U.S. & WORLD NEWS DIGEST | Winter storm buries New England

Winter storm buries New England

HARTFORD, Conn.

The third winter storm in three weeks buried parts of the Northeast in more than 2 feet of wet, blowing snow Wednesday, smothering highways, halting trains and plunging thousands of homes and businesses into cold darkness. The storm, which iced over much of the South before sweeping up the East Coast, wreaked havoc on transportation across New England.

Officials: 34,612 die in Mexico drug war

MEXICO CITY

A total of 34,612 people have died in drug-related killings in Mexico in the four years since Mexican President Felipe Calderon declared an offensive against drug cartels, officials said Wednesday. The killings reached their highest level in 2010, jumping by almost 60 percent to 15,273 deaths from 9,616 the previous year.

Dutch enforcing tax on prostitution

AMSTERDAM

Workers in the world’s oldest profession are about to get a lesson in the harsh reality of Europe’s new age of austerity.

The Dutch government has warned prostitutes who advertise their wares in the famed windows of Amsterdam’s red-light district to expect a business-only visit from the tax man.

Prostitution has flourished in Amsterdam since the 1600s, when the Netherlands was a major naval power and sailors swaggered into the port looking for a good time. The country legalized the practice a decade ago, but authorities are only now getting around to looking to sex workers for taxes.

The move is meeting with little formal opposition, even among prostitutes — though some are skeptical it can be enforced.

Idaho woman claims $190M lottery prize

RATHDRUM, Idaho

A 29-year-old mother of two and former bank employee from northern Idaho has claimed the remaining half of a $380 million Mega Millions jackpot, Idaho Lottery officials and others said Wednesday.

Holly Lahti, of the small town of Rathdrum, will split the second-largest lottery jackpot in history with Jim and Carolyn McCullar of Ephrata, Wash.

The McCullars appeared at a news conference last Thursday to announce they’d won half the jackpot, or $190 million.

Floods, mudslides kill 257 in Brazil

RIO DE JANEIRO

Summer rains sent tons of red mud and torrents of water rushing down mountainsides in towns outside Rio, enveloping homes of rich and poor alike and killing at least 257 people in 24 hours. Some survivors clung to trees to escape the water and landslides. Rescuers used heavy machinery, shovels and bare hands to dig through debris in a search for survivors Wednesday. It was not clear immediately how many people were rescued. At least 50 remained missing, and officials feared that figure would rise.

Ex-leader of rights group indicted

CINCINNATI

The former national chairman of an Atlanta-based civil-rights organization was indicted Wednesday in Ohio on 51 charges that include grand theft, forgery and tampering with government records.

The Rev. Raleigh Trammell, 73, was indicted by a Montgomery County grand jury in Dayton, where he lives and also headed a local chapter of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. Trammell was indicted on one count of grand theft and 25 counts each of forgery and tampering with government records.

Associated Press