The following is a news release from The Idaho Foodbank.

MERIDIAN — Stinker Stores and The Idaho Foodbank celebrated the results of the Stomp Out Hunger Campaign with a check presentation at the Idaho Steelheads Game last week.

Since 2010, Stinker Stores in Idaho have had their Stomp Out Hunger Campaign to benefit The Idaho Foodbank. This year, Stomp Out Hunger raised $71,000 which is enough to provide food for up to 213,000 meals.

“We are delighted to continue our partnership with The Idaho Foodbank to support their work to help Idahoans who are in need,” said Charley Jones, Owner of Stinker Stores. “I am grateful to our amazing customers and employees across Idaho for participating in our friendly fundraising competition for a great cause.”

During Stomp Out Hunger, Stinker Store employees asked customers to make a donation to The Idaho Foodbank when they paid for their purchases. The Stinker Store that raised the most money during the campaign was in Victor (Store #115). They raised $2,070 for Stomp Out Hunger.

“We appreciate the enthusiastic support from Stinker Store employees and customers,” said Randy Ford, President and CEO of The Idaho Foodbank. “These types of partnerships are crucial to our work to help Idahoans who are food insecure.”

If you or someone you know needs food assistance, please go to The Idaho Foodbank’s Food Assistance Locator.

The post Stinker Stores’ ‘Stomp Out Hunger’ campaign benefits The Idaho Foodbank appeared first on East Idaho News.

EastIdahoNews.com and Ashley in Idaho Falls and Pocatello are partnering to honor people in our community for Feel Good Friday. Every week, we surprise someone deserving of special recognition.

We recently received an email from a young mother about a scary ordeal she experienced. She said:

I was driving home with my toddler and baby when I slid and was on the edge of an embankment. I was worried I would roll my car if I let off the pedal or moved the wheel so I just kept still. My mom was behind me and was able to get my baby out of the car when a guy pulled up and asked how he could help. He grabbed some straps and he and some other co-workers came and helped pull me out. One of the guys gave me his jacket to keep warm and continued to help get my car out in a short sleeve shirt. It was a Friday after 4:30 p.m. and they were headed home from work but took the time to help me. They were employees of Knife River and were so kind and generous. I was so worried about my babies and I’m thankful they were willing to help me quickly and with so much kindness!

We were able to track down the guys – Kyle Gubler, Johnathan Barron, Andy Vegas and Sean Adams – and surprised them for Feel Good Friday. Watch the video in the player above!

The post A Feel Good Friday surprise for 4 men who helped a young mom trapped in a car on the edge of an embankment appeared first on East Idaho News.

SHELLEY — A woman born and raised in Shelley will soon make her reality TV debut on Netflix.

Almost four years ago, Lindsey Anderson was approached by a talent scout with a proposition to apply for a reality show. An avid viewer of reality television herself, she thought it was a great opportunity. Some time passed, but the show didn’t go anywhere. Anderson thought that was the end of it.

Until she received an email from Netflix in February 2023.

“I have the perfect show for you. It starts in two weeks. Do you have a passport? Can you go?” Anderson remembered the email saying.

She discussed the opportunity with her family, and her husband encouraged her.

“My husband is so awesome that way. He was like, ‘Go do it,'” Anderson said.

With that, it was time to prepare to leave. Anderson had to pick out a wardrobe and send it to Netflix for approval. She let her business contacts know she would be gone for the month. Then she was off on a plane to compete in “The Trust: A Game of Greed.'”

While Anderson lives in Portland, she was born in Shelley and graduated from Shelley High School. She then moved to Idaho Falls to run a small business and did that for many years.

Anderson’s business, Web Impakt, was a web design and development agency. She designed websites for major community organizations like the Idaho Falls Chamber of Commerce and the city website for Idaho Falls.

To learn how to do this, she studied at Ricks College, now Brigham Young University-Idaho, and got her bachelor’s degree from Idaho State University. She majored in information systems, which she described as a mix of computers and marketing.

