Breaking News

Record-breaking cold gripped the United States from Texas to New York on Friday as a storm that dropped roughly 2 feet (61 cm) of snow on some eastern parts of the country moved out to sea. Schools in the metropolitan areas of New York and the District of Columbia canceled classes. The National Weather Service warned of flooding and told commuters from the lower Mississippi valley to the mid-Atlantic to be wary of dangerous road conditions created by the snow, ice and slush. Low temperatures shattered records in Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Kentucky, Ohio, Illinois, Michigan, Maryland, Virginia, Pennsylvania and New York, said NWS meteorologist Bruce Terry.

WASHINGTON (AP) — A burst of hiring in February underscored the resilience and confidence of U.S. businesses, which are adding workers at the fastest pace in 17 years. Yet the strong job gains did little to raise wages last month.

Heidi Rogers scurried back to the heaps of manila folders in her shop's maze of cabinets, but she already knew what she had in stock. These are the last days for such personalized attention to New York's musicians. Rogers's store, Frank Music Company -- the last shop devoted to sheet music in this global music capital -- is shutting down on Friday. Founded in 1937, Frank Music is hidden inside a highrise building in the Theater District as aspiring Broadway actors audition in nearby rooms.