USA TODAY US Edition
Amid WWII, Iowa farmed humanity
Jean Shey was 12 when she first questioned her father’s judgment. ▪ He wanted to serve lunch to the Germans. Not neighbors – prisoners of war in her town of Algona, Iowa. ▪ Five of them. Men captured overseas while her friends’ brothers were fighting...
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Grandkids’ caregiving fight taken to court
Baby Briana’s arms twitched and her legs flopped against the cold concrete. She stopped breathing. The 16-month-old needed an ambulance to arrive within minutes and someone to pump air into her lungs with infant CPR until it got there. Briana’s life...
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‘American Icons’: Bud rides again
For the second consecutive year and 10th overall, the power of the Clydesdale reigned over USA TODAY’s Ad Meter. The Budweiser icon, this time aided by an American bald eagle, pushed Anheuser-Busch to the top rating in USA TODAY’s annual viewer survey...
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Dad discovers truth of jailed son’s death
COMPTON, CA – The man in the suit arrived in an unmarked car on a spring morning in 2020 with the worst news James Brown had ever heard. His 30-year-old son Jamall was dead. Brown hadn’t heard from him in the days since he was detained on a parole...
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TOP 25 SUPER BOWL MOMENTS
SAN JOSE, CA − Should the Seattle Seahawks have simply run the ball? It’s a question that’s been posed countless times over the past decade-plus but has returned to the forefront with a vengeance this week as Seattle prepares to play the New England...
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Kids delve into sports betting
Seventy-five dollars is all Sam needed for his next round of sports bets on his BetMGM app. Well – it wasn’t officially his. He was 17 years old, and the legal gambling age in his home state of Arizona is 21. Sam used his mom’s ID behind her back to...
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Hefty bills catch patients off guard
During a routine visit to a medical office in suburban Boston, Suzanne Maguire had a small plug put in her tear duct to treat persistent dry eye. She paid $600 for the procedure, which took just a few minutes. Weeks later, the Arlington, Massachusetts,...
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Detainees describe horror at facility
LAREDO, TX – They stole a few hours’ sleep under glaring LED lights, crowded in by dozens of other detainees. They shivered through fevers and flus and prayed deadlier diseases weren’t stalking their confines. Then, just as they feared their...
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Deep divisions remain over aid in dying
When Susan Rahn dies, she wants a party. ● The 55-year-old grandmother from Webster, New York, has Stage 4 metastatic breast cancer. ● Rahn considers herself lucky for having lived far beyond her expected lifespan at the time of her diagnosis over a...
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Appeals court weighs further cuts to CFPB
A federal appeals court will soon decide whether the Trump administration can fire a majority of the staff at an agency tasked with helping consumers and take other actions that could gut the bureau. The Trump administration has delayed funding and...
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ICE endangers strides made in local policing
Booming flash bangs and fireworks rattled the frigid windows of Michelle Gross’ home in North Minneapolis. “It sounded like a war zone outside,” Gross said about the confrontation between federal agents throwing grenades and protesters lighting...
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Latest MN shooting spurs new protests
Minnesota leaders are vowing to hold federal officials accountable for the fatal shooting on Jan. 24 by a Border Patrol agent of a 37-year-old intensive care unit nurse, whose death has sparked fresh protests in a state already rocked by the killing of...
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‘Crunchy moms’ find validation in RFK Jr.
CLEVELAND – The word “crunchy” once defined a progressive outlook in the health and wellness world. Crunchy moms of the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s espoused yoga, granola and wheatgrass, alongside broadly left-leaning political views on everything from...
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American dream was born in protest
The founders called it “petitioning for redress.” Martin Luther King Jr. referred to it as “civil disobedience,” and his protégé, Sen. John Lewis, described it as “good trouble.” ● Whatever the term, historians largely agree: The United States was born...