Anderson was the only woman in her first information systems class. But the more she learned about it, the more she knew that’s what she wanted to do.

“I’m totally doing this, and I just fell in love from the moment I made my first web page,” Anderson said.

Anderson is an entrepreneur, and she found the tools at Ricks and ISU helpful in pursuing that.

“I was able to really implement my business ideas because I had technology at my fingertips,” Anderson said.

Anderson and her family moved to Portland because she has family nearby in Seattle, and they wanted to seek new experiences. Anderson has been able to continue her online marketing work as a business consultant. She has lived in Portland for only seven years now.

Another passion of Anderson’s has been watching reality television. For 15 years, she and her husband have watched “Big Brother” every summer. She also watches “Married at First Sight” and all of the Netflix reality shows.

While watching “Big Brother,” Anderson often finds herself critiquing the players’ actions, she said, and thinking about what she would do in that situation.

In February 2023, she got the chance to put herself to the test, and she quickly found that “The Trust” is different from “Big Brother.”

“So I had to alter my strategy a little bit,” Anderson said.

“The Trust” features 11 strangers “from all walks of life, all different ages, they all come together and there’s $250,000 on the line.”

All of the contestants can split the money, or they can vote people off and earn a larger cash prize.

“It really set you up like, are you on the team? Are you on your own? What are you doing?” Anderson said. While you may be tempted to remove as many players from the show as possible, someone else could remove you if you’re not careful.

Anderson said her East Idaho background influenced her decision-making on the show.

“I was born and raised LDS. I’m no longer LDS, but certainly those belief systems in that community and how I was raised there had a big effect on me,” Anderson said.

“The Trust: A Game of Greed” will premiere on Netflix on January 10.

“I highly recommend everybody tune into the show,” Anderson said. “You’re going to learn something about yourself. You’re going to learn something about other people from all over the United States of different ages.”

The post East Idaho native to appear on Netflix reality show “The Trust” appeared first on East Idaho News.

EastIdahoNews.com and Ashley in Idaho Falls and Pocatello are partnering to honor people in our community for Feel Good Friday. Every week, we surprise someone deserving of special recognition.

A few days ago, a Bonneville County Sheriff’s deputy who works in the Bonneville County Courthouse did something that impressed us. Kaitlyn Hart, one of our reporters, walked into the courthouse and Deputy Hall told her he had a $5 bill that was hers.

Unbeknownst to Kaitlyn, she had dropped the money weeks earlier. Deputy Hall found the cash and reviewed security camera footage to find out who it belonged to. Rather than keeping the money or giving it to someone else, he held onto it until Kaitlyn was back at the courthouse.

Deputy Hall didn’t do this for recognition but we felt he should be honored for our first Feel Good Friday of the year. We went back to the courthouse for the big surprise! Check out the video in the player above.

The post A deputy who went above and beyond when he found $5 is honored for Feel Good Friday appeared first on East Idaho News.

The following is a news release from Pocatello School District #25.

POCATELLO — Highland High School faculty and staff returned from the winter break to one more holiday surprise: an updated faculty lounge, courtesy of school families and community businesses.

Spearheaded by local realtor and Highland mom, Michelle Mitchell, the goal of the “glow-up” was to create a dedicated space for faculty and staff to relax, reinvigorate and reconnect with one another.

“After the fire and the bond not passing, I felt like Highland, and specifically the teachers, needed a win,” explained Mitchell. “The staff needs to know they are loved and appreciated, not just by parents like me, but by the community businesses that we partnered with to complete this project.”

Inspired by the idea for a major makeover, Mitchell worked first to get approval from Highland’s administration with a commitment to clear out the room. She then reached out to her go-to contact list of doers and solidified a plan. Mitchell described how within one day, she had fulfilled the entire list of wants and needs to complete the makeover.

“I know just the right people to ask,” Mitchell said. “They are the ones who will never say no to supporting teachers and education.”

Mitchell utilized the winter break to coordinate donations for all materials, supplies, furniture, and labor for the project, which was completed covertly just in time for school to resume on January 2.

