Midday Roundup: When it snows in Buffalo, it pours

Heads up. The snow has finally stopped in Buffalo, N.Y., but the city still has much work to do to recover from one of the biggest winter storms in its history. As much as 7 feet of snow fell on some parts of Buffalo. Officials blame the storm for at least 12 deaths from either exposure or heart attacks. More than 30 roofs collapsed in the area overnight under the weight of massive amounts of snow. Homeowners are out trying to shovel as much snow off their roofs as possible before a predicted rainstorm moves in. The rain is expected to combine with melting snow to cause flooding.

A troubled mind. The man who rained bullets on the library at Florida State University had descended from a functional, mild-mannered lifestyle into a deep disturbance in recent months. Until Oct. 6, Myron May worked as a junior attorney in the prosecutor’s office in Las Cruces, N.M. “He was friendly and kind,” District Attorney Mark D’Antonio said of May. “Everyone liked him.” But he was developing a paranoia that the government was watching him, according to a former girlfriend and his social media posts. A graduate of FSU, he moved back to Florida and lived in an acquaintance’s guesthouse. No one knew of his plans until he carried them out early Thursday morning. But police and friends might learn more soon. May sent texts to eight friends before the attack saying he had mailed them packages. Three people were shot in his attack, and May died in a firefight with police.

Surprise shout-out. A woman featured in President Barack Obama’s speech about immigration had no idea beforehand the president planned to mention her. Astrid Silva, 26, of Las Vegas, came to the country illegally with her family when she was 4. In Thursday night’s televised address, Obama described Silva’s efforts to get an education and then work toward immigration reform. She and her father, who has faced deportation since 2011, watched the speech with a group of activists. The room erupted in cheers when the president mentioned her name. “It’s unbelievable,” her father, Cesar Silva, said. “We’ve been waiting over 20 years for this.”

Studying abroad. Matthew Miller, one of two Americans recently freed from captivity in North Korea, is speaking out about his bizarre stay in the country. The 25-year-old said in an interview with NKNews.org that he just wanted to get a feel for what North Korea was really like. But to do that, he pretended to be a hacker with knowledge of the American military so he would be arrested. Authorities tried to simply send him home when he arrived, but he refused, he said. Whatever Miller thought he would accomplish, it didn’t happen. “This might sound strange, but I was prepared for the ‘torture,’” Miller told NKNews.org. “But instead of that, I was killed with kindness, and with that my mind folded and the plan fell apart.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.