Thanksgiving as we know it, is a beloved tradition where families and friends get together to enjoy each other with a meal full of turkey (and/or ham), green beans, mac n' cheese, cranberries, mashed potatoes, greens, stuffing and so much more delicious foods.

But, why do we celebrate Thanksgiving as a national holiday on the 4th Thursday of November? Plus, what was the First Thanksgiving?

Brief history of the "First Thanksgiving"

At the start of the 17th century, parts of New England was home to a variety of diverse Indigenous groups. Political leaders, known as the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reed.edu/indianconverts/studyguides/social_hierarchies/sachems_and_royal_famillies.html#:~:text=Sachems%20were%20the%20leaders%20of%20New%20England's,or%20women.%20Female%20rulers%20were%20called%20squa%2Dsachems.">Sachems</a>&nbsp;had been trading with Europeans for over 100 years, before the Pilgrims (or Separatists).

The Pilgrims arrived to New England (Plymouth, Massachusetts) by way of the Mayflower in 1620, after fleeing from facing severe persecution in England, because they disagreed with the state-run church. 

Seeking for religious freedom, the Pilgrims arrived to the land of the <a href="https://plimoth.org/for-students/homework-help/who-are-the-wampanoag">Wampanoag</a>&nbsp;in Plymouth, and&nbsp;peace was made between the two groups.

According to the <a href="https://visit.archives.gov/whats-on/explore-exhibits/thanksgiving-historical-perspectives">National Archives</a>, at least 90 Wampanoag joined 52 Pilgrims for a feast to mark a successful harvest. This occurred following a brutal winter where many colonists died from lack of food supply, before the Pilgrims and Wampanoag worked together.

Today, it is remembered as the First Thanksgiving.

The First Thanksgiving story emphasizes a peaceful exchange between the Pilgrims and Wampanoag. 

However, within a generation, a war would erupt and the Wampanoag would ultimately lose their political independence and much of their territory. This was due through a series of conflicts and most notably, the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.history.com/articles/king-philips-war">King Philip's War</a>.

Brief history of the US Federal Holiday, Thanksgiving

According to the National Archives, the federal Thanksgiving holiday has its roots in one of the country’s bitterest moments of division as we know, the Civil War at the start of 1861.&nbsp;

In July 1863, the <a href="https://www.gettysburgpa.gov/history/slideshows/battle-history">Battle of Gettysburg</a>&nbsp;resulted in more than 50,000 American casualties. As tensions and divisions were present amid the American Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln issued the "Day of National Thanksgiving" proclamation on July 15, 1863:

Afterwards, on October 3rd that same year, Lincoln issued the Thanksgiving holiday to occur on a uniform date (the last Thursday in November) to promote national unity and healing during the Civil War. 

Lincoln was not the first President to issue a Thanksgiving proclamation, but his order set a precedent to “observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving” every year for decades to follow.

In 1939, concerned that the shortened holiday shopping season might dampen the nation’s economic recovery from the <a href="https://www.nixonlibrary.gov/news/great-depression#:~:text=The%20Great%20Depression%20was%20a%20severe%20economic,**DocsTeach**%20*%20**Primary%20sources%20and%20teaching%20activities**">Great Depression</a>, 32nd President Franklin D. Roosevelt issued a Presidential Proclamation moving Thanksgiving to the third Thursday of November.

Sixteen states refused to accept the change, and for the next two years Thanksgiving was celebrated on two different days. 

To end the confusion, Congress passed a law in 1941 establishing the fourth Thursday in November as the federal Thanksgiving Day holiday as we know it today.

Learn: Brief history of Thanksgiving 

Salina and parts of Central Kansas will experience a cold front, along with below freezing temperatures and a possibility of snow this upcoming weekend.

According to the US National Weather Service, a cold front is expected to occur this upcoming weekend. Showers are possible Friday and Saturday, along with a light wintry mix on Saturday afternoon into Sunday morning.

Lows for Saturday night are in the teens, with wind chills expected to be near 0 degrees into Sunday morning.

