Chicago Tribune from Chicago, Illinois • 1-10

10 Chicago Tribune Section 1 Monday, March 4, 2019 NEW ORLEANS A driver suspected of killing two people and injuring seven others, most of them on bikes, as large crowds gathered in New Orleans for Mardi Gras told police after the deadly crash, have a drinking according to a police report. New Orleans police said Tashonty Toney, 32, was charged with two counts of vehicular homicide and other charges after crashing his car Saturday night on a busy thoroughfare near the route of one of New Orle- largest Mardi Gras pa- rades. Police spokesman Andy Cunninghamsaid in a state- ment Sunday that author- ities are waiting for the results of a blood alcohol test, but they believe the suspect was impaired. Nola.com/The Times-Pica- yune reported a police inci- dent report said Toney re- fused to take a field sobriety test and told officers he had struggledwith alcohol. have a drinking prob- the police report quoted Toney as saying.

shouldhavegottenhelp, going to jail for bond was set at $510,000 by a magistrate commissioner Sunday. Toney did not speak during the hearing and was repre- sented by a public defender, the newspaper said. Cunningham said Toney was the son of a New Orleans police officer and promised the investigation will be and Saturday was birthday, the news release said. In addition to vehicular homicide, Toney was charged with seven counts of vehicular negligent in- jury, hit and run, and reck- less operation, the release said. The crash happened along a stretchofEsplanade Avenue, a street that con- nects the biggest park with the French Quarter.

The scene was close to the route of the Endymion pa- rade, which was held Sat- urday night. Driver in fatal crash: have a drinking Associated Press Police examine a Chevy Camaro on Esplanade Avenue in New Orleans that struck multiple people Saturday night. MICHAEL TIMES-PICAYUNE WASHINGTON Op- ponents of President Don- declaration of a national emergency at the U.S.-Mexico border appear tohaveenoughSenatevotes to reject his move, now that Republican Rand Paul of Kentucky has said he go along with the White House. The House has voted to derail the action, and if the Senate follows later this month, the measure would go toTrump for his promis- ed veto. Three other Republican senators have announced vote Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Thom Tillis of North Car- olina.

Paul makes it four, and assuming that all 47 Democrats and their inde- pendent allies go against Trump, that would give opponents 51 votes just past themajority needed. Paul, said in a speechSaturdaynightat the SouthernKentuckyLincoln Day Dinner that he vote to give extra-Constitu- tional powers to the presi- the Bowling Green DailyNews reported. vote to give the president the power to spend money that been appropriated by Con- Paul said, according to the newspaper. may want more money for bor- der security, but Congress authorize it. If we take away those checks and balances, a dangerous The disapproval resolu- tion has already passed the Democratic-controlled House and requires a sim- ple majority to pass the GOP-led Senate.

While the resolution is likely to clear the Senate, lawmakers in both cham- bers lack the votes to over- ride a threatened presi- dential veto. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, spent weeks warning against a national emer- gency only to declare his support for the move last month.McConnell faces re- election next year and there is concern within the GOP about being forced to choosebetweenTrumpand their self-described opposi- tion to executive overreach. Republicans worry that in supporting Trump, they will be giving approval to a White House power grab that circumvents constitutional power over spending.But if theyoppose it, they face thewrath of not only the president but his political base and pos- sibly a primary challenge. Sen. Lamar Alexander, cal of emergency declaration, delivered a floor speech Thursday in which he outlined what he described as an alternative way for the president to get themoneyhewants tobuild his wall.

But Alexander has declined to say how he would vote on the disap- proval resolution. Numerous other GOP senators have also ex- pressed reservations about among them Sens.TedCruzofTexas and Marco Rubio of Florida, leading to widespread ex- pectations that the disap- proval resolution will easily pass the Senate. The Senate is poised to vote on the measure later thismonth. Asked about deci- sion, his spokesman Sergio Gor said it for and declined to elaborate further. Trumphas said hewould veto the legislation, and the vote margin in the House last week, 245-182, waswell short of the two-thirds ma- jority that would be re- quired to override his veto.

