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75% of plant species need pollinators

Pollination, the movement of pollen from the anther (male) of one flower to the pistil (female) of another flower is essential for the continuation of a plant species. Attracting our pollinators, bees, birds and butterflies to our garden is not difficult, yet a decline in their population ...

Why oaks are so important

The Roman arch was held together and anchored by a wedge-shaped stone in the center of it. This stone added stability to every stone that made up the arch, and thus this term is synonymous with this stability, the keystone. A keystone species in nature has “a disproportionately large ...

Valley Grows Calendar

Here are upcoming gardening events through the Ohio State University Extension Office. For more information and a complete list, contact: • OSU Mahoning County Extension Office, 490 S. Broad St., Canfield. 330-533-5538. Office hours are 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday. • OSU Trumbull County Extension Office, 520 W. Main St. Suite 1, Cortland. 330-638-6783. Office hours are 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday. Mahoning Plant and Pest Clinic You can submit your questions by calling the office at 330-533-5538 or emailing us at mahoningclinic@osu.edu. ...

DEAR ANNIE: Carrying weight of a one-sided friendship

DEAR ANNIE: I am writing about a friendship that has weighed on my heart for quite some time. I have known this woman for more than 20 years, and in many ways, she has been a loyal and lively part of my life. We have celebrated happy occasions together, seen one another through disappointments and shared the kind of history that is not easily replaced. But in recent years, our friendship has begun to feel less like a comfort and more like a burden. Nearly every conversation revolves around her troubles, her grievances, her worries and the endless complications of her daily life. When ...

HINTS FROM HELOISE: Always send thank-you note for gifts you receive

DEAR HELOISE: I cannot go without responding to Bob, in Santa Ana, California, who said that not thanking someone for a gift is somehow acceptable. I feel confident that most people don’t give gifts to receive a thank-you note, as he implies. Gifts are defined with the caveat of “not expecting anything in return.” But extending acknowledgement and appreciation is just plain common courtesy and decency, especially if a request is involved as it is in a wedding registry. There was certainly time and motivation required to devise and post a wish list. This also applies if the gift ...

TO YOUR GOOD HEALTH: Doctors should not profit from drug firms

DEAR DR. ROACH: Your recent column said the “law” prohibits doctors from getting money from prescriptions. However, they get perks from pharma reps like dinner, golf, etc., and many push supplements on TV. Many “doctors” across the country make their income from prescribing supplements to patients for chronic fatigue syndrome or COVID. —D.K. ANSWER: There are statutes that prevent physicians from directly profiting from prescribing certain medications. The Stark Law prevents doctors from referring their patients to entities where the physician has a financial interest. ...