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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...

A Very Good Use of Technology

by Mary Jo Shannon Checking my email one evening, I was surprised to see one from my daughter Kathy with the intriguing subject line...

Big Government – Small Job Growth

by Dick Baynton A new national JOBS report came out recently from the US Department of Labor. According to the report, unemployment fell to...

P. Buckley Moss – The People’s Artist

by Mary Jo Shannon Upon my retirement from the Shedd Early Learning Center in 1988, the parents and faculty gave me a signed print...

Getting the News

by Hayden Hollingsworth It comes as no surprise that newspapers are struggling to survive, or even if they should.  As has been pointed in...

Them’s Fightin’ Words

by Robert Adcox Yesterday evening I was on YouTube chasing down rumors of an engine explosion (How many opportunities do you get to see...

Ask the Nature Lady by Marlene A. Condon

I really like how “friendly” dragonflies seem to be.  These creatures are not as easily frightened by humans as are most large—and therefore...