NEWS OF THE DAY
From Across the Nation
1 Deadly pileup: A pileup involving dozens of vehicles Saturday on a Pennsylvania interstate that killed three people and sent scores to hospitals appears to have been related to a passing snow squall, authorities said. Trooper Justin Summa said three fatalities were confirmed and an unknown number of critically injured patients were flown to hospitals. Seventy more were transported by ambulance to other facilities following the crash on Interstate 78 in Fredericksburg. State police said more than 50 vehicles were involved in the crash. PennLive.com reported that some witnesses described sudden whiteout conditions on the interstate before the crash.
2 Eastern cold snap: Bitter temperatures and biting winds had much of the northeastern United States bundled up for the some of the worst cold of the winter on Saturday — a snap so bad it forced an ice festival in New York’s Central Park to cancel. Mayor Bill de Blasio urged residents to take “extreme precautions,” while forecasters warned that high winds in New England could make it feel as cold as 35 degrees below zero. 3 Officers shot: Two police officers in Baton Rouge, La., were wounded early Saturday as they traded gunshots with a suspect they had been chasing, officials said. Area residents said dozens of shots were fired in an exchange that also wounded the suspect. Police Chief Carl Dabadie Jr. said the officers’ injuries did not appear to be life-threatening. The suspect, identified as Calvin Smith, 22, underwent surgery. Gina Chambers said Smith has been living at her Baton Rouge home since December. Chambers said Smith’s mother is her godmother. Chambers said Smith has been grappling with “mental issues” and had attempted suicide. The officers had responded to a call of a report of someone damaging property.
4 Earthquakes: A 5.1-magnitude earthquake shook northwestern Oklahoma on Saturday, the U.S. Geological Survey said, the third-strongest temblor ever recorded in the state where the power and frequency of earthquakes has dramatically increased in recent years. There were no reports of injury or significant damage. The earthquake was centered about 17 miles north of Fairview. A second quake measured at 3.9 magnitude struck 10 minutes later, followed by smaller aftershocks. Oklahoma’s stronger and more frequent earthquakes have been linked to the injection into the ground of the briny wastewater left over from oil and gas production. 5 Wrong-way crash: A suspected drunken driver going the wrong way on Interstate 75 in Dayton, Ohio, slammed head-on into a sport utility vehicle, killing himself and four people inside the other vehicle early Saturday, police said. A truck driver, Chris Dues, said he came upon the wreckage in a construction zone shortly after the crash around 3 a.m. “It was horrific,” he said. “There was no front end on either of the vehicles.” Dues said the victims in the SUV, which flipped onto its roof and landed on the other car, were trapped inside. All five were pronounced dead at the scene.