To keep your Thanksgiving meal safe and avoid calling 9-1-1, Kevin Gallagher has a few tips from the State Fire Marshal.

Cut 1 (29) “…I’m Kevin Gallagher.”

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As you enjoy your Thanksgiving Day know that Terrebonne Parish and its residents are still in recovery mode after Ida’s thrashing some three months ago. More from Dave Brannen.

Cut 2 (32) “…I’m Dave Brannen.” 

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There’s plenty of activity going in the kitchen today as folks prep for Thanksgiving and hopefully, you won’t have to call 9-1-1 as a result. State Fire Marshal Butch Browning says one way is to make sure your kitchen is clean of any grease buildup before you cook to avoid a grease fire and while things are cooking…

Cut 3 (06) “…react to it.” 

Browning says and if something does go wrong on the stovetop…

Cut 4 (10) “…smother the fire. “

And while the family and friends are visiting have them entertain children who are present because Browning says it’s best to keep them out of the kitchen to avoid any pots or pans being knocked off the stovetop and scalding them.

And if you are planning on frying your turkey, be sure to have the fryer at least 20 feet away from anything combustible and be sure your bird is defrosted.

Cut 5 (09) “…significant fire.”

Browning reminds you to never use water to put out a grease fire and search for training videos on the proper way to use a fire extinguisher in advance.

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WalletHub Analyst Jill Gonzales says with sales starting earlier now it’s more like Black November instead of the traditional Black Friday. But if you’re venturing out tomorrow WalletHub looked at all of the Black Friday deals at the top 20 US retailers and the top four for the best bargains are….

Cut 6 (11) “…below 50-percent.”

Gonzales says the average discount is 32-percent so if you’re not getting a deal you might want to shop somewhere else.

The pandemic caused online shopping to soar, and Gonzales says the trend continues. If you feel safer staying at home versus joining the masses on Black Friday, she says you shouldn’t miss out on too many bargains.

Cut 7 (11) “…at home.”

Gonzales says however we are still feeling the effects of the pandemic this holiday season with labor shortages, supply chain issues, and pent-up demand to purchase goods.

Cut 8 (09) “…this year.”

According to WalletHub’s 2021 Coronavirus and Holiday Shopping Survey, one in four are foregoing gifts this year.

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In his Thanksgiving message to Louisiana, Senator John Kennedy recounts the trial of storms and a pandemic its residents have gone through over the past year and cited the Bible for their resiliency.

Cut 9 (11)  “…improve our faith.”

Kennedy says the “gauntlet” of trials since 2020, saying these blows tested our faith again, and again and again. He and his wife pray that you are able to be with your family today and count your blessings too.

Kennedy says despite all that Louisiana has endured over the past year and a half, there is much to be thankful for this Thanksgiving.

Cut 10 (12)  “…by God’s grace.”

On this Thanksgiving, Kennedy says we get to live free in the greatest state and in the greatest country in all of human history.

Cut  11 (08)  “…of blessings too.”  

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On this Thanksgiving Day, some three months after Hurricane Ida, places like Terrebonne Parish remain in recovery mode. A snapshot of the situation there from parish president Gordon Dove:

Cut 12 (09) “…lot of folks.”

He says electricity is back on to everyone who can be connected, as well as water and gas. And, a lot of people still aren’t able to move back into their damaged homes.

Dove says as far as those unable to get into their damaged homes on this Thanksgiving, travel trailers brought in by the state are providing some shelter for Ida victims in Terrebonne.

Cut 13 (11) “…from FEMA itself.”

According to Dove, it seems that getting more and more people back in their homes after Ida is the number one goal.

Cut 14 (10)  “…coming along nicely.”

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Drew Brees will be back in the Superdome tonight for the Saints-Bills game. The retired quarterback will be in the broadcast booth providing analysis on NBC television with play-by-play man Mike Tirico. Even though Brees played for the Black and Gold for 15 seasons, he will not show favor to the Saints…

Cut 15 (13)  “…alongside Mike.”

During halftime, Brees will go down to the field and the Saints say they will use that opportunity for the fans to say thank you to Brees. The future hall of famer expects it will be a special moment, but he says it’s always special in the Dome…

Cut  16 (15) “…great experience”

The state’s Hurricane Ida Sheltering Program is continuing to move forward with more than 13-hundred travel trailers already placed in the hardest-hit parishes for those affected by the storm.

Cut 12 (05) “…families leased in.”  

