Storm strikes Mid-Atlantic; 250K lose power

WASHINGTON (AP) — A winter storm marched into the Mid-Atlantic region Wednesday, dumping nearly two feet of snow in some places and knocking out power to about 250,000 homes and businesses. It largely spared the nation's capital, which was expecting much worse and had all but shut down.

Officials in Washington didn't want a repeat of 2011, when a rush-hour snowstorm stranded commuters for hours, so they told people to stay off the roads and gave workers the day off. Dubbed the "snowquester," the storm closed federal government offices, just as the automatic budget cuts known as the sequester were expected to do.

The storm pummeled the nation's midsection on Tuesday, killing at least four people in weather-related traffic accidents. It was forecast to head to the northeast on Thursday, bringing strong winds, more snow and the possibility of coastal flooding to New England.

The National Weather Service was predicting up to 7 inches of heavy, wet snow in southeastern Connecticut through Friday morning and wind gusts that could hit 50 mph, bringing possible power outages. A coastal flood warning was in effect starting Thursday morning for east-facing shores in Massachusetts, with up to a 3-foot surge at high tide in some areas. Central Massachusetts was bracing for 4 to 8 inches of snow, while Boston was expected to get a little less.

In Washington, where as much as 10 inches had been forecast, the storm did little but drop harmless snowflakes that rapidly melted amid warmer-than-expected temperatures. Federal offices in the region will be open Thursday.

"They just say that it might snow and the whole city shuts down," said Sheri Sable, who was out walking her two dogs in light rain and marveled at how even the dog park she frequents failed to open at 7 a.m.

There were bigger problems elsewhere in the region, though.

On the Jersey Shore, still recovering from Superstorm Sandy, winds gusted past 60 mph in some parts. Winds raked the beachfront in Point Pleasant Beach, blowing drifts of sand onto Ocean Avenue, and shredding the decorative entrance canopy at a hotel across the street from the beach.

Lashing winds also blew off part of the roof of a Stone Harbor, N.J., condominium complex and Ocean City officials advised residents to move their cars to higher ground in preparation of possible flooding. Maryland's Bay Bridge, which connects Maryland's Eastern shore with the Baltimore-Washington region, closed in both directions, because of wind gusts of up to 60 mph.

A tractor-trailer overturned on the bridge and leaned against the guardrail. Kelly Kiley, an interior designer, was driving on the span soon after the accident.

"The travel on the bridge was extremely scary," Kiley said. "The crosswinds were terrible. Some of the taller box trucks were swaying."

The bridge reopened Wednesday evening.

In North Carolina, state officials said high winds led to sound side flooding along N.C. 12 and brought the Hatteras-Ocracoke ferry run to a halt.

In Virginia, Gov. Bob McDonnell declared a state of emergency and about 50 National Guard soldiers were sent out to help clear roads. Up to 20 inches of snow piled up in central and western parts of the state. More than 200,000 people in Virginia alone lost power and another 40,000 in New Jersey were left in the dark. Hundreds of wrecks were reported around the region.

"Stay off the roads, stay inside, enjoy the day off," McDonnell implored residents at an early-afternoon news briefing.

In Richmond, most commuters appeared to be headed home by midday with the exception of Clint Davis, an attorney who was needed in U.S. Bankruptcy Court.

"Unless they canceled court, I had to be here," said Davis, who was wearing a hooded slicker over his suit to shield himself from gobs of snow blown from trees. "I'll be here for two or three hours and come out to a snow-covered car."

The storm dumped 2 feet of snow in parts of West Virginia, closing schools in more than half the state and leaving more than 20,000 customers without power.

Some communities in Washington's outer suburbs saw significant accumulation too, including in Loudoun County, which had 9 inches in some places.

In Sterling, Va., a glaze of slush and snow coated major roads and side streets, but traffic was relatively light and plow trucks passed through repeatedly. Many retailers were closed. Only a handful of customers patronized the Glory Days Grill. Carolyn Donahue was working from home and trekked out with her husband, Tom, for a lunch break without any trouble on slushy but passable roads.

"I don't consider this a big storm," he said.

