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WASHINGTON (AFP) – The federal government was closed Monday after a record-breaking snowstorm swept across the northeastern United States and put a damper on one of the biggest shopping weekends of the year. Just days before Christmas, the eastern seaboard from North Carolina to New England was digging out from the worst blizzard in years, which closed train and bus service, paralyzed air traffic, crippled motorists and left hundreds of thousands of residents without power in some areas. Americans pining for a white Christmas got more than they bargained for, with local officials urging residents to hunker down indoors as...

1:54 a.m. The Wythe County Sheriff’s Office says Interstate 77 between Wytheville and West Virginia has been shut down due to the weather, and accidents blocking the highway. All other traffic on I-81 and I-77 is moving slowly with only one lane of traffic open. National Weather Service says Roanoke has received a foot of snow. Blacksburg at 11.2 inches. VDOT says multiple sections of Interstate 81 are not moving, on both the northbound and the southbound side from Rockbridge County through Wythe County .

The first major winter snowstorm of the season made life miserable throughout much of the Upper Midwest and the governor of Wisconsin has already declared a state of emergency. Five deaths are reported and hundreds of flights canceled, as the same storm that clobbered us is now moving north and towards the East Coast. Problems were mounting at the airports in Chicago. Weather on the East Coast and de-icing of planes have caused more than 200 cancellations at O'Hare International Airport and delays of more than 45 minutes on average for all flights as of 10:30 a.m., according to the...

CHICAGO (AFP) – A massive storm buried much of the central United States in dangerous ice and snow Wednesday, stranding scores of motorists with massive drifts that shut down major roads and defeated plows. Strong winds created drifts as high as 15 feet (4.6 meters) as the storm dropped as much as four feet of snow (1.2 meters) in some areas, said Pat Slattery, a spokesman for the National Weather Service. "This has been a really big season opening storm," Slattery said. Hundreds of flights were cancelled, schools were closed and the freezing rain that preceded the snow in many...

Strong winds, rain, and heavy snow will continue in the Midwest today, mainly east of the Mississippi River. Blizzard or near-blizzard conditions will continue in the Missouri and Upper Mississippi Valley, with blowing snow making travel extremely dangerous. Snow will transition to lake-effect snow tonight into tomorrow, with significant lake snows possible through Friday. Some light wintry mix is possible in the Ohio Valley on Saturday from a system moving through the Southeast, with snow showers moving into the Upper Midwest from a system dropping down from Canada. More snow is possible from the Northern Plains to the Great Lakes...

Why Not Name Every Storm, Not Just Hurricanes?December 8, 2009 RUSH: I got an idea. Global warming is causing all these weird weather -- the climate change, right? Climate change is causing all these weird weather things like this unusually early snowfall in places like Houston, and now we've got this winter storm tearing up the Midwest and heading east. And it's been suggested to me that we ought to start naming these storms just like we name hurricanes. Global warming snowstorm Algore could be this first one. And we'll eventually get to global warming snowstorm Obama. It's a great...

Tropical Depression Eleven has formed in the southwestern Caribbean Sea. The governments of Colombia and Nicaragua have issued Tropical Storm warnings. Public Advisory Updated Every Six Hours Discussion Updated Every Six Hours Visible Image SatelliteOther satellite images

<p>AP – This image provided by NOAA shows Hurricane Rick taken at 2 a.m. EDT Saturday Oct. 17, 2009.</p> <p>MEXICO CITY – Hurricane Rick quickly strengthened into an "extremely dangerous" Category 4 storm off Mexico's Pacific coast on Saturday and forecasters said it could strike the Baja California Peninsula in about five days.</p>

A great explosion of purity is about to come , But "not" as before(as Katrina) ,something straight from my kingdom , The heavenlies are about to applaud , I AM The Lord behold I alone am God ! Yet for my children of my rod and staff , They shall rest in my bossom of Zion and laugh , For the Joy of The Lord is their strength , And these are my children of victiory that have gone the full length , Obedience to me has become their rod , My staff is their com(fort) for I AM their...

Today, Rush just suggested to have next national TEA PARTY event staged at all National and Local Media outlets... Their front doors! Try ignoring THIS!!! Great idea! Spread the THOUGHT!!!

President Obama's green jobs czar Van Jones co-founded the communist group Standing Together to Organize a Revolutionary Movement (STORM), Glenn Beck said on his TV show Friday. STORM described itself and its activities as: "We upheld the Marxist critique of capitalist exploitation. We agree with Lenin's analysis of the state and the party. And we found inspiration and guidance in the insurgent revolutionary strategies developed by third world revolutionaries like Mao Tse-Tung and Amilcar Cabral." The vehemently anti-American group held a vigil in Oakland, California, “mourning the victims of U.S. imperialism around the world” on the night after Sept. 11,...

