Giving Thanks From Fetch Your News
Community November 24, 2021
We here at Fetch Your News hope you all had a Happy Thanksgiving! We all have so many things to be thankful for this year; one of them being how thankful we are for the support and following of the community! We hope you aren’t too stuffed for this weekend’s festivities that can be found in our Sunday Edition!
Governor Cooper Wishes North Carolinians a Safe and Happy Thanksgiving
Featured, Featured Stories, News, Press Release November 25, 2020
RALEIGH: Governor Roy Cooper shared wishes for a safe and happy Thanksgiving holiday as the third-annual turkey pardoning went virtual. Governor Cooper pardoned two turkeys, Cranberry and Drumstick. The pardon was held virtually, with Governor Cooper in Raleigh and Cranberry and Drumstick at home in Mount Olive at Foy III Farm. Governor Cooper highlighted the importance of celebrating Thanksgiving safely by wearing a mask and social distancing with anyone from another household.
“I’m grateful to the many North Carolinians who are looking out for each other’s safety by wearing a mask and practicing social distancing,” said Governor Cooper. “I know many of us are tired of being cooped up at home, but any time you go out – remember to wear a mask and practice social distancing. These are our berry best tools to slowing the spread of this virus. And I know we cran do it.”
Butterball partnered with the State for the third year in a row to donate 500 turkeys, which will be donated to the Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina. Butterball has helped to donate 1500 turkeys as part of this event over the last three years.
“Butterball is thankful for the opportunity to present two turkeys for pardoning by Governor Cooper on behalf of the state of North Carolina. Thanksgiving is our favorite holiday at Butterball, and I know celebrations will look different for many this year, but I’m hopeful North Carolinians will find creative ways to celebrate safely. This Thanksgiving, I’d like to give thanks to our teams and other food producers for their dedication to keeping food on tables during a challenging time,” Jay Jandrain, President and Chief Executive Officer of Butterball, said. “We are pleased to donate 500 Butterball turkeys on behalf of Governor Cooper to the Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina to help fight hunger this holiday season.”
“Hunker down, stay vigilant” Kemp declares ahead of Thanksgiving
Feature News, Featured, Featured News, Featured Stories, News November 24, 2020
ATLANTA, Ga – Georgia Governor Brian Kemp and Department of Public Health Commissioner Dr. Kathleen Toomey delivered a COVID-19 update and urge safety as the state prepares for Thanksgiving.
“We’ve seen a rise of Georgia cases in recent weeks. In light of that with not only Thanksgiving, but Christmas, Hannukah, the New Year, and other holiday celebrations right around the corner, we’re asking all Georgian’s to continue to do a few simple things,” Kemp said.
The four asks are:
- Wear a mask
- Practice social distancing
- Wash your hands
- Follow the guidance of state health officials
The unofficial fifth point is to get a flu shot to prevent a twindemic of COVID-19 and influenza.
Governor Kemp advises Georgians to limit holiday gatherings to only a few people in the same household or have a virtual event. Also, if weather permits to gather outside. Travelers should try to socially distance from others. He added to minimize the risk of exposure to family members who are more vulnerable to COVID-19.
“Our fight for COVID-19 has uprooted many of the norms that we’re used to, especially during the holidays. I know people are frustrated and ready to return to normal. I am as well, but we cannot grow weary. We have to keep our foot on the gas in this fight and as we celebrate Thanksgiving on Thursday, I think we have plenty to be thankful for,” the governor declared.
Kemp took a moment to thank hard-working Georgians, frontline workers, and law enforcement officials.
Department of Public Health Director Kathleen Toomey
“We’ve seen every time we have a holiday that our numbers increase,” Toomey explained. “Right now, in Georgia, we are still lower than in other states, but we’ve seen a steady uptick in cases, hospitalizations, and deaths. We can stop that if everyone follows those guidelines.”
Toomey expanded that taking a COVID-19 test ahead of the holiday doesn’t mean someone won’t contract the virus a few days later. She asked to try and avoid family members who don’t live in the same household. For Georgians who do gather, socially distance, wear a mask, separate utensils, and if possible, eat outdoors.
