NST Online Top Stories - Google News
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| Huge storm blankets Northeast with 1 to 3 feet of snow, darkens 650000 homes ... - Washington Post Posted: 09 Feb 2013 08:44 AM PST BOSTON — A howling storm across the Northeast left the New York-to-Boston corridor shrouded in 1 to 3 feet of snow Saturday, stranding motorists on highways overnight and piling up drifts so high that some homeowners couldn't get their doors open. More than 650,000 homes and businesses were left without electricity. At least three deaths in the U.S. were blamed on the storm, including that of a New York man killed when the tractor he was using to plow his driveway ran off the edge of the road. More than 38 inches of snow fell in Milford, Conn., and an 82 mph wind gust was recorded in nearby Westport. Areas of southeastern Massachusetts, Rhode Island and New Hampshire got at least 2 feet of snow, with more falling. Roads in many places were impassable. Across much of New England, snowed-over cars looked like white blobs. Streets were mostly deserted save for snowplow crews and a few hardy souls walking dogs or venturing out to take pictures. In Boston's Financial District, the only sound was an army of snowblowers clearing sidewalks. The digging-out went more smoothly in some places than in others. A little more than 11 inches fell in New York, but the city was "in great shape" and "dodged a bullet," Mayor Michael Bloomberg said, predicting streets would be cleared by the end of the day. The New York region's three major airports — LaGuardia, Kennedy and Newark, N.J. — were up and running again by late morning after shutting down the evening before. But hundreds of motorists had abandoned their vehicles on New York's Long Island, and even snowplows were getting stuck. Emergency workers used snowmobiles to try to reach stranded motorists, some of whom spent the night stuck in their cars. Richard Ebbrecht, a chiropractor, left his office in Brooklyn at 3 p.m. on Friday and head for his home in Middle Island, N.Y., in Suffolk County, but got stuck six or seven times on the Long Island Expressway and other roads. "There was a bunch of us Long Islanders. We were all helping each other, shoveling, pushing," he said. He finally gave up and spent the night in his car just two miles from his destination. At 8 a.m., when it was light out, he walked home. "I could run my car and keep the heat on and listen to the radio a little bit," he said. "It was very icy under my car. That's why my car is still there." Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut closed roads to all but essential traffic. Some of the worst of the storm appeared to hit Connecticut, where even emergency responders found themselves stuck on highways all night. In the shoreline community of Fairfield, police and firefighters could not come in to work, so the overnight shift was staying on duty, said First Selectman Michael Tetreau. "It's a real challenge out there," Tetreau said. "The roads are not passable at this point. We are asking everyone to stay home and stay safe." Several state police cars were also stuck in deep snow in Maine, where stranded drivers were warned to expect long waits for tow trucks. |
| Dorner manhunt: Search resumes in Big Bear mountains - Los Angeles Times Posted: 09 Feb 2013 08:26 AM PST
Dorner, a 33-year-old former Los Angeles police officer, is suspected of killing three people and wounding two. Officials with the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department said armored personnel carriers would be used to transport search teams into mountain areas, where they will comb the forest. With no sightings so far of Dorner, officials canceled a press briefing scheduled for noon Saturday. TIMELINE: Manhunt for ex-LAPD officer The trail has gone cold since Dorner's Nissan Titan pickup was found Thursday morning engulfed in flames on a U.S. Forest Service dirt road between the Bear Mountain and Snow Summit ski resorts. But Saturday could offer the clearest weather in days, and perhaps the best chance to find the alleged killer. The mountain air was a crisp 19 degrees Saturday morning, with a thick blanket of snow covering the landscape. The National Weather Service said temperatures will climb to 31 degrees with little to no wind, mostly clear skies and no snow, preserving any tracks left overnight. A Pacific storm is expected to have fully cleared by Sunday. Saturday morning, dozens of San Bernardino County SWAT officers were filling their bellies at the Best Western in Big Bear Lake, their vehicles idling and warming up. Later they would hit the road for their third day in the wilderness. The day before, ski-masked SWAT teams went