Happy third anniversary to daughter Loretta and Dustin on Oct.1! I wish them many more happy, healthy years together. It is still so hard for me to believe that five out of our eight children are married and have homes of their own. In the back of my mind, I always pictured life slowing ...

Now that it’s finally cooling down outside, I will gladly start using my oven again. It’s about that time, too, when I get sick of salads and eating variations of the same cool things. I’m not going to get fancy off the bat, though. This is something I’ll ease into, planning dinners ...

YOUNGSTOWN — Raised by a cousin from infancy after her teenage mother couldn’t care for her, the odds were somewhat stacked against Pearl Gibson from a young age. She had a difficult childhood. She wasn’t allowed to have fun socializing with other children and was often ...

As the summer gives way to fall, our thoughts turn to cooler days and fall colors. But the colors will eventually fade and then the leaves will fall. And there can be a lot of leaves. A mature deciduous tree can have tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of leaves on its branches. For ...

While many of his generation listen to pop, hip hop, country or electronic dance music, 25-year-old Chris Ruggiero embraced the singers and pop ballads of the ’50s through ’70s. “When I grew up, I spent a lot of time with family,” he said. “My grandpa grew up singing and loving the ...

Art ART ON PARK, 180 N. Park Ave., Warren: Dark on Park, 7 to 10 p.m. Saturday, free. BUTLER INSTITUTE OF AMERICAN ART, 524 Wick Ave., Youngstown: “Alex Katz: Collaborations with Poets,” through Nov. 17; Allied Artists Award Winners, through Nov. 20; “Richard Hahn: Facades,” Sunday ...

Assorted ramblings from the world of entertainment: •   Things get sinister this weekend at Skyway Drive-In. Dead Ink Apparel hosts its Sinister Horror Fest at the Leavittsburg theater Friday and Saturday. Eight studio films, two indie features and 20 indie short films will be ...

The Dana School of Music Wind Ensemble and distinguished alumni will perform 4 p.m. Sunday at Powers Auditorium, 260 W. Federal St., Youngstown. Wind ensemble members, under the direction of Michael S. Butler, will be joined by alumni musicians for a collaborative performance, offering a ...

St. Elizabeth Boardman Hospital CARY, Gail and Ryan, of Hubbard, a son Oct. 4 MORLEY, Mikiah and Tim, of Warren, a daughter Oct. 4 MARSCO, Sara and Christopher, of Warren, a daughter Oct. 4 WILLIAMS, Carlie, of Youngstown, a daughter Oct. 6 ZICKEFOOSE, Alexis and Trenton, of Niles, a ...

St. Elizabeth Boardman Hospital ANTRAM, Abbie and David Blommer, of Struthers, a son Oct. 3 COLON, Mariah and Jaylell Shorter, of Youngstown, a daughter Oct. 3 MALMFELDT, Samantha and Ronald, of Diamond, a son Oct. 3 McAVOY, Ciera and Dylan, of Newton Falls, a daughter Oct. ...

St. Elizabeth Boardman Hospital CONN, William and Jessica, of Vienna, a son Oct. 1 ELLIOTT, Shelby and Tyler, of Cortland, a son Oct. 1 GAUDING, Lindsay and Daniel, of Salem, a daughter Oct. 1 GURA, Deborah and Mike, of Youngstown, a daughter Oct. 1 HOLBROOK, Shawna and Durango, of ...

St. Elizabeth Boardman Hospital COLON ARCE, Sasha and Adan Rodriguez Cruz, of Austintown, a son Sept. 29 HALL, Jessica and Jonathan, of New Waterford, a son Sept, 30 McKINNEY, Anjelisia, of Youngstown, a daughter Sept. 30 St. Joseph Warren Hospital FOSTER, Riqui and Jacob, of McDonald, ...

The teenage girl lowered knotted bedsheets out her second-story window. I sat in the shadows of my balcony, enthralled by the “show” at the apartment building next to mine. When the bedsheets reached the ground, one of two boys loitering on the lawn wrapped the end of the sheet around ...

Last night I had this dream that longtime friends stopped by my place. While I chatted with Jim, Gina pulled a couple of laundry baskets from the closet and sorted my dirty clothes conveniently piled on the floor. “I was just about to get that,” I said after she finished. Not even Dream ...

I have reached the baggy years of life. I know this because of a meme I read the other day: “How to be an adult: Have a bag of cords, a gift bag full of gift bags, a plastic bag full of plastic bags, and bags under your eyes.” I’ve been bagged. It’s like someone prowled through my ...

The only “password” I had to remember growing up was my locker number. And I wasn’t always eager to use it. My textbooks were in that locker. And, my nose suggested, a dirty gym sock or two from the previous semester. Even when I didn’t want to, I remembered my locker password. My ...

As you well know by now, I do make a concerted effort to offer topics of uniqueness each week. This week’s search led me to yet another thought-provoking msn.com article entitled “18 Odd Hobbies from the ’60s That Only Boomers Will Remember.” As an ’80s kid, I was enthralled, so I ...

If you’ve been paying any attention to me at all these many years you know I’m obsessed with the TV show “Friends.” Throughout its years on the air, “Friends” proved to be quite a phenomenon, attracting a huge number of viewers and, at the same time, critical acclaim. Among the ...

I recently happened upon an article on msn.com titled “Things Only Kids Who Grew Up in the 1970s Can Appreciate.” Now, although I’m an ’80s kid, I actually had heard of many of these marvels. Let’s take a trip down memory lane with these oldies but goodies, shall we? •   The ...

I recently read an article entitled “15 Basic Skills Schools No Longer Teach Kids.” Intrigued, I had to check it out. The article explained that, while education has evolved significantly over the years – with schools adapting their curricula to meet the demands of a rapidly changing ...

As the signs of summer tempt my gardening mindset, I love to go out to my herb garden to find out which herbs survived the winter. A couple weeks ago, I did just this. I cleaned out my herb garden, and I was happy to see that oregano, thyme, lovage, mint and surprisingly rosemary survived. ...

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. Plant and Pest Clinic What: Stop by to ask questions or drop off samples. When: 9 a.m. to noon Mondays and ...

Q: I want more common milkweed, but I also want other options. Something that doesn’t spread as bad, but is good for the monarchs. ­— Sally from Boardman A: Monarch butterflies are quite beautiful and provide an opportunity for us to connect plant species to insects – the need ...