Lifestyle

FILE - Brian Littrell, of the Backstreet Boys, attends a meeting with fans for the presentation of ...

Backstreet Boys’ Brian Littrell sues Florida sheriff’s office over beach trespassers

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Backstreet Boys singer Brian Littrell says a local Florida sheriff’s office isn’t doing enough to protect his multimillion-dollar beachfront property from trespassers and is asking a judge for an order commanding deputies to do so. The petition filed last month by Littrell’s company in a Florida Panhandle county touches on a […]
1 year ago
FILE - A Nextdoor sign is shown on a window at an office in San Francisco on May 11, 2016. (AP Phot...

Nextdoor social site, looking for a revival, pins hopes on partnership with local news providers

NEW YORK (AP) — Nextdoor, the social media site that aims to create connections among neighbors, is trying to shake off an uneven past and a nagging sense it is being underutilized. How? It is turning to professional journalists for help. The company announced a partnership Tuesday with more than 3,500 local news providers who […]
1 year ago
FILE - The giant Turkey Hill Cow looms over festival goers sampling ice cream at Taste of Omaha on ...

US ice cream makers say they’ll stop using artificial dyes by 2028

Ice cream makers representing about 90% of the U.S. supply of the frozen treat have pledged to remove artificial dyes from their products in less than three years, federal health officials said Monday. The move is the latest voluntary effort by food manufacturers to heed calls from the Trump administration to remove synthetic dyes over […]
1 year ago
Fashion designer Caroline Zimbalist poses in her studio on Friday, June 6, 2025, in the Queens boro...

A designer dressed Chappell Roan with seaweed. But don’t expect to find the approach in stores — yet

NEW YORK (AP) — At her kitchen stove, fashion designer Caroline Zimbalist looks like an alchemist at work as she stirs a pot full of corn starch and a thickener made from seaweed. The peppermint-scented mixture glitters as she carefully pours it into silicone molds of hearts and leaves. When the material hardens, Zimbalist will […]
1 year ago
Ry-n Uyeda warms up during a softball practice, Friday, July 11, 2025, in Waianae, Hawaii. (AP Phot...

Most teens — and girls especially — see college as key to jobs and life skills, AP-NORC poll says

PHOENIX (AP) — Most American teenagers say it is important to them to graduate from college, with girls especially describing it as a key step for accomplishing their life goals, according to a new poll. Teenagers also generally are more upbeat than adults on college despite concerns about tuition costs, soaring student loan debt and […]
1 year ago
Angel, a 26-year-old bald eagle from Wisconsin that was too gravely injured to be returned to the w...

Bald eagle’s new status as the official US bird brings pride and hope to many Native Americans

PRAIRIE ISLAND INDIAN COMMUNITY, Minn. (AP) — Some Native Americans traditionally bestow bald eagle feathers at ceremonies to mark achievements, such as graduations, and as a form of reverence for the bird they hold sacred as a messenger to the Creator. This year, many are doing so with elevated pride and hope. The bald eagle […]
1 year ago
An osprey flies with a half-eaten fish in its talons above the Lynnhaven River, June 30, 2025, in V...

Osprey came back from the brink once. Now chicks are dying in nests, and some blame overfishing

GLOUCESTER POINT, Va. (AP) — Stepping onto an old wooden duck blind in the middle of the York River, Bryan Watts looks down at a circle of sticks and pine cones on the weathered, guano-spattered platform. It’s a failed osprey nest, taken over by diving terns. “The birds never laid here this year,” said Watts, […]
1 year ago
Boxes of Kellogg's breakfast cereal are seen at a super market, Friday, July 11, 2025, in Springfie...

Breakfast cereal sales declined for decades before Kellogg’s sale to Italian company

Breakfast cereal could use a lucky charm. U.S. sales of the colorfully packaged morning staple have been in a decades-long decline, a trend back in the spotlight with news that Italian confectioner Ferrero Group plans to purchase the American company that makes Kellogg’s Corn Flakes, Froot Loops, Rice Krispies and other familiar brands. Except for […]
1 year ago
FILE - Eggs sit in a container in a shopping cart at grocery store, Monday, Jan. 27, 2025, in Windh...

Trump administration sues California over egg prices and blames animal welfare laws

The Trump administration is suing the state of California to block animal welfare laws that it says unconstitutionally helped send egg prices soaring. But a group that spearheaded the requirements pushed back, blaming bird flu for the hit to consumers’ pocketbooks. The lawsuit, come from cage-free hens. The Trump administration says the law imposes burdensome […]
1 year ago
FILE - The logos for streaming services Netflix, Hulu, Disney Plus and Sling TV are pictured on a r...

One Tech Tip: ‘Click-to-cancel’ is over, but there are other ways to unsubscribe

NEW YORK (AP) — A “click-to-cancel” rule, which would have made it easier for consumers to end unwanted subscriptions, has been blocked by a federal appeals court days before it was set to go into effect. But there are ways to end those subscriptions and memberships, even if they take some work. The rule would […]
1 year ago
Seattle weekend events...
Paul Holden

Live music, outdoor theater, and seafood BBQ: What to do in Seattle this weekend

Experience a vibrant weekend in Seattle with live music, outdoor theater, and seafood BBQ, despite ongoing construction challenges.
1 year ago

Ford recalls over 850,000 cars in the US due to potential fuel pump failure

NEW YORK (AP) — Ford is recalling more than 850,000 of its cars across the U.S. because the low-pressure fuel pump inside the vehicles may fail — and potentially cause an engine stall while driving, increasing crash risks. The recall covers a wide range of Ford and Lincoln-branded vehicles made in recent model years. That […]
1 year ago
FILE - Pre-K students at The Learning Lamp Center for Children in Somerset participate in a ceremon...

