Nation

Thousands still without power after wind storms

Utility companies continued working to restore power to hundreds of thousands of customers Friday night after heavy wind and rain hit the East and Midwest. The powerful gusts were expected to calm by today.

At least eight people have died in the storms since Wednesday, including three motorists hit by falling trees.

More than 1.4 million customers lost power, and by Friday evening, lights were still out for about 260,000, including nearly 79,000 in Pennsylvania.

Most utilities expected to return to full power by today, but some hard-hit areas of western New York may be without power until early next week as crews untangle trees from lines and make repairs.

The winds that had gusted to more than 70 mph Thursday died down somewhat, but gusts as high as 45 mph swept over some areas Friday. The National Weather Service predicted calmer winds today.

New York City

Federal prosecutors taking over ferry probe

Federal prosecutors Friday took control of the investigation of the Staten Island Ferry crash, promising to seek “complete answers” in a case that has been stymied by the silence of the captain and his assistant.

U.S. Atty. Roslynn Mauskopf of Brooklyn and Staten Island announced she would take over the probe from Dist. Atty. William Murphy. Ten people were killed Oct. 15 when a ferry crashed into a pier.

Authorities have said Capt. Michael Gansas and Assistant Capt. Richard Smith could face federal charges of “being a seaman by whose misconduct a person died” — an obscure law that carries up to 10 years in prison.

Alabama

$11.9 billion in damages ordered in gas dispute

A jury ordered Exxon Mobil Corp. to pay $11.9 billion in damages Friday after finding the oil giant had cheated the state of Alabama out of natural gas royalties.

The jury, which began deliberating Tuesday, awarded $63.6 million in compensatory damages and $11.8 billion in punitive damages, a record in the state.

Jurors had to find Exxon Mobil committed fraud to return the multibillion-dollar verdict that the state sought.

The state sued Irving, Texas-based Exxon Mobil in 1999, contending the company had violated its leases for natural gas wells in state-owned waters along the Alabama coast. The state accused the company of defrauding Alabama by intentionally deducting too much in expenses for operating the wells.