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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: Yes, Virginia, There IS Such A Thing as An “Undecided Voter”

Elijah came near to all the people and said, “How long will you hesitate between two opinions? ”     -Elijah 18:21a The Road of...

JOHNNY ROBINSON: Doc Jones and Dental Anatomy Class

“Note to incoming dental students: You are expected to collect a quantity of extracted teeth from your local practitioners for use in Dental Anatomy...

SCOTT DREYER: RBG Gave Us ACB 

Moreover, no one knows when their hour will come: As fish are caught in a cruel net, or birds are taken in a snare,...

PATRICK BAILEY: Is There A Heroin Problem In Roanoke?

According to the National Institute of Drug Abuse, West Virginia topped the United States in opioid deaths and overdoses in 2018. Many people wonder...

JOY SYLVESTER-JOHNSON: When Peace Seems Too Lofty A Goal

They used to say Roanoke was about ten years behind the rest of the east coast in social trends, fashion, design, etc. A year ago...

SCOTT DREYER: Pro-abortion Warner is Wrong on Judge Barrett

As a licensed history teacher since 1987, I try to “practice what I preach” and demonstrate active citizenship in keeping with the belief: “democracy...