National Guard helps Stonington dig out after Blizzard 2015

STONINGTON, Conn. (WTNH) While it was back to business in some parts of the state Wednesday, more National Guardsmen arrived in southeastern Connecticut, one of the hardest hit areas of the state.

Stonington is getting help digging out after nearly two feet fell on the town. Ten guardsmen were deployed Tuesday, and five more arrived Wednesday, helping get the town out of a state of emergency.

The Guardsmen rolled into town Tuesday night, and by 2 a.m. Wednesday they were busy removing tons of snow from downtown Pawcatuck. After that, they arrived at Mystic Middle School at 7 a.m. for another round of removal.

There are tremendous sized piles up there, so Im not sure if we could have done this without them, said Mystic Middle School principal Greg Keith.

Principal Keith says after the town got more than 20 inches of snow, the piles in the parking lot were huge.

Im seven-feet, so if the piles higher than me, which Im sure it is, it would be a nice photo, said Keith.

The National Guardsmen were called in after the Governor declared a state of emergency, making them available to towns that needed the extra help.

Were watching across the way and two of the trucks went down, said Stonington first selectman Greg Crouse. We blew a transmission, and another four-wheel drive went on another truck.

With two trucks down and the snow piling up, Stonington took advantage of the Governors offer. The convoy left town once the state of emergency ended. Stonington budgets $200,000 for snow removal and may have used up half for this storm alone.

This is definitely an extreme hit and its tough, said Crouse.

Stonington is the only town which has requested help from the National Guard so far, so the Guardsmen will remain at their base in Niantic, ready to go for the next time theyre needed.

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Source: http://wtnh.com/2015/01/28/national-guard-helps-stonington-dig-out-after-blizzard-2015/

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Snow, ice on its way to southeast Michigan

DETROIT -

Snow and ice are on the way to Detroit and Southeast Michigan, but Wednesday evening and night plans will be safe. Slippery weather returns at the start of Thursday morning's commute.

Please join me on Twitter (@AndrewLocal4) for regular weather updates.

Wednesday evening will become partly cloudy and remain cold with temperatures in the mid and upper 20s. Families with dinner plans or anyone traveling to ice skate in Campus Martius will be greeted with dry road conditions.

Weather remains favorable, just colder, Wednesday night. Temps will decrease to the low 20s after midnight with skies becoming overcast.

Snow and ice return during Thursday's pre-dawn hours. At 4am, snow sleet and freezing rain will appear in Lenawee, Livingston and Washtenaw Counties and progress eastward.

All accumulations will be light during the morning and into the afternoon, but still pose as a significant nuisance, inconvenience or worse if not treated with extreme caution.

Areas south of 8 Mile, including the City Of Detroit, will have a greater mix of snow, sleet, and freezing rain during the AM rush hour up to the end of lunchtime. This will cut down on snow totals by the end of the afternoon, but layers of ice will appear. Up to 1 inch of snow is possible by 4pm; some isolated areas south of the Wayne-Oakland County and Washtenaw-Livingston County lines will have between 1 and 2 inches.

Areas north of 8 Mile, including Howell, Pontiac and Mount Clemens, will have snow and sleet. This will mean slightly more snow but a similar build-up of ice. Many neighborhoods in Livingston, Macomb and Oakland County will end up with 1 to 3 inches of snow by the end of Thursday afternoon. 2 to 3 inch accumulations are more likely north of M-59 (northern Oakland and northern Macomb Counties).

Genesee, Lapeer, Sanilac and St. Clair Counties are more likely to get snow with some sleet. 3 inches of new snow is possible along the I-69 corridor, with slightly more in isolated spots.

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The FREE Local4Casters Weather and Storm Pins apps are the perfect way to make weather more social.

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Source: http://www.clickondetroit.com/weather/snow-ice-on-its-way-to-southeast-michigan/30904366

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After-Hours Earnings Report for January 27, 2015 : AAPL, T, AMGN, CNI, YHOO ...

The following companies are expected to report earnings afterhours on 01/27/2015. Visit ourEarnings Calendarfor a full list of expected earnings releases.

Apple Inc.(AAPL) is reporting for the quarter ending December 31, 2014. Thecomputer company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the18 analysts that follow the stock is $2.60. This value represents a25.60% increase compared to the same quarter last year. In the pastyear AAPL has beat the expectations every quarter. The highest onewas in the 3rd calendar quarter where they beat the consensus by9.23%. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2015 Price toEarnings ratio for AAPL is 14.46 vs. an industry ratio of 19.40.

