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U.S. NEWSThursday 24 December 2015
Threat of tornadoes in US South; storm kills 1 in Arkansas
JEFF MARTIN This photo shows a storm damaged home outside of Atkins, half of theU.S. should ex- water standing really bad.
Associated Press Ark., on Wednesday, Dec. 23, 2015. High winds and heavy rain pect the possibility of a It’s a really interesting way
ATLANTA (AP) — Storms caused a large tree to become uprooted and fall on the house white Christmas. to spend Christmas Eve
packing strong winds resulting in the death of an 18-year-old woman and trapping “I try not to think about it eve.”
and heavy rain slammed her 1-year-old child inside, authorities said. Rescuers pulled the too much because it’s very The threat of severe
the U.S. mid-section on toddler safely from the home. (Pope County SD photo via AP) bizarre and it’s unusual for weather just before Christ-
Wednesday, and officials this time of year for it to mas is unusual, but not un-
worried about Christmas pected New York to be on Christmas Eve — about be so warm and for such precedented, said Greg
yard decorations becom- in the mid-60s Fahrenheit the same temperatures as a long time,” said Marla Carbin, a meteorologist at
ing projectiles. (about 18 degrees Celsius) Los Angeles. Only about Wojacksyk, 48, who was the national Storm Predic-
A tree blew over onto a taking her excited 4-year- tion Center. On Christmas
house in Arkansas, killing old daughter to see Santa Day in 2012, a storm sys-
an 18-year-old woman Claus at Macy’s depart- tem spawned several tor-
and trapping her 1-year- ment store in Manhattan. nadoes, damaging homes
old child inside, authori- “But I have a little girl and from Texas to Alabama.
ties said. Rescuers pulled she’s enjoying the Christ- In Tennessee, emergency
the toddler safely from the mas spirit,” Wojacczyk officials worried that pow-
home. added, as her daughter erful winds could turn holi-
The biggest threat for tor- Zoe jumped up and down day yard decorations into
nadoes was in a region of with glee, pulling her moth- projectiles, the same way
3.7 million people in Mis- er toward the store’s en- gusts can fling patio furni-
sissippi, Tennessee and trance. ture in springtime storms,
Arkansas and parts of Mis- In Alabama, heavy rains said Marty Clements, direc-
souri, Illinois and Kentucky, overnight left some down- tor of the Madison County
according to the national town Mobile streets flood- Emergency Management
Storm Prediction Center in ed during the morning rush Agency in the city of Jack-
Oklahoma. Twisters were hour. son.
possible from midday Across Mobile Bay in the “If you go through these
Wednesday through the small town of Loxley, Man- neighborhoods, there are
evening. dy Wilson watched the a lot of people very proud
Elsewhere, the Northeast angry gray sky and told of what they’ve put out
enjoyed spring-like temper- drivers to be careful as she and they’ve got stuff ev-
atures as people rushed to worked a cash register at erywhere - all these orna-
finish last-minute shopping. Love’s Travel Stop. ments and deer and ev-
In a reversal of a typical “It’s very ugly; it’s very erything else,” Clements
Christmas, forecasters ex- scary,” Wilson said. “There’s said.q
Woman arraigned in deadly Vegas Strip crash; no plea entered
KEN RITTER LAS VEGAS (AP) — A wom- ally plowing a car with her of pedestrians on a Las Ve- the crash Sunday that killed
Associated Press an accused of intention- child inside through crowds gas Strip sidewalk has been a woman and injured doz-
arraigned on murder, hit- ens of people. Defense law-
and-run and child abuse yer Joseph Abood charac-
charges. Lakeisha Nicole terized his 24-year-old client
Holloway stood in shackles as distraught. The judge set
Wednesday and didn’t en- a Jan. 20 date for a pre-
ter a plea during her brief liminary hearing of the evi-
court appearance. She dence. Clark County District
barely spoke and nodded Attorney Steve Wolfson says
to acknowledge that she additional charges are like-
understood she’ll remain ly, depending on results of
in jail through the holidays drug and alcohol tests and
while both sides investigate the police investigation.q
