🦃 Start the Turkey Thaw Countdown, Check the Baby Bottle Sterilizer, Book a Free Lung Scan and Clip In Before You Climb: Your Healthy Valley Report

Or: Pick Your Turkey’s Fridge Day, Flip Over the Bottle Dryer, Call About a Lung Scan and Wear the Harness Up and Down the Tree

By Thomas Seest, Dunlap.Today · Sunday, November 8, 2026

Good afternoon, Valley. The National Weather Service has Dunlap sunny with a high near 65 this afternoon, then clear and down around 35 tonight. The week stays pretty: highs near 69 Monday, 71 Tuesday and 69 on Veterans Day. Then the weather turns. There’s a chance of showers Wednesday night and Thursday, and Friday night could drop to around 29. Today’s report has four calm, practical health notes, and nothing here needs worry:

First, Thanksgiving is Thursday, Nov. 26, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) says a frozen turkey needs about one day in the fridge for every 4 to 5 pounds. We worked out which day yours should go in. Second, two new federal recalls are worth a look before Christmas shopping. One covers a Baby Brezza baby-bottle sterilizer dryer that can overheat. The other covers a set of magnetic building cubes that can lose their magnets. Third, CHI Memorial’s lung-screening coach parks in Chattanooga on Saturday, Nov. 14. Some longtime smokers and ex-smokers can get scanned free, and walk-ins are welcome. Fourth, deer season is open, and the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA) reminds hunters that falls from tree stands cause most deer-hunting accidents.

⏱️ What this means for you in 30 seconds

• 🦃 Frozen turkey? Plan about 1 day in the fridge for every 4 to 5 pounds. A 16- to 20-pound bird goes in by Saturday, Nov. 21. Never thaw it on the counter.
• 🍼 Baby Brezza SuperFast Sterilizer Dryer? Look on the bottom for model BRZ0083, BRZ0154 or BRZ0156. If it matches, unplug it and ask for the free replacement.
• 🧲 Magnetopia magnet cubes (sold online)? Put them up out of reach and ask for a refund.
• 🫁 Sat., Nov. 14, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. our time: CHI Memorial lung coach at Nutrition World, 6209 Lee Hwy., Chattanooga. Call 423-495-5864.
• 🦌 Hunting from a stand? Wear the harness on the way up, while you sit and on the way down. Use a rope to pull up your gun or bow.

🦃 Your Turkey’s Fridge Day Comes Sooner Than You Think

This is national guidance from the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), updated Nov. 5, 2026. It applies to every kitchen in the Valley. USDA says there are only three safe ways to thaw a turkey: in the refrigerator, in cold water, or in the microwave. Thawing a frozen turkey on the kitchen counter or in hot water is not safe. Once the outside of the bird warms past 40 degrees, germs can start to grow, even if the middle is still frozen solid. USDA also says not to leave a frozen turkey on the back porch, in the car trunk or in the basement, or anywhere else you can’t keep an eye on the temperature.

Here’s USDA’s refrigerator timeline worked back from Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, Nov. 26. Use a fridge set at 40 degrees or below. A thawed turkey keeps in the fridge for 1 to 2 more days, so putting it in a day early is fine:

• 4 to 12 pounds: 1 to 3 days. Move it to the fridge by Monday, Nov. 23.
• 12 to 16 pounds: 3 to 4 days. Move it by Sunday, Nov. 22.
• 16 to 20 pounds: 4 to 5 days. Move it by Saturday, Nov. 21.
• 20 to 24 pounds: 5 to 6 days. Move it by Friday, Nov. 20.

Forgot? Use the cold-water method. Keep the turkey in a leak-proof bag, cover it with cold tap water and change the water every 30 minutes. Allow about 30 minutes per pound, so a 16- to 20-pound bird takes 8 to 10 hours. Cook it right away. Set the turkey in a pan in the fridge so the juices don’t drip on the pie.

A few more USDA reminders for the big day: cook the turkey to 165 degrees, checked with a food thermometer in three places (the thickest part of the breast, the innermost part of the wing and the innermost part of the thigh). USDA says it’s safest to not wash the raw turkey and to cook stuffing in its own dish. Put leftovers in the fridge within two hours. They’re good for up to four days, or until the Monday after Thanksgiving.

What it means for you: Thawing a turkey is like setting out grandma’s biscuit dough to rise. You can’t rush it, so you plan backward from suppertime. Write your turkey’s weight and its fridge day on the calendar today. If you’re buying a fresh (never frozen) turkey, USDA says to wait until the Tuesday or Wednesday before Thanksgiving unless the label’s date says it will keep. Questions? USDA’s Meat and Poultry Hotline, 1-888-674-6854, is open weekdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. our time (10 to 6 Eastern), and on Thanksgiving morning too.