Downtown Washington was unusually quiet. Officials eager to avoid a repeat of 2011 pre-emptively shut down federal offices and canceled public schools. Non-emergency federal employees were treated to a paid snow day for the number of hours they were scheduled to work.

Some congressional hearings were postponed, but the House of Representatives managed to approve legislation to prevent a government shutdown on March 27 and President Barack Obama was set to have dinner with GOP senators at a hotel on Wednesday night.

"So far, knock on wood, we've dodged on this one," said D.C. Homeland Security director Chris Geldart. "We're keeping our fingers crossed that it remains the way it's been."

The Baltimore-Washington area's last major snowstorm struck Jan. 26, 2011. It hit Washington during the evening rush hour, causing some motorists to be stuck in traffic nearly overnight. It dropped 5 inches on Washington and 7.8 inches on Baltimore, knocked out power to about 320,000 homes and contributed to six deaths. The federal government later changed its policies to allow workers to leave their offices sooner or to work from home if major storms are expected.

The current storm led to at least four deaths. A semi-trailer slid off a snow-covered interstate in western Wisconsin, killing two people. A central Indiana woman died when a semi-trailer plowed into her car after she lost control merging onto the highway, and a man from Columbia City in northeast Indiana was killed when his snowmobile left the road, headed across a field and crashed into a wire fence.

The storm brought around 10 inches of snow to weather-hardened Chicago on Tuesday, prompting the closing of schools and the cancellation of more than 1,100 flights at the city's two major airports. Hundreds more flights were canceled Wednesday at Dulles and Reagan National airports in the Washington area, according to FlightAware.com.

In Pennsylvania and Ohio, many areas had 4 to 6 inches of snow. The weather service issued a winter storm warning for the Philadelphia area and parts of central Pennsylvania through Thursday morning.

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Gun owners arming themselves with lawyers even before shots are fired

By Jason Sickles, Yahoo! | The Lookout – 14 hrs ago

Beyond guilt or innocence, the case against Florida murder suspect George Zimmerman will undoubtedly leave him broke.

The controversial concealed handgun license holder made headlines last spring when he claimed he killed 17-year-old Trayvon Martin in self-defense during a violent scuffle. Zimmerman hasn’t worked in the year since the shooting and faces a mountain of debt to avoid a possible 25 years to life in prison.

Generic photo of gun in hand. (Thinkstock)

“He’s going through $1 million of costs, and his life is being destroyed because he acted properly in the use of his weapon,” his attorney, Mark O’Mara, told Yahoo News. “Other people need to learn a very expensive lesson from George, in that you need to be careful even when you use your weapon properly.”

Gun owners seem to be heeding the message that, even in self-defense, pulling the trigger can be a costly proposition. Exact stats aren’t kept, but anecdotal evidence points to more gun owners proactively seeking legal assistance.

Around the country, a growing number of attorneys and gun-rights groups now offer prepaid legal plans for self-defense shootings. The programs, which are sold as either insurance or legal services, range from $100 to $300 a year and vary in coverage. Some reimburse set amounts for attorney fees, while others are like having a lawyer on retainer.

In Texas, 49,000 gun owners have signed on with the legal defense program U.S. Law Shield in less than four years. The firm made up of gun-rights attorneys recently expanded to Florida and Oklahoma. Last year, the NRA began selling self-defense coverage to its members. Oklahoma City attorney Doug Friesen now markets his prepaid services at YourGunLawyer.com.

“For the first time in the last year, we’re seeing people buying guns because they are genuinely afraid of what can happen in life to them,” said Friesen, who offers single coverage and family plans. “And they are saying something bad can happen if I’m not prepared to defend myself. I think it’s that reality.”

[Related: Why did George Zimmerman abandon 'stand your ground' hearing?]

Zimmerman, whose parents are mixed-race, did not have a prepaid legal plan. He and his wife were living paycheck to paycheck when the volunteer neighborhood watchman shot Martin, who is black, during a violent scuffle in their gated Sanford, Fla., community, O’Mara said.

“No savings, no nothing, so they are well worse than broke,” the attorney said. “It’s a great idea that gun owners have some type of insurance coverage to protect themselves from the liability of their weapon and from having to defend their actions.”