The big reveal came with a bow on top, with the room decorated from top to bottom in festive décor and gift cards labeling all of the individuals and businesses who contributed to the project.

“We got back from break to such an amazing surprise,” said Dr. Brad Wallace, Highland High School Principal. “It was packed in here all day. We haven’t really ever had anyone use this space so it was awesome to see teachers in here mingling and see how much the effort was appreciated.”

After earning the trust of Highland’s administration, Mitchell said she felt a little bit of pressure to avoid letting anyone down.

“I didn’t want to overpromise and under deliver, but I think it turned out to be a great space that staff can call their own,” she said.

The element of surprise evoked some emotional responses from staff members.

Highland’s Bursar, Shelley Huelsman, who has worked at the school for twenty-eight years, said, “We had this amazing parent and her magic elves come in over Christmas break and surprise us all. I walked in and was just in awe.”

Huelsman described how special it was to come in after break to see everyone from teachers and paraprofessionals to substitutes and sign language interpreters congregating in the revamped lounge.

“We had such a gathering in here all throughout the day,” she said. “Thank you to everyone who made our faculty lounge such a warm and cozy space.”

Mitchell explained that her hope with sharing this story is that it might spark an effort within the community for people to recognize their children’s teachers for the hard work and dedication that they put in everyday to help with their educational success.

“As a community, we need to come together to prioritize public education,” she said.

The email note that accompanied the gift included a list of contributors. The note read:

“From your loving community of local businesses and Highland families, we hope the entire staff at Highland High School will enjoy this room as a space to relax, a space to enjoy each other’s company and to also know that we see and appreciate you for all of the time, effort and energy you put into educating our children. You deserve to be recognized and to know that you are valued and hopefully you feel loved and spoiled in this new space.”

The post Highland staff enjoys surprise faculty lounge update appeared first on East Idaho News.

DEKALB, Ill. (WIFR) – An 80-year-old piece of mail resurfaced at the DeKalb Post Office, creating a push on social media to unite the mail with its intended recipient.

The lost letter was addressed to Louis and Lavena George, who lived on S. Sixth Street in DeKalb.

A post office employee tracked down a surviving member of the George family, and delivered the letter to Grace Salazar, who recently moved from the Barb City to Portland, Oregon.

Shortly after, another surviving daughter of the Georges, Jeannette, was able to read the letter.

“It just sort of put me in touch with my parents’ grief.”

“A message from the past, seemingly showing up out of nowhere, that’s pretty incredible,” Jeannette said. “Everybody was just like, ‘My God,’ you know?’ Gobsmacked. Just like, ‘What is this?’”

The letter was sent from her father’s first cousin, sending condolences to the couple, who had recently lost their daughter, Evelyn, to cystic fibrosis.

“I got emotional about it. I mean, losing a child is always horrific,” Jeannette said. “It just sort of put me in touch with my parents’ grief and the losses my family went through before I was even born.”

Now, Jeannette says she is more grateful than ever for her family.

“As I get older, I appreciate more and more the extended family, especially my nieces and nephews. I just have more of a sense of continuity of life, of families,” Jeannette said.

Jeannette and Grace are the only two surviving children of Louis and Lavena George. Louis was born in 1911 and Lavena in 1913. The couple married in 1932.

The post office employee who found the letter says the most likely reason for its disappearance was the lack of a house number in the mailing address.

This article first appeared on fellow CNN affiliate WIFR. It is used here with permission.

The post Letter from 1943 resurfaces; daughter says it reconnects her to family appeared first on East Idaho News.

IDAHO FALLS — As the world entered a new year, these babies entered the world!

We asked hospitals in eastern Idaho for information on the first babies born this year. Below is the information we received from four hospitals.

Congratulations to the babies, as well as their parents and siblings!

Mountain View Hospital

The first baby born at Mountain View Hospital in the new year was Thomas Pettibone.

