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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...

PATRICK BAILEY: Is There A Heroin Problem In Roanoke?

According to the National Institute of Drug Abuse, West Virginia topped the United States in opioid deaths and overdoses in 2018. Many people wonder...

JOY SYLVESTER-JOHNSON: When Peace Seems Too Lofty A Goal

They used to say Roanoke was about ten years behind the rest of the east coast in social trends, fashion, design, etc. A year ago...

SCOTT DREYER: Pro-abortion Warner is Wrong on Judge Barrett

As a licensed history teacher since 1987, I try to “practice what I preach” and demonstrate active citizenship in keeping with the belief: “democracy...

MIKE KEELER: For These Troubled Times, A Little Medicine

There is only one sport played by people that wasn’t invented by humans. That sport is called Tewaaraton, and the people who play it...

MELINDA MYERS: Fall Garden Tasks to Protect Your Landscape from Winter Wildlife Damage

As the seasons change, we adjust our gardening tasks and plantings to match. Animals also make changes this time of year, often changing their...

SCOT BELLAVIA: A Proposal for Meaningful Legislation

If you’ve been reading my articles since I started writing for The Roanoke Star, you’ll know I usually stick to more serious topics. In-person,...