Northeastern U.S. mops up after storm slams the region

Just days before the Christmas holiday, people across the northeastern U.S. were mopping up Tuesday after a major storm dumped torrential rains and brought damaging winds from Pennsylvania to Maine, as some rivers in the region rose even higher. At least five people were killed.

In Hallowell, Maine, just south of the state capital of Augusta, the Kennebec River was over flood stage and still rising.

Utility crews worked to restore power to hundreds of thousands of customers following the powerful storm that brought windspeeds over 60 mph to some areas.

“It was pretty loud, the wind was pretty strong, branches are breaking, things are flapping outside,” said Drew Landry of Hallowell, who lost power and was looking at a street that was under water Tuesday.

More than 5 inches of rain fell in parts of New Jersey and northeastern Pennsylvania.

PORTLAND, MAINE >>

Minnesota panel chooses new state flag featuring North Star

Minnesota’s new state flag should feature an eight-pointed North Star against a dark blue background shaped like the state, with a solid light blue field at the right, a special commission decided Tuesday as it picked a replacement for an older design that many Native Americans considered offensive.

The State Emblems Redesign Commission chose the final version on an 11-1 vote after finalizing a new state seal that depicts a loon, the state bird. Unless the Legislature rejects them, the new flag and seal will automatically become official April 1, when Minnesota observes Statehood Day.

The star echoes Minnesota’s state motto of “Star of the North.” The commission’s chairman, Luis Fitch, said that to him, the light blue represents the Mississippi River, “the most important river in the United States,” pointing to the North Star.

The new flag is a revised version of a design submitted by Andrew Prekker, 24, of Luverne.

MINNEAPOLIS >>

Where is Navalny? Search on for missing Russian dissident

After two weeks without word from Alexei Navalny, Russia’s most prominent opposition figure, his lawyers and allies, fearing the worst, are running a frantic campaign to find him.

Their efforts have included requesting information from dozens of Russian prisons and taking to social media to raise awareness of Navalny’s disappearance and to call on the Russian government to reveal his whereabouts.

Many Russians living abroad have gone to their country’s diplomatic missions to protest. Some have held up posters saying, “Where is Navalny?”

Dmitry Peskov, spokesperson for President Vladimir Putin, told journalists Friday that the Kremlin had “neither the possibility, nor rights or desire to trace the fate of convicts,” referring to Navalny.

The last time Navalny’s lawyers heard from him was Dec. 5.