Baby Thomas was born Jan. 1 at 2:48 a.m. and he weighed 7 pounds 2 ounces and measured 20 inches.

Parents Clair Pettibone and Jacob Fernandez welcomed Thomas to their family, bringing it to a family of five.

As is tradition, Mountain View gave the family gifts to celebrate the New Year’s baby. The parents will take home $700 worth of baby supplies, including a new video baby monitor, baby clothes, toys, swaddle blankets and diapers and wipes. They also gave the mother bath salts, face masks and other supplies to help her adjust to life with a newborn.

Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center

Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center’s official “New Year’s Baby” was baby Jade.

Jade was born at 3:45 a.m. on Jan. 1, weighing at 7 pounds, 9 ounces and measuring at 20.5 inches.

Jade’s father, mother and brother Jaiden welcomed her to their family.

The family was gifted the “First Baby of the Year” basket of goodies, donated by the EIRMC Volunteer Auxiliary. It contained diapers, wipes, crib sheets, a mattress protector, burp rags, a thermometer, a water mat and baby-proofing supplies and other supplies to help raise a newborn.

Portneuf Medical Center

Portneuf Medical Center delivered a new years baby on Jan. 1 at 12:55 a.m. The baby weighed 4 pounds and measured at 17 inches long.

Cierra and Cameron Sutton and their first child welcomed the new baby to their family.

That day, the hospital broke a record by delivering five babies.

Bingham Memorial Hospital

Grove Creek Medical Center, a member of Bingham Healthcare, welcomed a New Year’s baby on Jan. 1.

In celebration of the new baby, Grove Creek presented the family with a $200 gift card, a diaper backpack, diapers, wipes, swaddles and other baby care items.

The post Eastern Idaho welcomes the first babies of 2024 appeared first on East Idaho News.

(CNN) — Hope springs eternal, and for many of us, 2024 is a new dawn. We may have limited time before the bloom of the new year fades and we’re left to confront our untended bad habits and the horrors of the world, so let’s make the most of this fleeting moment of optimism.

There are plenty of things to look forward to in 2024. Here are just 24 of them.

1. A leap year

Every four years, the Gregorian calendar adjusts itself to accommodate for the slight discrepancy between our earthly patterns and the cycle of celestial events. In short, February 29th babies, it’s your time to shine! For everyone else, it’s one extra day to enjoy being alive.

2. The Olympics and Paralympics

Yes, your intuition is correct. Leap years also happen to coincide with two important events boasting wildly different enjoyment levels*. One is the Summer Olympics and Paralympic Games, held this year in Paris. Breaking, or breakdancing, will debut as a sport this year, and it will be the first time that male and female Olympics athletes will be represented in equal numbers.

*The other is the US Presidential election, which we can probably all agree would be significantly more fun with some breakdancing and gender parity.

3. New movies

When nothing else seems to be going according to plan, we can always rely on the magic of cinema. (Assuming there’s no strike. Or pandemic. Or tussles between streaming giants.) 2024 will bring highly anticipated releases like:

• “Mean Girls: The Musical” on Jan. 12
• “Dune: Part Two” on March 1
• “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga” on May 24
• “Inside Out 2 “ on June 14
• “Wicked Part 1” on November 27

4. A total solar eclipse

Parts of Mexico, the United States and Canada will be treated to a total solar eclipse on April 8. If you’ll recall from the eclipse madness of 2017, total solar eclipses occur when the moon passes between Earth and the sun, completely blocking the sun’s face. Skygazers outside of the eclipse’s direct path will be able to see a partial solar eclipse, which is still very cool.

This will mark the last time the path of a total solar eclipse crosses over the U.S. until 2044.

5. A return to the moon

In other fun moon happenings, NASA’s Artemis II mission will return humans to the moon’s orbit for the first time since the end of the Apollo program in 1972. Four astronauts will venture to the surface of the moon, including the first Black astronaut and the first woman astronaut to do so. They’ll join an elite club of just 12 people to have walked on lunar ground.

