Midday Roundup: Snow, ice, tornados sweep misery across the South

Deadly storms. First light in Dallas yesterday confirmed what authorities feared about weekend tornadoes that killed 11 people: Northeast of the city in the suburb of Garland, Texas, the storm left 600 structures—mostly single-family homes—visibly damaged, many of them completely destroyed. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott asked for prayers and support for the victims. One twister packed winds in excess of 200 miles per hour—the second highest category, EF4—and touched down near a busy interstate after dark Saturday night. Police said Sunday morning it appeared the tornado had tossed vehicles off the highway. A slightly less severe EF3 tornado hit Garland’s neighboring suburb Rowlett. Warm-weather storms hit Northeast Texas but to the west in the state’s panhandle and farther west in New Mexico blizzard conditions closed parts of Interstate 40 between the two states. Albuquerque, N.M., received at least half a foot of snow yesterday, and officials there counted more than 200 weather-related accidents. Gov. Mary Fallin declared a state of emergency in Oklahoma because of the winter weather there. All this, together with tornado damage and flooding on Christmas in Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee, and Arkansas, brings the storm-related death toll across the country to 43 people.

Rising rivers. Wicked weather disrupted Christmas across the Atlantic, too, with record-breaking flooding in England prompting Prime Minister David Cameron to deploy hundreds more troops to the country’s north. They’ll relieve exhausted residents and emergency workers fighting rising rivers that have inundated small communities after weeks of heavy rain. Cameron called the flooding unprecedented and vowed to protect people and property as the damage spread to major cities York, Leeds, and Manchester. Officials plan to spend $3.4 billion during the next six years on flood defenses. But they say property owners also need to make buildings more “resilient,” with solid floors, waterproof plaster, and raised electric outlets, to speed recovery after flooding.

ISIS defeat. Iraqi forces claimed victory today in their battle to retake Ramadi from Islamic State (ISIS) fighters, raising the Iraqi flag over the city’s main government complex. The U.S.-trained soldiers got help from 630 coalition airstrikes in the area during the last six months. They launched the ground assault last week, navigating around explosives buried in the streets and booby-trapped buildings. The militants still maintain pockets of resistance, especially on the city’s outskirts. Iraqi officials warn the army still has its work cut out because ISIS could “bounce back” at any time. The goal now will be to maintain government control of the city. If they can hold Ramadi, the army will turn its attention to Mosul, the largest city held by ISIS in either Iraq or Syria.

Change needed. Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel is calling for reform in the city’s police department after officers responding to a domestic disturbance call shot and killed two African-Americans early Saturday morning. Police say the incident began when 19-year-old Quintonio LeGrier, a college student home for the holidays, threatened his father with an aluminum baseball bat. The father called the police and then called his downstairs neighbor, Bettie Jones. The police say when officers arrived, LeGrier confronted them in a threatening way. The officers shot and killed him but then accidentally shot and killed the 55-year-old neighbor. “It is clear changes are needed to how officers respond to mental health crises,” Emanuel said in his statement. Protestors of previous shootings have called for the mayor’s resignation. The U.S. Justice Department is investigating the Chicago Police Department over claims its practices contribute to civil rights violations.

Blockbuster. In its second weekend in theaters Star Wars: The Force Awakens became the fastest movie to gross $1 billion in overall ticket sales. The film is breaking nearly every record in the box-office book, topping the previous record for ticket sales on Christmas Day set in 2009, when Sherlock Holmes grossed $24 million. This year, Star Wars more than doubled that single-day take bringing in nearly $50 million. It also earned the title for largest second-week ticket sales ever. In distant second, a comedy starring Will Ferrell, called Daddy’s Home, brought in nearly $40 million in holiday-weekend ticket sales. Third place goes to Joy, a drama starring Jennifer Lawrence, which debuted on Christmas Day and grossed less than $20 million dollars.

Hoops legend. Former Harlem Globetrotters great Meadowlark Lemon died Sunday in Scottsdale, Ariz., at age 83. Known as the “Clown Prince of Basketball,” Lemon entertained millions of children and adults around the world with his unique blend of athleticism and slapstick comedy. He became an ordained minister in 1986 and started a youth prison ministry. “I feel if I can touch a kid in youth prison, he won’t go to the adult prison,” Lemon said in 2003.

The Associated Press and WORLD Radio’s Mary Reichard contributed to this report.