JERUSALEM – How is this for a quick clean up job? Last week, WND reported the official communist-oriented manifesto of a radical group founded by Obama's environmental adviser, Van Jones, was published in full on the Internet. Just hours later, the manifesto was removed and the entire website was taken down. It is, however, still available in web archives. As WND previously reported, Van Jones, special adviser for green jobs, enterprise and innovation to the White House Council on Environmental Quality, is an admitted black nationalist and radical communist. Jones was the leader and founder of a radical group, the...

Standing Together to Organize a Revolutionary Movement (STORM), the revolutionary group formed by self-described "communist" and "rowdy black nationalist" Van Jones, held a vigil in Oakland, California, "mourning the victims of U.S. imperialism around the world" on the night after Sept. 11, 2001.... Van Jones is now President Obama's green jobs czar. He does not appear to have distanced himself from his past communist activities and is now part of the Obama administration's push to turn Sept. 11 into a National Day of Service focused on the promotion of the radical environmentalist agenda. Jones also founded the Ella Baker Center...

JERUSALEM – One day after the 9/11 attacks, the organization founded by President Obama's "green jobs czar" held a vigil in which it expressed solidarity with Arab and Muslim Americans as well as what it called the victims of "U.S. imperialism" around the world. WND previously reported Van Jones, special adviser for green jobs, enterprise and innovation to the White House Council on Environmental Quality, is an admitted black nationalist and radical communist. Jones was the leader and founder of a radical group, the communist revolutionary organization Standing Together to Organize a Revolutionary Movement, or STORM. STORM's official manifesto, titled,...

Two big questions hang over President Obama's radical "Green Jobs Czar" Van Jones. Is he still a communist? Is he a security threat? Many have assumed that Van Jones' committment to communism ended when the organization he helped to lead STORM (Standing Together to Organize a Revolutionary Movement) dissolved in 2002. Yet a 2004 treatise Reclaiming Revolution: History, Summation, and Lessons from the Work of Standing Together to Organize a Revolutionary Movement written and endorsed by a majority of former STORM members makes it clear that most ex STORMers are still committed to the revolutionary movement; From page 49. When...

Tropical Storm Danny formed in the North Atlantic about 775 miles SSE of Cape Hatteras NC. Tropical storm force winds extend outward up to 140 miles, mainly to the north of the center. Public Advisories Updated every six hours. Tropical Storm Discussion Updated every six hours Forecast ModelsSurface Wind FieldSatellite ImagesWest Atlantic Buoy LocationsSoutheast US Buoy Data

As of 10 AM CT, T.S. Danny was located about 320 miles northeast of Nassau and had max winds near 60 mph. Danny is not moving consistently to the northwest but that is the overall general direction of movement at about 13 mph. A general northwest motion is likely for the next 24-hours and then a more northerly turn is anticipated with an increase in forward speed.

Here is video from California Republican Rep. Kevin McCarthy holding a Town Hall Meeting in Bakersfield where he was asked why the Congress was allowing President Obama to create all the "Czars" he is creating. Just before he answered there were shouts from the audience of "He's a communist!" McCarthy answered the question by saying he did not believe Obama had the right to appoint these "Czars" AND give them powers that encroach on the "Checks and Balances" the Constitution requires. . . . . (Watch Video)

Tropical Storm Danny officially was named this morning and the first advisory had it will sustained winds of 45 MPH and it was moving off to the NW at 18 mph.

I have been watching a wave move towards and now past the Leeward Islands since late last week and now it is showing signs of better organization as it moves by to the north of Puerto Rico. The National Hurricane Center (NHC) is sending a recon flight to investigate the system further, this afternoon. I anticipate that after they have investigate the system the NHC will at minimum categorize the system as a Tropical Depression and may even be able to name the system as the next Atlantic named tropical cyclone, Danny.

The Atlantic Tropical region is starting to heat up with activity and we will likely see our first tropical named system of the year in the Atlantic Basin, possibly as early as later tonight. Tropical Depression 2 is located near 31W Longitude and 15 N Latitude or about 400 miles west of the Cape Verde Islands, this Tuesday afternoon. TD is moving to the west around 13 MPH and the general track over the next day or two will be to the West to West-Northwest. As of 10 AM, maximum sustained winds were around 30 MPH and the estimated pressure...

