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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...

Dilly Green Beans (or Okra!)

by Leigh Sackett I spent my Friday and Saturday engrossed in the amazing world of Thomas Jefferson. Our plan was to head to Monticello...

Let’s Kill The Kudzu of Self Promotion

by Stephanie Koehler One of the great things I have noticed – on a global scale -- in recent years is an authentic desire...

Where We’re From Guides Where We’ll Go

by Fred First We may feel powerless to make a difference in the national issue of homeland security. But on the local level where...

The Care and Tending of Our Hearts by Gary Robbins

I remember watching Oksana Baiul skate one night on TV about fifteen years ago.  An incredible figure skater, Oksana had won the World Figure...

Blood in the Valley: Traditional Knowledge and a Compelling Spring Wildflower

by H. Bruce Rinker, Ph.D. One of my favorite early-spring native wildflowers is bloodroot.  As the phoebe begins to sing and nest, the soil...

Walking Each Other Home

by Lucky Garvin I met her late in her life.  They had known about the mass in her belly for about a year.  `Only a...