Over 1,000 flights canceled nationwide as snowy weather hits upper Midwest
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(NEW YORK) — Over 1,000 flights have been canceled nationwide with the majority due to weather hitting the upper Midwest, according to FlightAware.
Chicago O’Hare International Airport is the most impacted airport by far, with over 700 cancellations and over 500 delays as of Saturday morning. Flights leaving to O’Hare are delayed an average of over five hours due to snow and ice, according to the FAA.
Snow has already begun falling in Chicago with the heaviest snow expected Saturday between 12 p.m. and 8 p.m.
The snow becomes lighter overnight into Sunday morning, with some lingering snow winding down by 12 p.m. Sunday. Between 6 to 10 inches of snow are possible.
A cross-country storm already brought snow from Montana to Missouri later Friday. The storm has begun to move into parts of the Midwest Saturday morning, impacting travel for millions making the journey back home from the holiday.
Winter weather alerts are up for millions ahead of this system from North and South Dakota down to Indiana and Michigan.
(WASHINGTON) — A federal judge in Rhode Island has temporarily ordered the Trump administration to continue funding benefits for SNAP, the federally funded Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.
“The court is orally at this time, ordering that USDA must distribute the contingency money timely, or as soon as possible, for the November 1 payments to be made,” said U.S. District Judge John J. McConnell Jr.
After an hour-long emergency hearing, Judge McConnell ruled that the suspension of SNAP funding is arbitrary and likely to cause irreparable harm, citing the “terror” felt by Americans who are scrambling to meet their basic nutritional needs.
“There is no doubt, and it is beyond argument, that irreparable harm will begin to occur — if it hasn’t already occurred — in the terror it has caused some people about the availability of funding for food for their family,” he said.
The decision comes one day before the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which runs the SNAP program, was scheduled to freeze SNAP payments due to the ongoing government shutdown. SNAP generally requires $8.6 billion in funding every month to provide 41 million Americans benefits and administer to the program.
In a filing late Friday, the Trump administration said it was “expeditiously attempting to comply” with Judge McConnell’s order.
Citing the lack of a public recording or transcript of Friday’s emergency hearing, DOJ lawyers asked McConnell to confirm the parameters of his decision to ensure they comply.
“Clarity as to the Court’s ruling is critical to ensure that Defendants can comply with the Court’s order while avoiding an operational collapse,” DOJ lawyers wrote.
Judge McConnell ordered the Trump administration to continue paying for the program using emergency funds, and to notify the court by Monday how SNAP will be funded.
Ruling that stopping SNAP funding violated the Administrative Procedure Act because the funding decision was arbitrary and capricious, Judge McConnell said, “There has been no explanation, legitimate or otherwise that’s consistent with the APA as to why the contingency funds should not be used.”
A coalition of local governments, nonprofits, small businesses, and workers’ rights organization filed suit Thursday to challenge the pause in funding, arguing that the Trump administration has “needlessly plunged SNAP into crisis” by suspending benefits beginning Friday, despite having emergency funds that could be tapped.
“Americans will not be able to feed their families, food pantries will be overwhelmed, organizations will be forced to divert resources from core programs to accommodate those in need of assistance, and small businesses will lose substantial revenue that is critical to maintaining their labor force and supplier relationships,” they wrote in their lawsuit.
The coalition has argued that the lapse of funding will cause irreparable harm and violates a federal law that prohibits arbitrary government actions.
The ruling came as a federal judge in Boston, in a separate case, ruled that the Trump administration’s attempt to suspend SNAP funding is “unlawful,” but declined to immediately order that the program be funded.
U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani reserved judgment about whether to issue a temporary restraining order, instead asking the Trump administration to advise the court whether they would authorize reduced SNAP benefits for November.
She ordered the Trump administration to answer her question about reduced SNAP funding by Monday.
“For the reasons stated below, Plaintiffs have standing to bring this action and are likely to succeed on their claim that Defendants’ suspension of SNAP benefits is unlawful,” she wrote.
“Where that suspension of benefits rested on an erroneous construction of the relevant statutory provisions, the court will allow Defendants to consider whether they will authorize at least reduced SNAP benefits for November, and report back to the court no later than Monday, November 3, 2025,” Judge Talwani said.
The Trump administration was expected to appeal both of Friday’s rulings.
(SANTA CRUZ COUNTY, Calif.) — Authorities said they are searching for an at-risk woman who was last seen at a bonfire on a California beach.
Danielle Staley, 35, of Utah, went missing while visiting the California Central Coast with a friend, according to the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office.
She was last seen with a group of people at a bonfire on Rio Del Mar State Beach in Aptos shortly before midnight on Nov. 6, according to the sheriff’s office.
She was reported missing the following day, the sheriff’s office said.
Investigators have not ruled out foul play, and Staley is considered at-risk due to the circumstances of her disappearance, according to the sheriff’s office.
“Staley’s personal belongings were found on the beach, and she has not been in contact with her family — behavior that is uncharacteristic and has raised additional concern,” the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement. “At this time, investigators are not ruling out foul play; however, the case is being treated as a missing person at risk due to the circumstances.”
Staley has been visiting the area with a friend, and they had been staying in a camper van near Rio Del Mar State Beach, according to the sheriff’s office.
The friend is cooperating with authorities, the sheriff’s office said.
Residents and businesses with surveillance video in the areas of Rio Del Mar Beach, Beach Drive, Treasure Island and Spreckels Drive have been asked to contact the sheriff’s office so deputies can review the footage.
“Detectives have been diligently working to track down any information and continue to do so,” the sheriff’s office said.
Authorities described Staley as 5’6″ and 120 pounds with blonde hair. She was last seen wearing a dark, hooded sweatshirt and leopard print leggings.
Anyone with information on Staley is urged to contact the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office at 831-471-1121.
(GRAND CANYON, Ariz) — A 65-year-old man died after slipping off the edge of the Grand Canyon and falling more than 100 feet, authorities in Arizona said.
The incident occurred at Guano Point on the canyon’s western rim on the Hualapai Reservation, according to the Mohave County Sheriff’s Office.
The sheriff’s office said it responded to assist the Hualapai Nation in a technical recovery Thursday afternoon.
A search and rescue crew located the man approximately 130 feet down into the canyon on a pile of rock fragments, according to the sheriff’s office.
Technical rope technicians used ropes to recover the body, which was then transported to the Mohave County Medical Examiner’s Office, authorities said.
The Hualapai Nation Police Department, Hualapai Nation Fire and Grand Canyon West security also assisted in the recovery, the sheriff’s office said.
The name of the man was not released.
Guano Point is known for its dramatic viewpoints of the Grand Canyon from the western rim.
ABC News has reached out to Grand Canyon Resort Corporation, which manages the Grand Canyon West area, for comment.
