New England Sun-Times

Ned Holstein of the National Parents Organization testified for change. The State House hearing room seemed an unlikely place for grown men to bare their souls. But as father after father took a seat in a committee room, urging lawmakers to support proposed legislation to revamp Massachusetts’ child-custody statute, they laid out the particulars of their divorces and personal lives in blunt detail. The scene could soon repeat itself inside state houses across the country. About 20 states are considering measures that move toward more equal custody arrangements for parents following divorce or separation, according to Ned Holstein of the National Parents Organization, a Boston-based group that has been a driving force behind the push for shared parenting. A handful of states have already enacted similar legislation, while several others have formed task forces to examine family-law issues. Battles over custody and child support are as old as divorce itself. But as parenting ...

The mother of three who was shot and killed late last night walking through a Dorchester park was an innocent victim caught “in a random act” of violence, according to relatives who stopped by the scene of the shooting today. Neighbors told the Herald they heard a handful of gunshots at about 10:30 p.m. One bullet struck Grisel Sanchez, 31, who was walking through Puddingstone Park at the corner of Seaver and Normandy streets, according to her older sister, Angelica Rivera. Rivera said police told her “it was a random act. It wasn’t something that she was targeted. They were walking through the park. Random bullets and one bullet hit her.” Sanchez had two sons, ages 11 and 14, and a 13-year-old daughter, Rivera said. About 20 family members gathered at Puddingstone Park around noon, placing candles, flowers and pictures near a small spot where blood had stained the park’s grey gravel. “She was a beautiful person, inside and out,” Rivera said of Sanchez, who was...

(Dorchester, MA) - Master Tarif Aziz is up and running around early each morning for his Save Another Youth Tae Kwon Do martial arts school. It's another beautiful summer and Aziz gases up his van for morning pickups as he does every morning before the day begins. During the summer, Save Another Youth offers classes Monday through Thursday 10:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. with an extra hour on Tuesday and Thursday for martial arts training. Monday and Wednesday are dedicated to Math, English and sports like baseball, soccer, and other activities that strengthen the students' minds and bodies. A non-profit organization serving inner city youth, Save Another Youth Tae Kwon Do has won several local, regional and national medals and trophies. Their model is simple: teach the children the importance of education, history and respect of others. Each year, Save Another Youth also offers the after school program with an extended week. Monday-Friday, parents can rest assured their children ...

Day 10: Pay it Forward Couponing has blessed my life in ways I never imagined. It’s given me the opportunity to pay it forward in more ways than one. DONATE Recently I was able to donate over 300 pounds of food to my local food bank and over $1000 worth of product to the IRC for refugees in my local city. What an amazing opportunity! Couponing has given me the gift of giving. EDUCATE As amazing as it is to make donations, there’s an equally important way I’ve been able to pay it forward. It’s illustrated in one of my favorite Chinese proverbs. “Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime.” I like to say, “Give a woman a basket of food, and feed her for a day. Give a woman a lesson on couponing, and feed her family for a lifetime!” It has been incredible to watch people transform their own lives by implementing the simple principles of couponing. Change is powerful, and it’s happening all over the nation beca...

Day 9: Finding Balance When I first started couponing I was so excited about all the money I was saving that I thought I needed to cash in on EVERY deal at EVERY store! How wrong I was. In order to make KCL a way of life, you must achieve balance and figure out a way to work it into your everyday life. To get there, remember the following: Start Slow Here I go again repeating myself. I’ve said it once, but I’ll say it again: learn one store at a time. The easiest way to choose a store is to pick what is closest to your house. You’ll be going there often, so it makes sense to find a store nearby. Remember Sales Cycle Remind yourself that sales cycle. When you see an amazing deal, no need to drop everything, abandon your family and rush out the door in a frantic mess. Instead, realize that you’ll most likely see a similar sale on that same product in a few months Buy What You Need Often we get so wrapped up in a good deal that we purchase for the sake of purchasin...

Day 8: Stockpiling Sense By stockpiling while something is at a rock bottom price, you won’t have to pay full price when you run out and have to have it. The best part about it is you can apply this principle to both grocery and retail. Read on! UNDERSTAND THE PRINCIPLE Have you ever purchased a child’s coat from a clearance rack in March at a larger size for the next winter? If you have, then you’ve already had experience in stockpiling! By purchasing that jacket in March, you easily saved 75% off what you’d pay the following October. You thought ahead and purchased a discounted product knowing you’ll need it in the future. Now take that “buy ahead” principle and apply it to the grocery store! Buy three bottles of mustard when they’re nearly free knowing that in the next few months you’ll likely run out. You now just saved yourself from purchasing a full priced bottle down the road. DO IT RESPONSIBLY Stockpiling responsibly is what will make the difference in you...

