West Texas Dispatch

As we observe the nation’s 250th birthday…we’re looking back at the history of Texas and Abilene. Last week we talked through the state’s timeline up until the 1880s…today we pick up the story with the founding of Abilene.More than 72-million Americans traveled over the July 4th holiday…and more than five-and-a-half million of them flew. We’re checking in on summer travel through Abilene Regional Airport…it’s the first summer local travelers have direct flights available to Arizona and Colorado…what’s the impact at A-B-I?State Senator Charles Perry is pushing to speed up the process of removing materials that some find objectionable from school libraries…some administrators are concerned about unintended consequences.Happy Birthday to Abilene’s Community Band. The band celebrated its 50th over the weekend with its traditional patriotic concert.And downtown Abilene was full of the Sights and Sounds of creativity for Art Walk last week. We’ll tell you about it.

This week America celebrates its 250th Birthday. We want to look back at what was happening during that time in what would eventually become Texas.A lot of people like to celebrate July 4th with fireworks, by watching organized shows, and by experiencing the thrill of sending them up. Even though there’s no burn ban right now, there are restrictions. We’ll take a closer look.It’s an interesting time to be a cattle rancher. Beef prices are up. But so are costs. An invasive species is threatening all warm blooded mammals. And drought is always a looming challenge. We’ll tell you about the decline of herd sizes across Texas.All of Texas is tracking the spread of the New World Screwworm. The state is used to fighting invasive species. We’ll take a closer look at another invasive pest that once posed a major threat.There are few dishes more iconic at a 4th of July celebration than Apple Pie. We’ve asked local experts to share their secrets to baking the best - All-American Apple Pie.

Abilene officials are up to their elbows in budgeting for the 20-27 fiscal year. Today we’ll take a look at how they’re approaching the work…with millions of extra revenue flowing into the coffers.We’ll also talk about the local economy–which is fueling that flush-budget situation. So much new development underway…and more coming. But how are the small businesses doing?Some Abilene community members have worked for years with the Equal Justice Initiative to create a memorial for lynching victim, Grover C. Everett…. Last weekend their work was unveiled in downtown Abilene.We’ll bring you a field guide to an invasive species that is a scourge during the Texas summer months.And we’ll discuss the value of preserving family stories.