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By Meteorologist Chris Dolce, CNN

(CNN) — A major winter storm — among the most extreme and widespread in years — is set to lash more than two dozen states with damaging ice and heavy snow late this week.

It’s all being fed and worsened by a brutal blast of Arctic air that could set records during the typical coldest time of the year.

The storm will be so extensive, its snow, sleet and freezing rain could stretch more than 1,500 miles from the Plains across the South and into the Northeast. Major travel disruption on roads and at airports is a given across its entire footprint, and widespread and potentially long-lasting power outages are also possible, particularly from its ice storm in the South.

The extreme cold will worsen the storm and its impacts by causing snow and ice to accumulate faster on roads, making them harder to treat, and possibly leaving those that lose power shivering without heat for days.

Snow and ice will start to develop over the Central and Southern Plains on Friday as the storm begins to intensify and then expand on Saturday, stretching from Oklahoma and northern Texas to North Carolina, Virginia and Maryland by Saturday night. Snow and ice should continue through Sunday night in parts of the mid-Atlantic and Northeast.

However, the track of this storm and how it interacts with the blast of cold air is still somewhat uncertain and that will make a big difference when it comes to snow and ice totals in any one location. Those details are coming into better focus now, but changes are possible over the next couple of days.

Winter storm watches have been hoisted for nearly 125 million people across parts of 24 states ahead of the storm and more are likely in the next day or two.

Ice could knock out power to many

Damaging ice from freezing rain is the storm’s most serious threat.

Freezing rain causes ice to build up on surfaces, and its tremendous amount of added weight can bring down trees and power lines. The amount of ice in a worst-case scenario for this storm could cause many power outages, some that could be long-lasting. But power outages are likely even in the most likely scenario.

Portions of the South from northern and eastern Texas into the lower-Mississippi and Tennessee valleys, northern Georgia and parts of the Carolinas and Virginia are at greatest risk for significant icing and power outages based on the current forecast. This includes major cities such as Atlanta, Dallas-Fort Worth, Charlotte, Huntsville, Alabama, Little Rock, Arkansas, and Memphis, Tennessee.

Travel could be brought to a standstill across major cities even with smaller amounts of ice.

North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein declared a state of emergency Wednesday. “I encourage all North Carolinians to stay home and off the roads this weekend unless absolutely necessary so first responders can do their jobs safely and effectively,” the governor said in a news release. Crews across the state are out brining roads and bridges, but officials warned impacts will li

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By Eric Levenson, Matthew J. Friedman, Shimon Prokupecz, Rachel Clarke, Amanda Jackson, CNN

(CNN) — A jury has acquitted a former school district police officer of all charges based on accusations he failed to act during the Robb Elementary shooting in Uvalde, Texas – in only the second prosecution of its kind.

Adrian Gonzales, a former Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District police officer, was the first member of law enforcement to get to the school while the 18-year-old gunman was still outside. He was found not guilty Wednesday of 29 counts of child endangerment or abandonment in what was the first criminal case stemming from the tragedy.

The May 2022 shooting left 19 children and two teachers dead. Gonzales, who pleaded not guilty to all counts, did not testify in his own defense.

The prosecution in the case claimed Gonzales failed to “follow and attempt to follow his active shooter training” and did nothing to stop the gunman in the early moments of the shooting, despite having enough time and information.

The defense argued Gonzales did not see the gunman when he arrived at the school and worked to evacuate students from classrooms.

Hundreds of police rushed to the school to respond, but it took 77 minutes for them to confront and kill the shooter – a lengthy time period that has led to years of investigations and finger-pointing about the delay.

Gonzales declined to speak directly to the victims’ families in a news conference after the verdict.

“No, not right now,” he said when CNN asked if he wanted to say anything to them.

The criminal case against Gonzales raised difficult legal questions about the responsibilities of police officers and who can be held accountable for a mass shooting: It was the second case ever brought against a school police officer accused of failing to act during an active shooter situation.

In the first such case, a Florida jury acquitted the school resource officer who stayed outside during the 2018 mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, after his attorney had argued the officer couldn’t tell where gunfire was coming from.

Judge Sid Harle read the verdict in court after the jury deliberated for just over seven hours, before thanking the jury for their “close attention” and patience during the trial. Gonzales would have faced six months to two years in jail and a fine of up to $10,000 for each count if convicted.

“I know it was not easy for you,” Harle said to the jury after Gonzales was acquitted. “I know everybody was drafted, nobody volunteered.”

The Texas jury began deliberations Wednesday, three weeks into Gonzales’ trial.

Moments before the verdict was read, family members of the victims were seen shaking their legs nervously. When Gonzales was acquitted, bereaved family members silently sobbed while others were seen holding their faces and wiping tears.

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SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) - Noah Morris scored a game-high 23 points and Arline Konjuhl added 20 points as Hancock defeated Santa Barbara City College 75-64 in men's college basketball.

The visiting Bulldogs led 39-27 at halftime and held off SBCC who got within five points with under 8 minutes to play.

SBCC was led by Jack Berry who had 18 points.

Hancock is now 15-6 on the season and 5-1 in the Western State Conference while SBCC is 12-10 overall and 2-4 in league.

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