Lifestyle

End-of-life doulas offer solace to clients and their families

Last month, Nicole Kidman revealed she's training to become an end-of-life doula, providing support for people in their final days. Geneva resident Mary Graff has provided that service for more than 40 years, first as a hospice worker and chaplain and more recently as an end-of-life doula who helps clients go gently into that good night.

Flan, also known as crème caramel, is an elegant dessert with smooth but firm custard topped with caramel sauce. Top with fresh berries and mint for an even more impressive presentation.

Always impressive, caramel-drenched flan is easy when you know a few tricks

Artistic expression: Batavia elementary school art teacher nurtures ‘creative problem solvers’

Buffalo Grove ranked best place to live in Illinois by U.S. News & World Report. Here’s who else made the list

What’s the best lime seltzer? 15 top-selling brands ranked

Affordable Care Act enrollment projected to plunge by 5 million as costs spike, analysis shows

Naperville’s Fredenhagen Park is home to the Exchange Club Memories Fountain and a clock tower.

‘People can enjoy it’: Naperville fountain revived after major repairs

For the first time in recent memory, a revived Memories Fountain anchors a Naperville Riverwalk park.

Saints Peter and Paul Principal Nick Satterlee speaks to eighth-graders in the Cary-based school's new leadership program on April 23, 2026.

Cary school’s new program gives students tools for leadership skills

A Catholic school in Cary has launched a leadership program for middle schoolers based on the book "13 Things Strong Kids Do." Principal Nick Satterlee and music teacher Brett Fisher created the program to teach students practical leadership skills, with each grade focusing on different themes

Use a microfiber cloth and multisurface cleaner to wipe the area around the sink and the faucet.

Here’s a quick and easy routine to get your bathroom clean fast

If you’re looking for a way to get your bathroom clean, fast, this routine is for you — it relies on just two multipurpose cleaning agents and a low-fi selection of tools.

The Illinois Department of Natural Resources has added the Bradford pear — also known as the callery pear — to its list of invasive plants covered by the state’s Exotic Weeds Act. As of Jan. 1, 2028, it will be illegal to sell the trees in Illinois.

Illinois is banning Bradford pear trees. Here’s why experts want them gone

Bradford pear trees put on a beautiful show in the spring. But Illinois is soon banning their sale.

Staying hydrated and managing your diet can help keep kidney stones from forming.

Ask the doctors: Diet and hydration can slow kidney stone development

Kidney stones are bits of hard, pebblelike debris formed from the salts and minerals contained in the kidney. They range in size from smaller than a grain of sand to (yes, this is a Guinness World Records rarity) as large as a golf ball.

The canned chickpeas in your pantry belong in these Trinidadian flatbreads

This boldly flavored chickpea curry, served on warm, crisp flatbread to fold and eat taco-style, is inspired by the popular street food Trinidadian doubles. In this shortcut version, canned chickpeas and store-bought bread allow the meal to be on the table in about an hour.

A spiced nuts and seeds recipe from Linda McCartney’s plant-based ‘Family Kitchen’ cookbook

This recipe is excerpted from the cookbook “Linda McCartney’s Family Kitchen.” Linda was ahead of her time on plant-based eating in the ‘80s and ’90s. It is much easier to follow a plant-forward lifestyle today than when she wrote her first cookbooks.