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OTTAWA, Ontario (AP) — Canada’s labor minister said Tuesday he is intervening to end lockouts of workers at the country’s two biggest ports. Labor Minister Steven Mackinnon said the negotiations have reached an impasse and he is directing the Canada Industrial Relations Board to order the resumption of all operations at the ports of Vancouver and Montreal and move the talks to binding arbitration. Port of Montreal’s workers were locked out Sunday and workers in Vancouver on the Pacific Coast have been locked out since Nov. 4. “There is a limit to the economic self destruction that Canadians are prepared to accept,” MacKinnon said. “In the face of economic self destruction there is an obligation to intervene. As minister of labor that responsibility falls to me.” MacKinnon said $1.3 billion Canadian dollars ($930 million) of goods is affected every day. He said it was impacting supply chains, the economy and Canada’s reputation as reliable trading partner. Business groups had been calling for government intervention to get the flow of goods moving again. The move to end the stoppages comes after the government stepped in to end halted operations at Canada’s two main railways in August. MacKinnon says he hopes operations can be restored in a matter of days. The Maritime Employers Association locked out 1,200 longshore workers at the Port of Montreal on Sunday after workers voted to reject what employers called a final contract offer. The workers were seeking raises of 20% over four years. The job action came after port workers in British Columbia were locked out amid a labor dispute involving more than 700 longshore supervisors, resulting in a paralysis of container cargo traffic at terminals on the West Coast.

WAYNESVILLE, N.C. (AP) — A driver has died after going around a barricade on a hurricane-damaged North Carolina highway that became a symbol of Helene’s destruction, then driving off the roadway, officials said. Photos of Interstate 40 with multiple lanes washed out by Helene near the Tennessee state line garnered widespread attention in the days after the storm as the region was largely cut off by numerous road closures. Emergency workers from Tennessee and North Carolina responded to a report of a crash involving a vehicle that went off the collapsed road and down an embankment on eastbound I-40 on Saturday night, according to a news release from the Junaluska Community Volunteer Fire Department. Crews rappelled down the embankment to reach the vehicle on its side about 100 feet (30 meters) from the road, the fire department said. Images from the scene show a worker trying to reach the crumpled, white vehicle at the bottom of a steep, rubble-covered slope. The driver, the only person in the vehicle, was extricated and taken to a hospital. The driver, identified as Patricia Mahoney, 63, of Southern Pines, North Carolina, died later that night, according to Sgt. Brandon Miller of the North Carolina State Highway Patrol, which is investigating the cause of the crash. She got on the highway around the 7-mile marker, headed westbound in eastbound lanes and went off the road around the 4-mile marker where the road ends. An autopsy is scheduled. There’s no indication of why she went around the barricade, Miller said. The highway has been closed since late September when flood waters from Hurricane Helene washed away the interstate’s eastbound lanes in four long swaths along the Pigeon River, but the North Carolina Department of Transportation has said it expects to reopen one lane in each direction by the new year.

According to media outlets, authorities say a 58-year-old tractor-trailer driver died Saturday after his truck rolled over on a Monroe County highway. The Monroe County Coroner’s Office identified the driver as Winthorpe Wilson, of Easton. An autopsy is scheduled for this week. Pennsylvania State Police said the accident happened just before 9 a.m. as Wilson was headed south along Route 33 in Hamilton Township. Monroe County Coroner Tom Yanac said Wilson was pronounced dead at the scene. Pennsylvania State Police say Wilson was headed south and lost control while traveling along a right curve. The tractor-trailer then attempted to re-enter the right, southbound lane and continued off the highway, overturning and landing on the driver’s side. The rig eventually came to rest in the right, south lane of Route 33. The crash is still under investigation.

POMPTON LAKES, N.J. (AP) — Fire crews on both coasts of the United States continued battling wildfires on Sunday, including a blaze in New York and New Jersey that killed a parks employee and another in Southern California that destroyed more than 130 structures and damaged dozens more. Firefighters continued making progress against a wildfire northwest of Los Angeles in Ventura County that broke out Wednesday and quickly exploded in size due to dry, warm and gusty Santa Ana winds. The Mountain Fire prompted thousands of residents to flee their homes and was 26% contained as of Sunday, up from 21% the previous day. The fire’s size remains around 32 square miles (about 83 square kilometers). The cause is under investigation. “The fire continues to creep and smolder in steep rugged terrain. Threats remain to critical infrastructure, highways, and communities,” according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, better known as Cal Fire. Meanwhile, New York State Police said they were investigating the death of Dariel Vasquez, an 18-year-old state parks employee who died when a tree fell on him Saturday afternoon as he battled a major brush fire in Sterling Forest, located in New York state’s Greenwood Lake near the New Jersey line. “Rip brother your shift is over job well done,” a New York State forestry services post said. Jeremy Oldroyd, a forest ranger with New York state, said that Vasquez died “assisting with fire line construction.” “Wildland firefighting is a very dangerous profession, and we try to take as many precautions as we can mitigate some of the hazards that are out there in the wildland fire environment. But occasionally accidents do happen,” he said. New Jersey’s state forest fire service said Sunday that the blaze — dubbed the Jennings Creek Wildfire — was threatening 25 structures, including two New Jersey homes. It had grown to 4.7 square miles (12 square kilometers) and was 10% contained as of Sunday night. Health advisories were issued for parts of New York, including New York City, and northeastern New Jersey due to unhealthy air quality due to smoke from the fires. People were urged to limit strenuous outdoor physical activity if possible; those especially sensitive included the very young and very old and people with ailments such as asthma and heart disease. But there was progress on other fires. New Jersey officials reported 75% containment of a 175-acre (70-hectare) fire in the Pompton Lakes area of Passaic County that was threatening 55 homes, although no evacuations had been ordered, as well as progress made on other fires burning in the state amid bone-dry conditions. In New Jersey, Ocean County prosecutors on Saturday announced arson and firearms charges in connection with a 350-acre (142-hectare) Jackson Township fire that started Wednesday. They said that fire was sparked by magnesium shards from a shotgun round on the berm of a shooting range. Officials said firing that kind of “incendiary or tracer ammunition” was barred in the state. The majority of the blaze has been contained, officials reported Friday. In Massachusetts, one wildfire among several fueled by powerful wind gusts and dry leaves has burned hundreds of acres in the Lynn Woods Reservation, a municipal park extending across about 3.4 square miles (8.8 square kilometers) in the city some 10 miles (16 kilometers) north of Boston. The Lynn Fire Department cited “a dry spell we have not seen during this time of year in many years.” “We have had over 400 acres of the woods that have burned so far. We believe we have the fire contained using the main fire roads. We will maintain a presence to ensure the fire doesn’t spread further,” Lynn Fire Chief Dan Sullivan said in a statement late Sunday. He said windy and dry conditions “certainly made it challenging” even as he asked people to stay away from the burned-out areas. “There are far too many weakened trees, and we don’t want the public to get injured,” he added.