NASA says the mission takes humans a step further to establishing a long-term presence on the moon, and will test other capabilities and mechanisms. The launch is set for November, and you can bet everyone will be humming with excitement about it.

6. New TV and old favorites

For those of us not going to the moon, a slew of new and returning shows is a decent consolation. New offerings include:

• “Mr. and Mrs. Smith” on Amazon Prime, which promises to stretch the 2005 Brangelina movie’s sexy and violent vibe into a serialized storyline.
• “Avatar: The Last Airbender” on Netflix, a live-action remake of the beloved animated series.
• “Shōgun” on FX/Hulu, a drama set in feudal Japan that brings to life James Clavell’s iconic 1975 novel.
• “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight” on Max, another “Game of Thrones” prequel that’s sure to rope in GoT fans whether they like it or not.

We’ll also be reunited with returning favorites:

• “Bridgerton” will return for Season 3 on Netflix (Polin rises!).
• “House of the Dragon” will fly back to HBO for a second fiery season.
• “The Bear” will cook up its third season on FX/Hulu.
• “Curb Your Enthusiasm” will return for a 12th and final season on Max.

Got all that? Go get a pen! This is what your shiny new 2024 planner is for.

7. Mickey goes public (sorta)

Another year means another trove of copyrighted works entering the public domain, which means way more freedom to use, share and mash them up. This year’s public domain newbies come from the 1920s. The long-anticipated star of the show is “Steamboat Willie,” the 1928 Disney film that introduced Mickey and Minnie Mouse — or at least an early version of them.

Other arrivals include “Peter Pan,” the novel by J.M. Barrie, and “The House at Pooh Corner” by A.A. Milne, which introduces the bouncey, trouncey, ouncey, pouncey character of Tigger. For more mature audiences, there’s “Lady Chatterly’s Lover,” by DH Lawrence.

Songs entering the public domain include “Mack the Knife,” “I Wanna Be Loved By You” and Cole Porter’s “Let’s Do It (Let’s Fall in Love)” — perhaps the only love song in history to mention fleas.

8. Facebook turns 20

Yep, Mark Zuckerberg and some Harvard classmates launched their social game-changer, then called TheFacebook, in February 2004. In addition to making any adult feel about 5,000 years old, the 20th anniversary of the granddaddy of social networking sites (sorry, MySpace) will also merit a docuseries from the BBC. Just in case you need MORE Facebook in your life.

9. A new college football playoff picture

This one is legitimately exciting for college football fans. The 2024 season will culminate in a new, 12-team playoff — a big upgrade from the current four-team structure that causes so much strife and argument every year. Moving forward, the highest-ranked conference champions will get a playoff bid, as will the six remaining top-ranked teams.

Surely everyone will agree on this new format and no one will feel slighted and the vast network of conferences and contenders will be whittled down to a satisfying few! No, the actual playoff games won’t happen until January 2025, but this is all the college football world will be talking about from the first kickoff.

10. New music

2024 will bring a fresh crop of music to our ears, including “This is Me … Now,” Jennifer Lopez’s first studio album in more than 20 years. Speaking of icons, Green Day will release their 14th studio album, “Savior.” We can also expect new music from Usher, Cardi B., Dua Lipa and more.

11. New tours

It seems like everyone and their mother will be on the road in 2024 — including, yes, Taylor Swift, who will play Asia and Europe next spring and summer before returning to North America for more shows in the fall.

Want a throwback? Billy Joel, Stevie Nicks, blink-182, and Bruce Springsteen are all touring. Then, we have some country giants: George Strait and Chris Stapleton are hitting the stage together, which should be a hit. Lainey Wilson will begin her much anticipated “Country’s Cool Again” tour. Kenny Chesney, Jason Aldean and other big names in country round out the list.

But if you really want to be blasted back to the 90s, Creed is headlining not one, but two cruises for their “Summer of ‘99” tour. Obviously, they’re sold out. But you can be there in spirit.

