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Americans less optimistic?

Gallup released 2025 survey data this month from its National Health and Well-Being Index showing a significant drop in Americans’ optimism for the future. Taken from four quarterly surveys conducted last year, a total of 22,125 respondents were asked to “imagine a ladder with steps numbered from zero at the bottom to 10 at the top.” They were then asked to select the number that represents where they presently stand. Slightly over 59% of those in the sample size believed their lives would be prosperous in five years. While this number may not seem disturbing at first, Dan Witters, ...

Duke rises to No. 1 in AP Top 25 men’s hoops poll

(AP) — Duke’s win against Michigan has propelled the Blue Devils to a familiar perch: No. 1 in The Associated Press men’s college basketball poll. The Blue Devils climbed two spots to top Monday’s poll, marking the 148th appearance at No. 1 to add to what was already the record for any program. Duke (25-2) claimed 56 of 61 first-place votes to supplant Michigan (25-2) after Saturday’s 68-63 win against the Wolverines in Washington. That win came in a matchup of the top two teams in the NCAA men’s selection committee’s preliminary top 16 seeds for March Madness, released ...

Politics is harming our healthy friendship

Dear Annie: I’m a 64-year-old woman who thought making new friends at my age would be simple: find someone kind, show up, bring snacks, repeat. A few months ago, I met “Jill” at a community class. We clicked right away. She’s funny in that dry, smart way that makes you feel like you’re in on the joke. After class we started lingering in the parking lot, then grabbing coffee, then texting little updates like teenagers. She even came over one night when my pipes froze and stood in my kitchen holding a flashlight while I tried to pretend I knew what I was doing. I left that ...

10 memorable moments from the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics

MILAN (AP) — With 116 medal events over 16 days spread across northern Italy, the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics delivered many unforgettable moments. Here are 10 of the biggest, from heartbreak to triumph. Lindsey Vonn’s gut-wrenching crash U.S. skier Lindsey Vonn’s Olympic story was supposed to be one of redemption. She came out of retirement at age 41, battled a torn ACL in her left knee days before competition, and was ready to conquer the downhill. Instead she got hooked on a gate 13 seconds into her run, resulting in a terrifying crash in Cortina d’Ampezzo. After ...

Horoscope

Don’t be so quick to think you need to change. In your sprint to improve, you may be leaving behind your most attractive quality: your vulnerability. You’re aware that you, like all humans, are imperfect, and that’s what makes you awesome. Self-acceptance is the ultimate confidence — the confidence to like yourself as-is. ARIES (March 21-April 19). Even when something is completely unfamiliar to you, you are still able to open your mind and heart to it because you’re constantly looking for points of connection and relatability. This curiosity and courage will be your creative ...

Hints From Heloise

Use toilet paper rolls to plant seeds Dear Heloise: This is to add to Karen from Michigan’s suggestion about recycling toilet paper rolls. I reuse them by cutting the rolls in half and standing them upright in the bottom of a plastic ice-cream bucket. Next, I add potting soil until it reaches the tops of the shortened rolls. After moistening the soil, I plant one vegetable seed in each roll. When the seedlings are large enough to transplant, and weather permits, I plant them directly in the garden — cardboard roll and all. There’s no need to remove the seedling from the ...