AP-US-WINTER-WEATHER

Winter’s wrath: Bitter cold, no power and a deadly tornado

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — An apparent tornado has killed at least three people in a seaside town in North Carolina, at the rough edge of a blast of winter weather across the United States. Millions of people in Texas are still without power amid subfreezing temperatures that stretch from Canada into Mexico. Authorities say it’s too treacherous to travel in many states. Record lows include minus 38 degrees recorded in Hibbing, Minnesota. The National Weather Service says this sprawling winter storm that immobilized the Southern Plains will bring more heavy snow and freezing rain Tuesday from the South to the Northeast.

TORNADO-NORTH CAROLINA

At least 3 dead, 10 injured in North Carolina tornado

WILMINGTON, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina authorities say at least three people are dead and 10 others were injured after a tornado ripped through Brunswick County, leaving a trail of heavy destruction. Officials say the tornado hit just after midnight Tuesday in southeastern Brunswick County near Grissettown in the Ocean Ridge Plantation Community, destroying homes, downing powerlines and snapping trees in half. Brunswick County Emergency Management says people were trapped in homes. Brunswick County Sheriff John Ingram says searches for missing people were underway and will increase during the day. He’s asked people to avoid the area while crews work to clear the streets and search for victims.

AP-US-WINTER-WEATHER-THE-LATEST

The Latest: Chicago area hit with more than a foot of snow

A winter storm has blanketed parts of the Chicago area with up to a foot and a half of snow, shuttering schools to in-person classes Tuesday as officials urged residents to stay off the snow-filled roads. The National Weather Service reported that 18 inches of snow had fallen in Evanston by 8 a.m. Tuesday, while Midway International Airport had 17.7 inches and O’Hare International airport reported 7.5 inches. Illinois State Police and the state Department of Transportation urged residents to stay at home while crews clear roadways. The heavy snowfall prompted schools to cancel classes across the region, while federal and local courts canceled in-person hearings.

TRUMP-IMPEACHMENT-BURR

NC GOP votes to censure Sen. Burr after impeachment vote

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — The North Carolina Republican Party has voted to censure Sen. Richard Burr over his vote to convict former President Donald Trump during Trump’s second impeachment trial. NCGOP Chairman Michael Whatley says the resolution is merely symbolic and aims to express the state party’s disappointment with Burr’s decision. Burr says, “It is truly a sad day for North Carolina Republicans.” He is one of seven Republicans who voted to convict Trump of “incitement of insurrection” on Saturday. Burr had previously said the impeachment proceeding was unconstitutional. Trump was acquitted after falling short of the two-thirds majority needed for conviction.

MICHAEL JORDAN-CLINIC DONATION

Michael Jordan gives $10M for North Carolina health clinics

WILMINGTON, N.C. (AP) — A health care system announced Monday that basketball legend Michael Jordan is donating $10 million to launch two medical clinics in underserved communities near his North Carolina hometown. Novant Health says the clinics are set to open in New Hanover County in early 2022. News outlets report that the gift marks one of the largest ever from the Basketball Hall of Fame athlete. Jordan previously gave $7 million to open clinics in Charlotte in 2019 and 2020. Jordan grew up in Wilmington before going on to play at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill then later winning six championships with the Chicago Bulls.

MISSING GIRL

Missing Virginia girl found, Texas man in custody

MARTINSVILLE, Va. (AP) — Authorities say a  Texas man has been taken into custody after the reported abduction of a 12-year-old Virginia girl. Authorities say 21-year-old Kaleb Christopher Merritt was captured in Henderson, North Carolina, on Saturday. The girl was reported missing from her home in Bassett, Virginia on Friday afternoon. Police say she and Merritt connected in December on Instagram and communicated through social media until Merritt traveled to Virginia this month to meet her. Investigators say Merritt set up a camp in a wooded area behind the girl’s home and met with her several times before convincing her to leave with him.

AP-US-VIRUS-OUTBREAK-DISABILITIES-VACCINES

‘I put my life on hold:’ Disability groups plead for vaccine

Though many people with disabilities are more vulnerable to COVID-19, in some U.S. states they’re being left behind in a massive effort to get limited vaccines into the arms of those who need them most. People with disabilities have been pushed down the priority list in places like North Carolina and California, where the state reversed course after days of public pressure. In Minnesota, parents are begging unsuccessfully to give their vaccination spots to their children whose Down syndrome makes them up to 10 times more likely to die if they catch the virus. A trade group for disability service providers found 20 states haven’t explicitly placed people with disabilities on their priority lists.

TRUMP-IMPEACHMENT-REPUBLICANS

7 Republicans vote to convict Trump in impeachment trial

WASHINGTON (AP) — Seven Republicans have voted to convict former President Donald Trump in his Senate trial. That is easily the largest number of lawmakers to ever vote to find a president of their own party guilty at impeachment proceedings. The Senate voted 57-43 to find Trump guilty, meaning the evenly divided Senate fell well short of the two-thirds majority required to convict an impeached president. But by joining all 50 Democrats who voted against Trump, the seven GOP senators created a clear majority against him and provided a bipartisan chorus of condemnation of the former president.

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