(AP) – A blizzard has knocked out electricity to tens of thousands of people in the Northern Plains as a powerful storm system sweeps across the central U.S. Officials say about 28,000 people and businesses are without power in Minnesota and South Dakota, while another 8,500 are in the dark in Iowa. Xcel Energy says the main culprit is snow and ice accumulating on power lines, along with strong winds. The blizzard is part of a storm system known as a “bomb cyclone.”