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Summer camp sign-up a mad dash
For some moms, the emails begin to arrive in early December. “SUMMER CAMP 2026!” reads the subject line. It’s not even Christmas yet. Parents are increasingly complaining about − and stressed out by − the ever-earlier summer camp sign-up dates that...
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Return to power divides Americans
President Donald Trump swept back into the White House last year amid a series of promises he laid out in his inaugural address Jan. 20. Prosperity. Security. Respect. Hope. For millions of conservatives, Trump’s return to power was a dream come true....
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A game-changer
MIAMI – Banners flap along South Beach’s Alton Road, heralding both Hoosiers and Hurricanes. Digital billboards all over town cheer on both Indiana University, led by wunderkind Fernando Mendoza, and the University of Miami, the oncedynastic hometown...
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Ms. Rachel’s persona fits her own life
By toddlers’ standards, Ms. Rachel is among the most famous people in the world. The YouTube educator and one of Glamour’s Women of the Year has become many kids’ favorite celebrity, gracing their screens with colorful videos and catchy songs. • But at...
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Alaskan history carved in ‘totem pole capital’
KETCHIKAN, AK – An arched sign stretching between two city blocks welcomes travelers to “Alaska’s first city” and the “salmon capital of the world.” But Ketchikan, the first port on many Alaska cruises, has another nickname: the “totem pole capital of...
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Questions linger in wake of shooting
An Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent shot and killed a 37year-old woman in Minneapolis, sparking protests as the Trump administration claimed self-defense and local and state authorities said the agent acted recklessly. The shooting Jan. 7...
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Dry January
Gen Z is drying out, and it’s not a ‘blip’ Young people’s sobriety goes beyond just January The new year brings countless resolutions. For some, it starts with Dry January, a monthlong challenge void of any alcohol consumption. • A new generation of...
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Displaced survivors face hurdles to return
ALTADENA, CA – The smoky stench still lingers here on this stretch of Loma Alta Drive. A year after deadly wildfires rampaged through this once-vibrant road of colorful houses, the scars on the landscape and the struggles for residents remain. The...
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The Kennedys see their tradition tested
WASHINGTON – Stepping inside Kathleen Kennedy Townsend’s sun-filled apartment is like stepping into American history. A letter from her father, Robert F. Kennedy, hangs in the hallway. “Dear Kathleen, as the oldest of the Kennedy grandchildren you...
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Implications of Maduro raid grow
Inside his home on a military base, Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro bolted for a safe room as U.S. troops swooped into the compound and explosions lit up the nighttime sky over Caracas. Maduro made it as far as the door but couldn’t get it to...
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‘It’s everywhere’
After T’Roya Jackson discovered the paint in her apartment gave her daughter lead poisoning, she and her children moved out. ● They couch-surfed for a while before moving into a homeless shelter over the summer. The hair stylist began looking for a...
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Indiana’s QB went from 2,149 to No. 1
MIAMI – Fernando Mendoza sat in the front seat of the rental car on the six-hour drive, dialing one college coach after another. He had just finished a weeklong visit to some of college football’s most elite programs – Alabama, Clemson, South...
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Black women find a home in Mexico
MEXICO CITY l On a perfect, sunny 75-degree day, a group of Black American women gathered at a sidewalk cafe over coffee and pastries to dish about dating, the affordability of weight loss medications and where to find the best chocolate chip...
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Unseen threats
At first, the messages seemed normal. Innocent, even. ● “Hi,” “How are u?” And then: “Do you want to make Robux?” ● To millions of kids who play Roblox every day, those words might seem irresistible, and the same was true for Amie’s then-13-year-old...
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Meet the Americans eating like it’s 1776
Ayear and a half ago, Donnie Dodson set out to cook, and then rate, every U.S. president’s favorite meal – just for fun. Like any recent college graduate, he opted to chronicle the venture on TikTok, under the moniker “Eats History.” ● His first video,...
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Santa’s workshop?
