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Columnists

A Life Well-Lived: Shirley Padgett Lester (1947-2025)

Shirley Padgett Lester of Vinton went to her heavenly reward October 4. Below is the powerful eulogy her daughter Kelly Kiser wrote and calmly delivered at the memorial service...

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 L. MARONIC: Sometimes President Trump Needs To Think Before He Speaks – Part II

Contrary to what President Trump believes, I think that Lakanwal was adequately vetted before September 2021,...

ROBERT L. MARONIC: Sometimes President Trump Needs To Think Before He Speaks – Part I

I read an article in the New York Post written by Ryan King on November 27 entitled...

Owls, Turtles and Groundhogs Galore

by Lucky Garvin Sometimes wildlife rehabilitation can put you into some amusing situations. Sabrina got a phone call. It seems a Great-horned owl was down...

I Can See Clearly Now

by Robert Adcox You know that clear plastic film that covers new electronic gadgets? I'm talking about that stuff we're supposed to peel off...

A Perspective on Motherhood

by Stephanie Koehler Last month I turned 21 for the second time.  You can do the math. Judging from the horror stories I had heard...

Anonymous Angels

by Lucky Garvin The Unnoticed Angel There is a reason things happen; and often those things also have a purpose. Her face was too broad to...

Love is Not Spelled “Cupid” by Mark Graham

My wife will insist I’m taking this view simply as an excuse not to indulge her in chocolates, cards, and other gifts. She’s...

Raymond Berry- One of Life’s MVP’s

by Joe Kennedy For me, one of the peak moments of the recent NFL Super Bowl occurred after the game when a lean, brown-haired...