‘I Spy’ in the sky: Spot the leaves, critters and clouds from the Mount Snow chairlift

WEST DOVER, Vt. — The birds up here have it made.

NH’s Kancamagus Highway: mispronounced and much beloved for 50 years

ALBANY, N.H. — New Hampshire’s famed foliage route, the Kancamagus Highway, is celebrating its 50th birthday, so it’s about time everyone learned how to pronounce it correctly.

Perfect stop on New England fall trip: New Bedford, Mass., busy port with whaling history

NEW BEDFORD, Mass. — Walk this city’s cobblestone streets and imagine the days when the whale oil industry supported banks, mansions, and small businesses. For 35 years, between 1825 and 1860, New Bedford, a city of around 100,000 on the Atlantic coast’s Buzzards Bay, was the busiest whaling port in the world.

George Clooney sparkles in Venice for premiere of “The Men Who Stare at Goats”

VENICE, Italy — George Clooney wants viewers to know one thing about his new movie, a comic tale of “psychic warfare” by the U.S. military: It’s not a war movie.

Knut gets lucky: New female polar bear arrives to stay with Berlin’s favorite bear

BERLIN — Berlin’s favorite polar bear Knut has a new companion: Giovanna, a female polar bear from Munich.

Venezuela’s Chavez walks Venice red carpet with Oliver Stone to promote new documentary

VENICE, Italy — Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez received a movie star welcome at the Venice Film Festival, where he walked the red carpet with director Oliver Stone for the premiere of the documentary “South of the Border.”

Indian farmers discrimination lawsuit still unsettled after a decade

BISMARCK, N.D. — Fort Berthold Reservation rancher Pete Fredericks says he still hasn’t recovered from a brutal winter nearly 30 years ago that wiped out half his black Angus herd. White ranchers in the region fared better because they got financial help from the federal government, he says.

Killer whales, robins, rising seas: Climate is changing and tiny ‘Tuk’ mans the front line

TUKTOYAKTUK, Northwest Territories — Caught between rising seas and land melting beneath their mukluk-shod feet, the villagers of Tuktoyaktuk are doing what anyone would do on this windy Arctic coastline. They’re building windmills.

Endangered Sumatran rhino dies at Cincinnati Zoo; produced 3 rare calves born in captivity

CINCINNATI — An endangered Sumatran rhino has died at the Cincinnati Zoo, a setback to a program that successfully produced the first calves born in captivity in more than a century.

Duggan scores 3 goals, Vetter stops 19 shots as US beats Finland 4-0 to reach Canada Cup final

VANCOUVER, British Columbia — Meghan Duggan scored three goals and Jessie Vetter made 19 saves to lead the United States into the championship game of the Hockey Canada Cup with a 4-0 victory over Finland on Saturday.

Where’s Waldo? Scientists search for missing robot used to detect toxic algae off Fla. coast

SARASOTA, Fla. — Scientists on Florida’s Gulf Coast are trying to find an underwater robot that has mysteriously vanished.

Smithsonian chief sweeps up the ‘nation’s attic,’ hopes to create education powerhouse

WASHINGTON — Wayne Clough pulls a thumb-sized computer flash drive from his pocket and marvels at how many of the Smithsonian Institution’s millions of objects can be captured on it.

What goes up: Ind. firefighter skydives 100 times in one day to fight smoke deaths

LEBANON, Ohio — An Indianapolis firefighter had a real up-and-down day on Friday by skydiving 100 times in southwest Ohio. Joe Frolick made the jumps Friday at the Warren County Airport near Lebanon. He said he wanted to raise awareness and money to fight fire deaths from smoke inhalation.

Doctoral program in aquaculture and fisheries approved for university at edge of Ark. Delta

PINE BLUFF, Ark. — Studying fish once seemed so simple: find out where they were biting and keep it under your hat. Now the study of fish has evolved into Ph.D.-level programs that can make fish bigger, tastier and a larger part of the nation’s economy.

