Online Features
Community Cares
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You can donate your time as well as your money
(BPT) - Nonprofit organizations depend on monetary donations to keep their operations running and support the communities they serve. Many people, however, want to do more than write a check to local organizations they support, so they become volunteers. When people choose to donate their time, energy and skills to sup...
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Take it to the park: Get active outdoors and help your favorite park win big
Think back to your favorite memory in the park. Do visions of playing soccer with your family, riding a bike or enjoying a game of Frisbee with friends come to mind? If so, recreating those memories in your favorite park this summer will be even more rewarding. So make this summer all about being active! It’s not only ...
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Giving back to family caregivers: Tips to help those who sacrifice for others
(BPT) - No one knows exactly what life will bring, but we all know that there will be joys and there will be challenges. Sometimes, life gives you a combination – as millions of average Americans who are family caregivers can attest. Providing dedicated care to a loved one is a generous way to live one’s life, but it ca...
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Easy ways to make a difference this summer
(BPT) - Summer provides a much-needed break for families and a perfect opportunity to make a difference in the community. Depending on interest and time, there are many different ways to get involved or make a charitable contribution, including the following: * Participate in a fundraiser or food collection – The holid...
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The career paths that lead to everyday acts of heroism
(BPT) - Often, we don’t think about heroism until we see it in action - when disaster strikes and ordinary people exhibit extraordinary courage and compassion to help victims in their time of need. The truth is, however, that the best of human nature is on display every day in the lives of millions of Americans who work...
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New initiative celebrates unsung heroes of severe allergy awareness
(BPT) - Individuals at risk for anaphylaxis – a severe, life-threatening allergic reaction – know the importance of having people around them who can help with allergen avoidance, such as bringing allergy-friendly food options to the company party or helping to shield from bees on the playground. Now, there is a new way to say “thank you” to the teacher, relative or co-worker who has made a difference in the life of an individual at risk for anaphylaxis. Sanofi US has launched a Severe Aller...
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Technology can turn $25 into a family giving tradition
Technology has been connecting families for generations. The invention of the phone let us hear voices of loved ones far away, and the creation of the Internet helped us to see them. Today, those same technologies that we’ve used to bring our families closer together are helping us to connect with and support families w...
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How to support your friend in a split
(BPT) - When a marriage ends in divorce, it’s not just the couple who is involved. Friends and family members are also part of the process and often play many different parts – from objective confidant to reliable “vent-ee.” If you’re suddenly or unexpectedly thrown into this role, what help are you prepared to offer? S...
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Five reasons Asian Americans should get tested for hepatitis B
(BPT) - More than 1 million Americans have a lifelong, or chronic, infection of hepatitis B. This includes one out of every 12 Asian Americans. If you or your parents were born in Asia or the Pacific Islands, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that you get tested for hepatitis B. Hepatitis ...
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How your unused airline miles can help a child
(BPT) - Helping a child in need may be easier than you think, by redirecting a common resource that often just goes to waste. Industry experts say Americans collectively are holding on to 9.7 trillion unused airline miles. Many people don’t have enough miles to qualify for reward travel. Others aren’t able to use the m...
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Rare Disease Impact Report quantifies patient and caregiver challenges on journey to diagnosis and beyond
(BPT) - Getting a diagnosis is just the first of many challenges patients with rare diseases – and their caregivers – face. “We went through a number of specialists until we found a team that finally looked at my daughter, Hannah, as a patient with unique needs,” says Carrie Ostrea of Las Vegas, Nev. “The process was f...
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Digging soon? Call 811 first for safety's sake
(BPT) - With winter forgotten and spring in the air, many homeowners are packing away their snow boots and rolling up their sleeves to get started on long-awaited home improvement projects. Across the country, homeowners and professionals alike will plan landscaping and home-improvement projects that require digging thi...
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national news
Murkowski becomes third Republican U.S. senator to back gay marriage

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry sits next to U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski during the Arctic Council Ministerial Meeting in KirunaBy Yereth Rosen ANCHORAGE, Alaska (Reuters) - U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska publicly backed gay marriage on Wednesday, becoming the third Republican senator to do so as she spoke out ahead of potentially landmark rulings from the Supreme Court on the issue. Murkowski, 56, wrote in an essay posted on her Senate website that her decision was swayed, in part, by meeting a lesbian couple from Anchorage, one of whom was in the National Guard, who had adopted four children. "This first-class Alaskan family still lives a second-class existence," Murkowski said in her essay. ...


2013-06-19 15:59:11 -0500
Three U.S. Naval Academy midshipmen charged with rape
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Three male midshipmen at the U.S. Naval Academy have been charged with raping a female midshipman and making false statements, the school said on Wednesday, the latest in a string of sexual assault allegations in the U.S. military. The charges mean the midshipmen will face an Article 32 proceeding, similar to a preliminary hearing in civilian law. The hearing will kick off a process similar to a grand jury to determine if a general court-martial is warranted. ...
2013-06-19 16:49:58 -0500
Louisiana teen charged with killing girl with TV wrestling moves
By Karen Brooks (Reuters) - A 13-year-old boy has been charged with murder in New Orleans after causing the death of his 5-year-old half-sister using wrestling moves he had seen on television, police said. Viloude Louis died Sunday afternoon of blunt force trauma to her body, including broken ribs and a damaged liver, police said, after the boy wrestled with her using World Wrestling Entertainment-style moves while babysitting her at their home. No parents were at the home at the time, police said. The boy, who is not being named because he is a juvenile, was charged with second-degree murder. ...
2013-06-19 16:16:17 -0500
Baby-size burritos lead to unusual photos
America’s problem with portion size has sparked a strange new photo trend, one in which parents set their newborn babies alongside massive burritos on restaurant tabletops. According to the U.K.’s Daily Mail, a Mexican restaurant in Seattle, Wash., is saying that any diners who take photos of their babies next to one of the restaurant's [...]
2013-06-19 15:51:08 -0500