Snowstorm wreaks havoc, barrels east; Metrodome roof collapses
A powerful snowstorm barreled east through the Midwest on Sunday, bringing with it more precipitation and gusty winds and leaving behind a trail of significant damage, large snow drifts and subarctic temperatures, according to the National Weather Service.
Winter storm warnings and advisories Sunday extended as far west as Illinois, as far east as Pennsylvania, and as far south as northern Alabama and Georgia.
Meanwhile, residents of the upper Midwest who braved at-times blizzard conditions on Saturday faced the prospect Sunday night of wind chills dipping, in spots, as low as 30 degrees below zero. This comes after up to 23 inches of snow fell in parts of Minnesota and as many as 18.5 inches in Wisconsin since Friday.
"We could see wind chills (that are) obviously extremely dangerous for people, to have that kind of exposure for any length of time," said Tod Pritchard, a spokesman for the Wisconsin Emergency Management agency.
After prompting the closure of highways in Iowa, South Dakota, Minnesota and elsewhere a day earlier, the storm wreaked havoc with air travel Sunday.
About 1,375 flights in and out of Chicago's O'Hare airport had been canceled as of 4:45 p.m. (5:45 p.m. ET), the city's aviation department reported, with delays for travelers heading to and from the Windy City averaging around just over 6 hours. Another 300 flights had been canceled at nearby Midway airport.
"The main problem ... right now is the winds," said Chicago Department of Aviation spokeswoman Karen Pride. "The winds are very high and gusting very strongly, and we do have lake-effect snow as well."
The headaches, though, went far beyond Chicago. On Sunday evening, Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson and Newark, New Jersey's Liberty airports reported delays of roughly two-and-a-half hours, slightly longer than that experienced at Boston's Logan airport, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. Those were just a few of the many airports, and many more flights, affected as high winds, low visibility and heavy snow crippled traffic for a second straight day.
Delta Air Lines spokeswoman Leslie Parker said as of 5 p.m., the airline had canceled 748 flights nationwide. American Airlines had called off 272 departures from O'Hare, out of more than 400 nationwide, said spokeswoman Mary Frances Fagas.
United had canceled about 350 departures, mostly from Chicago, an airline spokeswoman said, while partner Continental nixed 125 such flights from Chicago, Cleveland, Ohio, and Newark, New Jersey. JetBlue canceled 125 flights due to the storm, said spokesman Mateo Lleras.
The pounding snow caused the roof of the 64,000-seat Metrodome in Minneapolis to "deflate" Sunday morning, Minnesota State Patrol spokesman Lt. Eric Roeske said. Workers wielding shovels could be seen clearing the roof of the heavy white stuff, while photos from inside the darkened stadium showed much of the field covered with snow that fell from a gaping hole in the dome.
"Obviously the weight of the snow would affect how much air pressure is necessary to keep that roof up," Roeske said. "Something caused that air pressure not to be strong enough or high enough to keep that roof at its normal position."
Roy Terwilliger, chairman of the Minneapolis Metro Sports Commission -- the group that oversees the Metrodome -- said the heavy snow and cold, high winds "was too much pressure on the dome and several panels on the Teflon roof were caused to rip."
Sunday's game between the hometown Minneapolis Vikings and New York Giants has been pushed to Monday at 7:20 p.m. ET and moved 540 miles southeast to Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan, the NFL said in a statement Sunday. All those with tickets to the originally scheduled game would get preferred seating near the 50-yard line and free tickets would be distributed, the league said.
Even with the snow and winds subsiding, road travel remained perilous in much of Minnesota. St. Paul, for one, declared a second snow emergency through early Monday to expedite plowing of city streets.
"The big problem is ice under the snow, making it really slick and really hazardous," said St. Clair resident Alan Scott.
In Wisconsin, Gov. Jim Doyle declared a state of emergency for 72 counties to facilitate the movement of emergency resources and personnel who were activated Saturday, he said in a statement. We Energies reported 10,000 power outages across the state Sunday, said Barry McNulty, a spokesman for the company.
In Iowa, snow had subsided in some areas but emergency workers were coping with more than 1,000 power outages, a state emergency spokesman said.
