Online Features
Kitchen, Bed & Bath
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Find inspiration for your home in 2013 with the latest design trends
(BPT) - We’re all looking forward to a fresh start at the beginning of the new year: Whether it’s an updated fitness regime, pursuing new hobbies or getting organized, there are a slew of resolutions to try. In 2013, why not make a few changes to not only yourself, but also your home? By incorporating cutting-edge desig...
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Simple ways to freshen up that stuffy bathroom or kitchen
(BPT) - If there’s one room in the house that cries out for fresh air, it’s the kitchen. And if there’s a second room that can benefit from Mother Nature’s sweet breath, it’s the bathroom. When humidity and odors build up in a room, a host of disagreeable results arises, from mold and mildew to dank, unpleasant air. Ex...
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Overcoming common bathroom addition challenges
(BPT) - Adding a bathroom to your home remains one of the most popular and rewarding home improvements you can make. In fact, when you sell your home, you can expect to recoup more than 50 percent of the cost of a bathroom addition, according to Remodeling Magazine’s Cost vs. Value Report. Creating a new bathroom where ...
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Kitchen remodeling: How to go from a far-off dream to 'DIY'
(BPT) - Year after year, no matter the state of the housing market, kitchen remodeling remains a good idea. The project perennially tops lists of value-for-your-money home improvements and almost every buyer will be attracted to a kitchen that’s updated and move-in ready. Even if you’re planning on staying in your home ...
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Simple steps to effortless entertaining
(BPT) - Whether you’re a hosting aficionado or a novice entertainer, planning a party at home can carry a certain level of stress. Sometimes, despite all the cleaning, cooking and decorating we do to prepare, it’s the easily overlooked little things that can cause the biggest unwelcome surprises. The No. 1 disaster exp...
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Your bedroom: the key to a restful night's sleep
(BPT) - Whether snuggling in for the night or just trying to catch a quick few winks, your environment plays an important role in determining if you’re counting sheep or counting Zzzs. From noise reduction to lighting, there are a few easy ways you can turn your bedroom into a tranquil oasis. “A third of the adult popu...
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American hardwood millwork transforms an aging room into a dazzling showcase
(BPT) - Looking for a simple, inexpensive way to turn an aging family room into a dazzling showcase? Inspired design professionals will tell you one of the most popular and cost-effective ways to transform a plain space into a room with sizzle is to adorn it with millwork crafted from American hardwoods. Linda Jovanovi...
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Caregiver 101: Creating a safe and happy environment for your loved ones
(BPT) - Nearly 66 million people, or 29 percent of the U.S. adult population, are providing care to someone who is ill, disabled or aged, according to the National Center for Caregiving. And, according to AARP, 61 percent of family caregivers who are 50-plus also work either full-time or part-time. How can busy caregive...
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Use luxury and glamour to create an affordable bathroom spa setting
(BPT) - There are showers, and then there are luxurious “showering experiences,” that wake you up in the morning, and refresh you after a long day of work. It’s one thing to enjoy a spa-like setting when actually in a spa, and paying spa prices, and another thing to know you can saunter into a spa each and every day in ...
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Use the winter months to update and beautify your bathroom
(BPT) - Remodeling and refreshing the home is a great way to keep cabin fever at bay during long winter months. Designing a bathroom remodel to incorporate innovative style, comfort and efficiency helps to speed the winter months along, and your family will certainly enjoy the rest of the season with a beautiful new bat...
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Outside-the-box holiday gifts for inside the home
(BPT) - In the words of a popular Christmas carol, there’s no place like home for the holidays - it’s where family gathers and where long-treasured memories are made. So this year as you begin shopping for those on your list, why not gift something for them and for their abode? There’s something for everyone - for the m...
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January is National Bath Safety Month [Infographic]
When building or remodeling the bathroom, homeowners often focus on style and functionality without considering important safety features. But there are ways to stay safe without sacrificing the look. .
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national news

A tornado touches down southwest of Wichita, Kan. near the town of Viola on Sunday, May 19, 2013. The tornado was part of a line of storms that past through the central plains on Sunday. (AP Photo/The Wichita Eagle, Travis Heying)By Chris Francescani (Reuters) - A massive storm front swept north through the central United States on Sunday, hammering the region with fist-sized hail, blinding rain and tornadoes, including a half-mile wide twister that struck near Oklahoma City. News reports said at least one person had died. By 9:30 p.m. Central Standard Time, more than two dozen tornadoes had been spotted in parts of Iowa, Oklahoma, Kansas and Illinois, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and local news reports. ...


Mon May 20 03:05:00 UTC 2013

A farm sits in the distance near a corn field in RedkeyBy Tom Polansek and Mark Weinraub SHERIDAN, Illinois (Reuters) - With the U.S. spring planting season off to a historically slow start, an increasing number of farmers are counting on powerful tools to catch up: Monster machines that sow 36 rows of corn at once and feature high-tech innovations like computer-guided directional equipment. The technological wizardry from companies like Deere & Co and AGCO Corp is pitted in a frantic race against time, with farmers scrambling to get seeds in the ground because a slow start depresses yields and reduces the size of their harvest. ...


Mon May 20 06:04:59 UTC 2013

A special hydro-cell vehicle gets refueled at an alternative energy facility into hydrogen in Honolulu in this file photoBy Nichola Groom LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - In October 2004, then California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger rolled up to a pioneering fueling station at Los Angeles International Airport in a hydrogen-powered metallic blue Hummer loaned to him by General Motors Corp. The "California Hydrogen Highway," Schwarzenegger's vision to ensure that every Californian would have access to a hydrogen fueling station by the end of 2010, called for the state to spend more than $50 million to help deploy up to 100 hydrogen fuel stations that would serve 2,000 fuel cell vehicles. ...


Mon May 20 00:05:50 UTC 2013
When high school senior Jenny Bonilla got her college acceptance letter in March, she felt shock and heartbreak rather than joy. That’s because the letter from Goucher College, a private liberal arts school in Baltimore, also brought news that she would owe an unaffordable $20,000 a year in tuition and board, even with a scholarship [...]
Mon May 20 04:21:17 UTC 2013