👉 Read more (USDA: Your Safe Thanksgiving Guide, with thawing calculator) · USDA: Turkey Basics, Safe Thawing

🍼 Two Recalls to Check Before You Wrap Anything for the Grandbabies

These are national recalls posted by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) on Nov. 5, 2026. The products were sold at big-box stores and online, so a few may be in Valley homes.

Baby Brezza SuperFast Sterilizer Dryer. This countertop machine sterilizes and dries baby bottles and breast-pump parts. CPSC says it can overheat while plugged in, so the outside can burn a hand. About 29,000 were sold in the U.S. The recalled model numbers are BRZ0083, BRZ0154 and BRZ0156, printed on the label on the bottom of the unit. They were sold at TJ Maxx and Marshalls stores and online at babybrezza.com, target.com and babylist.com from January 2024 through October 2026 for about $160 to $180. The company has had 32 reports of overheating or melting plastic and no injuries. The fix: stop using it and get a free replacement, shipped free. Baby Brezza will ask you to register online, cut the power cord and send photos. Call 888-527-9824, weekdays 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. our time (9 to 5 Eastern).

Magnetopia Magnetic Building Cubes and Blocks. These sets of 60 to 200 cubes have small, strong magnets inside, and the magnets can come loose if a cube breaks or opens. Swallowed magnets can stick together inside a child’s belly and cause serious harm. About 7,600 sets were sold, only online at Magnetopia.com, from April 2025 through October 2026 for $20 to $40. The model number is on the back of the box: MAT-030 through MAT-040, T009, T025, T076 or T078. No injuries have been reported. The fix: stop using them and request a full refund with a prepaid return label at recall.magnetopia.com.

Also posted the same day: Arlopu plastic slide playsets (models KT-CS17 and LY-31), which get a free repair kit, and HAUOMS black eight-drawer dressers sold on Amazon, which can tip over if they aren’t anchored to the wall and qualify for a refund.

What it means for you: Checking the nursery is like Cousin Billy checking the tractor’s oil before he heads to the field. It takes a minute, and you’ll be glad you did. If there’s a new baby in the family, flip the bottle dryer over and read the label. If you’re shopping for a grandchild, skip magnet sets with tiny loose pieces, and keep any magnets well out of reach of little ones and pets. If a child might have swallowed a magnet, call your doctor or Poison Help at 1-800-222-1222 right away, or 911 in an emergency.

👉 Read more (CPSC: Baby Brezza sterilizer dryer recall) · CPSC: Magnetopia magnet cube recall · All CPSC recalls

🫁 A Free or Low-Cost Lung Scan, One Saturday Morning in Chattanooga

This is regional news from the Chattanooga area, with details from Nutrition World’s event listing. November is Lung Cancer Awareness Month, as Dunlap.Today noted Nov. 6. CommonSpirit CHI Memorial’s Breathe. Easy. Lung Coach will be at The Wellness Corner at Nutrition World, 6209 Lee Hwy., Chattanooga, on Saturday, Nov. 14. It runs 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Eastern, or 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. our time. The listing says you may qualify for a free screening, and self-pay is $150. Call 423-495-LUNG (5864) for an appointment. Walk-ins are welcome.

The listing gives these screening guidelines:

• Age 50 to 80 (for Medicare, 50 to 77)
• You smoke cigarettes now or quit within the past 15 years
• A 20 pack-year history or more (for example, a pack a day for 20 years, or two packs a day for 10 years)
• No signs of lung cancer right now
• No chest CT scan in the last 12 months

The listing also says lung cancer is the number one cause of cancer death in the Chattanooga area, and a screening is a good way to check your risk.

What it means for you: Think of it like a teenager’s first oil change. It’s a quick, routine check that’s much easier now than a breakdown later. If those guidelines sound like you, or like your husband, your brother or a neighbor, make one phone call this week. Carpool into town together, and stop for lunch afterward. If you’re not sure whether you qualify, your own doctor can tell you.

👉 Read more (Nutrition World: CHI Memorial Lung Coach, Nov. 14) · Dunlap.Today: Lung cancer screening

🦌 Deer Season Is Open: Wear the Harness Up, Sitting and Down

This is statewide Tennessee news from the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency. Sequatchie, Bledsoe and Grundy counties are in TWRA’s Unit 4, and Marion and Hamilton are in Unit 5. TWRA’s 2026 calendar has muzzleloader/archery season running Nov. 7 through Nov. 20. Single-shot straight-walled-cartridge rifles are allowed on private land only, Nov. 14–20, and gun season opens Saturday, Nov. 21, running through Jan. 3. On its deer page, TWRA says: “Most deer hunting accidents involve hunters falling from a tree stand,” and it urges everyone hunting from a stand to use a fall restraint system.

