First Winnie-the-Pooh, and now Mickey Mouse.On the heels of a new tome about the silly old bear of Hundred-Acre-Wood fame comes news that Disney is giving Mickey a makeover. Concerned that the character has become less relevant to the youth of today, Disney will introduce a tarter version in—of course—a video game.The mouse of “Epic Mickey” will have a dark side. He will be naughty, misbehaving, even “a little selfish,“ says the game developer—who hastens to reassure that “Mickey is never going to be evil or go around killing people.“ Thank heaven for small favors.In truth, the new Mickey harkens back to the old-old Mickey—who originally appeared as a mischievous, occasionally naughty “Steamboat Willie.“ We confess to conflicted emotions: fondly recalling the days before children’s cartoons were Bowdlerized, when Bugs Bunny and Yosemite Sam could trade cannon-fire all day long—yet still fretting that today’s more mature video games (which are simply viewer-participation cartoons) offer too much viscera and brainspatter amid bleak post-apocalypse settings. The transition from “Lego Star Wars” to “Gears of War” seems all too easy.There’s a fine line between mischief and malice. Here’s hoping Disney finds it before the new Mickey crosses it.

Christmas gifts for children and their parents may have looked suspiciously similar under the tree yesterday. A Nintendo Wii, for example, or any number of other video games, could have gone either way as adults get more in touch with their inner child.

There’s currently no limit on the number of dogs a person can own in Hanover County, but the Board of Supervisors voted yesterday to hold a public hearing on whether that should change. The board planned a Jan. 14 hearing on proposed changes to an ordinance governing the number of dogs an individual can have with a kennel license on one parcel of land. Currently, kennel licenses are given out for 20 and 50 dogs, and some owners have multiple licenses.