One day last month I stepped out of my car in Riegelsville, Pa., and onto a sidewalk in front of the town’s post office, where residents come to pick up their mail and often spend a few minutes talking with neighbors. The first person I encountered was a young man …

For 18 months, I’ve taken a weekly lesson at a stable that specializes in therapeutic work. The team here helps disabled people experience horseback riding and nonmounted equine exercises; they also have a kids’ program. The barn is truly my happy place, so much so that I have volunteered at …

More than 25 million Americans have a severe fear of flying, or aerophobia, the Cleveland Clinic estimates. Aerophobia can cause extreme anxiety before and during a flight as the amygdala, the brain’s emotional center, goes into overdrive over perceived dangers. Yet flying is one of the safest forms of transportation. …

From Venice and Amsterdam to Maine and Key West, popular tourist destinations are taking a hard look at cruise ship traffic and the crowds and environmental pressures they generate. Among the most recent destinations to consider limiting that traffic is Juneau, Alaska, which has a population of 32,000 and received …

The Supreme Court on Wednesday allowed the Environmental Protection Agency to move ahead with its plans to limit carbon emissions by power plants, handing a victory to the Biden administration. The decision, which was temporary, centered on a major regulation the administration enacted in April that seeks to eliminate pollution …

The Supreme Court on Wednesday appeared to side with the City of San Francisco in its unusual challenge of federal water regulations that it said were too vague and could be interpreted too strictly. The outcome could have sweeping implications for curtailing water pollution offshore and would deal another blow …

A decade ago, the University of Michigan intentionally placed itself in the vanguard of a revolution then beginning to reshape American higher education. Around the country, college administrators were rapidly expanding D.E.I. programs. They believed that vigorous D.E.I. efforts would allow traditionally underrepresented students to thrive on campus — and …

Columbia University has temporarily barred a vocal pro-Israel professor from campus, saying he repeatedly harassed and intimidated the school’s employees. Shai Davidai, an assistant professor in the business school, has been a polarizing presence on campus since Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas led an attack on Israel that has turned …

Four people, including a police officer and a high school teacher, have been charged with running a prostitution ring that operated two brothels on Long Island over nearly five years. The brothels were run out of “suites” in a building in Holbrook and a sex-toy store in West Babylon, according …

More than 150 people were killed in northern Nigeria on Tuesday after an overturned fuel tanker exploded, according to a police spokesman, in one of the deadliest road disasters ever recorded in Africa’s most populous country. While the death toll was exceptionally high, the episode followed an all-too-common pattern on …