It's seven o'clock. This is your news now.
From Austin's only 24 hour local news channel.
This is News 8 Austin tonight.
Hello and thanks for joining us on this Thanksgiving night.
I'm Jennifer Bourget. Our top story this hour.
Before the turkey hit the table, thousands hit downtown Austin for the 19th annual
Thunder Cloud Subs Turkey Trot. News 8's Jenna Hiller shows us how all that running
helps put food on the tables of families in need.
About 14,000 people shed a few calories before their Thanksgiving feast.
We're going to be eating a lot of food today and figured we might as well burn some of it off early on.
All those runners helped Caritas put food on the tables of people in need.
Caritas calls it Families Helping Families.
For every four people who register today, they can help a family of four with groceries for an entire week.
Matt and Kate Keeler brought their family of four to the Turkey Trot.
They say their run is a great way to give back.
I'm obviously very thankful for my family and so it's great that we can come out and support an event that helps other families.
About 500 volunteers donated part of their Thanksgiving to the race as well.
Something they were glad to do.
It's not giving up your Thanksgiving, it's giving back to the community and showing the love and gratefulness that we have for what we have in this earth.
Trying to give back is a good thing, especially on a day like Thanksgiving when there's so many people right now who are kind of struggling.
Pounding the pavement to give thanks. Jenna Hiller, News 8, Austin.
Over the last 19 years, the Turkey Trot has raised more than $800,000 for Caritas of Austin.
Caritas provides housing, food and employment services to people in need.
For more information about Caritas, check out their website. That's CaritasofAustin.org.
It might not have as many participants as the other races on Thanksgiving Day, but this race guarantees fun with a P.
Around 50 friends and family took some time to bring awareness to a fatal disease.
PSP is short for Progressive Super Nuclear Palsy.
A lot of people haven't heard of it, but it's often confused or misdiagnosed for Alzheimer's or Parkinson's disease because it shares a lot of the same nasty traits.
There is some real research starting to happen out there.
So there's very little hope for this generation, but we've got to get it kicked off and get enough money to get the research and do things like that.
And that's what we're going to work on.
Participants walked, ran or biked around Lake Pflugerville.
The money raised from this event goes to CurePSP.
For more than 25 years, Annie's Way has been providing Thanksgiving dinner to those less fortunate.
More than 200 volunteers pitched in to help feed more than a thousand people this year.
Some served meals at St. William's Church in Round Rock.
Others loaded dinners into their cars and delivered them to more than 600 shut-ins.
Especially this year with the unemployment picture, there's a lot of people that have lost their jobs or are underemployed that need help.
So they come here and we all have fellowship, partake of the meal and again we try to feed the homebound.
Almost all of the food was donated by members of the community.
They brought more than 60 turkeys and dozens of covered dishes.
Any leftover food goes to feed the homeless.
President Barack Obama delivered a Thanksgiving greeting to the nation.
In it, he said it's time to pause to give thanks.
For centuries, in peace and in war, in prosperity and in adversity,
Americans have paused at this time of year to gather with loved ones and give thanks for life's blessings.
This week we carry on this distinctly American tradition.
All across our country, folks are coming together to spend time with family,
to catch up with old friends, to cook and enjoy a big dinner, and maybe to watch a little football in between.
As always, we give thanks for the kindness of loved ones, for the joys of the previous year,
and for the pride we feel in our communities and country.
President Obama also said while the federal stimulus has helped many in financial trouble,
more needs to be done to create jobs.
President Obama also sent out a very special thank you to those serving our country on this day
and his address to the nation.
After the address, President Obama made 10 phone calls to U.S. service members serving in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The president wished them a happy Thanksgiving and told them how much he and Michelle appreciated their service to the country.
Two service members in each of the five military branches got calls from the commander in chief.
Many people watched the 83rd annual Macy's Day Parade on a curb in New York or on television nationwide.
All the favorite floats were back along with plenty of marching bands.
Traditional balloons like Buzz Lightyear, Spider-Man, Ronald McDonald, and the Pillsbury Doughboy were there,
including a couple of new additions.
For the first time in the parade's 83rd year history, it bypassed Broadway for a new route down to 7th Avenue.
Jolly Old St. Nick also took part in the parade.
Shuttle Atlantis astronauts will spend Thanksgiving checking their ship for the ride home.
The shuttle was aiming for a Friday morning landing in Florida.
The crew undocked from the International Space Station Wednesday.
The astronauts will test Atlantis' flight systems, take questions from TV reporters, and then settle down to a holiday meal.
On the menu, barbecue beef brisket, chicken fajitas, even sweet and sour pork.
Hundreds of Fort Hood families will have something extra to be thankful for this year.
Nearly 900 1st Cavalry Division soldiers made it home just in time for Thanksgiving.
These soldiers were part of a 12-month deployment to Iraq where they helped train Iraqi forces.
Shirley Adams made a special trip out from Hawaii to welcome her son home Wednesday.
We're going to do whatever he wants to do.
I mean, if it's even hanging out, chatting, and having a pizza, it'll be fine with us.
So, yeah, hard to cook when you're in a hotel.