Most US adults say child care costs are a ‘major problem,’ a new AP-NORC poll finds

Americans overwhelmingly view the cost of child care as a significant issue, and most support initiatives to offer free or low-cost day care and to require employers to provide paid family leave for parents of babies, according to a new poll. But they’re divided over how to solve the problem and what role the government […]
1 year ago
FILE - Amazon employees load packages on carts before being put on to trucks for distribution for A...

Customers seeking deals gave Amazon’s Prime Day and competing sales a solid start

NEW YORK (AP) — The first day of Amazon’s Prime Day event and competing retail sales that kicked off on Tuesday drove solid online spending compared to a year earlier, according to two data sources. Adobe Digital Insights, which tracks visits to e-commerce sites, reported that U.S. consumers spent $7.9 billion at online stores on […]
1 year ago
This photo provided by Mattel, Inc., shows the new Barbie doll with type 1 diabetes (T1D). (Mattel,...

Mattel introduces its first Barbie with Type 1 diabetes

NEW YORK (AP) — Mattel has introduced its first Barbie representing a person with Type 1 diabetes, as part of wider efforts from the toy maker to increase inclusivity among its dolls. In an announcement Tuesday, Mattel said it had partnered with Breakthrough T1D — a Type 1 diabetes research and advocacy organization formerly known […]
1 year ago
FILE - President Donald Trump colors during a visit with a group of children at the Nationwide Chil...

What Trump’s big tax law could mean for the youngest Americans

WASHINGTON (AP) — The impact of the massive spending bill that President Donald Trump signed into law on Independence Day is expected to filter down to infants and toddlers — a segment of the population that is particularly vulnerable to cuts to the federal social safety net. Many middle-class and wealthy families will see benefits […]
1 year ago
Asif Ali poses for a portrait on Wednesday, July 2, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)...

Asian American, Pacific Islander comics are the main event in an LA comedy and cuisine festival

With the Belly Laughs Festival, an ambitious Asian American and Pacific Islander-centered comedy festival, the food is as important as the talent line-up. Every detail is intended to send a message of unabashed cultural pride. “It’s like we grew up kind of shying away and hiding our Asian-ness,” said Viv Wang, a volunteer festival producer […]
1 year ago
A person carries a sign reading "Do Good. Do No Harm. Keep Falling In Love with Jesus" after it was...

Faith-based camps like those hit by Texas floods are rite of passage for many. They’re now grieving

Texas’ catastrophic flooding hit faith-based summer camps especially hard, and the heartbreak is sweeping across the country where similar camps mark a rite of passage and a crucial faith experience for millions of children and teens. “Camp is such a unique experience that you just instantly empathize,” said Rachael Botting of the tragedy that struck […]
1 year ago
President Donald Trump, right, puts his hand on shoulder of Secretary of State Marco Rubio, center,...

Trump on past presidents: Ike was ‘underrated,’ FDR ‘amazing,’ Polk ‘sort of a real-estate guy’

WASHINGTON (AP) — Turns out Donald Trump gauges his esteem for presidential predecessors by how well their portraits fit into his White House redecorating scheme. Or sometimes how well the frames around those portraits do. “I’m a frame person,” Trump said Tuesday during a meeting with his Cabinet. “Sometimes I like frames more than I […]
1 year ago
FILE - A traveler removes his shoes at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport on Wednesda...

Travelers may no longer be required to remove shoes before boarding a plane

For the first time in almost 20 years, travelers may no longer be required to take off their shoes during security screenings at certain U.S. airports. The Transportation Security Administration is looking to abandon the additional security step that has for years bedeviled anyone passing through U.S airports for, according to media reports. If implemented, […]
1 year ago
FILE - An Amazon Prime delivery person lifts packages while making a stop at a high-rise apartment ...

Amazon extends Prime Day discounts to 4 days as retailers weigh tariff-related price increases

NEW YORK (AP) — Amazon is extending its annual Prime Day sales and offering new membership perks to Generation Z shoppers amid tariff-related price worries and possibly some consumer boredom with an event marking its 11th year. The e-commerce giant’s promised blitz of summer deals for Prime members starts at 3:01 a.m. Eastern time on […]
1 year ago
Hayley Bosworth, back, and Simon Ball, foreground, cut tree branches during clean-up efforts after ...

After Texas floods that killed campers, here’s what to consider when sending your kids to camp

Death and destruction at a venerable Texas summer camp might have parents wondering about the risks of sending their kids away to any camp, even if it’s in a much different setting and less vulnerable to a natural disaster. The stunning flood that killed more than two dozen campers and counselors along a river at […]
1 year ago
FILE - State Rep. Laurel Libby, R-Auburn, speaks with a colleague, Feb. 14, 2023, at the State Hous...

Maine and a GOP lawmaker who ID’d a transgender athlete online agree lawsuit is now moot

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Attorneys for the state of Maine and a conservative lawmaker who identified a transgender teen student athlete online now agree that the lawmaker’s appeal over her loss of voting rights for her post is now moot. Republican state Rep. Laurel Libby identified the athlete in a February social media post that […]
1 year ago
Participants in an antique car prepare to take part in the Independence Day Parade in Santa Monica,...

Photos of protests and celebrations mark a different Fourth of July for many Americans

The Fourth of July is a celebration of all things American with parades, backyard barbecues and the night sky lit up with fireworks. This Independence Day may feel different for many Americans. Around the country, there are protests planned against Trump’s polices, and in places like Southern California, where immigration raids have rattled communities, some […]
1 year ago