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We got paper Mail Tribune 100 Get Up & Go: Nov. 29 Wrap Up, Nov. 28 Crime, Courts and Emergency Services Emergency services Wrap Up, Nov. 28 Former Central Point residents accused of abusing their adopted children Homemade bomb found inside stolen car after arrest of fleeing transient Police gain a clue in pumpkin smashing spree Politics and Elections Buckley again named Ways and Means Committee co-chairman Latest count shows Measure 92 supporters narrowing deficit Granlund cartoon: GOP wrecking balls Ballot measures played little role in mobilizing voters in state Senate race 'Euphoria' over pot initiative Education Homelessness is growing problem for Medford students Les AuCoin recommended for SOU board Good news for SOU: Enrollment's up Mom gives school lobby a makeover Crater students present play about Thoreau's night in jail Environment Hawks use I-5 as hunting ground Curbing urban runoff in Gold Hill Mt. View Estates' fill, riprap work lacked county permit Birders sought for bird counts Grow 'em before you plant 'em State News Bill would tighten limits on license plate readers UO teaching assistants prepared to strike Growers cheer higher Christmas tree prices Police dog fired for poor performance Turkey's great escape foils Thanksgiving plans Nation - World Grand jury won't indict Ferguson cop in shooting Obituaries Earle Morgan Swift Jr. Death Notices Lue K. Woolstenhulme Mary "Janet" Kimmons In Appreciation Weather Photo Galleries Since You Asked Videos Web Cams Mail Tribune 100 Sports Latest Stories Grizzlies snap Blazers’ streak Spurs win second straight without Popovich Kaminsky, Badgers kings of Atlantis Green light Chalmers leads Australian Open; McIlroy shares second Varsity 541 College Sports Kaminsky, Badgers kings of Atlantis Green light No. 12 Arizona takes Pac-12 South Western Kentucky edges No. 19 Marshall — 67-66 — in OT Texas A&M fires defensive coordinator Pro Sports Grizzlies snap Blazers’ streak Spurs win second straight without Popovich Chalmers leads Australian Open; McIlroy shares second Ray Rice wins appeal; suspension vacated Sherman’s big night leads Seattle past 49ers again Community Sports RESULTS/STANDINGS LOCAL EVENTS Business Latest Stories Blog: 'Twas the 12 Days of Deals... Asante expands cardiac center Jackson County sees workforce and job growth Regional hotels and motels outperformed statewide marks in October Incorrect labeling prompts Kroger ice cream recall Real Estate News Dear Monty: Violation of HOA rules creates conflict Farmers file suit over GMO crop ban Financial webinars offered for veterans and their families Home prices rise across Jackson County People In Business People in Business, Nov. 18 People in Business, Nov. 8 Transportation Allegiant Air will resume Medford-Phoenix service May 22 Medford airport passenger counts sky high in October Erickson reports third quarter profit Agriculture Farmers file suit over GMO crop ban Lawsuit seeks to overturn Jackson County's GMO ban or net $4.2 million for farms Latest count shows Measure 92 supporters narrowing deficit Opinion Latest Other Views: Klamath Basin agreement deserves approval Granlund cartoon: Holiday boxes Kent Bush: Ferguson case shows racism belief system still reinforced Maddocks: Republicans claim president overstepped his constitutional powers in pardoning turkeys Amy Gehrt: Justice is not color-blind Editorials Other Views: Klamath Basin agreement deserves approval Our View: Cheers (too thankful for a jeer this week) Our View: Day of abundance, season of sharing Another View: Logging still has a place in Oregon Our View: Lawsuit reopens the GMO debate Letters to the Editor Letters to the Editor, Nov. 28 Letters to the Editor, Nov. 27 Letters to the Editor, Nov. 26 Letters to the Editor, Nov. 24 Letters to the Editor, Nov. 23 Guest Opinions Guest Opinion: Are we the preferred path to global devastation? 