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Columnists

A Life Well-Lived: Shirley Padgett Lester (1947-2025)

Shirley Padgett Lester of Vinton went to her heavenly reward October 4. Below is the powerful eulogy her daughter Kelly Kiser wrote and calmly delivered at the memorial service...

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...

ROBERT L. MARONIC: Sometimes President Trump Needs To Think Before He Speaks – Part II

Contrary to what President Trump believes, I think that Lakanwal was adequately vetted before September 2021,...

ROBERT L. MARONIC: Sometimes President Trump Needs To Think Before He Speaks – Part I

I read an article in the New York Post written by Ryan King on November 27 entitled...

MELINDA MYERS: Dress Up The Holidays With Succulent Plants

Many people are opting for more natural elements in their holiday displays and those that easily blend with their home décor. Popular succulent plants...

RANDY HUFF: Without Sacrifice We Never Really Live

Pearl Harbor Day is larger-than-life: distant, meaningful, weighty. On this day 82 years ago the world changed, propelling a generation of Americans into a...

Efficiency Makes A Poor Goal For Life

Thomas Merton was once asked to diagnose the leading spiritual disease of our time. Merton's answer? “Efficiency.” Huh?! “From the monastery to the Pentagon, the place has...

SERWAN ZANGANA: I Pray No Law Enforcement Officer Or Soldier Engages In Gunfire

As a routine on my days off, the other morning I stopped by Panera Bread for a coffee and breakfast. As often happens, I...

FRED FIRST: The Glue of Community Does Not Age So Well

Living in place does not insure a lasting connection, as friends our age drop out of the picture. Will we experience new friendships close...

DEVOTIONAL: How Available Are You?

“May it happen to me as you have said.”  --Luke 1:38b (CSB) It's normal for us to have our goals, dreams, timetables and agendas for...