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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...

Hummingbirds: Pugnacious and Bejeweled Sun-Angels

by H. Bruce Rinker, Ph.D. Having recently returned from a two-week expedition into the rainforests and mountains of Peru, I have come back once...

The Most Important Man That Never Signed

by Mike Keeler Charles Thomson was born in County Londonderry, Ireland, in 1729.  When he was ten years old, his mother died.  His father...

My Four Hundred Dollar Soap Carving

by Mary Jo Shannon When our son Harry was in elementary school, he became interested in soap carving. His first effort was a crude...

In Praise of the “Wolf Peach”

by Fred First It is, in fact, a giant berry, technically a fruit. And it has been variously misunderstood, feared, loathed and praised during...

Skateboarding in the Olden Days

by John Robinson Barry and I, both 12, had hiked the path of the old incline railway straight up Mill Mountain, skateboards hanging from...

Consequences Need to Matter!

by Keith McCurdy Quite often my conversations with parents focus on consequences.  This can be a tricky topic.  There are so many different strategies...