AT&T Inc.(T) is reporting for the quarter ending December 31, 2014. Thediversified company's consensus earnings per share forecast fromthe 13 analysts that follow the stock is $0.55. This valuerepresents a 3.77% increase compared to the same quarter last year.The last two quarters T had negative earnings surprises; the latestreport they missed by -1.56%. The "days to cover" for this stockexceeds 12 days. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2014Price to Earnings ratio for T is 13.22 vs. an industry ratio of18.10.

Amgen Inc.(AMGN) is reporting for the quarter ending December 31, 2014. Thebiomedical (gene) company's consensus earnings per share forecastfrom the 10 analysts that follow the stock is $2.05. This valuerepresents a 13.26% increase compared to the same quarter lastyear. In the past year AMGN has beat the expectations everyquarter. The highest one was in the 3rd calendar quarter where theybeat the consensus by 11.65%. Zacks Investment Research reportsthat the 2014 Price to Earnings ratio for AMGN is 18.59 vs. anindustry ratio of -7.60, implying that they will have a higherearnings growth than their competitors in the same industry.

Canadian National Railway Company(CNI) is reporting for the quarter ending December 31, 2014. Thetransportation (rail) company's consensus earnings per shareforecast from the 10 analysts that follow the stock is $0.84. Thisvalue represents a 23.53% increase compared to the same quarterlast year. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2014 Price toEarnings ratio for CNI is 21.22 vs. an industry ratio of 22.00.

Yahoo! Inc.(YHOO) is reporting for the quarter ending December 31, 2014. Theinternet services company's consensus earnings per share forecastfrom the 11 analysts that follow the stock is $0.19. This valuerepresents a 51.28% decrease compared to the same quarter lastyear. In the past year YHOO has met analyst expectations once andbeat the expectations the other three quarters. Zacks InvestmentResearch reports that the 2014 Price to Earnings ratio for YHOO is41.55 vs. an industry ratio of 26.50, implying that they will havea higher earnings growth than their competitors in the sameindustry.

Ace Limited(ACE) is reporting for the quarter ending December 31, 2014. Theinsurance (property & casualty) company's consensus earningsper share forecast from the 13 analysts that follow the stock is$2.27. This value represents a 5.02% decrease compared to the samequarter last year. In the past year ACE has beat the expectationsevery quarter. The highest one was in the 3rd calendar quarterwhere they beat the consensus by 10.46%. Zacks Investment Researchreports that the 2014 Price to Earnings ratio for ACE is 11.76 vs.an industry ratio of 14.80.

Stryker Corporation(SYK) is reporting for the quarter ending December 31, 2014. Themedical products company's consensus earnings per share forecastfrom the 6 analysts that follow the stock is $1.45. This valuerepresents a 17.89% increase compared to the same quarter lastyear. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2014 Price toEarnings ratio for SYK is 19.57 vs. an industry ratio of -10.30,implying that they will have a higher earnings growth than theircompetitors in the same industry.

Illumina, Inc.(ILMN) is reporting for the quarter ending December 31, 2014. Thebiomedical (gene) company's consensus earnings per share forecastfrom the 14 analysts that follow the stock is $0.78. This valuerepresents a 73.33% increase compared to the same quarter lastyear. In the past year ILMN has beat the expectations everyquarter. The highest one was in the 3rd calendar quarter where theybeat the consensus by 37.5%. Zacks Investment Research reports thatthe 2014 Price to Earnings ratio for ILMN is 76.11 vs. an industryratio of -7.60, implying that they will have a higher earningsgrowth than their competitors in the same industry.

Western Digital Corporation(WDC) is reporting for the quarter ending December 31, 2014. Thecomputer storage company's consensus earnings per share forecastfrom the 11 analysts that follow the stock is $2.10. This valuerepresents a 4.11% decrease compared to the same quarter last year.In the past year WDC has beat the expectations every quarter. Thehighest one was in the 3rd calendar quarter where they beat theconsensus by 2.94%. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2015Price to Earnings ratio for WDC is 12.27 vs. an industry ratio of-7.60, implying that they will have a higher earnings growth thantheir competitors in the same industry.

