National Lifestyle

When Brandy Baxter needed to replace her home’s entire heating and air conditioning system several years ago, she asked contractors if they offered deals at certain times of the year.

“The Mermaid of Black Conch” by Monique Roffey (Knopf) David is a fisherman and Aycayia is a mermaid. It’s pretty obvious where the story goes from here: David falls for Aycayia.

Celebrity birthdays for the week of July 17-23: July 17: Actor Donald Sutherland is 87. Bassist Geezer Butler of Black Sabbath is 73. Actor Lucie Arnaz is 71. Actor David Hasselhoff is 70. Bassist Fran Smith Jr. of The Hooters is 70.

One of the best ways to build flavor is layering, or using one ingredient in two ways or at different stages of cooking. Using the zest of a lemon in cake batter, for instance, while using the juice in a citrusy glaze.

LONDON (AP) — London’s Heathrow Airport apologized Monday to passengers whose travels were disrupted by staff shortages and warned it may ask airlines to cut more flights from their summer schedules to reduce the strain if the chaos persists .

NEW YORK (AP) — Hundreds of couples whose weddings were derailed or scaled back due to the COVID-19 pandemic got a do-over at no less than a New York City landmark.

WASHINGTON (AP) — For the first time, a pharmaceutical company has asked for permission to sell a birth control pill over the counter in the U.S.

FAIRFAX, Va. (AP) — One of the jurors in the Johnny Depp-Amber Heard defamation trial served improperly, an attorney for Heard alleged in a recent filing that asked the court to declare a mistrial and order a new trial.

BEIJING (AP) — Losing money due to COVID, the American casino giants that helped make Macao the “Las Vegas of Asia” face a fresh challenge: The tiny Chinese territory wants them to help reduce its reliance on gambling by paying to build theme parks a

Four movies in, Thor is still bringing the hammer down at the box office. “ Thor: Love and Thunder ” earned $143 million in its opening weekend in North America, according to studio estimates Sunday.