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — One person is dead after a collision propelled a vehicle into the path of an 18-wheeler in Indiana. According to the Indiana State Police, around midnight, ISP dispatchers received a 911 call from a person inside a stalled vehicle stopped in the northbound lanes of I-65 near the 113.9 mile marker. While on the phone with dispatchers the vehicle was struck by another vehicle from behind. That collision caused the second vehicle — not the stalled vehicle— to spin into the path of a northbound semi tractor trailer. Authorities say the semi struck the second vehicle and both the vehicle and semi became engulfed in flames. The driver of the semi was able to get out and was not seriously injured. The driver of the other vehicle was entrapped in the wreckage and pronounced deceased at the scene. The Indianapolis Fire Department and IEMS responded to the scene to tend to injuries and extinguish the fire. Investigators say they are unsure what caused the vehicle to become disabled, but a malfunction caused the car to shut off and none of the lights would work, leaving it stalled in the left lane with no lights. The driver of the stalled vehicle was not seriously injured. Indiana State Police Crash Reconstructionists responded to the scene to investigate. This investigation is ongoing. The Marion County Coroner’s Office, along with ISP investigators are working to identify the deceased person. The northbound lanes of I-65 were closed for several hours.

POMPTON LAKES, N.J. (AP) — Authorities say one of several wildfires burning in New Jersey is threatening dozens of structures, but no evacuations were immediately ordered. The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection’s Forest Fire Service said Saturday morning that the fire in the Pompton Lakes area of Passaic County had burned 100 acres (40 hectares) and threatened 55 structures. The blaze had prompted closure of the right lane of northbound Interstate 287, officials said. The Forest Fire Service was battling the blaze with fire engines and ground crews and a helicopter capable of dropping 350 gallons (1,325 liters) of water, officials said. Structures were being protected by local fire companies, they said. Another wildfire burning in the Bethany Run area on the border of Burlington and Camden counties in Evesham and Voorhees townships was reported 90 percent contained. A blaze along the Palisades Interstate Parkway in Englewood Cliffs in Bergen County, across the Hudson River from New York, was reported 40 percent contained and threatened no structures. Firefighters reported 75 percent containment of the Pheasant Run wildfire in the Glassboro wildlife protection area of Gloucester County. The National Weather Service has issued a red flag warning, saying gusty winds and low humidity could help spread fires quickly. New Jersey has not received measurable precipitation in over a month, the weather service said, setting a new record.  

CHILI, N.Y. (AP) — A bus with more than two dozen passengers aboard rolled over on a highway in upstate New York on Thursday morning, critically injuring one person and sending others to hospitals, police said. All 28 people aboard were sent to hospitals, some with minor injuries, after the bus overturned and slid on Interstate 490 west of Rochester around 7 a.m. Many of the people were off the bus when emergency responders arrived, according to officials. “Deputies arriving on the scene found people that were trapped on the tour bus that had flipped on 490,” Monroe County Sheriff Todd Baxter told media at the scene. They “also found multiple people walking alongside 490 in a state of confusion that had been passengers on the bus,” he said. The driver, who was ejected through the front windshield, was ticketed for fatigued driving, speeding, unsafe lane change and driving without a seat belt. police said. The bus had left New York City around midnight and had just made a stop at Rochester on its way to Niagara Falls, officials said. Police were investigating the cause of the rollover. No other vehicles were involved. Officers said the driver was cooperating with police investigators, and there was no indication drugs or alcohol were involved. “This will be a lengthy investigation,” said Chief Deputy Michael Fowler. Tribal Sun, the company in Massachusetts police identified as the operator of the bus, did not immediately comment. Officials said people on the bus were from across the world and that they have secured hotel rooms for them to stay in until they leave the area. “I join the people of New York in praying for the well-being of all involved in this serious incident and am deeply grateful for the heroic efforts of our first responders,” Gov. Kathy Hochul said in a prepared statement. This article has been updated to correct the Monroe County sheriff’s first name to Todd, instead of Toss.

