Storm slams Plains, Northeast braces for more snow

Sports News Headlines - Yahoo! News By Carey Gillam KANSAS CITY, Missouri (Reuters) - An unusually heavy winter storm marched across the nation s mid-section, heading east on Tuesday, threatening roughly two-thirds of the country with what forecasters said could be up to a foot of snow. The storm system forced the closing of many state offices and schools in hard-hit Kansas, where Governor Sam Brownback declared a state of disaster emergency. Authorities in Kansas and neighboring Missouri advised residents to stay in their homes and the National Weather Service (NWS) warned of extremely difficult travel conditions. Interstate 70, a key road artery connecting Kansas City and St. Louis, Missouri, was closed in both directions for part of the day Tuesday near Columbia, Missouri, after poor visibility and slippery conditions caused several tractor-trailers to collide, according to the Missouri State Highway Patrol. Numerous additional accidents were reported in Missouri as cars skidded off slick highways, the state patrol said.