Nation in brief: Storm smacks Upper Midwest
DES MOINES, Iowa – A fierce winter storm hammered more than a dozen states Tuesday with dangerous ice, heavy snow and vicious winds that threatened to create 15-foot drifts in parts of the Upper Midwest.
As much as two-thirds of the country will be affected by the storm by the time it moves off the Maine coast Thursday night, said Jim Lee, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Des Moines. “It’s a monster of a storm.”
After drenching California with rain and blanketing the mountain West, the storm was expected to bring significant snowfall and blizzard conditions from Utah to the Great Lakes. Wind advisories and warnings were in effect from New Mexico to the Mid-Atlantic states with flooding in the south. Winter storm warnings were likely to be issued in New England by Wednesday.
A foot or more of snow was expected in parts of Iowa, Illinois and Wisconsin, meteorologists said. Wind gusts of up to 50 mph could create snow drifts of 8 to 15 feet.
Gumbel says he had cancer surgery
NEW YORK – Bryant Gumbel shocked a television audience with the news that he’s recovering from cancer surgery and treatment.
The former “Today” show anchor, 61, said a malignant tumor and part of his lung were removed two months ago. He revealed his condition to Kelly Ripa while subbing for Regis Philbin on Tuesday’s edition of “Live With Regis and Kelly.”
“It’s nothing to hide from,” Gumbel said. “They opened up my chest, they took out a malignant tumor, they took out part of my lung and they took out some other goodies.” Some cancer cells escaped, “so I went through some treatment and it’s done now.”
Man claims can filled with $10,000
DES MOINES, Iowa – The owner of a tin can containing more than $10,000 that sat for four days on a Kmart service counter in Iowa has claimed the treasure.
Authorities say Joe Heithoff may have been having a reaction to medication Nov. 29 when he inadvertently left a red tin can with $10,380 on the store’s customer service counter.
The can sat on the counter for four days before employees opened it last Thursday. Police took the can away Friday.
Heithoff’s wife, Margaret, called police early Tuesday to claim the missing money.
Des Moines Police Detective Scott Anderson says Margaret Heithoff had heard someone talking about the found can on the radio.
Anderson says she proved ownership by correctly describing several items that were in the can along with the money.
Search fails to find invasive carp
CHICAGO – Officials say a weeklong search turned up no Asian carp south of Chicago where the invasive fish’s DNA was discovered this fall.
Federal, state and local agencies said Tuesday that more than 800 fish were caught in nets during a search of a 5.5-mile stretch of the Cal-Sag Channel. But none were Asian carp.
The channel is part of a waterway network linking Lake Michigan with the Mississippi River basin.
Authorities announced in November that Asian carp DNA had been found in the channel north of an electronic barrier designed to prevent the carp from migrating into the Great Lakes.
Officials did find a single Asian carp during a fish-kill in another part of the canal last week, but it wasn’t past the barrier.