QUOTE OF THE DAY “We are a family, and we’re all just missing the big hugs she used to give.” Michelle Robinson, speaking about fellow church member Carmen Tanco at a memorial service for two women killed in a New York City gas explosion Article, this page
More snow set for Mid-Atlantic, Midwest
CHARLESTON, W.Va. - Spring is just days away, but winter is not leaving quietly.
Another round of storms was bearing down Sunday on the Midwest and the Mid-Atlantic, with snow expected by this afternoon from the central Appalachians to the Jersey Shore, making the morning commute treacherous.
Parts of eastern West Virginia, central and west-central Virginia and the Shenandoah Valley could see up to 10 inches of snow. Smaller accumulations were expected in Kentucky, Tennessee, Pennsylvania, Maryland, New Jersey and Washington, D.C. Parts of southern Virginia and North Carolina braced for a slippery mix of rain, sleet and snow.
“Travel will be dangerous. It’s a late-season storm, but we can’t let our guard down,” said Amy Bettwy, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Sterling, Va.
A band of snow fell across Iowa on Saturday evening. The Des Moines area received about an inch of snow.
Rain and thunderstorms, some of which could be strong, were expected in the Southeast.
In Alabama, a group of campers was rescued after getting stranded during heavy rainfall in the Prattville area. No injuries were reported.
Rescuer saves dog from California cliff
SANTA ROSA, Calif. - A rescue worker dangling from a helicopter plucked a stranded dog from a Northern California seaside cliff.
The Sonoma County sheriff’s office reported Sunday that a black Labrador named Oreo somehow made it halfway down a 90-foot cliff along the county’s Pacific coast and couldn’t get back up. With the surf pounding below, a descent was not an option. So the sheriff’s office’s helicopter, named Henry-1, was called in.
The dog was perched on a small ledge when the helicopter crew arrived Saturday afternoon at Portuguese Beach, about 70 miles north of San Francisco and about 20 miles west of Santa Rosa.
After the scared dog refused entreaties to climb back up, the decision was made to dangle a sheriff’s deputy about 100 feet below the helicopter. After determining the dog wasn’t spooked by the noise of the helicopter, the deputy was able to attach a rope to the dog’s harness and pull it to safety.
Oreo was later reunited with his owner.
Georgian arrested after Chicago standoff
CHICAGO - A standoff on Chicago’s Lake Shore Drive that lasted more than eight hours has ended with police taking a Georgia man into custody.
Officers spoke to the man inside the four-door car with tinted windows through a loudspeaker, asking him to show or raise his hands, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. They also asked him to pick up a phone that was apparently inside the car, so he could talk to them.
Later, according to the newspaper, officers asked the man to throw a knife out of the car. It’s not clear if he had a knife or followed their instructions.
The day’s events started with a chase, which began in the suburb of Harvey, Ill., about 20 miles away. The chase was the result of an investigation involving Harvey police and police in Henry County, Ga., said Harvey Police Department spokesman Sandra Alvarado.
She said authorities in Georgia requested help Sunday afternoon and that Harvey police were provided a description of the vehicle, registration, GPS location and a valid arrest warrant. She said the man was wanted in connection with a murder earlier this month in Hampton, Ga., 30 miles from Atlanta.
The chase closed sections of the road for hours. Joggers, walkers and cyclists were diverted from the area.
Flight to Mexico makes emergency stop
HELENA, Mont. - A flight from Canada to Mexico carrying 181 passengers and six crew members made an emergency medical landing in western Montana on Sunday after encountering extreme turbulence that injured two flight attendants.
Sunwing Airlines spokesman Janine Chapman said the Boeing 737 landed about 7:30 a.m. Sunday at Helena Regional Airport.
She said a medical team cleared the male flight attendant, and a female flight attendant who fell to the floor was prescribed over-the-counter pain medication.
Another aircraft was sent from the company’s headquarters in Toronto to pick up the passengers so the initial plane could be examined for damage, Chapman said, a move she called customary after severe turbulence is encountered.
Chapman said the passengers who boarded Flight 559 in Edmonton, Alberta, were mostly families heading to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, for vacations.
Front Section, Pages 3 on 03/17/2014