Chuck and Cathie Baldwin were driving in the dark early on Election Day to work a shift at their polling place in rural Missouri when floodwaters overtopped a creek and swept their vehicle off the road. The couple, married for more than half a century, were later found dead, clinging to a tree and to each other. Wright County Sheriff Sonny Byerley said the Baldwins — who regularly volunteered to help in elections — tried to swim to dry ground but drowned, among at least five people killed Tuesday as torrential rains drenched the state. “When I’d go to the polling locations, they were there and they were always happy to be a part of it,” said Byerley, who polices the county of about 19,000 residents, 210 miles (340 kilometers) southeast of Kansas City. “They did believe in the American republic and the polling system.” The state’s highway patrol and the sheriff have not released their names, saying only that the man who died was 70 and the woman was 73. But the Baldwins’ daughter, Michelle Baldwin-Bostian, of North Carolina, confirmed their identities Wednesday. News spread fast among the couple’s friends in tiny, tightknit unincorporated Manes, Missouri, where voters filled out their ballots in a music hall that regularly hosts performances by local artists. In this heavily Republican-leaning community, the Baldwins were rare Democrats, which is why they were tapped to join a bipartisan team working the polls, said 52-year-old Patty Squirell, who worked with Cathie Baldwin at a liquor store in nearby Mountain Grove. “Cathie was an angel here on earth,” she said. “She was so nonjudgmental and so loving and so kind. And we’re all in deep mourning.” Tanisha Ledford, who lived on the same dirt road as the couple for a decade, remembered how they watched her children when she was working three jobs, sometimes not getting home until 3 a.m. “You couldn’t go wrong with either one of them,” Ledford said. “Chuck stood up for the innocent, and Cathie would feed the poor. She did. I watched her do it. No one went hungry around her.” Lindsi Snyder, a teacher at Manes Elementary, said her parents were close to the Baldwins. She described how Chuck wasn’t even 18 when he met Cathie and that the besotted young couple decided very quickly that they wanted to marry. In 2022, Cathie Baldwin marked their 52nd wedding anniversary with a Facebook post calling Chuck “the love of my life.” The sheriff said the Baldwins were driving in the dark on a two-lane highway around 4:30 a.m. Tuesday when their car was suddenly swept away by floodwaters from the fast-rising Beaver Creek. Three teenage boys in another car that was swept away at about the same time were able to swim to safety, and they knocked on the door of a nearby house to call 911. Byerley said the boys then returned to the surging water to try to reach the Baldwins. “They were out of their car, clinging to a tree,” Byerley said of the couple. But the current was too strong and the teens couldn’t get to them. Byerley used a drone and spotted the hugging couple holding onto low-lying tree limbs, but rescuers were unable to reach them in time. Cathie and Chuck died in each other’s arms, the sheriff said. Snyder arrived at the music hall later that morning. She recalled how she and Chuck always teased each other and that she had commented to her daughter that she couldn’t wait to see him at the polling place. After she voted, she asked an election worker where Chuck was. “And they go: ‘Lindsi, you didn’t know?’” Snyder said she immediately burst into tears. Her friends had drowned about 2 miles (3.2 kilometers) from the music hall. “He would do anything for anybody,” she said of Chuck, a retired construction worker. “He was just a good person. They both were.” More than 10 inches (25 centimeters) of rain has fallen on parts of the state since Sunday, and flooding has closed more than 100 roads and highways statewide. More rain is forecast for Saturday. The fast-rising Meramec River threatened several homes and businesses on the outskirts of St. Louis, including in Pacific, Missouri, where city leaders encouraged many of its 7,500 residents to evacuate their homes. Officials canceled classes in schools in and around Pacific for the rest of the week. The river is expected to crest Friday at a level that could lead to extensive flooding. The city was providing sand and bags for those who want to makeshift flood barriers. Authorities warned that the river could also swamp homes, and close roads and a state park in nearby Eureka, Missouri. Missouri state Rep. Hannah Kelly, a Republican representing Wright County, said she knew the Baldwins and sometimes bumped into them at auctions. “No matter what party line a person falls on today, no matter whether you’re sad or happy the morning after the election, I think we all can agree that it’s heart wrenching,” Kelly said. Their former neighbor meanwhile pondered that the Baldwins died together while performing a service for the community. “I wholeheartedly believe the Lord planned that one because neither one of them could have been without the other in any way, shape or form,” Ledford said. “They were actually made for each other. You know, people say that, but that actually happened with them.”

CAMARILLO, Calif. (AP) — An out-of-control wildfire fueled by heavy winds was tearing through a community northwest of Los Angeles for a second day Thursday after destroying dozens of homes and forcing thousands of residents to flee when it exploded in size in only a few hours. The Mountain Fire prompted evacuation orders Wednesday for more than 10,000 people as it threatened 3,500 structures in suburban neighborhoods, ranches and agricultural areas around Camarillo in Ventura County, California Gov. Gavin Newsom said in a statement. There was zero containment Thursday morning. The National Weather Service said a red flag warning, which indicates conditions for high fire danger, would remain in effect until 6 p.m. Winds were expected to decrease significantly by Thursday night but humidity levels will remain critically low, forecasters said. Officials in several Southern California counties urged residents to be on watch for fast-spreading blazes, power outages and downed trees during the latest round of notorious Santa Ana winds. The Mountain Fire was burning in a region that has seen some of California’s most destructive fires over the years. A thick plume of smoke rose hundreds of feet into the sky Wednesday, blanketing whole neighborhoods and limiting visibility for firefighters and evacuees. Aerial TV footage showed flames consuming homes as embers whipped along residential blocks. The fire swiftly grew from less than half of a square mile (about 1.2 square kilometers) to more than 16 square miles (41 square kilometers) in little more than five hours. By Thursday morning, it was mapped at just over 22 square miles (57 square kilometers). Efforts to battle the blaze continued through the night on the ground and with helicopters. At least 800 firefighters were assigned to the blaze and hundreds more were arriving from around the state, the department said. Damage estimates were expected to begin Thursday, but the Ventura County Fire Department said numerous structures were impacted. First responders pleaded with residents to evacuate. Deputies made contact with 14,000 people to urge them to leave as embers spread for miles and sparked new flames. The Ventura County Office of Education announced that more than a dozen school districts and campuses in the county were closed Thursday and a few were already expected to be closed Friday. Ventura County Fire Captain Trevor Johnson described crews racing with their engines to homes threatened by the flames to save lives. “This is as intense as it gets. The hair on the back of the firefighters’ neck I’m sure was standing up,” he said during a news conference Wednesday afternoon. Two people suffered apparent smoke inhalation and were taken to hospitals Wednesday, fire officials said. No firefighters reported significant injuries. Meanwhile to the south, Los Angeles County Fire Department crews responded to a wildfire Wednesday in Malibu where authorities briefly shut down the Pacific Coast Highway when flames burned near multimillion-dollar properties. Officials said two structures burned in the 50-acre (20-hectare) Broad Fire. Santa Anas are dry, warm and gusty northeast winds that blow from the interior of Southern California toward the coast and offshore, moving in the opposite direction of the normal onshore flow that carries moist air from the Pacific into the region. They typically occur during the fall months and continue through winter and into early spring. With gusts topping 60 mph (97 kph) and humidity levels as low as 9%, parts of Southern California could experience conditions ripe for “extreme and life-threatening” fire behavior into Thursday, after which conditions will calm, the weather service said. A gust of 72 mph (116 kph) was recorded early Thursday at an elevation of about 4,800 feet (1,463 meters) near Santa Clarita, north of Los Angeles, the service said. Forecasters also issued red flag warnings until Thursday from California’s central coast through the San Francisco Bay Area and into counties to the north, where strong winds were also expected. Utilities in California began powering down equipment during high winds and extreme fire danger after a series of massive and deadly wildfires in recent years were sparked by electrical lines and other infrastructure. Power was shut off to nearly 70,000 customers in five counties over the heightened risk of wildfires, Southern California Edison said Thursday. More than 250,000 customers were at risk of power shutoffs due to the wildfire concerns, the company said. Wednesday’s wildfires burned in the same areas of other recent destructive infernos, including the 2018 Woolsey Fire, which killed three people and destroyed 1,600 homes near Los Angeles, and the 2017 Thomas Fire, which burned more than a thousand homes and other structures in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties. Southern California Edison has paid tens of millions of dollars to settle claims after its equipment was blamed for both blazes. The story has been updated to correct the metric conversion for 16 square miles Dazio and Weber reported from Los Angeles. Associated Press journalists Ryan Pearson in Los Angeles, Amy Taxin in Orange County, California, Olga Rodriguez and Janie Har in San Francisco, and Hannah Schoenbaum in Salt Lake City contributed to this report.

