• Blizzard warnings extended into Saturday
• At least nine storm-related deaths reported
• 500 flights canceled at Chicago's O'Hare airport  
 

     MINNEAPOLIS (Fox) —  "A deadly winter storm walloped parts of the Plains and Midwest, keeping highways and schools closed, knocking out power and piling up huge snow drifts Friday.

     At least six storm-related deaths have been reported in the region since the snowfall began Wednesday. Blizzard conditions shut down roads in Iowa, Nebraska and Minnesota, leaving some areas with well over a foot of snow by Friday morning.

     "We're not making much progress today," Dena Gray-Fisher, a spokeswoman for the Iowa Department of Transportation, said Friday as crews tried reopen the state's major highways. "The winds are drifting it right in behind us.

     "We've actually had to occasionally pull our plows off the road."

     In Michigan, close to 80,000 homes and businesses lost power; about half were still in the dark Friday morning, utility officials said. A pickup truck driver died Friday after colliding with a delivery truck on a slick road.

     Chicago's O'Hare International Airport had two-hour delays at midday.

     "It's a whale of a storm," said Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty. "Overall, things are going as well as they could."..."

      I wish this Global Warming I keep hearing about would finally show up.  If you don't have a car-kit for being stuck in a massive blizzard, I recommend you put one together pronto.

      US officials say the warhead will not add to the country's nuclear arsenal, but will replace existing missiles.

      Critics have complained it sends the wrong signal at a time when the White House is leading efforts to curb Iran and North Korea's nuclear ambitions.

      The chosen design was developed in a Californian laboratory and is based on a warhead already tested in the 1980s.

      The US Congress authorised design work on a new warhead in 2005 on the basis that there would not be any fresh missile tests.

      No nuclear underground tests have been conducted since a ban in 1992.

      The new warhead, due to be operational in five years' time, will be used to replace Trident missiles on submarines..."

      Miller's Ferry, AL (BBC) - "Tornadoes have killed at least seven people in the US state of Alabama.

      One tornado wrecked a school building in the town of Enterprise, killing at least five people and injuring dozens as it tore off a roof and flipped cars.

      State officials had earlier said as many as 15 people could have died at the school. Rescuers continue to search for anyone trapped in the debris.

      President George W Bush has offered federal help to the states of Alabama and Missouri.

      And it's not even spring yet...

     DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) -- "Heavy, wet snow and blizzard conditions hit the Plains and Midwest on Thursday, shutting down hundreds of miles of interstate.

     Schools closed in several states, and hundreds of flights were canceled.

     Two people were killed when their car overturned on a slick road in North Dakota, and snowplows were pulled off the roads in western Minnesota because of strong wind and unrelenting snow.

     The storm moved into Iowa with rain and sleet but changed to snow around dawn.

      New York, (BBC) - "The US economy grew at a pace of 2.2% in the last three months of 2006, down from a previous estimate of 3.5% and below analysts' forecasts.

      The contraction came as firms cut their inventories and consumers spent less.

      Separate data showed new home sales fell nearly 17% in January from December, the biggest drop since 1994.

      Talking about the budget to Congress, Federal Reserve head Ben Bernanke reiterated recent comments that the US had to tackle its deficit urgently.

      In testimony to Congress, Mr Bernanke said: "A vicious cycle may develop in which large deficits lead to rapid growth in debt and interest payments, which in turn adds to subsequent deficits."

      He said that the US needed to address its welfare and social security costs, as a growing number of baby boomers reach retirement.

      The US could be seeing "the calm before the storm", he said.

      However, Mr Bernanke gave no indication over which way interest rates could head..."

      Yikes.  The fate of the U.S. Economy is about as clear as mud.