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Columnists

ROBERT L. MARONIC: Is Phase Two Of Trump‘s Peace Plan In The Gaza Strip Doomed To Fail? – Part I

Phase one of Trump‘s twenty-point peace plan in the Gaza Strip, which began on October 9, called for a ceasefire, cessation of military operations, along with a hostage and prisoner...

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,...

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...

DENNIS GARVIN: Banking On The Afterlife – Or Not

I have spent many years in thought about what I write below. I anticipate scoffers. Thus, I must present my credentials. Not as a...

MIKE KEELER: Out of The Darkness Came A Pretty Bright Idea

Hamburg is one tough town. Since it was established by Charlemagne in 808 as the northern outpost of the Holy Roman Empire, Hamburg has...

BOB BROWN: At Last . . .

Few people experience within themselves a burst of quiet illumination.  It unites the cognitive, sacred, and deeply emotional realization of awareness that something entirely...

SERWAN ZANGANA: The Threat of BRICS Currency to The U.S Dollar

 In April 2023, in an event in Roanoke, I asked Senator Mark Warner, D, VA, about the threat of BRICS on the American dollar...

MELINDA MYERS: Holiday Creations From Indoor and Garden Plants

Don’t let winter stop you from bringing a bit of the outdoors inside. Take a break from the holiday rush for a bit of...

BOB BROWN: Loneliness

I fell in love with Dottie when I was 16.  We lived only 3 city blocks apart, but we shared our love using a...