Ready for Thanksgiving? Be sure to grab Wednesday's News-Leader for deals, games and news

Whether you subscribe to the News-Leader online or in print, or pick up a copy at retail, you'll want to keep an eye out for the special Thanksgiving edition that publishes Wednesday.

The Thanksgiving paper traditionally is one of the largest of the year — if not THE largest — and this year's edition is both stuffed and delivered a day ahead of the holiday.

On the cover, Greta Cross brings us a story about Jason Wendlandt, a Buffalo travel nurse who survived a life-altering car wreck in the fall of 2022. A year into his recovery, Wendlandt shares how his community and church have supported his family and his goals for the future.

Kelly Dereuck, the News-Leader's statehouse reporter, also brings thankful news, from Greene County's legislative delegation. Sen. Lincoln Hough, Rep. Crystal Quade and their colleagues elected to represent Springfield and the Ozarks in Missouri's General Assembly share what they're thankful for in the past year and some of their goals — including widely-shared calls for bipartisan collaboration — when they head back to Jefferson City in January.

Other News-Leader reporters bring a cornucopia of news you can use, whether your Thanksgiving plans go right or awry. Need to make a last-minute run to the grocery store because Fido got into the stuffing, or worse, overturned the turkey? Health and food reporter Susan Szuch has lists of which grocery stores and restaurants are open or closed on the holiday, as well as a story with emergency contacts and other handy information for when things really go wrong.

Reporter Marta Mieze, meanwhile, has a story telling you where all the biggest Black Friday sales can be found at major retailers. Check out Friday's paper for a separate story spotlighting Springfield shops ahead of Small Business Saturday. That's in addition to the stack of ads, coupons and circulars packed inside.

If you feel the need to get out and stretch your legs (without stretching your wallet too much) Cross has compiled a special list of Thanksgiving things to do, from Springfield's Turkey Trot to karoake to horseback riding.

If you'd rather sit inside with a warm drink and the paper, there will be plenty there for you in a special, 12-page broadsheet section packed with puzzles and games, including a giant, two-page crossword that's in addition to the half-page crossword in the main section. Other contents include recipes, kids coloring activities and games, gift guides, holiday movies and music to stream and more.

You'll find a bounty of other great stories and content throughout the week online and in print. Monday and Tuesday include stories about non-traditional Thanksgiving celebrations and recipes, in addition to promising news about progress at Springfield Public Schools, an exciting restaurant expansion and a story from freelancer Juliana Goodwin that involves road-tripping and Bob Dylan.

To allow News-Leader staff to spend time with their families and celebrate the holidays, there will be no print edition Thursday, but there will be an e-Newspaper on the website that morning, along with online coverage of Springfield's iconic Turkey Trot and more. And be sure to grab next Sunday's News-Leader, where we'll launch the 2023 Share Your Christmas effort in partnership with Crosslines. It's one of my favorite projects to be involved with every year as the folks in the Ozarks show their generous spirit in support of neighbors in need.

As always, you can find breaking news at News-Leader.com, where you can sign up for our email newsletters and news alerts to deliver the latest information straight to your inbox.

In the meantime, we here at the News-Leader wish you all a happy and safe Thanksgiving. Thank you all for reading and supporting the pursuit of truly independent news, "without fear or favor," in our community. 'Tis a privilege.

Amos Bridges is editor-in-chief of the News-Leader.

This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: The BIG Thanksgiving News-Leader comes Wednesday. Here's what's inside