PITTSBURGH — Reem Helou was listening attentively. It was the last day of her menu planning class in the Community College of Allegheny County's culinary program.

Her professor, Charles Wallander, an adjunct instructor and advisor at the school, was going over the final assignment, which was due before the stroke of midnight that night.

"If ...Read more

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- A California city is the best place in the nation to raise a family, according to WalletHub.

The personal finance website recently released its list of the Best and Worst Places to Raise a Family in the United States in 2025, based on factors including housing costs, recreation opportunties and the quality of local schools...Read more

I find myself still pondering the surprise announcement from Warren Buffett, age 94 and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway, that he is retiring because he was "beginning to feel his age."

I keep wanting the man to expand. Specifics on "feeling his age" would be helpful and greatly appreciated.

He did say he noticed he was operating at a different speed...Read more

I am breaking my behavioral advice column format for the first time since I started writing it in 2014.

The normal format of answering questions about how adults can teach kids to be better people will return next week.

I have never broken format because, in my lifetime, there has never been a topic in education that was so important to the ...Read more

MINNEAPOLIS -- It was enormous, weighed 13 tons and seemed to be unmovable.

But one day in 2002, workers hoisted up and lifted away the steel, copper and bronze “Scroll” sculpture in front of the old Minneapolis Public Library at 10th Street and Hennepin Avenue downtown.

Ever since, Joe Hoover has been wondering where it went.

The old ...Read more

Q. We are in co-parenting counseling and my ex will tell a story that is almost the exact opposite of what happened. She’s so wrong! I have the text messages to prove it! The counselor is our referee, and we have made no progress. How can two people have such vastly different perceptions of what went on? What’s good ex-etiquette?

A. I’m ...Read more

As chairman of the bored in my house, a responsibility I take sitting down, I am thrilled to announce that I have a new chair in my office.

My only worry is that, as with all the other chairs I have ever had, I will lose possession of this one to either my wife or — this has actually happened before — a dog.

The stolen seat saga began many...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — For the last three decades, the Rev. Damone Jones has worked to build relationships with Philadelphia's most troubled children, the teens he says "typically nobody else loves": those charged with murder.

Several days per week, the West Philadelphia pastor visits the young men under 18 who are held in a city jail, and offers ...Read more

MINNEAPOLIS -- Even the most casual of observers can’t miss Matthew Greco.

If you’ve seen viral videos of the University of Minnesota dance team performances on their way to clinching national and world championships in recent years, you’ve spotted Greco. He’s the team’s sole and first-ever male dancer, whose dizzying spins and ...Read more

BALTIMORE — Leadership comes down to five things. Or maybe three. This day is all about you, unless it’s really about the family and friends who got you here. Live globally, but embrace the home and the hearth.

It’s commencement season, and this month, speakers sent the graduates of Maryland’s colleges and universities off to the rest ...Read more

In the campaign to keep discussions about race and identity out of classrooms, there’s a common refrain: Schools should stick to the basics.

“Teach ABCs + 123s, not CRTs & LGBTs,” campaign signs read in one Texas school board race. (CRT refers to critical race theory, a catchall phrase for lessons that explore how race has shaped America�...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — Philadelphia Family Pride, a local LGBTQ nonprofit, was set to partner with the Philadelphia Zoo for a Pride-themed, animal-focused story hour on June 3, and had already hired a drag queen to read at the event.

But a little more than a week before it was set to take place, the zoo asked the group to uninvite the drag queen, ...Read more

“I feel like I’m stealing,” gushed a woman leaving the store.

She didn’t know us, but she had to tell someone. Her cart overflowed with sparkly ribbon and plastic Christmas foliage. My son and I understood what she meant. My wife sent us out to the car to get more bags because the situation had gotten out of control.

This was the scene...Read more

Never has a point been made so clear: Yes, a cascading plant is perfect for a hanging basket. The plant of which I am speaking is the Fairytrail Bride Cascade Hydrangea. The social media world that revolves around gardening has been like wildfire as everybody has been posting photos of baskets with Fairytrail Bride Cascade Hydrangeas.

In a way...Read more

The letter from Yosemite Postmaster Fred C. Alexander, dated June 29, 1926, was meant to set the record straight regarding a shipment of 50 pounds of frankfurters from San Francisco.

The sausages were to have passed through the newly built Yosemite National Park post office before being delivered to a beloved Yosemite Valley restaurateur. Alas,...Read more

Editor’s Note: This story discusses suicide. If you or someone you know needs help, the national suicide and crisis lifeline in the United States is available by calling or texting 988 or 1-800-273-8255. There is also an online chat at 988lifeline.org.

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ATLANTA -- Savannah Elahee is sitting at one of her happy places: a picnic table ...Read more

As always, dating can sometimes feel like a conglomeration of awkward situations, ones we have no idea how to deal with.

I stand by my advice that I give often: I don’t want you to be scared of talking to the very person you supposedly like so much. If they’re a true partner, it will feel like a safe landing place for your concerns and ...Read more

LOS ANGELES -- Dan Bifano is in a hurry, but it's in his nature to be gracious, so he keeps his countenance serene even though gnarly traffic on the Pacific Coast Highway has made his visitors very late.

"I was afraid I would be late too," he confides, glancing at his watch, "because I had to make a quick stop at Lady Gaga's."

The comment is ...Read more