Greyhound bus service along the Omaha-Des Moines route was expected to resume later Sunday. Some bus travelers at the Des Moines bus station had been stuck there since Saturday night. Greyhound spokeswoman Maureen Richmond said pizza was brought in for those passengers due to the inconvenience.
Patti Thompson, a spokeswoman for the emergency services in Illinois, said Sunday that northern counties were getting the worst of the weather Sunday afternoon and that Department of Transportation teams were working to clear roads. No power outages have been reported, she said.
While many states saw snow Sunday, the expected accumulation of a few inches in most locales paled compared to what hit Wisconsin and Minnesota and Wisconsin, according to National Weather Service forecasters.
The reach of the storm system continues to expand. Hard freeze warnings, for instance, extended as far south as Florida, with the weather service forecasting 13-degree wind chills on Monday night in Tallahassee.
Still, not everyone in the United States was shivering. Parts of southern California were experiencing record-warm temperatures with high temperatures Sunday above 80 degrees. (CNN)
South Korea to conduct naval drills
A new round of naval firing drills in South Korea is scheduled to steer clear of border islands, defense officials told the Yonhap News Agency on Sunday.
The exercises, which will start Monday and end Friday, will take place off coasts on all sides of the country, the South Korean agency reported. None are scheduled near the Yellow Sea islands south of the maritime border with North Korea, defense officials said, but more locations could be added to the list.
They come after similar live-fire drills conducted by South Korea last week.
Tensions mounted between the Koreas on November 23, when North Korea shelled South Korea's Yeonpyeong Island. The attacked killed two marines and two civilians and injured 18 people.
The North Korea has accused the South of provoking the attack because shells from a South Korean military drill landed in the North's waters. (CNN)
At least 4 dead, 20 rescued, 17 missing after ship sinks off Antarctic
A South Korean fishing vessel sank Monday in frigid ocean waters about 1,000 nautical miles north of McMurdo Station in Antarctica, killing at least 4 people while at least 20 were rescued, according to maritime officials.
A time-sensitive search was underway for another 17 people who were missing, said Maritime New Zealand spokesman Ross Henderson. While the ship sank in the Southern Hemisphere's late spring, water temperatures are just 2 degrees Celsius (35.6 degrees Fahrenheit), meaning crew members likely could only survive no more than 10 minutes before succumbing to hypothermia, authorities said.
There were differing numbers on the size and fate of the crew.
The New Zealand federal agency, which focuses on ocean-based search, rescue, safety and environmental matters, said that five people had died, 20 were rescued and 17 were missing.
But Ham Un-Shik, a spokesman with the Busan Coast Guard in South Korea, said four people were dead, 21 had been rescued and 18 were still missing.
The 58-meter (190-foot) fishing trawler, the No. 1 Insung, left on November 2 fron South Korea to fish in Antarctic waters, said Ham. It had 11 Indonesians, 11 Vietnamese, eight Koreans, eight Chinese, three Filipinos and one Russian on board, he said.
The ship sank about 6:30 a.m. (12:30 p.m. ET Sunday) in a remote swatch of the Antarctic Ocean some 1850 km (1150 miles) north of McMurdo, a U.S. research center on the tip of Ross Island, according to Henderson. Martime New Zealand learned of the incident around 1 p.m., some four-and-a-half hours later.
There was no emergency radio call before the incident, and it is still not clear what happened, Henderson said.
Two New Zealand fishing vessels nearby were at the scene, with three South Korean trawlers closing in to lend assistance, Henderson said from Wellington, New Zealand. Authorities called on all other nearby ships likewise to go to the area to help.
The seas in the area were relatively calm, with one meter (about three feet) high swells and a light westerly wind, added Henderson.(CNN)
Chinese dissident awarded Nobel Peace Prize
An empty chair stood in for imprisoned Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo as he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in absentia on Friday amid protests and condemnation from China.
China has responded furiously since the Nobel committee announced on October 8 that Liu would be its peace prize winner. Officials have repeatedly called Liu a common criminal and declared the award a Western plot against China.
The rhetoric continued Friday with China calling the awarding of the prize to Liu a "political farce."
"The decision of the Norwegian Nobel Committee does not represent the wish of the majority of the people in the world, particularly that of the developing countries," said Jiang Yu, a Chinese Foreign Ministry official.
