Latest news with #ThanksgivingDay
Miami Herald
15 hours ago
- Sport
- Miami Herald
Former Jackson State star signs with Dallas Cowboys
After an up-and-down journey in the NFL, former Jackson State star and Detroit Lions edge rusher James Houston has signed with the Dallas Cowboys, according to multiple reports. Houston, a 2022 sixth-round pick out of Jackson State, began his career on the Lions' practice squad. He made an immediate impact after being activated, debuting on Thanksgiving Day with a two-sack performance against the Buffalo Bills. He went on to tally eight sacks in just seven games, quickly becoming one of the league's most surprising breakout rookies. Despite that early success, Houston struggled to carve out a consistent role. In the 2023 offseason, Detroit experimented with him at SAM linebacker, but the fit didn't stick. His momentum took another hit when he fractured his ankle while covering a punt in Week 2 against Seattle, sidelining him for most of the season. He returned just in time for the NFC Championship game. In 2024, the Lions gave Houston another opportunity as a traditional defensive end. However, he began the season as a healthy scratch. An injury to star edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson opened the door for Houston to get back on the field, but he was ultimately waived on November 26. Now, Houston gets a fresh start with Dallas, a team actively building depth behind Micah Parsons. His mix of speed and burst off the edge makes him a compelling low-risk, high-reward signing for the Cowboys. At Jackson State University, James Houston was a dominant force on defense. In his lone season (2021), he recorded 70 total tackles, 24.5 tackles for loss, 16.5 sacks, 7 forced fumbles, and 1 interception, helping lead JSU to an SWAC Championship and earning FCS All-American honors. At 25 years old, James Houston has a chance to revive his career and contribute to one of the NFC's top contenders, the Dallas Cowboys. The post Former Jackson State star signs with Dallas Cowboys appeared first on HBCU Gameday. Copyright HBCU Gameday 2012-2025
USA Today
a day ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Malcolm Jenkins came through in the clutch in our Saints Play of the Day
Shout out to Malcolm Jenkins for some of the greatest hustle plays in New Orleans Saints history. The Dallas Cowboys gained 47 yards on this grab-and-go pass from Jon Kitna to Roy Williams back in 2010, but Jenkins saved a touchdown -- and likely the win -- by hurrying to make a play in a gotta-have-it situation on Thanksgiving Day. That makes it our Saints Play of the Day as we count down to kickoff, with 47 days to go until the Saints host the Arizona Cardinals in Week 1. The Saints were trailing 27-23 late in the fourth quarter when Williams found space in the Saints secondary; Kitna threw a dart, and then it was off to the races. Williams had a step on Tracy Porter but Jenkins closed the gap quickly, meeting the Cowboys receiver at the New Orleans 11-yard line. A tackle would've been enough, but Jenkins did even more. He stripped the ball from Williams' hands and recovered the fumble in one of the biggest plays of the season. You can see it for yourself right here. And Drew Brees didn't waste that opportunity. He got out of the Saints' own red zone with a 22-yard pass to Marques Colston, and then flipped the field on an impressive 55-yard lob to Robert Meachem. Lance Moore caught his next pass, scoring the go-ahead touchdown, and the Saints never looked back. Dallas' final possession ended with a missed field goal from 59 yards, and then all it took was for Brees to kneel out the clock. But things could have gone very differently if Jenkins didn't wrestle the ball out of Williams' hands. If he had scored or even set up the Cowboys offense to drain the clock themselves, New Orleans probably doesn't win this one. That Jenkins came through in such a big spot with all of America watching is commendable.
