Sam Shields expects to be tested if the Los Angeles Rams do not have their two starting cornerbacks available against Minnesota on Thursday night.

"That's part of the game. Backups, hey, you gots to go at 'em," Shields said Tuesday night.

With Aqib Talib set to undergo surgery and the availability of Marcus Peters uncertain, Shields, Troy Hill and Nickell Robey-Coleman are preparing for an expected challenge from Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins.

The three cornerbacks looked to be up to the task based on how they performed in the Rams' 35-23 win over the Chargers on Sunday after Peters and Talib were hurt. It wasn't a surprise considering the experience of Shields, Hill and Robey-Coleman.

Robey-Coleman has played 65 percent of the defensive snaps this season as the Rams' slot corner. Hill started the final three games of the regular season and the Rams' playoff loss last season. Shields made more than 60 starts during his seven seasons in Green Bay.

"We can call the same calls with those guys. In fact, we did in the (last) ballgame," defensive coordinator Wade Phillips said. "I feel confident in those guys."

The trio will be called upon for an extended period of time as Talib will have surgery on his injured ankle Thursday. The Rams will get a better sense of the timetable for when the five-time Pro Bowl defensive back might be able to return after the procedure, Rams coach Sean McVay said.

Peters is day to day, and McVay expects it will be a game-day decision to determine his status.

"It's a great representation of his toughness to even still have it be a chance that he's going to play when you look at what occurred and you talk about what that position requires and entails in terms of the movements. He's taking steps in the right direction," McVay said.

But Shields spoke as if he already knew he would be making his first start since Week 14 in 2015.

"Me, Troy Hill, you know, Robey, all us, we got to take care of the back end because two explosive guys out," Shields said.

Shields missed all of 2017 because of concussions, but has been effective in spot duty for the Rams, including making an interception against Arizona. Still, the 30-year-old feels as if he has something to prove and is relishing the opportunity to show it against his former NFC North rivals.

"For me, it's just kind of (a chance) to show the people that I still got it. I can still do it," Shields said.

Shields wasn't the only one expressing the notion the backups would be on a mission. Starting safety Lamarcus Joyner does not expect a secondary that has allowed 199 yards per game and two touchdown passes to miss a beat just because the two high-profile offseason acquisitions in Talib and Peters might be absent.

"I don't know if you all heard, but we know we got two corners behind those guys that can start anywhere else in this league, including for this team," Joyner said. "When you lose elite cornerbacks like that you still feel confident because you got another pair of great corners coming in."

Joyner believes the biggest challenge is getting familiar with how Hill and Shields express themselves on the field together in such a short amount of time. The Rams held two walkthroughs Tuesday, with Phillips likening the early session to a typical Wednesday practice and the afternoon stretch to the Thursday of a normal game week.

Even with truncated preparations, the Rams defense is confident Shields, Hill and Robey-Coleman will be ready.

"But if they test them, they are going to get intercepted just like Talib and Peters can do," defensive lineman Aaron Donald said. "If one guy goes down, the other guys step up. They got big shoes to fill, but they'll do it."

An injured turtle is riding in style thanks to zoo keepers at The Maryland Zoo. 

The wild eastern box turtle has been outfitted with a wheelchair made of Lego bricks. 

A zoo employee found the injured turtle in Druid Hill Park in Baltimore, Maryland, in July. 

"He had multiple fractures on his plastron, the bottom part of his shell," said Dr. Ellen Bronson, senior director of animal health, conservation, and research at the zoo.

The turtle underwent surgery to fix its fractured shell. The zoo's veterinary team used metal bone plates, sewing clasps and surgical wire to hold pieces of the turtle's fractured shell together. 

The shell had to stay off the ground in order to heal, posing a challenge to staffers who had a hard time helping the turtle get around in the meantime.

That's when someone came up with the idea of the Lego wheelchair. 

"They don’t make turtle-sized wheelchairs. So, we drew some sketches of a customized wheelchair and I sent them to a friend who is a Lego enthusiast," said Garrett Fraess, veterinary extern at the Zoo.

