A behemoth storm packing hurricane-force wind gusts and blizzard conditions swept through the Northeast overnight, where more than 650,000 homes and businesses in the densely populated region lost power, roads were impassable and New Englanders awoke Saturday to more than 2 feet of snow.

Anywhere from 1½ to 2½ feet of snow is expected to cover north-central Connecticut and much of the rest of the state by the time the biggest snowstorm in years finishes moving through the region this weekend.

A storm that could bring more than 2 feet of snow Friday and into Saturday will likely cause blizzard conditions, forecasters say.

MANCHESTER — Imagine Main Street’s First Thursday events continue Feb. 7 from 6 to 9 p.m., primarily at 903 and 974 Main St.

Pat Eaton-RobbAssociated Press NEWTOWN — A group of children who recorded a version of “Over the Rainbow” are preparing for a live appearance during the E! Network’s Grammy Awards preshow on Sunday.

As U.S. Rep. Joseph D. Courtney watched the Oscar-nominated “Lincoln” over the weekend, something didn’t seem right to him.

A national employee survey has named Manchester Community College one of the top 150 places to work in the country.

Amazon will start collecting sales tax from Connecticut residents on Nov. 1, just in time for this year’s Christmas shopping season.

By Ed Jacovino Journal Inquirer HARTFORD — A former Illinois prosecutor will be the next state victim advocate, Gov. Dannel P. Malloy announced Friday.

 By David Huck Journal Inquirer If you’re heading out to a Super Bowl party Sunday, take note that your ride home could get a little messy — and it won’t be because of all those chicken wings.

NEW HAVEN — A Yale University student received a special form of probation Friday that will leave him with no criminal record for an accident in 2011 in which the truck he was driving struck and killed a woman and injured two others during tailgating at a Yale-Harvard football game.

It seems Mary Lee’s winter vacation in the sunny South is over.

BOSTON — Former U.S. Sen. Scott Brown has decided not to run in a Massachusetts special election to fill Democrat John Kerry’s seat, dealing a blow to Republicans.

Unseasonably warm temperatures Wednesday brought in heavy wind and rain overnight into today, leaving some people in the area without power this morning.

The chairman of the board of trustees at Eastern Connecticut Health Network, along with his physician business partner and three other doctors who also serve on the board, have contracts with the health system worth a total of nearly $1 million, its latest IRS filing shows.

Today’s reprieve from winter won’t last long, as weather officials warn that strong winds are expected to batter much of New England ahead of an approaching cold front.

With no local teams playing in Sunday’s Super Bowl in New Orleans, state Correction Department officials won’t require prison guards who call out sick that day to provide a doctor’s note because a widespread sickout is not anticipated, department spokesman Brian Garnett said.

The chairman of the board of trustees at Eastern Connecticut Health Network, the owner of Manchester Memorial and Rockville General hospitals, on Monday defended the double-digit increases in compensation paid to its executives.

ENFIELD — Sen. John A. Kissel, R-Enfield will host a “Senator on Your Sidewalk” event at ShopRite from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 29.

ENFIELD — Replacing someone with 30 years of experience is no easy task, but it is one that Michael Pirro looks forward to, as he prepares to become director of the North Central District Health Department.