Ice storm means dark Christmas for many

Winter storms have made for more of a dark and cold Christmas than a white one for many.

A half-million utility customers, from Michigan to Maine and into Canada, have been without power thanks to an ice storm that began rolling across the region last weekend.

One utility calls it the worst Christmas week outage in its history.

Repair crews have been working around the clock to restore service, and they report good progress this morning despite more snow rolling into the Great Lakes and Upper Midwest overnight.

Central Maine Power says its goal is to use more than 1,000 workers to restore power for all customers by tomorrow night, while other utilities in Maine are warning customers they could be without electricity until Friday. Repair efforts could be complicated by windy weather. Forecasters predict gusts of about 20 miles an hour in some places, which could bring down more tree limbs.

Authorities say the storm contributed to the deaths of 14 people, including a 50-year-old man in Maine who was overcome by carbon monoxide fumes from a generator.