UPI
a day ago
- Health
- UPI
Eat better to better, Columbia researcher suggests in cookbook
1 of 3 | Complex carbohydrates and fiber from fresh and fruits and vegetables are a key part of a diet designed to promote better laid out in a new cookbook authored by a top U.S. nutrition researcher. File Photo by Debbie Hill/ UPI | License Photo ST. PAUL, Minn., July 22 (UPI) -- A top U.S. nutrition researcher is translating her expertise on the connections between diet, better sleep and heart health from the pages of dry academic journals into a colorful mass-market cookbook. Marie-Pierre St-Onge, a professor of nutritional medicine at Columbia University Medical Center in New York, along with recipe expert Kat Craddock, have chronicled dozens of recipes and lay out a 28-day meal plan designed for better sleep health in Eat Better, Sleep Better, published by Simon & Schuster earlier this year. St-Onge in recent years has published studies exploring various angles of the connection between what we eat and how we sleep -- a field that remains poorly understood even as doctors have named lack of proper sleep as one the top risk factors for heart disease. Her work has mainly centered on examining the relationship between sleep, weight management and cardiometabolic disease risk. She has also performed well-received research on "functional foods," or foods that offer health benefits, and on how ingredients affect weight management and cardiovascular disease risk prevention. Now with Eat Better, Sleep Better, she and Craddock have produced an elegant, 288-page cookbook packed with 75 recipes meant to give users an opportunity to shape their diets around foods that promote better sleep. Perhaps unsurprisingly, it prioritizes protein sources that are rich in tryptophan, the amino acid that serves as the building block for the sleep-regulating hormones melatonin and serotonin. Tryptophan, of course, is found in turkey and is famous for producing drowsiness after a full Thanksgiving Day dinner. But the book goes well beyond that, highlighting several other ingredients tied to healthier sleep, such as omega-3 fatty acids, which are found in salmon; complex carbohydrates found in oats and buckwheat; and spices like ginger and turmeric. For example, the book's recipe for savory lamb stew notes that lamb is exceptionally high in tryptophan and is also an excellent source of several essential nutrients, including zinc and vitamin B6, "two of the four essential nutrients involved in the body's production of serotonin and melatonin." Similarly, the recipe for chia pudding identifies tiny chia seeds as "a sleep-supporting superfood," not only rich in protein and tryptophanm but also in omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, magnesium, fiber, complex carbohydrates, vitamin B6 and zinc. St-Onge told UPI one of her main goals with Eat Better, Sleep Better is to translate her scientific research on sleep into a more popular format at at time when the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that nearly 40% of U.S. adults are getting insufficient sleep. "We do all this work and always publish it just in scientific journals, and my book agent said, 'But the public wants to know, too, it should be something that's available for them as well,' and I thought, he kind of has a point," she said. "We need to disseminate the work that we do, the findings that we have. "Especially in this day and age when the work that we do is funded entirely from taxpayer dollars or donor dollars, if we're talking about the American Heart Association, and it's really a return on their investment -- the knowledge that we can impart to them." St-Onge said she also finds that nutritionists sometimes have a misconception about the ability of people to translate esoteric facts about micronutrients into real-world diets, especially if it means changing those diets. "If you're saying eat more plant protein or eat more fiber, they'll ask, 'Where can I find fiber and plant protein?' And I'll say, well, buckwheat is a great grain. 'Buckwheat? What's that? And how I am going to put it to use in my own diet?' "I thought it was wonderful that I able to get paired with Kat, my co-author, who is in the food world and the recipe development world, and talking more about the application of nutrition in real life. I like recipes, and I also like to cook, but I've never been trained in recipe development or anything like that. So it was nice to be able to be part of that process." Craddock would develop the recipes and send them to St-Onge, who would then try them at home and offer some additional suggestions. One of the reasons there's a need for a sleep-centered cookbook is because it's not just what's eaten before bedtime that affects the quality of sleep, but rather what's consumed throughout the whole day, and over even longer periods, that counts in the body's ability to make melatonin. "We're saying sleep is complicated, it's not just about what happens at night, it's about what happens during the day," she said. In the background of it all is the risk that poor sleep poses to heart health. The American Heart Association in 2022 added sleep to its list of "Life's Essential 8," the eight top markers for improving and maintaining cardiovascular health, calling proper sleep "vital to your heart and brain health." That assessment is shared by Dr. Kin M. Yuen, spokesperson for the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and a sleep medicine specialist at UCSF Health in San Francisco. "A balanced diet with a healthy amount of lean protein, carbohydrates, including fruits and vegetables, starches and healthy fats, along with nuts and seeds -- for those without allergies -- is the most optimal" for healthy sleep, she told UPI in an emailed statement. Generally, she added, sleep specialists support their nutritionist and cardiology colleagues in advocating for a diet that may include plant based protein, leafy greens and lean animal proteins, such as chicken, fish and seafood, depending on the individual's sensitivity and tolerance. Yuen said it's also important for people with sensitivities or intolerances to specific substances to avoid or limit those food groups, as they may disturb or fragment sleep. "Therefore, those with lactose intolerance may have better sleep by ingesting fewer dairy products or using lactose-free dairy only," she said. "For those with diagnosed celiac disease or gluten sensitivities, sleep may be improved without gluten in their diet, which may cause bloating, stomach upset or nausea, and sometimes weight loss." Ultimately, she cautioned, no one diet plan works for everyone. "Individual differences and allergic tendencies may limit the intake of a particular food group. Viral, bacterial illness and antibiotic use may make a regular diet not feasible," Yuen warned. Nevertheless, "good sleep and healthy diets go very well together," she concluded. "Adequate exercise also ensures sleep quality is optimized. Adequate daytime sunlight and devoting enough time to sleep will help ensure that the quality of sleep is optimal."
