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Columnists

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 9, called for a ceasefire, cessation of military operations, along with a hostage and prisoner...

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...

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...

FRED FIRST: Winter is Coming: Make Ready!

Though a few poetic souls and tree-hugging types like me will make soft cooing noises of approval about the magic of the coming of...

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...