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Dear Annie: Parents’ generosity has its price

Columns

Dear Annie: My fiance and I are getting married next spring, and my parents generously offered to help pay for the cost of the wedding. We were thrilled. Weddings are expensive, and money is tight. But I quickly realized that this might actually be a mistake. Their contributions come with strings attached, and my mother seems to think this is her wedding, too. She already vetoed my venue and hired a florist I never approved. Every time I talk to her, she has a new idea. I’ve gently reminded her that this is not her wedding, but she always hits me with the credit card guilt. I love ...

Dear Annie: My children’s stepmom may be overstepping

Columns

Dear Annie: I have been divorced for three years and share custody of my two children, ages 10 and 13. My ex-husband remarried about a year ago, and his wife is kind, involved and genuinely seems to care about my children. I know that is something to be grateful for. The problem is that lately I feel as though she is trying to become their mother rather than simply being a loving stepmother. She buys them clothes without mentioning it to me, attends school events, sets rules and consequences and has started referring to them as “our kids.” Recently, she posted a family photo on ...

Mother’s milk gone sour

Columns

“Money is the mother’s milk of politics,” said Jesse M. Unruh, who in the ‘60s was a powerful Democratic politician and speaker of the California State Assembly. It is a disgrace, if much is disgraceful these days, that we spend so much on getting people elected to Congress, who do little or nothing to solve real problems once they get there. AdImpact, the leading advertising intelligence and market analytics company, estimates more than $3.4 billion will be spent on this year’s midterms across all races. In Texas, alone, an estimated $446 million will be spent by ...

What’s in the price of a gallon of gas?

Columns

The U.S. Energy Information Administration expects nationwide retail gasoline prices to average near US$4.30 a gallon for April 2026 — the highest monthly average of the year. The political response has been familiar. Georgia has suspended its state gas tax, other states are weighing their own tax holidays, and the White House has issued a temporary waiver of a law known as the Jones Act in hopes of moving more domestic fuel to East Coast ports. As an energy economist, I am often asked about what contributes to gas prices and what different policies can do to affect them. The ...

Loss of taste and smell persist in man after a car accident

Columns

DEAR DR. ROACH: My 82-year-old husband is unable to smell or taste. This has been the case since 2024, when he was hit by a car while out for a walk. He sustained a compression fracture to his spine. While he wasn’t knocked out, he did get thrown backward and sustained some trauma to his head. Since then, he’s had no sense of smell or taste. I see him drifting further and further into depression, and I believe it’s primarily because he no longer has the pleasure that is associated with taste. He has seen our general physician and an ear, nose and throat doctor. He’s been ...

Dear Annie: Co-worker takes all the credit

Columns

Dear Annie: I have a close friend I have known for more than 20 years. We have been through marriages, children, job changes and plenty of ups and downs together. I love her and consider her almost like family. Lately, though, I have started to notice that our friendship feels very one-sided. I am usually the one who calls, makes plans and checks in. When she is going through something difficult, I am always there to listen. But when I need support, she often changes the subject, gives a quick response or says she is too busy. Recently, I was having a particularly hard week and ...