Highs will struggle to even make it above freezing temperatures as well.

Salina has a 47% chance of traces of snow on Saturday afternoon. The low is expected to 17 degrees on Saturday night, with a high of 29 on Sunday.

Stay updated with local weather on the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/NWSWichita">US National Weather Service Wichita Kansas</a> Facebook page.

Monitor local weather updates frequently in multiple ways by listening to the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.weather.gov/nwr/">NOAA Weather Radio</a>, checking local news and emergency notifications. You can also stay informed by following Saline County and the National Weather Service on social media.

For the latest forecast updates, visit the National Weather Service Wichita office at&nbsp;<a href="https://www.weather.gov/ict/">https://www.weather.gov/ict/</a>. To check forecasts frequently, go to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.weather.gov/">weather.gov</a>.

Cold front, below freezing temps, possibility of snow anticipated for Salina and Central Kansas

Following is recent booking activity for the Saline County Jail, as provided by law enforcement. Photos, if provided, are courtesy of Saline County Jail. All persons are considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

NAME:&nbsp;Crutchfield, Garret Clayton

REQUESTED CHARGES:&nbsp;Driving While Suspended; Driving while habitual violator; No Proof Of Insurance; N/A No seat belt; Unlawful acts: vehicle registration violation

REQUESTED CHARGES:&nbsp;Probation Violation; Failure to appear; Interf w/LEO; obstr/resist/oppose felony warrant

REQUESTED CHARGES:&nbsp;Failure to appear; Failure to appear; Interf w/LEO; obstr/resist/oppose felony warrant; Criminal trespass; Property as posted per KSA 32-1013; Outside warrant/NCIC hit

REQUESTED CHARGE:&nbsp;Outside warrant/NCIC hit

REQUESTED CHARGES:&nbsp;Agg endanger child; Expose to sale meth/fentanyl; Distribute marijuana; 25 - &lt; 450 grams; Distribute/w/int/manuf paraphernalia for illegal use as in 21-5706(b); N/A No seat belt

Saline County Jail Bookings, November 27

LINCOLN COUNTY - On Thanksgiving morning at around 6:00 am, a wind turbine in Lincoln County reportedly caught on fire.

According to the Lincoln County Sheriff's Office, a wind turbine near the Ellsworth exit on I-70 burst into flames.

The fire was extinguished by the Westfall Fire Department.&nbsp;

No injuries were reported and the cause of fire is unknown.

🎥 Wind turbine catches on fire in Lincoln County

The Tyler J. Ritter Legacy Fund presented a check to its first recipient, the Central Kansas Foundation (CKF) Addiction Treatment facility in Salina.&nbsp;

Tyler J. Ritter grew up in Salina, where he attended Sacred Heart. There, he found a passion for basketball. He played the sport for many years, graduating from Sacred Heart in 2016. In 2017, however, Ritter fell and injured his wrists. His doctors prescribed opioids to help with the pain. This led Ritter down the road to his addiction.&nbsp;

Ritter entered rehab in 2020, and by November of 2022, Ritter had beaten his addiction and was sober and optimistic about the future. He returned to Salina with the intent of joining Kansas Wesleyan University's Basketball team. On December 1, 2022, Tyler J. Ritter passed away at age 24.&nbsp;

Tyler Ritter's father, Mark Ritter, started the Tyler J. Ritter Legacy Fund with the intention to save a life. Tyler Ritter always gave his all to others, and, with the help of the Greater Salina Community Foundation, Mark Ritter set up a fund that will live on in perpetuity, honoring his son's character and memory.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Now, the Tyler J Ritter Legacy Fund officially awarded its first check, paying for the treatment fees of a patient in need at CKF Addiction Treatment. Both the organization of CKF and the anonymous patient issued statements of gratitude for the Legacy Fund and the Ritter Family.

To visit the Greater Salina Community Foundation website, click&nbsp;<a href="https://gscf.org/">here</a>.&nbsp;

For more information on how you can donate to the Tyler J Ritter Legacy Fund, click <a href="https://gscf.org/giving/how-to-give/">here</a>.

