FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2024

Good morning! On this day in 1849, North Carolina celebrated its first official Thanksgiving. Before leaving office, Gov. William A. Graham asked the state legislature to make it an annual occasion. The General Assembly agreed and ratified a joint resolution recognizing it as a holiday in January 1849, and Gov. Charles Manly proclaimed Nov. 15, 1849, the state's first Thanksgiving.

Test your knowledge of why Thanksgiving is now celebrated on the fourth Thursday in November by answering today's Trivia question. Also, check out Et Cetera if collard greens will be making an appearance on your Thanksgiving table.

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NC Leaders React to GOP Trifecta Leadership

Republicans secured control of the U.S. House Wednesday, completing a trifecta of power after taking control of the U.S. Senate and winning the presidential election.

North Carolina Republicans flipped three House seats last week to increase their representation to 10 of the state's 14 seats. All 10 Republicans have expressed support for President-elect Donald Trump.

U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson received unanimous support from all Republican representatives Wednesday during a closed-door vote for his first full term as speaker after Trump endorsed him.

Meanwhile in the Senate, Sen. John Thune (SD) was voted 29-24 to succeed Sen. Mitch McConnell (KY) as majority leader, beating out Sens. John Cornyn (TX) and Rick Scott (FL).

One of North Carolina's two senators revealed his vote for majority leader. Prior to the vote, McClatchy confirmed Sen. Thom Tillis (NC) would be delivering a nominating speech for Cornyn.

E. coli Reported in NC

A North Carolina resident is among 104 people across the country who became sick after an E. coli outbreak was linked to slivered onions in McDonald's Quarter Pounder cheeseburgers.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed the case but did not give a specific location as to where it occurred, and it said it could take three to four weeks to determine if the case is tied to the McDonald's outbreak.

No new cases of E. coli have been reported in nearly a month and the CDC reports a low risk for other cases occurring in North Carolina. This map shows the number of cases in each state.

As of Wednesday, one person connected to the outbreak has died and 34 have been hospitalized.

NC Holiday Happenings

'Tis the season for parades, tree lightings, and toy drives across North Carolina. Downtown Raleigh's Annual Tree Lighting is next Friday, Nov. 22, 5:30-8 p.m., at Martin Marietta Center for the Performing Arts.

The Raleigh Christmas Parade is Nov. 23 at 9:30 a.m. on Hillsborough and St. Mary's Street. Review this list for additional tree lightings and parades across the Triangle.

The Carolina Panthers and Charlotte FC Tree Lighting Festival is Tuesday, Nov. 26, 6-8 p.m., at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte. It's followed by the Novant Health Thanksgiving Day Parade in Uptown Charlotte on Wednesday, Nov. 27 at 5:45 p.m. Click the links for additional tree lightings and parades in the area.

The State Employees Credit Union is hosting its annual statewide toy drive through Dec. 6. Also, don't miss the 57th annual Southern Christmas Show through Nov. 24 at the Park Expo and Conference Center in Southeast Charlotte, featuring 400-plus vendors.

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➤ Statewide: Gov. Roy Cooper and Department of Natural and Cultural Resources Secretary Reid Wilson announced a $1 million pilot program Wednesday through which public schools can seek financial assistance for field trips. (See Details)

➤ Statewide: A mainframe connection issue has stalled operations at 112 N.C. Department of Motor Vehicles locations. License plate agencies, online services, and self-service kiosks are also affected. NCDMV is working to correct the issue. (More)

➤ Western NC: AT&T collaborated with Durham-based Kramden Institute to donate 160 laptops and 70 cellphones to western North Carolina residents impacted by Hurricane Helene. (More)

➤ Morrisville: Raleigh-Durham International Airport will launch nonstop flights to Bermuda on Fridays and Mondays beginning April 11. Tickets are on sale now. (More)

➤ Durham: Two Duke engineering professors created a personal AI research assistant called Inquisite that specializes in providing information on complex topics from trustworthy sources. (See Details)

➤ Asheboro: A rare, all-white leucistic whitetail fawn was spotted roaming within a resident herd on the North Carolina Zoo's fenced-in property. (See Photo)

➤ Nags Head: The North Carolina Land and Water Fund granted $4.5 million for conservation and shoreline restoration that will secure easements on three town-owned tracts of mature maritime forest. (More)

➤ The Charlotte Hornets have revealed their 2024-25 city edition jerseys. (See Photo)

➤ Speaking of the Hornets, the team partnered with Food Lion and the Second Harvest Food Bank to pack Thanksgiving meals for families in need Wednesday as part of their 14th annual "Cornucopia" program. (More)

➤ UNC landed two commitments from 2025 four-stars Isaiah Denis and Derek Dixon. The Tar Heels take on American at 8 p.m. tonight. (More)

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➤ Amazon purchased 77.43 acres off U.S. 64 in Edgecombe County for $512,000 but hasn't shared additional project details. (More)

➤ State Treasurer Dale Folwell is demanding that Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina pay more than $2 million in legal expenses his office incurred after successfully fighting a lawsuit by the health insurance company. (See Details)

➤ Abstract Ice, which manufactures specialty ice products for bars, grocery stores, and event venues, will invest $14.7 million to open a facility in Forest City expected to create 26 jobs. (More)

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➤ Submissions for the second annual North Carolina’s Sexiest Collard Farmer contest are being accepted by the social media page The State You’re In. (See Details and Facebook page)

➤ The annual Randy Dorton Hendrick Engine Builder Showdown took place Wednesday and Thursday. Crews competed to build an engine the fastest with the least amount of errors. (See Who Won)

➤ Advocacy groups are asking NCDOT to add wildlife crossings while repairing the Haywood County I-40 section that washed into the Pigeon River Gorge after Hurricane Helene hit. (More)

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