With winter weather already here in some parts of the country — and as snow- and ice-covered roads a daily hazard, it’s important to be aware of the various laws and requirements for the use of chains. The following is a comprehensive, state-by-state guide to America’s chain laws. Alabama The use of tire chains shall be permitted upon any vehicle when required for safety because of snow, rain, or other conditions tending to cause a vehicle to slide or skid. Alaska Drivers are not permitted to use chains from May 1 through Sept. 15 when north of 60 North Latitude. Drivers are not permitted to use chains from April 15 through Sept. 30 when south of 60 North Latitude. If drivers are operating a vehicle on Sterling Highway, they are not permitted to use chains from May 1 through Sept. 15. Drivers will need to obtain a special permit from the Department of Administration if they would like to use chains in one of these prohibited zones. Arizona The use of tire chains are allowed when required for safety during a time of snow, ice or another condition that might cause slippery highways. Arkansas The use of tire chains are allowed when required for safety during a time of snow, ice or another condition that might cause slippery highways. California California does not require trucks to carry chains during any specified time period. When the weather hits, though, it takes at least eight chains for a standard tractor-trailer configuration to comply with the regulations. During the winter months, there might be traction chain controls in the mountain areas. When these are established, drivers will see signs posted along the highway. These signs will also include the type of requirement, which will include one of the following: R1 – Chains, traction devices or snow tires are required on the drive axle of all vehicles except four wheel/ all wheel drive vehicles. R2 – Chains or traction devices are required on all vehicles except four wheel/ all wheel drive vehicles with snow-tread tires on all four wheels. R3 – Chains or traction devices are required on all vehicles, no exceptions. Colorado From Sept. 1 through May 31, all trucks must carry sufficient chains on Interstate 70 when traveling between mile marker 259 outside Golden and mile marker 133 in Dotsero. If drivers get stopped and do not have chains on their trucks, the fine is $50 plus a surcharge of $16. If drivers do not put chains on their trucks when the law is in effect, the fine is $500 plus a $78 surcharge. If they do not put chains on and they end up blocking the highway, then the fine will increase to $1,000 plus a $156 surcharge. Colorado has two different types of chain laws: Level 1 — Single-axle combination commercial vehicles must chain up. Trucks must have all four drive tires in chains. When level 1 is in effect, all other commercial vehicles must have snow tires or chains. Level 2 — When level 2 is in effect, all commercial vehicles are required to chain up the four drive tires. Connecticut Chains are permitted during hazardous weather from Nov. 15 through April 30. The chains can not be damaging to the highway’s surface. Delaware Drivers are permitted to use chains on highways from Oct. 15 through April 15. Georgia At any time the Georgia Department of Transportation may close or limit access to certain highways during inclement weather. If this occurs, signage will be placed to inform drivers that chains are required in order to proceed. For commercial vehicles, chains must be placed on the outermost drive tires. Idaho Officials with the Idaho Department of Transportation can determine that it is unsafe to drive over Lookout Pass and Fourth of July Pass on Interstate 90, and Lolo Pass on Highway 12. If it is deemed unsafe, then drivers will be required to chain up a minimum of one tire on each drive axle and one axle at or near the rear. Illinois The use of tire chains are allowed when required for safety during a time of snow, ice or another condition that might cause slippery highways. Indiana The use of tire chains are allowed when required for safety during a time of snow, ice or another condition that might cause slippery highways. Iowa The use of tire chains are allowed when required for safety during a time of snow, ice or another condition that might cause slippery highways. Kansas The use of tire chains are allowed when required for safety during a time of snow, ice or another condition that might cause slippery highways. Kentucky No person shall use on a highway not covered with ice a vehicle with a chained wheel unless the wheel rests upon an ice-shoe at least 6 inches wide. When chains are used on rubber-tired vehicles, the cross chains shall be not more than three-fourths of an inch in thickness or diameter and shall be spaced not more than ten inches apart, around the circumference of the tires. Louisiana The use of tire chains are allowed when required for safety during a time of snow, ice or another condition that might cause slippery highways. Maine Vehicles cannot have tires with metal studs, wires, spikes or other metal protruding from the tire tread from May 1 through Oct. 1. Other than that the use of tire chains are allowed when required for safety during a time of snow, ice or another condition that might cause slippery highways. Maryland The use of tire chains are allowed when required for safety during a time of snow, ice or another condition that might cause slippery highways. Massachusetts Massachusetts prohibits the use of studded tires and chains between May 1 and Nov. 1 without a permit. The use of tire chains are allowed when required for safety during a time of snow, ice or another condition that might cause slippery highways. Michigan The use of chains is allowed for safety when snow, ice or other condition are present. If chains are used, they must not come in direct contact with the roads surface. Minnesota The use of tire chains are allowed when required for safety during a time of snow, ice or another condition that might cause slippery highways. Mississippi The use of tire chains are allowed when required for safety during a time of snow, ice or another condition that might cause slippery highways. Missouri No person shall operate any motor vehicle upon any road or highway of this state between the first day of April and the first day of November while the motor vehicle is equipped with tires containing metal or carbide studs. The use of tire chains are allowed when required for safety during a time of snow, ice or another condition that might cause slippery highways. Montana If the Montana Department of Transportation determines that highways are too dangerous for travel, they may establish the following recommendations on traction devices: Chains or other approved traction devices recommended for drive wheels. Chains or other approved traction devices required for drive wheels. Chains required for driver wheels. Nebraska The use of tire chains are allowed when required for safety during a time of snow, ice, or another condition that might cause