Tyler J. Ritter Legacy Fund helps first recipient

REQUESTED CHARGE:&nbsp;Probation Violation

REQUESTED CHARGE:&nbsp;Domestic Battery: rude physical contact

REQUESTED CHARGES:&nbsp;Burglary; Non-dwelling to commit felony, theft, domestic violence, or sexually motivated crime; Criminal damage to property; Felony; Theft of prop/services:Value less than $1,500; Contribute to child misconduct; Encourage to commit a felony

REQUESTED CHARGES:&nbsp;Probation Violation; DWS; 3rd or subs conv

Saline County Jail Bookings, November 26

<a href="https://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.php?CityName=Salina&amp;state=KS&amp;site=ICT&amp;lat=38.8158&amp;lon=-97.6178">For a full look at the weather forecast, click here.</a>

Three day weather forecast Salina, November 26 - November 28

As a friendly reminder, all Saline County/Salina offices will be closed on Thanksgiving (November 27) and Black Friday (November 28).

All offices and services will resume Monday, December 1.&nbsp;

The City of Salina's sanitation collections for Thursday and Friday will be delayed by one day. Regular collection will resume December 1st.

The City of Salina's Landfill will resume normal operating hours on Friday, November, 28 and Saturday, November 29.

The Salina Drive-thru Recycling Center will resume normal operating hours on Saturday, November 29.

For further information please call The City of Salina General Services at (785) 309-5750.

For the main contact of Saline County: (785) 309-5810

City/County offices closed Thanksgiving & Black Friday, resume Dec. 1

Click&nbsp;<a href="https://salinapost.com/category/obituaries">HERE</a>&nbsp;to view the most recent obituaries and service times from our funeral home partners.

Salina Post obituary policy (subject to change)

Salina Post understands the importance of honoring the deceased and welcomes all submissions of obituaries with a full summary of their life, survivors, services, website of the funeral home and a photo.

Salina Post accepts all obituaries&nbsp;free of charge&nbsp;and you can email all obituaries:&nbsp;<a href="https://newstips@salinapost.com/">newstips@salinapost.com</a>&nbsp;or&nbsp;<a href="mailto:nicolas.fierro@eaglemedia.com">nicolas.fierro@eaglemedia.com</a>&nbsp;and will be posted on the website within 24 business hours.

Recent obituaries and service times, how to submit an obituary

DICKINSON COUNTY—One person was injured in an accident just after 2a.m. Tuesday in Dickinson County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2001 Kenworth semi driven by Scott L.&nbsp;Graverholt, 42, Bellevue, Nebraska, was southbound on Kansas 15 near 3300 Avenue. The semi&nbsp;&nbsp;crossed the center line, entered the east ditch, stuck a cattle fence and entered private property The vehicle continued along the inside of the fence line, stuck a culvert and coming to rest south of the culvert.

EMS transported Graverholt to.&nbsp;Stormont Vail Health Flint Hills Campus. He was properly restrained, according to the KHP.

Driver hospitalized after semi crash into cattle fence, culvert

The City of Salina has approved and announced a new strategy meant to achieve traffic safety, by eliminating all traffic fatalities and serious injuries.

"Vision Zero," a strategy approved by Salina Commissioners meant to achieve the policy goal of eliminating all traffic&nbsp;fatalities and serious injuries, while increasing safe, healthy and equitable mobility for all.

Specifically the strategy is meant achieve the following:

• Actively working to eliminate traffic deaths and serious injuries on City streets within 10 years (by 2035).

• Collecting, analyzing, and using data to understand trends and potential effects of traffic deaths.

• Creating a Vision Zero Committee to develop and implement an action plan that is guided by community input.

• Prioritizing the safety of pedestrians, bicyclists, transit riders, scooter riders, and people with disabilities over the ease of use of personal automobiles.

The City stated it is an "ambitious and challenging goal, but achievable."

This committee will work with the community, to develop an action plan for achieving the goals set for the strategy.&nbsp;

Moreover, the committee will increase government accountability through&nbsp; public participation and public reporting provisions.

