With gyms closed during the pandemic, many took up running to relieve stress, get outdoors and fill up free time.

Here's some gear to help new runners — as well as more seasoned ones — get the most out of their miles.

Runners need to fuel their bodies right to run their best race. "Running on Veggies" (Rodale) by Adidas ...Read more

I heard a news story that said that 30 to 50% of all online returns are thrown out. We go through all this folderol to return something we don't want, show up at the return location with our QR code and paperwork, and they turn around and dump it. You can understand; I wouldn't want to be "reconditioned boxer shorts" or "...Read more

The Laundry Guy is best known for his tips on keeping clothes clean. But on his HGTV show, Patric Richardson is also known for doling out tips for being a better party host and guest, and for adding a layer of gentility and Southern charm to just about anything he does. His approach keeps holiday gatherings pleasant, civil and fun.

As we ...Read more

If you have a music lover on your gift list, you're in luck, because the options are easy and plentiful, and — with one exception here — you don't have to worry about buying the wrong size.

Donna-Claire Chesman chronicles the all-too-short-but-prolific career of Pittsburgh rapper Mac Miller in "The Book of Mac," an album-by-...Read more

Dear Answer Angel Ellen: As I’ve gotten older and flabbier, I’m finding that when I wear pull-on pants, leggings, jeggings, jeans, etc., you can see the lines from my underwear. Spanx work somewhat, but you can still see the line. Is there something you or your readers can recommend?

— Barbara H.

Dear Barbara: Ahh, the annoying VPL! ...Read more

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Nationwide, Black people were 3.6 times more likely than white people to be arrested for marijuana possession in 2018, despite similar usage rates, according to a 2020 American Civil Liberty Union report.

At the same time, the U.S. cannabis industry was and still is exploding with only 10% of cannabis business owners ...Read more

Minnesota Center for Book Arts hopes to attract new audiences. "Wood type feels so human," says one designer.

MINNEAPOLIS — In the basement studios of Minnesota Center for Book Arts, wood type fills drawers and cabinets, its nicks and scratches hinting at decades of printing history.

But upstairs sits a box of type that's ...Read more

MINNEAPOLIS — Christmas shopping for my young boys typically starts weeks in advance with me acquiring small toys and books from Costco, then thoughtfully ordering a couple of bigger presents they've circled in catalogs. I start storing these gifts in a secret cache in my basement, much like a squirrel with her acorns. There is a method to my ...Read more

Pizza Hut is stepping up its swag game this holiday season.

The restaurant chain recently announced a new merchandise and apparel drop.

Now available at PizzaHutShop.com (while supplies last), the collection includes a matching pajama set ($39.99) featuring an all-over pattern of pizza-inspired and holiday-themed graphics, a Matchbox play set ...Read more

Dear Answer Angel Ellen: I am in a bit of dilemma. I need to sell off many pairs of shoes. A few that I never wore. Bottom line, I don’t want to sell and have them returned because of fit. I don’t want to sell on eBay because I want a set price and I no longer have PayPal. Another problem is many of the shoes are of narrow width, which is ...Read more

Salma Hayek is in two movies out this month — “Eternals” and “House of Gucci” — so she’s out there hitting the red carpets, usually in Gucci (as it happens, her husband is the current CEO of Gucci). I love the extreme glitter of both of these looks: the strapless purple ombre gown worn at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art gala...Read more

Here is just a sample of the many frustrated readers who’ve been on maddening and unsuccessful searches for their favorite discontinued cosmetics…

Dear Answer Angel Ellen: I have been searching for an Estée Lauder eyeliner, in the color “Forest Writer 07” for a while. I contacted Esteé Lauder and they no longer make it. Do you know ...Read more

Texas’ most stylish export is back with a new status tome from Rizzoli documenting a life very well lived.

Sex, style, gloss. Tom Ford knows how to tease us.

He is the native Texan (by way of Austin) who went on to rule the runway, first as the creative director for Gucci, then as the smoldering sire of his own namesake fashion ...Read more

PITTSBURGH — When you think about fixing too-long pants or a holey sweater, you might envision dusty shops run by aging men draped in tape measures.

But take a walk down Butler Street in Lawrenceville, stop at Boheme Pittsburgh and go to the back of the marketplace. There, you’ll find two effortlessly cool women in their early 30s who only ...Read more

It’s been gray and wet in Seattle for approximately 1,000 days, so I thought you’d like to see a photo of the “Downton Abbey” gang in their tennis whites. This is a peek at “Downton Abbey: A New Era,” the new movie coming in March, and it’s just nice to see people who don’t look waterlogged, isn’t it? Warning: I initially got...Read more

The idea of opening stores on Thanksgiving Day caught on a few years ago when retailers ran out of early morning hours to open for their Black Friday doorbusters.

Macy’s employees will be filling curbside pickup orders on Thanksgiving Day, even though its stores won’t be open to shoppers.

The department store chain’s decision ...Read more

I haven’t yet seen Ridley Scott’s “House of Gucci,” the juicy-looking based-on-a-true-story tale of murder, scheming and revenge at the Italian fashion house of Gucci. But I’m looking forward to it for many reasons, not least of which is the retro style. The movie’s events take place from the 1970s to the 1990s — not exactly a ...Read more

Dear Answer Angel Ellen: Help! My mom is 80, size 2X and very difficult to size a bra for. She is very wide around the chest (I need to measure her) — probably around 48 inches — and her shoulders are narrow and sloped so it’s hard to keep the straps up. She has large breasts but honestly, it’s the band width, not the cup size that’s...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — Like a lot of people, Maddy Liloia was grateful that the worst of COVID-19 is hopefully behind us.

The pandemic had robbed the young Philadelphian of her commencement ceremony when she graduated from Temple University last year. A post-pandemic holiday season would be a relief.

But hold that thought.

Gas prices have shot up, ...Read more

CHICAGO — With his Beanie Babies stuck at sea aboard a flotilla of slow boats from China, Chicago billionaire Ty Warner has taken to the skies to circumvent the ongoing shipping crisis, booking entire cargo planes to get his signature stuffed animals home for the holidays.

If only Buckley the Deer and Lola the Llama could earn air miles.

...Read more