That’s GOHSEP acting director, Casey Tingle, who says the state purchased nearly 2100 of the trailers under the program announced by Governor Edwards in early October because FEMA’s temporary housing plan was taking too long

According to Triple-A, Thanksgiving travel is up to 13-percent and law enforcement is concerned the increase in travel could lead to a large number of motor vehicle crashes and they are cracking down on drunk driving this holiday weekend. Trooper Ross Brennan says those caught driving under the influence will be arrested…

cut 7 (09) “….out there”

Christmas Tree farmers say there are plenty of pick and cut trees from Louisiana growers even though Ida did leave her mark this summer on local growers. Kay Gersch of Yawn Station Christmas Tree Farm in Livingston Parish says most of their trees had to be re-supported.

Cut  11 (08)  “…a few.”  

Farmers say they are expecting a busy year with more people decorating earlier.

Thousands of families are cooking a turkey for Thanksgiving tomorrow. To make sure your bird is properly cooked, USDA food safety expert Meredith Caruthers says poke a food thermometer in three different places of the turkey…

Cut 5 (15) “..ready to eat.”

Louisiana’s temporary shelter assistance program for victims of Hurricane Ida continues to make progress. Frustrated with FEMA’s ability to get it done quickly, the state took charge; ordering almost 2100 travel trailers for folks whose homes were ravaged by the Labor Day Weekend storm. GOHSEP acting director Casey Tingle says the current pace of the trailers being newly occupied is about 40 a day…:

CUT 13(07)      “…into their units.”

Please drive safely if traveling for the Thanksgiving holiday. AAA says they expect a hefty 13-percent increase in highway travel starting … well, now. State Police Trooper Ross Brannen reminds us that law men will be out in force, as part of the federal Click It or Ticket campaign…:

CUT 08(12)      “…that proper seatbelt.”

…and oh yes, they’ll be watching for speeders and impaired drivers as well. Last Thanksgiving holiday eight people died on Louisiana roadways.

Early voting opens Saturday for the Dec. 11 Louisiana open general election and runs through Saturday, December 4th. Polls are closed Sunday. Some areas of the state have literally NO ballot on which to vote. Others have important runoffs and local option votes.

Local Christmas tree farmers say this season is shaping up to be their busiest ever. Brooke Thorington explains…:

CUT 02(33)      “…Thorington.”

According to Triple-A, Thanksgiving travel is up 13-percent and law enforcement is concerned the increase in travel could lead to a large number of motor vehicle crashes. State Police Trooper Ross Brennan says during last year’s Thanksgiving holiday period nearly 800 people were injured and eight people killed in crashes in Louisiana…:

CUT 06(07)      “…these roadways.”

“Real tree, or not real tree … that is the question.” Christmas tree farmers say they’re already off to a busy start with more people decorating earlier this season. For those determined to have a certain type of tree, listen up. Kay Gersch of Yawn Station Christmas Tree Farm in Livingston Parish says Fraser fir trees are hard to come by…:

CUT 10(11)      “…eight foot.”

If you like to cut your own, there are a good supply of those, despite the impact of Hurricane Ida last summer.

The state-run Hurricane Ida temporary sheltering program continues to move ahead, though at a slower pace than many would like. Casey Tingle is acting director of the Governor’s Office of Homeland Security & Emergency Preparedness, who run the trailer program. He says they are making progress, 3 months after the storm…:

CUT 14(09)      “…to do that.”

When it comes to preparing your holiday meal, and then storing what’s left over …temperature and timing are everything. Meredith Caruthers is with the U.S. Department of Agriculture…:

CUT 04(14)      “…than two hours.”

The USDA notes that improper prep and leftover storage leads to about 48-million Americans getting sick from foodborne illness. Up to 3000 a year can actually die.

The state’s Hurricane Ida Sheltering Program is continuing to move forward with more than 13-hundred travel trailers already placed in the hardest-hit parishes for those affected by the storm.

CUT 12(05)      “…families leased in.”

That’s GOHSEP acting director, Casey Tingle, who says the state purchased nearly 2100 of the trailers under the program announced by Governor Edwards in early October, because FEMA’s temporary housing plan was taking too long.

A Kenner man pleads guilty to an airline baggage scam that netted him about a half-million bucks from 180 separate false claims. 31-year-old Pernell Jones Jr would fly under a fraudulent I.D., then claim his luggage was lost; collecting reimbursement settlements from five different airlines. Jones could face decades behind bars at sentencing in February.

We all want to enjoy Thanksgiving dinner this year, but without the proper food preparation steps, you could be cooking up a foodborne illness. More from Dave Brannen…:

CUT 01(34)      “…Brannen.”

The Louisiana Department of Insurance Senior Health Insurance Information Program said it is urging Medicare customers to ignore unsolicited calls offering to help them switch to a different Medicare plan during the ongoing Medicare Open Enrollment. The callers are scammers and often the insured ends up in a worse plan than what they had; often at higher cost. Just hang up.

Local Christmas tree farmers say this season is shaping up to be their busiest ever. Brooke Thorington explains.
Cut 2 (33)…I’m Brooke Thorington.”