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Gale Storm, whose wholesome appearance and perky personality made her one of early television's biggest stars on "My Little Margie" and "The Gale Storm Show," has died at age 87.

My contract will be up soon for my current phone. I have decided between 2 models - the Blackberry Storm or the iphone. I know the Storm had some initial problems, but from what I have read the lastest software release corrected them. I also like the iphone, but I would have to switch carriers for it. Does anyone currently own the Storm, and if so do they like it? How reliable is the iphone? From what I have read, the Storm screen has better resolution.

...TROPICAL DEPRESSION FORMS OFF THE MID-ATLANTIC COAST... SATELLITE IMAGERY INDICATES THAT THE AREA OF LOW PRESSURE THAT PASSED TO THE EAST OF CAPE HATTERAS YESTERDAY HAS BECOME A TROPICAL DEPRESSION...THE FIRST OF THE ATLANTIC HURRICANE SEASON. AT 1100 AM EDT...1500 UTC...THE CENTER OF TROPICAL DEPRESSION ONE WAS LOCATED NEAR LATITUDE 37.3 NORTH...LONGITUDE 71.0 WEST OR ABOUT 310 MILES...500 KM...SOUTH OF PROVIDENCE RHODE ISLAND AND ABOUT 635 MILES...1020 KM...SOUTHWEST OF HALIFAX NOVA SCOTIA. THE DEPRESSION IS MOVING TOWARD THE NORTHEAST NEAR 17 MPH...AND THIS GENERAL MOTION IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE OVER THE NEXT 24-48 HOURS. THE DEPRESSION IS NOT EXPECTED TO...

FOX16 is getting reports that a tornado has hit downtown Mena. There are reports that the courthouse took a direct hit and the downtown area has major damage. We do not yet know about injuries in this area. FOX16 is working on getting more information and will bring it to you here and on FOX16 News.

NEW YORK – A massive late winter snowstorm pummeled the Northeast on Monday, grounding hundreds of flights, causing spinouts on highways, delaying trains and buses and closing school for over a million children from South Carolina to Maine. The same storm hammered the Southeast on Sunday as it made its way north, blanketing Civil War statues and canceling hundreds of church services around the region. By Monday, the storm was dumping snow on Maine, and most areas in the storm's wake expected to see at least 8 to 12 inches of accumulation. The blizzard-like snow — together with sleet, freezing...

NC military mom heads for Fort Benning with kidsBy TOM FOREMAN Jr., Associated Press Writer 13 mins ago DAVIDSON, N.C. – A North Carolina woman who was recalled to the Army four years after being honorably discharged was driving nearly 400 miles and braving a Southeastern winter storm to report for duty Sunday, with her children by her side. **SNIP** Pagan is among thousands of former service members who have left active duty since the Sept. 11 attacks, only to be recalled to service. She filed several appeals, arguing that because her husband travels for business, no one else can...

Barack Hussein Obama will propose a massive business tax on greenhouse gases in his FY 2010 federal budget to be presented this week.The massive tax increase and power grab was buried at the end on article on Obama's forthcoming budget proposal in The New York Times:On energy policy, Mr. Obama’s budget will show new revenues by 2012 from his proposal to require companies to buy permits from the government for greenhouse gas emissions above a certain cap. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that the permits would raise up to $300 billion a year by 2020. Since companies would pass their...

The latest storm to hit California with heavy rain and mountain snow this weekend will have far-reaching effects across the country next week. This storm has the potential to spark another round of severe storms in the southern Plains and Deep South and spread a swath of heavy snow from the Midwest to the Northeast.

WASHINGTON, Feb. 6, 2009 – Though some of them contain peanut butter, the 660,000 packaged military meals the Defense Logistics Agency and Federal Emergency Management Agency are shipping to Kentucky and Arkansas storm victims are safe, officials here said. The meals -- known as “Meals, Ready to Eat,” or “MREs” -- will replace the commercial meal kits that have been distributed to the storm victims. DLA’s Defense Distribution Center in New Cumberland, Pa., is arranging shipment of the meals, scheduled for delivery today. A recent Food and Drug Administration recall of some products containing peanut butter has prompted the Defense...

FRANKFORT, Ky., Feb. 5, 2009 – Kentucky National Guard troops are delivering record numbers of meals and bottled water as part of the relief effort supporting citizens affected by last week's ice storm. Soldiers of the 307th Component Repair Company take cases of packaged meals from a C-23 Sherpa aircraft and load them on a 2.5-ton truck for transport to the distribution facility at Wendell H. Ford Regional Training Center in Greenville, Ky., Feb. 2, 2009. U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Aaron Hiler  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. "This is a huge undertaking on the part of...

