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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...

Chicago’s South Side . . .Then and Now

Last week there was an arresting story on NPR’s Morning Edition.  Reporter David Schaper chronicled the events leading up to the beating death of...

Yelling Ends All Possible Hope for Progress

Recently while talking to a parent of teenagers a comment was made about speaking the “universal language” in their home. I said, “Oh, you...

The Recipe of the Week from The Happy Chef: Mary’s Sweet Bunco Mix

Friendships, we all have them - Some deep, some casual, some ever-changing, some solid as a rock. Like with anything in life, we...

Hippos in Tinker Creek

Last week I found evidence of hippos in Tinker Creek.  As an ecologist, I wasn’t surprised.  My fellow scientists and I see their signs...

Young Love is Tougher than Any of Us Remember

From long ago: Among the more fascinating dramas taking place within this home is the timid emergence of heterosexuality in sons Chester and Cailan....

Preacher’s Corner: After the Hurt

Can you remember the last time someone hurt you?  It probably will not take long to answer that question, because all of us...