Lifestyle

FILE - Dolly Parton poses for a photo at her office in Nashville, Tenn., Aug. 11, 2005. (AP Photo/J...

It’s officially Dolly Parton Day, with parades, pink lights and book drives

Pour yourself a cup of ambition. It’s Dolly Parton Day. Across the world, communities are dedicating Friday to honoring the beloved country singer. The day is falling on Sept. 25, a wink at Parton’s hit song “9 to 5.” Parton, who died of cancer last month at age 80, built an impressive legacy over the […]
27 days ago
Jacob Mitchell carries a tray of food at new KFC restaurant pre-opening presentation in McKinney, T...

KFC opens a Texas restaurant to test ideas for reclaiming its fried chicken crown

KFC has been taking a licking from fried chicken rivals like Raising Cane’s, but the global fast-food chain has a plan to return to the top of the U.S. pecking order. The Kentucky-born brand opened a new restaurant in McKinney, Texas, on Thursday to serve as a test lab in its home market. Called Open […]
28 days ago
People visit the Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture, Wednesday, ...

At 10 years old, Smithsonian’s Black museum is undaunted amid pressure from Trump administration

WASHINGTON (AP) — Deeply impactful exhibits, ticketed galas and educational events are expected ways to celebrate a world-class museum. But at the National Museum of African American History and Culture, which marks the 10-year anniversary of its opening on Thursday, the singing of Stevie Wonder’s “Happy Birthday” will give the event the flavor of a […]
28 days ago
Winners, judges and volunteers celebrate after the winners are announced at the end of Skid Row's i...

Photos of a talent show on Skid Row, where performers are part of the homeless community

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Skid Row held its first talent show, giving local homeless and formerly homeless residents a chance to share their talents and personal stories through original music, rap covers and Scripture readings. ___ This is a photo gallery curated by AP photo editors.
29 days ago
Deoujahne Darc performs during Skid Row's first annual talent show in downtown Los Angeles, Saturda...

At a talent show on Los Angeles’ Skid Row, the performers are all part of the homeless community

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Wearing shiny heels, a thrifted dress and a red rose in her hair, Deoujahne Darc belted out an original song on a small, makeshift stage in the heart of Los Angeles’ Skid Row. “I saw the Lord in the face of a homeless man,” she sang, as the crowd swayed along. […]
29 days ago
FILE - The sun shines on golden aspens, Sept. 22, 2021, on the first day of fall, in Eagle County, ...

Day and night get equal billing on Tuesday. A guide to the fall equinox

The fall equinox is Tuesday, when light and darkness split the day evenly. It marks the beginning of fall for the Northern Hemisphere and the beginning of spring in the Southern Hemisphere. On the equator, the sun will be directly overhead at noon. Equinoxes are the only times when both the north and south poles […]
1 month ago
Freshly harvested grapes are piled in a storage container at Berryhill Family Vineyards in Clements...

California farmers are struggling to sell grapes as demand for wine drops

LODI, Calif. (AP) — It’s harvest time in California wine country, but many growers are struggling to sell their grapes as changing drinking habits have caused demand to plunge. The decline is forcing some growers to tear out vineyards that their families have grown for generations. Wine sales have decreased by more than 20% over […]
1 month ago
FILE - The Converse logo is displayed on the roof of the company's world headquarters in the West E...

Converse apologizes and pulls sneaker ad that critics said included racist imagery

The sneaker company Converse has removed a social media ad that sparked outrage among critics who viewed it as evoking the Ku Klux Klan and lynching. The Instagram ad photo showed K-pop singer Karina wearing a skirt and holding a pair of Chuck 70 X sneakers. Critics lashed out online, saying that a white triangular […]
1 month ago
This image provided by the National Library of Medicine shows part of an advertisement for Clark St...

One thing that hasn’t changed in 250 years: Americans’ willingness to get suckered

NEW YORK (AP) — America: land of possibility. And also: land of suckers. Our enduring belief that anything is possible — whether based in reality or not — has helped the nation become the world’s largest economy. It has also led us to fall head over heels for hucksters and charlatans, again and again. If […]
1 month ago
Bill Robling as Benjamin Franklin, left, and Carol Spacht as Betsy Ross, center, greet the Philadel...

Scenes from a colonial resurrection: First-person interpretations of history draw America 250 crowds

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Betsy Ross is a dynamo with a T-shirt cannon. America’s 250th birthday has been a banner year for the actors of Historic Philadelphia, Inc. who immerse visitors in Colonial history via first-person interpretations and true stories. In the last few months, Betsy, played by Carol Spacht, has waved the checkered flag at […]
1 month ago
Students participate in a learn-to-ride program at Terra Vista Elementary School in Rancho Cucamong...

A childhood rite moves indoors as kindergartners learn to ride bikes in school gyms

For generations, kids have learned how to ride a bike — a quintessential childhood milestone — in driveways, on sidewalks and in neighborhood streets. Now, they’re learning in school gyms and playgrounds. On a recent September day, kindergarteners at Terra Vista Elementary School in Rancho Cucamonga, California, were fitted with helmets and assigned a black-and-white […]
1 month ago
FILE - A motorist fills up the tank of a vehicle at a Costco gasoline station Wednesday, April 15, ...

Costco raises price for Kirkland motor oil, sets purchase limit

Costco has raised the price of motor oil sold under its exclusive private-label brand as well as limited how much of it customers can buy weekly as oil prices climb yet again. Americans looking to try to save some money by purchasing motor oil to do their own oil changes may consider this yet another […]
1 month ago
FILE - A car drives along Oatman Highway on historic Route 66, near Oatman, Ariz., on Friday, Nov. ...

