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Columnists

BOB BROWN: “Portraits of the Human Person”

On the night of June 21, 2025, President Donald Trump said all seven B2 Bombers had safely returned from an unprecedented successful attack on Iran’s fortresses of nuclear weapon...

BECKY MAUPIN: The After Bedtime Search

Picture this: You manage to get everyone fed and the dinner aftermath cleaned up. Then...

ROBERT L. MARONIC: Israel’s Second Sum Of All Fears

I first heard about a dirty bomb in early September 1993 when an IBM coworker,...

BOB BROWN: What Happened to Happiness?

We can quibble about the origin, even the definition or meaning of “happiness,” but I’m...

FRED FIRST: Homeward Bound

It would happen: the trip back to Floyd. And then it wouldn’t. And then it...

Back to School Daze?

Well,  either they have just returned or will be returning soon to their youthful, almost full-time jobs….school.  We may not see school as...

Why Should We Care for Our Neighbor? by Tupper Garden

“Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing that some have entertained angels without knowing it.”  Hebrews 13:2 Why should we...

Grandmother’s Most Wonderful Roast Beef

My Grandmother and Grandfather on my mother’s side lived here in Roanoke (I grew up in Charleston WV) and they were members at...

Bringing Mexico’s Pyramids to Virginia

During August, I fulfilled a fervent boyhood dream: to climb the ancient pyramids of Teotihuacan outside Mexico City.  Not only did I climb...

The Father’s Story

Over my nearly forty years practicing Emergency Medicine, I have attempted to hone my skills of observation, smell, sight and hearing, in order...

NASCAR Fans are “Real Athletes”

Sports have always left an indelible impression on my mind.  Whether it was the first time I saw a game in a major...