Toys R Us profit doubles in second quarter

WAYNE, N.J. — Toys R Us Inc. on Friday said that its net income more than doubled in its second quarter on improved margins and cost controls.

With showers and sleeper trailers, chow hall and church tent, wildfire base camp like a city

LOS ANGELES — “Good morning!” Capt. Chip Paulson shouts from the canvas deck chair beside his fire engine. Never mind that it’s just shy of 4 p.m.

Lobster turf wars bring conflict to quiet, remote island off Maine coast

MATINICUS ISLAND, Maine — Life here is defined by the ocean. It’s the ocean that feeds the livelihoods of the lobstermen. It’s the ocean that dictates the weather. And it’s 20 miles of ocean that separates Matinicus from the mainland and makes it a world apart.

Yonfan persists in film invoking childhood memories of the ‘White Terror’ despite resistance

VENICE, Italy — Hong Kong-based director Yonfan’s “Prince of Tears” premieres Friday at the Venice Film Festival 20 years to the hour after Golden Lion-winner “City of Sadness,” the last major film to confront a painful period of Taiwanese history known as the White Terror.

San Diego Zoo’s new panda cub is a boy

SAN DIEGO — The panda cub born at the San Diego Zoo nearly a month ago is a boy.

Snoopy ousts SpongeBob as Cedar Fair replaces Nickelodeon with Peanuts in its theme parks

SANDSUKY, Ohio — Move over, SpongeBob and Dora. Make way for Snoopy.

Second 4-year-old girl in 2 months is struck in face by deer at central Mass. zoo

MENDON, Mass. — Another 4-year-old girl has been injured by a deer at Southwick’s Zoo in central Massachusetts.

Addicted to the Internet? Residential treatment center opens, said to be first in US

FALL CITY, Wash. — Ben Alexander spent nearly every waking minute playing the video game “World of Warcraft.” As a result, he flunked out of the University of Iowa.

Maker of boats and pool tables floats offer to buy back up to $75 in senior secured notes

LAKE FOREST, Ill. — Brunswick Corp. has launched a tender offer to buy back up to $75 million of its debt.

First hunter to report Idaho wolf kill gets harassing phone calls

LEWISTON, Idaho — The first hunter to report a wolf kill in Idaho says he’s been flooded with nasty messages.

Police: Man who fell into Boston zoo’s movie set lion pit lied to gain access to closed area

BOSTON — Massachusetts State Police say a man who fell 30 feet into a pit being used as a lion’s den on a movie set at a Boston zoo remains hospitalized.

Indonesian quake kills 57; toll could rise as dozens still missing, including many children

CIKANGKARENG, Indonesia — Children were crowded around a video game console, passing the time before they could break the Muslim holy month’s daily fast, when an earthquake touched off a landslide that smothered their Indonesian village.

Dolly Parton sings ‘My Mountain, My Home’ at ceremony celebrating 75th anniversary of Smokies

GATLINBURG, Tenn. — Homegrown superstar Dolly Parton sang “My Mountain, My Home” as leaders rededicated the Great Smoky Mountains National Park on its 75th anniversary in a ceremony Wednesday.

More looking, less buying at annual farm equipment show as farmers grow cautious about future

DECATUR, Ill. — Danny Bradshaw climbed out of the cab of a New Holland tractor Wednesday morning impressed but already certain he wouldn’t spend the more than $200,000 all that horsepower and high-gloss blue paint would cost.

Wyoming town roiled by police use of Taser on 76-year-old tractor driver during parade

GLENROCK, Wyo. — Bud Grose seemed like the last person who should attract the attention of police when the 76-year-old retiree hopped on his antique tractor and rumbled through the annual parade in this small Wyoming town.

Star of ‘The Cove’ film about brutality of dolphin hunt sets out to win over Japanese public

TAIJI, Japan — All Ric O’Barry wants is to stop the killing, so the dolphin trainer for the 1960s “Flipper” TV series figured the natural place to start was in this seaside Japanese town.