Move over, Punxsutawney Phil, there's a new groundhog in town, and he's got a movie credit to prove it. Meet Smith Lake Jake, Alabama's own weather-predicting rodent and now, bona fide movie star.

Some places seem like they’ll be around forever. In Tahoe City, the long-standing restaurant Jake’s on the Lake was one such place for generations of visitors and locals, including myself. For almost ...