By Jack Spaulding A show of companionship and survival is available to view live from an Indiana Department of Natural Resources webcam. The camera offers a glimpse into the lives of a barn owl pair raising chicks. Barn owls are a rarity and a state-endangered species. The pair on the webcam has been living in a… Continue reading.

While most kids can prepare only peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, 12-year-old Haley Mattes of Evansville won the Food Network’s “Chopped Junior” TV show, and the $10,000 prize, by cooking chickpea-crusted camel hamburger, seared filet mignon with watercress salad, and cookie dough vanilla bean ice cream with chocolate cake. Haley had to come up with… Continue reading.

How far would you go chasing a firefly? Across town? Across the state? To the ends of the Earth? In the cool of the evening this time of year, these little bioluminescent beetles emerge and begin beckoning both their mates and us with their tiny flashing greenish gold beacons. It’s easy to fall under their… Continue reading.

Despite advancements in technology, the basic tools and techniques for preparing Mexican food, especially the staple corn tortillas, have stayed relatively constant. Have you used these traditional Mexican cooking tools? Cazuela: an earthenware pot used for boiling corn, moles and beans Metate: a small, sloped, stone table used to grind corn Prensa: a wooden or… Continue reading.

By planning meals ahead of time, you can eat healthier food and save time and money at the grocery store. The challenge can seem daunting, though. Planning menus days in advance, grocery shopping in bulk and preparing multiple dinners in one day are no easy tasks at first. But by developing an organized system and… Continue reading.

Location: White County, south of Wolcott; west of Chalmers and Brookston Dimensions: 12 miles by 12 miles; over 92,000 acres Status: Phases I to IV operating (2009-2010); More construction to begin in 2017 Nameplate capacity: 500 megawatts (Phases I-IV); 600 MW (by 2018) Number of turbines: 303 (Phases I-IV); 353 (by 2018) Power generation: 1,535,606 megawatt-hours annually… Continue reading.

Alternative sources of energy are gaining ground as costs drop, efficiencies improve, and consumers, lawmakers, regulators and utilities all seek cleaner solutions for the environment when it comes to how we generate electricity and use electricity.  Indiana’s electric cooperatives have been diversifying their power portfolios for over two decades — even before renewable mandates and… Continue reading.

By B. Rosie Lerner To celebrate Indiana’s bicentennial this year, the Garden Club of Indiana and the Indiana Bicentennial Commission are hoping gardeners will join the Blue & Gold garden tribute to Indiana’s state flag. It’s an easy way for all Indiana residents to commemorate the bicentennial. If you don’t have a traditional garden bed,… Continue reading.

Without protein, our bodies wouldn’t be able to function properly. Protein is a structural molecule composed of amino acids, which our bodies typically can’t produce on their own. Not only do proteins make muscles, tendons, organs and skins, our bodies rely on proteins for enzymes, hormones, neurotransmitters and other important functions. According to the U.S…. Continue reading.

By Jack Spaulding I was a little amazed a few weeks ago when I noticed a flock of about 15 robins sitting in the ash tree behind the house. Robins are not seed feeders and didn’t show up for the sunflower seeds at our bird feeder. I don’t know if they were a small flock from… Continue reading.

In what many see as a stunning — even unprecedented — action, the United States Supreme Court halted the Obama administration’s sweeping rule to cut carbon emissions from power providers until the many legal challenges surrounding the 2015 regulation are reviewed by the courts. The 5-4 order came Feb. 9. For now, the stay stops… Continue reading.