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Police gain a clue in pumpkin smashing spree ... Neglect leads list of adult care facility failings ... Homemade bomb found inside stolen car after arrest of fleeing transient ... Police gain a clue in pumpkin smashing spree ... Neglect leads list of adult care facility failings ... NFL Johnson shines in Detroit's 34-17 win over Chicago By The Associated Press MailTribune.com By The Associated Press Posted Nov. 27, 2014 @ 5:12 pm By The Associated Press Posted Nov. 27, 2014 @ 5:12 pm » Social News DETROIT — After a week of questions about his limited production of late, Calvin Johnson lifted Detroit’s offense with an emphatic reminder that he’s still one of the game’s most dynamic players. Johnson caught 11 passes for 146 yards with a pair of first-half touchdowns, and the Lions boosted their postseason hopes with a 34-17 victory over the Chicago Bears on Thursday. Johnson had been held under 60 yards in two of three games since returning from an ankle injury, and there were rumblings that the 29-year-old receiver was slowing down, but he quieted a lot of those concerns with perhaps his best game of the season. “Guys still believe in what we got going here,” Johnson said. “We had a good week of practice — it was a very short week, but we were very detailed in what we did on the field, coaches taking care of us. It’s our part to come out here and do our job on the field.” After losing at Arizona and New England and falling out of first place in the NFC North, the Lions (8-4) spotted Chicago a 14-3 first-quarter lead before rallying with relative ease in the second. Detroit finished with a season-high 474 yards in its highest-scoring game since a 35-14 victory over the New York Giants in its opener. Joique Bell ran for two touchdowns for the Lions, and Jay Cutler threw two TD passes for Chicago (5-7). Detroit’s Matthew Stafford went 34 of 45 for 390 yards with the two touchdown passes to Johnson. The Lions have now won back-to-back games on Thanksgiving after losing their previous nine. They beat Green Bay 40-10 last year. That victory over the Packers was Detroit’s only win in its final seven games last season as the Lions frittered away a playoff spot. They are again in mix for the postseason this year, and Thursday’s game was their first of three in a row at home — all against teams with losing records. “Every single week there’s a new challenge. We have a new one next week,” Lions coach Jim Caldwell said. “The minute you get comfortable at any stage in our league you’re going to have problems.” Detroit came in with the league’s top-ranked run defense, and Chicago barely even tried to test it. Matt Forte was a non-factor on the ground, finishing with 6 yards on five carries. Cutler went 31 of 48 for 280 yards with two fourth-quarter interceptions. Chicago’s imbalanced game plan came only a few days after New England relied heavily on the pass in its victory over the Lions last weekend. “I think they look at the numbers and make an assessment of what they think they can do,” Caldwell said. “Not everybody looks at it the same way, but the last couple weeks it’s been that way.” The Bears opened the scoring on Cutler’s 10-yard scoring pass to Alshon Jeffery, and they scored again after Jared Allen sacked Stafford, forced a fumble and recovered it at the Detroit 5. Cutler’s 6-yard scoring pass to Jeffery made it 14-3 with 3:35 remaining in the first quarter. Stafford, however, was brilliant in the second. Johnson made a leaping catch for a 25-yard touchdown, holding on despite a hit from defensive back Kyle Fuller. That was the first time Detroit had reached the end zone since Nov. 9 against Miami — and a sign that the Lions were shaking off some of the problems with their passing game. “I don’t know that they really did anything that we didn’t expect, although they didn’t have the drops that we’ve seen on film, or make the other mistakes that shut down offenses,” Bears coach Marc Trestman said. “We were the ones that had those, especially penalties that took us out of good positions.” Bell put the Lions ahead with a 1-yard scoring run on fourth down — leaping toward the goal line and extending the ball just far enough for a touchdown. Stafford’s 6-yard touchdown pass to Johnson made it 24-14 with 24 seconds left in the half. Stafford went 22 of 26 for 275 yards in the first half, and Johnson set a record as the fastest to 10,000 yards receiving, surpassing that milestone in the second quarter of his 115th game. Bell’s 1-yard run in the fourth