Anyone from the public can join the committee and for those interested in joining can contact the City's Public Works Department at:&nbsp;(785) 309-5725

The strategy is designed to increase transparency and ensure accountability in the policymaking process.

The City clarified Vision Zero "cannot eliminate"&nbsp;all traffic fatalities and serious injuries or solve all traffic safety problems.&nbsp;This approach must work in tandem with other transportation policy and planning efforts, such as: 

Complete Streets policies, long-range planning, active transportation plans and new mobility policies. 

Collisions resulting in minor injuries; near misses; and issues related to enforcement and personal safety also affect people’s experiences with traffic safety and their perceptions of it.

To read the full item, click&nbsp;<a href="https://agendasuite.org/iip/salina/file/getfile/14699">here</a>.

Vision Zero was <a href="https://highways.dot.gov/sites/fhwa.dot.gov/files/2022-06/FHWA-SA-20-073_Lessons_Learned_from_Development_of_Vision_Zero_Action_Plans.pdf">first implemented in Sweden in the 1990s</a>. This strategy has proved successful across Europe — and since 2014 has been gaining momentum in the United States.

More than 50 US cities, counties, and Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs) have committed to the Vision Zero strategy.

Salina sets vision to achieve zero traffic fatalities and serious injuries by 2035

Three day weather forecast Salina, November 24 - November 26

Four day weather forecast Salina, November 21 - November 24

The US National Weather Service (USNWS) has issued Saline County a "Dense Fog" advisory until 11:00 am Wednesday morning.

The USNWS posted on Facebook&nbsp;a screenshot from the Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT), of dense fog along I-70 near mile marker 229, at Lincoln Hill in central KS at 7:46 am (see above).

Please be cautious on the roads and drive safely during this advisory.

Saline County under "Dense Fog" advisory Wednesday morning

Three day weather forecast Salina, November 19 - November 21

Three day weather forecast Salina, November 17 - November 19

Four day weather forecast Salina, November 14 - November 17

Three day weather forecast Salina, November 12 - November 14

Three day weather forecast Salina, November 10 - November 12

WEST PALM BEACH, Florida (AP) — President Donald Trump said that one of the two West Virginia&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-judge-ruling-dc-washington-national-guard-1be5c3744e35f8dd68a6a12fa4583186">National Guard members</a>&nbsp;shot by an Afghan national near the White House had died, calling the shooter who had worked with the CIA in his native country a “savage monster.”

As part of his Thanksgiving call to U.S. troops, Trump said that he had just learned that Specialist Sarah Beckstrom, 20, had died, while Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe, 24, was “fighting for his life.”

“She’s just passed away,” Trump said. “She’s no longer with us. She’s looking down at us right now. Her parents are with her.”

The president called Beckstrom an “incredible person, outstanding in every single way.”

Trump used the announcement to say the shooting was a “terrorist attack” as he criticized the Biden administration for enabling Afghans who worked with U.S. forces during the Afghanistan War to enter the U.S. The president has deployed National Guard members in part to assist in his administration’s mass deportation efforts.

Trump suggested that the shooter was mentally unstable after the war and departure from Afghanistan.

“He went cuckoo. I mean, he went nuts,” the president said. “It happens too often with these people."

The shooter worked with U.S. forces in Afghanistan

The suspect charged with the shooting is Rahmanullah Lakanwal, 29. The suspect had worked in a special CIA-backed Afghan Army unit before&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/national-guard-shooting-afghan-operation-allies-welcome-b11c48fb0b807e8f519c266e2a004d8e">emigrating from Afghanistan</a>, according to two sources who spoke to the Associated Press on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the situation, and #AfghanEvac, a group that helps resettle Afghans who assisted the U.S. during the two-decade war.

Jeanine Pirro, the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, declined to provide a motive for Wednesday afternoon’s&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/national-guard-washington-shooting-suspect-b37bc92853ba14625678236318f80751">brazen act of violence</a>&nbsp;which occurred just blocks from the White House. The presence of troops in the nation’s capital and other cities around the country has become a political flashpoint.

