Referrals can come from academic centers

Hello, dear readers! Welcome to our monthly letters column. With extended heat waves, ticks becoming more common in new areas and lots of mosquitoes buzzing around, this is proving to be a summer of extremes.

After separating accounts, dad asks for help

DEAR HARRIETTE: I recently went to the bank with my dad to finally separate our accounts. He opened my account for me when I was in high school, and now that I’m a working professional, I felt it was time to have full independence.

DO JUST ONE THING

• Upcycle a large plastic soda bottle into a simple mosquito trap. Cut the bottle in half, then fill the bottom half with 1 cup of warm water, 1/4 cup of brown sugar and 1 tablespoon of yeast. Invert the top half into the bottom to create a funnel.

Teenager lies about making long drive

DEAR HARRIETTE: During July 4th weekend, my 16-year-old daughter went up to her best friend’s cabin. I was under the impression that her parents were going to drive my daughter and her friend there since it’s a four-hour drive and both girls have had their licenses for only a few months.

Pope, Pixar, parents and ‘Toy Story 5’

Vatican watchers rarely scan papal speeches looking for links to Hollywood.But at the Vatican Summer Youth Camp, Pope Leo XIV offered an unusually timely update on faith in a digital age.“The family that is together, it is not enough that we are all there.

Is President Trump losing his touch?

For over a decade, Donald Trump has demonstrated a shrewd – even brilliant – grasp of what motivates his followers. That’s why he’s won two elections and only barely lost a third.

Swimming with sunfish at the lake

I spent last week “up north” with my parents. While my husband, Peter, and my cat, Felix, stayed at home and played cat games, I drove up to my parents’ cabin four hours north.The city was hot, but right now, even up north is hot. So I decided to go swimming.I hadn’t been swimming in a long time.

Partner doesn’t want to use location sharing

DEAR HARRIETTE: My boyfriend of six months wants me to share my location with him, and I’m not so sure I want to do that. I know lots of families, friends and couples do this for safety, but I don’t feel comfortable sharing this because I am a grown 35-year-old woman.

TODAY IN HISTORY

In 1952, Puerto Rico became a selfgoverning U.S. commonwealth.In 1978, Louise Joy Brown, the first baby to be born after being conceived via in vitro fertilization, was delivered in Greater Manchester, England.

CLINTON’S HISTORY 10, 20, 30 AND 40 YEARS AGO

30 YEARS AGO• Junior volunteers at Clinton Regional Hospital attended “The Future of Healthcare” workshop for young hospital volunteers at Oklahoma State University in Stillwater. They were among 312 statewide who attended the event.