Dear Annie: My husband, “Keith,” and I have been married for 12 years. We’ve always been a team when it comes to parenting our two kids, ages 9 and 6, but lately I’ve noticed a shift. Keith has become increasingly harsh with them, especially our oldest, “Ben.” He’ll snap over ...

Dear Heloise: We tried the hint for how to make coffee less bitter by adding 1/8 teaspoon of table salt when making drip coffee. Ugh! It tasted terrible; I’ll take the bitterness! My favorite creamer balances any bitterness perfectly. No offense meant to the person who wrote in about the ...

The Independent calendar lists upcoming meetings, facility hours and events in and around Marshall. To have your group’s events listed, email the information to news@marshallindependent.com or submit the information to our virtual newsroom. Today Household Hazardous Waste Facility open 8 ...

Dear Heloise: Hey there. I wanted to write in with two hints from a boy in Illinois. My mother lives alone, and I’ve asked her to turn on the front porch light when she goes to bed, then turn it off when she gets up. I’ve asked the neighbors to check on her light. If it’s still on ...

Dear Annie: My younger sister “Natalie” got married this spring to a man none of us really know. They met online, and within six months, they were engaged. My parents were uneasy about how fast it all happened, but Natalie was sure. She said she’d never felt so connected to ...

Dear Dr. Roach: After over 50 years of smoking, my wife has chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and bad scarring of her lungs, but fortunately she doesn’t have cancer. She had respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and no longer has nicotine cravings, but we aren’t sure if it was RSV ...