A few weeks later, the grapefruit-sized turtle received his own custom Lego wheelchair.  Zoo officials say the turtle took off as soon as he was outfitted with the miniature design.

"He never even hesitated," said Fraess. "He took off and has been doing great. Turtles are really good at healing as long as the shell remains stable."

Qatar Airways has confirmed an 11-month-old American baby died Wednesday morning after landing in the Indian city of Hyderabad from Doha, NBC News reported.

According to the airline, family members alerted staffers at Hyderabad Airport that Arnav Varma was "unwell" after deboarding the three-and-a-half-hour flight. 

Varma was rushed to Apollo Medical Center and pronounced dead on arrival. According to his death certificate, Varma was born in New Jersey and his father, Anil Varma Alluri, is from Hyderabad.

Two men can be seen on security camera video ransacking a second-floor bedroom at the San Fernando Valley home of Yasiel Puig before they tried to drag a safe from the home in a burglary last week. 

The Los Angeles Police Department released 30 seconds of the video Wednesday in an effort to find the burglars in the Sept. 18 theft, the fourth burglary reported at a home of the Dodgers' outfielder and the second in two months. Puig was not at the Encino home at the time.

With a security alarm blaring, two burglars can be seen on the video as they look for items in the bedroom. After finding the safe in a corner, one man be heard calling for his accomplice who gleefully rushes to help.

They dragged the safe downstairs, through the living room and out the front entrance, but ended up leaving the safe on the property, police said.

A third person was likely waiting for the two men outside in a vehicle, police said.

No arrests were reported Wednesday.

The men are believed to be the same individuals wanted in an Aug. 30 burglary at the same home.

In March of 2017, a Sherman Oaks house belonging to Puig was targeted in a burglary that resulted in the loss of about $170,000 worth of jewelry. He was at spring training with the team in Arizona. In November of 2017, the residence was burglarized following a Game 7 loss to the Houston Astros in the World Series.

Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., addressed the sexual misconduct allegations surrounding Judge Brett Kavanaugh’s Supreme Court nomination in a speech on the Senate floor Wednesday. “These are human beings, with families and children,” he said of Kavanaugh and his most prominent accuser, and that not much has been learned since the Anita Hill hearings in 1991.

A brush burning in Devore prompted evacuations and shut down a stretch of the 15 Freeway on Wednesday.

The so-called Keenbrook Fire has burned about 50 acres as of 1 p.m., officials said. It was reported near Kenwood and the 215 Freeway.

The southbound I-15 is closed at Highway 138.

Evacuations were in effect for Mathews Ranch and structures to the north of fire.

Some of the minor horrors that can show up when you show up at the edge of the ocean?

Forgetting your sunglasses, for one. Sand in your sandwich, for two. And three? Not really loving the beach read you brought, the snacks you packed, or the itchy blanket you're sitting upon.

But if you're near the water in the early autumn, and the Queen Mary is close, those minor horrors grow as large as the ocean-liner's iconic funnels, thanks to the fiend-filled arrival of Dark Harbor.

Dark Harbor is the historic ship's annual maze-laden scream fest, one that promises, in 2018, "(o)ver 200 out-of-control monsters."

Those monsters include returning characters, like Chef, The Captain, Graceful Gale, and Mary, a young sprite of a spirit who emerged from the ship's said-to-haunted First Class Swimming Pool.

That's one of the fearsome features that sets Dark Harbor apart from many other falltime fright attractions. That Dark Harbor boasts ship-themed ghosts and ghoulies who have a dastardly knack for showing up, like creepy clockwork, year after year.

Six mazes sit alongside the docked-forever-in-Long-Beach ship, while other haunted happenings will pop up in the vicinity, like the Sinister Swings, Monster Dance Party, and Slider Alley, which is where all of those powerfully athletic sliders create sound and spark by moving across the ground, quickly, on their knees.

As for what towers above the mazes, entertainment, and everything else? As in, the Queen Mary herself?