The Veterans of Foreign Wars post in Webster Springs, where Beckstrom is from, will hold three prayer vigils Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings, according to a Facebook post from the Webster County Veterans Auxiliary.

Pirro said that the suspect, Lakanwal, launched an “ambush-style” attack with a .357 Smith &amp; Wesson revolver. The suspect currently faces charges of assault with intent to kill while armed and possession of a firearm during a crime of violence. Pirro said that “it’s too soon to say” what the suspect’s motives were.

The charges could be upgraded, Pirro said, adding: “We are praying that they survive and that the highest charge will not have to be murder in the first degree. But make no mistake, if they do not, that will certainly be the charge.”

The rare shooting of National Guard members on American soil, on the eve of Thanksgiving, comes amid&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/national-guard-dc-deployment-c1c2b13a7102632632267bf1262506ff">court fights</a>&nbsp;and a broader public policy debate about the Trump administration’s use of the military to combat what officials cast as an out-of-control crime problem.

Trump issued an&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-washington-crime-national-guard-homelessness-655bc22834223c7dc93115bbcb2b215c">emergency order</a>&nbsp;in August that federalized the local police force and sent in National Guard troops. The order expired a month later. But the troops have remained in the city, where nearly 2,200 troops currently are assigned, according to the government’s latest update.

The guard members have patrolled neighborhoods, train stations and other locations, participated in highway checkpoints and been assigned to pick up trash and guard sports events. The Trump administration quickly ordered 500 more National Guard members to Washington following Wednesday’s shooting.

The suspect who was in custody also was shot and had wounds that were not believed to be life-threatening, according to a law enforcement official who was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly and spoke to AP on condition of anonymity.

Shooting raises questions about legacy of Afghanistan War

A resident of the eastern Afghan province of Khost who identified himself as Lakanwal’s cousin said Lakanwal was originally from the province and that he and his brother had worked in a special Afghan Army unit known as Zero Units in the southern province of Kandahar. A former official from the unit, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the situation, said Lakanwal was a team leader and his brother was a platoon leader.

The cousin spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals.He said Lakanwal had started out working as a security guard for the unit in 2012, and was later promoted to become a team leader and a GPS specialist.

Kandahar is in the Taliban heartland of the country. It saw fierce fighting between the Taliban and NATO forces after the U.S.-led invasion in 2001 following the al-Qaida attacks on Sept. 11. The CIA relied on Afghan staff for translation, administrative and front-line fighting with their own paramilitary officers in the war.

Zero Units were paramilitary units manned by Afghans but backed by the CIA and also served in front-line fighting with CIA paramilitary officers. Activists had attributed abuses to the units. They played a key role in the chaotic U.S. withdrawal from the country, providing security around Kabul International Airport as the Americans and withdrew from the country.

CIA Director John Ratcliffe said in a statement that Lakanwal’s relationship with the U.S. government “ended shortly following the chaotic evacuation” of U.S. servicemembers from Afghanistan.

Lakanwal, 29, entered the U.S. in 2021 through&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/national-guard-shooting-afghan-operation-allies-welcome-b11c48fb0b807e8f519c266e2a004d8e">Operation Allies Welcome,</a>&nbsp;a Biden administration program that evacuated and resettled tens of thousands of Afghans after the U.S. withdrawal from the country, officials said. Lakanwal applied for asylum during the Biden administration, but his asylum was approved under the Trump administration, #AfghanEvac said in a statement.

The initiative brought roughly 76,000 people to the U.S., many of whom had worked alongside U.S. troops and diplomats as interpreters and translators. It has since faced intense scrutiny from Trump and others over allegations of gaps in the vetting process, even as advocates say there was extensive vetting and the program offered a lifeline to people at risk of Taliban reprisals.

Lakanwal has been living in Bellingham, Washington, about 79 miles (127 kilometers) north of Seattle, with his wife and five children, said his former landlord, Kristina Widman.