Electronic Arts Inc.(EA) is reporting for the quarter ending December 31, 2014. The toy(game/hobby) company's consensus earnings per share forecast fromthe 3 analysts that follow the stock is $0.82. This valuerepresents a 30.51% decrease compared to the same quarter lastyear. In the past year EA has beat the expectations every quarter.The highest one was in the 3rd calendar quarter where they beat theconsensus by 44.19%. Zacks Investment Research reports that the2015 Price to Earnings ratio for EA is 29.10 vs. an industry ratioof 21.00, implying that they will have a higher earnings growththan their competitors in the same industry.

Vmware, Inc.(VMW) is reporting for the quarter ending December 31, 2014. Thecomputer software company's consensus earnings per share forecastfrom the 9 analysts that follow the stock is $0.80. This valuerepresents a 3.61% decrease compared to the same quarter last year.In the past year VMW has beat the expectations every quarter. Thehighest one was in the 3rd calendar quarter where they beat theconsensus by 12.96%. Zacks Investment Research reports that the2014 Price to Earnings ratio for VMW is 32.59 vs. an industry ratioof -13.50, implying that they will have a higher earnings growththan their competitors in the same industry.

Juniper Networks, Inc.(JNPR) is reporting for the quarter ending December 31, 2014. Thewireless equipment company's consensus earnings per share forecastfrom the 6 analysts that follow the stock is $0.20. This valuerepresents a 39.39% decrease compared to the same quarter lastyear. The last two quarters JNPR had negative earnings surprises;the latest report they missed by -15.38%. Zacks Investment Researchreports that the 2014 Price to Earnings ratio for JNPR is 23.07 vs.an industry ratio of 24.40.

The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of The NASDAQ OMX Group, Inc.

Source: http://www.nasdaq.com/article/after-hours-earnings-report-for-january-27-2015-aapl-t-amgn-cni-yhoo-ace-syk-ilmn-wdc-ea-vmw-jnpr-cm437137

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[UPDATE] NYC Travel Ban Lifted, MTA Service Will Resume This Morning

[UPDATE BELOW] Mayor de Blasio lifted the city-wide travel ban this morning after that devastating blizzard turned out to be just a bunch of stupid snow. There's about 7.8 inches in Central Park this morningnot the 24 inches or more that was expectedand current forecasts don't call for much more additional accumulation today. And there is certainly no reason to doubt those forecasts.

The MTA is also resuming service system-wide this morning, but it's going to take hours for trains and buses to get back up to full speed. Staten Island Ferry service has resumed.

New York State has updates on the storm here. Mayor de Blasio will appear on CNN's New Day at 8 a.m. to update New Yorkers on the storm, and Governor Cuomo is giving a press conference now.

Update 8:05 a.m.: Cuomo says subway service will resume at 9 a.m. and, by noon, the subways should be back to Sunday-level service, which is about 60% of weekday service. The MTA expects the system to be back to a normal weekday schedule tomorrow. PATH train service will resume around 9:30 a.m.

Cuomo cautioned that the roads are still dangerous, and there is ice lurking under the snow in some places. "If you don't have to travel today, you don't want to be traveling today," Cuomo warned. "While roads are passable, they are not clear."

Asked if officials overreacted to the storm, Cuomo reminded reporters of the huge snowstorm that crippled Buffalo in Novembera storm that Cuomo said he underestimated. "You make big decision based on the best information you have," Cuomo said, adding, "I do not criticize weather forecasters."

Cuomo also posited that taking the trains out of service and implementing a travel ban enabled the city to bounce back faster, because the roads were clear for plows to get through and trains weren't stranded. "If you tally it up, I don't know that this wasn't the most prudent course," Cuomo said.

We'll update as more info comes in, but for now here's Cuomo's official announcement:

The travel ban in the Hudson Valley (Dutchess, Orange, Putnam, Rockland, Ulster, Westchester counties), Nassau County, and New York City is lifted effective at 7:30 a.m. I-84 as well as the Thruway have been reopened. Drivers should use extreme caution and prepare properly as driving conditions remain poor and other states still may have travel bans in effect.

The travel ban for Suffolk County remains in effect.

System wide service for the MTA and PATH is expected to resume this morning and further updates will be provided at 8 a.m. Longer suspension can be expected on parts of the LIRR reaching Eastern Long Island.

More information about the reopening of transit will become available by 8 a.m. New Yorkers should continue to exercise extreme caution.

Snow accumulation overnight on Long Island was heavy, and the New York City and Hudson Valley regions experienced moderate precipitation. According to the National Weather Service, the region should expect snowfall, wind and low temperatures, with especially heavy snowfall on Eastern Long Island, as today progresses. A blizzard warning remains in effect through midnight for Suffolk County.

