Alas! The political campaign season came to an end right before the cold weather set in. Just when you could have used some of that free hot air generated by the candidates to warm your house, it stopped flowing. Politicians! They huff and they puff, but the...

Oblivious to nearby golfers and the jets gliding toward Oakland International Airport, migratory monarch butterflies (Danaus plexippus) have made Monarch Bay Golf Club in San Leandro their winter home since the 1970s. They cluster by the thousands in two...

Reality: The Bay Area's coyotes are here to stay and more will come to join them. In the past 20 years, wily coyotes have made homes for themselves in nearly every American city. Coyotes are resident in Central Park on the island of Manhattan. Coyotes cross...

The thought of a toasty fire in the hearth kindles images of romantic nesting and lower heating bills. But don't strike a match until you've made sure your fireplace and chimney are clean and in good working order. Thirty-six percent of home-heating fires...

Q:My new landlord wants me to start paying my rent in cash. Besides being uncomfortable about possibly not getting credit for the payment, I don't want to carry that much cash on me. I have lived here for six years and have never had a problem paying my rent....