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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...

MIKE KEELER: You Can Call Me Peri – And I’m Kinda Famous

You can call me Perry. It’s a name that denotes a kind of curiosity, and a sprightly joyous attitude. Tons of optimism, but also an...

SCOTT DREYER: Governor-Elect Youngkin Returns To Say “Thank You”

Give thanks in all circumstances (....)  -- 1 Thessalonians 5:18 Some have called gratitude “the greatest of all virtues.” In other words, if we are...

MIKE KEELER: This Week’s Writing Challenge

Here’s the challenge I was facing: write a Friday blog so good that I’d be deified. I read some of my old ones, and I...

MELINDA MYERS: Plant A Terrarium For A Unique Winter Garden or Gift

Create a garden under glass to enjoy or give as a gift to new, experienced, and even reluctant gardeners. This self-contained system makes it...

SCOTT DREYER: December 7–“Remember Pearl Harbor” at 80

A common theme from both the Old and New Testaments of the Bible is "remember." In American history, which is short compared to world...

SCOTT DREYER: Nave Campaign Makes 11-Point GOP Swing In Roanoke City’s Deep Blue 11th House District

Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.                ...