Blizzard

DENVER -- The biggest October snowstorm to hit Colorado in several years dumped up to 20 inches yesterday, grounding flights, closing highways, knocking out electricity -- and jump-starting the ski season. At one point, snow was falling at a rate of about 3 inches an hour in Denver. A 125-mile corridor from Colorado Springs to the New Mexico line was under a blizzard warning. The storm began late Wednesday and turned highways wet and slushy in cities from Pueblo to Colorado Springs and Denver to Fort Collins.

Video game publisher Activision Blizzard Inc. has hired Microsoft veteran Dennis Durkin as chief financial officer to replace Thomas Tippl, who had been serving in the post on an interim basis since being promoted to chief operating officer. Durkin, 41, most recently served as corporate vice president, COO and financial officer of Microsoft's Interactive Entertainment Business, which includes the Xbox gaming console. Before the interactive entertainment unit, he worked on Microsoft's corporate development and strategy team.

WASHINGTON - Mid-Atlantic residents were buried yesterday by a blizzard the president jokingly called “Snowmageddon,’’ and those brave enough tried to clear a path through the wet, heavy mounds of thigh-high snow. The snow was falling too quickly in the nation’s capital for crews to keep up, and was easily one of the worst snowstorms for the nation’s capital in modern history. The nearly 18 inches recorded at Reagan National Airport was the fourth-highest storm total for the city.

Blizzard Entertainment says it's cutting about 600 jobs. The Irvine, Calif., company, which makes the popular "World of Warcraft" games, says that only about 10 percent of the cuts will involve jobs related to game development. The "World of Warcraft" development team will not be affected. Blizzard, which is part of Activision Blizzard Inc., says the decision to cut jobs was made after a review of business needs. Blizzard's development and publishing schedules will not be affected and the company says it's still looking to hire game developers for certain positions.

NEW YORK — Mayor Michael Bloomberg visited some of the neighborhoods hard-hit by the Christmas-weekend blizzard and conceded yesterday that the city’s handling of the crisis was “inadequate and unacceptable.’’ But it was clear the anger wasn’t exactly melting away. The mayor had just declared a victory of sorts — three days after the snow stopped falling, every street had been plowed at least once, he announced — when a politician appearing with him stepped up to the microphone to complain.

PROVIDENCE - Former governor J. Joseph Garrahy, remembered by many in Rhode Island for the flannel shirt he wore while leading the state through the blizzard of 1978, has died. He was 81. Mr. Garrahy died Tuesday night in a hospital in West Palm Beach, Fla., where he was spending the winter, according to his daughter-in-law Barbara Cottam Garrahy. He had heart disease. Mr. Garrahy, a Democrat, served as governor from 1977 to 1985 and was a year into office when the storm slammed parts of Rhode Island with 3 feet of snow.

LACONIA, N.H. — A woman convicted of killing her friend in a speed boat crash was temporarily banned from driving a car after she was allegedly caught going 84 miles per hour on the highway. Belknap Superior Court Judge Kathleen McGuire called Erica Blizzard’s actions “very egregious’’ yesterday and barred her from driving as part of her bail conditions as she awaits sentencing. Blizzard’s attorney, James Moir, argued that the speeding charge did not warrant any changes to her bail conditions.

ALBUQUERQUE — A powerful storm dumped heavy snow across sections of the Southwest and Great Plains yesterday, stranding motorists in New Mexico in whiteout conditions and causing havoc on holiday travel just two days before the start of winter. Blizzard warnings forecasting snowfalls of up to 18 inches stretched across the region as the storm barreled through New Mexico toward the Texas and Oklahoma panhandles and parts of Kansas and Colorado. In southern Colorado, blizzard conditions were expected to drop between 8 and 16 inches of snow.

As Hurricane Irene barreled up the coast yesterday, some business owners watched generators, water, and groceries fly off the shelves. Others prepared for a more unwelcome scenario: shuttering their doors on what should be a top-grossing late summer Sunday. Carol L. Troxell, president of the Faneuil Hall Merchant Association, said the market will be closed today, shutting down more than 100 businesses on one of the busiest days of the year. "It's a major loss for everyone, from pushcart vendors to the restaurants," said Troxell.

