Lifestyle

Q. My 12-year-old daughter recently told me her 11-year-old stepbrother tried to kiss her before he went to bed the other night. She was already asleep, and they share a room. We gently confronted him, and he admitted to it, but he was very embarrassed, and my daughter is mortified. My husband and I have only been married six months and we moved into his two-bedroom condo. We obviously need more room, but we felt demonstrating a positive, loving relationship after both of our bad divorces was more important. His son goes back and forth between his mother’s home and ours. We aren’t sure what to do at this point. What do you suggest? What’s good ex-etiquette?

Rena Pederson moved to Dallas in 1970 for her first reporting job. On one overnight shift, she saw a dispatch about a thief known as the King of Diamonds. In at least 40 burglaries over a decade, His Majesty had stolen several million dollars’ worth of jewels from Dallas’ elite.

CHICAGO — Due west of O’Hare International Airport, there is a neighborhood — formally, part of Elk Grove Village — that isn’t much of a neighborhood. It’s warehouses, drab gray offices. It’s Gertrude Stein’s point about “no there there,” a place so devoid of character, you long for a big-box logo. Companies here use “Solutions” in their names. Also, “Logistics” and “Global.” Everyone seems to be hiding something yet it’s nothing you’d actually care about.

There are more than 90,000 people on the waiting list for a kidney transplant in the U.S. Unfortunately, the demand for kidneys exceeds the supply. However, so-called living donor chains are giving hope to those in need of vital organs.

Melatonin is a hormone naturally produced in the brain that’s linked to your body’s sleep and wake cycle. The natural release of melatonin is stimulated by darkness and suppressed by daylight. It’s also available as a supplement that you can take as a pill or chewable gummy.

While awaiting my new stove, I decided I needed to get to know my microwave a little better.

Eighteen eighty-three got off to a blazing start.

LIMA — The circus is coming to town again.

FICTION

If you’ve followed this column for a while, you know this is the week when I get to share jokes and groaners that may even be remotely related to food.