slippery highways. Nevada It is unlawful for any person to operate a motor vehicle, whether it is an emergency vehicle or otherwise, without traction devices, tire chains or snow tires upon any street or highway, under icy or snowy conditions, when the highway is marked or posted with signs for the requirement of traction devices, chains or snow tires. If a highway is marked or posted with signs requiring the use of traction devices, tire chains or snow tires, a motor vehicle or combination of vehicles must be equipped with: Traction devices, tire chains or snow tires if it has a gross weight or combined gross weight of 10,000 pounds or less. Tire chains if it has a gross weight or combined gross weight of more than 10,000 pounds. New Hampshire The use of tire chains are allowed when required for safety during a time of snow, ice or another condition that might cause slippery highways. New Jersey The use of tire chains are allowed when required for safety during a time of snow, ice or another condition that might cause slippery highways. New Mexico The use of tire chains are allowed when required for safety during a time of snow, ice or another condition that might cause slippery highways. New York The use of tire chains are allowed when required for safety during a time of snow, ice or another condition that might cause slippery highways. North Carolina The use of tire chains are allowed when required for safety during a time of snow, ice or another condition that might cause slippery highways. North Dakota North Dakota also allows metal studs within 1/16 inch beyond tread from Oct. 15 through April 15. The use of tire chains are allowed when required for safety during a time of snow, ice or another condition that might cause slippery highways. Ohio The use of tire chains are allowed when required for safety during a time of snow, ice or another condition that might cause slippery highways. Oklahoma The use of tire chains are allowed when required for safety during a time of snow, ice or another condition that might cause slippery highways. Oregon Oregon’s law applies to all highways in the state. Signs will tell drivers when they are required to carry chains and when they are required to use them. Drivers will need to have six chains on hand to comply in Oregon. The use of tire chains are allowed when required for safety during a time of snow, ice or another condition that might cause slippery highways. Pennsylvania The use of tire chains are allowed when required for safety during a time of snow, ice or another condition that might cause slippery highways. Rhode Island The use of tire chains are allowed when required for safety during a time of snow, ice or another condition that might cause slippery highways. South Carolina The use of tire chains are allowed when required for safety during a time of snow, ice or another condition that might cause slippery highways. South Dakota The South Dakota DOT has the authority to restrict travel on roads. Signs will alert drivers to these restrictions. The use of tire chains are allowed when required for safety during a time of snow, ice or another condition that might cause slippery highways. Tennessee The use of tire chains are allowed when required for safety during a time of snow, ice or another condition that might cause slippery highways. Texas The use of tire chains are allowed when required for safety during a time of snow, ice or another condition that might cause slippery highways. Utah When any designated highway is so restricted no vehicle shall be allowed or permitted the use of the highway, during the period between Oct. 1 and April 30, or when conditions warrant due to adverse, or hazardous weather or roadway conditions, as determined by the Utah Department of Transportation, unless: An operator of a commercial vehicle with four or more drive wheels, other than a bus, shall affix tire chains to at least four of the drive wheel tires. Vermont Vermont has a traffic committee that will decide if use of chains will be required. The use of tire chains are allowed when required for safety during a time of snow, ice or another condition that might cause slippery highways. Vehicles with semitrailers or trailers that have a tandem-drive axle towing a trailer shall have chains: On two tires on each side of the primary drive axle, or if both axles of the vehicle are powered by the drive line, one tire on each side of each drive axle; and On one tire of the front axle and one tire on one of the rear axles of the trailer. Virginia The use of tire chains are allowed when required for safety during a time of snow, ice or another condition that might cause slippery highways. Washington Any commercial vehicle over 10,000 pounds. Gross vehicle weight rating should carry chains from Nov. 1 to April 1 when driving on one of the following routes: Blewett Pass SR-97 between MP 145 and Milepost 185 Chinook Pass SR-410 Enumclaw (MP 25) to SR-12 (MP 342) Cle Elum to Teanaway SR-970 Cle Elum (MP 0) to Teanaway (MP 10) Gibbons Creek to intersection of Cliffs Road SR-14 Gibbons Creek (MP 18) to intersection of Cliffs Rd. (MP 108) Mt. Baker Highway (Ellensburg to Selah) SR-542 (MP22) to (MP 57) Interstate 82 from Ellensburg (MP 3) to Selah (MP 26) Newhalem to Winthrop SR-20 Newhalem (MP 120) to Winthrop (MP 192) Omak to Nespelem SR-155 Omak (MP 79) to Nespelem (MP 45) Satus Pass SR-97 Columbia River (MP 00) to Toppenish (MP 59) Sherman Pass SR-20 Tonasket (MP 262) to Kettle Falls (MP 342) Snoqualmie Pass Interstate 90 North Bend (MP 32) and Ellensburg (MP 101) Stevens Pass SR-2 Dryden (MP 108) to Index (MP 36) White Pass SR-12 Packwood (MP 135) to Naches (MP 187) West Virginia The use of chains is allowed for safety when snow, ice or other condition are present. If chains are used, they must not come in direct contact with the roads surface. Wisconsin The use of chains is allowed for safety when snow, ice or other condition are present. If chains are used, they must not come in direct contact with the roads surface. Wyoming When the chain law is in effect due to snow, ice or other conditions, travel on a highway may be restricted to use only by motor vehicles utilizing adequate snow tires or tire chains. There are two levels: Level 1: When conditions are hazardous, travel can be restricted to vehicles equipped with tire chains, vehicles with adequate snow tires or all-wheel-drive vehicles. Level 2: When conditions are extremely hazardous, travel can be restricted to vehicles equipped with tire chains or all-wheel-drive vehicles equipped with adequate mud and snow or all-weather-rated tires. The operator of a commercial vehicle shall affix tire chains to at least two of the drive wheels of the vehicle at opposite ends of the same drive axle when the vehicle is required to utilize tire chains under this subsection. Any driver that is in violation will face a fine of no more than $250. If the violation results in the closure of all lanes in one or both directions of a highway, the driver will face a fine of no more than $750.