TWRA’s own tree-stand rules include these:

• Always wear a safety harness, including while climbing up and coming down.
• Never climb into a permanent stand you didn’t build or carefully check yourself. Wooden stands left out in the weather can rot.
• Use a haul line to raise your gun or bow. Never climb with your equipment.
• Never climb a dead tree or one with dead limbs overhead, and never hunt from tree limbs.
• Stand up slowly, and be steady and braced before you shoot.

Tennessee law also requires most big-game hunters (turkey hunters are exempt) to wear at least 500 square inches of daylight fluorescent orange or pink on the head and upper body, visible front and back, during gun hunts. The rule doesn’t apply on your own land, but a blaze-orange cap and vest are cheap insurance anywhere.

What it means for you: Clipping in is like Grandpa buckling up in the pickup. It feels like an extra step until the one day it isn’t. Before the Nov. 21 opener, look over the straps on your harness and the stand itself in daylight. Tell somebody which tree you’ll be in and when you’ll be home. Keep your phone in a pocket you can reach while you’re sitting.

👉 Read more (TWRA: 2026 deer season dates and tree-stand note) · TWRA: Ten rules for tree-stand safety

📅 This Week’s Sticky Notes (all times Central unless noted)

• Today, Sun., Nov. 8: Sunny, high near 65. Clear and around 35 tonight. Good night to put the turkey’s fridge day on the calendar.
• Mon., Nov. 9: Sunny, high near 69. Call in prescription refills this week.
• Tue., Nov. 10: Mostly sunny, near 71. Refill by today, because state offices, including the health department, close Wednesday. 6:30 p.m.: free health department talk with Beth Blevins, Cagle Mountain Community Center, 8208 STR 8.
• Wed., Nov. 11: Veterans Day. State offices closed. Mostly sunny, high near 69, with a 40% chance of showers that night. Veterans in crisis: 988, press 1.
• Thu., Nov. 12: 30% chance of showers, high near 58. UT Extension “Food for All” class for older adults, 5 to 6 p.m., 170 Church St., Dunlap (registration required: 423-949-2611).
• Fri., Nov. 13: Partly sunny, high only near 47, and around 29 Friday night. Dunlap blood drive honoring Bella Cooper, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., Citizens Tri-County Bank, 15699 Rankin Ave. CDC’s weekly FluView usually posts on Fridays.
• Sat., Nov. 14: CHI Memorial lung coach at Nutrition World, Chattanooga, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. our time. Call 423-495-5864. Straight-walled rifle week starts on private land.
• Thu., Nov. 19: Great American Smokeout. 1-800-QUIT-NOW.
• Fri., Nov. 20–Mon., Nov. 23: Turkey fridge days, from the biggest birds (Friday) to the smallest (Monday).
• Sat., Nov. 21: Deer gun season opens. Orange on, harness on.
• Thu., Nov. 26: Thanksgiving. Turkey to 165 degrees, and leftovers in the fridge within two hours.

✅ Your Healthy Valley Checklist

• ✅ Weigh (or read the label on) your frozen turkey and write its fridge day on the calendar: Nov. 20 to 23, depending on size.
• ✅ Find the food thermometer now, and a pan big enough to catch the thawing juices.
• ✅ Have a Baby Brezza sterilizer dryer? Check the bottom for BRZ0083, BRZ0154 or BRZ0156. If it matches, unplug it and call 888-527-9824.
• ✅ Have Magnetopia magnet cubes? Put them up high and request a refund at recall.magnetopia.com.
• ✅ Smoke now, or quit within the last 15 years? Call 423-495-5864 about the Nov. 14 lung scan.
• ✅ Hunters: check your harness and stand in daylight, pack a haul line and tell someone where you’ll be.
• ✅ Call in prescription refills by Tuesday, before Wednesday’s holiday.

Practical rule: plan the thaw backward from Thursday, read the label before you plug it in, and keep one strap on you from the ground to the stand and back down.

This article is general information, not medical advice. Talk with your doctor, pharmacist or health department about your own situation. In an emergency, call 911.

