'Let's Go Brandon' Costs NASCAR Driver; He Wants You To Stop It

ACROSS AMERICA — Good morning, and happy Friday! It’s Nov. 5, and as we look forward to two days of relaxation and a bonus hour of sleep, catch up on the stories we’re following before you clock out for the weekend:

• Almost all of the jury members selected for the trial of three men accused of killing a Black jogger are white.
• The newest vulgar euphemism "Let's Go Brandon" is catching on quick, but the real Brandon would prefer you stop saying it.
• “A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving” is returning to public television.
• One California city is so stinky that it’s prompting officials to declare a public emergency.

Arbery Trial: Mostly White Jurors Chosen

After 2½ weeks of jury qualifying, a final jury pool of 12 people was selected this week for the three white men accused of murder in the death of Ahmaud Arbery, an unarmed Black man who was shot while jogging in a Glynn County, Georgia, neighborhood in February 2020 — and only one of the jurors is Black.

While Judge Timothy Walmsley acknowledged that "quite a few African American jurors were excused through peremptory strikes executed by the defense,” he opted to move forward with the trial anyway.

However, Walmsley agreed there "appears to be intentional discrimination.”

"One of the challenges that I think counsel recognized in this case is the racial overtones in the case. ... This is sort of the continuation of a conversation that I think will continue for a long time, with respect to this case," Walmsley said Wednesday. » 1 Black Juror, 11 White Jurors Selected In Ahmaud Arbery Trial, via Across Georgia Patch

FBI Has ‘All Info Needed’ In Laundrie Case

The attorney for the family of Brian Laundrie, whose remains and belongings were found two weeks ago in two Sarasota County parks, said the FBI has all the information it needs to complete an investigation into his disappearance and death.

Laundrie was a person of interest in the strangulation death of Petito, his fiancée, whose body was found near a Wyoming national park Sept. 19. » FBI Has Info Needed To Investigate Laundrie Death, Attorney Says, via Sarasota, Florida, Patch

Vaccine Deadline Pushed: What To Know

The federal government on Thursday announced new vaccine requirements for workers at companies with more than 100 employees as well as for workers at health care facilities that treat Medicare and Medicaid patients. It also extended a deadline for federal contractors. Here’s what you should know about the new deadline. » Vaccine Mandate Deadline For Federal Workers: 5 Things To Know, via Across America Patch

Brandon Wants You To Stop

Brandon Brown is a 28-year-old stock car driver in NASCAR, but his fame is now tied to the newly coined — and vulgar — euphemism "Let's Go Brandon" instead of his moves on the track, or signature win at Talladega, where the now-famous phrase was born. The chant has affected Brown in numerous ways, but an Associated Press report claims his team is now experiencing sponsorship troubles as companies grow concerned about marketing the driver amid the political connotations. » NASCAR's Brandon Brown Seeks Distance From Vulgar Biden Chant, via Charlotte, North Carolina, Patch

‘Tiger King’ Has ‘Aggressive Cancer’

The man known as "Tiger King," who gained fame in a Netflix documentary following his conviction for trying to hire someone to kill an animal rights activist, says he has cancer. The blond mullet-wearing former Oklahoma zookeeper, whose real name is Joseph Maldonado-Passage, is currently in prison after being sentenced to 22 years in 2020. » 'Tiger King' Joe Exotic Says He Has 'Aggressive Cancer,' via Across America Patch

‘A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving’ Returns

Americans heaved a collective sigh of "Good grief, Charlie Brown'' last year when they learned they'd have to sign up for the Apple TV+ streaming service to watch the Charlie Brown holiday specials. This year, however, PBS charged in, offering Americans a Linus-approved security blanket with a deal to air the Charlie Brown holiday specials. » 'A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving' Special Returning To PBS, via Across America Patch

House Hunting

If you’re in the market for a new home and happen to have $100 million lying around, here’s a sampling of what that could buy you in California. Among the homes: the largest house ever permitted in Los Angeles, an estate with seven homes on 74 acres, and an Atherton home previously owned by the Gap founders. » Five $100M Homes in California, via San Francisco Patch

This Day In History

On this day in 1940, Franklin D. Roosevelt was elected to an unprecedented third term as president of the United States.

Around ‘The Patch’

• NJ Gov Race: Legal Action 'Not Off The Table' For Ciattarelli, via Middletown Patch
• Dave Portnoy, Barstool Founder, 'Preyed On' Women, via Midtown-Hell’s Kitchen Patch
• ‘Bachelorette’: I Felt Like ‘Token Black Girl’ Growing Up In MN, via Woodbury Patch
• Braves World Series Parade: Route, Tickets, Livestream Details, via Smyrna-Vinings Patch
• Long Island Teacher Resigns After 'Disturbing Allegations', via Babylon Village, New York, Patch
• Trucker With $153 Campaign Unseats NJ Senate President, via West Deptford, New Jersey, Patch
• City's Putrid Oder Triggers County To Declare An Emergency, via Across California Patch
• High School Student Charged In Boston Principal's Beating: Police, via Boston Patch

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