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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...

Robert Hudson Westover: Falling In Love Again With Fall Colors

Glimmers of light dance across the river’s surface as a cool breeze drifts past, gently pulling brilliant red leaves from a sturdy but gnarled...

MIKE KEELER: My Cache Has Some Serious Cachet

So I’m watching the news and a very well-spoken pundit says that the FBI is concerned that the stockpiles of military hardware that we...

SCOTT DREYER: Soros Gives McAuliffe Campaign $250k

For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. --I Timothy 6:10a Many Bible verses are misquoted or taken out of...

SCOT BELLAVIA: Why Open-Mindedness Isn’t a Thing

“Don’t be so open-minded that your brains fall out.” In its literalness, this aphorism is incisive. ‘Open-mindedness’ refers to unchecked tolerance and wholesale acceptance. It’s...

SCOTT DREYER: Happy Constitution Day!

(...) Write the vision, and make it plain (....)   --Habakkuk 2:2b Once as a history major at William and Mary I heard our Sunday School teacher...

SCOTT DREYER: 9/11 at 20- Reflect and Remember

Remember the former things, those of long ago (....) -- Isaiah 46:9a Reflecting on this eve of the 20th anniversary of the horrific 9/11 attacks,...