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ROBERT L. MARONIC: Semi-Singular Praise Of Governor Gavin Newsom (D-CA)

There are many aspects of California, which I strongly dislike: exorbitant state and local taxes, perennial devastating wildfires, the Democratic monopolist majority in Sacramento, drought, a proposed gasoline-powered car...

FRED FIRST: Nature Notes: Early May

Finally I am getting out a bit onto the trails before spring is fully gone...

BOB BROWN: “Teach Us to Number Our Days”

I was healthy and fit, a proponent of physical exercise, weighed myself daily with pleasing...

ROBERT L. MARONIC: Sanction Russia’s Shadow Fleet NOW

During the 2024 presidential campaign and going back to March 2023, President Trump repeatedly and...

DAWN CUSTALOW: A Mother’s Day to Remember

Mother’s Day - remembering and celebrating our mothers, not because they are or were perfect,...

Never Heard of FAFSA? Just Wait!

Greetings friends!  If you are the parents of a college bound junior in high school, seek shelter immediately, for a storm is creeping...

The Happy Chef: Mother’s Day Strawberry Pound Cake

Years ago, when my children were toddlers, my husband would give me the day off on Mother’s Day and I could do whatever...

Do You Ever Feel Invisible?

Do you ever feel invisible? Ann Masters was a well-known and much beloved woman in the Roanoke Valley.  After beginning her career as a...

An April Walk Along A Creek and Back Through Time

I have hiked Rock Castle Creek trail a few times since we moved back to Virginia in 1997, but not in April—not until...

My One Moment of Praise

Whenever Louie leaned into the ball, all his 240# transmitted to his bat. But he never learned to get “under” the ball, to...

Fright vs. Terror: What’s the difference?

Everyone has known the feeling of fright but few of us have ever known true terror.  The differences between the two are vast. When...