States clean up in deadly snowstorm's wake
BOSTON, Feb. 10 (UPI) -- The northeastern United States was digging out from a monster snowstorm Sunday that killed nine people and left at least 400,000 customers without power.
Residents from Pennsylvania to Maine were left to remove up to 3 feet of snow that began falling Friday and caused state officials to urge residents to stay home and airports to cancel thousands of flights, CNN reported.
"There's just really no place to put the snow," Boston resident Allison Rice told CNN.
Airports in Boston and Connecticut were to resume flights Sunday, officials said. Three of New York's busiest airports had limited service Saturday
At least nine people died in storm-related accidents, including five in Connecticut, two in Canada, one in New York and one in Massachusetts -- a 14-year-old boy who was helping his father shovel snow in Boston.
Firefighters said the boy was in the family's snowed-in car with the engine running and the exhaust pipe blocked by snow caused carbon monoxide to accumulate in the vehicle. Firefighters couldn't revive the teen.
Boston police said they were investigating another possible death from carbon monoxide after a man was found dead a vehicle.
Utility companies said about 400,000 customers were without power early Sunday, down from about 635,000 without service Saturday afternoon.
Connecticut was hardest hit by the storm, with 40 inches of snow reported in Hamden. At one point, it snowed at a rate of 4 to 5 inches an hour, CNN said.
The next major snowstorm was expected to bring heavy snow and strong winds from northeast Colorado to central Minnesota Sunday into Monday, the National Weather Service said.
Eastern South Dakota could get more than a foot of snow along with 50 mph winds that could create whiteout conditions, forecasters said. Areas of Minnesota could also see up to a foot of snow and high winds, weather forecasters said.
Marine Gen. Dunford leads ISAF troops
KABUL, Afghanistan, Feb. 10 (UPI) -- U.S. Marine Corps Gen. Joseph Dunford Jr. assumed command of the coalition forces in Afghanistan Sunday, the International Security Assistance Force said.
Dunford replaced Marine Corps Gen. John R. Allen during a change of command ceremony attended by U.S., NATO and Afghan officials, the ISAF said in a news release.
"Today is not about change, it's about continuity," Dunford said. "I'll endeavor to continue the momentum of the campaign and support the people of Afghanistan as they seize the opportunity for a brighter future."
Allen led coalition troops for 19 months, beginning in July 2011, making him the longest-serving ISAF commander in the 11-year war, ISAF said.
Dunford previously served as assistant commandant of the U.S. Marine Corps; assistant division commander for the 1st Marine Division; director of operations division for plans, policies and operation at Marine headquarters; and commanding general of the Marine Forces Central Command.
Iranians attend Islamic Revolution rallies
TEHRAN, Feb. 10 (UPI) -- Thousands of Iranians rallied Sunday to mark the 34th anniversary of the 1979 Islamic Revolution and the ouster of the U.S.-backed Pahlavi regime.
Marchers in Tehran carried portraits of revolutionary leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini and waved Iranian flags, chanting "Death to America," "Death to Israel," as they headed for the Azadi (Freedom) Square, Iranian media reported.
The country's official IRNA news agency said rallies took place at about 5,000 sites across the country, including Isfahan, Mashhad, Kerman, Shiraz and Tehran.
Under heavy security in the capital, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad praised the Islamic Republic, calling it "glorious," the semi-official Fars news agency said.
Models of the Iranian F-313 Ghaher fighter jet and the Kavoshgar satellite were displayed in the Tehran square, the Mehr news agency reported.
Foreign journalists were permitted to cover the rallies from designated sites under close government scrutiny.
Mehr News com. ran a live video stream allowing people outside Iran to view the rallies. Mehr said the number of participants was double that of previous years in Tehran alone.
The rallies ended late in the morning when participants left to attend noon prayers in mosques.
In 1979, Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi, was forced into exile by Khomeini.
4 wounded in Mardi Gras shooting
NEW ORLEANS, Feb. 10 (UPI) -- Gunfire erupted on New Orleans' Bourbon Street during Mardi Gras festivities Saturday night, leaving two men and two women wounded, police said.
A police spokesman said one male victim was in critical condition and the others were in stable condition, The (New Orleans) Times-Picayune reported.
Patrick Clay, 21, of Mandeville said the 9:30 p.m. shooting sent a crowd of people running.
"Everyone immediately started running and the cops immediately started running towards where people were running from," Clay said.
"I was with a group of about seven people and at that point we all just kind of grasped hands and made our way through the crowd as soon as possible. We were pretty scared, but at that point, I was just more worried about taking care of my friends."
