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Columnists

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, and it has been hard to figure out where and how to jump back...

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 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,...

The Most Bang for the Buck

by Hayden Hollingsworth Well, thank goodness we’re through with THAT!  The NBA Finals, of course. Just in case you’ve nodded off during the tedium...

Surprise! Happy 50th Birthday

by Mary Jo Shannon A fiftieth birthday is a true landmark – one-half century – and worthy of special celebration. Loving spouses often plan outlandish...

Recipe of the Week: Habanaro Mango Grilled Shrimp

I have been told I make the best fried shrimp. But I also have been told I make the best fried chicken, fried...

A Letter To My Heavenly Father

by Lucky Garvin ABBA, I know it makes no sense to write to You who already knows what I think and feel  better than I...

Beauty and Grace in the Barrios

by John Robinson The girl and her little brother look through the bars of the gate, their big brown eyes full of wonder and curiosity....

“Kids of Today?”

by Keith McCurdy I had to laugh the other day when I read this title; “Parenting the Kids of Today.”  In five words it...