Mark O'Mara and George Zimmerman in court. (AP)

While O’Mara has vowed to represent his client without compensation if necessary, he said at least $30,000 a month in donations is needed for experts, security and other expenses. Zimmerman now sends autographed thank-you notes todonors of his legal defense fund.

“We’re at the point now where we need money to literally survive,” O’Mara said.

Media attention and the circumstances of his case have made Zimmerman’s legal fight extremely expensive, but legal experts agree that even routine gun cases can escalate from thousands to tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars.

For $10.95 a month, U.S. Law Shield clients get criminal and civil representation for any gun-related charge as long as the member was lawfully carrying the weapon. Exclusions vary by state but could include incidents occurring in a bar, hospital or at a school sporting event.

While not all calls involve actual shootings, U.S. Law Shield attorney Kirk Evans said the phone rings with new cases nearly every day.

“Part of the benefit hopefully is getting cases dismissed earlier or getting you no-billed at the grand jury,” Evans said.

One of his cases that went to trial involved a motorcyclist whose money was falling out of his pockets on the freeway. The man shot at people who were attempting to steal his cash before he could scoop it back up.

“He plea-bargained to attempted obstruction of a highway, which is a Class C misdemeanor,” Evans told Yahoo News. “He did not receive a complete acquittal, but he sure as heck didn’t get convicted of attempted murder or assault with a deadly weapon.”

[Related: Homeowner who shot at burglar takes plea deal]

Texas attorney Philip Hilder scoffs at the defense-by-subscription trend.

“There is no rule of thumb,” said Hilder, a former prosecutor who now defends criminals. “Every case is going to be fact-specific. What they are charging is unrealistic. You get what you pay for.”

Staying out of jail is one thing, but gun owners are also being warned about being sued by people they’ve shot.

The NRA’s self-defense plan, priced at $165 and $254 a year, includes liability insurance in addition to civil and criminal defense. Options include $100,000 and $250,000 limits.

“It does not surprise me that the products are out there,” said Amy Bach, co-founder of United Policyholders, a nonprofit advocate for insurance consumers.

Homeowner policies seldom pay for shootings, she said.

“Insurance is supposed to cover accidents, not when you do something on purpose,” Bach said. “If I were a gun owner, which I am not, I would consider this a worthwhile expense.”

[Related: Researchers report sharp rise in 'patriot' groups]

Alan Korwin, author of “AFTER YOU SHOOT: Your gun's hot. The perp's not. Now what?” doesn’t endorse any particular lawyer or plan, but he does advocate being proactive.

He warns on GunLaws.com: “If you’re not able to put up decent money, you’re simply not a player and you are likely to be trampled by the system.”

A lesson Jay “Rodney” Lewis learned during 103 days behind bars in 2011-2012.

Four months before Zimmerman made headlines, Lewis, who is black, said he shot a drunken driver who sideswiped his car and then physically threatened to attack him in West Des Moines, Iowa. The white man he shot suffered a nonlethal shoulder and arm wound.

Lewis, a former law enforcement officer and concealed handgun permit holder, wasn’t aware of prepaid gun lawyers and didn’t hire an attorney.

“I was very naïve,” he told Yahoo News. “I honestly believed that if I told the police the truth that they would investigate and let me go.”

Instead, police charged the 49-year-old with three felonies. Lewis, who was barely earning $30,000 as an IRS call taker, couldn’t afford to make bail and was appointed a public defender. He refused to accept a plea deal.

“I didn’t do anything wrong,” Lewis said. “I wasn’t going to sign something saying I did something illegal.”

Lewis lost his job, his apartment and most of his possessions while in jail. He was finally freed when a jury acquitted him of all charges.

“There’s not a day that doesn’t go by that I don’t think about it,” he said. “I don’t think it’s done me any favors. I’m stone-broke.”

Prosecutors in Colorado theater-shooting case say insanity defense law constitutional

DENVER (Reuters) - Prosecutors in the case against accused Colorado movie theater gunman James Holmes urged a judge to reject a defense motion to declare the state's insanity defense lawunconstitutional, court filings released on Wednesday show.

