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In swamps and wetlands all over the South, fat, furry rodents called nutria -- a beaver-like animal native to Argentina -- are devouring small plants and sparking huge erosion problems. NPR's Melanie Peeples meets with some Louisiana trappers who earn $4 from the state government for each nutria they kill.

A group of experts and volunteers are restoring old theater curtains they have located all over Vermont to some of their old luster. They're hand-painted, full-color, vaudeville-era canvas curtains that depict local valleys, placid lakes, and Roman chariot races.

When Ebenezer Scrooge has a change of heart at the end of A Christmas Carol, he downs a mug of Smoking Bishop with Bob Cratchit. NPR's Neda Ulaby gets the family recipe for the fruit-and-wine libation from none other than Dickens' great-grandson Cedric Dickens.

In a holiday hurry? Get ready to cook up a Christmas meal in no time at all, with some unlikely -- but speedy -- ingredients from baby food jars and soup cans. NPR's Linda Wertheimer reports takes on some time-saving recipes and NPR Online has them.

A Kansas family barely noticed the spiders sharing their home, until their daughter discovered they were living with the infamous brown recluse. A nightly six-month hunt turned up some 2,000 recluses in their house. Yet no one in the family was ever bitten. Researchers say the shy spider has been wronged by its fearsome reputation.

Dee Brown wrote 29 books, fiction and non-fiction before he died Thursday at 94. He will live on in the pages of Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee. Published in 1970, the book revised the history of Western expansion and enlightened millions about the brutal treatment of Native Americans. Hear NPR's Jacki Lyden.

Ever since he took second place in a junior-division Pillsbury Bake-Off, Greg Patent has loved baking. Now he's collected recipes and lore from two centuries of American bakers in a new cookbook, Baking in America.

Choosing a holiday gift can be a challenge and selecting an appropriate gift book can be especially difficult. NPR's Susan Stamberg talks with independent bookstore owners and gets their suggestions for adult and children's titles this holiday season.

Host Bob Edwards talks to Paul Eisenstein, publisher of TheCarConnection.com, about new super-luxury cars. The made-to-order vehicles offer features you'd expect in a private plane or a beachside mansion. Despite a sagging economy, the cars are expected to sell moderately well -- albeit to buyers with deep pockets.

U.N.-led weapons inspections resume in Iraq for the first time in four years.