Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/424106
ByLarryNeumeister AssociatedPress NEW YORK Millions of Americans across the coun- try are marking the hol- iday with lots of turkey, football, parades and early shopping, while many are overcoming some nasty weather and power out- ages. At the White House, President Barack Obama is spending a quiet Thanks- giving with a traditional meal. Here's a look at how Americans are celebrating: Macy'ssuccess Heavy security including bomb-sniffing dogs and po- lice helicopters protected spectators of all ages who lined the route of the na- tionally televised Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, which counted Thomas the Tank Engine, Paddington bear and the Red Mighty Morphin Power Ranger among its six new giant balloons. Before the parade was over, snow flurries had re- placed drizzle as thousands of people discovered they could get no closer than a long block away from the colorful spectacle. "I can't go to the front. I can only see from here," said Ivan Souza, of Flo- rianopolis, Brazil, as he watched with his wife and two children. Daryl Winchester, 17, of Queens, was luckier, snagging a front-row spot across the street from grandstands where the pa- rade began. "This is great. It's nice to feel so festive for the holidays," she said as she took pictures, waved and shouted encouragement to parade participants. Shannon Hampton, a Lakeland, Florida, resident celebrating her 18th birth- day with a friend, said the parade was exciting. "My favorite part has to be the balloons because they are so much bigger in person than you think they would be," she said. First family President Barack Obama is spending a quiet Thanks- giving at the White House, where the belly-stuffing menu featured all the hol- iday's basics. He also con- tinued a tradition of tele- phoning members of the armed forces to thank them for their service. The first family feasted on thyme-roasted turkey and honey-baked ham, cornbread stuffing and oyster stuffing, braised winter greens and maca- roni and cheese. Don't for- get the green bean casse- role, sweet potato gratin, mashed potatoes, dinner rolls and pies. Obama says Thanksgiv- ing is his favorite holiday "because, more than any other, it is uniquely Amer- ican." Ferguson protests In New York City, six men and a woman protesting a grand jury's decision not to indict a white police officer in the shooting death of an unarmed black teenager in Ferguson, Missouri, were arrested after they tried to march toward the parade route, police said. Near the end of the pa- rade route, about 50 pro- testers walked down the sidewalk carrying signs and chanting, "Hands up, don't shoot." "We will not tolerate, under any circumstances, any effort to disrupt this parade," police Commis- sioner William Bratton said earlier Thursday. "This is a national event, a historic event. Anybody who would seek to interrupt it would be callous, indeed, on this very special day." Protests in New York have remained peaceful since the grand jury's de- cision. The streets of Fergu- son were calm with the ar- rival of the holiday, in con- trast to sometimes violent protests that occurred ear- lier in the week. In the dark Poweroutagesfromama- jor snowstorm forced some in the Northeast to celebrate Thanksgiving much like the pilgrims and Native Amer- icans did almost 400 years ago — in the dark. The outages were par- ticularly bad in north- ern New England, where about 200,000 customers remained without power in New Hampshire on Thurs- day afternoon and about 80,000 were without elec- tricity in Maine. More than 35,000 New York utility customers were without power Thursday afternoon and about 15,000 customers lacked power in New Jersey. In Putney, Vermont, Mike Mrowicki was in the middle of baking squash and mak- ing apple-cranberry crisp when his lights flickered off. Mrowicki said Thursday his family will improvise on its meal for 10 people. "We've got a gas stove, and we've got a woodstove we heat with," Mrowicki said. "We've got plenty of lanterns and candles." Holiday shopping To the delight of some and consternation of oth- ers, it's increasingly be- come commonplace to see stores open on Thanksgiv- ing, as retailers try to en- tice shoppers inside and kick off the holiday shop- ping season a day earlier than the traditional Black Friday. Some of the stores open for at least part of the day on the holiday include Kmart, Target, Sears, Ma- cy's and Wal-Mart. Other stores, like Neiman-Mar- cus, Nordstrom and Costco, are closed. At a Manhattan Kmart, Pamala Hill went for the 2-for-1 shoe special. "Yes, that's why I'm here," Hill said. "They are fitting, and they are com- fortable. I'm wearing them out of the store. We are go- ing to pay for them up front. Because I gotta get boots. My feet are freezing. I'm from Florida." HOLIDAY US marks Thanksgiving with parades, turkey JULIOCORTEZ—THEASSOCIATEDPRESS Police officers ride motorcycles while leading the start of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade on Thursday in New York. ELAINE THOMPSON — THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Linda and