Wednesday night,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-national-guard-washington-shooting-6548fbcba4b6efce59a38eeed32b4865">in a video message released on social media,</a>&nbsp;President Donald Trump called for the reinvestigation of all Afghan refugees who entered under the Biden administration.

The director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, Joseph Edlow, said in a social media post Thursday that Trump directed him to review the green cards of people from countries “of concern.”

Edlow didn’t name the countries.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-travel-ban-exceptions-immigrants-visa-4d5a4d07a4430dd1e1cf24511370bc0e">But in June</a>, the administration&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-travel-ban-d4d74e856e06f1a2626cc1ddbdfaa9f7">banned travel to the U.S.</a>&nbsp;by citizens of 12 countries and restricted access from seven others, citing national security concerns. Green card holders and Afghans who worked for the U.S. government or its allies in Afghanistan were listed as exempt.

Attack being investigated as terrorist act

FBI Director Kash Patel said the shooting is being investigated as an act of terrorism. Agents have served a series of search warrants, with Patel calling it a “coast-to-coast investigation.”

Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser, a Democrat, has previously questioned the effectiveness of using the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-national-guard-washington-army-8de4fca47b84d6b2eeaca59040b7cdb0">National Guard</a>&nbsp;to enforce city laws. Last week, a federal judge ordered an end to the deployment there, but the judge also paused her order for 21 days to allow the administration to remove the troops or appeal.

On Thursday, Bowser interpreted the shooting as a direct assault on America itself, rather than specifically on Trump’s policies.

“Somebody drove across the country and came to Washington, D.C., to attack America,” Bowser said. “That person will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.”

This story has been corrected to fix the spelling of the suspect’s name. It is Lakanwal, not Lakamal or Lakanmal.

Associated Press journalists Siddiqullah Alizai, Elena Becatoros, Konstantin Toropin, Seung Min Kim, Gary Fields, Safiyah Riddle, Matt Brown, Mike Balsamo, Eric Tucker, Jesse Bedayn, Evan Vucci, Nathan Ellgren, John Raby, Hallie Golden, Michael R. Sisak and John Seewer contributed.

Trump: One of the National Guard soldiers shot by Afghan national has died

SEDGWICK COUNTY - Police have responded to two incidents in the 3500 block of S. Gold in Wichita involving a suspicious person seen looking into residential windows, according to a statement from Wichita Police.

These windows were identified as belonging to rooms of young female children. Both incidents occurred on Nov. 25, 2025, between approximately 10:30 p.m. and 11:30 p.m.

A resident reported seeing the suspect flee the area on foot. The individual is described as a white male, approximately 6-foot tall, medium build, facial hair and he was wearing a gray Carhatt jacket and work boots.

This remains an active investigation. The Wichita Police Department is asking residents to call 911 to report any suspicious activity, persons, or vehicles. Anyone with any information can contact Investigations at 316-268-4407 or if you wish to remain anonymous call Crime Stoppers at 316-267-2111. We are also asking the public to review their home security camera footage for anything that may assist in this investigation.

Police release description of reported Kan. window peeper

Fuzzy Zoeller, a two-time major champion and one of golf’s most gregarious characters whose career was tainted by a racially insensitive joke about Tiger Woods, has died, according to a longtime colleague. He was 74.

A cause of death was not immediately available. Brian Naugle, the tournament director of the Insperity Invitational in Houston, said Zoeller’s daughter called him Thursday with the news.

Zoeller was the last player to win the Masters on his first attempt, a three-man playoff in 1979. He famously waved a white towel at Winged Foot in 1984 when he thought Greg Norman had beat him, only to defeat Norman in an 18-hole playoff the next day.

But it was the 1997 Masters that changed his popularity.

Woods was on his way to a watershed moment in golf with the most dominant victory in Augusta National history. Zoeller had finished his round and had a drink in hand under the oak tree by the clubhouse when he was stopped by CNN and asked for his thoughts on the 21-year-old Woods on his way to the most dominant win ever at Augusta National.

“That little boy is driving well and he’s putting well. He’s doing everything it takes to win. So, you know what you guys do when he gets in here? You pat him on the back and say congratulations and enjoy it and tell him not serve fried chicken next year. Got it?,” Zoeller said.

