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A4 U.S. NEWS
Friday 4 February 2022
As winter storm moves across U.S., ice becomes bigger concern

By KATHLEEN FOODY and surrounding areas in West
JILL BLEED Tennessee.
Associated Press Trees sagged under the
CHICAGO (AP) — More weight of ice in Memphis,
than 200,000 homes and resulting in fallen tree limbs
businesses lost power and branches. Parked cars
across the U.S. on Thursday had a layer of ice on them
as freezing rain and snow and authorities in several
weighed down tree limbs communities around the
and encrusted power lines, city warned of some cars
part of a winter storm that sliding off slick roadways.
caused an apparent torna- In Texas, the return of sub-
do in Alabama, dumped freezing weather brought
more than a foot of snow heightened anxiety nearly
in parts of the Midwest and a year after February 2021's
brought rare measurable catastrophic freeze that
snowfall to parts of Texas. buckled the state's power
Storm conditions also grid for days, leading to
caused headaches for hundreds of deaths in one
travelers across the country of the worst blackouts in
as airlines canceled more U.S. history.
than 6,000 flights scheduled Facing a new test of Texas'
for Thursday or Friday in the Men play football on a soccer field in Chicago's Lincoln Park Wednesday, Feb. 2, 2022. grid, Republican Gov. Greg
U.S. At Dallas-Fort Worth Air- Associated Press Abbott said it was holding
port, authorities shut down up and on track to have
all runways Thursday morn- and northern New Eng- and scientists have said gan. more than enough power
ing and reported more land were expected to see the atmospheric conditions The flight-tracking service to get through the storm.
than 1,000 canceled flights. heavy snowfall as the storm needed to cause a torna- FlightAware.com showed Texas had about 70,000
The highest totals of power moves to the east with 12 do have intensified as the more than 6,000 flights in outages by Thursday morn-
outages blamed on icy or to 18 inches (30 to 45 cen- planet warms. the U.S. scheduled for Thurs- ing, nowhere close to the 4
downed power lines were timeters) of snow possible Heavy snow the storm day or Friday had been million outages reported in
concentrated in Tennes- in some places through Fri- brought to Midwestern canceled, on top of more 2021.
see, Arkansas, Texas and day, Orrison said. states isn't unusual, except than 2,000 cancellations Abbott and local officials
Ohio, but the path of the Along the warmer side of the bigger than normal Wednesday as the storm said Thursday's outages
storm stretched further the storm, strong thunder- path of intense snow in began. were due to high winds or
from the central U.S. into storms capable of damag- some places, said Northern Sleet and freezing rain were icy and downed transmis-
the South and Northeast on ing wind gusts and torna- Illinois University meteorol- occurring early Thursday in sion lines, not grid failures.
Thursday. does were possible Thurs- ogy professor Victor Gen- the Dallas-Fort Worth area In Dallas, where snow
Heavy snow was expected day in parts of Mississippi sini. With a warmer climate, and in parts of Oklahoma rarely accumulates, the
from the southern Rock- and Alabama, the Storm people are forgetting what and Arkansas. More than overnight mix of snow and
ies to northern New Eng- Prediction Center said. a Midwestern winter had 200,000 homes and busi- freezing rain had hardened
land, while forecasters said In western Alabama, sev- long been like, he said. nesses were without power, Thursday afternoon into an
heavy ice buildup was likely eral homes were damaged "The only amazing winters mostly in Texas, Tennessee icy slick that made roads
from Texas to Pennsylvania. and people were injured I've been able to experi- and Arkansas, accord- perilous.
"We have a lot of real and trapped following an ence is through my parents' ing to the website power- South Bend, Indiana, re-
estate covered by win- apparent tornado in rural photographs of the 1970s," outage.us, which tracks ported a record snowfall
ter weather impacts this Hale County, Emergency Gensini, who is 35, said. "This utility reports. for the date on Wednesday
morning," Andrew Orrison, Management Director Rus- (storm) is par for the course, "Unfortunately we are look- with 11.2 inches (28.5 centi-
a meteorologist with the sell Weeden told WBMA-TV. not only for the past, but ing at enough ice accu- meters), eclipsing the previ-
National Weather Service The National Weather Ser- winters current." mulations that we will be ous record of 8 inches (20.3
in College Park, Maryland, vice issued several torna- More than 20 inches (51 looking at significant travel centimeters) set on the
said early Thursday. "We do do warnings in the region centimeters) of snow was impacts," Orrison said. date in 1908, said Hannah
have an expansive area as a line of storms moved reported in the southern Tennessee had the highest Carpenter, a meteorologist
of heavy snow, sleet and through. Rockies, while more than a number of reported power with the National Weather
freezing rain occurring." Tornadoes in the winter foot of snow fell in areas of outages by midday, par- Service's office in Syracuse,
Parts of Ohio, New York are unusual but possible, Illinois, Indiana and Michi- ticularly in Memphis and Indiana.q

Ex-Navy captain pleads guilty in massive bribery case

SAN DIEGO (AP) — A former U.S. he benefited Leonard Francis by other things provided Glenn De- rity was in full swing," U.S. Attorney
Navy captain pleaded guilty to steering ships to ports for service by fense Marine Asia with classified Randy Grossman said in a state-
bribery Wednesday for accepting the contractor's Singapore-based ship schedules, allowing them to ment. "Today another participant
nearly $68,000 in dinners, hotels, company. Hornbeck also acknowl- beat competitors and overcharge has admitted that he lost his way,
parties and prostitutes from a Ma- edged that he shared confidential for services. allowing greed to replace honor
laysian defense contractor, pros- Navy information with Francis, ac- Twenty-nine defendants have and duty as the driving force in his
ecutors said. cording to a statement from the pleaded guilty. life."
Donald Hornbeck, who entered U.S. attorney's office. The scheme cost the Navy some Hornbeck, 61, of Greenfield, Indi-
the plea in San Diego federal court, Hornbeck is one of 34 Navy officials $35 million. ana, is scheduled to be sentenced
acknowledged that while direct- and defense contractors, includ- "While scores of Navy officials were in September. He could face up to
ing operations of combat ships in ing Francis, accused of a fraud partying with Leonard Francis, a 15 years in prison and a $250,000
the 7th Fleet in the Western Pacific, and bribery scheme that among massive breach of national secu- fine.q