WASHINGTON — Donald Trump has promised sweeping action in a second administration. The former president and now president-elect often skipped over details, but through more than a year of policy pronouncements and written statements outlined a wide-ranging agenda that blends traditional conservative approaches to taxes, regulation and cultural issues with a more populist bent on trade and a shift in America’s international role. Trump’s agenda also would scale back federal government efforts on civil rights and expand presidential powers. Here’s a look at what Trump has proposed: Immigration “Build the wall!” from his 2016 campaign has become creating “the largest mass deportation program in history.” Trump has called for using the National Guard and empowering domestic police forces in the effort. Still, he has been scant on details of what the program would look like and how he would ensure that it targeted only people in the U.S. illegally. He has pitched “ideological screening” for would-be entrants, ending birth-right citizenship (which almost certainly would require a constitutional change), and said he’d reinstitute first-term policies such as “Remain in Mexico,” limiting migrants on public health grounds and severely limiting or banning entrants from certain majority-Muslim nations. Altogether, the approach would not just crack down on illegal migration, but also curtail immigration overall. Abortion Trump played down abortion as a second-term priority — even as he took credit for the Supreme Court ending a woman’s federal right to terminate a pregnancy and returning abortion regulation to state governments. At Trump’s insistence, the GOP platform, for the first time in decades, did not call for a national ban on abortion. Trump maintains that overturning Roe v. Wade is enough on the federal level. Trump said last month on his social media platform Truth Social that he would veto a federal abortion ban if legislation reached his desk — a statement he made only after avoiding a firm position in his September debate against Democratic nominee Kamala Harris. But it’s unclear if his administration would aggressively defend against legal challenges seeking to restrict access to abortion pills, including mifepristone, as the Biden administration has. Anti-abortion advocates continue to wage legal battles over the Food and Drug Administration’s approval of the drug as well as the agency’s relaxed prescribing restrictions. Trump is also unlikely to enforce Biden’s guidance that hospitals must provide abortions for women who are in medical emergencies, even in states with bans. Taxes Trump’s tax policies broadly tilt toward corporations and wealthier Americans. That’s mostly due to his promise to extend his 2017 tax overhaul, with a few notable changes that include lowering the corporate income tax rate to 15% from the current 21%. That also involves rolling back Democratic President Joe Biden’s income tax hikes on the wealthiest Americans and scrapping Inflation Reduction Act levies that finance energy measures intended to combat climate change. Those policies notwithstanding, Trump has put more emphasis on new proposals aimed at working- and middle-class Americans — exempting earned tips, Social Security wages and overtime wages from income taxes. It’s noteworthy, however, that his proposal on tips, depending on how Congress might write it, could give a back-door tax break to top wage earners by allowing them to reclassify some of their pay as tip income — a prospect that at its most extreme could see hedge-fund managers or top-flight attorneys taking advantage of a policy that Trump frames as being designed for restaurant servers, bartenders and other service workers. Tariffs and trade Trump’s posture on international trade is to distrust world markets as harmful to American interests. He proposes tariffs of 10% to 20% on foreign goods — and in some speeches has mentioned even higher percentages. He promises to reinstitute an August 2020 executive order requiring that the Food and Drug Administration buy “essential” medications only from U.S. companies. He pledges to block purchases of “any vital infrastructure” in the U.S. by Chinese buyers. DEI, LGBTQ and civil rights Trump has called for rolling back societal emphasis on diversity and for legal protections for LGBTQ citizens. He has also called for ending diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs in government institutions, using federal funding as leverage. On transgender rights, Trump promises generally to end “boys in girls’ sports,” a practice he insists is widespread. But his policies go well beyond standard applause lines from his rally speeches. Among other ideas, Trump would roll back the Biden administration’s policy of extending Title IX civil rights protections to transgender students, and he would ask Congress to require that only two genders can be recognized at birth. Regulation, federal bureaucracy and presidential power The president-elect seeks to reduce the role of federal bureaucrats and regulations across economic sectors. Trump frames all regulatory cuts as an economic magic wand. He pledges precipitous drops in U.S. households’ utility bills by removing obstacles to fossil fuel production, including opening all federal lands for exploration — even though U.S. energy production is already at record highs. Trump promises to unleash housing construction by cutting regulations — though most construction rules come from state and local government. He also says he would end “frivolous litigation from the environmental extremists.” The approach would in many ways strengthen the executive branch’s influence. That power would come more directly from the White House. He would make it easier to fire federal workers by classifying thousands of them as being outside civil service protections. That could weaken the government’s power to enforce statutes and rules by reducing the number of employees engaging in the work and, potentially, impose a chilling effect on those who remain. Trump also claims that presidents have exclusive power to control federal spending even after Congress has appropriated money. He argues that lawmakers’ budget actions “set a ceiling” on spending but not a floor — meaning the president’s constitutional duty to “faithfully execute the laws” includes discretion on whether to spend the money. This interpretation could set up a court battle with Congress. As a candidate, he also suggested that the Federal Reserve, an independent entity that sets interest rates, should be subject to more presidential power. Though he has not offered details, any such move would represent a momentous change to how the U.S. economic and monetary systems work. Education The federal Department of Education would be targeted for elimination in a second Trump administration. That does not mean that Trump wants Washington out of classrooms. He still proposes, among other maneuvers, using federal funding as leverage to pressure K-12 school systems to abolish tenure and adopt merit pay for teachers and to