When former President Barack Obama addressed the massive, merry crowd at the Obama Presidential Center dedication ceremony on June 18, a few lines landed like a balm.

“For us to give up, for us to give in now, after all this country has been through, to cynicism and division would be a betrayal of our founding ideals, a betrayal of our faith....Read more

ST. PAUL, Minn. -- This time last year, Lee Carter was unemployed and unsure what a longtime barista fresh off a shattered dream could do with those skills.

He found the answer in a new St. Paul coffee shop that’s giving away its product in hopes of raising money to build a business tied to a bigger mission. The mission has become the name of...Read more

As a card-carrying member of the Sons of the Republic of Texas, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on the Shadowland Giant Lone Star hosta.

Shadowland Giant Lone Star has winner written all over it. It is large and has thick leaves. When 12 straight days of rain brought out a rainforest of slugs and other forest floor creatures, the bane of ...Read more

CHICAGO -- We all have scars. Some are more visible than others.

One recent afternoon on the Chicago's North Side, Ben Wahhh was in the process of removing a scar from the lower back of a 41-year-old woman named Ella Nelson.

Her scar was in the form of a name, seven letters — P-A-T-R-I-C-K — slightly faded since it was tattooed on her back...Read more

Dear Anna,

I’m a bi/pan woman who’s been married to my husband for 11 years. I’ve always known I wasn’t straight but never explored it much. I had one relationship with a woman early on, and that was it. I’m not looking to open my marriage or date other people. I just want to find ways to honor this part of myself that’s always been...Read more

CHICAGO -- Sparked by her deep passion for Harry Potter, Akshara Rajan’s interest in Latin expanded as she delved into the language at Walter Payton College Preparatory High School. She’d chosen the Near North Side-based high school in part because of its robust curriculum and extracurriculars dedicated to the ancient language.

As Rajan and...Read more

CHICAGO -- Maureen Cleary likens the love lives of the African penguins at Chicago's Lincoln Park Zoo to a soap opera. Pilchard and Maynard would probably be the couple starring in such a drama, said the zoological manager of birds.

The same-sex duo arrived in 2016 as additions to the zoo’s newly opened penguin habitat, Cleary said. Maynard, ...Read more

CHICAGO — When the painter Shane-Jahi Jackson was researching the employment records of Pullman porters and maids during his time as an artist-in-residence at the Newberry Library, he had no idea he would find a personal connection.

“I got down to the last two boxes, and I came across my family name,” he said. “And I know it was my ...Read more

Like it or not, dating apps are the most ubiquitous way to meet new people these days. In my 15 years of being a dating coach, I’ve seen thousands of happy relationships start this way. But I’ve also heard all the shortcomings: “It takes up too much time.” “I’m not getting the matches I’m looking for.” “There’s no one good.�...Read more

CHICAGO -- Zelle Tenorio remembers the moment they became a birder.

Three years ago, on a walk organized by both Chicago BIPOC Birders and Out in Nature, an LGBTQ+ outdoor meetup group, they watched a Caspian tern catch a fish.

“I thought it was the coolest thing ever,” Tenorio, who uses they/them pronouns, said.

Since then, Tenorio has ...Read more

Stone tablets are so yesterday.

A professor from Princeton recently shared that his Ivy League students had to have the Ten Commandments explained to them. Yes, that is the same New England college where the famous Jonathan Edwards was once president.

For the record, I went to Princeton. Once. I walked the campus when one of our kids lived ...Read more

Q. Now that school has ended, our 5-year-old daughter has the chance to go to her father’s in the mornings before he goes to work at noon or go to extended learning at her school where she can play with kids and do crafts. I decided to ask her what she wants to do and she said, “Go to school,” so I signed her up. Her father is furious ...Read more

Dear Kid Whisperer,

I live in a neighborhood with a lot of families, and we often end up with other people's children playing at our house. Having these playmates is great for my 8-year-old daughter, but not so great for me, because I end up parenting everybody else's kids. Is it appropriate for me to use the same behavior strategies on other ...Read more

CHICAGO — Isabela Torres Reyes often finds herself waiting thoughtfully before she speaks — something she didn’t always do six months ago. At the start of the school year, the recent DePaul University graduate was so eager to share her thoughts that she sometimes jumped into conversations early. Now, after completing a 10-week dialogue ...Read more

Whenever I’m cooking with gas, which causes people who eat what I cook to have the same thing, I’m afraid I will not only burn the burgers but be blown to smithereens, after which I will rest in pieces.

That’s why I feel much safer now that I have a new grill, even though I had to reassemble part of it and ended up with a couple of screws...Read more

CHICAGO -- There’s something addictive about it. Sitting in bed late at night watching one 30-second clip after another. Bright, blue light illuminating the room.

Whipping out a camera the moment a restaurant server brings a meal or a favorite performer appears onstage. Succumbing to the urge to scroll Instagram the second conversation grows ...Read more

About 19% of American households — roughly 24.6 million people — either have no bank account or struggle to access traditional banking services. This isn’t just a financial inconvenience; it’s a barrier that costs families thousands of dollars annually and limits their ability to build wealth.

Unbanked households have no checking or ...Read more

GOLETA, Calif. —For a few minutes, the atmosphere inside Captain Fatty's Brewery in Santa Barbara County was quiet, different from the usual Friday night clamor.

On this late May evening, the 15 men gathered there were contemplating tackling something few had previously had the courage or skill to take on. Austin Nieves, a recent transplant ...Read more

ORLANDO, Fla. -- Many of Uncle Pappy’s social media videos start with a shirtless old Florida man in a lily-pad-filled pond sharing messages of positivity, philosophy and a love for nature. In the last two years, his Instagram audience has grown to 1.1 million followers.

In January, the previously anonymous content creator shared a clip ...Read more

Supertunia Mini Vista Pink Cloud petunia is having its debut year -- or, thanks to Susan Middleton Turner in south Georgia’s zone 9 Miller County, its breakout year. Susan’s house looks like a movie set, and you would have to think that Supertunia Mini Vista petunias play a starring role.

Last year it was the award-winning Supertunia Mini ...Read more