Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving closures announced for Lee County; some hours adjusted in other offices.

It's that time of year when folks around Florida gather around the table for Thanksgiving. But for some Native American communities, the holiday looks a little different these days.

Americans and Floridians in particular will be traveling this holiday, according to AAA.

Code Switch weighs in on preparing for difficult political conversations and when to draw the line and uninvite yourself from that family potluck.

Pumpkin pies, turkeys, eggs, bread and vegetables — ingredients for a great holiday meal — were distributed in Collier County recently by dozens of volunteers like Kayla Ballard and Ava Adams, both First Baptist Academy students — “serving others, serves God,” Kayla said.The distribution was part of the 19th year for the Capital Wealth Advisors Turkey Drop Event and was made possible this year from Capital Wealth Advisors partnering with St. Matthew’s House in Naples to collect and pass out thousands of Thanksgiving meals.

Scattered storms will impact parts of the state through Wednesday. Cooler and partly to mostly cloudy for the northern half of the state on Thanksgiving.

A community celebration of thanks was experienced for the second year Saturday by 650 Harlem Heights residents at the Heights Foundation/Heights Center.

Getting a big holiday meal on the table can be stressful for the cook (see “The Bear,” Season two, Episode six.) But for guests, just getting to the table also can be difficult, and there’s no Butterball hotline for harried travelers.The number of people traveling 50 miles (80 kilometers) or more from home for Thanksgiving is expected to reach 55.4 million this week, a slight increase over last year, according to AAA projections.

A woman who's getting her health back after nearly dying of West Nile virus. A woman who cherishes phone calls from her grandchildren. A man who had a broken leg, but is regaining strength to return to the dance floor. These three Southwest Floridians, ordinary citizens, are giving big thanks this year as the holiday approaches.

AAA forecasts 2. 9 million Floridians will travel for the holiday weekend. More than 90 percent of them will drive.