Currently, Georgia still has between 45 days and two months of frontline PPE supplies. The state has also shipped eight million masks, over 287,000 gallons of sanitizing gel, 19,500 hand sanitization stations, and 52,000 face shields to schools.
Hospital and long-term care facility staffing are a top priority for the Kemp administration, which plans to allocate $25 million to staff augmentation.
Toomey and Insurance Commissioner John King’s teams are working together to create a comprehensive vaccine distribution plan.
“I want to take a minute to commend the Trump administration and Operation Warp Speed on really incredible work on the vaccine,” Kemp stated. “As soon as that supply is ready to be shipped, the state will be ready to deploy a safe, effective vaccine.”
More updates on the vaccine plan will be released in the future.
CDC guide to safely celebrating Thanksgiving
Community, Featured, Featured News, Featured Stories November 19, 2020
ATLANTA, Ga – Thanksgiving is next week and to help those concerned with coronavirus safely take part in the holiday, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) issued the following guidelines.
First, the organization recommends to only celebrate with people who live in your household. However, Thanksgiving is a time when many gather together with their extended families. The CDC posed that families could host a virtual Thanksgiving where everyone shares a meal digitally. People could also watch television and play games with people who live in their household or write down everything they are grateful for and share those items with family and friends.
Individuals could also prepare traditional dishes and leave them outside a loved one’s home.
Individuals could leave dishes outside to protect family members.
CDC asks that visitors bring their own utensils, food, drinks, plates, and cups. Also, people are advised to avoid going in and out of areas where food is being prepared or handled. Single-use options such as ranch dressing packets and disposable items are encouraged.
Hosting Thanksgiving
Those hosting the Thanksgiving meal are urged to have the event outside, limit the number of guests, frequently disinfect touched surfaces, and set expectations. If they choose to have an indoor meal, the CDC recommends opening windows, limiting the number of people in the kitchen, asking people to bring their own food and drink, and if sharing food, only one person should serve with plastic utensils.
People should follow the 3 W’s of wearing a mask, washing your hands, and waiting for social distancing aka maintaining six feet of separation.
The mask needs to be two or more layers and securely fitted over your mouth and nose. Also when eating Thanksgiving dinner, the CDC recommends that the mask is stored in a safe place.
When washing hands, people should take 20 seconds to scrub clean with soap and water. Also, everyone is encouraged to keep hand sanitizer on their person. The sanitizer should be at least 60 percent alcohol.
Thanksgiving Travel
For those who are traveling to visit loved ones, the CDC strongly recommends that everyone stay home to limit potential spread of COVID-19. However, those who are traveling should check travel restrictions, get their flu shot, always wear a mask while on public transportation, maintain six feet separation, wash their hands, bring extra masks and hand sanitizer, and avoid touching their face.
A virtual meal between households is urged by the CDC.
Thanksgiving Shopping
As for Black Friday, many stores began their sales at the beginning of November. CDC recommends that people participate in online sales and use contactless pick-up methods. If shopping in person, visit open-air markets and maintain social distance.
Images are courtesy of the CDC.
A Christmas Message
Opinion November 29, 2018
Thanksgiving 2018 has come and gone and about all we really know about it comes from
commercial sources. Through the constant drumming of the media we are basically told all we
need to know about Thanksgiving, when to start, when to stop and, by the way, ‘don’t forget
those great deals on Black Friday’ because, well, Christmas is just around the corner and after
all, America’s economy depends on commercialism. Their point is, It’s okay to go into debt but
don’t eat the Romaine lettuce. Is it who we really are? Apparently!
But this year I sense a distinct change in the atmosphere. I’ve heard more detailed explanations
of the real Pilgrims story at Plymouth, Mass. in attempts to correct the re-written history some
elements in our society want us to accept. I feel a perceptible shifting of moral values going on
and I sense a not so subtle shift back to religious faith especially as the destructive tenants of
Islam are flooding our country. The leadership of our churches, long beaten into compliance to
accept the dictates of a secular society, must return to their mission of spreading the gospel and
abandon the demand that we must accept the perverted deviancy of 1% of our population that
demands acceptance, without consequence.
