Metropolitan Home joins list of design magazines that closed.

For holiday entertaining, "move the centerpiece above the table and decorate the chandelier," says New York and Washington designer Ondine Karady.

Hanging curtains on bare windows is a quick way to dress up a space as well as add softness and warmth.

From our design experts, here are other small things you can do in the dining room.

Now is the time to check your holiday tablecloth and napkin supply.

Get your dining room chairs ready for holiday entertaining.

Instead of flowers, D.C. floral designer Sue Bluford recommends arranging fruits, vegetables or gourds down the center of a dining table.

On defense for flu season? Doctors will tell you your best shot is to get a shot. But that won't cut it for Sue Berman of Silver Spring's Blue Heron Wellness. To keep sniffles at bay, she plans to spend a whole lot more time with needles.

Here is an edited excerpt from Local Living's daily blog, On parenting. Read the latest at voices.washingtonpost.com/parenting .

Garden help: boxwood shrubs, sheared blue spruce.

These food establishments were closed because of health code violations. The list, compiled from health department reports, reflects actions taken by the departments.

They all seem to be having a good time, the 20 or so girls wielding field hockey sticks on a tree-lined field tucked far behind the Loudoun County campus of Northern Virginia Community College. It's a pleasant fall evening, and the distant hum of cars on Route 7 provides a soothing soundtrack as the...

Travelers responding to my suggestions [ Dr. Gridlock, Nov. 1 ] about long-term solutions to Interstate 95's traffic congestion had their own practices and policies to propose.

A couple buys an apple press and attempts making apple cider at home.

Niermann Weeks will open its Millersville factory to the public on Saturday for a sample sale.

To celebrate November's National American Indian Heritage Month, there's no need to trek to the National Museum of the American Indian in the District. Head to the Patuxent River 4-H Center for a day-long lesson on history and culture. A program emceed by Seneca Indian Michael Nephew, will include...

This D.C.-based dance group celebrates more than 15 years of performing and teaching around the globe with this high-energy stepping production, which makes simple walking seem inadequate by comparison. Step Afrika! is the first professional company dedicated to stepping. In this program, the...

The countdown is on for the holiday season. It's time to take a good, hard look at your dining room and assess its readiness for entertaining from now until New Year's Day.

Try these designer-recommended colors to transform a dining room's walls:

If your floor is bare or your area rug is worn out, an inexpensive sisal rug will add an instant pick-me-up to almost any dining room.

"The hub of our home is threadbare. The window treatments, lighting, carpet, sofa, desk need to be replaced, but I do like the beams."

How to restore and preserve the shine of an old wood floor.

Los Angeles designer Michael S. Smith has the hottest decorating job in the country: the private quarters of the White House for the Obamas.

These were among sales recorded recently in Anne Anne Arundel County and supplied to The Washington Post by Spatial Systems Associates, the Maryland Office of Assessments and Taxation and the Maryland Office of Planning. To find sale and assessment records for homes in Anne Arundel and elsewhere in...

The slightest rustle of the Milk-Bone box gets mutts and purebreds alike drooling. But for pet parents who pledge allegiance to Whole Foods and the locavore lifestyle, the number of unpronounceable and unthinkable ingredients in mass-produced canine treats can cause a paw-size pause. So, if cooking...

Dear Dr. Fox: I have two male Westies, ages 6 and 3. They are healthy, happy and look great. No wonder. They are fed your home-cooked brown rice and lamb diet, an occasional hard-boiled egg, some turkey breast and a variety of vegetables. They also get daily Brewer's yeast and garlic tabs. Each dog...

These sales were recorded in Howard County and supplied to The Washington Post by Spatial Systems Associates, the Maryland State Department of Assessments and Taxation and the Maryland Office of Planning. To find sale and assessment records for homes in Howard and other Washington areas, visit...

The nation's economic leaders have declared that the country has begun to emerge from the deepest recession in decades. But with the holiday season approaching, a return to prosperity feels more distant than ever at many Washington area food pantries.

These were among incidents reported by the Howard County Police Department. For information, call 410-313-2236.

The following incidents were reported by the Anne Arundel County Police Department. For information, call 410-222-8050.

From a health perspective, adult mammals shouldn't be drinking milk, especially the milk from another mammal ["Milk's skeptics would like to steer us away from our herd mentality," Eat, Drink and Be Healthy, Nov. 5]. I would do it anyway if I could find a cruelty-free source of milk and milk prod...

What if there was a small, inexpensive device that was proven to boost your fitness, help you lose weight and lower your blood pressure? Would you use it, especially if doing so was nearly effortless?

Contestants on NBC's weight-loss competition show "The Biggest Loser" undergo all kinds of duress in their efforts to shed pounds. Some of the ordeals they endure -- including a brutal workout in Washington's hot July sun for an episode that aired last week -- seem like sheer torture to me.

I often interview educators and gather data to find which high schools are doing the best job teaching kids. It is satisfying work, with the biggest payoff in visiting those schools and telling them how good they are compared to others. This is often a surprise to the teachers and administrators,...