Today's News

The condition of 3-year-old Josh Johnson, who was run over in the parking lot at Walmart on Dec. 19, has been upgraded from serious to fair, according to Children’s Hospital spokeswoman Elizabeth Whitehead.

There was no further information available on his injuries or when he might be released from the hospital.

Josh was freed from under the car by firefighter Scott Martin after bystanders lifted the vehicle.

In recent years, television commercials have bragged that “What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas.” The Evergreen Players have brought their own version of Las Vegas to our mountain community for New Year’s Eve. The Players are sponsoring a rip-roaring shindig complete with gambling, dining and cabaret entertainment. This “Shake, Rattle and Roll” night should be a powerhouse party that will leave revelers saying, “What happens at Center/Stage stays at Center/Stage.”

The barking you hear at Evergreen Kennel and Grooming has a happier sound now that the buildings have been renovated.

Owner Anik Egloff has renovated the 2,200-square-foot building next to the main kennel at 30596 Bryant Drive. She has added a 700-square-foot indoor doggie day-care room, which came in handy during the recent week of frigid cold weather.

And the other side of the building has been converted into overnight suites with tiled walls, windows, and pet cots with sheepskin coverings.

During the bitter cold spell we had in early December, my friend Amy, who helps me with things I can no longer do myself, looked out the window and said excitedly, “What’s that big bird on the feeder?”

From the way she said “big” and her excitement, I thought it must be a hawk or an eagle, something really big. So I grabbed my binoculars and found myself looking at a northern flicker. Of course they are big, 12 to 15 inches long, compared with the chickadees and juncos that were also there. Flickers are truly beautiful.