Online Features
Kitchen, Bed & Bath
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A small investment returns a safer and healthier home
(BPT) - Warm weather is here, which means many homeowners are beginning new DIY projects. Have you included home safety on your list? Almost every home in the U.S. has a smoke alarm, but most do not have enough. Fire experts recommend installing alarms on every floor and inside and outside of every sleeping area. A rec...
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Upcycling: Breathe new life into decor with a dash of DIY inspiration
(BPT) - If you’ve ever looked around your house and gotten the urge to purge, you might consider pausing and first thinking about how you could transform that old, damaged piece of furniture or outdated light fixture into a fresh-faced showpiece for your home. Not only are you doing something good for the environment -...
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Fast and fabulous fixes to banish a boring bath
(BPT) - The best bathrooms are more than just functional areas – they’re sanctuaries where you can escape, reset and recharge. And as one of the smallest and most-used rooms in the home, that’s likely why they’ve become the most popular remodeling project (78 percent), according to the National Association of Home Build...
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Couples who design together, stay together
(BPT) - Opposites attract, and for couples who live together, compromising on personal style and design choices can be a difficult bridge to cross. Someone who wants a modern, contemporary vibe might not like the decor choice of someone who prefers a more traditional or rustic feel. What most people don’t realize, howev...
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Practice water conservation at home
(BPT) - Home is the place a person can always escape for some rest and relaxation. This year, upgrade your home to be a place that also helps you conserve water and be a better environmental steward. Technology has come a long way in improving performance and efficiency in household fixtures, especially when it comes t...
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Take control and mitigate mold growth in your home
(BPT) - Damp, dark areas of the home, such as an unfinished basement, can often be trouble spots for homeowners hoping to increase their living space. Left unfinished, these areas of the home can potentially suffer significant damage, be prone to flooding or develop mold. When it comes to home improvement, homeowners ar...
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Simple tips to save water, money and the environment
(BPT) - There are a number of ways to save water and they all start with you.  According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the average American uses about 50 gallons of water per day at home. That means a family of four uses approximately 6,000 gallons a month. The following tips can help you save water, mon...
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Tips for optimizing small spaces
(BPT) - The trend toward smaller, more efficient homes is still in full swing, with new home builders offering floor plans that lower square footage while amping up usability. If your home is older, however, or you live in an apartment, your smaller space may just feel ... well, small. Being short on space doesn’t mean...
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Creating the perfect sleep environment this spring
(BPT) - Everyone, including moms and doctors, can agree that a good night of sleep is necessary for good health, high energy, and an individual’s overall well-being. Not getting enough good sleep – or rapid eye movement sleep – can affect the mind and body’s ability to react appropriately to outside factors, the Nationa...
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Three tips to save time spring cleaning
(BPT) - It’s that time of year - throw the windows open and refresh your house with a good, deep clean. Americans spend nearly 70 hours cleaning their homes each year, according to a recent report from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Get your time back with three easy tips to make the process fast and stress-free. ...
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High-design, high-tech ideas for making your home more luxurious
(BPT) - With so many demands on our time these days, it’s easy to relegate adding luxurious elements to the home as something better suited for another day. Yet, with concerted effort and a few purposefully chosen items, it is easier than ever to create a home environment that pampers you each and every day. To create y...
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Bathroom upgrades that boost livability for anyone aging in place
(BPT) - Staying safely in their own home as they grow older is a major concern for many Americans. In a 2012 survey by AARP, 70 percent of surveyed members said they were “extremely or very concerned about aging in place.” Even if you maintain an active lifestyle and good health, growing older often requires you to mana...
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national news
U.S. says surveillance thwarted NYSE attack, Somali funding

A street sign for Wall Street hangs in front of the New York Stock ExchangeBy John Shiffman and Mark Hosenball (Reuters) WASHINGTON - U.S. intelligence officials on Tuesday identified two of the more than 50 classified cases in which they say National Security Agency eavesdropping helped thwart terrorist plots including a planned attack on the New York Stock Exchange. The other, a San Diego money laundering investigation tied to financing for a Somali militia, is among the 27 cases cited in a Reuters report Tuesday in which the U.S. government filed public notice that it used a Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act warrant. ...


2013-06-18 17:21:15 -0500
Trial of accused Fort Hood gunman moved to at least August

ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN BINNED U.S. Army Major Hasan appears before Fort Hood Chief Circuit Judge Colonel Gregory Gross with a military lawyer during an arraignment as seen in this courtroom sketchBy Don Bolding FORT HOOD, Texas (Reuters) - The trial of a U.S. Army psychiatrist accused of killing 13 people in a shooting rampage at Fort Hood, Texas, in 2009 will be delayed by at least a month and start in early August, a military judge ruled on Tuesday. Major Nidal Hasan, 42, who could face the death penalty for the shooting at the Army post, has been allowed to represent himself at the trial, which will open no earlier than August 6, the judge, Colonel Tara Osborn, ruled. ...


2013-06-18 18:01:12 -0500
Mother in upscale New York suburb indicted as marijuana dealer
NEW YORK (Reuters) - A mother of three in an upscale New York suburb was indicted on Tuesday on charges she ran a sophisticated marijuana operation, federal law enforcement officials said. A federal grand jury indicted Andrea Sanderlin, 45, of Scarsdale, New York, a suburb 20 miles outside of Manhattan, said Loretta Lynch, U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of New York, and other officials in a media release. Law enforcement agents seized 2,800 marijuana plants and a large quantity of dried marijuana worth an estimated $3 million from a Queens warehouse. ...
2013-06-18 16:45:05 -0500
Husband still needs a kidney for his wife
Larry Swilling has been on a months-long quest: He's been searching for a kidney for his wife. The 78-year-old, who has been looking for a compatible kidney donor for 76-year-old Jimmie Sue since last September, has caught the attention of the Web. But almost a year later, and despite lots of good will and plenty [...]
2013-06-18 17:38:04 -0500