Nonetheless, the disap- proval resolution repre- 15move to declare an emer- gencyafterCongressbalked at giving him the money he demanded for his border wall. declaration allows him to access $3.6 billion in funds allocated for military construction proj- ects. That money would be tapped after the adminis- tration exhausts funding from other sources, includ- ing $1.375 billion provided by Congress; $2.5 billion from a Pentagon counter- drug account that the ad- ministration can access without an emergency dec- laration; and $601 million froma forfeiture fund in the TreasuryDepartment. During an interview last weekwith FoxNewsChan- Sean Hannity, Trump urged Republicans not to back the disapproval reso- lution and said those who do so will themselves at great think that really a very dangerous thing for people to be voting against border Trump said. The Associated Press and The Washington Post con- tributed.

declaration may hit Senate snag Paul latest to say he go along with president on wall action News services GOP Sen. Rand Paul, says join Susan Collins, top right, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Thom Tillis of North Carolina in voting against the wall action. J. SCOTT 2018 ALEX MANDEL ERIN BEAUREGARD, Ala. An apparent tornado roar- ing across southeast Ala- bama killed at least 22 people and injured several others Sunday as severe storms destroyed mobile homes, snapped trees and scattered destruction and weather warnings into Georgia, Florida and South Carolina.

Dozens of emergency re- sponders rushed to join search and rescue efforts in Lee County, after what appeared to be a large tor- nado toucheddownSunday afternoon, springingoutofa powerful storm system rak- ing the Southeast. Lee County Sheriff Jay Jones said late Sunday eve- ning that children are among the dead.He said possible thedeath toll could continue to rise, but author- ities are pausing search ef- forts overnight because conditions are too danger- ous in the dark due to massive amounts of debris. Jones said search and rescue teams will resume theirwork at first light. we be- lieve (thedeath toll) is going to Jones said, adding that the apparent twister traveled straightdownakey local artery, Highway 51, and that the path of damage anddestructionappearedat least a half-milewide. Several people were tak- en to hospitals, of them with very serious in- Jones said.

President Donald Trump has tweeted to Alabama residents to be safe in the wake of deadly storms: the great people of Alabama and surrounding areas: Please be careful and safe. Tornadoes and storms were truly violent andmore could be coming. To the families and friends of the victims, and to the injured, God bless you Authorities in southwest Georgia are searching door to door in darkened neigh- borhoods after a possible tornado touched down in the rural city of Cairo. Cairo City Manager Chris Addleton said office and commercial buildings in the downtown had win- dows blown out and metal roofs torn off by the storm Sunday evening. He said some residents reportedbe- ing stuck inside homes that were damaged or had trees on them.

There were no immedi- ate reports of serious in- juries in the community, 33 miles north of the Florida capital of Tallahassee. Electricity was out. Ad- dleton said the full extent of the damage likely be knownuntil daylight. After nightfall Sunday, the rain had stopped and pieces of metal debris and tree branches littered road- ways in Beauregard, Ala. Two sheriff vehicles blocked reporters and oth- ers from reaching the area of greatest devastation.

Power appeared out to homes and businesses around the community in southeast Alabama. Rita Smith, spokeswom- an for the Lee County Emergency Management Agency, said about 150 first responders were sifting through debris after the powerful stormhit. She said numerous homes were de- stroyed or damaged in Beauregard, about 60 miles east ofMontgomery. Radar and video evi- dence showed what looked like a large tornado crossing near Beauregard shortly af- ter 2 p.m. Sunday local time, said meteorologist Mere- dith Wyatt with the Birm- ingham office of the Na- tionalWeather Service.

Numerous tornado warnings were posted across parts of Alabama, Georgia, Florida and South Carolina on Sunday after- noon as the powerful storm system raced across the region. Weather officials said they confirmed other tornadoes around the re- gion by radar alone and would send teams out early Monday to assess the situa- tion involving those and others. In rural Talbotton, about 80 miles south of Atlanta, a handful of people were injured by either pow- erful straight-line winds or a tornado that destroyed several mobile homes and damaged other buildings, said Leigh Ann Erenheim, director of the Talbot County Emergency Man- agementAgency. Televised broadcast news footage showed smashed buildings with rooftops blown away, cars overturned and debris ev- erywhere. Trees all around had been snapped bare of branches.

Henry Wilson of the Peach County Emergency Management Agency near Macon in central Georgia said power poles had been snapped, leaving many in the areawithout power. Authorities said a tor- nado was confirmed by radar in the Florida Pan- handle late Sunday after- noon. A portion of Inter- state 10 on the Panhandle was blocked in one direc- tion for a time in Walton County in the aftermath, said Don Harrigan, a mete- orologist for the National Weather Service in Talla- hassee. The threat of severe weather was expected to continue overnight. A tor- nadowatchwas in effect for much of eastern Georgia, including Athens, Augusta and Savannah.

The tornado watch also covered a large area of SouthCarolina. 22 dead as storms slam Southeast Search efforts to resumeMonday amid safety concerns A fallen cellphone tower lies across a highway after a storm system raced across the region Sunday in Lee County, Ala. MIKE A funnel cloud appears Sunday in Dothan, Ala. Storms caused damage in parts of the state. JUSTIN PHOTO By Kim Chandler Associated Press.