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Columnists

BOB BROWN: “Portraits of the Human Person”

On the night of June 21, 2025, President Donald Trump said all seven B2 Bombers had safely returned from an unprecedented successful attack on Iran’s fortresses of nuclear weapon...

BECKY MAUPIN: The After Bedtime Search

Picture this: You manage to get everyone fed and the dinner aftermath cleaned up. Then...

ROBERT L. MARONIC: Israel’s Second Sum Of All Fears

I first heard about a dirty bomb in early September 1993 when an IBM coworker,...

BOB BROWN: What Happened to Happiness?

We can quibble about the origin, even the definition or meaning of “happiness,” but I’m...

FRED FIRST: Homeward Bound

It would happen: the trip back to Floyd. And then it wouldn’t. And then it...

MIKE KEELER: Bottled Water – What Are We Thinking??

It's poetic that the 50th Anniversary of Earth Day took place while Earth was completely shut down. Suddenly, with minimal industry going on, we're...

JOY SYLVESTER-JOHNSON: A Visceral Prayer

I had forgotten that one of the best gifts you can give yourself is a good, red eyed, sniffling nose, breath catching, shoulder shaking...

SCOTT DREYER: Governor Continues To Name Winners and Losers

By their fruits you will know them (....)  -- Matthew 7:16a The Roanoke Times did us a service, I believe, with its May 5 editorial:...

JAMES FINCK: Historically Speaking – Marxists vs. Fascists

Happy Memorial Day. Here is my latest Historically Speaking. With some of the name calling going around I am looking at the difference between...

LEE H. HAMILTON: Exceptional? Only If We Get To Work

Like most Americans, I have always considered the United States an exceptional country.  We possess a political system built on checks and balances, an...

RACHEL BURKS: Gardening for Health and Your Wallet

When money is tight, vegetable gardening is one solution that can benefit your wallet AND your health!  Although gardening can be quite expensive if...