scrap diversity programs at all levels of education. He calls for pulling federal funding “for any school or program pushing Critical Race Theory, gender ideology, or other inappropriate racial, sexual, or political content on our children.” In higher education, Trump proposes taking over accreditation processes for colleges, a move he describes as his “secret weapon” against the “Marxist Maniacs and lunatics” he says control higher education. Trump takes aim at higher education endowments, saying he will collect “billions and billions of dollars” from schools via “taxing, fining and suing excessively large private university endowments” at schools that do not comply with his edicts. That almost certainly would end up in protracted legal fights. As in other policy areas, Trump isn’t actually proposing limiting federal power in higher education, but strengthening it. He calls for redirecting the confiscated endowment money into an online “American Academy” offering college credentials to all Americans without a tuition charges. “It will be strictly non-political, and there will be no wokeness or jihadism allowed—none of that’s going to be allowed,” Trump said on Nov. 1, 2023. Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid Trump insists he would protect Social Security and Medicare, popular programs geared toward older Americans and among the biggest pieces of the federal spending pie each year. There are questions about how his proposal not to tax tip and overtime wages might affect Social Security and Medicare. If such plans eventually involved only income taxes, the entitlement programs would not be affected. But exempting those wages from payroll taxes would reduce the funding stream for Social Security and Medicare outlays. Trump has talked little about Medicaid but his first administration, in general, defaulted to approving state requests for waivers of various federal rules and it broadly endorsed state-level work requirements for recipients. Affordable Care Act and Health Care As he has since 2015, Trump calls for repealing the Affordable Care Act and its subsidized health insurance marketplaces. But he still has not proposed a replacement: In a September debate, he insisted he had the “concepts of a plan.” In the latter stages of the campaign, Trump played up his alliance with former presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a longtime critic of vaccines and of pesticides used in U.S. agriculture. Trump repeatedly told rally crowds that he would put Kennedy in charge of “making America healthy again.” Climate and energy Trump, who claims that climate change is a “hoax,” blasts Biden-era spending on cleaner energy designed to reduce U.S. reliance on fossil fuels. He proposes an energy policy — and transportation infrastructure spending — anchored to fossil fuels: roads, bridges and combustion-engine vehicles. “Drill, baby, drill!” was a regular chant at Trump rallies. Trump says he does not oppose electric vehicles but promises to end all Biden incentives to encourage EV market development. Trump also pledges to roll back Biden-era fuel efficiency standards. Workers’ rights Trump and Vice President-elect JD Vance framed their ticket as favoring America’s workers. However, Trump could make it harder for workers to unionize. In discussing auto workers, Trump focused almost exclusively on Biden’s push toward electric vehicles. When he mentioned unions, it was often to lump “the union bosses and CEOs” together as complicit in “this disastrous electric car scheme.” In an Oct. 23, 2023, statement, Trump said of United Auto Workers, “I’m telling you, you shouldn’t pay those dues.” National defense and America’s role in the world Trump’s rhetoric and policy approach in world affairs is more isolationist diplomatically, non-interventionist militarily and protectionist economically than the U.S. has been since World War II. But the details are more complicated. He pledges expansion of the military, promises to protect Pentagon spending from austerity efforts and proposes a new missile defense shield — an old idea from the Reagan era during the Cold War. Trump insists he can end Russia’s war in Ukraine and the Israel-Hamas war, without explaining how. He summarizes his approach through another Reagan phrase: “peace through strength.” But he remains critical of NATO and top U.S. military brass. “I don’t consider them leaders,” Trump said of Pentagon officials that Americans “see on television.” He repeatedly praised authoritarians like Hungary’s Viktor Orban and Russia’s Vladimir Putin. By Bill Barrow, The Associated Press

WASHINGTON — Republicans seized control of the U.S. Senate late Tuesday, Nov. 5, after flipping Democratic held seats, holding onto GOP incumbents and wresting away the majority for the first time in four years. The unexpected battleground of Nebraska pushed Republicans over the top. Incumbent GOP Sen. Deb Fischer brushed back a surprisingly strong challenge from independent newcomer Dan Osborn. Democrats watched their efforts to salvage their slim majority slip out of reach. Early in the night, Republicans flipped one seat in West Virginia, with the election of Jim Justice, the state’s governor, who replaced retiring Sen. Joe Manchin, and then another in Ohio when Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown lost to wealthy newcomer Bernie Moreno. Democratic efforts to oust firebrand Republicans Ted Cruz of Texas and Rick Scott of Florida collapsed. And, in the early-morning hours of Wednesday, Nov. 6, there are more Senate races still to come. The focus now turns to the Democratic “blue-wall” states of Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, where Democrats are fighting to protect seats and avoid a Republican sweep of the Senate. It’s a political coda for outgoing Senate GOP Leader Mitch McConnell, who has made a career charting the path to power and recruiting wealthy Republicans in races that topped $2 billion with outside spending. With control of Congress at stake, the contests for the House and Senate will determine which party holds the majority and the power to boost or block a president’s agenda, or if the White House confronts a divided Capitol Hill. The House races are in a state-by-state slog. For Republicans, it’s a chance to gain full control of Congress as they try to sweep into power. For Democrats, a House majority will give them an important check on the GOP’s power and force compromise in Washington. In the end, just a handful of seats, or as little as one, could tip the balance in that chamber. The key contests are playing out alongside the first presidential election since the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol, but also in unexpected corners of the country after what has been one of the most chaotic congressional sessions in modern times. Top House races are focused in New York and California, where Democrats are trying to claw back some of the 10 or so seats where Republicans have made surprising gains in recent years with star lawmakers who helped deliver the party to power. Other