back to top

Columnists

ANDY PITZER: “Look Mom! No iPhone!”

A very interesting visually recorded interview showed up on my feed the other night. In 1966, several British adolescents were interviewed about their vision of the future (circa year...

FRED FIRST: There And Back Again

RECAP: I would be able to visit southwest Virginia again–home for almost 40 years, and...

SCOT BELLAVIA: Am I Proud to Be an American?

How proud are you to be an American? I posted that question on Facebook a few...

BOB BROWN: “Portraits of the Human Person”

On the night of June 21, 2025, President Donald Trump said all seven B2 Bombers...

BECKY MAUPIN: The After Bedtime Search

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

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...

“The Ring of Old Silver Lightly Dropped”

As a newcomer to the Roanoke Valley, I will not be convinced that winter is finally behind us until I hear the wood...

Presenting Environmental DUH vs. FACT

On the 40th anniversary of Earth Day, it's becoming clear that the waters of the world are being destroyed by...water. DUH:  Sometime in the...