Liu, a professor of literature, is serving an 11-year sentence in a Chinese prison for what the government called "inciting subversion of state power." He was not allowed to travel to Norway to accept the prize, nor was his wife, Liu Xia.
Nobel committee chairman Thorbjorn Jagland, in awarding the prize Friday, likened Liu Xiaobo to Nelson Mandela, the former South African president who fought the apartheid regime.
After announcing the award, Jagland placed Liu's medal in the empty chair, the second time such a symbol has been used in the event.
Before the ceremony, some Twitter users who listed their location as Beijing had changed their profile pictures to an empty chair.
In his speech, Jagland commended China for lifting millions out of poverty, but said democracy and free speech must go hand in hand with its economic development.
"China, too, will grow stronger if its people are granted civil rights," Jagland said.
While Chinese officials have said the prize represents a Western perspective, human rights activists in China "represent the world's common values and standards," Jagland said.
He added that Liu has done nothing wrong and "must be released."
U.S. President Barack Obama also called for Liu's immediate release.
"Mr. Liu reminds us that human dignity also depends upon the advance of democracy, open society, and the rule of law," Obama said in a statement. "The values he espouses are universal, his struggle is peaceful, and he should be released as soon as possible."
As the awards ceremony was getting under way, a large number of officers stood guard outside the west central Beijing apartment complex where Liu's wife has been under house arrest since her husband's award was announced. Journalists were cordoned off in a small area next to the building.
The police presence outside the Norwegian Embassy in Beijing had also increased early Friday as groups of protesters gathered there and at the city's U.N. offices.
Jagland said Thursday that the award is not a protest.
"It is a signal to China that it would be very important for China's future to combine economic development with political reforms and it is support for those people in China who are struggling for basic human rights," Jagland told reporters.
Beijing also put pressure on its allies and other countries not to attend the peace prize ceremony, and it hastily announced its own honor -- the Confucius Peace Prize, which was awarded Thursday to former Taiwanese Vice President Lien Chan. That award was accepted by a 6-year-old girl on Lien's behalf. Lien did not know about the prize, his office said.
Amnesty International said it had received reports from "reliable sources" that Chinese diplomats in Norway have been pressuring Chinese residents into joining anti-Nobel demonstrations.
On Thursday, the U.N.'s human rights chief called for Liu's release from prison and criticized what she said were "recent restrictions placed on an ever-widening circle" of the dissident's associates.
"In recent weeks, my office has received reports of at least 20 activists being arrested or detained and more than 120 other cases of house arrest, travel restrictions, forced relocations and other acts of intimidation," U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay told reporters.
Jagland said the committee expected a "harsh reaction" from Beijing.
But "we are very glad to see that two-thirds of the nations that have embassies in Oslo will be attending the ceremony, and most of them are very big, very important countries," he added.
Among those attending was U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who was part of the official delegation on behalf of Liu and his wife.
Of the 19 countries that declined to come to Friday's ceremony -- including China, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Iraq and Iran -- Jagland said Thursday that two had reconsidered: Ukraine and the Philippines.
But the state-run China Daily newspaper reported Friday that "most nations" had expressed their support for China's stance, citing a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman.
The spokeswoman, Jiang Yu, said the award would not change the fact that "Liu committed crimes."
Friday's ceremony included songs by a children's choir -- a special request made by Liu through his wife, according to Lundestad. And Norwegian actress Liv Ullmann was on hand to read one of Liu's "most interesting and beautiful texts," Jagland said.
Jagland predicted that keeping Liu, 54, in prison for the entirety of his 11-year sentence may prove impossible after the prize was awarded.
"The pressure from the outside world will be on China to release him. In today's world, it is totally impossible to close a country. We already know that a lot of Chinese know about the prize, and this is creating a huge pressure on China," Jagland said.
Several foreign news websites -- including CNN and BBC -- were blocked in mainland China Thursday and Friday.
Broadcasts of CNN International were blacked out intermittently, when news of the peace prize was reported. CNN reports about China's new Confucius Peace Prize were not blocked.