What Americans know about Christmas is mostly suggested to us by the years of Macy’s Day
parades, Hollywood movies and Coca-Cola. TV quickly changed our values. Decades ago,
Coca-Cola embraced Clement Moore’s poem, A Christmas Carol, “Twas the Night Before
Christmas” and lo, we now have an indisputably accepted short, fat, happy ol’ elf who enters
homes down chimney pipes, never gets dirty and enjoys their product while winking at us.
When I was a little boy, a world war was underway yet the traditions of Christmas, and even
then they were commercial, were anticipated and observed. We decorated Christmas trees, had
special seasonal attractions and attended Church programs singing hymns while we little
children read or recited memorized snippets of scripture to the audience. I recall my surprise
upon learning that even Germans soldiers observed Christmas, indeed was responsible for
introducing the Christmas tree as a tradition. And, they sang “Silent Night.” What a revelation.
Among the big traditions were Christmas cards. My mother saved Christmas cards for years
and she gave them out in profuse qualities herself. Those that came to me, mostly from mothers
friends and sisters, were scenes depicted as cartoons. Family cards were actually incredible
works of art depicting scenes of happy home fires or snow, doubtless of a Victorian England, the
country where greeting cards and Santa Clause were introduced as a tradition.
Until Coca Cola’s depiction, St. Nick was tall and skinny, a poor emaciated figure, hungry
looking with a limp bag hanging over his shoulder. None of that has changed except Santa’s
size, but I am sensing once again, with Christmas day still weeks away, a change in the public
attitude, a realization that a prosperous America is returning even with all its social problems of
drug addictions, homelessness and hunger. I feel a sincere longing to return to our old traditions
where good cheer and happiness are not feigned but heartfelt; where charity is freely given
without conditions and people actually enjoy helping other people.
But, we must be careful and not allow the Left to peculate our good thing and introduce social
changes we know to be destructive to a free peoples. Government in the hands of Progressives,
will sweep all that away and the once shining city on the hill idea, as Ronald Reagan coined it,
will be but a footnote in history. We must strive to preserve all of our God given liberties.
Remember, freedom is the goal, the Constitution is the way. Now, go get ‘em! (29Nov18)
Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!
Community November 22, 2018
All of us at FetchYourNews.com & FYNTV.com wish all our viewers and readers a very Happy Thanksgiving!
Thanksgiving Pet Safety brought to you by Mountain Emergency Animal Center
Lifestyle November 20, 2018
Thanksgiving is a special holiday that brings together family and friends, but it also can carry some hazards for pets. Holiday food needs to be kept away from pets, and pet owners who travel need to either transport their pets safely or find safe accommodations for them at home. Follow these tips to keep your pets healthy and safe during the holiday.
Poison Risks
Overindulging in the family feast can be unhealthy for humans, but even worse for pets: Fatty foods are hard for animals to digest. Poultry bones can damage your pet’s digestive tract. And holiday sweets can contain ingredients that are poisonous to pets.
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Keep the feast on the table—not under it. Eating turkey or turkey skin – sometimes even a small amount – can cause a life-threatening condition in pets known as pancreatitis. Fatty foods are hard for animals to digest, and many foods that are healthy for people are poisonous to pets – including onions, raisins and grapes. If you want to share a Thanksgiving treat with your pet, make or buy a treat that is made just for them.
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No pie or other desserts for your pooch. Chocolate can be harmful for pets, even though many dogs find it tempting and will sniff it out and eat it. The artificial sweetener called xylitol – commonly used in gum and sugar-free baked goods – also can be deadly if consumed by dogs or cats.
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Yeast dough can cause problems for pets, including painful gas and potentially dangerous bloating.
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Put the trash away where your pets can’t find it. A turkey carcass sitting out on the carving table, or left in a trash container that is open or easily opened, could be deadly to your family pet. Dispose of turkey carcasses and bones – and anything used to wrap or tie the meat, such as strings, bags and packaging – in a covered, tightly secured trash bag placed in a closed trash container outdoors (or behind a closed, locked door).
