3. USA TODAY · MONDAY, DECEMBER 13, 2010 · 3A
Nation
Nationline Blizzard dumps 2 feet of snow on Midwest
Smart on verdict: The Associated Press
MINNEAPOLIS — The inflatable roof
in the afternoon because temper-
atures were falling and at a certain
point, road salt would no longer be ef-
‘Justice can be served’ of the Minnesota Vikings’ stadium col-
lapsed Sunday and roads were closed
fective.
“We’re really urging everyone to
After more than eight years of waiting, Elizabeth throughout the upper Midwest as a stay off the roads today and stay hun-
Smart has finally heard the word she’s been waiting storm that dumped nearly 2 feet of kered down at home,” Pritchard said.
for: guilty. A federal jury in Salt Lake City Friday snow in some areas continued to The storm had already dropped up
convicted street preacher Brian David Mitchell of crawl across the region. to 18 inches of snow in parts of north-
snatching a then-14-year-old Smart from her bed in A blizzard warning was in effect for ern and central Wisconsin, he said,
June 2002 at knifepoint in the dead of night and parts of eastern Iowa, southeastern and light snow continued Sunday
forcing sex on her while he held her captive for nine Wisconsin, northwestern Illinois, and morning.
months. For Smart, 23, the decision closes the door northern Michigan, according to the Some 420 air travelers spent the
on one horrific chapter of her young life and opens National Weather Service. Surround- night in Grand Forks, N.D., after four
another. She’ll soon leave Utah for France to com- ing areas including Chicago were un- planes were diverted from Minneapo-
plete a Mormon church mission, then plans to finish der winter storm warnings. lis, where the storm had closed all but
a music degree at Brigham Young University. The Metrodome’s Teflon roof col- one of that airport’s runways. After a
By Kelly Humphrey, AP
Mitchell, 57, could spend the final chapter of his lapsed after Minneapolis got more traction truck broke down on the one
life in a federal prison. He’ll be held in the Salt Lake than 17 inches of snow. No injuries Winter blast: Gusting winds blew snow across the Minnesota Veterans Cem- operational runway, planes circled the
County Jail until his May 25 sentencing, which were reported. The snowfall that end- etery on Saturday at Camp Ripley, Minn. where 1,500 wreaths had just been airport until they had to head to other
Smart’s father noted Friday is also National Missing ed Saturday night was one of the five placed as a part of Wreaths Across America, a campaign to honor veterans. regional airports for fuel.
Children’s Day. Defense attorneys aren’t yet certain biggest in Twin Cities history, National Some passengers stayed at the air-
whether they will file an appeal for a man who Weather Service meteorologist James gan work at 4 a.m. Sunday but were more than big drifts,” Arndt said. port, others got hotel rooms.
loudly sang hymns and Christmas carols in court McQuirter said. Some surrounding struggling with drifts as high as 5 feet, Although roads were open in Wis- “It was chaotic, it was crazy com-
and never spoke to anyone, including his lawyers. communities got more than 21 inches Minnesota Department of Transporta- consin, state officials urged drivers to pletely. We were packed like sardines
Mitchell’s federal public defender, Robert Steele of snow, he said. tion spokeswoman Rebecca Arndt stay home because blowing snow se- and we were shocked,” passenger
said he’ll now advocate for an appropriate prison Interstate 90 from Albert Lea to the said. Plow drivers also were ham- verely limited visibility. Tod Pritchard, Leah Edmondson told WDAZ.
placement for Mitchell, preferably a federal prison South Dakota border and state high- pered by a large number of stalled a spokesman for Wisconsin Emergen-
hospital. Steele maintains that Mitchell is mentally ways remained closed. Plows that had cars. cy Management, said travel was ex- uVikings-Giants game moved to
ill and noted that he also suffered a seizure in court been pulled off the roads Saturday be- “Stalled vehicles slow them up pected to become even more difficult Detroit, 1B
during the trial. The decision ultimately rests with
the U.S. Bureau of Prisons.
On Friday, Smart smiled as the verdict was read,
while a bedraggled, bearded Mitchell sat at the de-
fense table, singing hymns with his hands before his
chest, as if in prayer. “I hope that not only is this an
example that justice can be served in America, but
that it is possible to move on after something ter-
rible has happened” Smart said, after she walked
with her mother through a crush of media.
By Denis Poroy, AP
Fire stoked by explosives
Controlled burn: A ranch-style house packed
with bombmaking material burns Thursday in Es-
condido, Calif., as firefighters aim to neutralize the
Photos by Dave Martin, AP
volatile chemicals. Crews built a 16-foot firewall to
protect the closest home a dozen feet away. Flocks of “snowbirds” fly south: A couple walk down the beach in Gulf Shores, Ala., on Nov. 8. Winter may make up for a tough summer in the region.
