All 397 national parks across the country will offer free admission from Jan. 14-16 to commemorate Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.

Staff photographer John Rottet tipped us off to this live Ustream feed (also, below) which is monitoring an eagle's nest at Jordan Lake that has two eggs about to hatch. The state park at Jordan Lake has the largest concentration of bald eagles in the eastern United States, according to the park's website.

Update 2 (3 p.m. Wednesday): One of the babies has hatched. Ustream user Mochamama22 posted this YouTube video of the hatching, recorded from the Ustream feed (it's the second video below). Warning: Some viewers might be disturbed by seeing the remains of a third bird in the nest - a celebratory dinner for the parents, perhaps.

The live camera was set up last year as a joint project between NC State, the US Army Corps of Engineers, Maxim Intergrated Products and Lineberger Tree Service, according to information posted on the Ustream feed. The organizers have not named the eagles, nor are they disclosing the precise location of the nest.

Update 1: The nest does not appear to be artificially lit at night. Check back during daytime hours.

Heather Peters, who took Honda to small-claims court, is not the only hybrid Civic driver suffering a bad case of buyer's remorse. Jeff Wald of Cary and Aneil Mishra of Durham say their hybrid Civics also deliver poorer and poorer fuel economy these days, too (see today's Road Worrier column with reader comments).

Local Toyota Prius drivers beg to differ.  They protest that the broadly worded print edition headline ("Hybrids not satisfying owners") should have reflect the column's more narrow focus on the gripes of Honda customers.

And they proclaim their continued happiness with their non-Honda hybrids ... [MORE]

Want to put your old Christmas tree to good use than just recycling it? Here's an unusual way to reuse it — donate it to the Carolina Tiger Rescue in Pittsboro.

Is your house about to burst at the seams with all the stuff you've gained from the holidays? Do you feel compelled to just toss everything in the trash just to get it out of the way? Here are some tips to help bring sanity to your household and declutter for the new year.

Chapel Hill will pick up Christmas trees and wreaths for mulching during regular yard waste collection.

Decorations, tinsel and wire must be removed from trees and wreaths before being placed at the curb with other yard waste. Apartment complex residents should place trees in areas designated by property managers.

The City of Raleigh will collect Christmas trees with weekly yard waste collection.

Residents should place trees at the curb on the regular collection day, and must make sure the tree has been stripped of all lights, ornaments and hardware.

Staples is giving away reusable shopping bags through Saturday, Dec. 31.

Print this coupon and pick up your bag at the customer service desk. Or save a sheet of paper and your ink and show the coupon on your smartphone.

The coupon also gives you a 15 percent discount on everything you can fit in the bag, including clearance items.

Documents:

Do you want to lessen your impact on the environment? No matter your living situation, there's a little something all of us can do to be a bit greener in 2012. Just adopting one new green habit can make a difference. Here are some tips to help get you started:

State officials working on a study of the benefits and risks of natural gas exploration in North Carolina expect to have a draft report ready in March, in time for two public hearings planned in the Triangle on the topic of gas drilling.

Drilling for natural gas trapped in prehistoric shale rock formations is already proving divisive and controversial, even though "fracking" technology is not legal in North Carolina at this time. Critics say fracking contaminates drinking water supplies and causes other environmental risks, while supporters are pushing to tap into the nation's vast reserves of a clean-burning domestic resource as a way of offsetting dirty coal and imported oil.

North Carolina is estimated to have about 40 years of natural gas supply trapped less than a mile below Lee, Moore and Chatham counties and surrounding areas. The U.S. Geological Survey is expected to issue more sophisticated estimates of this state's reserve, but the actual quantity won't be known until energy companies start drilling.