was the only touchdown of the second half. Eagles 33, Cowboys 10 At Arlington, Texas, LeSean McCoy is looking more like the NFL rushing champion of a year ago, and Mark Sanchez is getting more comfortable in Philadelphia’s offense. McCoy ran for 159 yards and a touchdown, Sanchez had his first scoring run in almost three years and the Eagles beat the Dallas Cowboys in a Thanksgiving battle of NFC East co-leaders. The Eagles (9-3) opened with quick drives of 80 and 88 yards for touchdowns. They took sole possession of the division lead with four games remaining, including a rematch in less than three weeks. Tony Romo looked ragged in the first quick turnaround for his surgically repaired back as the Cowboys (8-4) lost their third straight home game. McCoy, who led the NFL with 1,604 yards last season, had his fourth 100-yard game in the past seven after going without one the first five weeks and secured his fourth 1,000-yard season since 2010. Although his deficit to Dallas’ DeMarco Murray in the rushing race is probably insurmountable, McCoy outgained Murray, who was held under 100 yards for just the second time this season. McCoy averaged 6.4 yards on 25 carries on the same field where he clinched the rushing title last December while the Eagles beat the Cowboys in a playoffs-or-bust finale. Murray finished with 73 yards and Dallas’ only touchdown on 20 carries, the last a 6-yard loss when he was dropped by Mychal Kendricks on fourth-and-1 early in the fourth quarter. Making his fourth start since Nick Foles was sidelined by a broken collarbone, Sanchez was 9 of 11 for 99 yards in the first quarter. That included a 27-yard scoring pass to Jordan Matthews when Sanchez hit the rookie in stride on a crossing route for a 14-0 lead. Sanchez finished 20 of 29 for 217 yards with a touchdown and no interceptions. The Cowboys looked a little sluggish following a kickoff that came about 90 hours after their dramatic 31-28 victory at the New York Giants on Sunday night. Murray had room to run at times but couldn’t break one longer than 9 yards. Romo had plenty of time to throw most of the day, but one time in the first half tossed a third-down pass to nobody in particular, giving the ball back to the Eagles when the Cowboys were having trouble stopping them. Playing on short rest for the first time since December back surgery and yet another injury on a sack against Washington last month, Romo looked skittish at times. The 34-year-old quarterback essentially sat down in the pocket with nobody in position to sack him on a third-down play after Jeremy Mincey recovered McCoy’s fumble at the Philadelphia 13 on the second play of the second half. The Cowboys had to settle for a field goal, and Philadelphia answered immediately on McCoy’s 38-yard scoring run, putting the Eagles up 30-10 on their third touchdown drive of at least 80 yards. Romo was sacked four times and finished 18 of 29 for 199 yards with two interceptions and no touchdowns, snapping a streak of 38 games with at least one TD pass. McCoy had a 36-yard run on the opening drive that ended with Sanchez’s 2-yarder after faking the handoff to McCoy in the zone read. It was Sanchez’s first scoring run since Dec. 24, 2011, when he was the starter for the New York Jets. He kept the ball until he reached the sideline. By The Associated Press MailTribune.com By The Associated Press Posted Nov. 27, 2014 @ 5:12 pm » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. fantasy football Foster a Must-Play If Active Nov. 28, 2014 at 11:40 pm Thomas' Injury Makes Him Risky Fantasy Play Nov. 28, 2014 at 8:04 pm Best Draft Kings and FanDuel Picks for Weekend Tilts Nov. 28, 2014 at 7:10 pm Superstars to Remove from Lineups Before Sunday Nov. 28, 2014 at 4:13 pm Fantasy Projections for Players with Matchups We Love Nov. 28, 2014 at 12:00 pm Projections for Top Fantasy Players by Position Nov. 28, 2014 at 12:00 pm calendar Connect with MailTribune.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services Home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Announcements Obituaries Story ideas Since you asked Alerts Email Alerts RSS Feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. 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