The day after President Donald Trump’s administration began demolishing the East Wing of the White House to make way for a massive 90,000-square-foot ballroom, I sat in a room full of people witnessing what happens when we build, rather than tear down.

Structures. Communities. People. Imaginations.

The Chicago Public Library Foundation held ...Read more

ANOKA, Minn. -- On a chilly April morning, Travis Gienger took his first gamble of the 2025 season. The world-champion giant-pumpkin grower typically starts his seeds indoors. But this year he was out in his backyard, crawling in the dirt to sow them directly.

While some pumpkins as big as Mini Coopers are raised in climate-controlled, C02-...Read more

PHILADELPHIA -- The spirits of the pets come first, treading home on soft, shadowy paws, making their way by the light of altar candles and guided by the eternal tie of love.

They’re welcomed with offerings of favorite treats and fresh water, and by the careful placement of old toys and worn collars that have become cherished mementos.

It’...Read more

When Jennifer Trujillo first heard her middle school band students say "six, seven" in class and explode with glee, she sought out the advice of an expert — her 15-year-old daughter.

Trujillo wanted to know what, exactly, her students were saying when they'd repeat the numbers and moved their hands in a juggling motion. Her daughter gave her ...Read more

Let's cut to the chase. If you're reading this, you're probably juggling multiple gigs, watching every dollar, and wondering how to get ahead instead of just getting by. I've been writing about money for decades, and here's what I know: Gig workers who thrive don't just work harder—they work smarter.

The gig economy isn't going anywhere. In ...Read more

SEATTLE -- King County's best employee, Errol the Courthouse Dog, is hanging up his collar and starting his golden years.

Errol, who celebrated his 12th birthday Monday, has spent a decade in the King County Superior Court comforting children, people with developmental disabilities and older people when they are called to testify or provide ...Read more

It is spring in Australia and New Zealand and looks like it in Columbus, Georgia, thanks to a little planting in early September. One plant that is catching my eye every day is the award-winning Superbena Royale Plum Wine verbena.

The last time I gave this plant any press was when magenta was the Pantone Color of the Year. It is a color that ...Read more

What kind of person can coax shy, diffident Minnesotans to boogie down on the dance floor?

He’s a pirate and he calls himself Jimi Jimi Jimi, the Polka Dancing Pirate.

If there’s an Oktoberfest event at the Germanic-American Institute in St. Paul, a polka mass at St. Boniface Catholic Church in northeast Minneapolis or a taping of a public...Read more

Q. I have no idea how to co-parent when my ex is such a jerk and is always telling me how I screwed up: I can’t parent the kids right. I don’t cook nutritious food. I drink too much.

I’m so beaten down I don’t want to talk to them about anything, let alone consult them about our kids. What’s good ex-etiquette?

A. My first thought ...Read more

Dear Kid Whisperer,

I would appreciate some guidance. You trained teachers at my school in Behavioral Leadership. I think the strategies are great, but I have a few concerns with how some things are being implemented and would LOVE some advice and direction. I'm specifically looking for guidance on Delayed Learning Opportunities (DLOs) as it is...Read more

KESHENA, Wis. — Rihauna Fuentez runs her fingers along the tangled wires, tracing their course over a wooden panel and into an electrical box. The 20-year-old, with mussed rainbow hair and a nose piercing, pounds her hammer with precision.

She surveys her work beside her peers. “I’m just trying to figure out which color wire I put through...Read more

We accidentally left for our vacation in Maine a day early. I take full credit — or blame — it depends on who tells the story. There’s nothing wrong with leaving a day early, except that when you get there you won’t have a place to stay.

A quick online search landed us a reservation just outside a picturesque New England town we’d ...Read more

LOS ANGELES -- I am standing on what looks like a cramped, dark city street. A tavern is around a corner, a police department in front of me. And I'm lost.

That's when I hear a whisper. "Psst." I turn, and see a puppet peeping his head out of a secret opening of a door. Over here," he says, and I find myself leaning in to listen to this furry, ...Read more

Even though I have enough saved for early retirement, I still worry. As someone with lifelong chronic conditions, I know all too well how healthcare costs can creep up, even when everything else seems under control.

Medical debt is one of the sneakiest ways financial stress shows up in people’s lives. According to Kaiser Family Foundation’...Read more

When a guy tells incredibly stupid jokes during the day and emits window-rattling snores at night, his wife could not be blamed for telling him to keep his mouth shut.

That is why my wife, Sue, was thrilled to hear that a respiratory technician told me the same thing.

“Keep your mouth shut,” said Devin Moncayo, who was giving me a ...Read more

DENVER -- After an enterprising life, one resilient Colorado casket can finally rest in peace.

The sturdy wood vessel lined with a silky white interior originated as a traditional mortuary viewing casket before a midlife career change took it to the stage. The fame and theatrics were followed by years of repose in a basement before the casket ...Read more

Maybe you saw the Trump administration just quietly gutted the office that oversees special education services and funding.

Maybe you didn’t. There’s a lot to keep track of right now.

All but a handful of staff were laid off from the Department of Education’s Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services, which oversees ...Read more

LOS ANGELES -- In Saul Valdivia's preschool classroom, a neon green light emanates from underneath the opaque surface of a wooden table. An assortment of plastic bugs and wooden shapes lay scattered across its surface. This light box learning tool uses contrasts to help encourage young kids with impaired vision develop awareness of objects, ...Read more

Ronald Klein was biking around his neighborhood in North Wales, Pennsylvania, in 2006 and tried to jump a curb. “But I was going too slow — I didn’t have enough momentum,” he recalled.

As the bike toppled, he thrust out his left arm to break the fall. It didn’t seem like a serious accident, yet “I couldn’t get up,” he said.

At ...Read more

Maybe you saw the Trump administration just quietly gutted the office that oversees special education services and funding.

Maybe you didn’t. There’s a lot to keep track of right now.

All but a handful of staff were laid off from the Department of Education’s Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services, which oversees ...Read more