San Francisco Weekly

Some casseroles lose people with one-note texture or heavy sauce, so the fastest way to change a skeptic’s mind is to give them contrast. These 15 recipes bring crunchy toppings, layered pasta, smoky meat, creamy fillings, sandwich-inspired flavors, and even a brunch bake. Several feed six to eight people, and a few use shortcuts like cooked chicken or meatballs. The range makes casseroles look less like one category and more like a whole set of dinners worth reconsidering. Mom’s Meatball Casserole.

Raw, windy evenings make a hot dinner especially welcome once everyone is back inside. These 17 family-friendly fall recipes cover soup, pasta, pot roast, chicken, beef, rice, casseroles, and skillet dinners, with enough variety to keep the week from feeling repetitive. Several come together in 25 to 45 minutes, while slower options can cook earlier in the day or handle a longer weekend evening.

Getting Halloween dessert plans sorted early leaves more room for costumes, decorations, and everything else that piles up near October 31. These 13 Halloween recipes cover monster whoopie pies, eyeball truffles, pumpkin bakes, decorated cookies, cupcakes, cheesecake, and a few treats that can be made well before the doorbell starts ringing. Some need chilling or decorating time, while others come together quickly with premade or shortcut ingredients.

(The Center Square) - U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Windsor, and her Democratic challenger, retired Adm. Eileen Laubacher, clashed Monday night during a fiery debate in the race for Colorado's 4th Congressional District. They disputed each other's qualifications and debated national security, affordability, public safety, government accountability and the conflict with Iran.

(LOS ANGELES) In 1774, a young man in his early 20s named Mai arrived in England. The first Pacific Islander to visit Britain, Mai had joined Captain James Cook’s second expedition during its stop in the Society Islands, which include the islands of Tahiti and Raiatea and today are a part of French Polynesia. Two years after Mai’s landing in England, the painter and founding Royal Academy President Joshua Reynolds depicted Mai on a canvas nearly 8 feet tall.

(The Center Square) - Arizona has two congressional races that could determine which party controls the U.S. House, according to a pollster. Both races are focusing on issues such as taxes, the economy and immigration enforcement as Democrats work to take back the U.S. House in the Nov. 3 general election. Republicans currently control the House with a four-seat majority over Democrats: 218 to 214.

(The Center Square) – Democrat Roy Cooper leads Republican Michael Whatley 48.8%-40.9% in new polling released Monday of their battle to win a seat from North Carolina in the U.S. Senate. Pattern history for half a century would put Whatley a favorite and Cooper the underdog, yet reality since each declared formally in July of last year has been Cooper leading the polls since Day 1 and also leading in Federal Election Commission filings.

(The Center Square) – The U.S. military and U.S. Coast Guard are expanding their technological capabilities through a range of modernization initiatives, artificial intelligence and drones. The Department of War said it is implementing a range of technological advancements in response to recommendations made in a White House Office of Science and Technology report, Science: A New Golden Age.

The site of an elephant carcasses in South Africa’s Kruger National Park. (Courtney Reed via SWNS) By Stephen Beech Elephants leave a “jaw-dropping” legacy by shaping the grassy plains where they roamed for years after their deaths, reveals new research.

(COLUMBUS, OHIO) A wave of anti-transgender legislation has appeared in statehouses across the country over the past few years. Now, transgender issues are a recurring topic on the 2026 midterm campaign trail. As a scholar of LGBTQ+ politics and history, I’ve noticed surprising trends in how Democrats in key states like Texas and Ohio talk about policies focused on transgender people, as the party vies for control of Congress.