Law enforcement is cracking down on drunk driving this Thanksgiving weekend. Trooper Ross Brennan says those caught driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs will be arrested…
cut 7 (09) “….out there”

Thousands of families are cooking a turkey for Thanksgiving tomorrow. To make sure your bird is properly cooked, USDA food safety expert Meredith Caruthers says poke a food thermometer in three different places of the turkey…
cut 5 (15) “…ready to eat”
For other advice call 1-888-MPHotline even on Thanksgiving day.

The Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness says 13-hundred travel trailers serving as a temporary housing solution have been deployed to the parishes hardest hit by Hurricane Ida. Families are occupying 820 of those units. GOHSEP Acting Director Casey Tingle says the current pace of trailers being newly occupied is about 40 a day…
cut 13 (07) “…their units”
Tingle says their goal is to have about two-thousand families housed by the first part of December and they are on pace to do that.

Christmas Tree Farmers say they’re already off to a busy start with more people decorating earlier this season. And to meet the demand Kevin Steele of Steele’s Christmas Tree Farm in Washington Parish says for the first time they opened the weekend before Thanksgiving.

Cut 9 (09) “…trees are available.”

Louisiana’s first entry in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade will make history Thursday as the longest float in the parade. Lt Governor Billy Nungesser says Celebration Gator, a 60-foot-long float, will proudly represent the state and promote tourism.

Cut 7 (09) “…this float.”

New Orleans native and Grammy 11 time Grammy-nominated Jon Batiste will be performing on the $1.3 million float.

All of us want to enjoy Thanksgiving dinner this year, but without the proper food preparation steps, you could be setting yourself up for a foodborne illness. More from Dave Brannen.

Cut 1 (34) “…I’m Dave Brannen.”

Louisiana is marking its second-largest season over-the-month increase in employment in decades. That’s the word from Workforce Commission Secretary Ava Cates who says the ongoing recovery from Hurricane Ida has had a large impact on the state’s employment situation with a seasonally-adjusted non-farm gain of more than 34 thousand jobs in October.

Cut 4 (06) “…back to 1990. “

The largest gains were seen in leisure and hospitality, as well as construction. 

The Thanksgiving holiday travel crunch is upon us with experts predicting more than 53 million people will hit the air, roads and waterways to share the love and dinner with others.

Cut 13 (07) “…turn to cruises.”

That’s Triple-A’s Don Redman who says the travel volume predicted is within five percent of 2019 pre-pandemic levels and marks the highest single-year increase in 16 years. He says air travel is up 80 percent over last year to a volume of just over four million passengers.

Louisiana’s first entry in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade will make history Thursday as the longest float in the parade. Lt Governor Billy Nungesser says Celebration Gator, a 60-foot-long float, will proudly represent the state and promote tourism.

Cut 7 (09) “…this float.”

Not only will it be the longest, but New Orleans native and the jazz artist to receive the most Grammy nominations ever at 11, Jon Batiste will be performing on the $1.3 million float.

With folks preparing to fix their Thanksgiving meals, the USDA’s Meredith Caruthers outlines some safety protocols to stick to during the process. Two of them deal with cleaning and separating.

Cut 3 (12) “…to eat food.”

She also advises to heed the cooking directions and then to properly chill any leftovers to additionally avoid the possibility of food poisoning.

If Lt Governor Billy Nungesser gets his wish, the state’s first float to appear in Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade will steal the show. Brooke Thorington has more.

Cut 1 (32) “…I’m Brooke Thorington.”

Republican state legislators are voicing opposition to a Department of Health proposal to require COVID-19 shots for kids to attend schools. The mandate would apply only to age groups approved by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration for non-emergency use situations – which is currently 16 and older. However, Baton Rouge area state Senator Bodi White says mandating shots for any age group is wrong…:

Cut 10 (07)  “…forced to opt out.”

The LDH proposal would allow parents to opt-out of their kids having the shots, by signing a statement of exemption.

The Thanksgiving holiday travel crunch is upon us with experts predicting more than 53 million people will hit the air, roads and waterways to share the love and dinner with others. Triple-A’s Don Redman says for those traveling by air, there are bargains to be found for the flight itself, but you may face higher expenses elsewhere.

Cut 15 (09)  “…about four percent.”

As for gas prices, they are holding mostly steady in Louisiana right now, with the statewide average price of regular at around three-12 a gallon compared to a dollar-84 last year at this time.

Louisiana is marking its second-largest season over-the-month increase in employment in decades. That’s the word from Workforce Commission Secretary Ava Cates who says the ongoing recovery from Hurricane Ida has had a large impact on the state’s employment situation with a seasonally-adjusted non-farm gain of more than 34 thousand jobs in October.

Cut 4 (06) “…back to 1990. “

The largest gains were seen in leisure and hospitality, as well as construction.