Internet companies in China are treating Chinese characters for "Liu Xiaobo," "Nobel," and peace prize as "sensitive words," said Jeremy Goldkorn, editor of Danwei.org -- a website about Chinese media and Internet. Acting on government instructions, the companies are deleting text containing those words, preventing such text from being uploaded, or returning no results on searches for the words, he said.
"I think the main aim is to reduce the chances of Chinese citizens seeing that the Liu Xiaobo Nobel Prize is big news internationally, and to make it more difficult for articles sympathetic to Liu Xiaobo and photos of him to be copied and circulated inside China," Goldkorn said.
The last time an empty chair was used to represent an absent winner was when German peace activist Carl von Ossietzky won the 1935 award, according to Geir Lundestad, director of the Nobel Institute. Ossietzky was under "protective custody" in Nazi Germany and could not come to accept the award in person, nor was he represented by anyone.
Three other Nobel peace laureates were also unable to attend their ceremonies for political reasons -- human rights activist Aung San Suu Kyi, Polish trade union leader Lech Walesa, and Russian Cold War dissident Andrei Sakharov -- but spouses or other relatives accepted the awards on their behalf. (CNN)
US$30m to protect Barbados’ coastline
The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) has approved a US$30 million loan to help Barbados preserve and manage its coastline, a critical asset for the country’s economy, from damage caused by natural disasters and risks associated with climate change.
Barbados’ sandy beaches, reefs and coastal ecosystems, coupled with relatively calm waters and warm weather, create optimal conditions for a tourism industry that accounts for 39 per cent of the country’s Gross Domestic Product, 50 per cent of total export earnings and 44 per cent of employment.
The funds will help to preserve and manage the Barbados shorefront through three components – coastal risk assessment, monitoring and management; coastal infrastructure; and institutional sustainability for the integrated coastal risk management.
The first component will finance baseline studies of coastal and oceanographic processes including wave climate, shoreline changes, and water quality, circulation and sedimentation; the second module will control shoreline erosion, improve coastal infrastructure resilience, and boost public access to beaches; while the third will seek to ensure the programme’s long term sustainability.
The loan is for a 25-year term with a 5-year grace period. (CMC)
Police probing Brighton Beach murder
The body of a 90-year-old man was discovered early this morning in a track leading to Brighton Beach St Michael.
Fred Parris of Stanmore Terrace, Black Rock St Michael, is believed to have died from stab wounds inflicted by an unknown assailant.
Police are investing. 
Pay dispute motivated players
Forward Omar Cummings and assistant coach Bradley Stewart said the pay dispute which erupted during the just-concluded Digicel Caribbean Cup in Martinique, served as added motivation for the players as they went in search of the title.
The Boyz, led by senior players Shavar Thomas, Luton Shelton, Rudolph Austin and Jermaine Taylor, staged a brief protest during the championship over per diem for the squad and sharing of the prize money, should the team be successful.
This led to the players at one stage threatening to "not lace up their boots", and it was only after the intervention of Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) president, Captain Horace Burrell, who decided to pay the players from his personal account that the issue was settled.
Positive effect
"If it affected us, it was on a positive note, as everyone came together even more and played as a team. It made us even stronger than (we were) when we left Jamaica," said Cummings, shortly after the team's arrival home on Monday night.
"My own view is that it served as an extra motivation, as now that they got what they demanded they had no choice but to produce, and if they did not produce I am not so sure that they would be welcomed home," said Stewart.
"We have come home with the trophy and this is a testament to the focus, which they players demonstrated throughout the tournament, especially after the internal problems," he added.
The players, who were offered a US$300 (J$25,800) tournament per diem and 50 per cent of the team's prize money, refused the offer and in the end demanded US$1,200 (J$103,200) and 80 per cent of the US$120,000 (J$10.3 million) prize money, as according to them, they had been representing the country in recent time at a great "sacrifice", and sometimes without pay.
The Boyz, who will now turn their attention to the CONCACAF Gold Cup which will be staged next year, lifted the cup after defeating Guadeloupe 5-4 on penalties after both teams had played to a 1-1 scoreline at the end of regulation and extra-time.
The team had earlier defeated Antigua and Barbuda 3-1, Guadeloupe 2-0 and Guyana 4-0 in the preliminary round, before getting the better of Grenada 2-1 in the semi-finals.