The great American road trip, fueled by — and undercut by — the automobile that created it

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — There’s something about the American road trip. It brings to mind visions of cars the size of boats, the glory days before seat-belt laws and pit stops at the world’s largest fill-in-the-blank. It has been memorialized in books like Jack Kerouac’s “On the Road” and satirized in movies like “National Lampoon’s […]
1 month ago
Nerds Gummy Clusters candies are displayed in Los Angeles on Thursday, Sept. 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Jae...

Mouthfeel joins flavor as a food industry focus to satisfy consumers craving extra texture

Texture is having a crunchy, gooey moment in the food and beverage industry. For many people, the way a menu item or packaged snack feels in the mouth has become as big a draw as flavor, although consumers don’t always recognize the part texture plays in their cravings for crispier takeout, frothier coffees and juicier […]
1 month ago
FILE - The boyhood home of President-elect Donald Trump is seen on Jan. 17, 2017, in New York. (AP ...

President Donald Trump’s childhood home sells for $2 million

NEW YORK (AP) — Donald Trump’s childhood home has sold for nearly $2 million after a renovation transformed the New York City residence from a mold-ridden cat den to a modern abode. The president lived at the Tudor-style Queens estate until age 4. His father, developer Fred Trump, built the home in the affluent Jamaica […]
1 month ago
FILE - Firefighters walk over the ruins of the World Trade Center, through clouds of dust and smoke...

A golf ball found in the World Trade Center rubble became a symbol of incomprehensible loss

NEW YORK (AP) — I stood amid the rubble of the World Trade Center, passing buckets of debris down a line of volunteers and first responders. It was hours after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. A little white object poking out of the gray ash caught my attention. Scuffed and dirty, it was unmistakably a […]
1 month ago
FILE - A student wipes his face while his mother takes a photo of him with a sign on the first day ...

In an age of instant answers, educators say there’s a case for letting kids struggle a little

When children forget their lunch, can’t solve a math problem or don’t know how to get somewhere, the instinct for parents can be to step in immediately. But sometimes, the problem is an opportunity. Developmental experts and educators say children need chances to struggle with everyday problems because figuring them out is a skill that […]
1 month ago
CORRECTS FIRST NAME TO AKIVA FROM AKIRA - Aliquippa Senior running back Akiva Woods (8) leads a pre...

Across the US, high school sports provide a sense of community — and, for some, a way out

The phone calls started coming long before the lights at “The Pit” flickered on for the first time this fall. “When will the senior citizen passes be available?” Aliquippa High athletic director Jennifer Damico’s office heard more than once as the latest season of Quips football inched forward. At the school about 30 minutes northwest […]
1 month ago
Aliquippa High School football fans cheer during a high school football game between Aliquippa and ...

Across the US, ‘Friday night lights’ provide a sense of community — and, for some, a way out

ALIQUIPPA, Pa. (AP) — The phone calls, all asking the same question, started coming long before the lights at “The Pit” flickered on for the first time this fall. “When will the senior citizen passes be available?” Aliquippa High athletic director Jennifer Damico’s office heard more than once as the countdown to the latest season […]
1 month ago
FILE -Travelers queue up to pass through the south security checkpoint in Denver International Airp...

Travel scams are getting harder to spot. Here’s how to stay safe

NEW YORK (AP) — Pickpockets were once the biggest worry for travelers heading to new destinations on vacation. But travel scams have become more sophisticated, and scammers using new artificial intelligence tools have become better at creating fake websites and using stolen data to their advantage, said Florent Silve, an executive at Engine, a corporate […]
1 month ago

The Tate brothers must stay locked up during their UK extradition fight, US judge says

MIAMI (AP) — Social media influencers Andrew and Tristan Tate must remain in custody as they fight extradition to the United Kingdom, where the brothers are accused of rape and sex trafficking, a federal judge in Miami ruled Wednesday. U.S. Magistrate Lauren Louis denied a defense motion for release, meaning the Tates will remain jailed […]
1 month ago
FILE - Sixth graders read a passage and give constructive feedback to their partners during Nancy B...

Families’ interest in their kids’ education is falling around the globe as scores drop, test shows

Families’ interest in their kids’ education is falling in many high-income countries as school systems struggle with plunging test scores, according to newly released results from a standardized test taken by 15-year-olds around the world. Over 760,000 teenagers in dozens of countries took the Programme for International Student Assessment last year. Results released Tuesday show […]
1 month ago
A freshly baked apple pie sits on a tablecloth in Marlborough, Massachusetts on June 26, 2026. (AP ...

The apple pie (alongside mom, of course) became the symbolic food of a nation

Flaky, golden crust. Apple juices bubbling through its vents. The scent of cinnamon. Apple pie is my comfort food, and the only thing my family always cooks together: rolling the dough, fluting the crust’s edges, peeling and chopping the apples. My mom, the keeper of our oven’s flame, has hinted she would commit heinous acts […]
1 month ago
FILE - An airline passenger pulls off his shoes to be scanned as he prepares to go through a securi...

From the Lockerbie bombing to 9/11: How attacks on flights defined US air travel

Taking a commercial flight from a U.S. airport generally requires a boarding pass to get anywhere near a gate, security screening controlled by the federal government and careful attention to the contents of carry-on bags. It wasn’t always this way. Travelers once passed through security checkpoints staffed by private contractors selected by airlines. Full-sized bottles […]
1 month ago
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