Parent annoyed that friend wants to label daughter

DEAR HARRIETTE: My daughter went to her prom with one of her girlfriends, and then the two of them hung with her whole friend group and had a blast. We posted really fun photos from pre-prom, but what happened next was not what we expected. Several friends reached out to me to ask if our daughter is gay. Because she went with a girlfriend, they assumed this must be "her girlfriend." They called somewhat tentatively, but clearly concerned.

How to remove a tick after it bites you

Dear Doctors: Ticks are a big problem where we live in Pennsylvania. Our family loves being outdoors, so staying away from tick territory isn't an option. One thing I really want to know is the right way to remove a tick when you get bitten.

The stain on the wall

Donald Trump’s chief of staff’s young aide Cassidy Hutchinson describes this White House scene: It’s December 2020. The president’s former attorney general, Bill Barr, has just given an interview denying that the election had been rigged. Trump is “extremely angry,” Hutchinson told the Congressional committee investigating the Jan. 6 insurrection – so angry that he throws his lunch against the wall.

It’s safe to use neti pot for covid-19 congestion

Hello, dear readers, and welcome to this midsummer letters column. We hope you're in the habit of protecting yourselves from heat, bugs and sunburn. You've kept our inboxes busy, so onward to your mail.

Cherry-picking January 6

Is showrunner James Goldston the most important force on the House Democratic Jan. 6 committee? There’s no doubt the former president of ABC News is shaping the committee’s presentations, episode by episode. The shows Goldston is crafting are a dramatic departure from actual congressional hearings – hearings in which members of both parties debate evidence, question witnesses, argue with each other and reveal facts the other side might not want revealed.

The Supremes keep delivering the hits

Just days after declaring pregnancy a sacrament, the Supreme Court announced a bold ruling in favor of performative Christianity. Never mind this tiresome business about no establishment of religion; the holy Republican majority in their priestly robes have liberated the nation’s public school football coaches to get on with the serious business of saving souls.

Inflation arrives at bad time for Democrats

The reminder, every time they drive down the street, of how high gasoline prices are. The delays in home construction and renovation because of supply-chain disruptions. The hike in the cost of a summertime respite at the lake. The ripple effects of a 5.4% increase in the price of dairy items on a state whose economy depends in large measure on that sector of the economy. To say nothing of the cost of groceries.

Tick-borne illnesses increasing in the U.S.

Dear Doctors: Is it just me, or does it seem like a lot more people are getting diseases from ticks? We just heard about a lady who lives not too far from here who died from a tick bite. It gave her Powassan virus, which I'd never heard of before. What is that? Is it as common as Lyme disease?

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