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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,...

Youth Learns The Hard Way

by Robert Adcox The other day I was feeling nostalgic and daydreaming about my youth. The misadventures I experienced were often harrowing while they...

Journey On . . . By Joe Lehman

Many of us find it helpful to think of our lives as journeys.   Journeys have a goal and a direction.   “Road”...

The Best Mountaineer Ever

by Mike Keeler The greatest athlete in the history of his sport recently passed away.  You've probably never heard of him.  In 1954, a group...

Recipe of the Week: Anthony’s Apple Oatmeal Crumble

by Leigh Sackett Recently I got up at 5:30 AM to go to the grocery store. It was that kind of day - I...

Is Anything Working?

by Hayden Hollingsworth Well, let’s see now . . . is anything going well? The world financial markets are totally unsettled and, as if that...

Saw Horses Are So Easy

by John Robinson My friend Broaddus had built a workshop out of a shed and I was helping him finish it out. There were...