It's completely normal to feel overwhelmed and exhausted by the online dating process, and dating in general, so you’re in good company — for better or worse.

It can be a lot of work to sift through profiles, craft messages, and go on dates. But there are a few things you can do to help recharge your batteries and feel the positive energy ...Read more

Kristin Martinelli began her workday at 7:30 a.m. on a recent Monday, completing an online Medicaid recertification form for a client in a nursing home in Austin, Texas.

Next, she drove to meet an 85-year-old and her daughter, who had come in from out of town. The older woman had “pretty advanced dementia” and was scheduled to move into the...Read more

I teach adults to teach kids to be better people for a living. As a lifelong educator of both kids and adults, I’ve learned that the human brain has trouble being taught what not to do. That’s why every week in this space I show adults what to do to improve the behaviors of kids.

But, maybe just for fun, this week I’ve decided to abandon ...Read more

Could someone please explain how a person sitting in the front seat of a vehicle can be labeled a backseat driver? A backseat driver would be someone in the back seat.

Fortunately, a specific label is of little concern to me as I am ambidextrous and can direct from either the front or the back.

My husband is a lucky guy. I remind him all the ...Read more

HARTFORD, Conn. -- In a world where students are averaging seven and a half hours a day on screens and attention spans are waning, Connecticut teachers say that students’ reading stamina and comprehension are declining.

That’s according to a recent Connecticut Education Association survey of 113 teachers. The majority of teachers surveyed ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — For decades, the bold, mid-century building at Lincoln and Olympics boulevards in Santa Monica has been the end of the line — the last address on the 2,400-mile westward journey of Route 66. Once home to the Penguin Coffee Shop, today it holds Mel’s Drive-In. But now its future is in doubt.

The owners of the property have ...Read more

I used to think all the scammers who called to say I was approved for a loan I never asked for were bloodsuckers.

Now I know that one of them is a blood donor.

A snarky guy named “Mike C.” said he was willing to give me a transfusion if I would give him personal information so he could, presumably, drain all the money in my bank account.

...Read more

The most disappointing thing about Shane Gillis’ shopworn, hackneyed, tone-deaf, retrograde, unfunny “Saturday Night Live” open was that he knew it would find an audience.

Even when, maybe especially when, the biggest news story in the nation is about an alleged gang rape on a college campus.

Even when, maybe especially when, that story ...Read more

For students at UC Riverside, the start of fall semester means picking up their class syllabus, catching up with friends and snapping selfies with the adorable wild donkeys that roam around the school.

The hoofed Highlanders have been embraced as an unofficial mascot on campus, with Reddit threads dedicated to donkey spotting and burro plushies...Read more

If you are growing Surefire Red begonias, white Diamond Snow euphorbia and Unplugged So Blue salvia, it certainly stands to reason you need some rockets. In this case, may I recommend Heart to Heart Bottle Rocket, which was just announced as the Proven Winners 2027 "Caladium of the Year."

You may be wondering why The Garden Guy is talking about...Read more

MINNEAPOLIS — Several Minnesota private colleges have recently introduced creative efforts to prove to students and parents that they’re affordable, both in the cost of attending now — tuition, room and board and fees — and the amount of loan debt students will owe after graduation.

From Winona to St. Paul, colleges and universities’ ...Read more

Dear Anna,

Here’s the condensed version. I’ve been with my partner for three years, and from the day we met she’s talked about moving overseas someday. I always supported that in theory, but then we fell in love, and “someday” quietly slipped to the background. Last week she told me she’s accepted a job in Ireland and leaves in ...Read more

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- Florida’s 5.3 million Medicare enrollees face a sweeping financial squeeze in 2027 as rising monthly premiums, higher prescription deductibles, and shrinking Medicare Advantage benefits hit simultaneously.

Medicare experts warn that keeping coverage on “autopilot” during Open Enrollment (from Oct. 15 to Dec. 7) ...Read more

I get so many questions asking some variation of, “This thing happened or is about to happen. Are we doomed?” Some things are doomable offenses, sure. But many can be worked around or dealt with.

Rather than having a catastrophic reaction, it’s important to drill down to the actual topic at hand to see if it’s really so black and white...Read more

HARTFORD, Conn. -- Connecticut resident Olivia Streaman first applied for a service dog four years ago for her father who has Parkinson’s disease, a decision she calls “life-changing” after it allowed her father to maintain his independence and help with his mobility.

Streaman, who saw up close the powerful bond between her father and his...Read more

LOS ANGELES -- Nestled a short stroll from the Griffith Park Ranger Station, near some tennis courts and not far from the remains of the park's original zoo lies a gem that is on most days behind lock and key. The Griffith Park merry-go-round, which turned 100 this year, stands motionless, many of its 66 wooden horses weathered and caught mid-...Read more

PHILADELPHIA -- Keith Haring’s famed 1987 mural "We the Youth," the artist’s only collaborative mural that still stands in its original location, is now an officially designated historical place.

At a public meeting on Friday, the Philadelphia Historical Commission voted unanimously to add the Point Breeze mural, on a rowhouse at 22nd and ...Read more

I blame Merriam-Webster. They define “we” as a plural pronoun when everybody knows “we” most often means another person in the room.

For example, we are eating a stuffed crust pizza and I say, “We need to watch what we eat,” meaning my better half might want to lighten up on the late-night ice cream.

“We” is most often a subtle...Read more

Q. Halloween falls on my ex’s night this year, and I’m really disappointed. Our kids are 6 and 9, and I’ve always taken them trick-or-treating. I asked if I could come along, but my ex said no because it’s her parenting time. I think we should both be able to participate in special occasions regardless of whose night it is. What’s good...Read more