Donna Vickroy – Page 15

Children under the age of 18 don't have privacy when it comes to cellphones and other technologies, expert Rich Wistocki says, especially if parents want ensure they aren't being cyberbullied or sextorted.

Vickroy: Ignore your kid’s tech use at your own peril — and theirs — because cyberbullies, sextortion are everywhere

September 26, 2023 at 3:23 p.m.

Nearly half of U.S. teens have been bullied or harassed online, according to a 2022 Pew Research Center report. A new Illinois laws aims to curb this behavior by mandating...

Team Smitty's Laughing Fools, headed by Lorrie Smietanski, front center with hat, will walk in memory of Lorrie's late husband, Gary Smietanski, in the ALS Walk for Life Saturday at Chicago's Soldier Field.

Vickroy: Decades after losing her husband to ALS, woman remains dedicated to walking for a cure

September 19, 2023 at 1:03 p.m.

It has been more than 30 years since Lorrie Smietanski lost her beloved husband, Gary "Smitty" Smietanski, to Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, an aggressive disease that only needed six years to...

Jimmy Buffett, seen here performing in Delray Beach, Florida, on May 2021, loved the life he sang about but fun in the sun caught up with him when he died Sept. 1 from an agressive form of skin cancer.

Vickroy: Jimmy Buffett promoted sun worship in life; will the message be sun protection in death?

September 11, 2023 at 8:06 p.m.

Is it cruel irony or poetic justice that the very thing you celebrate gets you in the end? By many accounts, Jimmy Buffett lived the dream he often sang about,...

A growing number of teachers either can't afford or are tired of paying for basic classroom supplies, which is forcing them to hold fundraising campaign or just grow tired of the drain and leave the profession.

Vickroy: Teachers forced to fundraise just to get basic supplies raises real questions about our school system

September 5, 2023 at 11:57 a.m.

If you're on social media, you're no stranger to fundraisers. Health issues, job loss, natural disasters are among the many reasons people go public with their pleas for financial help....

Braxton Hicks, 7, of Livingston, Texas, holds his face to a portable fan to cool off during a heat wave that occurred during a baseball tournament in Ruston, Louisiana, earlier this month. With climate change driving average global temperatures higher, teams and parents are having to pay closer attention to the heat.

Vickroy: As politicians bury their heads in the sand, new generations gearing up to address climate change

August 29, 2023 at 1:25 p.m.

Maui. Canada. California. Greece. Wildfires. Tornadoes. Hurricanes. Droughts. Annual 100-year floods. Scientists say global heat has put 2023 on track to be Earth's hottest year on record. As the frequency...

Pets shed hair -- something all animals owners know and have to learn to accept. But knowing when and why they shed can help, as can knowing how best to brush them to reduce the mess they create, says Abby Panozzo, veterinary medical technology program coordinator at Joliet Junior College.

Vickroy: If shedding pets drive you crazy, here’s a little on when and why they lose their hair — and how you can help

August 21, 2023 at 5:32 p.m.

We love them to pieces, until we're ready to go out to dinner and there's too many of those black strands all over our white jeans. Dog hair. Is it...

Both Will and Cook counties are holding special events Saturday to celebrate and educate people on hummingbirds, which will migrate hundreds of miles every year and consume huge numbers of insects to bulk up before their departure.

Vickroy: Two forest preserve hummingbird fests invite you to marvel, celebrate and help these fascinating fliers

August 14, 2023 at 2:27 p.m.

What is it about the ruby-throated hummingbird that fascinates us? Its size? Its speed? Its graceful, yet fierce, in-flight antics? Or is knowing how fleeting their presence can be? It...

John Austin, a recent graduate of Naperville Central High School.

Vickroy: Naperville Central and Richards graduates offer tips on how to succeed at high school, and life in general

August 8, 2023 at 5:15 a.m.

Because high school is such a formative part of the human experience, it's wise to shore up your chances for success. And how better to do that than by considering...

Rose Follenweider, of Tinley Park, highly recommends Mary Kubica's books, especially "The Good Girl."

Vickroy: Readers respond to recent column on love of reading with lots of book recommendations

August 1, 2023 at 2:49 p.m.

A good book becomes a part of you. Once it's in your head, or more specifically, your heart, it's there forever. When a story comes to life by virtue of...

It's important for children to have friends because it gives them a sense of belonging and builds their social skills, experts say.

Vickroy: Humans need friends so why is it so hard for us to make — and keep — them?

July 24, 2023 at 5:11 p.m.

"Friendship is a critical aspect of most people's lives. The majority of us really need social connection," says Marcia Gibson, a clinical psychologist with Marcia S. Gibson and Associates in...

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