Fire officials fear cold led to Memphis woman's death » The Commercial Appeal

The incident continued a particularly deadly spree of fires in Memphis. Nine people have died so far this year, nearly matching the city’s total of 13 fire deaths for all of 2009.

Memphis Fire Department officials struggled Wednesday to explain why the numbers are so high, although a particularly cold winter might offer a clue.

The average daily temperature for February has been 7 degrees below normal, according to the National Weather Service, and the average for January was 2.8 degrees below normal.

Snowboarder Jeremy Jones active in fight to fix climate change - USATODAY.com

Beyond the athlete vignettes and gold medal glory of the Olympics, a major story from Vancouver is the warm weather and lack of snow. Not just an ironically timed anomaly, decreasing snowfall and above average temperatures have, in recent years, been a plague on winter resorts and the $6 billion dollar ski industry.

January 28, 2010: Whistler - With record snowfall and technical approval, Whistler Blackcomb and VANOC are games-ready

WHISTLER, BC, Jan. 28 /CNW/ - With the backdrop of a record snowfall and the blessing of international ski officials, the finishing touches are being applied over the next 16 days to the Olympic alpine ski racing venue. Whistler Blackcomb, host venue for the men's and women's alpine skiing competitions, and consistently rated as one of the top ski and snowboard resorts in the world, is Games-ready -- with an unprecedented 9.88 metres (32.4 feet) of snow. The first alpine athletes start their training on designated training runs on February 5 and on the Olympic courses on February 10. The first alpine competition is the Men's Downhill on February 13, the first day of Games competition.

The Rothenberg Political Report: CA Senate moved to Clear Advantage from Safe

Republicans have to sort out a competitive primary in California, but Sen. Barbara Boxer's (D) poll numbers are less than intimidating. The contest is worth watching because of the building GOP wave. Move from Currently Safe to Clear Advantage for Incumbent Party.