George James

Tomorrow’s the big day many people wait for all year — turkey day! While many of us learned about the origins and traditions in grade school, there are some things you may not know or maybe just forgot. Did you know the first Thanksgiving was supposedly a three-day celebration? In November of 1621, the settlers’ first corn harvest proved successful and Governor William Bradford invited the Plymouth colonists’ Native American allies to enjoy the fruits of their labor. Members of the Wampanoag tribe came bearing food to share and as they joined the Pilgrims, the revelers decided to extend the affair. While it’s called turkey day by many, was there really even turkey at the first Thanksgiving? Nobody is quite sure if the famed, fall bird that now marks the centerpiece of our table was even on the menu back in 1621. However, they did indulge in other interesting foods like lobster, seal, and swan.

While many folks’ tradition includes a parade, did you know the first Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade didn’t feature any balloons? The first parade in 1924 actually featured animals from the Central Park Zoo! Back to turkey traditions, do you have a guess how many are cooked each year? Well… It’s over 40 million. However you’re celebrating this holiday season, we wish you a Happy Thanksgiving!

November 10 was a busy Sunday afternoon at a home in Clyde Township, as a crew of workers were busy wrapping 750 Christmas gifts for local seniors. 

For twenty years, Ed and Mary Taylor, of Clyde Township, have been opening their home to holiday giving. The Clyde Township home was filled with bags, presents and wrapping paper as the couple is involved with many local charities. For many years, the couple has been organizing Christmas Gift Bags for local seniors. 

Mary buys the biggest gift bags she can find and fills them with twenty-five different practical and fun gifts for seniors. The process of getting the gifts is year-round as she shops for the best deals. She raises money for the project through bake sales at Lenten Fish Fries at St. Mary church in Port Huron, and Mary bakes many of the items herself. She also does the shopping and recruits members of the Knights of Columbus and their families to help her wrap and deliver. 

The Taylors started this project at the Marydale Village in 1999 and moved their efforts to Sanborn Gratiot Memorial Home when Marydale closed. Mr. and Mrs. Taylor started this venture to show their senior neighbors that someone still cares and have continued doing so for two decades. They look forward to visiting with the seniors and helping to spread the Christmas spirit.

The Center for Disease Control (CDC) is advising that consumers not eat and retailers not sell any romaine lettuce harvested from the Salinas, California growing region. This comes after a total of 40 people were infected with an outbreak strain of E. coli reported in 16 states. A total of 28 hospitalizations have been reported as a result of the outbreak, and five people have developed hemolytic uremic syndrome, a type of kidney failure. Evidence collected to date indicate that romaine lettuce from the Salinas, California growing region may be what is making people sick.

Testing shows that the E. coli strain in romaine lettuce tested by the Maryland Department of Health is closely related genetically to the E. coli found in sick people in this outbreak. Most romaine lettuce products are labeled with a harvest location showing where they were grown. The CDC said the warning not to eat the product includes all types of romaine lettuce harvested from Salinas, California such as whole heads of romaine, hearts of romaine, and packages of pre cut lettuce and salad mixes containing romaine, including baby romaine, spring mix, and Caesar salad. If you have romaine lettuce at home, be sure to inspect it and throw it away if the label says “Salinas” (whether alone or with the name of another location). The CDC says it will release more information as it is available.

Reporting for WGRT, ebw.tv.

A piece of pumpkin pie has about 350 calories and a three-and-a-half-mile walk can burn just about that many calories. You could burn those calories walking around the mall, or you could spend them outdoors for free. While “Black Friday” draws shoppers to the stores and online, to the tune of over $435 billion last year, some people have a different idea as to how to spend the day. 

The State of Michigan has waived the Recreation Passport entrance fee for all the State Parks in Michigan on Friday, November 29. So, you can have that extra piece of pie and burn it off while hiking or snowshoeing in a state park. St. Clair County is home to two State Parks: Algonac and Lakeport. Algonac State Park has numerous trails, and for the adventurous, winter camping is also an option. 

Just north of Algonac, in cooperation with the St. Clair County Parks Department, Friends of the St. Clair River will be leading a “Woodsy and Wild” Nature Hike from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Black Friday at Columbus County Park. The walk is free and will happen rain or shine. The Michigan Department of Natural Resources invites you to use the hashtag #optoutside when posting your outdoor Black Friday pictures on social media. The #optoutside movement was started in 2015 by outdoor outfitter REI, which closes its stores on Black Friday.

Reporting for WGRT, ebw.tv.

The Transportation Security Administration is expecting a record breaking number of flyers this Thanksgiving and holiday travel period. More than 26.8 million passengers will be traveling through security screening checkpoints nationwide Nov. 22 through Dec. 2. TSA officials are prepared to process the volume of passengers at airport security checkpoints, working closely with airports and airlines to project numbers and peak periods, but travellers should still be ready.

The busiest travel days leading up to Thanksgiving will be tomorrow, November 27, the day before the holiday, with 2.7 million passengers and crew expected. December 1, the Sunday after Thanksgiving could be equally as busy when more than 2.8 million travelers are expected to be flying home. On a typical weekday, TSA screens about 2.1 million passengers.

TSA says the best way to ensure a quick trip through the security screening process is to arrive early and be prepared. Passenger preparedness can have a significant impact on wait times at security checkpoints nationwide. Travelers are encouraged to allow time to park their cars or return rental cars, check their bags with their airline, and get their boarding passes, all before heading to the security checkpoint. TSA recommends getting to the terminal at least two hours early for domestic travel and at least three hours for international travel.

Reporting for WGRT, ebw.tv.

The St. Clair County Sheriff’s Office received several calls last week regarding a suspicious black BMW vehicle and two suspicious people from that vehicle walking on residents’ property. Deputies from the Sheriff’s Office investigated and made contact with the pair Thursday afternoon in Port Huron Township. What appeared to be suspicious, ended up being miscommunication at DTE.

The people who had contacted DTE about meter readers had contacted the electrical portion of DTE, who told callers they had no meter readers in the area. It turns out that the pair work for the engineering portion of the electric company. 

Contact was made with two separate supervisors in the engineering department of DTE. They confirmed the men are currently working on obtaining serial numbers from the smart meters at homes in the area. That information will be used to determine which electrical grid is feeding the residences. Sheriff Donnellon said, while this instance has been found to simply be some miscommunication on DTE’s part, they appreciate being called. 

The DTE employees have been advised to make sure their credentials are worn on the outside of their clothing, so residents will be readily able to identify them as DTE workers.