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Snowfall, wind reak havoc on Midwest travel

By TIMES WIRES
Published March 3, 2007

Fierce wind blew snow across roads and stranded hundreds of drivers on Midwestern highways Friday, as thousands shivered without power and airlines called off hundreds of flights. More than a foot of snow fell in some areas, and even as the flakes stopped falling by afternoon, gusts of 40 mph prompted blizzard warnings and prevented major highways from reopening. Officials at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport canceled 500 flights, blaming bad weather elsewhere. A truck driver died in Massachusetts when his semitrailer truck rolled down an embankment, and a 16-year-old driver in Minnesota was killed when he passed a semi, spun out and was hit by the truck. In the Northeast, a storm dumped snow across northern New England, while areas to the south were left with a messy mix of snow, sleet and freezing rain. Hundreds of miles of interstate highway in Iowa, Minnesota and South Dakota were closed for much of Friday.

NORCO, CALIF.

Weapons, tunnel found at home

More than 1-million rounds of ammunition, a cache of weapons and a tunnel were found at a man's home after an explosive fire that forced a neighborhood evacuation, authorities said Friday. Crews worked to fortify the tunnel, which measured 5 feet wide by 8 feet long, to ensure it was safe. It appeared to be at least 10 feet deep and led into a back yard, authorities said. The man tried to run back into the house after firefighters arrived and had to be restrained by sheriff's deputies, Riverside County sheriff's Deputy Juan Zamora said. The man, whose identity was not released, was taken to a hospital where he will receive a psychological evaluation, Zamora said.

BOSTON

Citizens are new; ship is retiring

Three hundred immigrants from 79 countries took the U.S. oath of citizenship Friday in an aircraft hangar during the USS John F. Kennedy's final call in the port of Boston, including seven of its crew members. The event was the highlight of the second day of the warship's return to the 35th president's home state for a five-day farewell visit. Later in March, the ship is scheduled to reach its final port of call in Mayport for decommissioning. It will be maintained in Philadelphia.

Elsewhere

CHICAGO: A judge acquitted a business owner, manager and promoter accused of manslaughter in a 2003 nightclub stampede that killed 21 people. In his ruling, Cook County Judge Dennis Porter agreed with defense attorneys that prosecutors had failed to show the men played any role in causing the tragedy. The February 2003 stampede at the E2 club started after someone used pepper spray to break up a dance floor fight.

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C.: The Coast Guard suspended a search for six boaters and said it was investigating distress calls as a possible hoax. "Coast Guard crews last night risked their lives to go out," said Petty Officer 1st Class Donnie Brzuska. "It's a very serious crime."

ANNAPOLIS, MD.: A residential juvenile treatment school where a teenager died in a struggle with staff members will close, officials said Friday. The board of directors for Bowling Brook Preparatory Academy, where 17-year-old Isaiah Simmons died Jan. 23, decided to close the school voluntarily Thursday night, Maryland Department of Juvenile Services Secretary Donald DeVore said.

[Last modified March 3, 2007, 01:27:13]