The Middle East is edging toward a regionwide war as fighting between Iran, Israel and the United States intensifies and new fronts open from Lebanon to the Red Sea. Regional leaders are racing to contain the fallout, balancing public anger, security fears and fragile economic gains as they search for diplomatic exits. The effort is…
You put months of effort into your lawn, then April arrives and you quietly undo half of it with habits that feel helpful but are anything but. The difference between a lush yard in June and a patchy one often comes down to what you do in these few early spring weeks. By spotting the…
Oil markets are on edge as fighting around the Strait of Hormuz turns one of the world’s most vital energy arteries into a conflict zone. A route that usually carries a large share of globally traded crude is now associated with missile strikes, damaged tankers and rerouted ships, raising fears that a local war could…
Once outdoor temperatures climb, your garage can flip from quiet storage space to a busy staging area for insects and other pests. The mix of shelter, moisture, and hidden food sources makes it one of the first places bugs head for when the weather turns warm. By focusing on the specific items that tempt them,…
Public patience with Congress is eroding as partisan clashes harden into a permanent way of governing. Polls show that trust in the federal government has fallen to levels that would have been unthinkable in the middle of the last century, and Congress is now widely viewed as the weakest link in the system. The stakes…
A woman says she had finally gotten part of her yard to the point where it felt like progress was happening. The ground had been prepped, the seed was down, and she was in that stage where you know the work is done but the results are still fragile. Anybody who has ever tried to…
Your home can look spotless and still greet you with a strange smell as soon as you walk in. When that happens, the problem usually lurks in the spots you skip until something actually reeks. Spring is the perfect time to tackle those silent offenders before they become the reason you start apologizing to guests…
A man says he did what a lot of people do when family asks to borrow something useful. His brother needed a pressure washer, and instead of making a big deal out of it, he let him take it. At the time, it probably felt simple enough. It is one of those things people loan…