Grandpa is still alive, and he has remarried.
Ellie and John had another kid, April, who is now about to begin High School.
There have been some good storylines but for the most part the strip is getting very breederiffic.
Examples:
Liz hooks up with a guy who uses and abuses her sexually - and ends up cheating on her. I think his name was Eric. Eric was portrayed as totally evil and as evidence of this he didn't want kids. There is another man, a chopper pilot, who Liz also likes ... as evidence of his goodness he carried around pictures of his nieces and nephews in his wallet.
Deanna effectively oopses Michael - and everyone assures them they will just 'cope' even though they have very little money at the time.
Michael and Deanna and their TWO children live above a couple who complain about their noise and the kindercrap in the building. This couple are stereotyped as evil childhatters and are drawn to look quite repulsive. Even though the kids are clearly noisy Michael and Dee are portrayed as the 'victims'. Oh - and the reason they live there is that they can't afford anywhere else - Lovie the landlady is sympathetic because she is a complete breederbrain. Not like anyone would suggest NOT having another kid until they could afford it.
And the latest storyline that has Therese as 'evil' because she wants a career and is not interested in the baby that Anthony wanted her to bear. Anthony is portrayed as hard done by because he does the bulk of the child duties while Therese enjoys her career. Therese is portrayed very unsympathetically.
Ellie has deteriorated into a complete grandmoo - these stories now predominate over the ones about her small business (because we all know what really matters to women)
There is enough to make me keep reading the strip - but I do think it has lapsed into breederism lately and that LJ seems to have developed placenta brain.