Tucked away at the end of a narrow industrial park, inside the former warehouse of a heating and air conditioning company, sit piles and piles of Barbies, Legos, toy trucks, art kits, stuffed animals, baseballs and basketballs, board games and books. •...
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‘Song Sung Blue’ a love letter to Neil Diamond
Hugh Jackman, left, reveals how legendary singer shaped his life and how the movie led to a karaoke night with the performer.
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Rampant retaliation afflicts youth sports
For months, Brooke Wilfley raised concerns that the president of her local youth hockey governing board was using his position for profit. ● The Denver-area hockey mom discovered that the president, Randy Kanai, was secretly routing the Colorado...
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Move over, Santa!
FORT WORTH, TX − Sleigh bells ring, and a few dozen twinkly-eyed seniors are listening. Mrs. Claus is in the house, and she’s got a major bulletin to share. “I’ve come from the North Pole to deliver some very exciting news,” she tells those gathered...
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Big Easy’s big funk: You ‘feel the change’
NEW ORLEANS – At first glance, Bourbon Street remains as it always was: Tourists clutch cocktails as they totter down the uneven sidewalks in high heels. The shoeshine guys make their bad dad jokes. The brass bands draw crowds, cell phone cameras in...
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A lifeline for revitalizing Baltimore?
On a blustery November morning, Brandon Scott’s small entourage stood on the sidewalk outside The Terraces at Park Heights, a new senior living facility in West Baltimore. Scott, 42, is in his second term as mayor of Baltimore. He grew up just blocks...
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Family says they just want ‘a safer America’
BFirst of two stories looking at the role of Immigration and Customs Enforcement in the changing landscape of immigration enforcement. ack when he was in uniform, everywhere the airman went Americans adored him, thanked him for his service, offered to...
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In 20 terms, she broke new ground
Nancy Pelosi isn’t given to regrets, but she now finds herself preparing to return to California while President Donald Trump remains in power in Washington. And there still hasn’t been a woman elected president. “I always thought that a woman would...
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Motocross now deadliest youth sport in USA
Two medics rolled Ashlee Sokalski onto a backboard and fitted the 19-year-old with a neck brace in the middle of the dirt motocross track. Other teen racers whizzed past on their off-road motorcycles, no halt to the race, no safety flaggers in sight....
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Grocery tracker: What’s your bill?
Jesi Aviles knows exactly what her weekly grocery bill will be before she walks into Walmart. “I know when I go in the grocery store, I’m not leaving without spending $400.” The 32-year-old stay-at-home mom of five in Mount Airy, North Carolina, has...
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Michigan dad sues over wrongful conviction: ‘They did me wrong’
Behind prison walls, they called him “Baby Killer.” • It was a torturous nickname for Michael Griffin, who was serving a life sentence for the death of his infant daughter – a crime he adamantly denies. He said she fell from a baby swing inside their...
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TIME TO GET REAL ON UFOS
A group of researchers say it’s time for academia to get serious about studying UFOs. The movement, championed by the Society for UAP Studies, is wrapping up an international conference aimed at establishing a new discipline dedicated to studying...
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Better future sought for Christmas trees
Steve Ottman was born to sell Christmas trees. Ottman, 73, said his family has been growing the holiday staple in Wisconsin since the Great Depression. But now his 50-acre Christmas tree farm just outside Belleville is in trouble. Drought struck...
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Bubbly for soda? It’s not by accident
Ken Frondorf is known by friends and family as the “Diet Coke Guy.”• The 68-year-old from Cincinnati drinks about 10 plastic 16.9-ounce bottles of Diet Coke every day. It’s the only liquid he consumes besides a glass of water once or twice a week. • He...
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For many, caregiving is ‘hardest job’ ever
Katy Freeman, 39, was a senior leader at a health care company when she unexpectedly delivered her son, Ollie, at only 26 weeks pregnant. The next four months included a lengthy hospital stay for Freeman, a trying neonatal intensive care unit journey...
