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Columnists

SCOT BELLAVIA: Am I Proud to Be an American?

How proud are you to be an American? I posted that question on Facebook a few years ago on the Fourth of July. I wasn’t asking how proud or embarrassed...

BOB BROWN: “Portraits of the Human Person”

On the night of June 21, 2025, President Donald Trump said all seven B2 Bombers...

BECKY MAUPIN: The After Bedtime Search

Picture this: You manage to get everyone fed and the dinner aftermath cleaned up. Then...

ROBERT L. MARONIC: Israel’s Second Sum Of All Fears

I first heard about a dirty bomb in early September 1993 when an IBM coworker,...

BOB BROWN: What Happened to Happiness?

We can quibble about the origin, even the definition or meaning of “happiness,” but I’m...

Out of the Darkness Came a Pretty Bright Idea

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

Extra! Extra! Read All About It!

by Hayden Hollingsworth One hundred twenty-five years old . . . and still going---that’s The Roanoke Times.  It’s not really our sister newspaper, but...

A Certain Special Christmas

by Mary Jo Shannon “Mom, the weather report for Wednesday doesn’t look good – a major snowstorm. I think you should come now.” Kathy’s...

The Preacher’s Corner – Your Laundry Is On The Line

My youngest son loves to go to the “Confession Stand.” He doesn’t want to make an appointment with the local priest, however. He...

The Politics of Giving

Mudslinging, finger pointing and harshly drawn lines have become the norm, not just at election time, but throughout the year. There is, however,...

Technology Gone Awry . . . Hal, Meet Sam

by Jon Kaufman Ever been scolded by a person who does not exist?  Thanks to the wonders of technology, such an encounter is not...