Family invites mail carrier for Thanksgiving dinner after he helped save their father

A family in Illinois welcomed a mail carrier and his family to join them for a very special Thanksgiving celebration. (City of Aurora, IL, Government)

Aurora, Ill.

Two Illinois families enjoyed a special Thanksgiving together this year.

Last month, U.S. Postal Service mail carrier Jaylen Lockhart was working when he saw Guy Miller fall while walking his dog.

WLS reported that Lockhart stopped what he was doing to help Miller.

Aurora city officials said without the mail carrier’s actions, the holidays may have been a different story for the Millers.

The city shared pictures of the two families celebrating Thanksgiving while giving their thanks.

“We are family now,” Lockhart said. “And for that, I will forever be grateful.”

The families said they are also planning on getting together for Christmas.

Man dies in crash on Thanksgiving while swerving to avoid hitting dog, reports say

JoeRamon Janas, 27, swerved to avoid hitting a dog, lost control of his vehicle and hit a light pole. (GoFundMe)

Harris County, Texas

A man reportedly died in Texas on Thanksgiving after crashing his car to avoid hitting a dog in the road.

The Harris County Sheriff’s Office shared that a man, later identified by family members as JoeRamon Janas, swerved to avoid hitting a dog, lost control of his vehicle and hit a light pole.

The 27-year-old died at the scene.

KHOU reports that Janas’ parents said the crash happened about 10 minutes away from their home and that he was heading their way for the holiday.

“We were going to start preparing Thanksgiving dinner. So, we started that, woke up the next day with four police officers inside my living room to tell me the bad news,” Janas’ father Edward Bautista shared.

Loved ones held a vigil for Janas on Sunday night and they have also started a GoFundMe to help with funeral expenses.

“Ramon was a vibrant and kind-hearted soul who touched the lives of everyone he met. His loss has left a void in the hearts of his family and friends,” loved ones shared.

Fundraising efforts have raised more than $20,000 to assist the family.

Cucumbers sold in 26 states recalled over salmonella concerns

SunFed Produce has recalled cucumbers sold in 26 states because they may be contaminated with salmonella. (U.S. Food and Drug Administration)

Whole fresh cucumbers are being recalled because they might be contaminated with salmonella.

The cucumbers were produced by SunFed Produce and sold in 26 states and parts of Canada.

According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the cucumbers were shipped to customers in Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin.

The cucumbers in question were sold between Oct. 27 and Nov. 26 and officials say they could potentially be contaminated with salmonella.

SunFed has contacted its direct buyers to advise them of the recall, the FDA said. No other products sold by or farms supplying to SunFed are implicated.

Officials said it’s unclear how many people may have been sickened by the cucumbers, but the product could have reached consumers through food service and retail outlets.

Consumers who have purchased the recalled products can get more information by contacting SunFed’s recall hotline at 888-542-5849.

Police sergeant killed in wrong-way crash while driving home from work on Thanksgiving

Endicott College Police Sgt. Jeremy Cole was killed in a wrong-way crash on Interstate 95 in the Newbury area. (Endicott College Police)

Newbury, Mass.

A police sergeant has died after a wrong-way crash on Interstate 95 in Massachusetts on Thursday morning.

Massachusetts State Police said officers responded to a reported Tesla that was traveling the wrong way south on I-95 just after midnight.

WFXT reports that state troopers spotted the wrong-way vehicle driving through the Newburyport area and law enforcement prepared a tire-deflation device in Georgetown.

However, before the Tesla reached the device, it struck a Chevrolet Trailblazer head-on near mile marker 81 in the Newbury area.

The driver of the Trailblazer was identified as Endicott College Police Sgt. Jeremy Cole. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Endicott College Chief of Police Kerry Ramsdell said Cole was driving home early on Thanksgiving morning after working his evening shift.

“On this Thanksgiving Day, our hearts are with the family, friends, and loved ones of a police officer who reported for duty keeping the rest of us safe and secure but did not return home,” Ramsdell said. “This is an incredibly difficult time for our department. We are heartbroken by this unimaginable loss.

Authorities shared that the Tesla driver was a man in his 40s who sustained serious injuries in the crash and was flown to an area hospital. He is expected to face charges, WFXT reports.

First responders closed the highway in both directions at the crash scene for the rescue and investigation.

State police said their investigation remains ongoing.

Missing 5-year-old boy found dead after wandering away from home, authorities say

The Coos County Sheriff's Office said the body of Joshua James McCoy was found Tuesday afternoon less than 2 miles from his home. (Coos County Sheriff's Office)

Coos County, Ore.

A 5-year-old boy in Oregon has been found dead after going missing over the weekend.

According to the Coos County Sheriff’s Office, the body of Joshua James McCoy was found on Tuesday less than 2 miles from his home in the Hauser area.

The sheriff’s office said Joshua was autistic and he would answer to Josh or Joshie if anyone had seen him after he went missing on Saturday.

His mother told deputies that she and her son had fallen asleep that afternoon, but Joshua was gone when she woke up at about 5:30 p.m.

In a statement Tuesday evening, the sheriff’s office said that “it is with immense sadness” that it announced that Joshua was found dead.

The sheriff’s office thanked the community and other first responders for their help in finding Joshua.

Authorities didn’t release further information regarding the boy’s death but said their investigation remains ongoing.

The boy’s mother was not immediately identified.