 24 at the Abilene Convention Center to help families complete enrollment and registration for the 2026–27 school year. The free, come-and-go event will give families the opportunity to enroll, ask questions, connect with campuses and departments, explore district and community resources, and complete…
Community
By Bruce Campbell The new Abilene Public Library location at Heritage Square on South First Street has received as many visitors in its first six weeks as it had in one full year at the old location from 2024 to 2025. Jay Moore, Abilene’s un-official historian, who now offices at Heritage Square, has reported…
By Sienna Miller/West Texas Tribune A number of friends and loved ones came out to support the peaceful pro-test and car cruise as they seek justice for Juan “Diego” Mendez. Diego was 19 years old and a high school graduate. He had his whole life ahead of him before it was taken on March…
The Abilene Kiwanis Club presented Fire Capt. Lawson “Gus” Stuart with the Robert P. Connelly Award and Medal of Heroism on June 17, recognizing the Dyess Air Force Base firefighter and paramedic for a rescue that saved a construction worker’s life. Kiwanis member Billy Sides presented the award, which Kiwanis International established in 1967.…
Opinion
From the band’s 50th year to Juneteenth to a new historical marker in Memphis, this July edition is about looking back with thanks It’s always a good time — a good thing — to take a little time for reflection and remembering. I usually take a little more time in the month of July, because…
By Myra Dean I try not to respond to MAGA supporters with anger, because many are my neighbors, friends, relatives, and fellow Americans. I know I have not always listened as well as I should, and I genuinely want to understand what they see and what they fear that makes them believe Donald Trump and…
By Dr. Kelvin Kelley This past April, Macedonia Baptist Church celebrated Rev. Matthew M. Lubin, Sr.’s Twenty-fifth Pastor’s Appreciation. Rev. Lubin is a great friend of mine; he invited me to share the Sunday morning message. As has become my custom when responsible for communal events, I requested a copy of his church history. Little…
Education
Abilene ISD will host a district-wide Enrollment Event on July 23 and 24 at the Abilene Convention Center to help families complete enrollment and registration for the 2026–27 school year. The free, come-and-go event will give families the opportunity to enroll, ask questions, connect with campuses and departments, explore district and community resources, and complete…
By Makalah Wright The Abilene School District Board of Trustees held their monthly meeting on July 6, starting off with recognition for the UIL Texas State Solo and Ensemble Outstanding Performers. The musical ensemble contest was held on May 25 in Austin, where local Abilene students performed excellently in their performances. Collectively, the school earned…
Hardin-Simmons University’s Irvin School of Education presented its inaugural autism conference, “Making Space for All Learners: Thriving Together in Autism-Inclusive Classrooms,” to a wide range of participants on June 18. The half-day event, hosted at the Houston-Lantrip Center for Literacy and Learning, brought together parents, daycare providers, and educators as well as service providers…
Arts & Entertainment
The Abilene Public Library is welcoming teens to participate in a variety of summer activities, including hands-on projects, creative exploration, and plenty of opportunities to connect with friends — both new and old — at the new Main Library at Abilene Heritage Square, , 1699 S. 1st St. All activities are completely free, and…
This list of upcoming events was compiled for West Texas Tribune editorial use. The information was verified via official event sources as of June 24, 2026. July 2026 Independence Day Weekend Saturday, July 4 — Abilene Community Band’s 50th Anniversary/America’s 250th Concert. Free concert celebrating the band’s 50th year and America’s 250th anniversary. Free hot…
Keep up with Aida Pantoja as she celebrates civic groups all over town. Here’s what happened in June:
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
Season tickets for Abilene Independent School District’s 2026 varsity football season are available through Aug. 6. All ticket sales will be handled through HomeTown Ticketing. To help ensure the safety of fans at events held at Shotwell and the Shotwell Annex, only clear bags will be allowed in with spectators. Ticket Prices Abilene High…
By Clay Landen Harris Abilene’s first minor league baseball team was established shortly after the conclusion of World War II. From 1946 to 1957, Abilene was home to the Blue Sox. They were an affiliate of the Brooklyn Dodgers (1946-48) and the Kansas City Athletics (1956-57). The team played in a rare night-ready stadium located…
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…
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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