Source: http://gothamist.com/2015/01/27/snowpe_back_to_work.php

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Miss Colombia crowned Miss Universe 2015

Last Updated Jan 26, 2015 12:10 AM EST

Miss Colombia Paulina Vega has been crowned Miss Universe, beating out first runner-up Miss USA Nia Sanchez and contestants from more than 80 other countries at Sunday's pageant in Miami.

Vega, a 22-year-old student of business administration from Barranquilla, Colombia, said the contests leading up to Miss Universe were the first she had participated in. She also said they would be her last as she would be eager to return to her studies in Colombia after her reign.

"It will be a dream come true to represent the woman of today. A woman that not only cares about being beautiful and being glamorous, but also cares about being a professional, intelligent, hard-working person," Vega had said earlier in the week in talking about the role of the winner.

Following Sanchez, the 24-year-old Miss USA from Las Vegas, Nevada, the second runner-up was Miss Ukraine Diana Harkusha.

Miss Jamaica Kaci Fennell and Miss Netherlands Yasmin Verheijen were also among the top five, emerging from the field of 88 contestants.

Sanchez, a 24-year-old resident of Las Vegas, Nevada, had spoken earlier of looking forward to the often-dreaded interview portion. She had been running practice questions all week with her roommate Miss Australia Tegan Martin, who made it to the top ten.

Sanchez has a fourth-degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do and has traveled the country teaching others. She spoke previously about equipping women to defend themselves against crime.

"It's just something that's so prevalent in our society and why not empower women to take control of a dangerous situation into their own hand," she said.

"Today Show" personality Natalie Morales served as host of the show. Miss Colombia was crowned by the outgoing Miss Universe, Gabriela Isler of Venezuela. The broadcast included performances by singers Nick Jonas and Prince Royce.

Crowd favorite Miss Venezuela Migbelis Lynette Castellanos was cut after the top ten. She had tremendous support and pressure locally and back home. The Miami suburb of Doral, which was host to the women during their stay, is also known as "Doralzuela" for its many Venezuelan residents. Three of the last six Miss Universe titles have gone to Venezuela, where beauty pageants are big business.

2015 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Source: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/miss-colombia-crowned-miss-universe-2015/

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MTA subway and bus service ends at 11 p.m. due to NYC Blizzard of 2015

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced that all MTA and Port Authority public transit systemswill be suspendedat 11 p.m. Monday due to the blizzard -- including allcity subway, Staten Island Railway,Metro North, Long Island Railroad and MTA bus service.

"If you have to use those facilities, you should plan ... to get to wherever you're going by 11 o'clock, because that's going to be a hard stop time," Cuomo said.

Cuomo also issued a travel restriction in several counties in New York state, including the city,effective 11 p.m. Monday.

The restriction is for everyone except emergency personnel.

"If you violate this state order, it's a possible misdemeanor, it's fines up to $300," Cuomo said.

Source: http://www.silive.com/news/index.ssf/2015/01/mta_subway_and_bus_service_end.html

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Mark Ruffalo gives SAG Awards acceptance speech via Twitter

Actor Mark Ruffalo attends the Academy Of Motion Picture Arts And Sciences' 2014 Governors Awards at The Ray Dolby Ballroom at Hollywood & Highland Center on Nov. 8, 2014, in Hollywood, California. Frazer Harrison/Getty Images

Mark Ruffalo couldn't make it to the Screen Actors Guild Awards in Los Angeles Sunday night to accept his award, but he made up for it on Twitter.

The 47-year-old actor, who won best male actor in a TV movie or miniseries for HBO's "The Normal Heart," tweeted from his bed, giving his acceptance speech online -- thanking everyone from his fellow cast members and his publicists to his family.

Before the win, Ruffalo explained that he was going to be early because he had to be up for work in a few hours. Then -- to his surprise -- his wife woke him up to tell him the good news.

Check it out his "speech" below:

Ruffalo also received some love at the awards show itself.

When Julia Robert (Ruffalo's co-star in "The Normal Heart") took to the SAG Awards stage, she said, "hey had a wordy little tongue twister for me to start with about how wonderful actors are, but instead I just want to say, Mark Ruffalo is one outstanding actor. And I am so absolutely tickled to my toes that he won tonight. He wasn't here! Waitin' for that Nor'easter."

2015 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Source: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/mark-ruffalo-gives-sag-awards-acceptance-speech-via-twitter/

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