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Columnists

BOB BROWN: When the Underdog Bites Has Rabies, and a Mean Owner

We have a strong human urge to identify with the “underdog.” There is nothing new about this tendency. The biblical story of David and Goliath, reported 3000 years ago,...

ROBERT L. MARONIC: Is Phase Two Of Trump‘s Peace Plan In The Gaza Strip Doomed To Fail? – Part II

Unfortunately, Trump’s present ceasefire as of October 9 is analogous to the armistice signed between...

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...

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...

SERWAN ZANGANA: Council Members Fail To Improve Safety of Roanoke

It is apparently unacceptable for Councilwoman Trish White-Boyd to be criticized by her own team member. As Councilman Luke Priddy thinks the Gun Violence...

MIKE KEELER: Honor The Herb . . .

With Earth Day coming up, I scrolled through the archives looking for past stories about nature, and I found a lot of them. In...

FRED FIRST: Earth Day 2070 – Leopold’s Land Ethic As If Earth Mattered

Finally, in April, the year truly begins. In every shade of green and gold, buds burst into leaf and flower. Bees buzz, birds nest,...

SCOTT DREYER: 12 Great Reasons To Pay Your Taxes By Today

In normal years, the IRS tax deadline is April 15, but in case you haven't noticed, 2023 is no normal year! Since April 15...

DEVOTIONAL: “Trust The Women”

On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the...

SERWAN ZANGANA: Sens. Warner/Kaine Show At Greenway Bridge A Distraction From Looming Crises

The visit from Virginia’s two Democrat Senators, Mark Warner and Tim Kaine, at Roanoke’s Smith Park and their announcement of $2.5 million in federal...