Allergies can make you miserable. Here’s how to track pollen levels near you

Allergy season can bring misery to tens of millions of Americans each year. Tree, grass, and other pollens can cause runny noses, itchy eyes, coughing and sneezing. Where you live and what you’re allergic to can make a big difference in how bad your allergies are, but there are many things you can do to … Read more

How to get rid of NYC rats without brutality? Birth control is one idea

New York lawmakers are proposing rules to humanely drive down the population of rats and other rodents, eyeing contraception and a ban on glue traps as alternatives to poison or a slow, brutal death. Politicians have long come up with creative ways to battle the rodents, but some lawmakers are now proposing city and statewide … Read more

2024 Oscars: Show time, channel and how to watch live

LOS ANGELES (AP) — It’s the Oscars’ time to shine. After an abnormally packed awards season that included the Emmys, Grammys, Screen Actors Guild Awards, BAFTAs and Golden Globes, the Academy Awards will hand out filmmaking’s top honor in 23 categories. Even in its 96th year, the Oscars are finding ways to reinvent itself, with … Read more

How springing forward to daylight saving time could affect your health — and how to prepare

WASHINGTON (AP) — Most of America “springs forward” Sunday for daylight saving time and losing that hour of sleep can do more than leave you tired and cranky the next day. It also could harm your health. Darker mornings and more evening light together knock your body clock out of whack — which means daylight … Read more

How to stay warm in layered clothing and avoid frostbite this winter

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — As a bout of bitter and deadly cold sweeps the U.S., millions of Americans are being told to dress in layers if they must go outside. In places that rarely experience bone-chilling temperatures, that advice can be confounding. What does it mean to layer up? Is it different from just putting on … Read more

Gardening: How to spend the winter planning and preparing for the spring

Gardening isn’t usually the first thing that springs to mind when the calendar page turns to January. But with the holidays behind us, there’s no better time to start planning and preparing our 2024 gardens. Of course, that will mean different things in different places. It’s impossible to account for every microclimate in every region, … Read more