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Columnists

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, and it has been hard to figure out where and how to jump back...

A Life Well-Lived: Shirley Padgett Lester (1947-2025)

Shirley Padgett Lester of Vinton went to her heavenly reward October 4. Below is the...

BOB BROWN: How the White House Functioned With a Diminished Biden “Presidency”

Permit me to think out loud as an old-fashioned person who respects authority, history, and...

JOHNNY ROBINSON: The Gratitude Perch

On the old road up Mill Mountain, part of Roanoke’s fabulous greenway system, there’s a...

ROBERT L. MARONIC: Sometimes President Trump Needs To Think Before He Speaks – Part II

Contrary to what President Trump believes, I think that Lakanwal was adequately vetted before September 2021,...

BOB BROWN: “I don’t see how I can go on like this”

The round, sad Asian American face of the 26-year-old single Soldier sitting uncomfortably in front of me could not have been more disheartened. Large...

SCOT BELLAVIA: God in the Library

Talking to strangers about God is a muscle I don’t work very often. But I try to take the opportunity when it comes up. A...

ROBERT L. MARONIC: Antisemite Zohran Mamdani Will Be An Economic Disaster For New York City – Part IV

As Gabrielle Fahmy wrote in the Post, "in its most recent platform, the group blasts policing and detention as 'instruments of class war.'” They...

BOB BROWN: The Smell of Combat

Consider the psychological cost incurred by the men and women in our military. They give all that can be given to protect us. A...

ROBERT L. MARONIC: Antisemite Zohran Mamdani Will Be An Economic Disaster For New York City – Part III

I read an article in the New York Post on August 24 written by Gabrielle Fahmy entitled, “Zohran Mamdani wants to end all misdemeanor charges : “‘E-ZPass for...

SCOTT DREYER: VA Voter Guide

This is the voter guide from the Faith & Freedom Coalition. As I've done door knocking and attended events for the candidates, I've heard concerns...