I took the bait and I'm not even embarrassed to say what the bait was.

It was a fishing scam. Not trout, bass, anything you throw back in the water, or cook on the grill -- fishing with a "ph." Phishing.

Phishing is when online fraudsters try to scam you out of money by enticing you to open an email or text without first checking the web ...Read more

In the fall of 2022, Robin Clough and Dr. Gene Dorio were going about their lives as they had for many years, serving older adults in the Santa Clarita Valley. Clough was busy with her work as an administrator at the local senior center while Dorio, a house-call geriatrician, crisscrossed the valley visiting his patients.

In November of that ...Read more

Supporters of a proposed November ballot initiative wanted the all-important title of their measure to reflect their beliefs, a name like "Protect Kids of California Act." But Attorney General Rob Bonta saw things differently when his office chose the name signature gatherers must use: "Restricts Rights of Transgender Youth."

Among its ...Read more

Q. My 12-year-old daughter recently told me her 11-year-old stepbrother tried to kiss her before he went to bed the other night. She was already asleep, and they share a room. We gently confronted him, and he admitted to it, but he was very embarrassed, and my daughter is mortified. My husband and I have only been married six months and we moved...Read more

Dear Kid Whisperer,

I teach in a K-5 room for students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBDs). I love my job and I run a tight ship. My students know that while they are in my room, their negative behaviors won’t work: They only get what they want with positive behaviors. However, a few of my students know that there are some ...Read more

CHICAGO — Due west of O’Hare International Airport, there is a neighborhood — formally, part of Elk Grove Village — that isn’t much of a neighborhood. It’s warehouses, drab gray offices. It’s Gertrude Stein’s point about “no there there,” a place so devoid of character, you long for a big-box logo. Companies here use “...Read more

PHILADELPHIA -- Matt Katz wanted to know where his Jewish ancestors once lived in Eastern Europe, so in 2016 he spit into a plastic vial and mailed in his DNA test. He expected to be 100% Ashkenazi Jewish.

Instead, he learned that half his DNA came from Ireland. He was shocked, but perhaps more jarring, so was his mother. She confirmed through ...Read more

I haven’t taken a bath since the Johnson administration (Lyndon, not Andrew) and it looks like the drought will continue because boys aren’t allowed in our newly renovated bathroom.

That is the edict handed down by our three granddaughters, ages 11, 7 and 4. Even before the renovation began, they taped a sign to the door reading:

GIRL’S ...Read more

ATLANTA — Emory University clinical psychologist Stephen Nowicki understands the pain that parents feel when their children fret that they have no friends. He’s dedicated his career to helping children foster healthy relationships, and he’s worried we’re making it harder by giving them more time on the internet than on the playground.

...Read more

John Schu takes over a room in the best kind of way.

His energy, his quick laugh, his warmth — all befitting a children’s book author and school librarian, which is what Schu does.

But I was in the room because of what Schu is. And he’s a survivor.

Schu has written a new book called “Louder Than Hunger,” a graphic novel intended ...Read more

Toothpaste tubes and other squeezable plastic containers are getting closer to being more sustainable in the U.S. Some 90% of toothpaste tubes on the market are now made in a way that makes them compatible for recycling with HDPE, the same plastic used for products like shampoo bottles, according to research firm Stina Inc.

Overall, 75% of all...Read more

It’s planting season for many and verbenas are high on the list. We had just fallen in love with Superbena Imperial Blue verbena and piled on a bunch of awards then, stop the presses! It has a new name, which is now Superbena Cobalt. Not sure if this would be similar to Shakespeare’s "what’s in a name" scenario, but one thing is for ...Read more

Dear Anna,

I'm a guy in my late 20s, and I'm not on the lookout for a lasting relationship at the moment. I'm enjoying the freedom, exploring my options and focusing on personal growth. Recently, I've started seeing this fantastic woman. She's got all the great qualities you’d look for, but here's the rub: She's interested in something ...Read more

In a cavernous convention hall in Northern California, at the end of a long, loooong day of important, yes, but eventually mind-numbing presentations about native plants, nearly 200 scientists, botanists and students had had enough. It was pushing 9 p.m. and everyone, exhausted from paying attention, was edging toward the doors and the ...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — A barbarian, warlock and a sorcerer walk into a bar.

No, this is not the setup for some lame joke, but it is more or less what happened when Dungeons n Drafts — a roving Dungeons & Dragons pop-up that takes over different bars — crowded the back half of Yards Brewing Company on Spring Garden Street in Philadelphia last ...Read more

Anyone on the dating scene knows that it can feel like an accomplishment just to get to the first date. You’ve both swiped right (or whatever the equivalent is on the app you’re using), chatted a bit, planned a meeting and now you’re grabbing cocktails or coffee—success! With a second date on the horizon, things can go in quite a few ...Read more

When Deanna Gomez found out she was pregnant in September 2023, she felt the timing couldn’t have been worse.

The college senior at California State University-San Bernardino worked 60 hours a week at two jobs. She used birth control. Motherhood was not in the plan. Not yet. “I grew up poor. And I don’t want that for my children, like, ...Read more

Q: My girlfriend and I moved in together about 4 months ago. We both have sons about the same age. They are nothing alike and it’s really difficult for her—and me--because she compares the boys all the time and it makes it very uncomfortable. For example, her son is very athletic, mine is not. He prefers to draw and she has out and out said ...Read more

Dear Kid Whisperer,

I have a 5-year-old who hates being told what to do. Even simple instructions like clearing his plate after dinner or bringing in his things from the back seat of the car are a problem. He not only refuses, he gets angry. Our 7-year-old was never like this. We told her to do things and she did them. I know for sure that he ...Read more

My husband and I have experienced some hearing loss. The most frequently heard word at our house is "WHAT!?"

More pressing than our physical hearing loss is our selective hearing loss, something that happens to couples who have been married a long time.

Just the other day, the husband was working on his laptop at the kitchen table with his ...Read more