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Americanisms invade the king’s English
Órlaith Hallahan never sits on the couch. Never wears a sweater. Doesn’t take out the trash. Why would she? She’s English. Hallahan sits on the sofa. Wears a jumper. Takes out the rubbish. ● “I don’t normally use American words when I speak. I try to...
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White House decor: ‘Home’ for holidays
WASHINGTON – Christmas decorations at the White House, selected by first lady Melania Trump, aim to reflect the American spirit of generosity, patriotism and gratitude under the theme “Home Is Where the Heart Is.” George Washington and President...
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The few but proud goods made in USA
Forty-one years ago, when Sara Irvani’s grandfather launched a footwear company in Buford, Georgia, half the nation’s shoes were made in America. • Today, the figure is down to 1%. • “From the late 1890s through the 1970s or so, there had actually been...
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Guard members shot in DC ID’d
The Afghan national accused of shooting two West Virginia National Guard members members in Washington worked with several U.S. government agencies in Afghanistan, including the CIA, according to federal officials. Rahmanullah Lakanwal, 29, came to...
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Parents dial up past to delay tech usage
Walk into some homes in Oceanport, New Jersey, and you might think you’ve time-traveled. • Landlines are tethered to playroom walls, and radios are playing music. The reading on tap is Beverly Cleary’s “Beezus and Ramona,” and Friday nights are marked...
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How ‘the best dad’ died in ICE custody
DALLAS − Stephany Gauffeny hovered over her comatose husband as he lay in bed at Parkland Medical Center, pleading with him to wake up but facing a yawning dread that he may never do so. Staples closed a scar across his head, tubes snaked down his...
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Travel travails set for Thanksgiving
One of the busiest travel days is upon us with Thanksgiving arriving Nov. 27, also marking the start of the holiday travel season. This year, 81.8 million Americans are set to travel between Nov. 25 and Dec. 1 – approximately 1.6 million more than...
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Crazy fish tale
The boats hit the Gulf of Mexico before dawn, engines rumbling out diesel smoke while dead-eyed gulls clear their throats and wait to feast on the fishermen’s leftovers. When the sun rises off Galveston, Texas, “I think, for me, it’s like being reborn...
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Keeping the faith for her family
Jayden leaned against Nana’s leg as she teased coconut conditioner through his wet curls with her fingers. The 2-year-old clapped his hands, looked up and said “bottle” in baby babble. “Not yet, sweetie,” Rochelle told her grandson, giggling before she...
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Effects to linger even after shutdown ends
Congress is making progress toward ending the longest government shutdown in U.S. history, a deadlock that has forced the cancellation of thousands of flights across the United States. But even if lawmakers finalize the a deal this week, travelers...
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Remembering the Edmund Fitzgerald
Captain Ernest McSorley and his crew were fighting for their lives in a battle against the “Witch of November” when his final words went out over the radio: “We are holding our own.” Less than 15 minutes later, the 35-foot waves on Lake Superior and a...
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For Kylie Kelce, ‘I love being called normal’
Ayoung mother is sitting in a white lacquered ornate chair that looks fit for a princess while talking with her motherin-law. ● They are comparing the differences between boy moms and girl moms. ● Her four granddaughters will sit at a table and craft...
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‘We sent a message’: Democrats claw back
Democrats sweep. That’s a headline we haven’t seen in a while. Democratic nominees crushed their opponents Nov. 4, not only in the New York City mayor’s race but also in gubernatorial elections in Virginia and New Jersey. Voters also overwhelmingly...
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‘He was much more than vice president’
He was the most powerful and the most controversial vice president in American history. • Richard Bruce Cheney was a laconic onetime college dropout who found his place in Washington, moving to the capital as a congressional fellow and rising in short...
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Elections test voters’ feelings of status quo
Democrats are trying to bounce back from their 2024 thumping, while Republicans are working to blunt the typical momentum for the party out of power as voters hit the polls Nov. 4 for contests that will offer a window into the mood of the electorate...
