BALTIMORE -- Gone are the bright lights and the 100-piece orchestra. There’s no Luciano Pavarotti to share this stage. It isn’t Carnegie Hall, but a picnic table at Lake Roland.

Norma Griner performs here now.

From a little speaker comes a jazzy saxophone. A cellphone begins recording. Her fingers tap-tap-tap the table. The notes quicken; ...Read more

BALTIMORE -- Gone are the bright lights and the 100-piece orchestra. There’s no Luciano Pavarotti to share this stage. It isn’t Carnegie Hall, but a picnic table at Lake Roland.

Norma Griner performs here now.

From a little speaker comes a jazzy saxophone. A cellphone begins recording. Her fingers tap-tap-tap the table. The notes quicken; ...Read more

COLUMBUS, Ohio — When Felton Davis enrolled in the domestic violence program at the Africentric Personal Development Shop, he was embarrassed, ashamed and afraid.

"I just felt like I broke the covenant with God when I put my hands on my wife," said Davis, 60, of the Northeast Side. "I not only hurt her, but I hurt my kids. I lost their trust....Read more

TAMPA, Fla. — Donna Durham spent her life in motion. A career truck driver, she found herself craving the open road when she retired, and missed camaraderie with others.

But there’s another reason she became a driver for Uber.

“I needed the extra income,” said Durham, who is 67. “Trying to live off of Social Security is just not an ...Read more

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — What about the story of two seemingly unexceptional lives playing out quietly in Aventura, Florida, would attract the interest of two Academy Award nominees, inspire a historic reunion of the iconic TV series “Taxi” and end up on the big screen opening night of the 25th annual Miami Jewish Film Festival?

Based on ...Read more

Never content to rest on its laurels, Orlando — theme park capital of the world — rolls out new splashy shows, pirate secrets and epic adventures for thrill seekers of all ages for 2022. And if that’s not enough, a new immersive hotel experience will launch visitors onto a starcruiser and one of the world’s most famous pigs will fling ...Read more

For decades, Americans have been urged to fill out documents specifying their end-of-life wishes before becoming terminally ill — living wills, do-not-resuscitate orders, and other written materials expressing treatment preferences.

Now, a group of prominent experts is saying those efforts should stop because they haven’t improved end-of-...Read more

For decades, Americans have been urged to fill out documents specifying their end-of-life wishes before becoming terminally ill — living wills, do-not-resuscitate orders, and other written materials expressing treatment preferences.

Now, a group of prominent experts is saying those efforts should stop because they haven’t improved end-of-...Read more

Marvin Querry, 86, was on his tractor, planting rye on his 770-acre western Missouri farm, when the call came in early November.

It was the social worker from Barone Alzheimer’s Care Center, where Querry’s wife, Diane, is a resident. The facility would be closing because of financial hardship, she said, reading from a statement.

It was an ...Read more

Marvin Querry, 86, was on his tractor, planting rye on his 770-acre western Missouri farm, when the call came in early November.

It was the social worker from Barone Alzheimer’s Care Center, where Querry’s wife, Diane, is a resident. The facility would be closing because of financial hardship, she said, reading from a statement.

It was an ...Read more

At 101 years of age, George Ellers seldom stands at attention. But let him hear the national anthem before a televised football game and the World War II veteran clamors to rise.

“Get me up! Get me up!” Ellers shouts to his caregiver, Helen Davis, who helps him to his feet. There, the centenarian stands, buoyed by his walker, for the ...Read more

At 101 years of age, George Ellers seldom stands at attention. But let him hear the national anthem before a televised football game and the World War II veteran clamors to rise.

“Get me up! Get me up!” Ellers shouts to his caregiver, Helen Davis, who helps him to his feet. There, the centenarian stands, buoyed by his walker, for the ...Read more

TAMPA, Fla. -- After Bill Monfort turned 100, the cakes began to pile up.

With each annual checkup, his doctor’s office made him one. So did his church. Friends and family baked.

“One year, I got nine cakes,” the longtime Tampa resident recalled.

On Dec. 17, Monfort celebrated his 105th birthday. He’s survived COVID-19, kamikaze ...Read more

TAMPA, Fla. -- After Bill Monfort turned 100, the cakes began to pile up.

With each annual checkup, his doctor’s office made him one. So did his church. Friends and family baked.

“One year, I got nine cakes,” the longtime Tampa resident recalled.

On Dec. 17, Monfort celebrated his 105th birthday. He’s survived COVID-19, kamikaze ...Read more

TAMPA, Fla. — He survived the attack on Pearl Harbor and earned two Purple Hearts during World War II.

But one of Paul Ecenia’s favorite war stories had nothing to do with the war.

“He won the World Armed Forces Jitterbug Championship held in Pearl Harbor,” said daughter Tandova Ecenia, 69. “He was so proud. He mentioned it all the ...Read more

Need a little last-minute something-something for your favorite wanderluster? Give the travelers on your list the gift of exploration with a destination goodie box, one that will satisfy a sweet tooth — and their itch for adventure — and perhaps even inspire an experience IRL in the new year.

DINE ON DIFFERENT CULTURES

eat2explore doesn’...Read more

TAMPA BAY, Fla. — Seniors in Tampa Bay will soon have a new way to live with each other.

A radical housing model — aimed at combating the loneliness many people experience later in life — is coming to Tampa Bay.

Known as senior cohousing, participating older adults live in individual homes or condominiums but have shared common areas, ...Read more

DETROIT — Happiness and excitement were two things that you could see on student Brooke Snow's face when she saw a new autonomous vehicle parked outside the school she attends in Detroit on Monday.

The image on the vehicle's sides showed several people standing next to each other, representing different abilities, cultures and races.

"I ...Read more