I believe I found at least one of the problems! About a month ago I was trying to find the instructions for a digital hose end irrigation timer that I have, and I downloaded what I thought was the manual, but was in fact an "app" extension on MicroSoft Edge that grabs ads based on browsing history (I think). Regardless, I turned the app OFF and blocked their extension, hoping that it eliminates the issue.
I also found that my Ad Blocker Plus had been turned OFF, perhaps by the Manuals App, and I turned it back ON.