These soldiers are just part of the 16,000 1st Cavalry soldiers who are slowly returning home.
The last group of soldiers is expected to be back in February.
Troops in Iraq and Afghanistan couldn't be with their families for the holiday,
but they did get to share a feast of turkey and all the trimmings.
The soldiers from the 32nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team in Baghdad are shown here being served the meal.
The team is made up of members of the Wisconsin National Guard.
There are 117,000 American troops stationed in Iraq this Thanksgiving.
68,000 are in Afghanistan.
Service members will chow down on turkey, ham, veggies, and potatoes topped off by dessert.
Some Austin area schools got in on the thanks and the giving.
A legacy of giving held its first day of service for kindergartners up to high school seniors.
20 schools joined the local nonprofit Wednesday to spread the word about Coats for Kids.
It's a food and clothing drive for the Capital Area Food Bank and the Junior League of Austin.
Legacy of giving says the drive is not only charitable, but also a learning experience.
We teach the word philanthropy.
It's a big word, but it's not too big for even the smallest of children to understand.
Organizers hope to bring in 50,000 pounds of food and 2,000 coats.
All Austin area Jack Brown cleaners will take coats through December 2nd.
The coats will be distributed on December 5th.
For more information, check the legacy of giving at theleague.org.
Music
A past the hour on this Thanksgiving, we have high clouds overhead,
and they were filtering in throughout the course of the day today, dimming out the sun at times.
But we still managed to reach the 60s for daytime highs, comfortable outdoors,
even though we did have a chilly start.
We anticipate for more chilly temperatures tonight.
However, I don't think we'll see as many of those 30s because the clouds overhead
and a little bit of moisture coming in from the south at the surface.
We have some changes on the way to talk about in our forecast,
especially as we get into the latter portion of the weekend.
Here's how we see it in writing for your commuter's forecast.
If you do have to be out going to work on Friday morning,
we'll have the high clouds and a few rural 30s, but most of us generally above 40 degrees.
Ozone levels will be low on Friday and say on particulate matter.
We had a couple of upper fifties, so some cooler readings for Burnett and for Florence,
but temperatures were primarily above 60 degrees.
Those clouds did play a role in our weather today,
but the further north you went closer to Waco, you did see more in the way of sunshine.
This specific moisture is associated with a weak disturbance aloft.
It's going to be passing to our south.
It will keep generating these clouds for Thursday,
or for Friday and Saturday.
Might include a little bit of drizzle or a few sprinkles,
so you'll see a couple minor rain chances appearing in the forecast for the next two days.
But it's beyond then that we see a more significant chance of rain and some colder temperatures.
Stay tuned for the five day forecast.
We'll have those details at 18 past.
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Potatoes for Thursday's meals.
Some of the participants competed in turkey smoking contests throughout the day Wednesday.
Volunteers also collected toiletries and clothing donations.
For more information about Operation Turkey, visit OperationTurkey.com.
In just a few hours, the leftovers will cool in the fridge and lines of shoppers will hit the stores.
News 8's Hayes County Bureau Chief Russell Wild shows us how retailers prepare for one of the busiest retail days of the year.
The San Marcos Best Buy has become a popular camping site Thanksgiving night.
People anticipate it, they expect it and that's why we have people line up.
Before the line forms, months of planning and training take place.
Wednesday, while some shoppers were out scouting bargains, employees were willing out Blu-ray players.
The store obviously is busting at the seams with product.
In the back room, HDTVs are stacked to the ceiling and excitement is building for the customers and the employees.
It's early in the morning, there's a lot of energy because there's a lot of hype.
We've been building up to this day for four months and so we're ready to go and we're raring to go.
The San Marcos Police Department also begins planning months in advance.
They work with TechStot to close down the Centerpoint Road exit.
That way cars exiting for the outlet malls don't back up onto I-35.
Police say the surge of holiday shoppers can more than double the city's population.
San Marcos' two outlet malls both open at the stroke of midnight Friday.
If you're well prepared and you start thinking about this in weeks in advance and you have all your ducks in a row, at that point it's just about execution.
Retailers orchestrate a day that has packed stores changing early bird prices all while trying to keep the crowds moving.
Customers are lined up and at some points in the day you'll have customers lined up probably 30, 40 deep.
And they line up for the deals.
Well everything in the store is on sale in some way.
We have a lot of buy one, get one free, a lot of buy one, get one half off.
Best Buy hands out tickets to those waiting in line.
They say that guarantees the early bird gets the worm.
There's no need to rush in, there's no need to flock in like you may see at some of the other retailers.
So it's a really controlled environment.
Controlled chaos thanks to months of planning.
Russell Wilde, News 8 San Marcos.
Best Buy opens at 5 a.m. Friday but they start handing out tickets around 3.
Cavenders opens at midnight along with all the stores at both outlet malls.
The Salvation Army's Red Kettle campaign is set to go into high gear this year.
You'll be able to donate using plastic.
The nonprofit ran successful test of kettles with credit and debit card machines in Dallas and Colorado Springs last year.
This year the so-called plastic kettles will be used in 120 cities as fewer and fewer people carry change.
This year marks the 10th anniversary of the Texas A&M bonfire collapse that killed 12 people and injured 27.
