New children’s book looks at what parental fighting does to children

Helen Elaine shares message of compassion in debut work, ‘A Safe Place to Call Home’

A New Inconvenient Truth for Al Gore
By Drew Johnson

The world was supposed to end in January.

Well, at least according to Al Gore. In "An Inconvenient Truth," the 2006 global warming documentary featuring the former Vice President, Gore famously warned that without taking major steps to cut greenhouse gases within the next decade, the world will "reach a point of no return."

5 Tips to Make Earth Day Every Day

LAYTON CITY, UT – April 21, 2016 – Did you know the average American generates more than four pounds of waste each day? Instead of going to a landfill, many of those items can be recycled and turned into new products like clothing and playground equipment.

Last year, Waste Management helped our customers in Utah recycle 38,100 tons of plastic, paper, cardboard, metal, and aluminum. You recycled enough to:

Dear Dave,

My wife and I are following your plan, and we’re in the middle of the Baby Steps. Do we have to wait until Baby Step 7 to buy a new car?

Alan

Dear Alan,

No, you don’t have to drive a beater until you pay off your house. My advice is to drive the minimum car you can until you get past the first three steps. Remember, Baby Step 1 is a beginner emergency fund of $1,000. Baby Step 2 is paying off all debt except for your house, then Baby Step 3 is fully funding your emergency fund with three to six months of expenses.

Dear Dave,

I’m a senior in high school here in Arkansas, and I think I want to study business in college. I’ve gotten an unusual offer from a small, out-of-state school. It revolves around a $3,000 student loan program, where the loan converts to a scholarship if I maintain a grade point average of 3.3 or higher. Tuition at this college costs about $34,000 a year, so I was wondering what you think about the idea.

Garrett

Dear Garrett,

I’m glad you’re thinking about the future. But this is not my favorite idea, because you could end up with a loan.

Dear Dave,

My husband and I are just starting to get control of our finances, but we have a problem. My dad has a habit of expecting us to buy things for him. I know he has money, but anytime he knows we’re going to the store, he gives us a list of things he wants. If he’s with us, he just throws things in the cart and expects us to pay. He acts like we have an obligation to do all this for him. I love my dad, but this has become annoying. What can we do?

Christina

Dear Christina,

Dear Dave,

I’m debt-free except for my house. I make about $120,000 a year, and I have a truck that’s worth around $33,000 and a car that’s worth $28,000. I don’t have an emergency fund, so I was wondering if I should sell the truck to establish my emergency savings.

Eric

Dear Eric,

$3,000 reward offered to solve Eden cat shooting case

Pet cat wounded by gunshot to head, Humane Society of Utah offers reward

The Humane Society of Utah (HSU) is offering a $3,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or people responsible for shooting a four-year-old black domestic shorthair cat named Blackjack. The HSU hopes the reward assists the Weber County Sheriff’s Office in obtaining information required to identify and charge whoever is responsible for this act of animal cruelty.

Rights Versus Wishes

Don’t Start Your Golden Years in the Red: Tips for a Debt-Free Retirement

National nonprofit credit counseling agency provides seniors with savvy tips for tackling debt

PHOENIX – (April 14, 2016) – For many Americans, the Golden Years are anything but. Increasing debt among seniors, disappearing pension plans and the uncertainty of Social Security are causing tension and stress.