Day 7: Checkout Checklist To be completely honest, one of the scariest parts of couponing is the checkout process. The good news: there are steps to take to help avoid that anxiety at checkout! And here they are: 1. Get Organized Before you leave the house, make a plan of what you want to buy. Write down the items, the prices and the quantities. If you are doing multiple transactions, separate the items into lists before ever leaving your house. 2. Choose Time of Day Wisely The less crowded the store, the less stressed both you and your cashier will be. I have found that early in the morning, early afternoon, or late at night is best for me. 3. Make Smart Mom Moves If you have young kids like we do, shop at a time when they are at their best -- in the morning or right after naps. Happy kids make a huge difference. Bring along something to occupy their minds or a treat to occupy their tummies! With these three steps, you’re much more likely to check out with ease...

Day 6: Power in the Policies Now that you know how to clip, file, organize, shop, talk the talk and walk the walk, you’re almost there, but you’re not done yet! All your coupon skills are useless without a solid understanding of store policies. To arm yourself with the right kind of knowledge, follow these important steps: 1. Pick a Store Since couponing can be a bit overwhelming in the beginning, make it easier by getting to know one store at a time. 2. Get the Store Policy Once you’ve picked your store, it’s time to find the policy. You can find them on our store pages. But for some reason, if it’s not on our site, conduct your own search by going to the store’s official website and entering “coupon policy” in the search bar. Now read the policy. 3. Keep the Policy on Hand After you’ve found the policy, be sure be armed with it when you go shopping. 4. Befriend the Bigwigs Take the time to set up a meeting with management. If you are serious about couponing, ...

Day 5: Learn the Lingo! You might be a Krazy Coupon Lady if... your shopping reports sound like complex algorithms. It’s almost laughable how ridiculous the code of couponers is! To ease the learning curve and help you talk the talk, here’s a glossary of some of the krazy abbreviations you’ll see around TheKrazyCouponLady.com. $1.00/1, $2.00/1, etc One dollar off one product, two dollars off one product, etc. $1.00/2, $2.00/2, etc One dollar off two products, two dollars off two products, etc. You must buy 2 items to receive any savings; you cannot redeem the coupon on one product for half the value. BOGO Buy one, get one. Will usually end with “free” or “half off” meaning buy one, get one half off, or buy one get one free. B1G1, B2G1 Another way to write ‘buy one, get one’. The “B” stands for “buy”, the G stands for “get”. The numbers indicate how many of a product you must buy to qualify and the number of products you get when you redeem the coupon o...

Day 4: Timing is Everything With your newly organized coupon binder in hand, you’re ready to discover the secret to Krazy Couponing success: Timing! 1. Match Coupons with Sales and Promotions One of the biggest mistakes you can make is using a coupon just because you have it. The key is to wait until that item goes on sale, until you find a store coupon or a mobile coupon to go with it or when the store runs a promotion. 2. Stack Your Coupons Stacking simply means using one manufacturer coupon and one store coupon together on the same item. Remember, you can never use two manufacturer coupons on one item. Stores like Target, Walgreens, Kroger, Rite Aid and Safeway, just to name a few, all issue store coupons and allow them to be stacked with a manufacturer coupon. 3. Double Coupons You’ve probably heard about stores that “double” coupons, meaning they accept your coupon at twice the face value. So, for example, if a coupon is $0.50 off one item, the store will ho...

Day 3: Get Organized! Organizing your coupons will either make or break your couponing experience. But don’t worry – we have a few different methods to help you keep all of those little slips of paper organized. FILE BOX METHOD Introducing the compact, easy-to-use, feather-weight file box. All you do is: Get a box -- make sure it’s divided on the inside by either folders or tabs. Pull all of the inserts out of the newspaper and plop them in a file folder. Label each tab or folder with the date and name of the insert. Since we list the coupons with this info, it’ll make finding them a cinch. For example, when you see this coupon matched up with a sale on Yoplait at Target, you’ll know if came from the June 8th SmartSource. $0.40/6 – Yoplait Yogurt Cups from SS 6/8 Voila! You’re organized. BINDER METHOD Of course, if you’re a little more extreme, have more time or just a stronger desire to be organized, you can always use the binder method. 1. Organize by Categ...

Day 2: Show Me the Coupons So “where do you find all the coupons?” you ask. It’s really not a secret. They’re everywhere! 1. Newspaper Inserts The best place to find coupons is in the Sunday paper. There are three different inserts that come out on a regular basis: Smart Source (SS), Red Plum (RP) and Procter & Gamble (PG). To become a Krazy Coupon Lady (or Gent), you’ll want to get your hands on two to four copies of each of these coupon inserts. Sounds a bit bizarre but the way to save krazy money is to buy multiple products when they’re at rock bottom prices. 2. Printable Coupons Printable coupons are starting to take over the coupon world. From Coupons.com to Facebook to manufacturer websites, you’ll find them in more places than you’d ever imagine. The best part about it: they’re free. Of course you’ll need a computer and a printer, and you’ll have to download a bit of software. But rest assured, printing coupons from your home computer is safe and easy!...

Ready to go from Coupon-Shy to Coupon-Savvy?  We’re here to show you how!  You’ve come to the right place to find cartloads of advice that will prepare you to become a certified Krazy Coupon Lady!  Click around to learn the lingo, read answers to the most commonly asked questions & learn what Not to do before you make one of many common mistakes! If you’re feeling overwhelmed or you want the fast track, our book, Pick Another Checkout Lane, Honey , is being hailed by some as the new “Coupon Bible”.  It’ll have you ‘stacking’, saving & high-fiving your cashier before you know it!  Day 1:Change the Way You Shop In order to be successful with couponing, you’ve got to start with a big huge mental shift. You’ll be leaving behind that old way of shopping and opening your mind to something new. No worries. Change is not always bad. In fact, this kind of change will better your life in the long run. So get ready to say goodbye to the old ...

Boston Mayor Marty Walsh press conference about his decision not to sign Olympic contract on this date. Monday, July 27, 2015. Photo by Ted Fitzgerald (Herald) A source close to the Olympics process has confirmed that a statement from the USOC and Boston Mayor Marty Walsh's office is imminent declaring that Boston's Olympics bid is over Earlier in the day, Walsh said he would not bow to pressure to sign a host city contract committing taxpayer dollars to cover cost overruns for the 2024 Olympics, and if it's needed, he's willing to give up the city's pursuit of the bid. "This is a commitment that I cannot make without assurances that Boston and its residents will be protected," Walsh said at a hastily scheduled morning press conference at City Hall. "We have met every demand and every challenge, but I can not commit to putting the taxpayers at risk," Walsh said. "If committing to singing a guarant...

  By Madeline Boardman   Khloe Kardashian stripped down for the cover of Complex magazine Credit: Complex   Baring it all! Khloe Kardashian stripped down physically and emotionally for the August/September issue of Complex magazine , posing for a sexy photo shoot and opening up about her famous sisters. The reality star, 31, stuns on the cover of the music mag, getting her own time in the spotlight away from her family. Her voluptuous booty is on full display in the shot, as she sits with her rear closest to the camera. Straddling a gym bench, she faces a mirror and looks over her shoulder. Kardashian's curves are highlighted in a skimpy navy bodysuit that has a sheer back, plunging neckline, and a small, cheek-baring backside. Her highlighted locks are combed away from her face and trail down her back in loose waves, and she wears oversized hoops in her ears. ...

48 years ago, WILD-AM hit the airwaves filling a void in Black music in a predominantly white city where the only radio stations broadcast formats of Top 40, Pop and Rock to name a few. The founder Ken Nash saw the potential in a community radio station and created programming that benefited the Black community with music, news and informative dialog.  Though it sounds easy, it was an incredible feat to accomplish, given WILD's limited airtime. The station's FCC only afforded them to broadcast until sundown. Summer months gave the listeners more time to hear the music and info on their beloved radio station located at 1090 on the AM dial.  In 1999, Radio One purchased WILD and sold it a few years later. WILD went off the air in 2011. The station re-emerged in the winter of 2011 as a digital Internet radio station. Founded by M.C. Spice, a former WILD intern and veteran broadcast producer and voice over artist, the all-new WILD 2.0 promises great Soul and R&...

Kristina Brown, 22, the only daughter of singers Whitney Houston and Bobby Brown, died Sunday, nearly five months after she was found unresponsive in a bathtub of her home, her family said. Brown has been unresponsive in hospitals and hospice care since she was found in a bathtub of her Roswell, Georgia, home on Jan. 31. Her family said she suffered irreversible brain damage. "She is finally at peace in the arms of God," her family told NBC News in a statement. "We want to again thank everyone for their tremendous amount of love and support during these last few months." Bobbi Kristina was music royalty as the daughter of two superstars — and the granddaughter of another, Cissy Houston, the mother of Whitney, who died in February 2012. She became even better known at ...