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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...

SCOT BELLAVIA: Quitting a Book

I used to think it was virtuous to finish every book I started. You know the advice: “Always finish what you start.” This was...

DEVOTIONAL: Jesus’ 7 Sayings From The Cross (6 & 7)

“It is finished!” --John 19:30 (NIV) “Into Your hands I commit My spirit.”  -- Luke 23:46 (NIV) Today is Good Friday, the day Christians commemorate the...

SCOTT DREYER: What A City Skyline Tells You

A few years ago I took a history class about the role and perceptions of religion in Colonial America. One image that impressed me...

DEVOTIONAL: Jesus’ 7 Sayings From The Cross (5)

“I am thirsty.”  -- John 19:28 (NIV) For the past 2,000 years, many have debated who Jesus was. Many have claimed He was an extraordinary...

MORGAN GRIFFITH: The New Man

This Easter I want to revisit one of my favorite hymns, He Is Risen. Though I’ve shared this one before, the message of He...

FRED FIRST: Birds Behaving Badly

I could not resist the alliteration, even though the You-wanna-piece-of-me Osprey is the baddest bird I could find in my limited ornithographic collection. (Yes...