| Winter storms at both ends of the country dump snow, snarl travel
CHICAGO (AP) — Winter storms at both ends of the country dumped snow and snarled air and land travel Friday, killing at least 10 people, blocking major highways and even stranding 400 train passengers in the mountains of the Pacific Northwest. Nearly 7 1/2 inches of snow was reported at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport before the front moved out of the area Friday. About 500 flights were canceled at O'Hare, which canceled 600 flights Thursday and housed hundreds of stranded travelers who spent the night awaiting planes from other cities also affected by the storm. At least 12 inches of snow was reported in Springfield by Friday morning, said National Weather Service meteorologist Gino Izzi. Other parts of Illinois saw similar amounts. "If you don't have to be out here, don't," Ty Wilson, a very wet Chicago bicycle messenger, said as he stopped along a slushy street between morning deliveries.
Stock & fund quotes
Economists say data released Wednesday showing an unexpected fall in construction during the final three months of 2007 puts some downside risk to their forecasts for next week's gross domestic product (GDP) for the December quarter. Business investment data released Thursday will also show how businesses are handling the RBA's rising interest rate regime and the US economic downturn. The Australian Bureau of Statistics' December quarter construction work done report shows a seasonally adjusted fall of 1.0 per cent, compared with the previous quarter, to $28,854 billion. Economists had expected a two per cent increase. "While there isn't a one-to-one link between work done and components in the national accounts, the soft result points to downside risk to next week's Q4 GDP," Westpac senior economist Matthew Hassan said.
The rights of the sugar shack musician
The judgment is the latest twist in a five-year legal battle between the sugar shack and the guild. For the shack owners, who operate in a tourism-driven business, it was a matter of keeping an accordion player who wouldn't be eligible for employment insurance during the low season if he was declared an independent worker. But the battle involves broader stakes about who is accredited as a professional freelance artist. As a result, the case has led showbiz powerhouses - such as the associations representing the Montreal Jazz and Just for Laughs festivals and the Oscar-winning producers of the movie The Barbarian Invasions - to get intervenor status in court alongside the owners of the sugar shack. Under Quebec law, independent artists, while freelancing for several producers, are nonetheless represented by professional associations that negotiate working conditions on their behalf, ensuring that they get benefits and pensions.
Police expand hunt for murder suspect
Both systems alert police officers of outstanding arrest warrants when they check the name of someone being screened after, for example, a traffic stop. Cape Girardeau police also sent a package of information for the U.S. Marshals Service for inclusion in its fugitive program, department spokesman Sgt. Barry Hovis said. "We don't know if she is in Southeast Missouri or has gone somewhere else," Hovis said. Turner is accused of killing Egson out of jealousy. Turner is the estranged wife of Lloyd Gilmore, who was at the North Spanish Street residence when police responded to the shooting at 5:20 a.m. Friday. Police are also still looking for the front bumper from Turner's blue 2000 Ford Mustang, which they believe may have come loose in a one-car accident somewhere in Cape Girardeau, Hovis said.
The bike world outside L.A.
I do most of my local errands on my bicycle--no parking hassles, good excercise, and no pollution. Give school kids incentives to ride or walk to school. Have police bike units be role models and teach bicycle safety to kids. Stores can give discounts to bike riders, There is lots we can do! .
Sumter County needs more foster homes
When the state snatches a child from a Sumter County home, chances are good that the kid is going for a long ride.
That's because, despite a population of nearly 70,000 people, Sumter County has only two foster homes for practical purposes. And those -- I'm sure you'll be shocked to learn this -- stay full.
(Sumter actually has six foster homes, but four are filled with kids that the foster parents intend to adopt, so they either can't or don't wish to take more children.)
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Al-Qaida suspect arrested over Karachi bombing that targeted Bhutto ...
Qari Saifullah Akhtar, who has been in Pakistani custody before, was arrested on Monday in Lahore in connection with the bombing that hit Bhutto's homecoming parade when she returned from exile, before her killing in a second suicide attack Dec. 27, Interior Minister Hamid Nawaz said. "He is involved in the blasts in Karsaz therefore he has been arrested," Nawaz told The Associated Press, referring to the Karachi neighborhood where the October bombing happened. .
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