House races are scattered around the country in a sign of how narrow the field has become. Only a couple of dozen seats are being seriously challenged, with some of the most contentious in Maine, the “blue dot” around Omaha, Nebraska, and in Alaska. Vote counting in some races could extend well past Tuesday. Several states will send history-makers to the new Congress. Voters elected two Black women to the Senate, Democrat Lisa Blunt Rochester of Delaware and Democrat Angela Alsobrooks of Maryland, in a historic first. Blunt Rochester won the open seat in her state while Alsobrooks defeated Maryland’s popular former governor, Larry Hogan. Just three Black women have served in the Senate, and never before have two served at the same time. And in New Jersey, Andy Kim became the first Korean American elected to the Senate, defeating Republican businessman Curtis Bashaw. The seat opened when Bob Menendez resigned this year after his federal conviction on bribery charges. In the House, candidate Sarah McBride, a Democratic state lawmaker from Delaware who is close to the Biden family, won her race, becoming the first openly transgender person elected to Congress. What’s still unclear is who will lead the new Republican Senate, as longtime leader McConnell prepares to step down from the post. South Dakota Sen. John Thune, the No. 2 Republican, and Texas Sen. John Cornyn, who previously held that post, are the front-runners to replace McConnell in a secret-ballot election scheduled for when senators arrive in Washington next week. Voters said the economy and immigration were the top issues facing the country, but the future of democracy was also a leading motivator for many Americans casting ballots in the presidential election. AP VoteCast, a survey of more than 110,000 voters nationwide, found a country mired in negativity and desperate for change as Americans faced a stark choice between former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris. Congress plays a role in upholding the American tradition of peacefully transferring presidential power. Four years ago, Trump sent his mob of supporters to “fight like hell” at the Capitol, and many Republicans in Congress voted to block President Joe Biden’s election. Congress will again be called upon to certify the results of the presidential election in 2025. “We’re in striking distance in terms of taking back the House,” House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries, who is in line to make history as the first Black speaker if his party wins control, told The Associated Press during a recent campaign swing through Southern California. But House Speaker Mike Johnson, drawing closer to Trump, predicts Republicans will keep “and grow” the majority. He took over after Kevin McCarthy was booted from the speaker’s office. One of the most-watched Senate races, in Montana, may be among the last to be decided. Democrat Jon Tester, a popular three-term senator and “dirt farmer” is in the fight of his political career against Trump-backed Tim Sheehy, a wealthy former NAVY Seal, who made derogatory comments about Native Americans, a key constituency in the Western state. In the Southwestern states, Arizona firebrand Republican Kari Lake has struggled against Democrat Ruben Gallego in the seat opened by Sen. Krysten Sinema’s retirement. In Nevada, Democratic Sen. Jacky Rosen has been holding out against newcomer Sam Brown. Democrats had intensified their challenges to Cruz and Scott in states where reproductive rights have been a focus in the aftermath of the Supreme Court decision rolling back abortion access. Scott defeated Democrat Debbie Mucarsel-Powell, a former member of Congress. While Texas hasn’t elected a Democrat statewide in almost 30 years, Colin Allred, a Dallas-area congressman and former NFL linebacker, positioned himself as a moderate and leaned into his support for reproductive rights amid Texas’ abortion ban, which is one of the strictest in the nation. Brown’s loss in Ohio to Moreno, an immigrant from Bogota, Colombia, who built a fortune as a luxury car dealer and blockchain entrepreneur, puts the Democrats on the edge of losing Senate control. A three-term senator, he is the first incumbent to lose reelection. The Ohio race between Brown and Moreno, who was backed by Donald Trump, is the most expensive of the cycle, at some $400 million. What started as a lackluster race for control of Congress was instantly transformed once Harris stepped in for Biden at the top of the ticket, energizing Democrats with massive fundraising and volunteers that lawmakers said reminded them of the Obama-era enthusiasm of 2008. Billions of dollars have been spent by the parties, and outside groups, on the narrow battleground for both the 435-member House and 100-member Senate. Fallout from redistricting, when states redraw their maps for congressional districts, is also shifting the balance of power within the House, with Republicans gaining three seats from Democrats in North Carolina and Democrats picking up a second Black-majority seat in Republican-heavy Alabama. Lawmakers in the House face voters every two years, while senators serve longer six-year terms. If the two chambers do in fact flip party control, as is possible, it would be rare. Records show that if Democrats take the House and Republicans take the Senate, it would be the first time that the chambers of Congress have both flipped to opposing political parties. By Lisa Mascaro and Mary Clare Jalonick. Associated Press writers Stephen Groves, Kevin Freking and Farnoush Amiri contributed to this report.

According to the Associated Press, former President Donald Trump has won the swing state of Georgia on Wednesday at 12:48 a.m. Eastern, returning its 16 electoral votes to the Republican column. Joe Biden narrowly carried Georgia in 2020, but Republicans have won every other Georgia presidential vote since 1996. Trump tried to overturn his 2020 loss in Georgia, setting off a political and legal struggle that led to his indictment in the state. While the state has two Democratic U.S. senators, Trump’s victory proves Georgia still has a Republican bent. Six candidates appeared on Georgia ballots, but votes for Claudia De la Cruz and Cornel West weren’t counted.

The Associated Press projected at 11:18 p.m. EST that former President Donald Trump won the battleground state of North Carolina on Tuesday. Trump receives the state’s 16 electoral votes after defeating Democratic nominee Kamala Harris. Trump also won the state in 2016 and 2020, but Democrats had been optimistic they could reverse previous outcomes with campaign spending, canvassing and Harris rallies. They also tried to link Trump to embattled Republican gubernatorial candidate Mark Robinson. But Trump and running mate JD Vance visited North Carolina often during the fall campaign, pushing a more protectionist economic agenda and promises to crack down on illegal immigration and the southern border. AP’s projections at midnight ET had Trump with 230 electoral votes and Harris garnering 205 with 270 needed to win.