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Columnists

ROBERT L. MARONIC: Bring Back The War Department

President Franklin D. Roosevelt gave a prescient and heartfelt speech in Chautauqua, New York, on August 14, 1936, about the tragedy and horrors of war.  Reflecting upon his own experience as...

FRED FIRST: Changing of the Guard

The theme for the Lenoir Words Writers Group this month is AUTUMN. And since I...

BOB BROWN: The Truth About Lying

Everyone lies! That’s the truth. Most people are relatively honest most of the time. The average...

ROBERT L. MARONIC: Hurricane Erin Is Our Future – Part II

Unfortunately, the U.S. is not the only country experiencing climate change. It is a global...

ROBERT L. MARONIC: Hurricane Erin Is Our Future – Part I

I read a prescient and depressing article in the Associated Press written by Danica Coto on August 16,...

If You Think You’ve Got It Bad, Consider Moving to Zimbabwe

This week the United Nations released the 2010 Human Development Index (or HDI), a comprehensive examination of the condition of 169 countries around...

Double Layer Pumpkin Cheesecake

A recent reading I had for Sunday school talked about having gratitude for the gifts we are given and expressing that in prayer....

Unexpected Bonuses From Writing

I enjoy writing, so producing a column every other week has been more of a pleasure than a chore. So far my family has...

“Accidents of Fate” Seek Out Some More Than Others

Napoleon Bonaparte once said "There is no such thing as an accident, only fate misnamed." While I would like to agree with the...

The Lendy’s Hot Dog Incident

When I was growing up, Lendy’s on Franklin Road in Roanoke was definitely my favorite restaurant. I mean, how could it not be,...

If You Build It, Will They Come?

Field of Dreams, notwithstanding, the answer in Roanoke is “No.”  Twice we have been shown that.  First, under the stewardship of Bern Ewert...