Last week, attorneys for Holmes asked Arapahoe County District Judge William Sylvester to declare Colorado's insanity defense law unconstitutional because it compels defendants who enter insanity pleas to cooperate with court-appointed psychiatrists.

That scenario could force Holmes to provide potentially incriminating statements that could be used against him not only at trial but in sentencing should he be convicted, defense lawyers argued.

Prosecutors countered, in their response made public on Wednesday, that federal and state courts had both upheld the legality of laws that require those who raise an insanity defense to submit to mental-health examinations, because there are other remedies available to preserve a defendant's rights.

"It is well established law in Colorado that submitting to court ordered evaluation does not violate a defendant's Fifth Amendment privilege against self-incrimination," the prosecution motion said.

Holmes, 25, is scheduled to enter a plea next week, but the flurry of pleadings in the case puts that date in doubt.

He is charged with multiple counts of first-degree murder and attempted murder for a shooting spree last July in which 12 moviegoers were killed and 58 others wounded during a midnight screening of "The Dark Knight Rises" Batman movie in Aurora, Colorado.

Holmes, a former University of Colorado neuroscience graduate student, was bound over for trial in January after a three-day preliminary hearing in which prosecutors presented evidence that the California native spent months plotting the mass killing.

Prosecutors have 60 days after a plea is entered to announce whether they will seek the death penalty.

Arapahoe County District Attorney George Brauchler said last month that he had added a death penalty lawyer to the prosecution team, indicating he was considering going after capital punishment in the case.

Legal analyst Craig Silverman, who has followed the case closely, said defense lawyers would put out scores of motions hoping that an appellate issue would surface that could keep their client off death row.

"These motions are all mini-insurance policies in case there is a death penalty verdict," said Silverman, a former Denver prosecutor. "But there's no guarantee that any of them will work."

(Editing by Dan Whitcomb and Peter Cooney)

Gun-control drive to get first votes in Congress

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Less than three months after the Connecticut school shooting, a campaign to tighten gun laws that is backed by President Barack Obama will go to its first votes inCongress on Thursday when a Senate panel meets.

The Democrat-controlled Senate Judiciary Committee is expected to approve the four bills that make up the gun-control package in voting over the next day or so.

That will sets up fights in the full Senate over a proposed ban on assault weapons and a plan to expandbackground checks on prospective gun buyers.

Wider background checks had been seen as one of the measures with most chance of success in Congress, but the push for this it has stumbled in recent days over a dispute about whether to keep records of private gun sales. Republicans fear such records would be a first step to a government register of gun owners.

Republican Senator Tom Coburn of Oklahoma said it was possible to reach an agreement with Democrats on background checks but there was a chance "we won't, and that will be a shame."

The drive for gun-control laws has taken on a new urgency since the December shooting in which a gunman killed 20 children and six adults at a school in Newtown, Connecticut.

It has become one of Obama's top domestic priorities, along with immigration reform and fixing a series of budget messes.

But reviving an assault-weapons ban that ran out in 2004 has almost no chance in Congress due to opposition from Republicans and even some Democrats.

The two parties are closer to agreement on the two lesser elements of the gun-control drive: cracking down on the illegal trafficking of firearms and bolstering school security.

The chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Vermont Democrat Patrick Leahy, increased the chances of his bill to combat unlawful gun trafficking when he attracted four co-sponsors on Monday - two fellow Democrats and two Republicans.

The panel's top Republican, Senator Charles Grassley, said he might also join them in backing the bill, which would toughen statutes against "straw purchasers" - people who profit from buying guns then selling them to those prohibited from owning firearms.

"The practice of straw purchasing is used for one thing — to put firearms into the hands of those that are prohibited by law from having them. Many are then used to further violent crimes," Leahy said on Tuesday.

Democratic Senator Barbara Boxer has received bipartisan support for her bill to provide $40 million a year for 10 years in matching federal grants to schools to strengthen security.

The measure would authorize the U.S. Justice Department to create a National Center for Campus Public Safety to serve as a clearing house for best practices and information.

"Congress spends hundreds of millions a year to protect its members. It can certainly spend $40 million a year to protect our children," the California senator said on Monday.