Since the collapse there's been little talk of bringing the tradition back to campus.
But there's still a bonfire off campus.
Tuesday night thousands joined together for Burn Night 2009.
This student bonfire started in 2002 and is not sanctioned by the university.
Unlike the original bonfire, this one is smaller in scope and all the logs touch the ground.
But the idea is the same, to rally for tonight's game against University of Texas.
One man who lost a friend in the 1999 collapse is glad to see the tradition continue.
I'm glad they're keeping it alive. I mean it's very important to those of us who were so active with it.
I think it's quite frankly, I think the kids that died, the young men and women that died would have wanted it.
Tuesday night's event took place near Hearn about a half hour from College Station.
The Longhorns go up against the Aggies tonight.
It's one of the most anticipated games of the Longhorn season.
The Horns are undefeated this season and stand at number three in the BCS rankings.
Kickoff is set for seven o'clock tonight at Kyle Field in College Station.
The News 8 sports team will have special game day reports at four, five and six o'clock.
The five day forecast is sponsored by ABC Home and Commercial Services.
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18 minutes past the hour.
That's how it looked in Fredericksburg on Thanksgiving Day with some thin clouds overhead.
Filtering out the sun at times.
Those clouds originating in the Pacific, traveling over Mexico with the disturbance
and eventually blowing into Texas.
We see those on the water vapor loop and that's where we begin here at 18 past.
Not as clear of a view in the skies overhead for today as how we had the previous couple of days
because of this moisture and that will continue to be a factor for tonight and for Friday and Saturday.
67 over 46, the typical high and low.
And today we were a little bit below average with a high of around 64 at Mabry.
No rain measured in the rain gauges for Mabry or Bergstrom.
If we see anything on Saturday or Friday and Saturday, it would only be about a trace
because of drizzle or sprinkles.
We find the lake level still running below normal.
Travis is at 66 degrees and the Guadalupe River flow rate is at 112 cubic feet per second.
Well, the futurecast shows that high cloud cover evident in the skies for tonight and for Friday.
We'll still have some intervals of sunshine though and it should be another day in the upper 60s,
maybe a couple of lower 70s if we manage to find some more sunshine.
This goes into your Friday night with more cloud cover and again, that futurecast stops then.
It's further down the road into sunny.
We're still highlighting these higher rain chances.
Mold count is moderate right now according to our latest count out of the Austin area
for Dr. Hovanki's office, it's mold and juniper that are featured.
Now the next four days show a little bit of a drop off perhaps because that rainfall on Sunday and Monday
with our upper level low, but that may also bring the mold levels up as a result.
Our futurecast brings in that red arrow from the south, so a wind coming in out of northern Mexico
eventually from the Gulf is going to transport in some higher dew points
and that's going to help generate fog and drizzle in the morning by Saturday.
We'll still have the limited sunshine.
As mentioned, not a whole lot of rain showing up.
Nothing according to this computer model and the future rain graphic keeps us dry between now and Saturday.
Sunday you can see that moisture starting to arrive in New Mexico.
That's going to be the upper level trough and associated cold front that will bring us our rain chances
for the tail end of the weekend into the start of next week.
So to summarize all that and check out your forecast in writing, 44 tonight here in Austin.
That's a couple degrees warmer than last night, but we still have some of those 30s possible
in the usually colder spots.
Winds will be light and variable, eventually taking on a southerly component for tomorrow.
Just a couple of sprinkles possible at a 20% likelihood.
Otherwise that filtered sunshine with the high clouds and a high of around 68 degrees.
We get even warmer for Saturday and Sunday in advance of the storm system.
As the moisture gathers and our breezy conditions take over too,
we await this cold front to come through.
It brings in a big drop in temperatures.
We go from 73 to 55 from Sunday into Monday and then looking further down the road
past this 5 day forecast we could be in for more lows in the 30s
and colder than average daytime high temperatures as well.
We'll be looking at travel weather around the nation coming up next.
Stay tuned for that at 28 past the hour.
Music
Time now for the Howdy Hondo Sports Report.
Regular season perfection on the mind.
Happy Thanksgiving and thanks for joining us here on News 8 Sports.
I'm Mike Berman.
It began what seems like ages ago, September 5th at home against Louisiana-Monroe.
The goal for Texas was simple then, win every time out.
Well 11 W's later the horns stood on the brink of regular season perfection
with one final yet tricky hurdle to clear in College Station.
Well they're off and running at Kyle Field and do not adjust your television set.
A surprise early on, Jeff Fuller, a long touchdown catch from Gerard Johnson.
So A and M up early 7 to nothing on Texas.
Be sure and stay with News 8 throughout the evening and after the game
for complete coverage of this showdown in College Station.
Well it's a Thanksgiving tradition as timeless as gorging yourself
and then falling asleep on the couch soon thereafter.
Thursday made it 32 straight turkey days with the Dallas Cowboys game on the tube.
This one at home against the last place Raiders.
Meaning odds were a pretty good number 32 would be a happy one in Big D.
There's the pride of Eastern Illinois, Tony Romo making Thanksgiving Day start number 4.
