Turkey With A Side Of Python: See FL Mom’s Snake-Wrestling Feat

Good morning! It’s Friday, Nov. 26, and we know many of you were up and out early for those Black Friday sales. Whether you’re taking a break from shopping or are still home recovering from your Thanksgiving feast, here’s what we’re sharing with you today:

• Moms are revered for pulling together a massive meal on Thanksgiving. One Florida mom not only cooked the feast, she took a break to pull a python out from under her car.
• Thousands of Southern California residents woke to power outages on Thanksgiving, the result of public safety power shutoffs amid wildfire concerns.
• Black Friday: Is it the end-all, be-all of holiday shopping or the worst incarnation of consumerism?
• Thanksgiving travel was predicted to rise to nearly pre-pandemic levels; at one airport, they ran out of parking.

Florida Mom Preempts Thanksgiving Prep To Tame Python

When renowned python hunter Mike Kimmel, known in some circles as the "Python Cowboy," showed up at his mother’s house for Thanksgiving, he came bearing a snake that was to be part of the family’s feast.

But when the snake slithered out of the car and tried to escape under a car, it was 69-year-old Lorraine Kimmel who took control.

In her flip-flops and apron, the Stuart, Florida, woman grabbed the python by the tail and wrestled it under control in a TikTok video that has garnered more than 2.9 million views.

Now we know who the real python hunter is. >>FL Mom Halts Thanksgiving Preparations To Capture 7-Foot Python, via South Tampa, FL Patch

Thanksgiving Finds Thousands Without Power In Southern California

With strong winds forecast and a high risk of wildfires, electricity was shut off to thousands of Southern California customers on Thursday, part of an effort to prevent wildfires caused by sparks from downed power lines.

The shutoffs also come as authorities warn residents against using open flames … leaving families scrambling to figure out what their Thanksgiving meals would look like.

Strong Santa Ana winds of up to 60 mph were predicted through Thursday, which increases the risk of power lines coming down and wildfires spreading rapidly. At least two wildfires were reported on Thursday, and authorities were keeping close watch. >>Thousands Without Power In SoCal On Thanksgiving In Safety Shutoffs, via Banning-Beaumont, CA Patch

Black Friday: Yay? Or Heck No!

Some people love Black Friday. They spend Thanksgiving Day scoping out deals, planning strategies for which stores to hit first, then rising before dawn to be among the first in line.

Others avoid Black Friday like the ... well, Black Plague. They can't think of anything more torturous than wading through throngs of people, getting into tugging matches with strangers over the one remaining must-have toy of the season.

Regardless of which category you're in, Black Friday is inarguably the most closely analyzed and overly hyped retail shopping day of the year, generating predictions, surveys and comparisons of retail ad circulars, all to determine who has the best deals in an attempt to attract shoppers.

Here’s what the experts have to say about it. >> Black Friday: Experts Weigh In On Most Hyped Shopping Day Of Year, via South Tampa, FL Patch

Thanksgiving Travel Boom Fills Up Airport’s Parking

More than 53 million people were expected to be traveling for Thanksgiving this year as vaccination levels have increased and pandemic restrictions have eased. Air travel in particular was expected to be as much as 80 percent higher than it was in 2020.

That increase in travelers and flyers has had other impacts: In Washington, DC, the volume of travel filled the parking lots at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, prompting warnings to use other methods to get to the airport for flights. >>Thanksgiving Travelers Fill Parking At Reagan National Airport, via Washington, DC Patch

Around ‘The Patch’

Sign up for Across America Patch to keep up with national news. Here are a few headlines:

• PHOTOS: See Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade 2021: What's Thanksgiving without the Macy's Parade? If you missed it on TV, take a look, via New York City Patch
• A Turkey Spared: A group of animal rights activists are trying to save turkeys and convert farmers to other products, one farm at a time, via Riverhead, NY Patch
• See Woman Lock Herself Up To Avoid NYC Subway Shovers: After multiple attacks where subway riders have been shoved onto the tracks, one woman has a solution to stay safe. Her solution has racked up the views on TikTok,via New York City Patch
• NJ Mom Charged In Jan. 6 Capitol Riot Spared Prison: She said "civil war is coming" and proudly participated in the U.S. Capitol riot; she later said she never intended violence, via Newark, NJ Patch
• COVID Sidelines 4 Dallas Cowboys Coaches From Thanksgiving Game: NFL COVID protocols meant Dallas was without four coaches and wide receiver Amari Cooper for the game; via Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas Patch

Today in History

On Nov. 26, 1922, English archeologists entered the tomb of King Tut for the first time in Egypt, according to History.com. They were the first visitors of the tomb in over 3,000 years. The so-called “Boy King” of Egypt has fascinated archaeologists and researchers for decades. Artifacts from the tomb were later shown in museum exhibitions around the world.

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