If you've ever picked up a book on California's spookiest spots, or watched a show on the topic, you've seen the ship, which can trace its very eventful history back to the 1930s. The elegant ocean-liner said to be rift with ethereal beings, so the chance to stay on board, during Dark Harbor, could very well enhance your eeky experience in the mazes below.

There's a special code for staying over on the ship, so use it, if you dare. (We're assuming you do dare, or would consider daring, if you dig Dark Harbor.)

But first, you'll need to pick your night of maze-based thrills and ship-searching phantoms. Chef, The Captain, Mary, and all of their beyond-the-veil cohorts will haunt the Queen Mary's yearly terror-tacular from Sept. 27 through Nov. 2, on select nights.

Should you pair a monstrous maze adventure with an overnight visit to one of our region's most spirit-strong spots? 

Find your bravery, summon your "I can do this" outlook, and venture to the Pacific-close, multi-night shriek scene.

A couple's attempt to highlight public reaction to child endangerment backfired, their hidden camera social experiment instead led to criminal charges, an investigation and their 3-year-old being taken away from them.

Laura Quijano can be seen on camera explaining the social experiment to her 3-year-old son Leo. The hidden camera experiment involved 28-year-old Boguslaw Matlak placing his son in the trunk of his car to see if bystanders intervened.

“The back of the seat was folded open and my wife was in the car and she was just taking him," Matlak said.

The multi-camera shoot took place outside the Panera bread at the Harlem Irving Plaza in Norridge on Sept. 2.

"I was thinking maybe I should do a video to show people that they should do something about it when they see something wrong, to get involved," Matlak said.

Witnesses called police — and Matlak, despite his explanations, was arrested and charged with child endangerment.

"I was in shock," he said. "I got arrested."

As a result, the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services removed Leo from his parents' custody and placed him with a relative. For the last three weeks, the couple has complied with every request trying to get him back.

"We have provided them with all of the proof that this was not real," Quijano said. "That my son was not in danger."

DCFS investigators even re-enacted the trunk illusion with the young boy at his home.

Rina Infelise, Quijano's attorney, says her client made a mistake but doesn't deserve to be treated like a criminal.

"Anybody can make a poor decision, every error in judgment made by a parent doesn't equal abuse and neglect," Infelise said.

While they say they understand the need for the investigation, Quijano and Matlak say it’s taking too long.

"They are hurting my son emotionally at this point," Quijano said. "He's not home with his parents who love him very much and what else do they want from us? I just don’t understand at this point."

Shortly after NBC 5's inquiries to DCFS, the family was notified that the agency would be returning Leo to their custody.

Matlak still faces one count of misdemeanor child endangerment and is scheduled to appear in court on Friday.

Below, read the written testimony that Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh prepared ahead of a hearing where he will address a sexual assault allegation brought by professor Christine Blasey Ford.

Ford alleges, and Kavanaugh denies, that he held her down, tried to take off her clothes and stifled her cries for help during a high school party in suburban Washington, D.C.

Two other women have come forward with allegations of sexual misconduct. One, Deborah Ramirez, said he made her touch his penis during a party at Yale. Another, Julie Swetnick, alleged that she saw Kavanaugh "engage in abusive and physically aggressive behavior toward girls" and tried to inebriate them so they could be "gang raped" at high school parties. She said she was the victim of such an attack, though she did not specifically allege that Kavanaugh took part.

Kavanaugh denied both women's accusations. Here is his testimony, as released by the Senate Judiciary Committee:

Mr. Chairman, Ranking Member Feinstein, and Members of the Committee:

Eleven days ago, Dr. Ford publicly accused me of committing a serious wrong more than 36 years ago when we were both in high school. I denied the allegation immediately, unequivocally, and categorically. The next day, I told this Committee that I wanted to testify as soon as possible, under oath, to clear my name.

Over the past few days, other false and uncorroborated accusations have been aired. There has been a frenzy to come up with something—anything, no matter how far-fetched or odious—that will block a vote on my nomination. These are last-minute smears, pure and simple. They debase our public discourse. And the consequences extend beyond any one nomination. Such grotesque and obvious character assassination—if allowed to succeed—will dissuade competent and good people of all political persuasions from serving our country.

