Dear Kid Whisperer,

My 4-year-old does not play well with other children. It’s not even a general problem, it’s mostly one specific thing: He takes things from other kids. If a kid has something, he’ll take it. It started with him taking things he wanted in daycare, at the playground, and from his sister at home. Now I think he just takes...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — Dropping temperatures and the prospect of snow looming in the forecast have Philadelphians crunching through layers of road salt that keep ice and snow from settling on sidewalks and streets.

But what if a sidewalk could melt ice on its own?

That's the goal of a three-year-long project at Drexel University to develop self-...Read more

Q. My fiancé has a 2-year-old son and due to alternate work schedules, the child spends the days with my fiance and then nights with his mother. His ex-wife uses his mother as the main babysitter, even asking grandma to watch the child at her house because she is now attending law school and won’t be home until after bedtime. Is it wrong of ...Read more

I say that I am married to a collector because pack rat sounds unkind. My husband comes from a long line of collectors.

When they closed out the farmhouse his father lived in all his life, the lead auctioneer kicked off the three-ring, two-day auction under the main tent bellowing, "Ladies and gentlemen! The same family has lived in this house ...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — The Chat, as everyone refers to it, started with just a handful of moms. It was for the terrifying, thrilling moments of new motherhood: for grappling with breastfeeding, venting about in-laws and partners and sex, tracking milestones. It was especially for 3 a.m., when even in a city of 1.5 million people, it could feel like no...Read more

LOS ANGELES -- With containment of the Palisades and Eaton fires improving, some residents are now returning to their neighborhoods to sift through the rubble. But the thousands of victims whose homes or businesses have burned down or been damaged are now facing a thicket of post-fire paperwork.

That may include navigating confusing web portals...Read more

As the very model of the modern medical marvel, I have survived an aortic aneurysm, a terrible bout of COVID-19 and, worst of all, a nasty paper cut.

Not to be outdone, my wife, Sue, lived through a heart attack, came down with COVID, too, and underwent painful hand surgery.

But we recently had to deal with the most daunting of medical ...Read more

As Fernando Lopez Sr. watched live footage of the wildfires raging across Southern California last week, he immediately thought of horses.

The 47-year-old is general manager of the Pico Rivera Sports Arena, the rodeo ring next to the San Gabriel River that has been a shrine to Mexican horse culture for decades. Lopez's extended family, who run ...Read more

MIAMI -- On a recent Saturday at a sneaker convention in Fort Lauderdale, Jay Samuels stood behind a table full of Nike and Adidas sneakers he was hoping to sell.

“Hey, $50!” he yelled as he held up a slightly worn pair of Kanye West Yeezys, now relics of a bygone era following the musician’s acrimonious split from Adidas. After failing ...Read more

January started off cruel and stayed there.

At least 14 people were killed and dozens more were injured in the early morning hours of New Year’s Day when a driver intentionally slammed his truck into a crowd of people in New Orleans. The suspect died in a shootout with police, leaving families forever shattered and a nation rattled.

...Read more

MINNEAPOLIS -- John O’Sullivan was surrounded by studio lights, a gigantic screen and professional cameras. Producers fiddled with them, giving him just a minute before filming.

But a minute is all O’Sullivan needs.

Without warning, without rehearsal, he pulled out his cellphone and filmed a “sneak peek” that he’d later post to his ...Read more

Richard Weber III proudly comes from a long line of Western Slope ranchers, and on a recent bluebird day with subfreezing temperatures, he looked the part. Standing amidst a crowd at the Ouray County Fairgrounds, Weber wore a red button-down shirt and blue jeans with a sparkling silver belt buckle.

On his feet, however, were a pair of ski boots...Read more

LOS ANGELES -- After 90 years of breeding and selling rare camellias and azaleas to customers all over the world, Nuccio's Nurseries in Altadena is expected to close by the end of 2025. But the ongoing Eaton fire and its ashy aftermath don't appear to be offering the ending the nursery's owners had in mind.

The Eaton fire swept into the Chaney ...Read more

If you were lucky enough to get through the L.A. wildfires with your home still intact, you might be facing another problem: that smell.

As anyone who ever tried concealing the clingy smell of cigarettes from their parents may remember, the acrid odor of smoke is hard to hide and harder to remove. Here are experts' answers to all your smoke ...Read more

January started off cruel and stayed there.

At least 14 people were killed and dozens more were injured in the early morning hours of New Year’s Day when a driver intentionally slammed his truck into a crowd of people in New Orleans. The suspect died in a shootout with police, leaving families forever shattered and a nation rattled.

...Read more

MINNEAPOLIS -- A Minneapolis resident took the Twin Cities’ dreary January days into his own hands, creating a winter wonderland while waiting for snow.

Nate Rylander is known for amusing his Longfellow neighborhood with creative holiday displays. This month, he spent five freezing days sculpting water into ice. He blanketed fence post stakes...Read more

Now that Christmas and New Years is over it is time to have a little talk about the North Pole. No, I am not referring to the home place of St. Nick, but North Pole arborvitae, Proven Winners Landscape Shrub of the Year for 2025.

While indeed it may correctly be classified as a shrub, many of you may think of it as a tree. North Pole arborvitae...Read more

Virginia Wyne Hammond, a family therapist, was living a contented family life. Her work ethic had brought her professional and personal success. Her long marriage to Wade Hammond III, a Philadelphia schoolteacher and former police officer, was peaceful. In 1977, they moved from West Philadelphia to Bryn Mawr and sent their two sons to Haverford ...Read more

PHILADELPHIA -- Lance Sugarman keeps a secret up his sleeve that’s as sweet as his last name. It’s one about his past and his present, his family and his city, and his undying love of Christmas.

If he believes you to be a kindred spirit who loves Christmas, or Philly, or Christmas in Philly as much as he does, Sugarman will share his secret...Read more