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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...

DICK BAYNTON: Healthcare U.S.A.

The total cost of healthcare in the US was about 18% of GDP in 2019; with Gross Domestic Product around $21 trillion, healthcare costs...

As Long As We’re Looking At Dog Pictures . . .

Shortly after publishing last week’s missive I came across this picture of the small Hound mix that wandered in out of the wilderness to...

Tax Season Is Stress Season For Many

While 56 percent of respondents look forward to tax season, 46 percent admit that filing taxes is stressful. Do you file taxes early? Yes (67...

DICK BAYNTON: Life and Death In Idlib Province, Syria

Syria, about the size of North Dakota with a population of about 17 million people has been in deadly turmoil since late January 2011...

MIKE KEELER: All We Need Are 5 “KBC” Golden Egg Knobs

For this, the penultimate email about the Asa Hunt House renovation, we present an installment of, "You Can't Make This Up." The renovation that predated...

BARBARA LEACH: Spotlight on Winter Jasmine

At the Master Gardener Help Desk we have received quite a few calls about the crazy forsythia blooming early.  While it HAS been a...