Gas prices continue to head downward, even though the days leading up to Thanksgiving Day are typically the busiest driving days of the year.

We spotted $1.82 to $1.85 all over St. Joseph. The best price we found was $1.79 per gallon at the Quick Stop at 2143 Saint Joseph Avenue.

AAA says the national average for a gallon of regular on Friday was $2.128, which was down a tenth of a cent from the day before, down about two and a half cents from a week ago, and about a dime cheaper than a month ago.

The statewide average across Missouri was $1.889. That’s two tenths of a cent lower on the day, and about 14 cents cheaper than last month at this time.

AAA expected 43.5 million motorists to take a road trip this Thanksgiving and said drivers were paying the second-cheapest Thanksgiving gas prices since 2008, when the national average was $1.85.

A food safety specialist tells us that you should be careful with leftovers from your Thanksgiving feast.

Turkey is the most common main dish for Thanksgiving, and it requires some special attention before it can be “repurposed” for sandwiches, soups and casseroles.

Kansas State University Research and Extension and University of Missouri Extension consumer food safety specialist Londa Nwadike says leftover food should be refrigerated within two hours of being served.

“You just don’t want things to be sitting at room temperature for longer than they need to be,” Nwadike says. “Two hours is kind of a good rule-of-thumb.”

“You don’t want things to be in the temperature danger zone, which is 40 to 140-degrees. Try not to leave it on the counter all afternoon.”

The key to safely storing leftovers is getting food cooled down quickly. Nwadike suggests cutting the turkey into smaller pieces or slices and using shallow containers.

“You don’t want to put a huge turkey back in the fridge because it’s going to take a long time for that to cool down properly,” she says. “Putting them into shallow containers can help the heat to dissipate faster. If you put it into a big deep dish, the heat doesn’t have a chance to rise out as easily.”

Nwadike says refrigerated leftovers should be eaten within three to four days.

“This is in the refrigerator, so by about Sunday, it’s a good time to put it in the freezer. You can still freeze things, you just want to make sure that you’re not leaving it in the refrigerator for more than three to four days. Freezing things is a great way to maintain their safety and their quality.”

Leftover gravy is the exception to the three to four day rule. Nwadike says gravy should be eaten or frozen within one to two days.

A teenager from Gallatin suffered moderate injuries in a single-vehicle crash in Daviess County Tuesday night.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol says 17-year-old Jade Wayne lost control of her vehicle along Missouri Highway 13, two miles south of Gallatin, at 11 p.m. Tuesday. The PT Cruiser left the roadway and struck several small trees, according to the crash report.

Wayne was taken by private vehicle to Cameron Regional Medical Center for treatment of moderate injuries.

An early-morning crash Wednesday in Atchison County, Missouri sent a Shenandoah, Iowa man to the hospital.

A crash report from the Missouri State Highway Patrol says Kellyn Rodgers, 28, lost control of his van along U.S. Highway 59, seven miles north of Tarkio at 3:40 a.m.

The vehicle crossed the center line and hit an embankment off the east side of the roadway.

Rodgers was transported to Shenandoah Medical Center for treatment of moderate injuries.

The Mosaic Life Care Breast Cancer Patient Assistance Fund recently received a large donation from a St. Joseph restaurant.

In October, The Human Bean, a new drive-thru espresso franchise in St. Joseph held a “Coffee for a Cure” fundraiser.

Earlier this week, Chau Nguyen, MD accepted the donation of $5,070.88 from The Human Bean. Mosaic Life Care Auxiliary matched the $5,070.88 donation for a total of $10,141.76 to benefit breast cancer patients.

All sales on October 21 – 100 percent of proceeds plus tips – were donated by The Human Bean, who participated in Coffee For A Cure for the first time in St. Joseph. Nationwide, The Human Bean hosted its 10th annual Coffee For A Cure and donated 100 percent of one day’s beverage and pastry sales to breast cancer programs.

Mosaic Life Care Auxiliary assisted in the creation of Mosaic Life Care at St. Joseph Breast Care, a coordinated–care effort linking cancer and surgical specialists with the patients they serve. Through these and ongoing efforts, the Auxiliary now supports the Breast Cancer Patient Assistance fund, which does everything from providing soft, cotton terry robes to patients who are undergoing treatment to aiding women who need financial help to receive treatment.

Wet pavement is blamed in part for a Nodaway County crash that sent a Nebraska woman to the hospital with serious injuries.

According to the Missouri State Highway Patrol, Courtney Bybee was driving westbound on U.S. Highway 136 three miles west of Burlington Junction at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday when her vehicle began to hydroplane.

The vehicle crossed the highway and careened into a ditch, where it caught fire.

The 21-year-old Bellevue, Nebraska woman was transported to Fairfax Community Hospital for treatment.