door-to-door checking hundreds of homes and shuttered cabins, as other authorities fanned out on foot, slogging through fresh snow with search dogs. The teams combed backcountry and checked every shed, trash bin and barrel where the fugitive could hide. Dorner is described as African American, 6 feet tall and weighing 270 pounds. No one has seen Dorner or his tracks since Thursday and local residents are beginning to believe he got out of town before police locked down the area. Still some remain at the ready. Roger Curtis, a retired carpenter who lives in Big Bear, said he was watching the manhunt on TV when a car alarm sounded. "I got the guns and loaded them," he said. FULL COVERAGE: Sweeping manhunt for ex-cop Police say that Dorner has killed three people and injured others in a campaign to take revenge on those he blamed for his dismissal from the LAPD four years ago. Investigators are scrutinizing a conspiracy-laden manifesto published on what they believe was Dorner's Facebook page. The screed threatened "unconventional and asymmetrical warfare" against police officers and their families, saying that Dorner has no choice but to kill to reclaim his damaged reputation. Police accuse him of killing the daughter of a retired LAPD captain and her fiance, who were found shot to death Sunday in a car in Irvine. While on the run, police said, Dorner shot three police officers, one fatally, in Riverside County. With warnings on radio and TV that an armed and deadly fugitive remained at large, police spent hours chasing down bogus leads and erroneous sightings. PHOTOS: Manhunt for ex-LAPD officer Dorner was driving a white Lexus near Barstow. He was spotted entering the county jail in downtown Los Angeles. He was holed up in a hotel in San Diego or in a park in Norco or at a home next to the Barona Indian Reservation in San Diego County. None of those tips checked out, and authorities are considering false reporting charges against one person who was more prankster than tipster. "When you're dealing with a case that's getting this amount of press coverage, you're going to get your share of bad information," said Laura Eimiller, a spokeswoman for the FBI, whose agents searched Dorner's home in Las Vegas and are investigating a package that CNN received, apparently from Dorner, that made various threats. Federal and local authorities also searched the home of his mother, Nancy Dorner, in La Palma, carrying out bags of potential evidence. Meanwhile on Redbeam Avenue in Torrance, residents were still trying to make sense of the bullet holes police had left behind. In their pursuit of Dorner, at least seven police officers opened fire on what turned out to be a mother and daughter delivering newspapers down a quiet residential street, law enforcement sources told The Times. "How do you mistake two Hispanic women, one who is 71, for a large black male?" said Richard Goo, 62, who counted five bullet holes in the entryway to his house. In an interview with The Times on Friday, LAPD Chief Charlie Beck said Margie Carranza, 47, and her mother, Emma Hernandez, 71, were the victims of "a tragic misinterpretation" by officers working under "incredible tension," he said. Beck and others stressed that the investigation into the shooting is in its infancy. They declined to say how many officers were involved, what kind of weapons they used, how many bullets were fired and, perhaps most important, what kind of verbal warnings — if any — were given to the women before the shooting began. Glen T. Jonas, the attorney representing the women, said the police officers gave "no commands, no instructions and no opportunity to surrender" before opening fire. Jonas estimated that the officers fired between 20 and 30 rounds. Photographs of the back of the truck showed at least two dozen bullet holes. Neighbors, however, suggested there were more shots fired. Kathy Merkosky, 53, was outside her stucco home pointing out the six bullet holes in the bumper and grill of her silver Acura MD-X. She knew her truck was damaged when she spotted it on television and "saw fluid flowing into the street." Her Ford Focus was hit as well — a bullet shattered the windshield and another flattened a front tire. "I've never heard gunfire on my street," Merkosky said. "Or ever in my life.... I hope they catch the guy so all this craziness will end." ALSO: Dorner manhunt: Snow closes highway to Big Bear Dorner manhunt: Officers opened fire on mother, daughter Dorner had history of complaints against fellow LAPD officers -- Los Angeles Times staff writers Photo: A Snow Cat helps pull a SWAT vehicle out of the snow Friday. Credit: Michael Robinson Chavez/ Los Angeles |
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