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» SHOT CALL: The U.S. has opened COVID-19 booster shots up to all adults and is urging people 50 and older to get one, the AP reports.
» CASE COUNT: Pennsylvania's COVID-19 positivity rate is climbing ahead of the holidays, with Thursday's 6,637 new infections the highest since mid-April, the Post-Gazette reports.
» TESTING TAB: Employees who opt for testing instead of a COVID-19 shot under President Joe Biden's sweeping mandate will foot the bill for those tests, CNN Business reports.
» MASK UP: Westmoreland County's Norwin School District is reinstating its mask mandate today, days after voting to keep masks optional, per WTAE.
It's Thanksgiving week, and we want to know what you're thankful for this year. Tell us your reasons here and we'll share some of our favorite responses in the Thanksgiving Day edition of this newsletter. 'Tis the season.
CASE BRIEFING: Unredacted footage published by Spotlight PA and NBC News last week shows 19-year-old Christian Hall had his hands in the air, a pellet gun in one, when he was fatally shot by Pennsylvania State Police on an I-80 overpass near Stroudsburg. Here's what you need to know about the case and why Hall's parents are calling for a new investigation almost one year after his death.
BACK TO SCHOOL: Weeks after hitting the picket line in a years-long stalemate, striking Scranton teachers have reached a tentative deal with the school district, the AP reports. Details of the agreement — which still needs to be ratified — were not released, but a joint statement notes a "strong compromise" by both parties. Students are expected back in classrooms today for the first time since Nov. 3.
'CITY OF PRAYER': Most outside mentions of Clairton, a steel town 15 miles southeast of Pittsburgh, involve industrial pollution concerns, reports of late-night shootings, or high school football. PublicSource sent a photographer there for a more nuanced portrait of the city — one the outlet calls a "microcosm of the broader Rust Belt" and the varied impacts of the steel industry's decline.
Update: Vials labeled “smallpox” that were found inside a Montgomery County vaccine research facility contain no trace of the deadly virus, per the CDC.
HORSEY SAUCE: Mama Stamberg's tangy, spicy, and Pepto Bismol-colored cranberry relish, an NPR Thanksgiving staple for half a century, can be traced back to a 1961 holiday trip to Allentown — the source of the recipe and its most controversial ingredient: a particularly pungent horseradish.
BUILDING PLAN: With the owner of the Boston Red Sox likely to become the new owner of the Pittsburgh Penguins, PublicSource examines what a potential sale might mean for a long-awaited and hotly debated redevelopment project next to Pittsburgh's hockey arena.
GET SET, GO: When Ghulam Sakhi Danish arrived in Philadelphia after fleeing Afghanistan, WHYY reports the first thing he did was buy a pair of running shoes. Then, one week after arriving, he ran an 8K as part of the city's marathon. "I really wanted to get in with Philly people," he explained.
SCHOOL DANCE: Bob Mehalick has an unusual background, especially for a school administrator. The Crestwood School District superintendent has helped produce tours for musicians like Post Malone and Fetty Wap. Standard-Speaker reports he's also DJ'd in Dubai and London.
THE SCRAMBLER
Unscramble and send your answer to scrambler@spotlightpa.org. We'll shout out winners here, and one each week will get some Spotlight PA swag.
L A T S B O S A R
Friday's answer: Differential
Congrats to our weekly winner: Ronnee G.
Congrats to our daily winners: Michelle T., Al M., Susan F., David I., Craig W., Eddy Z., Irene R., Mike B., Marie S., Don H., Chris M., Bridget C., Barbara F., Beth T., Mary Kay M., Heidi B., Craig E., Jessica K., Elaine C., Jill K., Connie K., Doris T., Suzanne D., Susan R., Ted W., Marty M., Elizabeth W., Jodi R., Steve D., Bruce B., Kim C., Becky C., Vicki U., Frederick H., Alan V., Kimberly S., Fred O., Jill A., Joel S., James B., Dianne K., Sharon M., Tim B., Susan N., Bill S., Patricia R., Daniel M., Jay H., James B., Neal W., John P., George S., Tish M., Kathy B., Ann E., and Jacqueline H.
Spotlight PA is an independent, non-partisan newsroom powered by The Philadelphia Inquirer in partnership with PennLive/The Patriot-News, TribLIVE/Pittsburgh Tribune-Review and WITF Public Media.
CASE BRIEFING: Unredacted footage published by Spotlight PA and NBC News last week shows 19-year-old Christian Hall had his hands in the air, a pellet gun in one, when he was fatally shot by Pennsylvania State Police on an I-80 overpass near Stroudsburg. Here's what you need to know about the case and 
FIELD FORM: Former Pennsylvania House Speaker 
BACK TO SCHOOL: Weeks after hitting the picket line in a years-long stalemate, 
'CITY OF PRAYER': Most outside mentions of Clairton, a steel town 15 miles southeast of Pittsburgh, involve industrial pollution concerns, reports of late-night shootings, or high school football. PublicSource sent a photographer there for a more nuanced portrait of the city — one the outlet calls a "
SIEGE SENTENCE: An ex-Lackawanna County 
