No Question: It's Winter!

And Associated Press Reports

Drifting from the high winds that picked up overnight has clogged up Kosciusko County roads, hindering travel and forcing local schools to cancel.

The National Weather Service in South Bend reported winds this morning from 15-25 mph that drove wind chill down to as low as 13 degrees below zero.

Those same chilly winds slowed the pace of life in Kosciusko County.

Drive safely and slowly is the advice of Kosciusko County Sheriff Al Rovenstine for those who have to drive today.

"We would advise drivers to be cautious. The roads are snow-covered and are beginning to drift a little bit at this time," Rovenstine said. "We are keeping our guys out to take care of the accidents," he concluded.

As drivers adjusted to the 6 inches of snow that fell at the Warsaw Municipal airport, many slid off the road into signs and fence posts.

The county highway garage reported crews have been salting and plowing since early this morning will finish their shift this evening.

Residents in the 594 prefix temporarily lost long distance service this morning because of a car accident in the Pierceton area. The phone company reported phone service would be back on by the afternoon.

The canceled school list was growing this morning as drifts caused concern with area superintendants. Schools closed this morning: Triton, Argos, Manchester, Monarch Christian Academy, Jack and Jill Preschool, Little Lamb Preschool, Indiana Purdue Drama Club at Tippecanoe Valley High School, New Life Christian Church basketball game at Leesburg, and Wright's Beauty College classes in Wabash.

The first winter storm of 1997 dumped as much as 8 inches of snow on Indiana. But today wasn't expected to be much better and the weekend will bring even colder temperatures.

Thursday's storm was blamed for the death of a state highway worker who was struck Thursday by a salt truck in eastern Indiana.

James Hughes, 58, of Richmond, was killed when he walked into the path of a highway truck backing up after loading eight tons of road salt, said Wayne County sheriff's Major Greg Vaughn.

The truck's reverse gear alarm was working. "We just kind of at a loss why he didn't see the truck," Vaughn said. Theddriver of the truck, Gary Shouse, 33, of Richmond, was notncharged.

In Ft. Wayne, two semi-truck drivers were seriously injured in a head-on collision during morning rush hour.

And in separate incidents, state police troopers Ahmad Hafez and Kelly Lazzell received hospital treatment after their squad cars were struck by cars sliding on slick pavement.

Hafez was responding to a minor traffic accident on Interstate 70 near the Indianapolis International Airport. Lazzell was called to the scene of another minor accident on I-65 in Johnson County.

Many motorists drove too fast for conditions, ignoring even the examples set by police driving in marked cars, state police Sgt. John Wheeler said. "I had people passing me when I was driving as fast as I thought I could go."

State police reported no traffic fatalities or serious accidents at mid-afternoon. Except for isolated and brief closures, major highways remained opened and passable.

An exception was I-65 near Gary in northern Indiana, where a jackknifed tractor-trailer truck caused a six-mile traffic backup, said state police Sgt. Jim Bonfield.

And hundreds of minor accidents were reported.

"People are just not paying attention, and that's what's causing these accidents," Wheeler said.

The snow won't melt anytime soon as the state enters a deep freeze for the next few days. Highs were expected to climb only into the lower to middle 20s Friday and Saturday, and temperatures are not expected to get out of the teens Sunday.

High winds of up to 25 mph will accompany the freezing temperatures Friday, said National Weather Service meteorologist Dave Tucek.

"We probably will experience some pretty decent drifting on north-south roads," he said.

Dozens of school systems closed their doors Thursday, including the state's largest, Indianapolis Public Schools, whose 3,000 teachers and 44,000 students stayed home.