This was the team's fifth lien on the coveted regional crown and only Trinidad and Tobago with eight titles can claim more success at this level. (Jamaica Gleaner)
Pete Sampras' tennis trophies stolen
Tennis star Pete Sampras says most of his trophies and other memorabilia were stolen from a West Los Angeles public storage facility.
The Los Angeles Times reported Tuesday that Sampras still has 13 of his 14 Grand Slam trophies.
But thieves took his 1994 Australian Open trophy and most of the hardware from his 64 tour title wins, two Davis Cups, an Olympic ring and six trophies for finishing world No. 1 in the year-end rankings from 1993 to 1998.
He said the loss "is like having the history of my tennis life taken away."
The theft happened three weeks ago. Sampras, who had stored the items as he and his family moved between housing arrangements, said he's getting the word out in hopes somebody offers a lead.
Sampras retired in 2003 and said the loss is most upsetting because he would have liked to have shown the trophies to his children.
"For me to have it for my kids is priceless," he said, according to the Los Angeles Times. "I just hope it hasn't already been destroyed. That's why I wanted to get the word out now. I know this is a long shot, but I'd regret it if I didn't at least try."
Sampras believed the items would be safe in storage. The items were not insured because there was no way to assess their true value, he said, according to the report.
"I thought there were security cameras. I thought these things were locked up tight. I was shocked," he said, according to the report. (ESPN)
Stray Dog Control to be Stepped Up
The Ministry of Health is moving to control and reduce the increasing population of stray dogs across the country.
As a first step it has asked pet owners to make sure they license, spay or neuter their dogs and keep them within the confines of their property at all times. These requirements are outlined in the Dogs Control Ordinance and the Ministry is adamant that failure to comply will lead to prosecutions.
Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Health and Human Services Judith Campbell said:
“We have been hearing the concerns of residents that the stray dog population has been getting out of hand. The dogs move around in packs digging into and scattering garbage to create unsightly scenes in neighborhoods and across the country. They are a nuisance, and they pose a threat to health. People must be more responsible.”
The DOGS Control Ordinance (2005) requires that –
1. no person shall own or possess a dog which is more than three (3) months old, unless the person holds a license
2. that the dog is spayed or neutered
3. that the dog is not allowed to be outside the confines of their home/yard unattended
2. Failure to comply with these regulations can result in summary conviction of a fine of:
ü $500.00 if the unlicensed dog is spayed or neutered or
ü $1000.00 if the unlicensed dog is not spayed or neutered
Pet owners have been urged to contact the Environmental Health Department’s Animal Management Unit for further information.
TCI To Showcase Success in Disaster Recovery
The Turks and Caicos Islands can “lead the way” in Caribbean disaster management, as they get a chance to share the success in recovering from major disasters such as hurricane Ike at a high profile conference in Jamaica.
Youngsters from the TCI’s National Youth Parliament will also be acting as the Islands’ ambassadors, taking part in a debate with other young people from across the region.
A team drawn from various sectors of the TCI society will spend the week at the conference in Jamaica exchanging experiences with counterparts drawn from across the Caribbean.
The event will be hosted and funded by the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM) in Jamaica in partnership with the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA).
The TCI team will lead discussions on the coordinated recovery effort following Ike, which included funding and expert assistance from the UK Department for International Development, CEDEMA and Regional bodies as well as other TCI disaster management stakeholders.
Director of the Department of Disaster Management and Emergencies Jamell Robinson is one of the TCI’s main presenters.
“I am honored to be given the opportunity to present a paper on the ‘Turks and Caicos Islands Recovery Post Hurricane Ike’ at the 5th annual Caribbean Comprehensive Disaster Management Conference 2010.
“The TCI can lead the way in the region by showing how recovery can be done after a devastating impact on one’s country. Being part of a bigger contingent of disaster management stakeholders from the TCI also shows that here disaster management is everyone’s business. “
The TCI participants will include a group of youths who will, among other things, engage in a debate competition.
“We have members of the National Youth Parliament participating in the youth session to debate a Jamaican school which is great to see, as TCI youths are doing positive things and are being rewarded for it and who best to be our cultural ambassadors than the youth of our country,” Robinson said.
The TCI Team will also include representatives of the small and medium size business sector and the physical planning department of government.