Ohio Humvees Help In Kentucky Storm ReliefSun, Feb 01, 2009. 03:31 PM By: Jennifer Steck Louisville, KY. (AP) -- Airmen from the National Guard are headed to Ohio to pick up Humvees to aid in relief efforts from the ice storm that has crippled parts of Kentucky, especially in the western region. Sgt. Phil Speck of the Kentucky Air National Guard says the Airmen will board a C-130 in Louisville on Sunday afternoon to fly to Columbus, Ohio. They'll drive back to Kentucky in the Ohio National Guard's humvees and spread out to areas of western Kentucky where they are...

Thursday (01.29.09) I traveled up I-55 through Arkansas and Missouri on the heels of a rather nasty winter storm. From just north of Blytheville, AR to a bit north of Charleston, MO the storm dropped an unbelievable amount of ice. The results were devastating. Thousands of people without power and significant damage to homes, trees and power lines. Being the shutterbug that I am, I grabbed my digital camera to get images for my blog. But the batteries were dead. And since no one had power and all the stores were closed, I could not get any batteries. So, I...

By RHETT MORGAN World Staff Writer Published: 1/29/2009 2:43 AM Last Modified: 1/29/2009 2:49 AM WESTVILLE — The gravity of this week's ice storm weighed on Mary Hopkins. Speaking through tears, the Westville resident recounted Wednesday how the storm had zapped her trailer's electricity, dropped a tree limb through the back glass of her 2001 Saturn and separated her from her beloved Chihuahuas. "It's terrible," Hopkins said from a seat in the Assembly of God, where the American Red Cross is operating a shelter. "No electricity, limbs everywhere. My car got messed up ... My little dogs are in the...

People across much of the country are battling a slippery mix of snow and ice today as a storm that stretches 1,400 miles across 26 states continues to leave its mark, causing at least 19 deaths. The winter weather that lingered in Oklahoma and the Plains states earlier this week moved into the Northeast overnight, leaving countless commuters hammered by icy roads. Cars have slid off roads. Power lines have collapsed under the weight of the ice. In some places, three inches of ice have piled up. Many schools are closed from Maryland to Maine as the storm travels east....

I always wondered how these jokers planned to get off the ship if or when their demands were met. It's sort of like hijacking a tree. We can see you - you know. There's no other way out.I just figured that they would demand an escape boat which would promptly be sunk by the U.S. Navy once all the bad guys and their booty were aboard. So when I read the story yesterday that the guys not only got the ransom, they just got on a boat and seemingly got away, I was amazed. I thought maybe the clever buccaneers...

BREMERTON, Wash. (AP) - Andrew Knight wishes it could snow 360 days a year. If that happened, he'd be able to put lot more money in the bank. During Christmas Week, Knight of DMK Tractor Services in Bremerton barely had a chance to let his Kubota tractor cool off. On Monday, he began plowing snow off driveways and parking lots for local businesses. "They'd just see me out there plowing and flag me down, and off to the next place I'd go," he told the Kitsap Sun. Knight spent Friday digging out car dealerships on Auto Center Way. He figures...

RENO, Nev. — While much of the nation got a reprieve from heavy snow and ice, another winter storm blanketed parts of the West, snarling holiday traffic and briefly darkening lights on Christmas trees before barreling eastward. Winter storm warnings were issued Friday for Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming, Montana and the Dakotas, while a blizzard warning was in effect for southwestern Colorado. "It's going to be a heck of a storm," said Chris Cuoco, senior forecaster for the National Weather Service's Grand Junction office. "We're expecting significant snowfall in all the mountains of Colorado. Even the valleys are...

An icy winter storm isn’t supposed to start until 6 p.m., but there are already several cancellations throughout the corridor. Condition concerns vary between Cedar Rapids, where 6 inches of snow is expected, and Iowa City, where ice will be the main problem. About 1 to 2 inches of sleet accumulation is expected in the I-80 corridor, and snow may be falling on a layer of ice in Cedar Rapids, according to the National Weather Service. An ice storm warning went into affect at noon today for the following counties: Keokuk, Washington, Louisa, Jefferson, Henry, Des Moines, Van Buren, Lee...

