Features

Grand Canyon flooding harms an economy that’s still recovering from a fire

Deadly flooding at the Grand Canyon is damaging the area's economy, with a washed-out pipeline severing the South Rim's water supply and shutting down lodging at the popular tourist vista for an indefinite period. The national park remained open Tuesday but tourists who planned to stay overnight — many traveling long distances for reservations from a year or more ago — have had to scramble to find rooms elsewhere. The flooding that killed two people and left a third missing washed out an already decrepit pipeline spanning the canyon that supplied every shower, faucet and spigot ...

The living care for ancestors and wandering spirits at Malaysia’s Hungry Ghost Festival

BUKIT MERTAJAM, Malaysia — It's that time of year when the living make room for the dead. Malaysia's Hungry Ghost Festival is held during the seventh month of the Chinese lunar calendar, which this year began in mid-August. "It is centered around the worship of Da Shi Ye, also known as the ...

How the No. 2 pencil became a uniquely American school supply staple

For generations of Americans, a sharpened No. 2 pencil has represented childhood and coming of age. Still a fixture of back-to-school shopping lists, it outlines a child's first letters, erases their mistakes and lets them doodle in the margins when they daydream. For decades, sweaty hands ...

One Tech Tip: How to keep your child’s tablets, laptops from becoming distractions from schoolwork

Tablets and computers have become crucial school supplies for many students. But the same devices children use to read text, write essays, solve math problems or research history projects can also offer distractions in the form of games, social media and web browsing. It can be a challenge ...

‘Finding Emily’ is the British rom-com we’ve been waiting for

Late August can be a depressing time at the movie theater, but there's a gem to be found in the British romantic comedy "Finding Emily," which opens in theaters Friday. Here, finally, is a smart, funny and sweet story about young love that moviegoing audiences deserve. Yes, the setup is ...

Lunar eclipse lights up skies across the Americas and Europe