Everything goes better with snow. I don't suppose we can hope for a sudden blizzard to descend on Gillette Stadium Saturday night, but it would be nice. Some of the Patriots' finest moments have occurred in the snow. From the famous snowplow game vs. Miami in '82, to the Tom Brady tuck rule game against the Raiders two years ago (stop whining, Oakland, that was payback for the bad pass interference call of '76), to the post-blizzard game vs. the Dolphins this season, with thousands of fans celebrating by throwing handfuls of powder into the air,...

PROVIDENCE - Former governor J. Joseph Garrahy, remembered by many in Rhode Island for the flannel shirt he wore while leading the state through the blizzard of 1978, has died. He was 81. Mr. Garrahy died Tuesday night in a hospital in West Palm Beach, Fla., where he was spending the winter, according to his daughter-in-law Barbara Cottam Garrahy. He had heart disease. Mr. Garrahy, a Democrat, served as governor from 1977 to 1985 and was a year into office when the storm slammed parts of Rhode Island with 3 feet of snow.

ALBUQUERQUE — A powerful storm dumped heavy snow across sections of the Southwest and Great Plains yesterday, stranding motorists in New Mexico in whiteout conditions and causing havoc on holiday travel just two days before the start of winter. Blizzard warnings forecasting snowfalls of up to 18 inches stretched across the region as the storm barreled through New Mexico toward the Texas and Oklahoma panhandles and parts of Kansas and Colorado. In southern Colorado, blizzard conditions were expected to drop between 8 and 16 inches of snow.

Vivendi raised $427 million by selling Activision stock, cutting its holding in the largest video game publisher to 60 percent, people familiar with the sale said. Vivendi sold 35 million shares at $12.20 apiece after seeking as much as $12.30.

As Hurricane Irene barreled up the coast yesterday, some business owners watched generators, water, and groceries fly off the shelves. Others prepared for a more unwelcome scenario: shuttering their doors on what should be a top-grossing late summer Sunday. Carol L. Troxell, president of the Faneuil Hall Merchant Association, said the market will be closed today, shutting down more than 100 businesses on one of the busiest days of the year. "It's a major loss for everyone, from pushcart vendors to the restaurants," said Troxell.

Video game publisher Activision Blizzard Inc. said Wednesday that its second-quarter net income grew, boosted by strong demand for digital offerings such as downloadable content for its popular "Call of Duty" games. Activision earned $335 million, or 29 cents per share, in the April-June period. That's up 53 percent from $219 million, or 17 cents per share, in the same period a year earlier. Revenue climbed 19 percent to $1.15 billion from $967 million. On an adjusted basis Activision earned 10 cents per share, double what Wall Street expected.

Video game publisher Activision Blizzard Inc. said Wednesday that its second-quarter net income grew 53 percent, boosted by strong demand for digital offerings such as downloadable content for its popular "Call of Duty" games. Activision earned $335 million, or 29 cents per share, in the April-June period. That's up 53 percent from $219 million, or 17 cents per share, in the same period a year earlier. Revenue climbed 19 percent to $1.15 billion from $967 million. On an adjusted basis Activision earned 10 cents per share, double what Wall...

CHICAGO - The forecast: a mighty winter blizzard sure to dump a record-setting blanket of snow that will grow from inches to feet overnight, just in time for rush hour. When it happened this month in Washington, the president called it “Snowmageddon’’ and an overwhelmed city could not keep its streets clear. When it happened last week in Chicago, they called it “Tuesday’’ and kept the blacktop black from first flakes to final drifts. “I’d take my plow drivers and put them up against anyone in North America,’’ said Bobby Richardson, Chicago’s snow removal boss.

In the final months of two mostly unmemorable terms in office, Rhode Island Governor Donald Carcieri boasted about his little state's big splash - stealing former Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling and his nascent video game company from Massachusetts. "This is a risk worth taking," said Carcieri, a Republican, announcing the 2010 deal that lured Schilling's company, 38 Studios, to Providence, and put Rhode Island taxpayers on the hook for up to $75 million in guaranteed loans to an athlete who liked video games but had never developed one....

NEW YORK — Mayor Michael Bloomberg visited some of the neighborhoods hard-hit by the Christmas-weekend blizzard and conceded yesterday that the city’s handling of the crisis was “inadequate and unacceptable.’’ But it was clear the anger wasn’t exactly melting away. The mayor had just declared a victory of sorts — three days after the snow stopped falling, every street had been plowed at least once, he announced — when a politician appearing with him stepped up to the microphone to complain.