Winter storm leaves Southern states
DURHAM, N.C. -- Snowed-in Southerners made the best of a day without work or school Monday while officials warned that roads remained treacherous even as the worst of a wintry storm departed.
Snow, sleet and freezing rain tapered off across states from Georgia to West Virginia, which were recovering from outages, canceled flights and numerous car wrecks. But officials cautioned that Tuesday's commute could be dangerous as plunging temperatures turn melted snow into ice on roads. The storm was blamed for at least three deaths in North Carolina.
Scores of schools canceled class Monday, and many businesses and government offices -- including Virginia's executive-branch agencies in Richmond -- were closed.
Snowfall totals topped 20 inches in some areas, according to the National Weather Service.
Charlotte Douglas International Airport, the sixth-busiest airport in the country, reported nearly 400 cancellations, about one-fourth of its scheduled flights.
More than 244,000 customers reported losing power across the region Monday morning, with North Carolina bearing the brunt, according to poweroutage.us. South Carolina, Virginia and Tennessee also had failures.
Thousands of troops to leave border
WASHINGTON -- The number of active-duty troops sent to the U.S.-Mexican border by President Donald Trump just before the midterm election in response to a caravan of Central American migrants will start being reduced this week, U.S. officials said Monday.
Active-duty troops began arriving at the border in early November for an initial 45-day deployment in response to the caravan, which at one point numbered about 7,000 people, including many families with children.
About 2,200 troops will be pulled out before the holidays, the officials said.
That will leave about 3,000 active-duty troops in Texas, Arizona and California, mainly composed of military police and helicopter transport crews who are assisting border patrol agents. There also will still be about 2,300 members of the National Guard as part of a separate deployment that started in April.
The active-duty troops, numbering about 5,200 as of Monday, were initially scheduled to stay until Dec. 15. Defense Secretary James Mattis extended the mission to the end of January at the request of the Department of Homeland Security.
A report to Congress last month estimated the cost of the military deployment to the border at $210 million.
2 Ohioans face charges in attack plots
TOLEDO, Ohio -- Federal authorities on Monday reported the arrest of two people who they say planned separate large-scale attacks -- including one who wanted to carry out a shooting at a synagogue and another who had been plotting to attack a bar and blow up a pipeline.
The attacks were never carried out, and there was never an immediate threat to the public, the FBI and Department of Justice said in a news conference announcing the charges.
Both suspects, under investigation for months, are from the Toledo area and had identified specific places they wanted to target, authorities said.
Damon Joseph, 21, of Holland, a Toledo suburb, spent months posting photos of weapons, praising the Islamic State group and talking about carrying out a violent attack before he eventually settled on targeting a synagogue in the Toledo area. He appeared in court Monday.
Authorities also arrested Elizabeth Lecron, 23, of Toledo, on Monday after they said she bought bomb-making materials. She was charged with transporting explosives and explosive material with the purpose of harming others. Court records did not indicate whether she has an attorney.
Mail-in votes sent too late, Florida says
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- Florida officials say thousands of mailed ballots were not counted because they were delivered too late to state election offices.
The Department of State last week informed a federal judge that 6,670 ballots were mailed ahead of the Nov. 6 election but were not counted because they were not received by Election Day. The tally prepared by state officials includes totals from 65 of Florida's 67 counties.
Three statewide Florida races, including the contest for governor, went to recounts because the margins were so close.
Under Florida law, ballots mailed from inside the United States must reach election offices by 7 p.m. on Election Day. Overseas ballots are counted if they are received up to 10 days after the election.
A veterans group and Democrats challenged the law in federal court.
-- Compiled by Democrat-Gazette staff from wire reports
A Section on 12/11/2018