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Storms turn deadly in California

MALIBU, California (CNN) — Severe storms that have brought heavy rain, snow and high winds to California, Nevada, Utah and Colorado claimed their first victim and triggered a levee break Saturday.

Police found a body believed to be that of a woman who was washed away in a pickup truck on a flooded road overnight in rural Chino, California, a police spokesman said.

The woman’s body was discovered more than a mile from where the truck had gone underwater overnight Friday.

Her companion survived by clinging to a tree amid the rapid and deep water for at least three hours, Chino Valley Fire Department Battalion Chief Jeff Gaul said.

Rescuers pulled the man into a boat with a rope. He was taken to a local hospital and is suffering from minor hypothermia, cuts and bruises.

In Nevada, a 30-foot break in a levee wall near Reno on Saturday flooded homes in the area and forced some residents to leave, state officials said.

The break sent water rushing into the Fernley area, according to Chuck Allen of the Nevada Department of Public Safety. See where Fernley and canal are located

More than 100 homes were threatened. See icy floodwaters cover the area

We just received a lot of snow overnight, there’s probably about 4 to 6 inches of snow in the Fernley area, and you couple that with cold water, and people have just woken up to a terrible event, Allen told CNN. Watch how break ruined residents’ morning

Nevada Gov. Jim Gibbons said he would sign a declaration of emergency for the affected county.

We’ve already been in touch with the federal side of this issue, including FEMA. They’re sending in right now… resources and supplies for about 10,000 people, Gibbons said.

In California, about 3,000 residents in four canyons burned by last year’s wildfires in Orange County were ordered to evacuate Friday night.

There is a high risk of mudslides and debris flows due to heavy rain in the burn areas, said a statement from the Orange County Emergency Operations Center. These mudslides and debris flows occur without notice and can be large enough to completely bury homes, roads and lives (people).

Anyone choosing not to evacuate does so at their own risk, the statement added. Watch how ‘killer slides’ pose danger

In higher elevations of the region, the National Weather Service issued a rare heavy snow warning for the San Bernardino Mountains, predicting one to two feet of new snow on those peaks.

As it moved eastward, the huge storm sent whipping winds and heavy snow into parts of Utah and Colorado on Saturday as well, prompting authorities to close major highways — including Interstate 80 — as the weather service warned that traveling in the area will put your life at risk.

Do not attempt to travel in the Sierra [region] today, the meteorological agency said in a special weather statement.

I-80 was closed from Applegate, California, to the Nevada state line, according to Rochelle Jenkins, spokeswoman for the California Department of Transportation in Sacramento.

U.S. Highway 50 has been closed intermittently for avalanche control, and drivers who want to travel on it must have chains on their tires, Jenkins said.

If people do not have to travel in the mountains today, then don’t! she said, adding that it was unusual for the department to issue such a warning.

Interstate 5 toward the border with Oregon was also under chain control, and State Route 1 is closed near the Piscatero Beach in San Mateo County due to a mudslide, Jenkins added.

CalTrans has also issued high-wind advisories over bridges in the bay area, and motorists are being warned to proceed with caution, she said.

A blizzard warning was discontinued for the area around Truckee, California, northeast of Sacramento, which received large amounts of snow overnight, as well as strong winds.

A gust near Donner Peak was clocked at 163 miles per hour. Watch whipping 40-mph winds

The heavy rains and wind in several parts of California contributed to major power outages, with as many as 1.75 million customers affected at the peak of the blackout.

About 400,000 Pacific Gas and Electric (PGE) customers still had no power Saturday afternoon, spokesman David Eisenhauer told CNN in a phone interview.

Crews were responding to 8,900 separate outage incidents, mostly from tree and wind damage and heavy snow in the mountains.

At this point, it’s a matter of safety for our crews. Wherever we can go in and safely make repairs, that’s what we’ll do, Eisenhauer said.

He predicted some people would be without power throughout the weekend.

Some 25,000 customers of the Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD) still had no power as of Saturday, down from 150,000 at the peak Friday morning, spokeswoman Dace Udris said.

The utility suffered a lot of damage to our equipment, Udris said, adding that customers in outlying areas may be without power for several days.

If they can’t endure an extended outage, they should make plans for alternative shelter, she added.
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Suharto is rushed to hospital

JAKARTA, Indonesia (CNN) — Former Indonesian President Suharto was in critical condition but was improving Saturday, a day after he was rushed to a hospital for treatment of a failing liver, heart and lungs, his doctors said.

Suharto, 86, was admitted to Pertamina Hospital in south Jakarta on Friday after suffering at his home for five days.

Suharto’s physician, Dr. Mardjo Soebiandono, said the critical period was over and the former president is alert and can recognize people.

Indonesia’s president and vice president visited him at the hospital Saturday morning and emerged calling for prayers for him.

Suharto was president of Indonesia from 1967 until his resignation, under immense political pressure, in 1998.
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Late goals give United Cup victory

LONDON, England — England’s new coach Fabio Capello saw late goals from Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney give Manchester United a 2-0 victory at Aston Villa in the third round of the FA Cup.

In a far from riveting contest the introduction of Rooney as a 70th minute substitute turned the game United’s way.

He sent a shot over the bar just before Ronaldo broke the deadlock nine minutes from time. The Portuguese scrambled the ball in from a cross by Ryan Giggs, which went between the legs of Villa’s Curtis Davies.

With a minute to go Rooney met a deflected pass from Ronaldo and sent a well controlled low drive past Scott Carson.

