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Columnists

ROBERT L. MARONIC: Bring Back The War Department

President Franklin D. Roosevelt gave a prescient and heartfelt speech in Chautauqua, New York, on August 14, 1936, about the tragedy and horrors of war.  Reflecting upon his own experience as...

FRED FIRST: Changing of the Guard

The theme for the Lenoir Words Writers Group this month is AUTUMN. And since I...

BOB BROWN: The Truth About Lying

Everyone lies! That’s the truth. Most people are relatively honest most of the time. The average...

ROBERT L. MARONIC: Hurricane Erin Is Our Future – Part II

Unfortunately, the U.S. is not the only country experiencing climate change. It is a global...

ROBERT L. MARONIC: Hurricane Erin Is Our Future – Part I

I read a prescient and depressing article in the Associated Press written by Danica Coto on August 16,...

A Perspective on Crossroads

I spend a lot of time at crossroads.  No, not the kind you arrive at in your car – but the kind of crossroads where...

Recipe of the Week from the Happy Chef: Easy Chicken Stock

By Leigh Sackett I never make chicken stock! I always go the easy route and use bouillon cubes when I make chicken soup. Well...

Replacing the Irreplaceable Mom Doesn’t Come Easy

Every family has a member who is the essential cog in the household machine.  My mom was that person when I was growing up....

The Trouble With Normal: “350” and the Future

After a light spring rain and the passing of not-too-distant thunder overnight, we packed up to head home from Mt. Rogers. Not three miles...

Down and Out on the Isle of Skye

We leave our bikes, with the constable’s blessing, leaning up against the weathered brick of the tiny, police station. The town of Broadford...

Our Take: Such an Almost Great Week for Us Old Fogeys

What an absolutely amazing week it was for all of us over the age of 35 . . . Almost. As an ever ripening-on-the-vine...