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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...

52 Wishes for the New Year

The beginning of a new year always seems to send me into a reflective and thoughtful state of mind.  As part of a...

Spicy Mahi Mahi and Mango Tacos

I have a confession to make. I turn 40 this year. Although I am small and in fairly good shape, I have really let...

“Thinking and Believing” by Dr. George C. Anderson

I once flipped through a notebook of sermons – sermons gathered over the years from fellow preachers I meet with every year.  I started...

When the “Children” Come Home to Roost

What form does empty nest syndrome take when the flock comes home to roost? This is a question I murmured to myself over...

Wandering in Shanghai, Jewel of the Orient

Street food is always a good bet, so I try some more. The grinning vendor/cook is baking a tortilla-like pastry on a half-meter wide...

Between Nothing and Everything: A New Year

January takes its name from Janus, the Roman god of portals, of comings and goings, beginnings and endings—an odd-looking, two-faced deity who looks...