By Associated Press - Wednesday, January 22, 2014
Storm buries Northeast; 16 inches of snow in NJ

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - A swirling storm clobbered parts of the mid-Atlantic and the urban Northeast on Tuesday, dumping nearly a foot and a half of snow, grounding thousands of flights, closing government offices in the nation’s capital and making a mess of the evening commute.

The storm stretched 1,000 miles between Kentucky and Massachusetts but hit especially hard along the heavily populated Interstate 95 corridor between Philadelphia and Boston, creating perilous rides home for millions of motorists.

The National Weather Service said Manalapan, N.J., got 16 inches of snow and Philadelphia’s airport saw 13.5. It said parts of New York City had 11 inches.

The snow came down harder and faster than many people expected. A blizzard warning was posted for parts of Massachusetts, including Cape Cod.

Highways in the New York City metropolitan area were jammed, and blowing snow tripled or even quadrupled drive times.

“I just want to get to the Bronx,” motorist Peter Neuwens lamented. “It’s a big place. Why can’t I get there?”

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Proposals in Ky. governor’s budget plan

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) - Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear presented his state budget plan on Tuesday for the two-year period beginning July 1. Here are some of the highlights:

Education:

-Increasing the main classroom funding formula for K-12 education by $189 million.

-Restoring Flexible Focus Grants by $47.7 million each year. Grants are used to fund textbooks professional development, extended school services, safe school projects.

-Expanding pre-school, at $18 million each year.

-Providing $60 million in bonds for “Bucks for Brains,” meant to lure top-notch faculty to universities.

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Beshear proposes cuts to reinvest in schools

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) - Gov. Steve Beshear proposed reshuffling state funds Tuesday night to bolster Kentucky’s public schools, recommending a large infusion of money for classrooms gained from another round of budget cuts.

Kentucky’s higher education system was among the broad list of targets for spending cuts in the $20.3 billion, two-year state budget plan that Beshear presented to lawmakers.

The second-term Democratic governor outlined his budget priorities in a speech to a joint session of the General Assembly. It marked the starting point for nearly three months of haggling as the Democratic-led House and Republican-controlled Senate craft a budget for the two years starting July 1.

As promised, Beshear found extra money for Kentucky’s elementary and secondary education system by recommending $98.6 million in spending cuts.

The reinvestments in education will make Kentucky more competitive, he said.

“This budget proposal strategically focuses our very limited resources on what I believe will deliver the greatest return: A more highly educated population that will become a more talented workforce,” he said.

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Subfreezing weather expected to blanket Kentucky

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) - As Kentuckians dig out from several inches of snow, they’re faced with the prospect of temperatures in the single digits and wind chills even lower Wednesday as an Arctic blast serves a second helping of winter weather.

Temperatures in the Bluegrass state were forecast to drop into the teens by Tuesday evening and the single digits by early Wednesday with wind chills below zero for much of the state north of Interstate 64, the Mountain Parkway in eastern Kentucky and Interstate 69 through western Kentucky.

The cold, dry air will help clear up some of the snow but will likely leave roads slick and prone to icing, said Mike Callahan, a hydrologist with the National Weather Service in Louisville.

“We’re not going to see any improvements with that,” Callahan said. “Winter has returned.”

Forecasters said the storm moved quickly but packed a hefty punch as it passed. In the Louisville area, 3 to 5 inches of snow fell while a line from Elizabethtown to Berea saw 2 to 4 inches and winds gusting to 35 mph.

The frigid temperatures come just two weeks after Kentucky braved a post-holiday freeze when temperatures fell to near zero or below, icing roads and causing schools to call off classes for several days. The state’s largest school district, Jefferson County Public Schools, has missed so many snow days this year, it is extending the last day of classes to June 6, said district spokesman Ben Jackey.

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