Des Moines schools closed due to power woes; ice headaches continue for many Iowans

The ice storm caused many school districts and colleges to cancel classes and pushed the limits on even the hardiest of Iowans' tolerance for winter.

Twice buried by blizzards and ice in December, some Iowans were near their wits' end after the latest storm.

"I just want it over! I want this winter over with. I'm sick of the snow and I'm sick of the cold," said Angie Camden, 36, who was without power in her rural Calhoun County home in northwest Iowa. "I can't wait to see the sun."

State agricultural head tours cold-damaged farms, says hundreds of millions in losses» Florida

On Monday, U.S. Rep. Adam Putnam, R-Fla., took his own tour of farms in Collier County. Last week, he visited other farms in the state to see the damage for himself. His aide described it as the “death and destruction tour.”

Florida freeze will spike costs | HeraldTribune.com

The cold snap was felt deeply throughout Central and South Florida's farms, killing crops and leaving pickers with little to do at a time when the state economy is showing signs of a fragile recovery and as unemployment still tops 10 percent.

Hardest-hit may be the tomato and pepper-growing region surrounding Immokalee in Lee, Collier, Hendry and Glades counties.

Some 70 percent of the winter tomato crop, 30 percent of the pepper crop and an unknown amount of the squash crop were ruined.

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