US proposes 'musical instrument passports'

BANGKOK (AP) — Musicians, take note: Next time you travel abroad, you might need a passport — for your instrument.

GUEST COMMENTARY: Happy trails to you, just as they are for me

Walking is my health hobby. For years, I set a goal of walking on every street in Munster. Keep in mind that I did (and do) drive to a starting point and then begin the morning's walk. Each year, with the Munster street goal accomplished (in total miles about equal to walking to Iowa), I wou…

Cutler's status remains up in air

LAKE FOREST, Ill. | The Bears believe they can get by without Jay Cutler. That theory might be tested this week.

Animal Instinct: Family's Porter County home a refuge for healing wild animals

CHESTERTON | Helping a turtle with a cracked shell mend is a slow process.

Remote cameras can be great tools for gardeners

Trail cameras are becoming as popular with gardeners and farmers as they are with hunters, who use them to monitor animal behavior.

E.C. marsh cleanup to be finished by summer

EAST CHICAGO | Environmental cleanup at Roxana Marsh and an adjacent stretch of the Grand Calumet River remains on schedule with native trees and other vegetation set to be reintroduced this summer, project officials said Wednesday.

When squirrels make a home in your attic

Keeping trees trimmed back around the house will help limit the squirrels' routes of travel to the roof.

Kentucky state park offering sandhill crane weekends

Barren River Lake State Resort Park in south-central Kentucky is hosting two weekends for people who want to get a closer look at sandhill cranes as they make their annual stop.

Governor: Former prison farm to become state game bird habitat

INDIANAPOLIS | Land that once was a state prison farm in Pine Township soon will become a habitat for game birds.

Holiday feasting

Cater to snowbirds, and they will come

Hulled sunflower seeds attract jays, red-bellied woodpeckers (pictured), finches, cardinals, evening grosbeaks, pine grosbeaks, and small feeder birds.

Wildlife trapping: strong feelings for and against

COOLBAUGH, Pa. | Barry Warner has loved wildlife since boyhood, and lived out his dream of becoming a conservation officer. He sees no contradiction in the fact that he's also a lifelong trapper, skilled at capturing wild animals and, if appropriate, killing them as part of an avocation that…

Don't sacrifice wildlife in name of fiscal austerity

When our senators return to Washington soon, they will begin work on a catchall spending bill for the federal government that could spell disaster for our wildlife.

Amphibian fun at the Crete library

Denny Kenyon touches a tortoise held by Gail Scott, head of Children's Services, during a recent presentation at the Crete Public Library. Naturalist Deb Krohn, the Frog Lady, took children around the world with her reptile and amphibian slideshow.

Amphibian fun at the Crete library

Deb Krohn, the Frog Lady, recently presented a show about herpetology at the Crete Public Library, 1177 N. Main St.

Amphibian fun at the Crete library

Sydney Smaga views the many frogs on display during a recent Frog Lady program at the Crete Public Library. Naturalist Deb Krohn is the Frog Lady and shared her knowledge and live animals with the audience.

Amphibian fun at the Crete library

Children watch the turtles and tortoise eat lettuce and strawberries during the program.

Amphibian fun at the Crete library

CRETE | Wildlife biologist Deb Krohn, also known as the Frog Lady, presented a program at the Crete Public Library where her two coolest groups of animals — reptiles and amphibians — were present for the children to touch and examine.

Nowadays most US rabies cases come from wildlife

Rabies prevention in the United States is by and large a success story, with just one to four people dying of rabies each year in the U.S. thanks to widespread pet vaccinations and aggressive treatment for people bitten by potentially rabid animals.