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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...

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...

Out There on the Na Pali Coast Trail

Rental cars get broken into all the time at the beach parking lots, and this one at Ke ‘e Beach at the Na Pali...

The First Day of School 1939

My initiation into the world of education began in an unorthodox way. My family had just moved to our new home near Verona...

Peonies as Baseballs

I fancy myself a passionate gardener; I love digging in the dirt, experimenting with new plants and battling the many weeds that seem...