1. A total of 210,000 gallons of oil leaked from the Keystone Pipeline in Marshall County, South Dakota, on Thursday. The leak occurred about three miles southeast of the town of Amherst and blackened a grassy field. No livestock or drinking water sources appear to be threatened thus far. It will be a few days before officials can determine whether the groundwater has been contaminated. This is the largest Keystone oil spill to date in South Dakota. It comes just days before Nebraska officials are scheduled to announce a decision on whether the proposed Keystone XL pipeline, a sister project, can move forward. (CNN)
2. Portland continued its annual tradition of using a tree donated by a local resident for its downtown Christmas display. Janice Laflamme of Westbrook has donated a 42-foot-tall fir tree that sat outside her home. It will now serve as the centerpiece of the Monument Square display. The tree was installed yesterday. It will be lit on Nov. 24 at 5 p.m. (Press Herald)
3. Market Basket is coming to Westbrook. The low-priced grocer will be the anchor tenant of a yet-to-be-built retail plaza at the former Pike Industries quarry on Main Street. The grocery chain operates 79 stores across New England, but only one of them is in Maine. It opened in Biddeford in 2013 and has been a hit among shoppers there. That strong customer response prompted Market Basket to consider building more stores in Maine. (Press Herald)
4. A whopping 50.9 million Americans will travel over Thanksgiving — a 3.3 percent increase over 2016 and the most since 2005. According to the AAA, more than 45 million will travel by car between next Wednesday and the Sunday after Thanksgiving. About four million will fly — a five percent increase from last year. Those traveling by car can expect an expensive road trip; the national average for a gallon of regular is $2.56, up from $2.16 a year ago. Car-rental rates are also higher than last year, and so are many hotel rooms. Meanwhile, average airfares on the most popular routes within the U.S. will be the lowest in five years. (AP News)
5.The Celtics have now won 14 straight games since starting the season 0-2 in the immediate aftermath of Hayward’s season-ending ankle injury. The Warriors had their seven-game winning streak snapped. Jaylen Brown scored a team-high 22 points and essentially willed Boston back into the game on two different occasions. Brown played Thursday after the death of his close friend, Trevin Steede. Unmasked Kyrie made clutch free throws down the stretch. Al Horford registered a double-double in consecutive games for the second time this season. Celtics Visit Atlanta on Saturday to begin a three-game trip. (Boston)
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