Snowbirds help Gulf recovery
Guilty verdict in post-Katrina death
In a case that could have widespread repercus-
sions on how law enforcement agents deal with di-
sasters, three former and current New Orleans po-
lice officers were found guilty Thursday in the
shooting death of a civilian and subsequent coverup
during the chaotic aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.
Two other officers, one no longer on the force, were
By Marty Roney
USA TODAY Winter tourism is ‘vital’ after for the state’s office of tourism. The
state doesn’t have a beach tourism
segment like Alabama or northwest
acquitted. The jury of seven women and five men
convicted former officer David Warren of man-
GULF SHORES, Ala. — Tourism offi-
cials in the areas of the Gulf Coast hit
disastrous summer of oil spill Florida, she says.
Louisiana has marsh and wetlands
slaughter in the shooting death of 31-year-old Hen- hardest by spring’s BP Deepwater Ho- mostly along the coast, not the wide
ry Glover outside a strip mall on Sept. 2, 2005. rizon oil spill say winter tourism ap- sandy beaches of Alabama, Mississip-
The jury also convicted Officer Gregory McRae of pears to be normal or better as snow- pi and the Panhandle.
burning Glover’s body in a car. Lt. Dwayne Scheu- birds flock to the region in numbers
ermann was acquitted of that charge. Lt. Travis approaching those of previous years. Northerners appear
McCabe was convicted of writing a false report on The return of those mostly older
the shooting. Former lieutenant Robert Italiano was visitors from northern climates seek- Mary Lou McCann of Toronto is a
cleared of that charge. ing warmer locales is “vital” to a re- member of the board of directors of
During the trial, prosecutors said Warren shot gion that banks on tourism dollars and Noah’s Ark at Panama City Beach, Fla.
Glover four days after Katrina hit the Gulf Coast. was battered in the summer by dwin- The group catering to snowbirds is af-
When two friends and a passerby took a bleeding dling numbers of visitors, says Linda filiated with the United Methodist
Glover to a makeshift police compound for help, Whitlock of the Gulf Coast Area Church. She traveled to the coast in
McRae and Scheuermann handcuffed and beat the Chamber of Commerce in Baldwin late October and plans to stay until
friends, prosecutors said. County, Ala. April 1.
McRae later drove away the car with Glover in The snowbird season heats up on “We are starting to see members
the back seat and torched it near a river levee, they the Alabama and Florida Panhandle from Alberta, the east coast of Canada
said. Glover’s scorched body was later found in the coasts in late December and early Jan- and Wisconsin making the trip, so the
back of the car. — Rick Jervis uary, says Karen Harrell, who pub- Northerners are beginning to appear,”
lishes Snowbirds Gulf Coast, a winter she says.
U.S. death rate drops to record low visitor magazine. Betty and Marv Hastings of Ankeny,
The U.S. death rate dropped slightly to an all-time “The season appears to be on track Beaches cleaned: Dick MacDonald visits Orange Beach, Ala., on Nov. 9. Iowa, plan to travel to Orange Beach,
low in 2008, according to new government data re- to equal or even be better than last Ala., this year just as they have since
leased Thursday. After accounting for the aging season,” she says. The snowbirds, she 2009, winter visitors generated an “Few actually swim in the Gulf of 2003.
population, the number of deaths per 100,000 says, “closely followed news of the oil economic impact of about $29 mil- Mexico in winter, but they do like They direct the Iowa Snowbirds
Americans fell from 760.2 in 2007 to 758.7 in 2008. spill” through news media and lion, he says. walking on the beach,” she says, “and Club, which has 175 to 200 members.
Death rates fell significantly for six of the 15 leading friends. “Some are true part-time res- “We are predicting a slight increase for the most part, the beach cleanup “We’re looking forward to return-
causes but rose significantly for six others. idents and spend up to six months of visitors this winter,” Bellinger says. efforts have been successful.” ing,” Betty Hastings says. “It’s a great
Stroke dropped from third place — a spot it had here,” Harrell says. “That’s based on reservations at our Gulf Shores saw about a 33% de- area. We followed the news of the oil
held for 50 years — to fourth among the leading kill- Parts of Alabama, Louisiana and the condominiums and hotels.” cline in tourism-related income in the spill, of course. We’ve had friends go
ers of Americans, according to a report from the Florida Panhandle were among some Tourism also is likely to increase this summer because of the oil disaster, down on shorter trips, and they tell us
National Center for Health Statistics, part of the of the more heavily affected areas af- winter in Panama City Beach, a pop- Mayor Robert Craft says. everything is cleaned up and back to
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. ter the BP oil spill, says Ed Levine, a ular snowbird destination on the Flor- “This past summer was expected to normal.”
