A great story out of the California wildfires, as told in the first person by Associated Press reporter Brian Skoloff. He met a 76-year-old man who had been evacuated to a high school near Middletown. After five days away, Lawrence Ross was worried about his home and his dog, and Skoloff, who was heading out to find more stories, took down his address. To his surprise, he found Ross's home unscathed and his livestock grazing happily. But no Thumper, the old Lab:
- "I feared the worst as I walked the property for another hour, eventually crouching down and putting some crackers in my hand, whistling and calling out Thumper's name."