Breaking News

Life

Sometimes the best things aren’t on your list

Lisa Resnick

If you’ve read my column for any length of time, you already know I am a huge believer in shopping, eating, drinking and supporting local whenever it makes sense. And I do mean when it makes sense. I also believe in paying your bills, making smart financial decisions and running a sustainable business. Blanket advice like, “You should always buy local,” without considering the financial reality, isn’t advice I’d ever give. If one local business pays three times as much for everything simply because it’s local, while receiving little to no reciprocity in return, you’re ...

Religion news

Lifestyles

800TH FEAST DAY: The Shrine of Our Lady Comforter of the Afflicted, 517 S. Belle Vista Ave., Youngstown, will celebrate the 800th Feast Day of St. Francis of Assisi at 5:30 p.m. Mass Oct. 3. Bishop David Bonnar of the Diocese of Youngstown will lead the worship. Music will begin at 5 p.m. In honor of the 800th anniversary of the death of St. Francis of Assisi, Pope Leo XIV has declared the year through Jan. 7 as the Jubilee Year of St. Francis. The Franciscan religious communities and St. Francis of Assisi Parish in Canton are planning opportunities to fall more deeply in love with God ...

‘I had too much to dream last night’

Burton Cole

I must have been dreaming. There I was, floating around in ethereal form, filling in family and coworkers about my unfinished to-do list, now that I no longer walked in the land of the living. They say that dead men tell no tales, but in my dream, I wouldn’t shut up. I hovered five feet ...

St. Vincent de Paul reaches out

Lifestyles

YOUNGSTOWN — In the Bible, Matthew 25:40 says, “The King replies, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’" Volunteers from St. Vincent de Paul Mahoning District Council staff and its board, as well as the St. ...

Menthol works magic for restless leg syndrome

Lifestyles

Q. I’ve suffered with restless leg syndrome for years. I finally found something that works and I can’t sleep without it. My secret is Biofreeze, which you can get almost anywhere. Each night, I put it on my wrists and ankles before getting into bed. With this, I sleep through the night. It has been a lifesaver for me, and I believe it could help lots of people. A. Thanks for sharing your discovery. We were disappointed to find no studies on topical menthol (the active ingredient in Biofreeze products) for restless legs. We suspect it may be working through transient receptor ...

DEAR ANNIE: Family chat disintegrates into political forum

Lifestyles

DEAR ANNIE: My entire extended family is in a group chat together. Sometimes it’s fun, and sometimes it’s useful, but most of the time it’s just noisy. The worst offender is my cousin “Daniel.” At least once a week, he sends political rants, tweets and reels to the chat. It’s wearing on everyone, especially my mom’s side of the family, which sits on the completely opposite end of the political spectrum from him. I don’t know whether to mute it, leave outright or say something. It honestly feels like Daniel enjoys stirring the pot in what used to be a perfectly harmless ...