LOS ANGELES – October 29, 2026 -- A new episode of LOVERS by Shan premieres October 28 with Dr. Keeonna Harris, Jason Espinoza and Jeremiah Chin, who discuss how their blended family has navigated incarceration, motherhood and changing relationships over 30 years.

Shan Boodram hosts three guests with distinct roles

Intimacy and relationship educator Shan Boodram leads the conversation. Harris is a best-selling author, scholar and advocate. Espinoza is a journey counselor at the Amity Foundation. Chin is the Lane Powell & D. Wayne Gittinger Endowed Assistant Professor of Law at the University of Washington.

Harris draws on lived experience from her memoir

Harris wrote Mainline Mama: A Memoir. Her story follows a woman's evolution as a mother, partner, advocate and individual, and looks at carrying responsibility, reclaiming identity and moving forward without ignoring the past.

Bellevue – October 29, 2026 -- Families in Bellevue, Washington, can now apply for kindergarten through Grade 4 at a new BASIS Independent Lower School campus that opens in Fall 2027 for the 2027–28 school year.

The Lower School sits directly across from the current campus

The new campus is at 15760 NE 4th Street, across the street from BASIS Independent Bellevue's existing school. Once it opens, the current campus becomes the Upper School for Grades 5–12.

A renovated two-story building holds 16 classrooms

The renovated building covers approximately 30,000 square feet on 1.5 acres. Inside, it will have 16 classrooms, a dining hall and an exercise room. Dedicated spaces are planned for music, performing arts, visual arts and engineering.

Outside, students get a playground and a covered play area.

Berlin – October 29, 2026 -- Leaving fallen leaves in your garden this autumn protects soil and roots, produces free humus and gives hedgehogs, insects and birds a place to overwinter, according to German environmental group BUND. Its garden expert Corinna Hölzel urges homeowners to put the leaf blower away.

A 2-to-10-centimeter leaf layer works as mulch

Leaves should come off the lawn, Hölzel says, but they belong on beds, under hedges and around tree bases. A layer of roughly two to ten centimeters guards against drying out and erosion, keeps soil temperature stable and suppresses weeds. It also feeds earthworms and microorganisms.

As the leaves rot, they release humus and nutrients that plants use to grow, so gardeners need to fertilize less. Before mulching, loosen the soil and clear weed roots, and leave out sown seeds and young seedlings. Perennials, shrubs and fruit trees benefit most.

Kufstein – October 29, 2026 -- Kufstein Fortress in Tyrol, named one of Austria's nine most beautiful places for 2026, offers a 21-station tour, a daily organ concert at noon and a concert arena for up to 4,200 people. The ORF programme "9 Plätze – 9 Schätze" gave the award. The fortress now ranks among Tyrol's most visited sights.

A border post that became a bridal gift

The fortress was first mentioned in documents in 1205. For centuries it was a contested border post between Bavaria and Tyrol. In the 14th century it became a wedding present for the Tyrolean duchess Margarete "Maultasch".

Emperor Maximilian I captured it in 1504 and had it expanded into a powerful fortification. The town of Kufstein has owned it since 1924, acquired in exchange for several hectares of forest.

Düsseldorf – October 29, 2026 -- Infrared heaters deliver warmth at the push of a button and are easy to install, but running them for long periods can drive up electricity costs, according to energy provider Grünwelt Energie.

Infrared heaters work best as a supplementary heat source

Infrared heaters warm rooms with direct thermal radiation. Grünwelt Energie says they are strongest as an add-on heater, for example in a bathroom or guest room. The devices are relatively cheap to buy, usually need no regular maintenance and stir up little dust.

Converting electricity directly into heat limits efficiency

The main drawback is that these heaters turn electricity straight into heat. Long operating times can therefore mean higher costs. As the only heating source, especially in poorly insulated buildings, they are less economical.

NEW YORK – October 29, 2026 -- On November 6, a free pop-up on the Lower East Side will let guests build their own savory martini at a self-serve machine, and pair it with Dave's Hot Chicken. Cîroc is behind the Martini Machini, which it describes as a first-of-its-kind interactive martini-mixing machine.

The Martini Machini lets drinkers dial in brine, garnish and flair

Guests customize their martini by choosing their preferred ratio of brine, garnish and flair. The machine is built around Cîroc's new signature serve, the Messy Martini, a trademarked, layered twist on the classic dirty martini.

The Messy Martini combines Cîroc Vodka with pickle and banana pepper brine.

Raleigh – October 29, 2026 -- Used car owners in Raleigh, North Carolina, can book oil changes at the service center of Auction Direct USA, which services vehicles of all makes and models.

An oil change replaces dirty oil with fresh lubricant

The service involves draining old engine oil and refilling the engine with fresh oil that lubricates components, reduces friction and helps manage heat. Over time, oil collects dirt, debris and other contaminants that reduce its effectiveness. Following the manufacturer's recommended intervals can help drivers reduce the risk of preventable mechanical problems and costly repairs.

Frankfurt am Main – October 29, 2026 -- Managers who lose their jobs at 40 or 50 don't have to start from zero, according to career adviser Dr. Hans-Peter Luippold, who says the key is repositioning existing experience for a changed job market.

Companies such as Volkswagen and Bayer have been cutting management positions for months. For executives with 15 or 20 successful years behind them, that can mean a sudden restart.

Job loss often shakes professional identity

For longtime managers, a dismissal frequently means more than lost income. Familiar structures, responsibility and professional recognition disappear. Many also haven't written a job application in years, because they got their previous roles through promotions or personal contacts, so standardized rejections can be especially unsettling.

Bad Zwischenahn – October 29, 2026 -- Food brand Rügenwalder Mühle has named Saarland the "Meister des Feierabends" (Master of After-Work Time) after a nationwide survey found that 40 percent of Germans often can't fully switch off in the evening.

Germans value their evenings but struggle to unwind

The "Feierabend Monitor" is a representative online survey of 2,257 people, run by september Strategie & Forschung in May and June 2026 for Rügenwalder Mühle. For 74 percent of respondents, the end of the workday is an important retreat. Another 63 percent link it to time with people who matter to them, and 85 percent say dinner is a fixed part of it.

What gets in the way: private worries (50 percent), inner restlessness (45 percent) and unfinished to-dos (42 percent).

Saarland residents rely on small rituals more than anyone else

Respondents from Saarland report fixed wind-down habits more often than the national average:

NEW YORK – October 29, 2026 -- Town & Country's November 2026 Philanthropy issue, with four different covers, is available on townandcountrymag.com now and everywhere by November 3. It arrives alongside the magazine's 13th annual Philanthropy Summit, held at Hearst Tower in New York City.

Four honorees take the first Philanthropists of the Year Awards

For the first time, Town & Country presented "Philanthropists of the Year" awards to individuals and institutions working toward the greater good. The honorees were Tory Burch; Ciara and Russell Wilson; Andrew Shue; and Aerin Lauder with The Met Visionaries. That group includes the Lauder Family, Agnes Hsu-Tang and Oscar Tang, and Jen Rubio and Stewart Butterfield.