“Chronic lower respiratory diseases,” which include scientific support coordinator for the ida Panhandle, says Dan Rowe, presi- be the beginning of the good times,” Aside from spending money, snow-
asthma and emphysema, moved up to third. National Oceanic and Atmospheric dent and CEO of the Panama City he says. “Everything pointed to peo- birds will become ambassadors for
— Rita Rubin Administration (NOAA). Beach Convention and Visitors Bu- ple wanting to travel again after the the region when they return home,
reau. tough economic conditions of 2008 says Craft, the Gulf Shores mayor.
Utility cleared in N.H. woman’s death Some areas expect increases “I do not believe that the BP oil spill and 2009. Our first-quarter totals for “It’s important that our winter visi-
Virginia Tech could face fines and a loss of student will have a negative effect on our win- this year were up about 12% over tors find clean, safe beaches,” he says.
aid for failing to quickly warn its campus about a Higher-than-average snowbird ter visitation,” he says. The tar balls 2009. . . . We were going into the “We’ve had a few of our businesses go
gunman on the loose in the hours after two people numbers are expected in northwest that washed onshore after the spill spring and summer season with a under, but most of our stalwarts re-
were killed and before the shooting rampage left 30 Florida, says Mark Bellinger, president have been cleaned up and people are great deal of momentum. Then the main.”
more people dead on April 16, 2007, the Depart- and CEO of The Emerald Coast Con- returning to the beach, Rowe says. spill happened.”
ment of Education said Thursday. vention and Visitors Bureau. The bu- Snowbirds, or “winter guests,” are Snowbirds are less of a tourism fac- Roney reports for the Montgomery
In a letter to Virginia Tech President Charles Steg- reau covers the areas of Destin, Fort looking to get away from the snow tor in Louisiana, says Melody Alijani, (Ala.) Advertiser.
er, the department said the school violated the Walton Beach and Okaloosa Island. In and ice, Harrell says. director of research and development Contributing: Marisa Kendall.
Jeanne Clery Act, a federal law requiring schools to
give “timely warnings” about safety threats on
Ambassador singled out for pat-down
campus. The department will decide whether sanc-
tions are needed. Punishments could include fines
or revoking eligibility for federal student aid. More
than a third of Tech students receive such aid.
Virginia Tech disputes the findings and will ap-
peal. School administrators “acted appropriately”
India diplomat’s screening sparks call for apology India’s Washington Em-
bassy, said the State De-
which hosted the visit.
Witnesses said Shankar
based on the information they had at the time, uni- By Elizabeth Crisp Saturday by a Transportation Security partment had “reached asked for a private screen-
versity spokesman Larry Hincker said. USA TODAY Administration screener at Jackson- out to the ambassador and ing, but her search was
Virginia Tech e-mailed a warning at 9:26 a.m. Evers International Airport. has regretted what hap- conducted in a clear box.
JACKSON, Miss. — Secretary of
April 16, two hours and two minutes after police ar- Indian Foreign Minister S.M. Krish- pened.” “The way they pat them
State Hillary Rodham Clinton ex-
rived at a dorm where two students had been shot. na called the pat-down “unaccept- Witnesses told the Jack- down — it was so humili-
pressed concern Thursday over the
— Donna Leinwand able” and said his nation would com- son (Miss.) Clarion-Ledger ating,” said Tan Tsai, a re-
pat-down of India’s sari-clad ambas- plain to the U.S. government. This is that Shankar was singled search associate at MSU
By Melanie Eversley with staff and wire reports sador to the U.S. at the airport here the second time the ambassador had out of a group flying out of who was with Shankar.
AP
over the weekend, an incident that been singled out for a pat-down in the the airport for a thorough “Anybody who passed by
Please recycle has prompted calls for an apology past three months, he said. pat-down, despite having Shankar: Given en- could see it.”
from Washington. “We are going to take it up with the shown her diplomatic pa- hanced pat-down. The TSA maintained
How ‘in-the-know’ are you? Clinton told reporters in Washing-
ton that the State Department was
government of United States, and I
hope that things could be resolved so
pers. She was told she was that it followed guidelines
chosen was because she was wearing in the search of Shankar.
Test your smarts with USA TODAY’s weekly looking into the incident, but didn’t that such unpleasant incidents do not a sari, a traditional Indian robe. The
news quiz. Visit newsquiz.usatoday.com apologize. Ambassador Meera Shan- recur,” Krishna said. witnesses included an entourage Crisp writes for The Clarion-Ledger in
this afternoon and through the weekend. kar, 60, was selected for a pat-down Virander Paul, spokesman for the from Mississippi State University, Jackson, Miss. Contributing: AP.
http://hotnpapers.blogspot.com
