By Weston MorrowWMORROW@NEWSMINER.COM

Thanksgiving, perhaps more than any other American holiday, is associated with a home-cooked meal and quality time around the house with friends and family.

But as the many groups filling the Pump House restaurant in Fairbanks on Thursday demon-strated, there are more ways than one to celebrate Thanksgiving.

The Clavill and Suomi families

sat at a large table toward the back of the Pump House enjoying their professionally cooked fare in the early afternoon. The group of six sampled the restaurant’s Thanksgiving Day buffet, which included food from the tradition-al — turkey, ham, potatoes and green beans — to the more origi-nal — freshly sliced prime rib and shrimp cocktail.

Nicole Suomi can list several

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T H E V O I C E O F I N T E R I O R A L A S K A S I N C E 1 9 0 3

SOURDOUGH JACK:

“The missus said I should go to that program ’cause I always have birds on the mind. Or maybe it was ’cause I’m bird-brained ...”

The weather.Temperatures take a dive today. Some snow possible.

High today ............. -12Low tonight .......... -28

WEATHER » A7

GOODMORNING

Classified » C1 | Comics » D4 | Dear Abby » Latitude 65 | Nation » A3 | Outdoors » B1 | Obituaries » A5 | Opinion » A6 | Weather » A7INSIDE

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Jimmy Carter to host webchat about Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act. » A4Inside Today

TAKING FLIGHTJamie Smith to host program showcasing his favorite bird cartoons.

OUTDOORSPage B1

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Aurora forecast.Auroral activity will be low. Weather permit-ting, low displays will be visible overhead from Barrow to Fairbanks.

This information is provid-ed by aurora forecasters at the Geophysical Institute at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. For more infor-mation about the aurora, visit http://www.gi.alaska.edu/AuroraForecast

A HOLIDAY CLASSICFairbanks Drama Association to put on “Best Christmas Pageant Ever.”

LATITUDE 65

Schools to change schedulesBy Weston MorrowWMORROW@NEWSMINER.COM

Administrators with the Fairbanks North Star Borough have released a new high school schedule for the sec-ond semester, but students and staff will have to wait a few more days to find out exactly how that change will effect their schools next semester.

As a shell, the draft that came out of

the Nov. 20 meeting looks similar to the schedule with which schools in the district began the year.

The new draft will work as a jump-ing-off point for secondary schools. Principals at each high school will be allowed to make changes in two key areas: the time each class ends and whether to have split lunches.

Class start times will remain fixed and uniform across the district. This

will allow high schools to continue sharing classes via distance delivery. Individual high schools may choose to end their classes slightly early, how-ever, to give students and staff longer passing periods.

Karen Gaborik, assistant superin-tendent of secondary schools, met with each of the principals at the dis-trict’s secondary schools Nov. 20 to gather feedback and create the new proposal. That meeting came one day after Gaborik shared the draft of possi-ble changes with an unsatisfied school board.

Board members told Gaborik at

that meeting they were not convinced the draft fully addressed all parent, student and staff concerns about shortened passing periods and split lunches.

Some board members wanted to create a committee of communi-ty members, but Gaborik urged the board to allow her first to meet with principals Nov. 20 to create a draft all parties might find workable. The board agreed, and from that meeting with principals came the most recent draft.

Move, which goes into effect next semester, is in response to passing periods complaints

SCHOOLS » A8

Despite backlash, stores see plenty of eager shoppers on holidayTHE ASSOCIATED PRESS

NEW YORK — As more than a dozen major retailers from Target to Toys R Us opened on Thanksgiving, shoppers across the country got a jump start on holiday shopping. The Thanksgiving openings come despite planned pro-tests across the country from work-ers’ groups that are against employees missing Thanksgiving meals at home.

More than 200 people stood in line at the Toys R Us store in the Manhat-

tan borough of New York City before its 5 p.m. opening.

Green Bryant was first in line at 10 a.m. The restaurant manager ended up buying a dollhouse for $129 — $30 off — a Barbie doll and a LeapFrog learning system. Bryant, 28, said she didn’t miss Thanksgiving festivities but was going home to cook a Thanks-giving meal for her two children.

“It was worth it,” she said. “Now I gotta go home and cook.”

At a Target store in Brooklyn, N.Y.,

about 25 people were waiting in line at 2:50 p.m. for the 8 p.m. opening, an hour earlier than a year ago.

Theresa Alcantaro, 35, a crossing guard, was waiting with her 12-year-old son to buy an Xbox One. It wasn’t on sale, but supplies have been scarce. She was missing a gathering of 40 family members but said she would meet up after shopping.

“Honestly if I can get a good deal, I do not mind,” she said about Thanks-giving shopping. “I see my family every

day. They understand.”The holiday openings are a break

with tradition. The day after Thanks-giving, called Black Friday, for a decade had been considered the offi-cial start to the holiday buying season. It’s also typically the biggest shopping day of the year.

But in the past few years, retail-ers have pushed opening times into Thanksgiving night.

A DIFFERENT TRADITION

Some diners turn to restaurants for their Thanksgiving feasts

From left, Courtney Rawls, 8-month-old Lillian Craddock, Shallon Craddock and Daniel Craddock laugh while talking about eating out for the holiday as patrons enjoy a meal at the Pump House for its annual Thanksgiving buffet Thursday afternoon. ERIC ENGMAN/NEWS-MINER

Bill Bubbel carves prime rib as patrons enjoy a meal while dining at the Pump House. “People appreciate it,” Bubbel said of he and others working on the holidays, adding, “It makes it all worth while.” ERIC ENGMAN/NEWS-MINERDINNER » A8

SHOPPING » A8