Snowstorm wreaking havoc on Mid-Atlantic
WASHINGTON, Feb. 6 (UPI) -- A snowstorm plaguing Maryland, Virginia and the nation's capital has caused traffic accidents, power outages and travel delays, officials said Saturday.
The Washington Post said a tractor-trailer struck a father and son in Virginia as the pair attempted to help a stranded motorist. The two fatalities further prompted officials to urge people not to travel amid the inclement weather conditions.
Heavy snowfall in Washington, as well as parts of Maryland and Virginia, has also left residents trapped inside their homes without power. Utility companies in the Mid-Atlantic region said hundreds of thousands of people were without electricity as a result of the storm.
Officials said the snowstorm has also limited public transportation offerings as well as airport services in the region and postal services.
The Post said Joan Morris of the Virginia Department of Transportation estimated it would be several days until streets are clear of the rising snow levels.
"Monday is not going to be a get-to-work day," Morris offered. "It's going to be the better part of next week before we finish with the subdivisions."
AccuWeather.com said while snowfall was lessening in parts of Maryland and Virginia, as well as Pennsylvania and West Virginia, some areas could still see as much as 3 feet of total snow as a result of the storm.
Obama still wants to pass healthcare bill
WASHINGTON, Feb. 6 (UPI) -- U.S. President Barack Obama told the Democratic National Committee at its winter meeting Saturday that change will come with or without Republican help.
Obama said his administration will not ignore tough problems like energy, education and bank reform. He concluded by saying he will fight for a healthcare bill.
" And, yes, we could continue to ignore the growing burden of runaway costs of health care. The easiest thing to do right now would be to just say this is too hard; let's just regroup and lick our wounds and try to hang on. We've had a long and difficult debate on health care. And there are some, maybe even the majority in this town, who say perhaps it's time to walk away. Just in case there is any confusion out there. I am not going to walk away from health insurance reform,"
Obama's speech touched on many topics. He opened by saying people are "frustrated" by continued high unemployment.
Committee members applauded when the president promised to repeal the "don't ask, don't tell" policy that bars open homosexuals from military service.
U.S. civilian worker missing in Iraq
BAGHDAD, Feb. 6 (UPI) -- U.S. military officials said they were searching for a 60-year-old Army civilian worker who vanished while on assignment in Baghdad.
Issa Salomi of El Cajon, Calif., last was seen Jan. 23, the U.S. Department of Defense said in a statement.
A video posted Thursday on an Iraqi Web site showed a man identified only as an American who was being held hostage. The kidnappers said they were the same group that kidnapped Peter Moore, a British citizen freed Dec. 31 after more than two years captivity, CNN reported Saturday.
The authenticity of the tape had not been verified and U.S. military officials declined to comment on the video.
The man in the tape, who appeared to be of upper middle-age, said his abductors wanted members of the Blackwater company punished for crimes committed against Iraqis.
Blackwater guards were involved in a September 2007 shootout in Baghdad that killed 17 Iraqis and wounded two dozen more. The incident led the Iraq government to put restrictions on security contractors hired by Blackwater, which has changed its name to Xe, and other security firms.
Records contradict Ill. nominee's claims
CHICAGO, Feb. 6 (UPI) -- The public record contradicts many statements made by Democratic Illinois lieutenant governor nominee Scott Lee Cohen, The Chicago Tribune reported Saturday.
Cohen said Thursday he will not step aside as Gov. Pat Quinn has requested. But the newspaper said revelations that Cohen left out damning details in his vague account about a battery case he was involved in is only one of a long list of examples of records contradicting his assertions of integrity and business success.
Cohen was the surprise winner of last week's Illinois Democratic Party lieutenant governor race. He says he was up front with voters about domestic battery charges, later dismissed, involving a girlfriend.
But an examination of police records showed the ex-girlfriend, a convicted prostitute, had accused him of holding a knife to her throat, which Cohen didn't disclose when questioned earlier last week, The Tribune said.
The newspaper reported Saturday that Cohen has been sued dozens of times for back taxes; has been cited numerous times by the city for building code violations; has failed to pay water bills; and has been accused by his ex-wife of being a serial cheater who shot up illegally obtained steroids and physically abused her.