As I told this Committee the last time I appeared before you, a federal judge must be independent, not swayed by public or political pressure. That is the kind of judge I am and will always be. I will not be intimidated into withdrawing from this process. This effort to destroy my good name will not drive me out. The vile threats of violence against my family will not drive me out. I am here this morning to answer these allegations and to tell the truth. And the truth is that I have never sexually assaulted anyone—not in high school, not in college, not ever.

Sexual assault is horrific. It is morally wrong. It is illegal. It is contrary to my religious faith. And it contradicts the core promise of this Nation that all people are created equal and entitled to be treated with dignity and respect. Allegations of sexual assault must be taken seriously. Those who make allegations deserve to be heard. The subject of allegations also deserves to be heard. Due process is a foundation of the American rule of law.

Dr. Ford’s allegation dates back more than 36 years, to a party that she says occurred during our time in high school. I spent most of my time in high school focused on academics, sports, church, and service. But I was not perfect in those days, just as I am not perfect today. I drank beer with my friends, usually on weekends. Sometimes I had too many. In retrospect, I said and did things in high school that make me cringe now. But that’s not why we are here today. What I’ve been accused of is far more serious than juvenile misbehavior. I never did anything remotely resembling what Dr. Ford describes.

The allegation of misconduct is completely inconsistent with the rest of my life. The record of my life, from my days in grade school through the present day, shows that I have always promoted the equality and dignity of women.

I categorically and unequivocally deny the allegation against me by Dr. Ford. I never had any sexual or physical encounter of any kind with Dr. Ford. I am not questioning that Dr. Ford may have been sexually assaulted by some person in some place at some time. But I have never done that to her or to anyone. I am innocent of this charge.

It's all about location, location, location.

On the eve of what could be make-or-break testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee about sexual misconduct allegations against President Donald Trump's pick for the U.S. Supreme Court, Trump held a rare solo news conference. Here are some of the top moments.

Trump: Democrats Would Have Voted Against Washington
Even the country’s first president would have been voted down by Sen. Chuck Schumer and other Senate Democrats opposed to Trump’s U.S. Supreme Court pick, Brett Kavanaugh, the president said.

“I’m relying on very fair and talented Republican senators,” Trump said. “If we brought George Washington here and we said ‘We have George Washington,’ the Democrats would vote against him, just so you understand.

“He may have had a bad past,” Trump added of Washington. “Who knows? He may have had some I think accusations made. Didn’t he have a couple things in his past? George Washington would be voted against 100 percent by Schumer and the con artists. One hundred percent, 100 percent.”

Trump Says He Could Change His Mind Once He Hears From the Women
CNN’s Jim Acosta began his question with the suggestion that Trump call on a woman to address the sexual misconduct allegations against Kavanaugh.

“What does he mean by that?” Trump said looking out over the room. “Explain.”

“I think it would be great if a female reporter would ask you a question about this issue,” Acosta said.

“I wouldn’t mind that at all,” Trump said.

Acosta continued on to ask Trump why he always seemed to side with the accused, not the accuser, to which the president said it would possible that he would change his mind when he heard from the women.

And his next question went to Hallie Jackson of NBC News, who asked whether the president thought all three women who had made allegations against Kavanaugh were liars. (NBC News has since reported on a fourth misconduct allegation).

“I can’t tell you,” Trump said. “I have to watch tomorrow.”

Trump on if He Believes the Women Who Have Accused Kavanaugh
Trump was pressed by several reporters about whether he believed the women who were making accusations against Kavanaugh. Did he think they were liars?

“I won’t get into that game,” he said, but did disparage Michael Avenatti, the lawyer for one of the women, calling him a low life.

Trump extolled Kavanaugh’s qualifications, calling him “one of the highest quality people” he had ever met, but he also said he could be convinced by the women, and when he was asked whether there was a scenario under which he would withdraw Kavanaugh’s nomination, he said yes.