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Be careful with decorative plants. Don’t forget that some flowers and festive plants can be toxic to pets. These include amaryllis, Baby’s Breath, Sweet William, some ferns, hydrangeas and more. The ASPCA offers lists of plants that are toxic to both dogs and cats, but the safest route is simply to keep your pets away from all plants and table decorations.
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Quick action can save lives. If you believe your pet has been poisoned or eaten something it shouldn’t have, call your veterinarian or local veterinary emergency clinic immediately. You may also want to call the ASPCA Poison Control Hotline: 888-426-4435. Signs of pet distress include: sudden changes in behavior, depression, pain, vomiting, or diarrhea. Contact your veterinarian immediately.
Precautions for Parties
If you’re hosting a party or overnight visitors, plan ahead to keep your pets safe and make the experience less stressful for everyone.
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Visitors can upset your pets. Some pets are shy or excitable around new people or in crowds, and Thanksgiving often means many visitors at once and higher-than-usual noise and activity levels. If you know your dog or cat is nervous when people visit your home, put him/her in another room or a crate with a favorite toy. This will reduce the emotional stress on your pet and protect your guests from possible injury. If your pet is particularly upset by houseguests, talk to your veterinarian about possible solutions to this common problem.
Learn about dog bite prevention. -
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If any of your guests have compromised immune systems (due to pregnancy, some diseases, or medications or treatments that suppress the immune system), make sure they’re aware of the pets (especially exotic pets) in your home so they can take extra precautions to protect themselves.
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If you have exotic pets, remember that some people are uncomfortable around them and that these pets may be more easily stressed by the festivities. Keep exotic pets safely away from the hubbub of the holiday.
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Watch the exits. Even if your pets are comfortable around guests, make sure you watch them closely, especially when people are entering or leaving your home. While you’re welcoming hungry guests and collecting coats, a four-legged family member may make a break for it out the door and become lost.
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Identification tags and microchips reunite families. Make sure your pet has proper identification with your current contact information – particularly a microchip with up-to-date, registered information. That way, if they do sneak out, they’re more likely to be returned to you. If your pet isn’t already microchipped, talk to your veterinarian about the benefits of this simple procedure.
Learn more about microchips. -
Watch your pets around festive decorations. Special holiday displays or candles are attractive to pets as well as people. Never leave a pet alone in an area with a lit candle; it could result in a fire. And pine cones, needles and other decorations can cause intestinal blockages or even perforate an animal’s intestine if eaten.
WHAT FOODS ARE TOXIC TO DOGS AND CATS?
Thanksgiving is almost here and that means an abundance of delicious food. However, many popular human dishes aren’t healthy for pets to consume. It’s important to remember which foods are bad for dogs and cats. Especially, during holiday meals when dogs and cats beg for table scraps and guests might fall for those cute faces. Below are six Thanksgiving foods bad for cats and dogs. Make sure to keep these away from your pets to ensure they remain healthy this Thanksgiving. Also, don’t forget to inform your family and dinner guests about these potentially dangerous or toxic foods for pets so they do not feed them to your four-legged family members.
1. STUFFING
Thanksgiving dressing is often made with onions, scallions or garlic. These ingredients, however, are extremely toxic to dogs and cats and can cause a life-threatening anemia (destruction of the red blood cells). It’s best to avoid feeding any amount of stuffing to pets.
2. HAM
Ham and other pork products can cause pancreatitis, upset stomach, vomiting and diarrhea. Pork is also high in fat, which can lead to obesity in pets. Even a small amount of ham can contribute a very large amount of calories to a small dog or cat’s diet.
3. TURKEY BONES
Bones can cause severe indigestion in dogs and cats, potentially causing vomiting and obstructing the bowel. Bones may also splinter and cause damage to the inside of the stomach and intestines. In some cases, turkey bones may even puncture through the stomach and cause a potentially fatal abdominal infection.