FA Cup holders Chelsea disposed of visiting Queen’s Park Rangers with the help of a streaky 28th minute goal, which was enough to settle the tie.

Claudio Pizarro’s shot hit an upright before striking QPR goalkeeper Lee Camp and bouncing into the net.

Tottenham, who had beaten Reading 6-4 in a Premier League thriller the previous week, were held 2-2 by the same opponents at White Hart Lane.

Bulgarian striker Dimitar Berbatov, who scored four goals in the earlier clash, notched two more in another thrilling encounter, but Steve Hunt matched him with a brace for Reading.

England international goalkeeper Paul Robinson was at fault with both Reading goals and Tottenham’s Tom Huddlestone was sent off after a clash with Bobby Convey in the 82nd minute. E-mail to a friend

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McDonald sinks Everton in FA Cup

LONDON, England — Gary McDonald provided one of the big shocks of the third round of the FA Cup with a 25-yard matchwinner as Oldham Athletic of the third flight in English football rocked Premier League Everton 1-0 at Goodison Park.

Three other Premiership teams were humbled by lower league opponents.

Blackburn Rovers crashed 4-1 at home to Coventry City, who won at Manchester United in the League Cup earlier this season.

Bolton Wanderers also lost at home, 1-0 to Sheffield United, and Birmingham City went down 2-1 at Huddersfield.

Roy Keane’s Sunderland went out disappointingly, slumping 3-0 at home to Premier League rivals Wigan.

Non-leaguers Havant and Waterlooville will go into the fourth round draw after snatching a draw away to Swansea, who lead Division One.

Chasetown, the lowest ranked side ever to compete in the third round, took the lead at home to Cardiff City, but finally succumbed 3-1.

With Everton facing a League Cup semifinal first leg clash with Chelsea next Tuesday, manager David Moyes picked an understrength line-up to face a club 51 places below his side in the English leagues.

The ploy misfired, especially when reserve keeper Stefan Wessels was caught out of position as McDonald sent a dipping shot into the net just before the break.

Bolton also rested many of their first-team regulars and made their exit when Australia winger David Carney hit a 42nd minute winner for at the Reebok.

It was Bolton’s first home loss under new manager Gary Megson.

Maltese forward Michael Mifsud, who scored twice when Coventry won at Old Trafford in September bagged another brace in the surprise success at Blackburn. Elliott Ward’s penalty and a Dele Adebola strike completed the emphatic upset.

Chris Brandon scored the 81st minute winner for Huddersfield, who had taken a fourth minute lead over Birmingham through Luke Beckett.

Gary O’Connor equalized after 19 minutes.

Steve Bruce started with only four of the players that helped Wigan to draw 1-1 at Liverpool in midweek but his side were still too good against his old Manchester United colleague Keane’s Sunderland.

Paul Scharner put Wigan ahead after 19 minutes and after a 56th minute own goal by Paul McShane, Dave Cotterill fired in an impressive third with 14 minutes left.

Rocky Baptiste earned Havant and Waterlooville a home replay against Swansea by hammering an 87th minute equalizer after Andy Robinson’s 30-yard free kick had put the league team in front after 74 minutes.

Swansea hit the bar three times as they generally dominated and tempers frayed as frustrations grew.

Havant’s Brett Poate was dismissed for a lunge on Andrea Orlandi, with Swansea’s Alan Tate also sent off after the ensuing uproar. E-mail to a friend

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‘Subprime’ named Word of the Year

CHICAGO, Illinois (AP) — Even the American Dialect Society knows how risky home mortgages are these days.

The group of wordsmiths chose subprime as 2007’s Word of the Year at its annual convention Friday.

‘Subprime’ has been around with bankers for awhile, but now everyone is talking about ’subprime,’ said Wayne Glowka, a spokesman for the group and a dean at Reinhardt College in Waleska, Georgia. It’s affecting all kinds of people in all kinds of places.

About 80 members of the organization spent two days debating the merits of runners-up Facebook, green, Googleganger and waterboarding before voting for an adjective that means a risky or less than ideal loan, mortgage or investment.

The choice signifies the public’s concern for a deepening mortgage crisis, the society said in a statement.

Facebook, as a noun, verb or adjective, was popular with younger linguists, Glowka said.

Several people lobbied for green, which designates environmental concern, but the term has been around for years, he said. The word topped the 2007 Most Useful category, one of numerous subgroups the society choses.

The group also decided that although waterboarding, an interrogation technique that simulates drowning, gained a lot of attention during recent attorney general confirmation hearings, it was a bigger deal in 2004, Glowka said.

But what’s a Googleganger?

A play on doppelganger, the word is a person with your name who shows up when you Google yourself, according to the society.

Glowka said he assessed many Google-related words.

Just Google ‘Google’ and you’ll turn them up, he said. The ghostly double of a word won the 2007 Most Creative designation.

As for subprime, Glowka said it is an odd word — at least as far as linguists are concerned.

The prefix sub translates roughly to below the standard, while prime means something close to the best.

So, according to Glowka, the word really means far below the best.

People were saying that students were referring to their tests, ‘I’m going to subprime this; I’m going to mess it up,’ he said.

The American Dialect Society, founded in 1889, comprises linguists, grammarians, historians and scholars, among others. The society began choosing words of the year in 1990 for fun, not in an official capacity to induct words into the English language.

In 2006, the organization chose plutoed, which means to be demoted or devalued. E-mail to a friend

Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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