“Fireworks!” 12-year-old Bright Kabura says as he describes a holiday celebration. He’s not describing the 4th of July or New Year’s Eve – he’s describing Christmas in Zambia, where he and his family lived before coming to Abilene as refugees in December of 2016. Like many refugee families in America, the Kabura family has adopted some American traditions for the holidays … [Read more...]
Christmas Comes Early for Matt Robinson
The Christmas season starts in September when you’re in the holiday lighting business, but electrician and business owner Matt Robinson said Christmas came early for him in a different way last year. The Friday after Thanksgiving, Robinson was reaching the end of a major undertaking – spreading festive holiday lighting throughout downtown Abilene – and he and his crew were … [Read more...]
Everything’s Coming Up Rosie Evans
Just five days after her fourth birthday, Ivy Rosie Evans was diagnosed with Stage V bilateral Wilms Tumor. Cancer. The word no parent ever wants to hear became a harsh reality for Ted and Allicyn Evans, and they plunged into the nightmare of chemo, hospitals, scans, tests and all the pokes and prodding that come with treatment. Through the journey, Abilene embraced Rosie and … [Read more...]
The Farris Family
Taylor County’s 2019 Agriculture Family of the Year By Wendy Kilmer Photography by Beth Dukes Mary Beth Farris grew up near Chicago and envisioned herself settling down somewhere around Cape Cod. Her husband, Danny, admits to experiencing culture shock when moving from the rolling, piney hills of Northern Louisiana to West Texas. But today both say they can’t imagine … [Read more...]
All Heart
Doyle Reeves makes the most of life after two successful heart transplants By Loretta Fulton Spending a hot summer in a skilled nursing facility as the result of a broken hip would be enough to make most people at least ask, “Why me?” But Doyle Reeves is far from most people. If he had started asking “Why me?” way back when his troubles started, that’s all he would … [Read more...]