He smiled and snapped his fingers, and as he was walking away he turned and said, “Or collard greens or whatever the hell they serve.”

That moment haunted him the rest of his career.

Zoeller apologized. Woods was traveling and it took two weeks for him to comment as the controversy festered. Zoeller later said he received death threats for years after that moment.

Writing for Golf Digest in 2008, he said it was “the worst thing I’ve gone through in my entire life.”

“If people wanted me to feel the same hurt I projected on others, I’m here to tell you they got their way,” Zoeller wrote. “I’ve cried many times. I’ve apologized countless times for words said in jest that just aren’t a reflection of who I am. I have hundreds of friends, including people of color, who will attest to that.

“Still, I’ve come to terms with the fact that this incident will never, ever go away.”

It marred a career filled with two famous major titles, eight other PGA Tour titles and a Senior PGA Championship among his two PGA Tour Champions titles.

More than winning was how he went about it. Zoeller played fast and still had an easygoing nature to the way he approach the game, often whistling between shots.

He made his Masters debut in 1979 and got into a three-way playoff when Ed Sneed bogeyed the last three holes. Zoeller defeated Sneed and Tom Watson with a birdie on the second playoff hole, flinging his putter high in the air.

“I’ve never been to heaven, and thinking back on my life, I probably won’t get a chance to go,” Zoeller once said. “I guess winning the Masters is as close as I’m going to get.”

Zoeller was locked in a duel with Norman at Winged Foot in the 1984, playing in the group behind and watching Norman make putt after putt. So when he saw Norman make a 40-footer on the 18th, he assumed it was for birdie and began waving a white towel in a moment of sportsmanship.

Only later did he realize it was for par, and Zoeller made par to force a playoff. Zoeller beat him by eight shots in the 18-hole playoff (67-75). Zoeller’s lone regret was giving the towel to a kid after he finished in regulation.

“If you happen to see a grungy white towel hanging around, get it for me, will you?” he once said.

He was born Frank Urban Zoeller Jr. in New Albany, Indiana. Zoeller said his father was known only as “Fuzzy” and he was given the same name. He played at a junior college in Florida before joining the powerful Houston golf team before turning pro.

His wife, Diane, died in 2021. Zoeller has three children, including daughter Gretchen, with whom he used to play in the PNC Championship. Zoeller was awarded the Bob Jones Award by the USGA in 1985, the organization’s highest honor given for distinguished sportsmanship.

Fuzzy Zoeller, golf champion haunted by racist joke about Tiger Woods, dies at 74

By&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/author/dee-ann-durbin">DEE-ANN DURBIN</a> Associated Press

The Campbell’s Co. said Wednesday it has fired an executive who was recorded making racist comments and mocking the company’s products and customers.

Martin Bally, a vice president in Campbell’s information security department, was named in a lawsuit filed last week by Robert Garza, a former Campbell’s employee who said he was fired Jan. 30 after he reported Bally’s comments to a supervisor.

The lawsuit was filed in Michigan, where both Garza and Bally live. Campbell’s is based in Camden, New Jersey.

In the lawsuit, Garza claimed he met with Bally in November 2024 to discuss his salary. During the meeting, which Garza allegedly recorded, Bally described Campbell’s as “highly process(ed) food” and said it was for “poor people.”

Garza claimed in the lawsuit that Bally made racist remarks about Indian workers, whom he called “idiots.” Garza said Bally also told him that he often went to work high after consuming marijuana edibles.

Campbell’s said Wednesday it first learned of Garza’s lawsuit last week. After listening to portions of the recording, Campbell’s said it believed the voice was Bally’s. Bally was fired Tuesday.

“The comments were vulgar, offensive and false, and we apologize for the hurt they have caused,” the company said in a statement. “This behavior does not reflect our values and the culture of our company, and we will not tolerate that kind of language under any circumstances.”

Garza’s attorney didn’t respond when The Associated Press asked for a copy of the audio recording.

