All New York City public schools will be closed on Friday in response to the huge snowstorm that pounded the region overnight.

Dozens of other school districts in New Jersey, Westchester County and Long Island also canceled classes on Friday.
Before dawn, snow was still falling heavily, leaving foot-deep drifts in Times Square and turning roads across the region into skating rinks.

The unemployment rate held steady at 10 percent, tempering hopes for a swift and sustained recovery from the Great Recession.

The monthly figures from the Labor Department included a revision for November that showed a gain of 4,000 jobs, the first increase in almost two years.

Damage, power outages reported after 6.5-magnitude earthquake off the coast of northern California.

The Environmental Protection Agency's new limits -- which are presented as a range -- will likely put hundreds more counties nationwide in violation, a designation that will require them to find additional ways to clamp down on pollution or face government sanctions, most likely the loss of federal highway dollars.