“If I thought he was guilty of something like this, sure,” he said.

He questioned why Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein, the senior Democrat on the Judiciary Committee, had waited so long to raise the accusation from Ford and why no charges had been brought in the 36 years since Ford alleges Kavanaugh assaulted her at a party. Feinstein has said that Ford initially asked for confidentiality and declined to press the matter further.

“I hope I can watch,” he said of Thursday's testimony before the Judiciary Committee. “I’m meeting with a lot of countries tomorrow.”

As far of whether sexual misconduct accusations that have been made against Trump affected his opinion, the president said yes.

“It does impact my opinion,” he said. “You know why? Because I've had a lot of false charges made against me.”

“People want fame," he said. "They want money. They want whatever. So when I see it, I view it differently than someone sitting at home watching television.”

Trump on Rosenstein

Trump also made a little news regarding Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein.

President Donald Trump says he would "certainly prefer not" to fire Rosenstein and says he may delay a highly anticipated meeting with him.

Trump said Wednesday that Rosenstein denied making remarks attributed to him in a New York Times report, including that Rosenstein discussed secretly recording Trump last year.

Trump and Rosenstein had been scheduled to meet Thursday.

Trump says he may postpone that meeting because he is focused on an extraordinary Senate committee hearing set for the same day with Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh and a woman who has accused Kavanaugh of sexual assault.

"They Weren't Laughing at Me"
“They weren’t laughing at me. They were laughing with me.”

That was Trump’s response during Thursday’s press conference when asked about the laughter his U.N. address elicited from world leaders Tuesday.

He also said it was “fake news.”

“The fake news said people laughed — they didn’t laugh at me. People had a good time with me. We were doing it together. We had a good time. They respect what I’ve done. The United States is respected again,” Trump said.

The president had been highlighting U.S. gains under his watch as he opened his address to the U.N. General Assembly. He said the American economy was “booming like never before” and that his administration has accomplished more in less than two years than almost any other administration.

His boast elicited laughter from the scores of heads of state and delegates in the audience for the speech.

Trump, who has long claimed that his predecessors’ weak leadership prompted other nations “to laugh” at the US. appeared flustered and responded, “I didn’t expect that reaction, but that’s OK.”

Later, as he was leaving the U.N., he told reporters that he had meant to be funny.

“Oh it was great, well, that was meant to get some laughter, so it was great,” he said.

In his speech Tuesday, Trump said the U.S. is a “stronger, safer and richer country” than when he took office in January 2017. He said “we are standing up for America and for the American people, and we are also standing up for the world.”

"Yes Please, Mr. Kurd"
Trump referred to one Kurdish journalist as “Mr. Kurd,” as he called on him during the news conference.

A previous reporter had identified himself from Kurdistan when the second man said he was too.

Turning to him, Trump said. “Yes please, Mr. Kurd.”

“Go ahead.”

The man asked what the U.S. relationship with the Kurds — an ethnic group living in areas across southeastern Turkey, northwestern Iran, northern Iraq, northeastern Syria and southwestern Armenia — would be post-ISIS.

“We’re trying to help them a lot,” Trump said. “I want to help them. They fought with us. They died with us.”

President Donald Trump spoke with reporters for about 80 minutes during a news conference on the sidelines of a United Nations meeting on Wednesday, offering extended comments on a variety of topics.

He spoke about his embattled Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, foreign affairs and the women who have accused him of sexual misconduct, among other things.

Here are 8 things he said that were misleading, or that the president got wrong, according to NBC News.

1. Asked if he rejected a one-on-one meeting with the Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Trump said, "Yeah, I did." A press representative for the Canadian prime minister told NBC News in an email that no such meeting was requested.

The Senate Judiciary Committee is inquiring about at least one additional allegation of misconduct against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, according to a letter obtained by NBC News and multiple people familiar with the process.