12. More historical anniversaries

Once you’re done processing 20 years of Facebook, you can start contemplating 30 — yes, THIRTY — years of Amazon. The company was founded in 1994 under the name “Cadabra.” 2024 also marks the 60th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act, the 100th anniversary of the Winter Olympics and the 135th anniversary of the opening of the Eiffel Tower.

13. New books

As if we needed any more titles on our “To Be Read” list, 2024 will bring new releases from literary stars like “Crazy Rich Asians” author Kevin Kwan, who takes us back into the lives of Asia’s uber-wealthy with “Lies and Weddings.”

And fans of fantasy author Sarah J. Maas will be counting down the days for “House of Flame and Shadow,” the third book in her “Crescent City” series.

Obviously, we could spend all day talking about upcoming books, so here are some lists for fantasy lovers, romance lovers and memoir enthusiasts (including one coming from Crystal Hefner about her time as Hugh Hefner’s wife.)

14. A new capital city for Indonesia

Congestion, overpopulation and climate change concerns led to Indonesia’s decision to move its capital city from flood-prone Jakarta — which is sinking into the sea — to a jungle-covered area on Borneo Island.

The new capital will be named Nusantara, or “archipelago” in the Indonesian language. While the whole process was started in 2019 and will take decades to complete (it is an entire city, home to tens of millions, after all), 2024 is when the official switch is expected to be made.

15. A new outlook on Catholic faith

2024 will conclude the Catholic Church’s three-year series of meetings called the “Synod of Synodality” (synodality is basically the Catholic leadership’s version of synergy). This is actually something to pay attention to, because the assembly has been discussing big issues like the role of women in church leadership and the blessing of same-sex marriages.

The assembly was requested by Pope Francis, who is seen as a liberal leader for one of the world’s biggest religions.

16. More (useful) artificial intelligence

We already know artificial intelligence can produce horrible music, uncanny valley art and cursed crochet projects, but can it do things that are, you know, useful to everyday people? Experts say AI will be the biggest tech trend for 2024, but the big question is how companies, inventors and researchers will use the technology.

Predictions include next-level AI assistants that could surpass Siri or Alexa, AI powered investing tools, real-time language translation and streamlined software development.

17. New video games

Gamers in 2024 will have a hard time choosing which new releases to immerse themselves in. The new “Final Fantasy” installation, “Final Fantasy VII Rebirth,” is bound to be near the top of the list.

Digital Trends also highlights an interesting new facet of gaming: the interactive documentary. “Llamasoft: The Jeff Minter Story” will explore this medium by taking players through 40 games by famous developer Jeff Minter, while preserving the history and lore of the pixelated originals.

18. A historic election — in Mexico

It’s not a partisan thing to say presidential elections are exhausting, stressful and not something to look forward to with joy. The 2024 campaign in the U.S. doesn’t seem to have many voters excited.

But there’s an interesting election happening next door in Mexico, where two women are running against each other to be the country’s next president — a historic first.

The establishment candidate, Claudia Sheinbaum, is the former mayor of Mexico City and is seen as an ideological successor to Andrés Manuel López Obrador, Mexico’s current president. Xóchitl Gálvez, her insurgent opponent, is an engineer with a rural background and is pushing Mexico to invest in renewable energy.

19. Amazing art

The National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. and the Musée d’Orsay in Paris are collaborating on a must-see extravaganza in celebration of the 150th anniversary of the first Impressionist art exhibition. “Paris 1874: The Impressionist Movement” will be staged in both museums and will feature 130 works from greats like Renoir, Monet and Degas. Organizers of the dual event say it was designed to closely reference that historic 19th-century exhibit.

20. Malaria breakthroughs

A new antimalarial vaccine is expected to be distributed to several African countries in 2024, bringing a new weapon in the fight against a disease that kills hundreds of thousands on the continent every year. The R21/Matrix-M vaccine is the second malarial vaccine recommended by the World Health Organization, and has a higher efficacy than the first one.

