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Family Living
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Savings bonds: Give the gift of a bright future
They're the same bonds you remember getting as a child, but with a digital twist. U.S. Savings Bonds are making a comeback, just in time for the graduation and wedding gift-giving season.
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Gift ideas for the handyman
For some families, the local handyman never gets a call because the right man for the job is already at home ready to tackle do-it-yourself (DIY) projects. Show him that his hard work around the house has not gone unnoticed. Whether it's for Father's Day, or any other occasion throughout the year, here are a few gift ide...
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Summer allergies: Fact or fiction?
Allergens know no boundaries, and allergies don't disappear with May's showers. While bothersome grass pollens are gone by late June, other common triggers arise, making symptoms difficult to escape. But that doesn't mean the more than 60 million Americans who suffer from allergies and asthma can't enjoy barbecues, festi...
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Summer games in the garden
The sun is shining, birds are singing, butterflies are darting from colorful flower to colorful flower ... and children across the country are complaining about being bored. Eliminate this by taking advantage of the weather. Get the family outside and interact with nature.
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Keeping kids safe online: What every parent should know
By now, most parents are aware that the entertainment and educational value of the Internet also comes with risks, particularly for children. Protecting children from those risks is a vital concern for any parent whose child uses the web and any web-enabled device.
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'The Wizard of Oz' - Why this timeless classic continues to capture the hearts of every generation
Dorothy's red slippers, the Wicked Witch of the West, the Cowardly Lion and his quest for "cccccourage"... few films evoke such powerful memories as does the perennial classic, "The Wizard of Oz."
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Tips for inspiring young readers
It's never too early - or too late - to help your child discover the joy of reading. In fact, reading aloud to your child helps build important vocabulary and language skills that last a lifetime. Despite the considerable evidence of a relationship between reading regularly to a child and that child's later reading devel...
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Program collecting Mother's Day gifts for victims of domestic abuse reaches 27 states
Katherine Gordon, an eighth grader at Canton Charter Academy in Canton, Mich., steps up to the large moving box adorned with a large purple heart. As she begins dumping an assortment of soaps and lotions into the box, her teacher, Charles Lindquist, watches on and marvels at her effort. "This is the third time Katherine...
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Hot wheels vs. smart wheels: How to find a safe car for your teen
When the time comes to purchase a car, your teenagers might be dreaming of hot wheels. They may be thinking sporty, while you're looking for reliability and affordability. Use these tips to help you and your teen settle on a car that fits your budget and offers you peace of mind.
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Sites working to inspire real life change
Whether your goal is personal or a desire to change something in society, you have to begin somewhere - otherwise you may never begin at all. It can feel daunting, even paralyzing, to tackle a major project. But the best place to start is at the beginning, and often that means making small changes.
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U.S. foster care population continues to decline
There are more than 400,000 children in foster care across the United States, according to the most recent report released by AFCARS (Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System). This is a sobering number. The encouraging news is that this number continues to decline - down more than 8 percent from 2008, and ...
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The secret to a great, low-cost summer vacation: Get outside
Fresh air, sunshine, activities for the whole family, and new sights to see: outdoor vacations offer many advantages, including the opportunity to do more for less money.
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national news
Sexual assault is a 'scourge' on U.S. military, Hagel says

Graduating cadets stand in formation as they arrive for graduation ceremonies at the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York(Reuters) - Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel called sexual assault a "scourge" on Saturday as he addressed graduates of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, where a sergeant stands accused of videotaping female cadets in the showers. "Sexual harassment and sexual assault in the military are a profound betrayal - a profound betrayal - of sacred oaths and sacred trusts," Hagel said. "This scourge must be stamped out." His comments came a day after President Barack Obama delivered a similar message to graduates at the U.S. ...


Sat May 25 09:32:33 UTC 2013
150 years after Gettysburg, drummer to recreate reunion march

Veteran Smith leads members of Grand Army of Republic Post 88, Pittsburgh, and Armbrust Veterans and Civil War Re-enactors, for ceremony at graveside of Guibert, a Union Civil War drummer boy, in Pittsburgh, PennsylvaniaBy Jeffrey B. Roth PITTSBURGH (Reuters) - Fifty years after the Battle of Gettysburg, the bloodiest of the U.S. Civil War, a survivor of that fight marched 200 miles from Pittsburgh to the site of the battle for a reunion attended by both Union and Confederate veterans. On Sunday, another veteran, Jim Smith, 70, of Hempfield, Pennsylvania, will start out on the same trek as part of the observation of Memorial Day, when Americans honor their war dead. ...


Sat May 25 11:21:58 UTC 2013
Two freight trains collide in Missouri, seven injured

Two freight trains that collided at a rail intersection, collapsing an overpass in Missouri are pictured in this photo courtesy of KFVS12By Tim Bross ST. LOUIS, Missouri (Reuters) - Two freight trains collided at a rail intersection in rural southeastern Missouri on Saturday, triggering the collapse of a highway overpass when at least a dozen rail cars derailed and struck a support pillar, authorities said. None of the seven people hurt in the fiery crash - two train workers and five people who had been in the two cars on the overpass - suffered life-threatening injuries, Scott County Sheriff Rick Walter said in a statement. ...


Sat May 25 13:31:23 UTC 2013
On Memorial Day, remembering friends, family with ‘a heavy but grateful heart’
From William Ray Fullmer: "My nephew, Sgt. Derek Tillman Roberts, spilled his blood on the sands of Iraq to extend the right to live free to the people of the Middle East. On June 14, 2007, Derek was killed by a roadside bomb in Kirkuk, placed by those too cowardly to face him on the [...]
Fri May 24 13:55:25 UTC 2013