DEAR DR. ROACH: I have benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), and I am taking tamsulosin daily. It works and helps with my daily urination. How long should I continue to take it? Are there any related side effects? Or should I consider an eventual prostatectomy? Thank you. — A. ANSWER: ...

DEAR HELOISE: I have two thermal mugs. One is for coffee, and one is for tea. They can’t be used in the microwave or in the dishwasher. To get the stains out, I boil some water and put it in the mugs. I then add a couple of squirts of lemon juice. I let it soak until the water gets cold. ...

DEAR ANNIE: Christmas at my parents’ house used to feel magical, but lately it feels like I’m walking into a performance review. My older brother’s new hobby is “radical honesty,” and apparently the holidays are his favorite time to practice. Last year, as we decorated the tree, he ...

There are plays that are relatively simple and yet are frequently overlooked because they are somewhat out of the ordinary. Usually, the reason for missing the play is that it is so far removed from normal procedure that it does not enter the player’s mind. Yet when the play is later called ...

Three ensembles and several soloists will perform at Boardman High School’s Winter Orchestra Festival. Boardman’s Classical Orchestra will open the concert, followed by the Chamber Orchestra playing Corelli’s Concerto Grosso Op. 6 No. 6, featuring soloists Amie Nguyen, Katie DePinto ...

Art ARTS & EDUCATION AT THE HOYT, 124 E. Leasure Ave., New Castle, Pa.: “Floating Beauty: Women in the Art of Ukiyo-e,” through Jan. 29, 2026. Hours are 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday and Saturday. hoytartcenter.org and 724-652-2882. BUTLER ...

Christmas favorites will get a big band approach with Jingle Bell Swing on Friday. Singer Helen Welch will be backed by the Big Band Sound of Packard, directed by Daniel Carioti, for the annual concert. Born in England, Welch is a frequent guest vocalist with the W.D. Packard Concert Band ...

Mahoning Valley Comicon will be back with some familiar guests and a new location for its 2025 edition. This year’s pop culture convention, which has had several homes since it started at the long-gone Eastwood Expo Center, moves to the Metroplex Expo Center in Liberty. “We were doing ...

Daniel and Kathy Glozer, lifelong residents of the Youngstown area, celebrated their 50th anniversary on Sept. 13, 2025. Mass was held at St. Luke Catholic Church and dinner at Alberini’s Restaurant, both attended by immediate family members. Daniel Glozer and the former Kathy Gromada ...

Charles and Gail Ann Holquist, of New Middletown, held a 70th anniversary celebration on Aug. 30, 2025, at Welker Park in New Middletown, hosted by the couple’s three children. Charles Holquist and the former Gail Ann Osborne were united in matrimony on Sept. 10, 1955, at Chapel of Friendly ...

The golden anniversary of Dennis and Sherry Matey was celebrated June 7, 2025, at the Bessemer Croatian Club, the location of their wedding reception 50 years ago. Mr. And Mrs. Matey were married June 7, 1975, at St. Joseph the Worker Church, previously of New Castle, Pa. The reception was a ...

The families of Nicholas Beck and Kaitlyn Adams are announcing the couple’s engagement and upcoming marriage. Kaitlyn Adams of South Portland, Maine, is the granddaughter of Ann Trueworthy of South Portland, Maine, and the late Wayne Donald Trueworthy. Parents of the groom-elect are Don ...

I don’t mean to brag, but I drove somewhere without my GPS. And arrived where I meant to be. Without getting lost once. Seriously. This would be ho-hum news a few decades ago. Then technology began erasing our memories. Not erasing, exactly. More like replacing. When I was a teen, I ...

For many of us, tears accompany this joyful season of giving thanks and giving gifts. We’re missing hearts that used to beat alongside ours. I used to think that it would be a blessing that if once, just once, I wouldn’t be told that I had arranged the Thanksgiving table the wrong way ...

Whenever life has me stumped and I don’t know what to do next, I sit back and ponder, “What would HE do?” He, of course, refers to that bear whose head is stuffed with fluff, Winnie-the-Pooh. Pooh Bear himself once said, “When you are a Bear of Very Little Brain, and you Think of ...

I heard the phrase “hidden wisdom” the other day and thought, “Hey, that’s me!” I am chock full of wisdom. I have so much wisdom that it’s rolling out of my ears. But my wisdom is hidden. It must be. Nobody can see it. “Cole, if you had a brain, you’d be dangerous,” is one ...

There’s something magical about the month of December that I’ve always held close. I know, I know — plenty of people groan the moment the sun dips below the horizon a little earlier each day. The darkness settles over our Valley like a heavy blanket, stretching itself across the late ...

To say sleep has been my friend this week would be an utterly false statement. In fact, sleep and I have been giving each other the cold shoulder. Now, some would say it’s most likely due to the whole “falling back” in time. But I love to fall back. Love, love, love it. I’m the ...

There’s something truly powerful about a room full of women who don’t just shine — they glow from the inside out. That was the energy at the Gems of the Valley event. Every year, this celebration reminds us of what makes our Valley such a special place: it’s not the buildings or the ...

This week may get a little deep, but ’tis the season of reflection. A few weeks ago, I decided to take a quick 24-hour trip to Annapolis, Maryland, to visit friends — and boldly insert myself into their annual neighborhood oyster fest. I think I consumed enough oysters to last the next 12 ...

In my earlier years of gardening, I was attracted to and purchased unusual plants. Many of those didn’t survive beyond their first year. As I have “matured,” I have redirected my purchases toward the easy-to-grow natives that feed our local pollinators. The hotter, drier summers have ...

Here are upcoming gardening events through the Ohio State University Mahoning County Extension Office. Contact the Extension Office, 490 S. Broad St., Canfield, at 330-533-5538. For a complete list of events, visit https://mahoning.osu.edu/events. Plant and Pest Clinic What: Stop by to ask ...

As I watched a woodpecker banging away at a tree, it made me think, why don’t woodpeckers get headaches or suffer brain trauma from all that drumming? So, I looked it up. Once again, nature has created a miracle that does not allow the woodpecker to get headaches or become dizzy. ...

Our temperatures have continued to fluctuate, but our winter weather will eventually remain colder and the darkness will cause us to bundle up, keeping ourselves warm. The days are gaining minutes of light in the morning and evening, but it will be a couple of months before we notice ...