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Hints From Heloise

Donating newspapers and bags Dear Heloise: As a follow-up to the hint about using newspaper bags for doggie cleanup bags, I, too, use them for this purpose. However, I also donate all of my used newspapers and the majority of the bags to my local animal shelter. But do call the shelter first and ask if they take them. — Rita G., via email SEND A GREAT HINT TO: Heloise@Heloise.com FINDING YOUR CAR Dear Heloise: Store parking lots can sometimes be a very tough place to find your car. It would be a lot easier if stores would mark their rows or aisles with letters or numbers ...

Pushing to tax the rich

“Tax the rich!” shout progressives. Why not? America’s richest people are ridiculously rich. “Five bucks to you is like $6 million to billionaire Jeff Bezos!” shrieks Sen. Elizabeth Warren. Taking more from billionaires and millionaires just seems fair. That’s why Washington state passed a new “millionaire’s tax,” California will soon vote on a “billionaire’s tax,” and my mayor in NYC shouts, “increase taxes on the wealthiest New Yorkers!” Don’t these politicians realize that in America, people can move? The same day Washington’s House passed ...

Bright light, sleepless nights

Dear Annie: My neighbor “Rod” installed a motion-activated floodlight that shines directly into our bedroom window every time our dog (or another animal) moves in the yard — which is often. It goes off all night long. I mentioned it once, and he said, “It’s for security,” and suggested we “get better curtains.” We already have blackout shades, but the light still leaks in around the edges. I don’t want to start a neighborhood feud, but I also haven’t slept properly in weeks. How do I get him to listen? — Blinded at Bedtime Dear Blinded at Bedtime: Ask again ...

Why Trump’s antics don’t work on allies

It is among the most familiar patterns of the Trump era. First, the president says or does something weird, rude or otherwise norm-defying. Some elected Republicans object, and the response from Trump and his minions is to shoot the messenger. The dynamic holds constant whether it’s big (January 6 pardons) or small (tweeting “covfefe” just after midnight). The essence of this low-road-for-me-high-road-for-thee dynamic rests on the belief that Trumpism is a one-way road. Insulting Trump, deservedly or not, is forbidden, while Trump’s antics should be celebrated when possible, ...

Ignoring reality

In a world tied inextricably to social media, there’s something deeply and spectacularly unserious about the way modern commentators talk about war. Anyone who has scrolled through online platforms following the outbreak of war with Iran will find the same childish questions of why the war isn’t over yet, as if military conflict is supposed to function like an Amazon Prime delivery -- putting in an order from your couch and waking up to find it gift-wrapped on your doorstep the following day. Sorry, but this is all a fundamental misunderstanding of reality. War is not a ...

In a corner of Appalachia, soaring utility costs are surpassing rents and mortgages

WEST COLUMBIA, W.Va. (AP) — Eric Pinson is obsessed with stacks of electric bills laid out in neat piles on his desk. He runs a camping trailer park in West Virginia not far from a planned data center — all in the shadow of an enormous coal-powered plant that recently received millions in funding from the Trump administration for upgrades. The site was the last stop for many folks struggling to make it. But when electricity prices jumped last year, Pinson was forced to increase the all-inclusive rent from $350 to $400 a month. That shoved at least 16 campers out of the site, ...