Wearying of winter? You can preview spring even before the weather warms up at the 37th annual Connecticut Flower & Garden Show, Feb. 22 to 25, at the Connecticut Convention Center, 100 Columbus Blvd., Hartford. The colorful, fragrant show covers…

Hollywood once again earned dismal marks in USC Annenberg’s annual report card on the number of women and minorities in powerful positions in the entertainment industry. Professor Stacy Smith and the USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative found that women made up…

Kevin Spacey was a great actor. Charlie Rose was a great newsman. James Levine was an extraordinary conductor. So was Charles Dutoit. What do we do with them now? All of these men, and more, have been accused of sexual…

At what point is science going to catch up with common sense? Probably not soon enough for your teenager. On Tuesday, two of Apple’s largest investors urged the company to take action against smartphone addiction among children. In an open…

Pioneer Press (TNS) BARRINGTON, Ill. – Claire Buckley’s day started before dawn. Each morning, she would dress, gather her gear and leave her Barrington home to catch a 6 a.m. bus to her destination – not to a job in…

First in a series about teen anxiety. NAPERVILLE, Ill. – When Naperville North High School student Tessa Newman heard about the suicide of a classmate last school year, she was outraged. Furious, not at the classmate, but at a culture…

DES MOINES, Iowa – As Democrats nationwide encourage Oprah Winfrey to seek the presidency in 2020, those closest to the media mogul are sending mixed messages about her political intentions. Her best friend, CBS News host Gayle King, said Tuesday…

LONDON (AP) — Kensington Palace has released two images of Princess Charlotte as she begins her first day at nursery school. The 2-year-old is shown on the steps of the palace in one photo and standing holding onto a rail…

Recently I spent an entire Saturday doing nothing. Well, I didn’t do NOTHING. I watched TV. I surfed the Internet on my iPad. I took a nap. And, of course, I ate three full meals (or possibly four), plus the…

Eschewing cloth and needle, a local retiree crafts bow ties from blocks of wood with a mallet and power tools. “It’s a lot of fun. Don’t all kids like to bang things?” said Marv Beloff, 89, of Wallingford, who started…

First cousins Carson and Coralyn Novakowski have plenty in common – right down to the same birthday. They arrived on Sept. 7, less than 10 hours apart – Carson at 8:29 a.m. and Coralyn at 6:05 p.m. The rare coincidence…

My wife and I are friends with a couple from Watertown, Ginny and Charlie Baudinet. They have five adult children, four boys and one girl. Just over a year ago, Ginny and Charlie became the grandparents of four girls and…

Recently, Lu Picard of East Coast Assistance Dogs of Torrington was training one of her clients, who is unsteady on her feet, to use one of her service dogs at a shopping mall in Waterbury. “Another woman came in with…

The toys are unwrapped. The holiday hustle is over. School is out and family is in town. Keeping the tiny set busy during winter break is an annual challenge. But in addition to the usual options – movies, bowling, ice…

It’s a snowy Christmas Eve in rural upstate New York. A despondent man leans over the railing of a metal bridge. Suddenly a police cruiser pulls up. The cop gets out and yells, “Hey George! You all right? The man…

It’s the season of giving, and that means thinking about tips for the service providers who make your life easier. But considering we use services more than ever before, who gets an extra holiday tip? And how much? Etiquette experts…

No-stir creamy risotto in half the time. Dried beans that cook up plump and quick – no pre-soaking required. Pork roast with perfectly cooked potatoes and carrots in silky sauce in an hour. Say hello to your new best friend….

Dr. Alok Trivedi, author of the book “Chasing Success” and the founder of The Aligned Performance Institute, says to reduce the stress of the holidays, try to stop doing these 10 things: Stop trying to please your family. If you…

Your sister-in-law is going to bring that horrible casserole again. Your mother-in-law will sneer at your ham. Your adolescent son refuses to make eye contact with anyone and his sister can’t take her eyes from her phone. Welcome to the…

At least once a week I see a very sad sight. I’ll stop at a convenience store to grab a coffee, and as I walk into the store I frequently see a person coming out of the store with at…