Rob Robertson visit the grave of their son, Ryan, in Issaquah, Wash. By Rachel Zoll The Associated Press Rob and Linda Robert- son did what they believed was expected of them as good Christians. When their 12-year-old son Ryan said he was gay, they told him they loved him, but he had to change. He entered "reparative ther- apy," met regularly with his pastor and immersed him- self in Bible study and his church youth group. After six years, nothing changed. A despondent Ryan cut off from his parents and his faith, started taking drugs and in 2009, died of an overdose. "Now we realize we were so wrongly taught," said Rob Robertson, a firefighter for more than 30 years who lives in Redmond, Washing- ton. "It's a horrible, horri- ble mistake the church has made." A different approach The tragedy could have easily driven the Robert- sons from the church. But instead of breaking with evangelicalism — as many parents in similar circum- stances have done — the couple is taking a differ- ent approach, and they're inspiring other Christians with gay children to do the same. They are staying in the church and, in protest- ing what they see as the demonization of their sons and daughters, presenting a new challenge to Chris- tian leaders trying to hold off growing acceptance of same-sex relationships. "Parents don't have any- one on their journey to reconcile their faith and their love for their child," said Linda Robertson, who with Rob attends a nonde- nominational evangelical church. "They either reject their child and hold onto their faith, or they reject their faith and hold onto their child. Rob and I think you can do both: be fully affirming of your faith and fully hold onto your child." It's not clear how much of an impact these parents can have. Evangelicals tend to dismiss fellow believers who accept same-sex re- lationships as no longer Christian. The parents have only recently started find- ing each other online and through faith-oriented or- ganizations for gays and les- bians such as the Gay Chris- tian Network, The Reforma- tion Project and The Marin Foundation. Support group grows But Linda Robertson, who blogs about her son at justbecausehebreathes. com, said a private Face- book page she started last year for evangelical moth- ers of gays has more than 300 members. And in the last few years, high-profile cases of prominent Chris- tian parents embracing their gay children indicate a change is occurring be- yond a few isolated families. James Brownson, a New Testament scholar at West- ern Theological Seminary, a Holland, Michigan, school affiliated with the Re- formed Church in Amer- ica, last year published the book "Bible, Gender, Sexu- ality," advocating a re-ex- amination of what Scrip- ture says about same-sex relationships. His son came out at age 18. Chester Wenger, a re- tired missionary and pastor with the Mennonite Church USA, lost his clergy creden- tials this fall after officiat- ing at his son's marriage to another man. In a state- ment urging the church to accept gays and lesbians, Wenger noted the pain his family experienced when a church leader excommuni- cated his son three decades ago without any discussion with Wenger and his wife. "I think at some point moms and dads are going to say to their pastors and church leadership that you can't tell me that my child is not loved unconditionally by God," said Susan Shop- land, the daughter of a Pres- byterian missionary who, along with her gay son, is active with the Gay Chris- tian Network. Kathy Baldock, a Chris- tian who advocates for gay acceptance through her website CanyonwalkerCon- nections.com, said evangel- ical parents are speaking out more because of the ex- ample set by their children. Evangelicals with gay children challenging church RELIGION THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Ryan Robertson, who died in 2009, is shown in this undated photo. "Parents don't have anyone on their journey to reconcile their faith and their love for their child. They either reject their child and hold onto their faith, or they reject their faith and hold onto their child. Rob and I think you can do both: be fully affirming of your faith and fully hold onto your child." — Linda Robertson,mother of gay son N EWS D AILY RED BLUFF TEHAMA COUNTY 527-2151 • FAX 527-3719 545DIAMOND AV E., RED BLUFF Retailadvertisingdeadlines EDITION DEADLINE Thur. 11/27: Tues. 11/25, 10am Fri. 11/28: Tues. 11/25, 3pm Sat. 11/29: Wed. 11/26, 10am Tues. 12/02 Wed. 11/26, 3pm Classified deadlines: EDITION DEADLINE Thur. 11/27: Wed. 11/ 26, noon Fri. 11/28: Wed. 11/26, noon Sat. 11/29: Wed. 11/ 26, noon Tues. 12/02 SEEBELOW The Daily News office will close at 3pm Wed, Nov. 26 & CLOSED Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, Nov. 27 & Friday, Nov. 28 Friday, November 28 for placement of classified ads to start Tuesday, Dec. 2 dial 1-855-667-2255 Suzy Noble: snoble@redbluffdailynews.com Go Multimedia this Christmas Season! Flights of Fancy Available November 1 through December 20 6 column inch size ads or larger Publi sh 4 times within 7 days, get t he 5th run FREE! 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