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[h=4]5 things you need to know Friday[/h]The biggest news to start your Friday.
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SAN DIEGO, CA - NOVEMBER 25: Customers shop for electronics items during 'Black Friday' at a Best Buy store on November 25, 2011 San Diego, California. Thousands of consumers are queuing at various stores across the nation to take advantage of 'Black Friday' deals as the holiday shopping season begins in America. (Photo by Sandy Huffaker/Getty Images)(Photo: Getty Images)
Black Friday kicks off holiday shopping season —<span style="color: Red;">*</span>or does it?
Many consider<span style="color: Red;">*</span>Black Friday<span style="color: Red;">*</span>the start of the holiday shopping rush, but nowadays people are shopping online earlier<span style="color: Red;">*</span>and<span style="color: Red;">*</span>some hit<span style="color: Red;">*</span>stores on Thanksgiving Day. Still, there are steals<span style="color: Red;">*</span>for the brave souls who hit the stores Friday.<span style="color: Red;">*</span>Here are the top 10 deals of 2015. Many of the<span style="color: Red;">*</span>most popular items are<span style="color: Red;">*</span>tech gifts, from Apple Watches to TVs and hoverboards. If you're navigating<span style="color: Red;">*</span>the throngs of<span style="color: Red;">*</span>mall-goers, here's everything you need to know to be a successful shopper.
Black Friday faces backlash: #OptOutside
State parks across the country are offering free or reduced admission Friday as a counter to the consumption-focused Black Friday shopping madness. The free or reduced-price admission ties in with outdoor retailer REI's decision to close its 143 stores and give 12,000 employees a paid day off to spend with their family. Banding under the #FreshAirFriday banner, parks in Colorado, Arizona, Oregon, California, Delaware, Kansas, Massachusetts and Minnesota are participating; check with your state parks department for specific details. <span style="color: Red;">*</span>“It’s really, really exciting to see,” said Ben Steele, REI’s chief creative officer. "In many ways, it’s a way to extend all of the goodness of Thursday into Friday.”
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Retailer REI announced back in October that it would close its stores on Black Friday this year and instead encourage people to #optoutside.To make opting out more attractive, several parks are waiving entry fees for the day. USA TODAY
Protesters plan more demonstrations in<span style="color: Red;">*</span>Chicago
Organizers from Stop Mass Incarceration Network Chicago called for more protests on Friday in Chicago's Loop and in the busy retail strip along north Michigan Avenue. The latest protests follow days of rallies over police officer Jason Van Dyke's fatal shooting of Laquan McDonald. Van Dyke, who shot 16 times,<span style="color: Red;">*</span>was named in at least 20 citizen complaints between 2008 and 2013, including allegations of misconduct in the use of force.
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Members of the Black Youth Project gathered and celebrated outside the Chicago courthouse where activist Malcolm London's charges were dropped, following his arrest Tuesday night, and called for reform in the justice system. (Nov. 25) AP
Montana has the worst drivers in America (according to this study)
Ah Montana. Big skies, high speed limits, severe winter weather, and the worst drivers in the USA<span style="color: Red;">*</span>for the second year in a row, according to a study out Friday.<span style="color: Red;">*</span>CarInsuranceComparison.com ranked the states using scores from fatal-crash statistics from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.<span style="color: Red;">*</span>Big Sky Country ranks tops for speeding, sixth for careless driving and eighth for failure to obey traffic laws. But New Mexico, which hadn’t ranked among the top 10 last year, jumped into a tie for second place with South Carolina. See which other states made the list.
Traffic is backed up on the New York State Thruway in Harriman, N.Y., on Sept. 18, 2010, due to a fatal crash on the northbound side of Interstate 87 in Woodbury.<span style="color: Red;">*</span>(Photo: AP)
Pope Francis releases Christian<span style="color: Red;">*</span>album
Add "contemporary pop star" to Pope Francis' resume. Wake Up!, the new album out Friday credited to the pontiff, features Christian hymns reworked by contemporary composers interspersed with extracts from Pope Francis’ speeches. The musical styles range from rock to Latin music, and the lyrics and spoken words are in English, Italian, Spanish and Portuguese. From a pope who has stressed humility and accessibility, and reminded us of the importance of a common touch, Wake Up! is certainly a canny effort,<span style="color: Red;">*</span>and<span style="color: Red;">*</span>a mostly endearing one, writes USA TODAY's Elysa Gardner.
The new album 'Wake Up!' features prayers and speeches delivered by Pope Francis with musical accompaniment.<span style="color: Red;">*</span>(Photo: Courtesy of Believe Digital)
And the essentials:
Weather:<span style="color: Red;">*</span>The central U.S. is expected to get major storms, while the East and West coasts will experience dry weather.
Stocks:<span style="color: Red;">*</span>China’s main stock market index fell more than 5% Friday after two securities firms said they are under investigation for possible misconduct.<span style="color: Red;">*</span>U.S. stock futures were mixed.
TV tonight:<span style="color: Red;">*</span>Wondering<span style="color: Red;">*</span>what to watch tonight? TV critic Robert Bianco looks at Andrea Bocelli on PBS and<span style="color: Red;">*</span>Salute to Downton Abbey.
Need a break? Try<span style="color: Red;">*</span>playing some<span style="color: Red;">*</span>of our games.
You can<span style="color: Red;">*</span>subscribe<span style="color: Red;">*</span>to get the day's top news each weekday in your inbox, or find us on the Yo! app:<span style="color: Red;">*</span>justyo.co/usatoday.
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