21. Mosquitoes that are actually helpful

Another big public health breakthrough could be coming to Brazil, where the non-profit World Mosquito Program will start a ten-year program to release modified mosquitoes into the country’s urban areas. These mosquitoes carry a bacteria that stops them from transmitting viruses. Over time, this could save millions of people from deadly preventable diseases like dengue.

22. Pandemic progress

Experts predict 2024 won’t bring much normalcy when it comes to Covid cases and new variants, but there is good news, too. Researchers could get closer to cracking the code of long Covid, and we’ll likely see new vaccines emerge. We also could see a new vaccine that combines flu and Covid protection in one jab.

23. A better job market

A positive economic prediction? Now there’s something new. Slowing inflation and a good outlook for the stock market have led some economic experts to predict a better job market in 2024. The thinking is that these and other positive signifiers will increase confidence and investments, which could lead to much-needed job opportunities.

24. A new day

Sure, it’s just a flip of the calendar. And 2024 will no doubt have its share of bad news. But a new year brings a psychological clean slate.

Maybe it’ll serve as a reminder that, while we can’t control the coming and goings of the ages, we do have at least a little control over our own happiness. We are more resilient than we think, and no matter what 2024 brings, we’ll face it together.

The post 24 things to look forward to in 2024 appeared first on East Idaho News.

IDAHO FALLS — EastIdahoNews.com and Ashley HomeStore in Idaho Falls and Pocatello are teaming up every week to bring you some good news during Feel Good Friday!

We want to thank people in our community with random acts of kindness and leave you feeling good.

We hope Feel Good Friday is a highlight of your week – it is for us!

Here is a compilation of every Feel Good Friday video we posted in the past year. We hope you can get caught up on the surprises you missed and relive some of the fun moments.

We’ll be back in 2024 with more Feel Good Friday!

The post WATCH: The 2023 Feel Good Friday Special appeared first on East Idaho News.

(CNN) — After LeGrand “LG” Gold was diagnosed with Stage IV colorectal cancer, the Utah man put together a list of things he hoped to do in the time he had left.

Meeting Dolly Parton was number 7 on “LG’s List of Living,” which was written in black marker on a napkin.

The country legend called LG and talked to him and his wife, just before Christmas – making that wish come true.

“I’ve heard you’ve been a fan of mine for many years. And I just wanted to thank you for that,” Parton told Gold during the call. His wife Alice posted video of the conversation on social media.

“It’s been my honor too,” Gold replied with a big smile on his face.

He told Parton that she’s been a huge help – “especially these last few years.”

Gold told CNN affiliate KSL that his doctors recently told him that the chemotherapy and radiation were no longer working and that he should go home to be with his family.

Alice said to Parton that her husband has been a fan of her music his entire life, and that his family had season passes to her Dollywood amusement park. She added that their three children all got books from Parton’s Imagination Library program.

“I’m just happy that we get to kind of have our journey together in this lifetime,” Parton said in the call. “I always want to make people happy with my music and with the things I do and the things I say, and I’m just happy to know that I’ve touched your life in some way. So thank you for honoring me with that.”

Alice posted the “List of Living” on LG’s Facebook page in December 2022.

In addition to meeting Parton, it also included going on an RV trip to the Grand Canyon with their kids, March Madness, going to a Natalie Merchant concert, and seeing “TNT Inside the NBA.”

Alice told CNN that she’s not sure how word of the list got to Parton.

“We had many friends say they gave it to her people and even had friends reach out to politicians in the state of Tennessee at the recommendation of the Nashville mayor’s office,” she told CNN.

She says a story on her husband by CNN affiliate KSL went viral and is probably what reached Parton’s team.

Parton ended the call by telling Gold that “I will always love you.”

“I should have sung that,” she added, before starting to sing.

“I will always love you,” she sang. “I will always love LG.”

RELATED | Dolly Parton shares a special Easter message with fans celebrating from home due to coronavirus pandemic (2020)

The post Dolly Parton sings to dying Utah man whose wish was to meet her appeared first on East Idaho News.