WASHINGTON — Time was, conscientious parents fretted about “summer learning loss.” Now, when much of what schools do subtracts from understanding, summer could at least be a time for recuperation from educational malpractice — were summer not just another season of screen addictions for ...

Dear Annie: My good friend “Sara” has a son who is getting married at the beginning of August. I have been in constant communication with Sara, offering help and telling her that I would love to be at the wedding. I have known Sara since high school, and we are close. I was told in May ...

Dear Dr. Roach: I am a healthy 76-year-old woman, and over the years I’ve tended to accumulate earwax and periodically have it removed. The doctor used a slim vacuum, and the noise was very significant. Directly after that he gave me a hearing test, and I have hearing loss in my right ear. ...

Recently, the Supreme Court — again, with the 6 Republican appointees on one side and the 3 Democratic appointees on the other — limited the Environmental Protection Agency’s ability to regulate carbon emissions from power plants. This ruling deals a major blow to America’s (and the ...

Dear Annie: I had always held my sister in high regard, and I loved her. She was my big sis, and I felt she loved and cared for me. But things have happened to cause me to change my mind. About six years ago on Christmas night, my grown niece and nephew, along with their friends, were sitting ...

Dear Dr. Roach: Our family dog got sick and needed to be admitted to the veterinary hospital, where she was diagnosed with leptospirosis. The vet says she will pull through, but do I need to be concerned about my family? -- E.V. Answer: A handful of diseases -- called zoonoses -- can be ...