Romo perfect 3 and 0 coming into this one and winning football games
always seems to be made easier by a big play with the ground game.
What a burst by Felix Jones strong on the finish there too.
46 yards and a six pack Cowboys on top 10-0.
We go less than a minute left and a half.
Little inside screen to Little Miles Austin and he's a good guy to get it to.
The cat is shifty and 19 is in.
Seven catches, 145 yards on a big day for Austin.
17-zip Cowboys on top at the half.
Early in the final quarter, yes.
Roy Williams getting into the act.
Fourth touchdown for the former Horn this season.
Romo an impressive day of 309 yards and two scores as the Cowboys roll 24-7.
Other holiday action in the NFL, Matthew Stafford and the Lions
continuing that timeless Thanksgiving tradition.
That of course being the Lions losing on Thanksgiving.
Green Bay doing the honors this Turkey Day.
Donald Lee from Aaron Rodgers.
Game tied at 7 early in the second.
Then in the third, the pack's going to start pulling away.
It's Rodgers to Donald Driver.
Makes it 20-7 big day for Rodgers.
348 yards and three scores.
Six straight Thanksgiving Day losses now for the Lions.
They're getting used to it there.
34-12 Green Bay.
And one more game on the holiday pro slate.
Big one between six and four teams.
The Giants on the road in Denver.
They're just underway in the mile-high city.
We'll keep you updated on this one throughout the evening.
Plenty to be thankful for if you're Dan Hawkins.
The Colorado sideline boss, famous more for his quoting than his coaching,
will be back roaming the sidelines in Boulder next season,
the school's athletic director said Thursday.
Hawkins has an overall record of 16-32 in four years at CU.
The Buffaloes, just three and eight this season,
will finish up at home on Friday against Nebraska.
Well, it's likely to be a two-Turkey race in the Big 12 this year.
You've got number one, Kansas.
Then you've got the third ranked hometown Longhorns,
who are both final four caliber teams.
But after that, thanks to major player losses,
much of the conference is a giant ball of question mark.
Included in that group of just how good are they is Texas A&M,
who ran into its first early season test on Thursday against Clemson.
Four and O Aggies going up against the 19th ranked Tigers.
This is a first round game in Anaheim at the 76 classic.
Back of a day for BJ Holmes.
I like this kid. He can stroke it.
Going to hit a pair of triples in your highlight package right here.
Game high 20 dropped in by Holmes as A&M earns a nice win 69-60.
Okay, folks, that's a wrap on sports for this hour.
We will see you right back here next hour at 21 past.
Do not forget to stay with News 8 after the ball game this evening.
We'll have you covered with everything you need to know about this huge Texas,
Texas A&M matchup from College Station.
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I just love it. I think it's a wonderful project to be able to help our fellow man,
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Coming up, how one group of volunteers is making sure those less fortunate
are enjoying their Thanksgiving.
The Quick Start Forecast is sponsored by the Heart Hospital of Austin,
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There's a distance for everyone at the 31st Decker Challenge coming up on Sunday, December 6th.
From the double Decker full marathon to the Brown Santa 5K,
it is all going to take place at the Travis County Expo Center.
You can find out more at AustinRunners.org.
Hopefully we'll have some good weather for that looking ahead to next Sunday
for that 730 a.m. kickoff.
Moving on here at 28 Pass, we always focus on travel weather.
Of course, it's a busy travel time, being around Thanksgiving holiday.
We have a couple of areas that are still going to be facing some delays,
primarily in the Midwest and the Great Lakes region.
That system is going to be spiraling into the southern portions of the Ohio Valley
and into the New England states.
As we check in with how conditions are looking in the southeast,
a lot better there.
Remember, they had some rainfall in Florida earlier in the week.
We also see that the Pacific Northwest is finding some energy coming onshore.
That's in the form of rain and high elevation snow.
High pressure is seeing up, and that's what has been with us for the past couple of days.
It drips to the east, and we see that moisture come in from the west.
It doesn't look too impressive from this perspective.
I think Sunday afternoon into Mondays when we see our better chance
of rain here in the Austin area.
Traveling anywhere high-lead in yellow may be subject to weather-related delays,
according to your Mr. Notebook Traveler's Outlook.
That does include Detroit and Indianapolis,
also in the Pacific Northwest for Portland and for Seattle.
Tonight's temperatures in the Rockies in the 20s,
just above the freezing mark for St. Louis.
40s for Boston and for New York City, Miami,
one of the warmer spots for nighttime lows in the 50s.
Daytime highs reach the upper 70s for Phoenix, lower 70s for Miami.
Even here in Texas, we'll enjoy some warmer temperatures for tomorrow
as we await for the arrival of our next storm system.
You can see this batch of Pacific moisture coming up from Mexico.
That's going to bring in a lot of cloud cover to places like Monterey and Tampico.
One of the warmer spots will be Pradovayartan.
They'll be in the lower 80s.
44 back here at home under fair skies.
Looking ahead to the weekend, there are the rain chances going to 50% now on Sunday.
We'll be back with more on your forecast coming up at 38 past.
KATHRYN
Some Fort Hood families have an extra reason to give thanks.