Democrats control the Judiciary Committee 10-8 but they might need 60 votes to clear gun control legislation in the 100-member Senate where they have only a 55-45 majority.

(Editing by Alistair Bell; Editing by David Brunnstrom)

Focus on Zumba Teacher in Maine Prostitution Case

By DAVID SHARP Associated Press

The focus of a small-town prostitution scandal has turned to a Zumba fitness instructor captured in scores of sex videos now that an insurance agent accused of being her business partner has been convicted.

Video and testimony during insurance agent Mark Strong's trial indicated dance instructor Alexis Wright's trysts were captured by a hidden video camera in a sophisticated operation featuring meticulous ledgers and calendars and the use of license plates to identify clients. Strong, who has acknowledged having an affair with Wright, monitored the sex acts from his office 100 miles away.

Wright faces charges of prostitution and tax violations. She has pleaded not guilty and will stand trial in May if there's no plea deal.

Deputy District Attorney Justina McGettigan said she'll meet with Wright's lawyer next week for a settlement conference.

Wright's lawyer, Sarah Churchill, said the issues are different with Wright's case than with Strong's case. She declined to comment on settlement talks.

The prostitution scandal in Kennebunk, a village known more for its sea captains' homes and beaches than for crime, attracted international attention in the fall after it was reported that Wright's ledgers indicated she had more than 150 clients and made $150,000 over 18 months.

Authorities then set the town abuzz with word that they would be charging each of the johns, leading residents to wonder who they were.

After Strong's conviction Wednesday, McGettigan said the guilty verdicts vindicated law enforcement officials accused of putting too much time and money into the investigation that led to charges, mostly misdemeanors, against the two key figures.

AP

FILE - In this Jan. 18, 2013 file photo, Mark Strong Sr., leaves the Cumberland County Court House in Portland, Maine. The jury in Strong’s trial watched a video Thursday, Feb. 28, 2013, showing a sexual encounter between Zumba fitness instructor Alexis Wright and a man who left cash on her massage table. Strong is charged with 13 counts that relate to promoting prostitution. He contends he had an affair with Wright and helped her launch her Pura Vida dance studio in Kennebunk, Maine, but his lawyer has said he was unaware of any paid sex. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty, File)

"Prostitution is not legal in Maine. We don't promote prostitution. We don't want it in our communities," she said. "The Kennebunk Police Department did a fabulous job investigating this despite all of the negative comments that were thrown out that it was a poor use of resources. In fact, it was a good use of resources because it makes our communities safer."

More than 60 john suspects have been charged.

While Wright is accused of engaging in prostitution, it was Strong who called the shots by controlling, supervising and managing the prostitution business, prosecutors said.

The married businessman acknowledged helping Wright her open the Kennebunk studio but contended he didn't profit from her prostitution.

Jurors convicted him of all 13 counts: 12 of promoting prostitution and one of conspiracy. Combined, there's a possible prison sentence of 13 years, but that's unlikely because Strong, 57, had no prior criminal record.

Strong, of Thomaston, showed little reaction as the verdicts were announced. His wife buried her head in their son's shoulder and quietly sobbed.

Later, Strong said his family needs to heal.

"It's not easy, obviously," Strong said outside the courthouse. "It's going to take time."

Testimony and videos presented to jurors indicated Strong was familiar with operational details of Wright's activities, chatting via Skype before and after her appointments and watching the sexual encounters from his office in Thomaston. Wright provided clients' license plate numbers to Strong, who used his position as a private investigator to check them out, prosecutors say.

Before each tryst, prosecutors say, Wright took time to make sure her hidden video camera was pointed at the massage table where they took place.

The judge previously dismissed 46 invasion-of-privacy counts that stemmed from videotaping of clients without their knowledge.

Wright, too, faces 46 invasion-of-privacy charges along with 50 additional charges that include prostitution and tax violations.

As for Strong, he has been released on personal recognizance pending sentencing on March 19.

The verdict in the delay-plagued trial came more than six weeks after the start of jury selection, which was halted twice because of legal action that went to the state Supreme Court, leaving potential jurors in limbo for weeks.

Defense lawyer Dan Lilley said he was disappointed by the verdict but is focusing on sentencing and possible appeals.

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