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Columnists

BOB BROWN: “Portraits of the Human Person”

On the night of June 21, 2025, President Donald Trump said all seven B2 Bombers had safely returned from an unprecedented successful attack on Iran’s fortresses of nuclear weapon...

BECKY MAUPIN: The After Bedtime Search

Picture this: You manage to get everyone fed and the dinner aftermath cleaned up. Then...

ROBERT L. MARONIC: Israel’s Second Sum Of All Fears

I first heard about a dirty bomb in early September 1993 when an IBM coworker,...

BOB BROWN: What Happened to Happiness?

We can quibble about the origin, even the definition or meaning of “happiness,” but I’m...

FRED FIRST: Homeward Bound

It would happen: the trip back to Floyd. And then it wouldn’t. And then it...

Bittersweet Memories

by Mary Jo Shannon One Saturday in early November as my granddaughter and I strolled through the Roanoke City market area, admiring the colorful...

Here’s How Things Happen, And How They Don’t

by Mike Keeler On November 11, 1918, "the war to end all wars" ended. Armistice occurred on the 11th hour of the 11th day...

Richmond Marathon A Real Kick

by John Robinson I’m padding up a fairly long, straight, and in this case rather bleak section of North Boulevard, at mile 19, when...

Old Order Brethren (German Baptists) Still Flourish in Roanoke

If you're new to the Roanoke Valley, or even if you've been here for many years, you've probably wondered about the bearded men...

Our Take: The End Of One Personal Journey … And The Beginning Of Another?

by Gene Marrano (Star-Sentinel News Editor Gene Marrano reflects on last weekend’s marathon in Richmond and the past year.) I’ve jogged and run road...

Politics: Are We Having Fun Yet?

by Hayden Hollingsworth If the answer is “Yes,” then we’re really in trouble.  I don’t know how much more of this amusement we can...