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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...

STUART REVERCOMB: Goodbye Sweet Bee

Today we said good-bye to our beloved Bee-Dog. Bee was a just shy of 16 year-old, Shepherd-Malamute mix with one brown eye and one...

SCOT BELLAVIA: What to Expect When You’re Expecting in a Pandemic

If you’re really in tune with your family planning schedule, conceive the baby four or five months before the first case of what becomes...

SCOTT DREYER: A Comfortable Myth: “Federal Funds”

Yes, truth is lacking. - Isaiah 59:15 The rich rules over the poor, And the borrower becomes the lender’s slave. - Proverbs 22:7 I am no economist,...

MELINDA MYERS: Debunking Hot Pepper Myths

Enjoy the spicy heat hot peppers add to your meals without concern for the many myths surrounding these garden vegetables. Here are a few...

Managing Your August Garden

Watering July was a dry month for most of us here in Southwest Virginia. August is looking similar with nice hot days predicted for the...

SCOT BELLAVIA: Relational Authority

We know online discussions are severely inhibited by a sense of anonymity, missing tone, lack of body language, and faux connection. Another obstacle is...