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Columnists

BOB BROWN: “Portraits of the Human Person”

On the night of June 21, 2025, President Donald Trump said all seven B2 Bombers had safely returned from an unprecedented successful attack on Iran’s fortresses of nuclear weapon...

BECKY MAUPIN: The After Bedtime Search

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

ROBERT L. MARONIC: Israel’s Second Sum Of All Fears

I first heard about a dirty bomb in early September 1993 when an IBM coworker,...

BOB BROWN: What Happened to Happiness?

We can quibble about the origin, even the definition or meaning of “happiness,” but I’m...

FRED FIRST: Homeward Bound

It would happen: the trip back to Floyd. And then it wouldn’t. And then it...

Perry Family Endures Wilds of Delaware

As I write this, I'm four days into a ten-day vacation (counting weekends) at the beach in Delaware. Thus far the trip has been...

Summer Survival Strategies for Mom and Dad

Summer break is here, kids are out of school, vacations are in full swing, pools are open, are you worn out yet?  I know...

Rooting Out Corruption in Our Judicial System

It is a rare occasion when the House of Representatives must vote on articles of impeachment against a federal judge.  Indeed, the last...

Our Take: Changes at RCPS are Needed to Help Those Who Need it Most

Roanoke City Schools have been battling for the past few years to make a comeback: closing unneeded schools, shuffling attendance zones, changing superintendents,...

From Cellophane to Brick Wall – How I Got My Identity Back

For the most part, I have lived most of my life "under the radar."  As a child I was so painfully shy that I...

Gunny and Tessa

Now that I’m older, people often ask me when I’m going to retire. I tell them, “When I stop loving it, I’ll stop doing...