Winter storm leads to deaths

The weekend winter storm that dumped up to 14 inches of snow on parts of Iowa shares the blame in at least two deaths. The Iowa Highway Patrol says an eastern Iowa woman died Saturday night when her car got stuck on railroad tracks near Burlington and was hit by a train. No one aboard the Amtrak was hurt but 37-year-old Lori Griffis of Solon was killed. In northern Iowa, another crash that same night claimed the life of a Mason City man. Police say 43-year-old Matthew Ward was driving a snowmobile and collided with a waste water lift station and died of severe chest trauma. Meanwhile, Davenport police give NO indication snow delayed fire trucks from reaching the home of a paralyzed woman, who died in a Sunday night fire. The body of 51-year-old Roberta Whitbeck was found in the house’s living room once the blaze was extinguished. The cause of the fire is under investigation.