Dear Annie: I would like your input on how to handle a tricky situation. Many times, I am asked to write a letter of recommendation or make a recommendation for someone seeking a new job or promotion. What do I do if the person is qualified for the job/promotion but I do not feel comfortable ...

Dear Readers: The following letter comes from April A., in San Antonio. She runs a rescue group for stray dogs, and she’s seen animals in extremely poor conditions over the years. She is advocating for people to step up and foster a dog or cat, in a healthy and safe environment. Read ...

Dear Dr. Roach: I am 57 and finally divorced my cheating husband a year ago. Now that I am interested in dating again, I went for a consultation and exam with my gynecologist, complete with STD testing. I am in excellent health and all tests were negative except the one I feared: herpes, both ...

In 1783, Jacques Etienne Montgolfier (zhahk ayt-YEHN’ mohn-gohl-fee-AY’) launched a duck, a sheep and a rooster aboard a hot-air balloon at Versailles (vehr-SY’) in France. In 1796, President George Washington’s farewell address was published. In it, America’s first chief executive ...

Dear Annie: My husband is in the high-risk category for catching COVID-19, and we have lost family and friends due to the disease. The issue is that we love seeing our grandchildren, but some people in our families view the pandemic as a “hoax” and are lax about following safety ...

Dear Readers: Do you have a problem with odors lingering around the house? You may have noticed that expensive commercial products just mask the odor. It’s time to try something you probably already have on hand — cheap, safe and effective To remove leftover cooking odors in the kitchen, ...

Dear Dr. Roach: I have high blood pressure. My most recent echocardiogram said I have a “hyperdynamic left ventricle,” “concentric left ventricular hypertrophy” and “abnormal left ventricle relaxation.” Is this heart failure? My doctor put me on beta blockers. Worrying about my ...

Dear Annie: My boyfriend follows more than 3,000 people on Instagram. And almost all of them are women. It didn’t bother me when we first started dating, because I figured that now that he had a girlfriend, he’d stop investing so much time in looking at women. A few months into our ...

Dear Readers: Is it safe to take a medication after its expiration date? According to the experts from the Food and Drug Administration (www.FDA.gov), consumers need to be aware of the potential harm of taking an expired medication or one that may have degraded due to not being stored according ...

Dear Dr. Roach: My father is 91 years old, and I am concerned that his elevated blood pressure isn’t being properly addressed. Recently, it seems to run in the mid-170s to mid-80s (176/86). He has a number of health issues, such as a kidney stent every three months, diabetic neuropathy and a ...

New Materials at the Marshall-Lyon County library Fiction • Backman, Fredrik. Anxious People • Basu, Diksha. Destination Wedding • Cesare, Adam. Clown in a Cornfield • Clipston, Amy. An Amish Singing • Coble, Colleen. Two Reasons to Run • Cole, Alyssa. When No One is ...

Dear Annie: My husband and I are 77 years old. Our lake home has four bedrooms and plenty of space for family visits. During the summer, the family knows they have to make “reservations” to visit. Sometimes, we will have seven immediate family members here, and once we had 18 nephews and ...

Dear Heloise: Every time I make homemade potato salad it gets watery if not eaten on the same day. Tell me, what am I doing wrong? — Maxi R., Waterloo, N.Y. Maxi, potatoes hold a lot of water, so you’ll need to allow time for the water to drain by leaving them to cool in a strainer. If ...

Dear Dr. Roach: Many years ago, I drove a friend to visit her husband in the hospital. He was 80 and had taken a fall in their yard (no broken bones). When we got there, he was sitting upright in bed, his legs extended with his ankles resting in the cushioned cuffs of a small machine that was ...

Dear Dr. Roach: At what age do you recommend the shingles vaccine? I’m 56 and my doc is recommending it, but I’ve heard that people frequently have negative side effects. I’m doing everything I can to stay well and out of the doctor’s office during coronavirus. Would you recommend I ...

Dear Readers: There are some documents, certificates and other valuable items that might be better held in your bank’s safe deposit box rather than in a shoebox under the bed or in the closet at home. What are they? Here’s what you need to know: • The title to your car — you really ...

Dear Annie: I had two brothers die within a year of each other. One was 53, and the other was 62. They were my only remaining siblings. They resided in Ohio, and I live in Arizona. I had to plan both funerals by myself and clean out and sell whatever I could of their homes and possessions. ...

Minnesotans asked to serve on fish and wildlife budget oversight committees Do you buy hunting or fishing licenses and wonder how the money is spent? Are you interested in good fiscal stewardship and how key elements of the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources’ operations are funded? ...

Dear Annie: I have a friend who is of Pentecostal faith while I’m of Catholic faith. She monopolizes the conversation on her religion and doesn’t allow me to talk. I hate being preached to, and she has nothing else that interests her but reading her Bible and preaching. She complains ...

Dear Heloise: Scammers are trying to get your Medicare numbers. How? They’ll contact you with an offer of free masks and other COVID-19 items by telling you that you are entitled to these items as a Medicare recipient. They want to get their hands on your personal information and Medicare ...