Republican Senate investigators asked Kavanaugh about the new complaint, NBC News has learned, during a phone call on Tuesday between Kavanaugh and committee staff. Sources told NBC News that Kavanaugh denied the allegation in the letter during the call and a spokesman for the committee declined to comment.

A Republican aide on the committee said the conversation took place shortly after noon. While Republican staff posed questions to Kavanaugh, their Democratic counterparts were also on the call but did not ask any questions.

According to an anonymous complaint sent to Republican Sen. Cory Gardner of Colorado, Kavanaugh physically assaulted a woman he socialized with in the Washington, D.C. area in 1998 while he was inebriated.

Monday Oct. 1, 2018 is the deadline for any victims of the Las Vegas shooting who want receive compensation from the Vegas Strong Resiliency Center.

It was almost one year ago when thousands of concert goers spent a Sunday night enjoying the music of country star Jason Aldean on the final evening of the Route 91 festival.

Then from a hotel window overlooking the venue, a lone gunman hellbent on killing, murdered 58 people and injured hundreds more.

Kevin Schiller from the Vegas Resiliency Center, wants to get the word out that there is still help for people traumatized by the shooting.

"This was a unique event, so we had attendees from all over California."

With only a few days left, Schiller encourages people to apply before the Oct. 1 deadline.

"We have people standing by they can walk you through all the applications," says Schiller. "We're here to help victims and get outreach to everybody."

Even if victims don't want or need help now, they still must register to receive support in the future.

Victims Carrie Weidenkeller and Marissa Narvaez, mother and daughter from Eastvale in Riverside County, attended the concert together. Both were shot.

"To have that bond, which I thought could never get stronger, and then go through Route 91, I can't express it. She's my whole world," Marissa says about her mother.

"And I feel like she saved my life," says Carrie.

Carrie and Marissa know they are alive and that they are survivors, but they also know they will need help for years to come. Marissa still has a bullet near her colon that can't be removed.

"Physically, I'm in pain every day. I have multiple doctor appointments every day."

California victims like Carrie and Marissa qualify for help.

Anita Ahula works with the California Victim Compensation Board. She mentions that many California residents that attended the concert don’t know about the compensation.

"Sixty-five percent of the victims of the Las Vegas concert were from California. That's over 14,000 people and today, we have had close to three thousand applications." Victims have another two years to register for California Victim Compensation.

Ahula urges that no matter where the crime, if you live in California, you qualify for help.

"We can assist with medical expenses, mental health and income and support loss."

For more information:

• Vegas Strong Resliency Center 
• California Victim Compensation Board

It was a dramatic unveiling as the Burbank police chief pulled off a large black tarp covering a vehicle parked inside a rustic warehouse space. Under the tarp was a shiny new pink police cruiser, revealed Wednesday in support of breast cancer awareness month, which starts Oct. 1.

The unveiling took place at Wrapix Imgaging, a graphics company based in Burbank best known for creating graphics for Hollywood's most famous red carpet award shows, including the Oscars. 

In addition to the pink cars, the department also unveiled their new pink patches, which officers proudly displayed on their uniforms at the event. 

This is the second year in a row that the department will bring a pink cruiser to community events for the month of October as part of a fundraising effort for breast cancer research.

Police officers encourage citizens who see the pink cruiser to come take photos with the vehicle.

So this is what it has come to. 

The Los Angeles Dodgers are currently clinging to a half-game lead over the Colorado Rockies in the National League West, and despite winning six of their last eight games, they still can't pull away from their division rivals.

That's because the Rockies have won their last six consecutive games, including three straight against the Philadelphia Phillies. 

If the Dodgers want to win their sixth successive division title, they're going to need a little help. That's why one of the wives of a Dodger player reached out to the Philadelphia Phillies asking for exactly that. 

Jennifer Utley, the wife of longtime Phillies second baseman, Chase Utley, posted a picture of a multitude of Phillies logos on her Instagram account on Wednesday afternoon, asking her husband's former team for help.

"Dear @Phillies,
Since you are no longer in the postseason race can you please throw @chaseutley a bone and beat the Rockies so he can go to the postseason one last time? Much appreciated xx Jen Utley #phillies #dodgers," Utley wrote in the caption of the post.

