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afternoon.
• The storm dropped a half-foot or more of snow in Illinois on Wednesday, prompting hundreds of flight cancellations into and out of Chicago's O'Hare International Airport, according to the aviation tracking website FlightAware.com. More than 900 U.S. flights were canceled for Thursday, with O'Hare and Newark Liberty International most affected.
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Rescue operation finally begins for passengers trapped on icebound ship in Antarctica
• CANBERRA, Australia (AP) -- A long-awaited rescue of passengers on board a research ship that has been trapped in Antarctic ice for more than a week finally got underway on Thursday, with a helicopter scooping up the first group of passengers and flying them to a nearby vessel, expedition leaders said.
• The helicopter was originally going to airlift the passengers to a Chinese icebreaker, the Snow Dragon, with a barge then ferrying them to an Australian vessel. But sea ice was preventing a barge from reaching the Snow Dragon, and the Australian Maritime Safety Authority's Rescue Coordination Centre, which is overseeing the rescue, said the operation would consequently be delayed.
• A last-minute change in plans allowed the rescue to go ahead. The 52 scientists and tourists on board were instead being flown to an ice floe next to the Australian icebreaker the Aurora Australis, and then taken by a small boat to the Australian ship, expedition leader Chris Turney said. The maritime authority confirmed the first group arrived at the Aurora Thursday evening.
• "I think everyone is relieved and excited to be going on to the Australian icebreaker and then home," Turney told The Associated Press by satellite phone from the Russian ship MV Akademik Shokalski, which has been stuck in the ice since Christmas Eve.
• The helicopter will carry the passengers a dozen at a time in an operation expected to take five hours. All 22 crew members are planning to stay with their icebound vessel, which is not in danger.
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Coverage guarantees, benefits of Obama's health care overhaul become reality in the new year
• SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) -- After a troubled rollout, President Barack Obama's health care overhaul now faces its most personal test: How will it work as (Continued on page 15)
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