ARLINGTON, Va., Dec. 16, 2008 – Massachusetts National Guard members are getting a helping hand today as they continue to assist with recovery operations from a severe winter storm that dropped ice, freezing rain and sleet throughout the region Dec. 11. Massachusetts Gov. Deval L. Patrick has doubled the number of Guardsmen on duty with a call-up of about 700 personnel, bringing the total to nearly 1,500. He also requested assistance yesterday from the governor of Connecticut under the Emergency Management Assistance Compact. He specifically asked for help in route-clearance and debris-removal operations. The Connecticut National Guard will provide 23...

ARLINGTON, Va., Dec. 15, 2008 – A round of winter storms that left several northeastern states covered in ice kept many National Guard units busy over the weekend. Army Spc. Arik Johnson, a Massachusetts National Guard construction equipment operator, cuts a fallen tree with a chainsaw in Phillipston, Mass., Dec. 14, 2008. After a storm, trees covered with ice began falling onto power lines, leaving the town’s 900 homes without electricity. The 379th Engineer Company was mobilized to cut down trees and clear roads so utility companies could begin trying to restore power to the town. U.S. Army photo...

COLONIE — God works in mysterious ways apparently, especially during ice storms. Without power since 2 a.m. the indoor temperature dropped by the hour and evacuation was imminent at Our Lady of Hope retirement facility run by the Little Sisters of the Poor.Against this natural disaster, they offered prayers, fingered rosary beads and heard Mass celebrated.Just as the 86 elderly, low-income residents and the 10 nuns who care for them had packed suitcases and were about to begin loading into ambulances and buses for a temporary placement in a nursing home across town, the lights flickered on and the furnace...

It's been quite an ordeal here in upstate NY, following Friday's ice storm. Many communities are still without power and temperatures have dipped down into the teens and single digits for 2 nights in a row. Outside, EVERYTHING is covered with ice, creating a beautiful but perilous landscape. The weight of the 3/4" ice pulls down branches and limbs on deciduous trees. Pines and evergreens split or totally tip over. Roads are covered with tree debris and live wires. The major roads have been cleared but icicles continue to fall from branches. This has been exacerbated by this afternoon's increased...

NEW YORK (CNN) -- The governors of Massachusetts and New Hampshire declared states of emergency Friday after high winds, rain and snow swept through the Northeast, leaving at least a million homes and businesses without power. In Massachusetts, work crews struggled to clear the debris, left roads and bridges covered in ice. Gov. Deval Patrick told WCVB-TV in Boston it would be optimistic to think power would be restored by Monday. "This is not going to be a couple of hours," Patrick said. "It's likely to be several days." Patrick mobilized 500 National Guardsmen to help clear roads, WCVB-TV reported....

More Ike pics.http://www.tpicks.com/pictures%20people%20have%20sent%20me.html

THE COMING PERFECT STORM by John Paul Jackson For those of you who have followed this ministry, you have heard me say more than once during the past eight years that from 2009 or 2010, things will become very difficult. I have been praying and hoping that what I am about to write may be averted. However, I am now concerned that without prophetic people speaking up, we will not play our redemptive part in bringing change for the good. FIVE ELEMENTS OF THE BREWING PERFECT STORM As in the movie The Perfect Storm, the storm I see coming to...

A screen grab I just took after feeding my babies. Never seen a more direct hit in my life, nor have I seen a more well defined storm come through on radar.

Large and dangerous Hurricane Ike approaching the Upper Texas coast. Mandatory evacuations began in earnest Thursday as an estimated one million coastal residents headed inland. There were widespread reports of gas stations running out of fuel. The National Weather Service posted dire storm surge predictions of 20-25 ft storm surge along the coast and bay heads. Hurricane warnings covered a 400 mile swath of the Gulf of Mexico. Wholesale gasoline prices spiked 30 percent Thursday, or nearly $1 a gallon, out of fear of what Ike might do. Public Advisory Updated every 3 hours Discussion Updated every 6 hours Buoy...

Planners of the Republican National Convention in St. Paul held emergency conversations Wednesday about what to do if a tropical storm continues on its track as a potential Category 3 hurricane threatening New Orleans. Gustav’s projected path suggests possible landfall on the convention’s opening day — Labor Day. The storm could threaten everything from President Bush’s Monday night address to the broader Republican message of effective government management. Local officials fear a Katrina II — a rerun of the storm that ravished New Orleans and badly damaged Bush’s image. Government forecasters said the target area runs from south Texas to...

PATTEN, Maine - A "Wizard of Oz"-type storm Saturday produced a "wall of hail" so heavy it pounded pumpkins into mush and a wind so fierce it lifted a dog and two pigs into the air and peeled off a roof on Happy Corner Road, residents said Sunday. No one was injured. The storm, which brought...