First Day of Winter

From sea to shining sea, the U.S. is caught under the influence of Old Man Winter. In the Northwest, "Region hunkers down for week of snow, cold," The Seattle Times said, noting "cold and snow ... have disrupted almost every aspect of life throughout the region for more than a week." The newspaper pictured travelers stranded at Sea-Tac Airport and residents dealing with gusty winds and blowing snow. The Web site of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer asked: "Will it ever stop?" while offering links to updates on the commute, closings, photos and vignettes. In a "My Seattle Pix" album, more than 200 snow photos were shared with the PI. "Hello, winter," said the Sun Journal in Lewiston, Maine. "White Christmas comes wrapped in Northeaster," the paper added. The Bangor Daily News' main headline said, "Strong nor'easter socks state with heavy snow, high winds." In a promotion to an inside story incorporated into its nameplate, the Daily News called snow "white gold" for state ski areas. What's your weather forecast, and how will it be included in your holiday coverage?

Let It Snow, Let It Snow

The odds were good that the Las Vegas Review-Journal would do something creative with its front page after the area got up to 10 inches of snow, including a white coating along the Strip. The paper greeted the rare winter storm with a "Welcome to Las Vegas" photo. AME Greg Haas points out that "reporters rewrote the 'Twas the Night Before Christmas and it ran on the front page, with refers to the story inside." The rewrite began:

'Twas the week before Christmas, when all up the Strip
Not a sunbeam was shining, not even a bit.
The towers were shrouded in a gray, foggy cloud
As slushy snowflakes gently fell all about.
The tourists were bundled, their cheeks rosy red
While visions of jackpots danced in their heads.
Those hoping for sunshine could do nothing but mourn
As Las Vegas was hit with a rare winter storm.

But all good things seem to come to an end. On its Web site this afternoon, the Review-Journal predicts much of the snow will be gone by the end of the day.

Exclamation!

It's not every day that it snows in Mississippi and Louisiana. In fact, it rarely snows there. So when southern Louisiana and parts of Mississippi got up to eight inches of snow, The Daily Advertiser in Lafayette, La., and the American Press of Lake Charles, La., simply said, "Snow!"

Added The Daily Advertiser, "For many South Louisiana residents, day was magical."

Indeed, the front page of The Times-Picayune of New Orleans captured the magic that fell in gentle white flakes (and closed schools and governments and caused power outages). Everyone took pictures, and The Times-Picayune is collecting pictures and video.

Hurricane Ike Strikes

The Houston Chronicle reports that the neighboring Galveston County Daily News continued to publish despite being pummeled by Hurricane Ike. Ike tore off the Daily News' roof, sending the staff to the Herald Zeitung in New Braunfels to produce pages and to the Victoria Advocate to print the newspaper. Through it all, the Galveston paper did not miss producing a newspaper.