Daily Mirror
2 days ago
- Daily Mirror
Man's sick game that killed fiancée leaving blood-soaked baby toys
Kelsey Berreth was a devoted mum and a successful pilot, but her life was cut short when her fiance Patrick Frazee brutally murdered her in her own home, faking a 'fun' game to lure her in Kelsey Berreth was a true country girl, raised on a farm where she drove tractors and assisted with the harvest. She later earned her pilot's licence and embarked on a career as a flight instructor. In 2016, Kelsey found an immediate bond with Colorado rancher Patrick Frazee after meeting him online. Frazee resided on a sprawling 35-acre ranch, home to horses, donkeys and cattle dogs. Despite living over 1,000 miles apart in Washington state, Kelsey soon relocated to Colorado, settling in a place roughly 20 miles from Frazee. By October 2017, the couple welcomed a baby girl into their lives and got engaged. Kelsey balanced her role as a mother with her flying teaching duties. However, on Thanksgiving Day, 22 November 2018, her family couldn't reach her, prompting her mother Cheryl Berreth to report her missing. Frazee, then aged 33, informed the police that Kelsey had intended to break off their relationship. He claimed she'd left their baby with him on Thanksgiving Day and they'd agreed to share custody equally going forward. Frazee hinted at Kelsey suffering from depression, but her family vehemently denied this, with Cheryl asserting that her daughter hadn't mentioned any split during their last conversation on Thanksgiving morning. An inquiry was launched and officers discovered that Kelsey had been out purchasing dinner ingredients. She'd messaged Frazee saying, "I bought some sweet potatoes in case you wanted sweet potato casserole." Why would she be buying components for a family dinner if they had broken up? Frazee claimed he hadn't seen Kelsey since 22 November, when he'd taken their daughter to his property without Kelsey, but mobile records revealed that her phone had travelled to Frazee's residence. Records also showed the couple exchanged messages over the following days. In one text, Kelsey informed Frazee she was going for a jog. In another, she was about to "jump in the shower". Then, three days after Thanksgiving, Kelsey's mobile began moving away from Colorado. It was last tracked 800 miles distant in Idaho. So had Kelsey simply vanished from her life? Another woman At Kelsey's residence, officers found certain items were absent, including a bathroom mat. Kitchen equipment appeared to have been cleaned down and Kelsey's blood was discovered in the toilet. It was now a murder scene. Investigators then uncovered that Frazee had been having an affair – with a woman in Idaho. Recently separated mother-of-two Krystal Lee Kenney, then 32, was a nurse and an avid equestrian. The duo met at secondary school and had been romantically involved intermittently. They'd rekindled their relationship and had been secretly meeting for eight months. Initially, Kenney denied any knowledge of Kelsey – but in a shocking twist during a plea deal, she confessed: Frazee had murdered Kelsey, and she had assisted him in concealing the crime. After Frazee impersonated Kelsey by sending texts from her phone, Kenney discarded her keys and phone into an Idaho canyon. But Kenney's involvement didn't stop there. She revealed that Frazee had attempted to enlist her help to murder Kelsey on three separate occasions, alleging that he had painted Kelsey as depressed, addicted and a danger to her daughter, hence his desire for sole custody. Kenney admitted she complied out of fear and manipulation. She disclosed that Frazee had proposed poisoning a Caramel Macchiato from Starbucks, Kelsey's preferred drink. Leveraging her nursing expertise, Kenney suggested a deadly cocktail of Ambien and Valium. She then embarked on a 12-hour drive from Idaho, procured the coffee and arrived at Kelsey's residence. Posing as a new neighbour, she handed over the beverage, but she hadn't laced it with poison as she couldn't bring herself to do it. A frustrated Frazee then devised another method: he would place a metal pipe near his home for Kenney to bludgeon Kelsey with. Kenney retrieved the pipe, but a barking dog thwarted her at the last moment. The third scheme involved lying in wait outside Kelsey's home armed with a baseball bat, but the sight of a police car sent Kenney fleeing. Having failed yet again, Frazee took matters into his own hands. The clean-up Phone records revealed he texted Kenney at 4.30pm on Thanksgiving Day, writing: "You need to get here now. You've got a mess to clean up." Kenney packed her vehicle with cleaning supplies and, two days afterwards, travelled 800 miles to collect keys from Frazee to access Kelsey's property. She described the horrific scene that greeted her, with blood splattered throughout the house. Kenney confessed to spending four hours scrubbing the premises, bagging up anything too saturated with blood - including curtains and children's toys - to take away in bin liners. She revealed Frazee warned her there might be a tooth somewhere in the house, which she searched for and discovered. During their meeting, Frazee confessed to murdering Kelsey, detailing how he lured his fiancée into a "guessing game" where she was blindfolded with a sweater to identify candle fragrances. He then bludgeoned her to death with a baseball bat whilst their infant was in an adjoining room, before placing her corpse in a black holdall and loading it onto his lorry to conceal in a hay shed. Kenney revealed that following the clean-up operation, she accompanied Frazee to the ranch where he placed the