Hundreds of 1st Cavalry Division soldiers returned home just in time for Thanksgiving.
NewsHGA's Saito tells us how one family plans to spend the day.
After patiently waiting for 12 long months,
anxious families like Kristi Forbes and her two kids, Tanner and Kenzie,
gathered at the 1st Cavalry Division headquarters to wait just a little bit longer.
I feel like I'm in a constant caffeination.
I feel like I can drink a lot of coffee today.
I'm excited, really excited.
Before she could be reunited with her husband, Major Brett Forbes, who is coming home from Iraq.
It brings me to tears how thankful we are to have him here the day before Thanksgiving.
It's a blessing, it's a real blessing for us and our family.
And for their 5-year-old son Tanner, the look on his face says it all.
When the buses pull up with 300 soldiers, knowing his dad is somewhere in the crowd.
And then comes that special moment.
Go, go get daddy.
What's up, big man?
Between a soldier and a son.
Just miss them so much.
And so coming back was just a lot of emotions going through me.
And it's one Thanksgiving they're sure not to forget.
You know, I love to cook, but we decided not to cook so we didn't have to clean anything.
Not for the feast, but the family time they'll be able to spend.
Chia Saito, News 8 Fort Hood.
900 soldiers returned home Wednesday.
They're a part of a larger group of 16,000 1st Cavalry Division soldiers to return from Iraq.
The final group is expected to return home in February.
Troops in Iraq and Afghanistan couldn't be with their families for the holiday,
but they did get to share a feast of turkey and all the trimmings.
The soldiers from the 32nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team in Baghdad are shown here being served the meal.
The team is made up of members of the Wisconsin National Guard.
There are 117,000 American troops stationed in Iraq this Thanksgiving.
68,000 are in Afghanistan.
Service members will chow down on turkey, ham, veggies and potatoes topped off by dessert.
For more than 25 years, Annie's Way has been providing Thanksgiving dinner to those less fortunate.
More than 200 volunteers pitched in to help feed more than 1,000 people this year.
Some served meals at St. William's Church in Round Rock.
Others loaded dinners into their cars and delivered them to more than 600 shut-ins.
Especially this year with the unemployment picture, there's a lot of people that have lost their jobs or are underemployed that need help.
So they come here and we all have fellowship, partake of the meal, and again we try to feed the homebound.
Almost all of the food was donated by members of the community.
They brought more than 60 turkeys and dozens of covered dishes.
Any leftover food goes to feed the homeless.
About 14,000 people worked up an appetite Thanksgiving morning.
Runners filled the streets for the 19th annual Thunder Cloud Subs Turkey Trot.
The race benefits Caritas of Austin.
For every four people who register today, they can help a family of four with groceries for an entire week.
So it's a big deal when four people can help four more people.
Over the last 19 years, the Turkey Trot has raised more than $800,000 for Caritas of Austin.
Caritas provides housing, food and employment services to people in need.
It might not have as many participants as the other races on Thanksgiving Day, but this race guarantees fun with a P.
Around 50 friends and family took some time to bring awareness to a fatal disease.
PSP is short for Progressive Super Nuclear Palsy.
A lot of people haven't heard of it, but it's often confused or misdiagnosed for Alzheimer's or Parkinson's disease
because it shares a lot of the same nasty traits.
There is some real research starting to happen out there, so there's very little hope for this generation,
but we've got to get it kicked off and get enough money to get the research and do things like that, and that's what we're going to work on.
Participants walked, ran or biked around Lake Pflugerville.
The money raised from this event goes to CurePSP.
Hundreds gathered in Temple for a Thanksgiving meal.
Wednesday's annual Health and Hope for the Holidays gave people in need a traditional holiday meal complete with all the trimmings.
And that's not all they got.
We have the seasonal flu shots available through Scott and White Health Plan.
We've got the Salvation Army giving out care packages. We've got dental packages. We've got coats, blankets.
Each year the event grows with the number of volunteers who want to participate.
There are already plans for the 9th annual Health and Hope for the Holidays next year.
Many people watched the 83rd annual Macy's Day Parade on a curb in New York or on television nationwide.
All the favorite floats were back along with plenty of marching bands.
Traditional balloons like Buzz Lightyear, Spider-Man, Ronald McDonald and the Pillsbury Doughboy were there, including a couple of new additions.
For the first time in the parade's 83rd year history, it bypassed Broadway for a new route down to 7th Avenue.
Jolly Old St. Nick also took part in the parade.
The Salvation Army's Red Kettle campaign is set to go into high gear this year.
You'll be able to donate using plastic.
The nonprofit ran successful tests of kettles with credit and debit card machines in Dallas and Colorado Springs last year.
This year, the so-called plastic kettles will be used in 120 cities as fewer and fewer people carry change.
It might be a little chilly for a swim, but if you're brave, how about a dip in Barton Springs Pool?
It's back open after being closed due to flooding.
Austin Parks and Rec remind swimmers there are no lifeguards on duty on holidays, so swim at your own risk.
To advertise on News 8 Austin, call 531-3200 or email advertising at news8austin.com.