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Pastors across USA show up to protests
Federal officers recently shot the Rev. Jorge Bautista with a pepper ball at close range, sending him reeling, with orange powder caking his face and clothing. A month earlier, Presbyterian pastor David Black was hit in the head with a pepper ball...
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TRAGIC, SCARY AND FUN ... OR A HALLOWEEN ETHICAL CONUNDRUM?
For years, Eastern State Penitentiary’s Terror Behind the Walls was arguably the most popular Halloween attraction in Philadelphia, drawing thousands to the 19th century prison that towers like a castle over Fairmount Avenue. ● Actors dressed as...
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Searching for the ‘winning formula’
They both were members of the 2018 freshman class that helped Democrats retake the U.S. House. Both present themselves as kitchen-table centrists with extensive military and national security experience. ● And the two friends − who text each other...
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Trump crackdown drawing backlash
In Chicago, federal agents rappelled from Black Hawk helicopters onto an apartment building. In Portland, Oregon, masked officers clashed with protesters wearing inflatable animal costumes. In the nation’s capital, police set up checkpoints and troops...
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Family waits to learn fate
It was a Sunday like any other for the Brunty-Barojas family. Breakfast croissants for six kids. Keurig coffee brewing in the kitchen. Video games in the living room. Soccer in the backyard. But while the kids ate and played, Chelsea Brunty-Barojas was...
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CLINICAL TRIALS
No matter the circumstances, when cancer enters the conversation, it can be hard to know what to say. But a clinical trial is an option that you can suggest to a friend or loved one who has been diagnosed with cancer—and it could change the course of...
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It’s the great pumpkin whopping weigh-off
Farming towns across the country host annual giant pumpkin weigh-off competitions, inspiring growers to invest their time and money into feeding massive gourds. About 125 giant pumpkin contests are held each year, but the Half Moon Bay World...
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ICE detainees say they’re going hungry
Months after leaving immigration detention, Camila Muñoz can still remember the ice cream scooper used to ladle food onto plastic trays and the “sour feeling” after every meal. • Hunger. • “You have to eat no matter what, or the night is going to get...
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Bots entangle young hearts
“WHAT IF I COULD COME HOME TO YOU RIGHT NOW?” “PLEASE DO, MY SWEET KING.” Those were the last messages exchanged by 14-year-old Sewell Setzer and the chatbot he developed a romantic relationship with on the platform Character.AI. Minutes later, Sewell...
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A mom’s tough task of helping kids grieve
It’s hard to explain death to a 4-year-old. Miles Lucier couldn’t wrap his head around what death meant. His goldfish had died the year before. Their dog Copper had passed away a month earlier, and his mother, Tricia Reagan, tried to explain that the...
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Hellscape? Portland, Oregon, begs to differ
PORTLAND, OR – Ana Hilde doesn’t recognize the apocalyptic version of Portland that Donald Trump has been selling to the world. The Portland she loves is a creative community where people are open-minded, think critically, push for change and help...
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HOME TESTS FOR COLON CANCER CUT DOCTORS OUT
Jeff Smith was dumbfounded when he received a colon cancer screening kit in the mail. • The 68-year-old Minnesota man hadn’t asked for the Cologuard test, and his doctor hadn’t mentioned anything about it. And why in the world would he need such a...
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‘Going rate’ for gifts, tips is going down
What insights can gifts, tips and teeth give us? • While traditional indicators of the state of the economy may be things such as the monthly consumer price index, interest rates or gas prices, a financial services company has another suggestion:...
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Parenthood, survival can be a juggling act
The last thing Ameilia Boodoosingh Gopie remembers before blacking out on the delivery table is holding her daughter, Allana, for the first time. • She didn’t feel anything. No connection. No love. • “Who is this?” she remembers thinking about the...
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