Jack Kramer, 7, has a lot of heart even though he only has half of the most powerful organ in the human body. The Liberty Lake second-grader, born without a left ventricle and functioning aorta, was a runner-up in the "Military Kids Have Talent" contest.

If you open up a pumpkin, you would see all kinds of different things inside. Some people call all this gooey stuff the pumpkin’s “brains” or its “guts.” There’s the meaty orange flesh, sticky pulp, lots of seeds and, of course, all those little strings.

During an intense basketball practice three years ago, one of my son Milo's teammates tripped another teammate with intent to injure. He followed that up by firing a basketball at Milo's face and throwing a punch, which was blocked.

About four years ago, I went to a party where everyone was supposed to dress up in clothes from the era in which they graduated high school. For me, that was the 1990s. Pre-party, I went to the thrift store hoping to find an outfit that exuded the unflattering ’90s chic.

Shanda DeWitt can't let it go. The veteran Disney on Ice skater is once again playing Elsa, the beloved princess from "Frozen." "Let It Go," the Oscar-winning song from "Frozen" performed by Idina Menzel, emanates from Elsa.

One of the many challenges older adults face as they age and inevitably start to fail to cope with daily living is how and where to get help to maintain functional independence. I’ve been navigating this challenge personally with several declining family members in the past year.

Any student's transition to high school can be an anxious time, with pandemic rules this year piling on more. For Alaina Gott, 15, who is legally blind, she's facing those challenges this fall at North Central High School with a new companion, Sable.

Why would energetic kids, of all people, need a hiatus from class? Well, it's appropriate that John Hughes' native state, Illinois, where all his teen films were shot, is allowing students as many as five mental health days off from school per year starting in January.

As a rookie reporter for the student-run newspaper when I was studying journalism at Brigham Young University, I learned a lot of useful reporting skills. For example, I learned that Robert Redford does not want to be bothered by a nervous cub reporter when he’s traveling.

If your kids love Halloween, but expensive costumes leave you spooked, you might want to gather up the goblins and explore local thrift stores for a creative holiday change. It’s difficult to justify $40 or more for a new costume that is likely to be ripped or outgrown.

Upcycling materials for holiday decorations is a great way to opt out of single-use decor. These floating candles made out of cardboard tubes will be sure to impress your wizard-loving friends. Find toilet paper or paper towel tubes and cut them to your desired length.

On Earth, humans have oxygen to breathe. But there’s very little oxygen to breathe in space. Space is actually a kind of vacuum, which means there isn’t a whole lot of matter, or stuff, out there between the planets and the stars. Oxygen is an essential part of life.

Good sleep hygiene is just as important for kids as it is for adults. Here are a few strategies and habits your family can practice to promote good quality sleep. They may be simple, but consistency is the key to success.

Autumn has arrived, which means it’s time for our annual Halloween coloring contest. The contest is open to children ages 12 and younger. Entries will be judged by a panel of The Spokesman-Review staffers who will select winners in three divisions.

Herb fragrances filled the air as Shiloh Hills Elementary students spent Sept. 23 planting a community garden at the school. Raised-bed containers by late fall should yield radishes, arugula and spinach thanks to the school's win in a contest sponsored by Albertsons and Safeway.

Seattle-based Treehouse supports the extra needs of foster children and operates Graduation Success to increase high school graduation rates and the newer program, Launch Success, for college students. Treehouse has programs in nine counties statewide.

Why does sleep feel so short? That’s a great observation. When my friend Ashley Ingiosi was a kid, she remembers how napping in the car during a 4-hour drive to her grandparents’ house seemed to make the time fly by. Maybe you’ve had a similar experience.

Students in Pennsylvania scored a victory last week in a battle to allow books about diversity and racism to be used in schools. The Central York School Board last fall "froze" teachers' and students' access to books about Rosa Parks, Pakistani activist Malala Yousafzai and more.

Go to a park on a hot summer day, and you will not be surprised to see bees buzzing in and out of flowers. They drink flower nectar and collect flower pollen. Then, depending on what kind of bees they are – we know of 20,000 species – they fly back to their hives or nests.