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How to deal with Japanese beetles

They’re almost here! We generally see destructive Japanese beetles around the Fourth of July. A better way to know the time of their arrival is by using the OSU Growing Degree Days Site at https://go.osu.edu/growingdegreeday. This site helps you know when they are about to emerge. Why ...

Lactose intolerance likely cause of cramps, spasms

DEAR DR. ROACH: I’m a 74-year-old woman who’s quite healthy (I am active and don’t take any medications), but I have a history of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS-C). Recently, I experienced bad-smelling gas, leg cramps, and finger and toe spasms. I quit eating milk products, and my symptoms almost immediately disappeared. My question is: Do food intolerances increase with age? Also, can leg cramps and digit spasms be attributed to a food intolerance? — H.W. ANSWER: The most likely diagnosis is lactose intolerance. This is caused by a deficiency in the enzyme lactase, which is ...

Promotion creates distance between work besties

DEAR ANNIE: My best friend, “Ashley,” and I have worked at the same marketing agency for three years. We started on the same day, bonded over bad coffee, and we have been inseparable ever since. We have lunch together almost every day and text constantly. We have even taken a few vacations together. She was the first person I told when I found out I was pregnant last year, before I’d even told my mother. Last month, I was promoted to Senior Manager, which means I am now directly responsible for overseeing her work, giving her performance reviews, and if it ever came to it, ...

Keeping bugs at bay

DEAR HELOISE: I keep a clean house, but I still have an ant and roach problem. What will help me stop attracting these filthy pests? I’ve used commercial companies that come in and sort of bomb the house with a mist of chemicals. I hated the smell that lingered for weeks, and the expense was nightmarish. Can you offer some advice to keep these bugs out of my house? You always know what to do, and I appreciate all your hints. — Leilani M., in Oahu, Hawaii Leilani, having lived in Hawaii, I know how difficult it is to completely seal off a home from ants and roaches. Here are some ...

Bridge by Steve Becker

Some deals from the annual world championship receive only passing notice because the outcome at both tables is exactly the same. But this one from the Italy-U.S. match in 1973 deserved more publicity than it got. Nothing much happened at the first table, where the U.S. pair bid and made four spades. West led the K-Q-2 of diamonds. South ruffed, drew trump, lost a club finesse to East’s queen and eventually discarded his heart loser on dummy’s fourth club to score 620 points. At the second table, where Giorgio Belladonna was declarer for Italy, West led the K-Q of diamonds and ...

Religion news

102 YEARS: The 102nd anniversary of New Bethel Baptist Church, 1507 Hillman St., Youngstown, where the Rev. Kenneth L. Simon has served as pastor for more than 30 years, will be celebrated at 10:30 a.m. Sunday. GOSPEL CONCERT: First Baptist Church of Niles will host a gospel concert with Wes Hamptom at 7 p.m. July 10. FIRST FRIDAY: The First Friday Club of Greater Youngstown will meet at noon July 9 with a luncheon and program with Steven Kramer, who will present “Evangelization: Encouraging an Encounter with Jesus Christ” at Avion on the Water Banquet Center, 2177 W. Western ...