SAN LEANDRO, Calif. — Two days after his 104th birthday, retired Oakland police Officer Toft Jessen was celebrated Thursday by dozens of Oakland police officers past and present, along with many others who lauded him as “an impressive individual” whose achievements are inspirational.

Jessen, a World War II veteran who during his nearly 37...Read more

It started as a Facebook messenger note.

My longtime friend Wendy, who I’ve known since elementary school — through endless dance recitals and summer camp adventures and a million bad haircuts and a handful of breakups — wrote to tell me her dad had died suddenly. He would have turned 80 on April 14.

Roger DuClos added light and joy to ...Read more

Plenty of youth sports parents would love for their kids to achieve athletic greatness. Chances are they won’t grow up to be elite players. But they can grow up to become elite human beings — who stay grounded, stand up for others and lift up everyone around them.

They can grow up to become a little more like Paige Bueckers.

This week my ...Read more

My mother grew up in a beset post-Depression family that saddled her with too many responsibilities, including, from age 9, tending her three siblings while her mother worked nights as a nurse and slept days.

Among her siblings was Aunt Cathy.

Aunt Cathy was always considered "off” by my hardened grandmother, though I always wondered if she ...Read more

LOS ANGELES -- Some people see trash and weeds and walk on by. Others rail against the slobs of the world, or agencies that don't do their jobs.

And some, like environmental scientist Marie Massa, roll up their sleeves and get to work.

In Massa's case, that's meant spending six to nine hours a week since early 2023 working mostly alone to ...Read more

It started as a Facebook messenger note.

My longtime friend Wendy, who I’ve known since elementary school — through endless dance recitals and summer camp adventures and a million bad haircuts and a handful of breakups — wrote to tell me her dad had died suddenly. He would have turned 80 on April 14.

Roger DuClos added light and joy to ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — On a recent Saturday afternoon in the Arts District, a group of seven friends — plus a tiny dog — contorted and twisted their bodies to fit inside a light brown, 8-foot-tall box that had a mirrored door inscribed with the words "Memory Archive."

Once they were all mostly inside, they looked up toward a Canon DSLR camera that...Read more

This has been a breakout year when it comes to my prized, golden needle conifers by the name of Fluffy. Don’t get me wrong, I have loved them from the start, but they were trial-sized in the beginning, which was 5 years ago. So proper spacing meant they would look a little lonely for a while.

This year the partnerships with azaleas were ...Read more

LOS ANGELES -- Alexis Wood received a notification on her phone. It was an anonymous call from a pay phone. She listened and was momentarily paralyzed. And then she couldn’t stop crying.

The call wasn’t completely unexpected. Days earlier, Wood and her partner Adam Trunell had gone prowling for working Los Angeles pay phones, placing ...Read more

DENVER — Against all odds — and with an assist from beloved children’s program “Ms. Rachel” — Christina Galliani doubles as a stay-at-home mom to her toddler and a full-time employee at an information-technology company.

During working hours, Galliani tends to emails and Zoom calls from her house in Parker while wrangling her 2½-...Read more

Dear Anna,

Hi Anna. I’m 40 years old and single. I met someone over a year ago. Things started off well. She mentioned that she wants to spend time together, but when the time comes around I get a reason as to why she can’t make it and it's a repeat process. I feel like I’m being dragged around. What should I do? — Looking At Some ...Read more

MINNEAPOLIS -- The pain started while Miriam Orta pushed carts as a hotel housekeeper in Woodbury, Minnesota. She found the sudden aches in her back and shoulder surprising: Orta had worked as a welder in Colombia and her native Venezuela without incident, and just survived a grueling journey to America seeking asylum.

She was scared to go to ...Read more

Every May, I fly from New York to Austin, Texas, to compete in the annual O. Henry Pun-Off World Championships. Yes, this is a thing … and it’s serious. I’ve now attended five times and have twice come home with a third-place medal and once with a first-place trophy. Win or lose (though hopefully win — fingers crossed!), I know I’m ...Read more

CHICAGO — When River Kerstetter was asked about three years ago to help curate an exhibit at the Newberry Library about Native Americans and pop culture called “Native Pop!,” she said getting involved with the exhibit was a “no-brainer.”

The artist, who is a member of the Oneida Nation of Wisconsin, had not only worked with archival ...Read more

Jonathan and Jacqueline Sanchez didn’t grow up learning about money. But now, at ages 41 and 42, they’ve built a million-dollar net worth and are making sure their two kids have a financial head start most adults never get.

The couple built their wealth through a strategic mix of real estate and traditional investments. The Sanchez family ...Read more

Dear Kid Whisperer,

My 8-year-old grandson is experimenting with using borderline expletives: saying “Darn it!” but saying it in such a way that could be perceived as saying the more taboo word. My son, his father, and I are at a bit of a loss as to what to do about this.

Answer: Behold, The Human Kid.

The Human Kid is born quite small. ...Read more

Q. My child’s father and I share custody of our 14-year-old daughter. She and I have always been great friends, and she often confides in me. Evidently, she recently cut first period, got caught and the school requires an email from a parent to allow her to return to class. She wants me to write the letter and not tell her dad. I’m torn ...Read more

The first thrift store I remember going to as a child was called Amvets. It was a warehouse-like space that sat between the alley of an apartment complex, a trailer park and a gas station. I'd spend hours under the rows of industrial fluorescent lights playing with the plastic toys that lined the left wall, or I'd hide behind the cheap bridal ...Read more

Our youngest daughter called the other day sounding harried. “I’m in the middle of cooking and I’m short an egg. Is it still OK to borrow an egg from a neighbor?”

I didn’t know what to say. Miss Manners never covered this one. Then again, Miss Manners probably never paid more than 75 cents for a dozen eggs.

It used to be fine to ...Read more