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Columnists

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, and it has been hard to figure out where and how to jump back...

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...

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,...

SCOTT DREYER: What’s Good For The Goose?

Leadership is not having the right answers--it’s asking the right questions.  - Andy Stanley In my March 12 column, I erroneously claimed that US Senator...

MIKE KEELER: Play Ball! (And Pass The Mud . . .)

As snow melts in the Northeast, baseball fans’ thoughts turn south, toward spring training. Hopes for the new season are high. But what most...

SCOTT DREYER: Equality Act Takes Country in Wrong Direction

All animals are equal, but some are more equal than others.  - George Orwell, Animal Farm Anyone who has read George Orwell appreciates his sense...

SCOTT DREYER: No Man Is An Island Indeed PART IV

The earth is the Lord's, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein.  -Psalm 24:1 (KJV) In Parts 1, 2, and 3...

SCOT BELLAVIA: 4 Phrases People Should Stop Using

Maybe these are grammatical pet peeves, or maybe I’m onto something more profound. Either way, here are four phrases people should stop using. Opens Up:...

SCOTT DREYER: No Man Is An Island Indeed PART III

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope...