Family

Globally, women are cooking twice as many meals as men

4:07pm October 31, 2023

by Allison Aubrey

Women are cooking more than men in many countries. The gender gap narrowed in the pandemic years, but now it's widening again with women cooking nearly nine meals and men just four meals per week.

This photo provided by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Oct. 28, 2023, shows a WanaBana apple cinnamon fruit puree pouch.

FDA warns that WanaBana fruit pouches contain high lead levels, endangering children

1:00pm October 31, 2023

by Joe Hernandez

The apple cinnamon fruit puree pouches — regardless of their expiration date — are being recalled. They were sold online and in person through retailers such as Sam's Club, Amazon and Dollar Tree.

Charlie the superdog is the only member of the King family who got two Halloween outfits this year. His other costume is a doughnut.

National

We're spending $700 million on pet costumes in the costliest Halloween ever

11:10am October 31, 2023

by Alina Selyukh

More U.S. shoppers are buying into Halloween this year, scaring up a new spending record for costumes, decorations, candy and cute outfits for pets.

Queue Listen Now

Spanish Duke and Duchess christened their 2nd daughter with a very long name

6:45am October 31, 2023

Her name is 25 words: Sofia Fernanda Dolores Ca-ye-tana Teresa Angela de la Cruz Micaela del Santisimo Sacramento del Per-pe-tuo Socorro de la Santisima Trinidad y de Todos Los Santos.

A car is open at a trunk-or-treat in 2014. The events allow children to collect candy from trunks of cars gathered in parking lots.

What to know about trunk-or-treating, a trick-or-treating alternative

5:01am October 31, 2023

by Ayana Archie

Trunk-or-treating has been popular among churches, where people gather in parking lots and decorate their car trunks. Here's a rundown of how it started and how to find one nearby.

Children walk past Halloween decorations last year. In several U.S. towns, it's illegal for kids over 12 years old to go trick-or-treating.

No candy for you. Some towns ban older kids from trick-or-treating on Halloween

5:00am October 30, 2023

by Bill Chappell

When are kids too old to go trick-or-treating? In some U.S. towns, it's illegal for teenagers to indulge in the sweetest part of Halloween – one even threatened jail time.

Halloween lets children bring fantasy play into the real world, all while building a sense of community. Here, kids go trick-or-treating during Halloween in London in 2020.

Halloween performs a neat trick, and it's not just about the treats

7:00am October 29, 2023

by Bill Chappell

Part of Halloween's charm is that the normal rules are suspended. When else can kids dress up and demand candy from strangers? But some rules do apply.

National

2 artists spent years documenting Day of the Dead altars in South Philadelphia

4:42pm October 27, 2023

by Kayla Lattimore

In this week's StoryCorps, a husband remembers his wife, who helped him document Día de los Muertos altars in the Mexican and Central American communities of South Philadelphia — until she became ill.

Queue Listen Now

Joyce Mutisya, 71, outside her home in Wote, Kenya. For years she's struggled with symptoms of dementia. But she didn't realize it was a condition for which she could seek professional help.

Health & Safety

Facing dementia without a diagnosis is crushing. A new program in Kenya offers help

11:23am October 25, 2023

by Nurith Aizenman

In Kenya, someone with symptoms of dementia may not be able to get a diagnosis — leaving both patient and family with no idea of what is going on. A program in Kenya is trying to change that.

Queue Listen Now

Almost half of all babies born in the U.S. in 2019 were born to unmarried mothers, a dramatic increase since 1960, when only 5% of births were to unmarried mothers.

Why children of married parents do better, but America is moving the other way

9:54am October 22, 2023

by Pallavi Gogoi

Almost half of all babies born in the U.S. are born to unmarried mothers. That's not good for children, says progressive economist Melissa Kearney in her new book, The Two-Parent Privilege.