But according to Local 4 news in Detroit, which interviewed Garza and played a portion of the recording on air, Bally said Campbell’s products were unhealthy during his expletive-filled rant.

“Bioengineered meat. I don’t want to eat a piece of chicken that came from a 3D printer,” Bally said.

Campbell’s defended its chicken Wednesday, saying it comes from long-trusted U.S. suppliers, is raised without antibiotics and meets high quality standards.

“The comments heard on the recording about our food are not only inaccurate, they are patently absurd,” Campbell’s said.

Larry Kopp, the chairman and founder of The TASC Group, a strategic communications and public relations company, said Campbell’s should have fired Bally and reached a settlement with Garza as soon as it learned of the incident.

“If they had settled they would not be in this mess,” Kopp said. “Recordings like these are devastating and should never see the light of day.”

Garza is seeking monetary damages from Campbell’s, Bally and from his former manager, J.D. Aupperle. Garza said he told Aupperle about the conversation with Bally shortly before he was fired.

Campbell’s responds after exec allegedly called soup food for ‘poor people’

BY&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/mchilson/">MORGAN CHILSON</a> <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/">Kansas Reflector</a>

TOPEKA — A new page on a federal government website that provides inaccurate information about vaccines and autism is concerning to Kansans who work in autism research.

A majority of studies and researchers say there is no connection between autism and vaccinations, but the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cdc.gov/vaccine-safety/about/autism.html" target="_blank">updated a page</a>&nbsp;to share contradictory information.

“The claim ‘vaccines do not cause autism’ is not an evidence-based claim because studies have not ruled out the possibility that infant vaccines cause autism,” the site says.

The page was updated last week, and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/11/21/us/politics/rfk-jr-cdc-vaccines-autism-website.html" target="_blank">in an interview with the New York Times</a>, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., secretary of U.S. Health and Human Services, said he instructed the CDC to change the information.

“The information posted on the CDC website unfortunately contains multiple inaccurate or misleading statements,” said Matt Mosconi, director of the Kansas Center for Autism Research and Training. “The CDC message ignores many studies that have been conducted on this topic. And, my expectation is that this statement is confusing for individuals and families, and it has strong potential to be harmful.”

The Coalition of Autism Scientists, which Mosconi and other researchers at K-CART belong to, published a statement saying the harm caused by questioning the safety of childhood vaccines cannot be overstated.

“By altering and distorting the evidence on vaccine safety, the CDC can no longer be relied on to provide the public with accurate information,” the statement said.

Mosconi said if there had been evidence that vaccines caused autism, scientists would have followed that evidence.

“Rigorous study after rigorous study failed to find that link, so we, as scientists, follow the data to identify those factors that are associated with autism and do have potential to be informative for supporting the autism community,” he said.

Kathryn Unruh, an assistant researcher at K-CART, said the new information presented on the CDC site is concerning for several reasons, including whether people will hesitate to vaccinate their children.

Kansas has seen&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2025/04/02/vaccination-rates-down-in-most-kansas-counties-where-measles-cases-occurring/">vaccination rates</a>&nbsp;for kindergarteners drop in many areas across the state. The state also had a measles outbreak, which has since ended.

“As an autism researcher, we are also quite concerned with how this may misdirect attention as well as the critical funding we may need for studies that will support autistic individuals and their families,” Unruh said.

Two “very large” and rigorous studies have shown no association between autism and vaccinations, she said. The studies were well-controlled and had large samples. The initial and since discredited study that started the misinformation about vaccines and autism included just 12 children, Unruh said.

A&nbsp;<a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC1124634/" target="_blank">2002 Danish study</a>&nbsp;included more than 500,000 children and looked at the risks of developing autism in children who were vaccinated and unvaccinated. The study controlled for multiple variables, including the age at which children received vaccines, their gestational age, birth weight and their economic status, Unruh said.

No connection was found between autism and vaccinations in that study.

<a href="https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2215632120" target="_blank">Another large study</a>&nbsp;in the United States also looked at familial factors because of the high likelihood of developing autism if the individual has a sibling with autism, Unruh said.

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