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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...

Counting Blessings as Children Move On

by Joe Kennedy As scheduled from the moments they were born, my daughter Katherine and my son Michael packed their beds and other belongings...

Exercise . . . And So Much More

by Mary Jo Shannon When I joined the Salem Family YMCA in January 2000 and enrolled in a water aerobics class, my main concern...

Becoming Good Soil by Tupper Garden

“Other seeds fell on good soil and brought forth grain, some a hundred fold, some sixty, some thirty. Let anyone who has ears,...

Vacation Bible Schools Change With The Times

by Frances Stebbins As church activities slow down in the hot weeks of summer, Vacation Bible Schools enliven many a congregation. Though they've changed...

Unfortunately, I Nailed It

by Robert Adcox I had a great childhood. When I was seven or so, I used to watch with fascination as my dad built things...

Recipe of the Week: The Next Best Bacon Lettuce and Tomato

by Leigh Sackett My tomato plants are not doing well this year and several other people I have talked to are having the same...