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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...

“Invest In A kid, Change A life” by Pastor Quigg Lawrence

Everyone is busy.  I am busy, you’re busy, we're all busy.  It is easy to use the “I’m so busy” card as an...

Recipe of the Week: Blues Burgers

Mmmmmm blue cheese is one of my weaknesses; it is my kryptonite. So on Labor Day when I am experiencing my annual end...

The Oceans: Not Too Big to Fail

Let’s imagine for a moment that we live in a fictional future world—a world where, for fifty years, the planet’s plant life on...

When You Need “Someone With Skin On”

The funeral is over and family and friends who came to express their condolences have turned their attention to other matters. Loneliness and...

Recipe of the Week: Roasted Artichoke and Virginia Ham Stuffed Idaho Potatoes

I don’t know much about football but I do know potatoes and ham and when the Idaho potato people sent me this recipe...

Ghoulies and Ghosties in the Roanoke Valley

I’ve always been enchanted by an ancient Cornish Litany that goes like this: “From ghoulies and ghosties and long-leggety beasties, and things that go bump...