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Columnists

BOB BROWN: Lost and Found

All of us encounter loss. The meaning we attribute to loss influences our response to it. Our losses accumulate. They range from minor to unimaginable. Last week, two sets of...

FRED FIRST: Where You’re From

In the very early years of writing, I was exposed to a poem called “Where...

ROBERT L. MARONIC: I No Longer Watch Baltimore Orioles’ Baseball Games

I no longer watch Baltimore Orioles’ baseball games. I now only watch innings, and if I...

ANDY PITZER: “Look Mom! No iPhone!”

A very interesting visually recorded interview showed up on my feed the other night. In...

FRED FIRST: There And Back Again

RECAP: I would be able to visit southwest Virginia again–home for almost 40 years, and...

DEVOTIONAL: Want To Help Your Country? Love God!

Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people. -- Proverbs 14:34 (ESV) As Americans celebrate the 4th of July, many may...

SCOTT DREYER: What Does The Overturning of Roe v. Wade Mean?

"What does all this mean now?" a college-educated, twenty-something Roanoker asked me recently. He had brought up the US Supreme Court's (SCOTUS) momentous June 24...

MELINDA MYERS: Managing Garden Pests with Pollinators in Mind

Every garden season is filled with beautiful and tasty surprises along with a few challenges. One challenge gardeners face each year is managing insect...

JOHNNY ROBINSON: The Many Joys of Backyard Picnicking

In the warmer months we ate dinner on the picnic table in our backyard almost every single day. I’m not talking about dining on...

H. BRUCE RINKER: Words That I’ve Lived By

During one of my morning meditation practices this week, I reflected on some of the important sayings that have been guideposts in my life....

Composting Directly In The Garden

Don’t toss those imperfect lettuce leaves, onion tops and strawberry tops into the trash. Instead, convert them into compost right in the garden. Worm and...