WASHINGTON

PRESIDENT STAYS PUT IN TEXAS FOR THANKSGIVING

CRAWFORD, Texas – President Bush spent a down-to-earth Thanksgiving Day at his ranch eating leftovers and riding his mountain bike – a world away from Baghdad, his secret destination a year ago. Mr. Bush also called members of the military stationed around the world, most of them deployed to the Middle East. It was a dual celebration: His twin daughters, Jenna and Barbara, marked their 23rd birthdays on the family’s ranch. Also at the home were Laura Bush and her mother, Jenna Welch, and the president’s parents, President George H.W. Bush and Barbara Bush. The family worked on leftovers from Wednesday’s luncheon meeting with Spain’s King Carlos and Queen Sofia. That meal had a Thanksgiving theme, with free-range turkey and gravy, mashed sweet potatoes, bass caught at the ranch, stuffing, pan-roasted vegetables, and pecan and pumpkin pies with ice cream. There was cake yesterday for the twins’ birthdays. Mr. Bush also rode his bicycle on the trails at the 1,600-acre ranch, and chopped cedar, White House spokeswoman Claire Buchan said. In the morning, the president called 10 members of the military representing all five branches of the service. “As the men and women of America’s armed forces are sacrificing for the liberties we all enjoy, the president wanted to express his gratitude for their service and sacrifice, and to wish them a happy Thanksgiving,” Ms. Buchan said. Last Thanksgiving, Mr. Bush slipped away from the ranch to visit troops in Baghdad, leaving his family and most of his usual entourage behind. Mindful of that history, many aides and journalists anxiously awaited word of another secret trip this year, checking their pagers and cell phones often.

– Associated Press

SOUTH

BABY IN STOLEN CAR FOUND UNHARMED

MONTICELLO, Fla. – A 6-month-old boy who was in a car when a thief stole it was found unharmed yesterday, about 25 miles from where the vehicle vanished the previous evening, authorities said. Ja-Marquez Izhaun Pringle was still in a car seat in the back of the 1998 Ford Taurus when it was located by a Leon County sheriff’s deputy, Lieutenant Silas Lewis said. The car was parked at a Tallahassee housing project. The infant was taken to Tallahassee Memorial Hospital to be checked out, but Lieutenant Lewis said he appeared to be unharmed. His parents, James and Rose Pringle, were being taken there for a reunion. The car was stolen Wednesday evening in Monticello, about 25 miles east of Tallahassee, while the baby’s grandmother was dropping off another child. An Amber Alert was issued. “It was our goal today to find this baby,” Lieutenant Lewis said. No arrests have been made, he said.

– Associated Press

NORTHEAST

PENNSYLVANIA TURNPIKE STRIKE ENTERS SECOND DAY CARLISLE, Pa. – Pennsylvania Turnpike managers began collecting tolls early Thanksgiving Day as the first strike in the turnpike’s 64-year history entered its second day. The managers had anticipated a walkout by about 2,000 collectors, maintenance workers, and office employees so they waived tolls all day Wednesday. The waiver was expected to be cost an estimated $1.7 million to $2 million in lost revenue. Just after midnight, nearly 400 managers began collecting $2 per car and $15 per commercial vehicle. Normally, the toll varies by distance, but the flat rate – based on the average tolls – was charged to prevent backups at the toll plazas. The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission planned to bring in temporary workers to collect tolls along with the managers, who were putting in 12-hour shifts. The main cause of the strike was a management proposal to allow layoffs as the three-year pact expired, a union spokesman, Ken Zawacki said. Turnpike Chief Executive Joe Brimmeier said Teamsters locals 77 and 250 were making unrealistic demands regarding work rules. The commission offered senior toll takers a 40-cent-an-hour raise each year to about $21 at the end of the three-year pact, he said. Teamsters set up pickets along turnpike exits and asked trucker members to avoid taking the highway. Two tractor-trailers briefly blocked one interchange until tow trucks arrived, then started up and drove away. The striking employees have been working without a contract for 14 months. Eighty percent of the workers are in job classifications that earn, with overtime, nearly $50,000 a year, Mr. Brimmeier said. No further talks have been scheduled.

– Associated Press