DEAR ANNIE: I was really excited when I landed my dream job a few months ago. It has great pay and a title that can really take me places. But now, just a few months in, I’m pulling my hair out. We’re in our “busy season,” which means lots of late nights and working weekends. Every time ...

A defender should assume, as a matter of course, that the contract he’s defending against can be defeated. If he does not cultivate this attitude as a regular habit, many opportunities to defeat opposing contracts will pass him by. Let’s say you’re East on this deal and partner leads ...

DEAR HELOISE: Stale chips used to end up in the trash at my house far too often. Now I bring them back to life with a quick oven trick that really works: Spread the chips in a single layer on a baking sheet so that they heat evenly. Slide the pan into an oven set to 300 F for about 5 minutes. ...

Whenever declarer is playing a suit contract, he is faced with the questions of whether or not to draw trump, whether or not to take certain finesses, whether to try to establish a long suit, and so on. Some or all of these things might have to be done, but the order in which they take place ...

It’s a pick your holiday weekend in Youngstown. Cinco de Mayo arrives a few days early as the theme for May’s First Fridays Youngstown event at the Phelps Street Gateway downtown. The Calvin Center at 755 Mahoning Ave. will host a three-day May Day Festival starting Friday, and Penguin ...

Trumbull New Theatre closes its 2025-26 season with the musical comedy “Deer Camp.” The emphasis is on the comedy in the script by Gene Jurek with music by Doug Spartz. The show is set at a hunting cabin, where four friends gather every year. They tell their spouses the purpose is to ...

Chorale preps spring concert The Shenango Valley Chorale will have its spring concert at 2:30 p.m. Sunday at Sharon First United Methodist Church, 237 W. Silver St., Sharon, Pa. The Chorale, conducted by Erich Lascek will sing the world premiere of “Hidden Light Eternal” by Bryan ...

Art made with nontraditional items will be featured in the next exhibition at downtown Warren’s Art on Park. For Rubbish on Park, artists were instructed not to submit traditional paint-on-canvas works. Curator Ashley Kellar’s suggestions in the call for artists announcement included such ...

The engagement and approaching marriage of Kayla Kapel and Santino Bianco, are being announced by the couple’s parents, Greg and Marriane Kapel of Lyndhurst, and Tina Bianco of Girard. The groom-elect is also the son of the late Philip Bianco. The bride-elect is employed as a registered ...

Mr. and Mrs. J. Ralph and Marilyn Seidner III of Salem, celebrated their 71st anniversary on Dec. 6, 2025. J Ralph and Marilyn Seidner III were married Dec 6, 1954. Their life together has been a rich tapestry of adventure, creativity, family and unwavering devotion. Their life spans states ...

Daniel and Kathy Glozer, lifelong residents of the Youngstown area, celebrated their 50th anniversary on Sept. 13, 2025. Mass was held at St. Luke Catholic Church and dinner at Alberini’s Restaurant, both attended by immediate family members. Daniel Glozer and the former Kathy Gromada ...

Charles and Gail Ann Holquist, of New Middletown, held a 70th anniversary celebration on Aug. 30, 2025, at Welker Park in New Middletown, hosted by the couple’s three children. Charles Holquist and the former Gail Ann Osborne were united in matrimony on Sept. 10, 1955, at Chapel of Friendly ...

I finished my order of General Tso’s chicken and reached for dessert — the fortune cookie. And got hotter than the general’s chicken when I pulled the slip out of the cookie. My fortune came with a QR code. Seriously? Two troubling questions weighed upon me: One, do you have to ...

What do we love more than love? Spin a few of our love songs, sugar pie honey bunch, and you’ll soon taste what’s really on the menu: food. We are passionately attracted to calories, carbs and proteins — and the knowledge that just a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down. We ...

“Man flu” is real. Science says so. Sorta. A few years back, Dr. Robert H. Shmerling, a known man, wrote for Harvard Health Publishing that women who refer to man flu as “wimpy man syndrome” very well could be committing a horrible injustice. “Some have suggested that early man ...

To enjoy life, the life coach said, one must overcome common obstacles, such as fear, unreasonable expectations, bum goals and those inner voices whispering that success is for others, not for people like you. I’m not on a quest for an exciting, wild life. At my age, all I want is a nap. ...

Lately I’ve been wondering: Is there such a thing as a trend gap? Not the age gap. We’ve all accepted that one. I’m talking about the cultural space that quietly opens up between generations — the place where suddenly the things that feel brand new to our kids are things we’ve ...

I’ve been going on morning walks lately. Not exactly by choice, but by regulation. Post-surgery life has a way of setting boundaries for you whether you like it or not. Running, for now, is off the table. Walking is what my body allows. Ironically, it’s been fine. Actually, more than ...

There was a strict no-swearing rule in our house growing up. Honestly, I assumed that was pretty universal — not just a “my family” thing, but a general understanding of how respectable households operated. Certain words simply weren’t said. Period. I will never forget the first time ...

Have you ever stopped to think about the construct of April Fool’s Day? I did. And let me save you some time — it’s mostly theoretical. There’s no universally agreed-upon moment where someone stood up, declared, “Let this be the day we fool one another,” and the world nodded in ...

In my earlier years of gardening, I was attracted to and purchased unusual plants. Many of those didn’t survive beyond their first year. As I have “matured,” I have redirected my purchases toward the easy-to-grow natives that feed our local pollinators. The hotter, drier summers have ...

Here are upcoming gardening events through the Ohio State University Mahoning County Extension Office. Contact the Extension Office, 490 S. Broad St., Canfield, at 330-533-5538. For a complete list of events, visit https://mahoning.osu.edu/events. Plant and Pest Clinic What: Stop by to ask ...

As I watched a woodpecker banging away at a tree, it made me think, why don’t woodpeckers get headaches or suffer brain trauma from all that drumming? So, I looked it up. Once again, nature has created a miracle that does not allow the woodpecker to get headaches or become dizzy. ...

Our temperatures have continued to fluctuate, but our winter weather will eventually remain colder and the darkness will cause us to bundle up, keeping ourselves warm. The days are gaining minutes of light in the morning and evening, but it will be a couple of months before we notice ...