back to top

Columnists

BOB BROWN: The American Flag

All my life, I’ve loved the American flag. I was taught there is something special about our flag, that it is never trampled upon in war or peace, and...

ROBERT L. MARONIC: There Is No Need For A U.S. Ground War In Venezuela

The easiest way to overthrow Nicolás Maduro, the narco-terrorist dictator of Venezuela, is to finance an insurgency....

SCOTT DREYER: Lincoln’s Thanksgiving Proclamation

Americans celebrate Thanksgiving today, and along with Canadians in October, are the only people on...

DAWN CUSTALOW: Pocahontas Reframed and Thanksgiving

I just returned from the 9th annual Pocahontas Reframed film festival 2025 in Richmond, VA,...

SCOTT DREYER: “Forgive Me When I Whine”

This poem, of unclear authorship, reportedly comes from the dark Great Depression days of the...

From The Older Brother’s Room

“The Roanoke Valley is a great place to raise a family.”  I hear that statement a lot.  As a father to four children...

Will Wars Ever End?

by Hayden Hollingsworth President Obama announced last week that the war in Iraq will end on December 31.  That this came as a surprise...

Celebrating Mediocrity

by Keith McCurdy Recently a friend told me a story about his son’s football banquet.  As my friend put it, they weren’t even close...

A Great Line Can Always Be Improved

by Mike Keeler Take, for example, the Battle of Trafalgar, fought 206 years ago this week.  Horatio Nelson had been ordered to find and...

Wilson Memorial – A Unique High School

by Mary Jo Shannon In September 1948, students from four Augusta County high schools were joined together in one huge consolidated high school.  That...

Fed by Ravens by Gary Robbins

When I was a youngster, I would sometimes find myself outside in late April or early May when it began to rain.  These...