CHICAGO -- A few years ago, on Washington Island, in Door County, Wisconsin, the police department received a cardboard box. Inside was a note on blue paper that read: “Please return to Schoolhouse Beach.” The box contained three smooth grayish-white rocks, exactly the kind tourists routinely take from Schoolhouse Beach, touted by locals ...Read more

SAN JOSE, Calif. -- It’s always a joy to visit the downtown San Jose Fire Museum, but being there for retired Fire Capt. Sam Seibert’s birthday celebration was really something special.

Seibert turned 105 on Monday, and he was the guest of honor at a party at the Market Street firehouse-turned-museum on Tuesday. He sat upon a throne, was ...Read more

The auditorium was packed with hundreds of high school girls from across the nation fangirling a YouTube idol they dream to emulate.

There before them stood Katie Bouman, an assistant professor of computing and mathematical sciences, electrical engineering and astronomy at Caltech in Pasadena, showing off images of a dark hole ringed by a fire...Read more

Ah, the situationship—the modern-day romantic limbo that leaves many of us scratching our heads, wondering, “What are we?” If you’ve ever found yourself in this ambiguous gray area, you’re not alone. Situationships have become increasingly common in today’s dating world (were they always, and now there’s just a name for it?), where...Read more

LOS ANGELES -- She was 63.

I was 33.

We shared cocktails at a rooftop bar overlooking Sunset Boulevard during golden hour. And the connection was palpable.

No, this isn't the start to an "L.A. Affairs" romance column. But it is about a love affair of sorts. My best girlfriend of the last two decades is 30 years older than me.

I met Loraine ...Read more

Q. I have a great boyfriend I love very much. We work together—he’s an executive--and even though we aren’t supposed to be dating, the attraction was just too strong. We have been working together for four months and dating for three. He is such a great guy; I can see myself with him forever.

However, today, when he walked into work, I ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — In the hills of Elysian Heights, among the blond weeds, a quintet of goats graze lazily, munching on seemingly anything in their path.

It's a pastoral scene in the middle of the city. The Elysian Heights hills are some of the steepest in Los Angeles — with roads up to 32% grades — and they're perfect for the mountain-loving...Read more

LOS ANGELES -- On a bench near the Santa Monica Farmer's Market in July, Peggy Cheng recalled the time a television writer pitched her a wacky sitcom centered around the unlikely scenario of a young woman who had befriended her elderly neighbors.

Cheng, who was working in TV development at the time, wasn't impressed.

"She thought it was so ...Read more

It may be time to bring back the "cuss box" parents sometimes kept on kitchen tables or countertops. Kids had to deposit a coin every time they said a bad or ugly word. The present crop of candidates running for president and vice president could fine themselves and fund their own campaigns.

Coarse language among politicians is nothing new. ...Read more

Dear Kid Whisperer,

I teach third-grade and I recently had a student purposely roll around in mud on the playground. I had no idea what to do and I let my frustration be known. I had to teach and I had a 9-year-old standing in front of me covered head to toe with mud, and that made me react in a way that may not have been most effective. What ...Read more

Many of us have given in to the temptation to buy something we don’t need.

Maybe you were passively scrolling through your social media feed when a sponsored post came up, showcasing the latest tech gadget with glowing reviews. Unable to resist, you clicked the “buy” button for fear of missing out, only to find the excitement faded not ...Read more

An apple a day may keep the doctor away, but it won’t keep me away from the doctor.

That’s because I have reached an age — the big 7-Oh — where medical appointments have become a major part of my life.

I have been making so many trips to see one doctor or another that I should win an award from the American Medical Association and get ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — South Hope Street is quiet on a Sunday morning. Five blocks over in Skid Row, police are investigating a shooting, but in the Financial District, calm prevails.

Parking lots are nearly empty. Guests at the Sheraton are checking out early. The unhoused have mostly left their sidewalk beds, and Jeffrey Taylor and Deborah Johnson ...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — For the best in hyperlocal organic produce, you could shop at any of Philadelphia's upscale supermarkets — and expect to pay a high price.

Many food-insecure city residents can get the best in hyperlocal organic produce, too, and it's free.

The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society supports 176 community-led gardens, many of ...Read more

I’m not ready for this part to end.

I’m not ready for my front door to open and know that my girl won’t walk through it. Not as often. Not until November. (And how many more of those?)

I’m not ready to walk past her bedroom and see it empty. And clean.

I’m not ready for her chair to sit empty at dinner. I’m not ready for good ...Read more

There will be a lot of temptation for gardeners in 2025; so many new plants are showing up at the garden center. Being the astute gardener you are, you probably can guess I am yanking your chain a little as I introduce you to the Totally Tempted cuphea series.

If you are a hummingbird lover you already know some cupheas. The Totally Tempted ...Read more

NEW YORK — Valentina Guaman, 12, raised three fingers in the air and recited an oath in Spanish.

On my honor, I will try

To serve my community and my country

To help people at all times

And to live by the Girl Scout Law.

It had been a year and a half since Valentina and her family had fled Ecuador — trudging through a dangerous, muddy ...Read more

By now, we’ve all probably experimented with AI tools like ChatGPT — maybe to help us write an essay or outline for work, to help us plan a vacation, or maybe just for fun to see what kind of answers would come up to silly questions while sitting around with friends. But it recently came to my attention that some are turning to chatbots for ...Read more

Q. My brother is angry with me because I am best friends with his now ex-wife, Samantha. He expects me to abandon a 12-year friendship because they broke up. I haven’t taken sides. I see both of their points of view! And, I’m not so sure they won’t get back together. So here I sit, trying to figure out what to do. I’m just not willing to...Read more