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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...

ALISHA NELSON: Cleaning the Way GRANDMA Did

I am married to a man named Butch - country boy, Army vet, cowboy, carpenter, builder, mechanic, Jack-of-all-trades, and surprisingly, a bit of a...

ALISHA NELSON: Treasures Along the Way

There is a walk I sometimes take here on our mountain that requires a steep ascent at the end (hence, the reason it is...

SCOT BELLAVIA: If I Were You

“Wow! You made that door look easy!” I cringed as I heard my boss say this to the ADA Coordinator who uses a wheelchair when...

SCOTT DREYER: Senator Edward Pro Choice on One Issue Only

“There are some ideas so absurd that only an intellectual could believe them.” ? George Orwell, author of Animal Farm and 1984 In 2001 I took...

THE QUINN ONE MINUTE COLUMN: Interactive Television

Today’s message is not a fable…it is a true story.      In 2021, we know how to interact with a screen. We can order products, pay...

ALISHA NELSON: Respect the Snow! 

The only time I ever had any experience with snow growing up in Houston, Texas were the few weird winters that we had light...