— Dunlap.Today

📚 Plain-English Health Glossary

• FSIS: USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service, the federal office that handles meat, poultry and egg safety and runs the Meat and Poultry Hotline.
• Danger Zone: USDA’s name for temperatures between 40 and 140 degrees, where food germs multiply fast.
• Two-hour rule: Get perishable food into the fridge within two hours, or within one hour if it’s above 90 degrees.
• Food thermometer: A probe that tells you the inside temperature of food. It’s the only sure way to know a turkey has reached 165 degrees.
• CPSC: The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, the federal agency that announces recalls of household products.
• Sterilizer dryer: A countertop appliance that uses heat to clean and dry baby bottles and pump parts.
• Magnet ingestion: Swallowing a magnet. Two or more strong magnets can pull together inside the gut and cause serious injury.
• Low-dose CT lung screening: A quick scan of the chest that looks for early signs of lung cancer in people at higher risk.
• Pack-year: A way to measure smoking history. One pack a day for one year equals one pack-year.
• Fall restraint system (harness): A full-body harness tethered to the tree that catches a hunter who slips.
• Haul line: A rope used to pull an unloaded gun or bow up into the stand after you’re safely seated.

❓ Frequently Asked Questions

When should I move my frozen turkey to the fridge for Thanksgiving?

USDA says to allow about 24 hours for every 4 to 5 pounds. For Thursday, Nov. 26: a 4- to 12-pound turkey goes in by Monday, Nov. 23. A 12- to 16-pound bird goes in by Sunday, Nov. 22, a 16- to 20-pound bird by Saturday, Nov. 21, and a 20- to 24-pound bird by Friday, Nov. 20. A thawed turkey keeps 1 to 2 more days in the fridge.

What if I forget and Thanksgiving is tomorrow?

Use the cold-water method. Keep the turkey in a leak-proof bag, cover it with cold tap water, change the water every 30 minutes and allow about 30 minutes per pound. Then cook it right away. USDA also says it’s safe to cook a turkey from frozen. It just takes longer.

How long are Thanksgiving leftovers good?

USDA says to refrigerate them within two hours and eat them within four days, or by the Monday after Thanksgiving. Freeze them if you need more time, and reheat leftovers to 165 degrees.

How do I know if my Baby Brezza sterilizer dryer is recalled?

Turn it over and read the label. Models BRZ0083, BRZ0154 and BRZ0156 of the SuperFast Sterilizer Dryer are recalled. Stop using it and contact Baby Brezza at 888-527-9824 or recall@babybrezza.com for a free replacement.

Are all magnetic building toys recalled?

No. This recall covers only Magnetopia-brand Magnetic Building Cubes and Blocks sold on Magnetopia.com, with the model numbers listed on CPSC’s notice. Still, it’s wise to keep small, strong magnets away from young children and pets with any brand.

Is the lung scan really free?

The Nutrition World listing says you “may qualify for a free screening,” and self-pay is $150. Call 423-495-5864 before you go to ask whether you qualify and what to bring.

Do I have to wear orange during muzzleloader season?

Tennessee law requires at least 500 square inches of daylight fluorescent orange or pink during big-game gun hunts, and it doesn’t apply on your own property. Check TWRA’s hunting guide for exactly which seasons count. Wearing orange whenever you’re in the woods with others is a smart habit.

🔗 Other Resources

• USDA: Your Safe Thanksgiving Guide · Meat and Poultry Hotline 1-888-674-6854
• USDA: Turkey Basics, Safe Thawing
• CDC: Preparing Your Holiday Turkey Safely
• CPSC: Baby Brezza sterilizer dryer recall · 888-527-9824
• CPSC: Magnetopia magnet cube recall
• CPSC: Arlopu slide playset recall
• CPSC: HAUOMS dresser recall
• CPSC: all recalls · 800-638-2772
• CHI Memorial Lung Coach at Nutrition World (Nov. 14) · 423-495-5864
• TWRA: Deer season dates and regulations
• TWRA: Tree-stand safety rules
• Dunlap.Today: Free health department meeting, Nov. 10 · Health dept. (423) 949-3619
• Dunlap.Today: Bella Cooper blood drive, Nov. 13
• National Weather Service forecast for Dunlap
• Poison Help: 1-800-222-1222 · 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: call or text 988 (veterans press 1)

🌻 A Calendar, a Label and a Strap

None of this calls for worry. It calls for a few small chores at the kitchen table. Write the turkey’s fridge day on the calendar. Flip over the baby gear and read the label. Make one phone call about a lung scan, and give the hunting harness a good tug before the opener. Do those this week, enjoy the 70-degree sunshine while it lasts, and you’ll be ready for the cold turn and the holidays with a full table and a calm mind.

For more calm, useful news for the Sequatchie Valley every morning, read Dunlap.Today. To find local clinics, pharmacies and businesses, visit Dunlap.Directory.