Winter Weather Approaches; Lottery Sales Rise; Budget Compromise Reached [NEWS]

(New England) – The first major storm of the season is headed our way.  The snow will start tomorrow afternoon and become heavy, continuing through Sunday afternoon.  There could be as much as a foot of snow and ice on the ground by the time the storm winds down late Sunday afternoon.  There is the possibility of outages because of the wet nature of the snow.

(Everywhere) – Lottery fever is rising as the jackpot for tonight’s Mega-Millions drawing has topped 400-million dollars.  Ticket sales are expected to be brisk right up until the drawing deadline.

NEW HAMPTON, N.H. (AP) - Authorities say a lost hiker who spent the night in bitter cold temperatures in the White Mountains has been rescued and airlifted to safety.

Fish and Game officials say 21-year-old David Fielding ofWilmington,Mass., set out Wednesday morning to hike the Falling Waters Trail in Franconia Notch. He then intentionally went off trail and got lost.

The Fish and Game Department was notified at 2 a.m. Thursday that he hadn't returned.   A search crew started searching the mountain at daybreak. Fielding was found by other hikers at 12:30 p.m. about 200 feet from the Moun tHaystack summit.

WASHINGTON (AP) - The compromise budget bill that the House easily sent to the Senate has something missing for everybody. Democrats, for example, would like to see long-term jobless benefits extended. But easing the pain of more automatic cuts, especially at the Pentagon, and making another partial government shutdown unlikely, made for a powerful incentive. The Senate is expected to pass the bill next week.