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Columnists

ROBERT L. MARONIC: Is Phase Two Of Trump‘s Peace Plan In The Gaza Strip Doomed To Fail? – Part I

Phase one of Trump‘s twenty-point peace plan in the Gaza Strip, which began on October 9, called for a ceasefire, cessation of military operations, along with a hostage and prisoner...

FRED FIRST: Approaching the Longest Night

Yes, you’re right—if you’ve even noticed—that this space has been neglected for some weeks now,...

A Life Well-Lived: Shirley Padgett Lester (1947-2025)

Shirley Padgett Lester of Vinton went to her heavenly reward October 4. Below is the...

BOB BROWN: How the White House Functioned With a Diminished Biden “Presidency”

Permit me to think out loud as an old-fashioned person who respects authority, history, and...

JOHNNY ROBINSON: The Gratitude Perch

On the old road up Mill Mountain, part of Roanoke’s fabulous greenway system, there’s a...

FRED FIRST: To Age Well, Start Young

"There is no cure for the common birthday . . . "   - John Glenn I remember it clearly. I was 12 when I first...

MELIINDA MYERS: Boost Your Mood With Fragrant Indoor Plants

There’s no need to visit a spa for a bit of soothing aromatherapy. Grow fragrant plants indoors to improve your mood and promote a...

ROBERT L. MARONIC: The Stench From The Bench Is Making Me Clench

The Colorado Supreme Court narrowly ruled (4-3) on December 19 to “disqualify” or bar former President Trump from the Republican presidential primary on March...

DEVOTIONAL: Don’t Be Afraid

Do not be afraid.  - Luke 1:13 (ESV) A group of ninth graders studying world religions was asked, "What do you think is the most...

RANDY HUFF: The Real Meaning of Scrooge

This season I've seen folks poke fun at predictable Christmas movie plot lines: man-returns-to-boyhood-home-in-December-to-find-his-high-school-sweetheart-still-elusive-but-they-fall-in-love-by-Christmas-Eve, or something like that. I thought of it when we...

MIKE KEELER: Oh Deer!!

Here in North America, we’re all familiar with white-tailed deer, and we can easily distinguish between a male and a female: the buck has...