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4. MASHED POTATOES
While potatoes are safe for pets to eat, mashed potatoes usually contain butter and milk, which can cause diarrhea in lactose intolerant pets. Additionally, some recipes call for onion powder or garlic, which are very toxic to pets.
5. SALADS WITH GRAPES/RAISINS
There are many salads served at Thanksgiving that include grapes or raisins as an ingredient, from fruit salad, to waldorf salad, to ambrosia. However, grapes and raisins are very virulent and potentially deadly. Grapes can cause severe, irreversible and sometimes fatal kidney failure in dogs. Be sure to keep all dishes that include grapes and raisins away from pets.
6. CHOCOLATE DESSERTS
While pumpkin pie is the most famous Thanksgiving dessert (canned pumpkin also has many pet health benefits), many people offer a variety of chocolate desserts at Thanksgiving. Chocolate is toxic to dogs and cats, yet dogs love the smell and taste of it. The darker the chocolate, the more toxic it is. Keep all chocolate desserts out of the reach of pets to prevent an emergency trip to the veterinarian.
If your pets ingest any of these foods this Thanksgiving, be sure to call your veterinarian immediately.
The most important part of holiday pet safety is early action, which may prevent more costly and serious complications from developing. Have a happy and safe Thanksgiving!
North Georgia Communities Feed Thanksgiving meal to Firefighting volunteers working away from home
Featured, News November 25, 2016
Raging fires have been spreading through dry land in the North Georgia Mountains for weeks. A few sprinkles of rain fell in the past few days but really didn’t make much of an impact.
The local community appreciates the firefighters and a local church in Chatsworth decided to show it on Thanksgiving Day! The First Baptist Church of Chatsworth fed over 400 out of town firefighters who didn’t make it home to be with their families. Locals from various areas including Blue Ridge brought food to the Church to assist in the program to feed the firefighters. Much of the food cooked in their homes and a local Ingles Market also took orders from those who wanted to donate a meal but didn’t have time to cook.
A local man told us, “It’s a small effort to say a big thank you to those firefighters protecting us and our homes.”
Firefighters have been working tirelessly for weeks to battle the wildfires and a home cooked meal of turkey was an extension of the gratitude felt by the folks in the North Georgia Mountains.
Rough Ridge Fire Update
Georgia State Patrol Making Final Preparations for the Thanksgiving Travel Period
Community, Featured November 23, 2016
State troopers urge safety for the Thanksgiving holiday. The holiday travel period is 102 hours and it begins at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, November 23, and ends at midnight Sunday, November 27.
“Troopers will be focusing on occupant protection violations, and keeping a close eye out for impaired drivers and other traffic violations that could potentially cause a crash,” said Colonel Mark W. McDonough, Commissioner of the Georgia Department of Public Safety. “We want to make holiday travel as safe as possible,” he added.
Last year, during a similar 102-hour period, troopers investigated 788 traffic crashes across the state that resulted in 377 injuries and nine fatalities. In addition to the traffic crash investigations, troopers arrested 319 people for driving under the influence while issuing 9,620 citations and 15,729 warnings.
Troopers will not only be patrolling the interstates but the secondary roads as well. Make sure that everyone in your vehicle is wearing a seat belt and that small children are properly restrained in a child safety seat. Also, do not drive distracted and obey the posted speed. If you know that you will be consuming alcohol, designate a sober driver. “Sadly, each holiday period more than one-half of the people killed in motor vehicle crashes are impaired or not using safety belts,” Colonel McDonough said.
The Georgia State Patrol will also be teaming up with law enforcement officials from across the state for a concerted effort to encourage safe travel through Operation Click It or Ticket, Georgia’s high visibility seat belt enforcement program and Operation C.A.R.E., or Combined Accident Reduction Effort. Operation C.A.R.E. is a nationwide traffic safety initiative aimed at reducing the number of crashes, injuries and fatalities on the nation’s roads by balancing high visibility enforcement with educational outreach.
The holiday traffic count will be updated throughout the holiday travel period on the Georgia Department of Public Safety Twitter page: https://twitter.com/ga_dps.