Unfortunately for Jen and Chase, it doesn't appear that the Phillies saw her post, or if they did, they certainly didn't put up much of a fight as they lost to the Rockies 14-0 on Wednesday, and have been outscored 34-4 thus far in the first three games of the four-game series.

Philadelphia is 14-31, over their last 45 games, the worst record in the league.

Utley is seeking to make one final postseason run after he announced that the 2018 season would be his last as an active player, as he plans to retire at the end of the year in order to become a full-time Dad.

Utley made his MLB debut with the Phillies on April 4, 2003  and remained with the team until 2015 where he was traded to the Dodgers on August 19. In his 13 years in Philadelphia, Utley batted .282 with 233 home runs and 916 RBI in 1551 games.

Utley has reached the World Series three teams, winning a championship with the Phillies in 2008. In his prestigious career, Utley was a six-time All-Star and won four Silver Slugger Awards.

Utley was recently named the Dodgers recipient of the 13^th annual Roy Campanella Award which is given to the Dodger player that best exemplifies the spirit and leadership of the late Hall of Fame catcher.

Ironically, even if the Dodgers make the postseason, Utley might not make the 25-man postseason roster. Since being activated off the disabled list on Sept. 1, Utley is 0-for-17 at the plate, and has been primiarly used as a pinch-hitter amongst a very deep and talented Dodgers roster. 

However, even if Utley doesn't make the postseason roster, he wil most certainly be a part of the team on the "taxi squad," traveling with the team on the road and in the dugout during home playoff games. There's also a possibility that if Utley doesn't make the roster, he could be added on to it during a later series should the team advance further in the playoffs.

Similarly, Joc Pederson and Charlie Culberson were both not on the 25-man NLDS roster last season, but both were added to the NLCS roster after injuries to Corey Seager and others. Both players played a pivotal role in the Dodgers advancing to their first World Series in nearly 30 years last season.

Big Bear in the summertime?

You just might picture hikers, wildflowers, sunny picnics, and bright days spent enjoying the Scenic Sky Chair.

Big Bear in the wintertime?

Skiing springs to mind, and tubing opportunities, and snowy drifts ready-made for building snowmen.

But Big Bear Village come the fall?

If you just shouted "lederhosen" and "scarecrows," you're right in the right area of revelry.

For the mountain-high location is charmingly known for both its weekend-wonderful Oktoberfest around the start of autumn, and its Scarecrow Festival, which fills the shopfronts of the village with a seasonal rakishness over several colorful weeks. 

That festival is on now, through Sunday, Nov. 4, so best head up, up, up to the area to spy the "... friendly, free-of-charge competition between merchants, non-profit groups, and other community-based service clubs and organizations."

Have a favorite or two?

There are six categories to weigh in on, and ballots will be available at various places around Big Bear Village. Those categories include Spookiest, Most Traditional, Best Reflection of Big Bear, Best Use of Recycled Materials, Most Reflective of Business or Organization, and Most Humorous.

Just be sure to drop your picks in a ballot box by the day before Halloween 2018.

Looking for some Big Bear zing with a dose of autumnal flair? Head up the big mountain, as the leaves change, for a walk-by some of the quaint fall figures currently populating the forever-quaint village. 

It's all free to see, too. 

A gas station employee was beaten and shot with a BB gun in a robbery over a case of beer on Wednesday in East Hollywood, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.

The incident occurred at approximately 5 p.m. at an Arco gas station at the intersection of Melrose Avenue and Western Avenue.

Surveillance video obtained by NBC4 shows a female attempting to steal beer and the gas station clerk trying to stop her. A man appears to get involved and point what appears to be a gun at the clerk before joining in the assault.

Police say the incident involved a BB gun and not a real gun. The clerk was shot with the BB gun during the robbery. In the video, the woman can be seen taking a case of beer after the man is knocked to the floor.

The man and woman left the scene and were not immediately located.