We'll be enjoying the weather while we anticipate for the dry conditions to continue through tonight and for Friday, even though there will be a little bit more in the way of cloud cover.
Our temperatures are going to be chilly tonight, but not as cold as the previous night because of this veil of cloud cover aloft.
That's providing us with the high cirrus clouds.
It just won't be entirely clear like we had the past couple of nights, which provided us with the optimal conditions for radiational cooling.
For tonight, we anticipate a few more 30s in the rural spots.
We'll have a light southwest wind on the way for your Friday morning commute, and if you do have to be out and about early on Friday morning.
Of course, a lot of folks getting to sleep in with the holiday.
59 in Elgin, in Thorndale, in Bastrop and Rosanke, so a few places were under 60 degrees for today, but Mabrian-Bergstrom topped out at 64.
We had that moisture filtering in throughout the course of the afternoon.
Further north you go away from Austin, you find the primarily clear skies.
Our temperatures are going to stay a little bit warmer than average for Friday and for Saturday as we are in advance of our next upper level storm system.
This computer model run goes out to about Saturday at 5 o'clock, so you really don't see the increase in chance of rain just yet.
It's Sunday and Monday, and we'll feature that next at 48 past when we look at the long-range forecast.
We'll also be in for a return of some colder temperatures.
Here are the numbers for tomorrow.
I think it will be a little bit warmer than the computer model guidance headed to the upper 60s for peak daytime highs.
Shuttle Atlantis astronauts will spend Thanksgiving checking their ship for the ride home.
The shuttle is aiming for a Friday morning landing in Florida.
The crew undocked from the International Space Station Wednesday.
The astronauts will test Atlantis' flight systems, take questions from TV reporters, and then settle down to a holiday meal.
On the menu, barbecue beef brisket, chicken fajitas, even sweet and sour pork.
President Barack Obama delivered a Thanksgiving greeting to the nation.
In it, he said, it's time to pause to give thanks.
For centuries, in peace and in war, in prosperity and in adversity,
Americans have paused at this time of year to gather with loved ones and give thanks for life's blessings.
This week, we carry on this distinctly American tradition.
All across our country, folks are coming together to spend time with family,
to catch up with old friends, to cook and enjoy a big dinner, and maybe to watch a little football in between.
As always, we give thanks for the kindness of loved ones, for the joys of the previous year,
and for the pride we feel in our communities and country.
President Obama also said, while the federal stimulus has helped many in financial trouble,
more needs to be done to create jobs.
President Obama also sent out a very special thank you to those serving our country on this day and his address to the nation.
After the address, President Obama made 10 phone calls to U.S. service members serving in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The president wished them a happy Thanksgiving and told them how much he and Michelle appreciated their service to the country.
Two service members in each of the five military branches got calls from the commander in chief.
How do you crash a state dinner at the White House?
That's what the Secret Service is trying to figure out after this couple slipped into the White House uninvited.
They weren't on the official guest list, but that didn't stop them from posing for pictures with Vice President Joe Biden and Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel.
Secret Service says the couple went through the same security as the other guests and that President Obama wasn't in any danger.
Shopping for others and volunteering over the holidays are not the only ways to give back this season.
Shopping and eating at local-owned businesses is easier than ever with the help of many local business alliances.
Go Local Austin is a for-profit alliance that offers cards with discount incentives for shopping at participating locally-owned stores.
Additionally, this weekend, Austin Unchained, sponsored by the Austin Independent Business Alliance, will offer savings and specials at stores all over town.
Economic studies show a substantial amount of money goes back into the community when folks shop locally.
3.5 times as much money stays in the community if you shop at locally-owned businesses as if you shop at chain stores.
For more information on how to participate in these programs, you can visit our website at News8Austin.com.
In just a few hours, the leftovers will cool in the fridge and lines of shoppers will hit the stores.
News 8's Hayes County Bureau Chief Russell Wild shows us how retailers prepare for one of the busiest retail days of the year.
The San Marcos Best Buy has become a popular camping site Thanksgiving night.
People anticipate it, they expect it, and that's why we have people line up.
Before the line forms, months of planning and training take place.
Wednesday, while some shoppers were out scouting bargains, employees were willing out Blu-ray players.
The store obviously is busting at the seams with product.
In the back room, HDTVs are stacked to the ceiling, and excitement is building for the customers and the employees.
It's early in the morning, there's a lot of energy because there's a lot of hype.
We've been building up to this day for four months, and so we're ready to go and we're raring to go.
The San Marcos Police Department also begins planning months in advance.
They work with TechStot to close down the Centerpoint Road exit.
That way, cars exiting for the outlet malls don't back up onto I-35.
Police say the surge of holiday shoppers can more than double the city's population.
San Marcos' two outlet malls both open at the stroke of midnight Friday.
If you're well prepared and you start thinking about this in weeks in advance, you have all your ducks in a row,
at that point it's just about execution.
Retailers orchestrate a day that has packed stores changing early bird prices, all while trying to keep the crowds moving.
Customers are lined up, and at some points in the day you'll have customers lined up probably 30, 40 deep.
And they line up for the deals.
Well, everything in the store is on sale in some way.
We have a lot of buy one, get one free, a lot of buy one, get one half off.
