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Los Angeles International Airport has 30 comfort dogs assigned to assist weary and stressed-out travelers. The airports in San Jose and Miami are using dogs, too. Many passengers say it's helpful to see a smiling dog at the end of the security check-in.

Most people know to phone 911 in an emergency, but police departments are often overwhelmed by the sheer volume of calls. Some cities use 311 lines to help divert non-emergency requests, while Miami dispatches a group of unarmed public servants to tackle many non-urgent situations.

This summer, New York City is expanding food waste recycling into more neighborhoods, with an eye toward eventually making the program mandatory. Officials are hoping the changes will help improve on the city's dismal recycling rate, which remains stuck at 15 percent.

Even though it's tough to purchase your own home in this economy, single women are making it work. After married couples, they're the largest demographic group of homebuyers. In fact, their share of the market is twice that of single men.

When Connie Casey learned her adolescent son was gay, she blamed herself and sent him to conversion therapy for several years. But when Samuel, now 22, went away to college, Connie says, she realized that "it was time to take a look at everything that I'd ever been taught to believe."

Being able to throw stones with power and precision must have been fun for humans' early ancestors. It was essential, too, since we lack the the fangs and claws of other predators. A recent study suggests the ability to fire rocket fastballs depends on shoulder anatomy that chimps don't share.

At the turn of the 20th century, visiting a drug store meant going to a soda counter with a pharmacist. If you wanted to go shopping, you would go to a department store. Now that trend is reversing: drug stores are battling to keep consumers in the store for longer.

In the U.S., more prospective parents seek to adopt white and mixed race children than black children. As a result, many agencies levy lower fees to make it easier for parents to adopt from among the large numbers of black children waiting for placement.

Researchers usually identify natural predators or parasites to combat invasive bugs like the brown marmorated stink bug and the psyllid. But after not finding immediate solutions, they are turning to pesticides and nutrient sprays.

For decades, Brazilians migrated to Europe and the United States in search of better jobs and opportunities. But as Brazil's economy has grown, more and more of the world's desperate are coming to Brazil.