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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...

MIKE KEELER: The Magic Monkish Word

After months of being stuck at home, you've probably cleaned out your closets, explored the dark corners of your fridge, rooted through your pantry...

SCOT BELLAVIA: Words Matter

One of the primary things my wife appreciated about me in the first few months after we started dating was how careful I was...

SCOTT DREYER: Outrageous – VA Dems Releasing Violent Criminals

Thou Shalt not murder.   -- Exodus 20:13  (The Sixth Commandment) Thanks, Roanoke Times, for running two pieces on August 13, 2020 exposing the Virginia...

BARBARA LEACH: Betwixt and Between

How’s your garden doing?  This is the time of year that my mom used to call “the betwixt and between.”  Most perennials have gone...

MIKE KEELER: The Man Behind The President

This is a story of a populist President, political favors, fake news and the United States Postal Service. The year is 1835. Most of us...

MELINDA MYERS: Tomato Troubles

You waited all season for that first red ripe tomato only to discover less-than-perfect fruit. Don't worry, you can still have a great harvest and...