Best Buy hands out tickets to those waiting in line.
They say that guarantees the early bird gets the worm.
There's no need to rush in, there's no need to flock in like you may see at some of the other retailers,
so it's a really controlled environment.
Controlled chaos thanks to months of planning.
Russell Wilde, News 8 San Marcos.
Best Buy opens at 5 a.m. Friday, but they start handing out tickets around 3.
Cavender's opens at midnight along with all the stores at both outlet malls.
Hi, I'm Kevin Oakes.
And I'm Anna Gonzalez with News8Austin.com.
If you're preparing for Black Friday, Cyber Monday, or any other holiday shopping time,
then you need to arm yourself with these applications.
We found these tools to help ease your search and save money, and the best part is they're all free.
The first is called NoMe.com, and it launched in 2008 in Plano.
It has since spread deals and steals through social media networks and digital news feeds.
In light of the holiday shopping season, they recently launched a new feature called the Holiday Deal Watcher.
Through this site, you can download the application and let it do all of the work for you.
NoMe works by tracking all of the websites that are posting the best deals and showcasing them all in one place.
You can control it all by deciding what goes on your dashboard.
Another tool delivering the best deals to your desktop is called the Wootalyzer.
It tracks the deals on popular big-name websites like Amazon, Newegg, and Yugster.
Now here's the deal. The tracker will only give you one item per website
and shows you how much time you have left to take advantage of that deal.
When a new deal comes up from a retailer, all you have to do is you'll get an alert on your toolbar.
Now, Woot.com is also based in North Texas, and they started out as a deal-a-day website for electronics.
They have since expanded to include kids' woot, shirt woot, and even wine woot.
You can find these programs, plus find out how to use Twitter to track the best deals on News8Austin.com.
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On December 5th, News 8's Paul Brown will be emceeing the Cure Search Walk to Conquer Kids' Cancer.
That will be taking place at the Hill Country Galleria starting at 9 a.m.
Funds raised will support research and awareness of childhood cancer.
You can find out more about this great cause at MilestonesWalk.org.
So that's what's coming up next Saturday, an event to put on your calendar.
As we move on here at 48 Pass, we focus on your nationwide long-range forecast.
And a lot of the reasons why we're going to see our pattern shift here in central Texas is because of a developing trough in the west.
We've been under high pressure recently, but you can tell things are looking a bit more active in that part of the country.
We're anticipating for that upper level trough to intensify, pulling in a lot of moisture from the Pacific.
And we'll have the right ingredients at the surface, too, to pull in some gulf moisture.
You can see by Saturday at 6 p.m. the center of low pressure is just on the edge of your screen.
We're expecting for that to take a more southerly track.
And as we have seen with recent storm systems, the closer we are to that center of low pressure, the higher our rain chances are.
And that's why we're thinking we have a pretty good likelihood of that going into the second part of the weekend.
On to your champion windows, ski reports and resorts opening this weekend in New Mexico.
We go to Colorado, where there is no new snow, at Beaver Creek or Keystone in the past 24 hours.
However, you can anticipate some trails to be open with packed powder conditions.
And those systems coming out of the Rockies will be bringing a better chance for some snow as we look at the weekend going into early next week.
Here are our rain chances here in central Texas.
I think Monday is going to be when we see our highest rain chance.
And then that slowly moves away.
But we still could have some overrunning with the Pacific moisture riding over the colder air at the surface.
And that is going to set up perhaps the potential for some rain showers into the middle part next week.
Quick update on our drought watch.
We have now been downgraded to the lowest category in parts of our viewing area.
And we have a good chance of contributing to that rainfall surplus as we go ahead to the next couple of days.
And here's a quick look at the temperature chart.
And we'll explain this in more detail next hour when we talk about travel weather.
But you will be able to tell that we are going to get into some much colder temperatures for next week, for the start of the December.
And the Climate Prediction Center is thinking that too.
Cooler than normal temperatures.
You can find out more at news8austin.com.
Here's a look at your forecast.
We'll be back with more in eight minutes.
More than 4,000 of Austin's homeless will get a Thanksgiving meal thanks to the nonprofit Operation Turkey.
But it takes a lot of prep work and volunteers.
Wednesday, nearly 300 volunteers met at Bikini Sports Bar and Grill in North Austin for Operation Turkey's Tailgate 2009.
They cooked up more than 130 turkeys and 900 pounds of potatoes for Thursday's meals.
Some of the participants competed in turkey smoking contests throughout the day Wednesday.
Volunteers also collected toiletries and clothing donations.
For more information about Operation Turkey, visit OperationTurkey.com.
Some Austin area schools got in on the thanks and the giving.
A legacy of giving held its first day of service for kindergartners up to high school seniors.
20 schools joined the local nonprofit Wednesday to spread the word about Coats for Kids.
It's a food and clothing drive for the Capital Area Food Bank and the Junior League of Austin.
Legacy of giving says the drive is not only charitable, but also a learning experience.
We teach the word philanthropy.
It's a big word, but it's not too big for even the smallest of children to understand.
Organizers hope to bring in 50,000 pounds of food and 2,000 coats.
