As superstorm Sandy marched slowly As superstorm Sandy marched slowly inland, millions along the East Coast awoke Tuesday without power or mass transit, with huge swaths of the nation's largest city unusually vacant and dark.inland, millions along the East Coast awoke Tuesday without power or mass transit, with huge swaths of the nation's largest city unusually vacant and dark. Sea water floods the Ground Zero construction site, Monday, Oct. 29, 2012, in New York. New York was among the hardest hit, with its financial heart in Lower Manhattan shuttered for a second day and seawater cascading into the still-gaping construction pit at the World Trade Center. President Barack Obama declared a major disaster in the city and Long Island. The storm that made landfall in New Jersey on Monday evening with 80 mph sustained winds killed at least 17 people in seven states, cut power to more than 7.4 million homes and businesses from the Carolinas to Ohio, caused scares at two … [Read more...] about Sandy leaves death, damp and darkness in wake
Interstate electric company
Suspicions linger over acceleration in Toyota Camrys
Jean Bookout couldn't control her revving car, even after she pulled the emergency brake. It slammed into an embankment beside an Oklahoma interstate, killing her best friend. Bulent Ezal, just about to park his car for lunch, was propelled over a curb, plowed through two decorative fences and plunged over a 70-foot cliff beside the Pacific Ocean, killing his wife. Guadalupe Alberto, on the way to the family convenience store, found herself racing at speeds of as much as 75 mph before she slammed into a tree. A witness said she appeared terrified as she flew by. As the first Congressional hearings on Toyota get underway Tuesday, one key question will be whether the automaker has fully diagnosed the causes of its runaway cars. The company says it has discovered the source of the problem in sticky pedals and interfering floor mats, and is fixing them in the millions of cars it has recalled. But in each of those three fatal episodes, the car involved was a 2005 Toyota Camry, a model that … [Read more...] about Suspicions linger over acceleration in Toyota Camrys
Eastern United States digs out from big snowstorm, braces for cold
The eastern United States began digging out on Saturday from a massive storm that dumped heavy snow from Georgia to Massachusetts, knocking out power for thousands of people and causing hundreds of car crashes, officials said as they warned of more cold weather ahead. The snowstorm also caused flight delays and cancellations across the country. The snow began falling heavily on Friday in parts of Georgia, North and South Carolina and Virginia and lasted until mid-day on Saturday, meteorologist Andrew Orrison of the Weather Prediction Center said by phone. Some of the heaviest snowfall, accumulating to about a foot (30 cm), was in southeast Virginia around Williamsburg and in northern North Carolina, Orrison said. Parts of northern Georgia had over six inches (15 cm) of snow, he said. Georgia Governor Nathan Deal said in a statement that thousands of power outages were reported and city officials in the Atlanta area asked residents to check on elderly people who might lack electricity. … [Read more...] about Eastern United States digs out from big snowstorm, braces for cold