Blizzard stalls travel
Blizzard stalls travel — A howling blizzard slammed the Northeast on Sunday with more than 2 feet of snow and hurricane-strength wind gusts, halting air travel for thousands of people, keeping others off slippery highways and burying parked cars under deep drifts. Up to 31 inches of snow fell north of Boston, parts of New Hampshire got 2 feet, New York’s Catskills collected at least 20 inches and 18 inches fell on parts of Connecticut, New Jersey, Rhode Island and the eastern tip of New York’s Long Island.
Norwalk strikes Caribbean cruise — More than 250 people aboard a cruise ship fell ill with a stomach virus while touring the western Caribbean, cruise line officials said Saturday. About 233 of the 3,465 passengers aboard the Mariner of the Seas became sick after the vessel left Port Canaveral on Jan. 16 for a seven-day cruise through the western Caribbean. The ship was expected to return early Sunday.
Cooling-off period ends for SF hotel workers — The cooling-off period that began Nov. 23, 2004 for San Francisco hotel employers and workers ended today with no resolution. The 60-day period, which forbade workers from striking and employers from locking their employees out, did not produce a contract upon which both groups could agree.
US Airways machinists cave — Another labor union at US Airways Group Inc. yesterday agreed to eliminate thousands of jobs in an attempt to help the airline emerge from its second bankruptcy in two years. Changes approved by the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) will save the Arlington airline $346 million annually, the union said.
Weak dollar boost ski business — The weak U.S. dollar, falling to record lows against the euro, is making American slopes more affordable to Europeans who have opted for the Alps in past years. Canadians who previously found a ski trip south of the border too expensive are also now headed for U.S. slopes, while Americans who used to ski in Canada for the price advantage are now staying home, Vail Resorts spokeswoman Kelly Ladyga said.
Packing more than your bags — The biggest draws at the Elk Mountain Resort aren’t its down-filled duvets, 2,600-bottle wine cellar or killer views of southwestern Colorado’s San Juan range. It’s the 9mm semiautomatic I’m about to blast at a bad guy in a ski mask.