bag and other bloodstained evidence into a large container. He doused everything with petrol and ignited it, ensuring no trace remained for investigators to discover. On 31 December, Frazee was detained and charged with murder, whilst Kenney secured a plea bargain to give evidence against him in exchange for a lighter sentence. During the 2019 trial, defence lawyers argued that Frazee couldn't be linked to the crime, yet Kenney's evidence was devastating. A harrowing video played in court showed Kenney at the murder scene, describing how she cleaned up and indicating where blood had been and where she discovered Kelsey's tooth. Kenney disclosed that Frazee had recounted Kelsey's final plea, "Please stop." He also described the beating as horrific and confessed, "I wouldn't do it like that again. It was inhumane." The jury convicted Frazee. At his sentencing, the judge condemned him, stating, "Your actions were vicious, senseless, without reason nor explanation... After you beat her, you burned her body like a piece of trash. Your crimes deserve the absolute punishment available." Frazee received a life sentence plus 156 years, while Kenney got three years, later reduced to 18 months. Kelsey's family begrudgingly accepted the lenient sentence for Kenney, acknowledging her crucial testimony. The district attorney conceded making a "deal with the devil". Kenney walked free from prison in 2021. Kelsey's child is now with her grandparents, but the saga continues as Frazee has pledged to appeal. This February, he returned to court seeking to overturn his conviction. His appeal hinged on the fact that a caseworker didn't read him his rights during an interview. However, the court determined that she wasn't functioning as a law enforcement officer, thus this didn't apply. His conviction was consequently upheld. The murder of Kelsey still sends shockwaves seven years later. Unbeknownst to her, in the final weeks of her life, she was in grave peril and tragically, on the fourth attempt, she would lose her life.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
"I think he had 100 points that day" - Ex-Bull Randy Brown recalls Michael Jordan's epic Thanksgiving Day practice performance
"I think he had 100 points that day" - Ex-Bull Randy Brown recalls Michael Jordan's epic Thanksgiving Day practice performance originally appeared on Basketball Network. Michael Jordan earned his Chicago Bulls teammates' respect not just by being an exceptionally talented player. More importantly, he led by example. By that, Jordan meant playing his guts out even in team scrimmages. According to former Bulls guard Randy Brown, unlike other NBA players of his caliber, Jordan didn't need any extra motivation to go hard in practice. That being said, when the Bulls played their annual Thanksgiving Day practice game tradition, where the big men matched up against the guards, MJ unsurprisingly went berserk. "Ask any [Bulls] teammate what 'Turkey Trot' is. Turkey Trot was a Thanksgiving Day practice, smalls against the bigs," Brown revealed during an interview with The Chicago Tribune for Jordan's 50th birthday in 2013. "It was the best practice performance I've seen in my life in a scrimmage. I think he had 100 points that day." Practices and Game 7s were just the same for Jordan Knowing how great Jordan was as a player, it wasn't that hard to imagine how he dominated that Thanksgiving Day scrimmage. Fortunately for Brown, he was a guard and happened to be on the same side as MJ that day. That wasn't what former Washington Wizards shooting guard Hubert Davis experienced. Initially, Davis was playing on the same team as Jordan and was getting hot. However, Davis noted that the nearly 40-year-old legend might have taken it as a challenge and decided to switch sides. What happened next was something Davis would never forget. Jordan locked him down like he was playing in a playoff series. As it turned out, MJ really took every practice game like a do-or-die playoff match. "I was practicing really well; I was hitting everything. So Michael switched jerseys and went to the other team, and he guarded me," Davis told Slam in 2020. "For the rest of the practice, not only did I not score, I didn't even get a shot off. I just was like, 'What is wrong with you? We're on the same team! You're that competitive that you want to compete against me? I'm a role player. You're the best that's ever played.' He said, 'This is no different than playing in Game 7 of the NBA Finals—competing is competing.'" "Some people turn it off and turn it on. For him, he never turned it off," he GOAT work ethic There were many aspects in Jordan's overall game that made him such an admirable player. From a fan's point of view, MJ stood out because of his otherworldly abilities and iconic highlight plays. But from his teammates' perspective, not just the on-court performances earned him his GOAT status. For them, Jordan's outstanding work ethic was what they truly admired about him. In the NBA, most superstars tend to relax and rest, but that was never the case with MJ. Instead, Jordan took pride in giving it all he got in practice, regardless of the team's situation. In the regular season or playoffs, Jordan put in the same amount of effort in every team practice session. As a leader, Jordan also expected his teammates to do the same. He had zero tolerance for laziness and nonchalance. Back then, it was unsurprisingly not a good experience for Jordan's teammates. Still, looking back at it, they now understand why there's no other player quite like story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Jul 13, 2025, where it first appeared.
