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NEW YORK (AP) — With deep knowledge of Stephen King’s books and curiosity about their inspirations, writer Sharon Kitchens began a journey around Maine. As she learned about the real-life settings and people behind such fiction as “IT” and “Salem’s Lot,” she arranged them into an online map and story she called “Stephen King’s Maine.”“It was amateur hour, in a way,” she says. “But after around 27,000 people visited the site one of my friends said to me, ‘You should do something more with this.’”Published in 2024, the resulting book-length edition of “Stephen King’s Maine” is among hundreds released each…

A big increase in the tax on university endowments is adding to financial uncertainty for the wealthiest colleges in the U.S., leading several already to lay off staff or implement hiring freezes.Spending more endowment money on taxes could also lead colleges to reduce financial aid, cutting off access to elite institutions for lower-income students, colleges and industry experts have warned. President Donald Trump signed the tax increase into law last month as part of his signature spending bill.The new tax rates take effect in 2026, but colleges such as Harvard, Yale and Stanford already are citing the tax as one…

ISTANBUL, Turkey (AP) — Under Istanbul’s old Galata Bridge, there’s a nondescript concrete landing that juts out into the waters of the Golden Horn. A couple wearing their wedding outfits pose during a photo session at Galata bridge, in Istanbul, Turkey, Monday, July 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Emrah Gurel) A couple wearing their wedding outfits pose during a photo session at Galata bridge, in Istanbul, Turkey, Monday, July 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Emrah Gurel)Read More A couple wearing their wedding outfits pose during a photo session at Galata bridge, in Istanbul, Turkey, Wednesday, July 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Emrah Gurel) A couple wearing…

TOKYO (AP) — The pet of choice in Japan, as much as cuddly kitties and playful puppies, is the humble bug.The bug has been a key part of Japanese culture from the Heian era classic “The Tale of Genji” to popular modern-day manga and animation like “Mushishi,” featuring insect-like supernatural creatures.Japanese people appreciate the glitter of fireflies let loose in the garden or the gentle chirping of crickets kept in a little cage. You can feed the bug pets watermelon, but special jelly pet food for bugs is also available at stores. Naturally, bugs are on sale as well, with…

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — What began as a novel summer event in 2016 has blossomed into a cherished summer tradition for Philadelphia. Now in its eighth year, the Philadelphia Chinese Lantern Festival in Franklin Square has become a seasonal staple for locals and tourists.This year, the festival once again transforms the historic square into a luminous wonderland. Visitors walk through a lighted tunnel at the Philadelphia Chinese Lantern Festival, Tuesday, Aug. 5, 2025 in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Tassanee Vejpongsa) Visitors walk through a lighted tunnel at the Philadelphia Chinese Lantern Festival, Tuesday, Aug. 5, 2025 in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Tassanee Vejpongsa)Read More More…

Daniella Pierson has cozied up to everyone from Diane von Furstenberg to Selena Gomez, burnishing her image as her businesses unraveled. A case study in how hubris is bad for business. Daniella Pierson turned 30 on Monday—a milestone acknowledged by a bevy of successful friends, from Spanx founder Sara Blakely to the singer Jewel to designer Diane von Furstenberg. It’s an especially auspicious birthday for an entrepreneur who spent her 20s building a lifestyle newsletter called The Newsette, which she launched as a student at Boston University in 2015; garnering a feature in USA Today in 2019; debuting on our…

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump plans to sign an executive order requiring colleges to submit data to prove they do not consider race in admissions, according to a fact sheet shared by the White House ahead of the Thursday signing.In 2023, the Supreme Court ruled against the use of affirmative action in admissions but said colleges may still consider how race has shaped students’ lives if applicants share that information in their admissions essays. Trump’s Republican administration is accusing colleges of using personal statements and other proxies to consider race.The executive order is similar to parts of settlement agreements…

Lesley Mathis knows what her daughter said was wrong. But she never expected the 13-year-old girl would get arrested for it.The teenage girl made an offensive joke while chatting online with her classmates, triggering the school’s surveillance software.Before the morning was even over, the Tennessee eighth grader was under arrest. She was interrogated, strip-searched and spent the night in a jail cell, her mother says.Earlier in the day, her friends had teased the teen about her tanned complexion and called her “Mexican,” even though she’s not. When a friend asked what she was planning for Thursday, she wrote: “on Thursday…

NEW YORK (AP) — For their 15th wedding anniversary, Katie Walley-Weigert and her husband decided to take a beach vacation with their young son. But the trip didn’t go as planned. Walley-Weigert wound up needing to pack her computer because of a work assignment she couldn’t ignore.The 38-year-old marketing professional had just landed a podcast interview for an executive she worked with, and he had a short window to prepare. As she labored away through most of the vacation, she regretted not being present for her toddler’s introduction to the ocean.“I know my husband and my son are having this…

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — A single bowl of eggplant stewed in watery tomato juice must sustain Sally Muzhed’s family of six for the day. She calls it moussaka, but it’s a pale echo of the fragrant, layered meat-and-vegetable dish that once filled Gaza’s kitchens with its aroma.The war has severed families from the means to farm or fish, and the little food that enters the besieged strip is often looted, hoarded and resold at exorbitant prices. So mothers like Muzhed have been forced into constant improvisation, reimagining Palestinian staples with the meager ingredients they can grab off trucks,…