The nation in brief

QUOTE OF THE DAY “More people have actually entered and remained in the underground economy than we have seen before.” Economist Bernard Baumohl, about how more people in the U.S. are taking secondary jobs Article, 2AParts of New England get foot of snow

BOSTON - The latest blast of snow to hit New England dumped more than a foot in part of Massachusetts and packed heavy winds that left thousands without power Sunday on Cape Cod.

Coastal areas in Maine and south of Boston appeared to get the worst of the storm overnight. In Massachusetts, 15 inches of snow was reported in Sandwich, and 10 inches was reported in New Bedford and Plymouth.

In Maine, 17 inches was reported in Hancock and 16.7 inches in Eastport, the easternmost city in the U.S. The Transportation Department said it deployed 375 trucks statewide at the height of the storm Saturday night.

In Rhode Island, transportation officials warned drivers to expect difficult travel conditions through this morning’s commute, blaming strained road salt supplies that forced them to apply only a limited amount ahead of the storm.

Private-plane crash kills 3 in Colorado

DENVER - All three people on board a small, private plane died in a crash close to Telluride Regional Airport in the famous skiing town, Colorado authorities said Sunday night.

The single-engine Beechcraft Bonanza took off from the airport at 11:20 a.m. Sunday on its way to Cortez, a city in southwest Colorado about 75 miles away, San Miguel County Sheriff Bill Masters said in a news release.

Air traffic control at the Telluride and Denver airports lost contact with the plane, prompting a search by the sheriff’s office at 12:40 p.m. It was found crashed into a cliff band about a mile west of the Telluride airport at 5:17 p.m., and deputies confirmed there were no survivors, the sheriff said.

The cause of the crash is not yet known, Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Ian Gregor said. There was light snow with visibility of 1 mile and light winds during takeoff, Masters said.

The last communication with the pilot was from the Telluride runway during takeoff, he said.

The sheriff said that recovery efforts will start today and that the county coroner’s office was expected to release the identities of those killed once their families are notified.

Californian mom, 4 children die in crash

FRESNO, Calif. - A central California mother and her four children were killed in a fiery crash during the weekend after a vehicle ran a stop sign and hit their sport utility vehicle.

The crash occurred after 7 p.m. Saturday when the driver of a 2004 Nissan Quest minivan ran a stop sign and hit the 29-year-old woman and her four children - boys ages 1 and 3 and girls ages 6 and 11 - in a 2003 Ford Expedition SUV at an intersection in Fresno County, California Highway Patrol officer Axel Reyes said.

The woman’s husband, who was driving a different vehicle a quarter-mile behind the SUV, saw the vehicle burst into flames and tried to free his family from the vehicle, including breaking the windows, Reyes said. He received minor burns to his hands. His wife and four children died at the scene.

The minivan’s driver, 41-year-old Juana Martinez Bejarano, was hospitalized with major injuries. Highway patrol officers and fire officials are investigating the crash.

Coroner’s investigators haven’t confirmed the identities of those killed in the collision.

Fresno County Coroner David Hadden said investigators were conducting autopsies Sunday morning. The couple had been headed to pick up another child, which is why they were in two cars, Hadden said.

Two skiers die in Colorado avalanche

LEADVILLE, Colo. - Two skiers were killed and three others were injured in a large avalanche in Colorado, marking the third deadly slide in the state in less than a week, authorities said Sunday.

Susan Matthews, a spokesman for the Lake County Office of Emergency Management, said seven skiers on Star Mountain near Leadville triggered the slide about 5 p.m.

Saturday. Search and rescue crews found the bodies of two skiers Sunday afternoon.

“They were found near the top of the avalanche and they had beacons on, which really helped a lot,” Matthews said. “The terrain there is extremely steep.”

Front Section, Pages 4 on 02/17/2014

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