How big is Thanksgiving holiday travel this year? The Wake Up for Wednesday, Nov. 22, 2023

Driving over the river and through the woods? AAA is projecting about 55.4 million travelers will head 50 miles or more from home between today and Sunday, with today the busiest on the highways. That’s the third highest number since the agency started tracking in 2000.

At Cleveland Hopkins International Airport, officials are expecting 150,000 travelers over the long holiday weekend, 18% higher than last year and 8% more than in 2019, before COVID-19 kept us all home for our turkey dinners.

It can’t hurt to leave early and have a backup plan.

I’m staying close to home with family this year. But if you’re traveling, pack your patience. (Also maybe a good book.)

- Laura

Overnight Scores and Weather

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Northeast Ohio weather forecast: Colder with gradual clearing

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Bad travel: Cleveland Hopkins was among the worst airports for holiday travel last year, with more than a third of all flights delayed or canceled during the busy travel days in November and December, reports Susan Glaser . Cleveland ranked No. 23 on the list of 25 worst airports for holiday travel, better than Denver (No. 18) and Seattle (No. 20), but worse than Indianapolis (No. 24) and Newark, New Jersey (No. 25).

The Eagle Avenue lift bridge is slated for demolition.Joshua Gunter, cleveland.com

Eagle Avenue bridge: Cleveland’s first vertical lift-bridge, the Eagle Avenue bridge, is set to be demolished due to unsafe conditions, reports Courtney Astolfi . The bridge has deteriorated considerably since it was last used nearly 20 years ago. Demolition is expected to begin in July and continue through May 2025.

Ukrainian refugees: Tetiana Lysechko and her family fled Kyiv, thinking they’d be gone for three or four days. More than a year later, they found a home in Solon, preparing to spend their first Thanksgiving in America. Molly Walsh reports that as the war between Russia and Ukraine rages on, thousands of people like the Lysechkos are spending time in new homes, finding new ways of life and learning about new traditions.

Today in Ohio: Americans would prefer to talk turkey than politics when they celebrate Thanksgiving this year. We’re talking about holiday travel, spending and more good stuff in our last Today in Ohio podcast until next Monday.

Statehouse and Politics

Wayne Forest: Wayne National Forest received just over 1,200 public comments after it proposed renaming the 244,000-acre forest in the Appalachian foothills, reports Sabrina Eaton . The request comes at the behest of Native American tribes whom the park’s namesake, Gen. Anthony Wayne, helped remove from Ohio more than 200 years ago.

: Changes that will let E-ZPass users drive through the Ohio Turnpike without stopping are expected to go live in the coming weeks as the toll road also readies to implement a new system for calculating fees. Rick Rouan reports Turnpike Director Ferzan Ahmed told the Ohio Turnpike Commission on Monday that construction was complete for the new toll collection system and that new toll machines would be installed after Thanksgiving.

Northeast Ohio News

Low birthrate: The Washington Post’s Department of Data tackled the country’s low birthrate in a recent column. Their hypothesis was more families with only one child, but that didn’t pan out. Regardless, why is it so low? Laura Johnston blames child care .

Macy’s parade: More than 400 band directors from around the country will be featured Thursday in the legendary Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade. Among those 400 will be William Tennant, a 20-year veteran band director who is the instrumental music director at St. Dominic School in Shaker Heights, reports Malcolm X Abram .

Feed The Need at Townhall 2023

Browns meals: Greg Newsome II, Kareem Hunt and Denzel Ward were among the Browns players and other prominent community figures serving free Thanksgiving meals Tuesday to hundreds of needy people at the 11th annual Feed the Need at TownHall Cleveland, Mary Kay Cabot reports .

Finnish Garden: After a period of growth for the Cleveland Cultural Gardens, stagnation occurred in the years following World War II. But in 1958, a new garden was finally dedicated - the Finnish Cultural Garden, writes Zachary Smith .

Houseplant watering: Readers emailed their suggestions to keep house plants healthy and your family and furniture happy, many of which include tools of the holiday season: turkey basters, pie plates, platters, and boot trays, writes Susan Brownstein .

Healthcare and Business

E&Y: Ernst & Young is officially the newest resident of the North Point Tower at the corner of East Ninth Street and Lakeside Avenue, reports Megan Sims . The global accounting firm moved into its over 44,000-square-foot office that takes up the 18th and 19th floors of the lakefront office building, which is also home to law firm Jones Day.

FirstEnergy execs: FirstEnergy announced Tuesday that it had hired two new executives, both from outside of the company, reports Sean McDonnell . Wade Smith, chief operating officer of Puget Sound Energy in the state of Washington, will become FirstEnergy’s COO. Toby Thomas, a senior vice president at AEP Energy, will become president of FirstEnergy Utilities and will oversee the company’s state utilities.

Crime and Courts

Daycare owner: A man who once operated a daycare with his wife at their Macedonia home was sentenced Tuesday to life in prison after he pleaded guilty to multiple charges in connection with sexually abusing and exploiting children, Cliff Pinckard reports . William Lupica, 72, will not be eligible for parole until he is 102 years old.

Arts and Entertainment

: Who doesn’t love to talk about food and drinking? The DineDrinkCle team at cleveland.com loves talking about food so much that we decided to start a podcast about it ... “DineDrinkCle: The Podcast.”

Ask Yadi: Do you really need to RSVP? Yadi Rodriguez writes that while you may ask yourself whether you can toss that invitation into a read-mail pile and simply respond at your leisure, please, do your host or hostess the courtesy of letting them know if you are going to come to their event.

Pnut Butter: Pnut Butter Cups hit the Northeast Ohio market in 2022 and they’re expanding distribution, Paris Wolfe reports . An upgrade on the most popular candy in the United States, Pnut Butter Cups were created by Jennifer Falb of Highland Heights.

Browns record: This Thanksgiving marks the 34th consecutive year the Cleveland Browns have not played on the holiday. Maybe that’s a good thing, considering they have never won on Thanksgiving since the Super Bowl became a thing, reports Marc Bona .

Holiday bars: Several bars in the Cleveland area go all-out when it comes to decorating for the holidays and celebrating the season with festive food, drink specials, and events before the new year. Alex Darus has 16 holiday pop-up bars in Greater Cleveland worth visiting this holiday season.

Rolling Stones: The Rolling Stones announced they are touring the U.S. and Canada, including a stop at Cleveland Browns Stadium on June 15, reports Malcolm X Abram . The 1989 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees have been flying higher than usual with the critical praise for their 26th studio album, “Hackney Diamonds,” which already has earned the legendary band a Grammy nomination for the lead single “Angry.”

Best donuts: Kelly Brewer, who along with his co-owner wife Diana, decided that if they opened a Cleveland donut shop it would be different from the others. He envisioned a future where his spot would be a “donut destination” for folks from in-town and out-of-town alike. Big Mouth Donuts in Rocky River delivers and is among the Best of Cleveland, report Peter Chakerian and Yadi Rodriguez .

Holiday things to do: There’s so much to do during the holidays in Northeast Ohio that you could see at least five different productions of “The Nutcracker” from now through mid-December. Navigating all of the festive events and activities can be as daunting as finding the perfect gift for that one impossible person on your list. Joey Morona has a list of more than 70 things to do during the most wonderful time of the year.

You’re all caught up

Don’t forget, you can always find the latest Cleveland news by visiting cleveland.com . If you value the hard work of Cleveland journalists, consider becoming a cleveland.com subscriber .

— Curated by Laura Johnston with contributions by Cliff Pinckard

How big is Thanksgiving holiday travel this year? The Wake Up for Wednesday, Nov. 22, 2023

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