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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...

No Need to Worry – Just Write It Down and You’ll Do Fine

by Mike Keeler Or so says the University of Chicago.  They recently completed a study in which they asked college students to take a...

Our Dirty Little Secret

by H. Bruce Rinker, Ph.D. Do you own a new mobile phone?  Perhaps you just replaced your old laptop or handheld device with an...

20 Questions for the Church

I’m glad God called me to be a pastor.  I love the church because it is God’s chosen instrument to advance God’s kingdom...

Breathing With the Trees: Good Health is a Walk in the Woods

by Fred First We hardly need more reasons—as children or adults—to put technology, crowds, and hurry behind us and go more often to the...

What is “Quality Entertainment?”

by Keith McCurdy Just recently on New Year’s Eve, while playing Pictionary and Catch Phrase with family, I remembered a quote that I had...

Why The County Library Stinks

by Lucky Garvin I don’t have much of a sense of smell, but when someone thought they smelled smoke, I really did try to help...