All Austin area Jack Brown cleaners will take coats through December 2.
The coats will be distributed on December 5.
For more information, check the legacy of giving at theleague.org.
Time now for our season of sharing where every day we have a nonprofit come in and featured.
And with us today is AIDS Services of Austin, Marilyn Wilson joining us right now.
Thanks for being with us today.
Thank you so much for having me.
Tell me a little bit about your organization.
AIDS Services of Austin is where people who have HIV or AIDS, they can come and we help them seek medical care.
We get them into care.
We have a food bank, a dental clinic, Capital Area AIDS legal project.
But we also have prevention and education where we go into the community to teach healthy behaviors.
So that way people that are in the community know what they need to do to help protect themselves from HIV.
This is a nonprofit that's been in the Austin area for a very long time.
Many people are familiar with it.
The oldest and largest community based on profit for serving HIV and AIDS.
That's incredible.
And I read 4,800 people in central Texas that are living with AIDS.
It's about 6,000 is what we're expecting now with the new CDC numbers.
And it's 10.2% annual growth where people continue to find out.
20% do not know that they are positive, that they are infected currently.
So our goal is not only to stop the spread of infection with HIV and AIDS,
but it is also to have everyone get tested so they know their status.
It should be one of those things that come just like you hear so much with breast cancer and mammograms.
It should be just as easy as that.
You have to get tested, know your status, take care of yourself.
That way you can live your life longer with managing your disease.
I think right now we're dealing with a culture that where we're seeing people living with HIV and AIDS,
that it's a different mentality.
It's a very different mentality.
And one of the hard parts is that they're still living alone because of the stigma with HIV and AIDS.
So we're still, as a culture, we haven't progressed as quickly as science.
Science has really come a long way regarding it, making it a more manageable disease.
Although, if not managed carefully, it can take your life.
So, Marilyn, it's the holiday season.
What can AIDS Services of Austin expect in their little stockings?
Well, we love volunteers.
We can't do what we do in the community without volunteers.
For the food bank, we need volunteer attorneys for Capital Area AIDS Legal Project.
We have a big event coming up, VIVA, which supports those.
And they can volunteer to do fundraising events if they prefer something along those lines.
Also, donations are great.
But clients really like gift cards, just straight gift cards.
From HEB goes such a long way.
Otherwise, space heaters and blankets, these are the type of things that when you're at home,
and if you're cold and you need a blanket, so do our clients.
So it helps. Every bit helps.
And it sounds like such an easy list to do and something so simple as a gift card that would go such a long way.
Absolutely.
Well, thank you so much, Marilyn, for joining us today.
To take a look at the list of organizations featured on Season of Sharing, you can head on over to News8Austin.com.
And for a list of the items that AIDS Services of Austin had requested, too, just click on our holiday guide.
Season of Sharing is sponsored by Hanadies.
Fashion, jewelry, handbags, and clothing.
Find more at ShopHanadies.com.
Now, let's have a look at the list of organizations featured on Season of Sharing.
La la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la.
A-The The Air Quality Forecast is sponsored by the Urology Team and Dr. Randy Fagan, over
1800 robotic prostate surgeries worldwide and right here in Austin.
Photos with us. You can submit them online and you might see it as one of our photos on the air and our weather on the eight segments. You can submit them at photos at news 8 Austin dot com will be airing them throughout the holiday season here at 58 pass and we focus on state weather.
We begin by looking back at this morning's temperatures starting out Thanksgiving morning in the twenties for Midland for Lubbock and for Amarillo. Maybe it was in the lower forties. It was colder at the airport and those temperatures tonight still will be chilly but this blanket of cloud cover may be able to protect us a little bit and keeping our temperatures from falling as much as they did the past couple of nights. This is all Pacific moisture in association with an upper air disturbance over Mexico. Doesn't have enough energy to provide us with rain just yet but if anything we could see a few sprinkles on
Friday into Saturday as well. Earth Almanac keeps the UV index moderate on Friday. Moon phase is a waxing gibbous. Your lightning bolt electric service coastal forecast calls for sixties. Port O'Connor and Galveston and Corpus Christi and South Padre. Some of the warmer temperatures in the state if you're going to be doing any traveling you'll also find some of those high clouds affecting that part of Texas as well. A ridge of high pressure has been so dominant all week long but that is drifting away allowing for this moisture to fill in. We still have to wait a couple days though for our significant rain chances to show up.
We're still thinking Sunday into Monday now but an overrunning pattern may last into the middle part of next week and that would continue with our rain chances through about Wednesday. Anything that forms on Friday or Saturday in the form of drizzles, sprinkles, less than about a tenth of an inch or trace. Our future rain graphic isn't really picking up on that.
Well tonight we anticipate for temperatures to just be a couple degrees warmer than where they were last night. Still quite chilly and a warmer day for Friday with the help of a south wind. We'll be back with a look at your commuter's forecast next. Stay tuned for that at 8 past the hour.
It's 8 o'clock. This is your news now.
This is Boston's only 24 hour local news channel.
This is News 8 Austin tonight.
Hello and thanks for joining us on this Thanksgiving night. I'm Jennifer Borg.