• Food poisoning: Source of E. coli illness often can't be found
    The thick, black binder that Paula Gillett keeps charts her son Jack's battle last year against a food-borne illness caused by E. coli. Filled with medical records, meal calendars and other papers, the binder documents Jack's initial illness, the kidney failure that struck next and his eventual recovery.
  • Cavaliers defeat the Pacers
    The Cavaliers took advantage of extra trips to the free-throw line to win an ugly game against the Indiana Pacers.
  • Homemade liqueurs: Gifts to sip and savor
    Homemade gifts from the kitchen are culinary treasures. They have a personal touch and in these challenging economic times, a present from hearth and heart seems especially meaningful. So when I spied A.J. Rathbun's new book, "Luscious Liqueurs" (Harvard Common Press, $12.95) I knew I'd found the blueprint for my '08 holiday gifts.
  • Christian leaders issue 'call of conscience'
    More than 150 Christian leaders, most of them conservative evangelicals and traditionalist Roman Catholics, issued a joint declaration Friday reaffirming their opposition to abortion and gay marriage and pledging to protect religious freedoms.
  • Should your walls go black?
    Black walls aren't just for Goth kids and heavy metal fans anymore. They're popping up in upscale shelter magazines, hipster design blogs and just about everywhere in between. Witness the black dining room at the Benjamin Moore paints Web site, where "Black Satin" is one of the featured "Colors for Your Home, 2009."
  • Cuban blogger urges U.S. Congress to lift travel ban
    A high-octane effort to let U.S. tourists visit Cuba got a major endorsement Thursday from one of the island's leading dissidents, who suggested that "along with suitcases, Bermuda shorts and sun block, support, solidarity and freedom could come, too."
  • 36 states may miss Real ID deadline
    While Congress debates national health care legislation that could put new fiscal burdens on the states, the nation's governors are pushing Capitol Hill for a reprieve from another costly federal program that states have long criticized: Real ID.
  • Snapdragons are simply irresistible
    No matter where you live in the country, there is a season when snapdragons will absolutely steal the show in your landscape. In zones 7 and warmer, many gardeners plant them in the fall as pansy partners. They are planted in late winter to early spring in colder areas where they give riotous colors almost all summer.
  • Real estate Q&A
    Question: I read your article posted online regarding the future of real estate. I noted your comment about there being fewer homeowners, and specifically fewer homeowners of expensive homes, for the future. The number of homeownership reached its peak in 2006 and is viewed as being "unsustainable" in the years to come.
  • Handmade items in big demand
    KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Clint and Lacey Loumaster of Lenexa, Kan., met in an advanced calculus class. But the husband and wife share more in common than a prowess for complicated math.