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Columnists

BOB BROWN: AGING POETICALLY, PART I

Too often, the human race is a race against time. Until recently, I was a sprinter in this race. Nowadays, blessed by the gift of a long life, my...

ROBERT L. MARONIC: Twenty Reasons For Regime Change in Iran

1. The kidnapping of 66 Americans at the U.S. embassy in Tehran on November 4, 1979,...

ROBERT L. MARONIC: When Is Trump’s Promise To Iran That “Help Is On The Way” Finally Going To Happen?

There was a horrific, chaotic carnage in the streets of Iran during a nationwide protest on January 8...

FRED FIRST: Missouri’s Capitol City: First-Time Tourist

I could not possibly do justice to my first visit a half hour south of...

BOB BROWN: The Triumph of Terrible Feelings Over Judgment

Today, our way of life is dominated by powerful, fast-moving, extreme emotions — especially anger,...

DEVOTIONAL: Crows vs. Hawks

Scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires.  2 Peter 3:3 (NIV) We can benefit from time outdoors, getting into nature and away...

Mike Keeler: Back in Daylight Spending Time

As we move into Daylight Savings Time, turns out the only thing we’re saving is daylight. Ben Franklin’s original idea was a good one. He...

ROBERT L. MARONIC: Does Congress Really Care About The U.S. National Debt?

My Uncle Rudy, who died in 2015 at the age of 98, once told me in 2011 three sad stories about the Great Depression. He said...

FRED FIRST: Country Mouse, City Life / Growing New Roots without Transplant Shock

As soon as we made the decision in November to move to Columbia, calculating the distance from our new digs to the Columbia Mall...

MELINDA MYERS: Spring Garden Cleanup with Pollinators in Mind

Spring cleaning, indoors and out, is a long-standing tradition for many households. But as we learn more about the important pollinators, insect-eating toads, songbirds,...

Eulogies For A Great American Patriot And WW II Veteran, Claude Smith (1922-2024)

Claude Nelson Smith, who lived in Roanoke since 1949, the year the Mill Mountain Star was erected, went to his eternal reward on Sunday,...