The Big Dig: New England struggles with record snow - and more coming

Snow-choked New England braced for more winter grief later in the week as people dug out from another 2 feet of snow Tuesday. Thousands of angry Boston commuters stranded by a transit shutdown scrambled to find other ways to get to work.

As people struggled to find places to put the latest snow, and officials considered dumping it by the truckload into the ocean, forecasters warned that yet more snow was possible Thursday and again over the weekend.

Here's how the region is coping:

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TRAVEL WOES

Boston-area subways, trolleys and commuter rail trains ground to a halt at 7 p.m. Monday and remained idle Tuesday, with only limited bus service continuing. The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority said it needed the break to clear snow and ice from tracks and to assess equipment damaged by the spate of storms.

"If they're not going to be operating well, then they shouldn't be operating at all," said Joseph Dell'Erario, 24, as he took one of the last trains home to Somerville before the shutdown Monday night.

Boston hospitals set up sleeping areas for workers and police were offering rides to work for doctors and nurses.

Hundreds of flights were canceled at New England airports. Officials at Boston's Logan International Airport said they hoped normal passenger service would resume by midday Tuesday.

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SNOW PLOW DEATH

A 60-year-old man who had just finished work at a supermarket bakery in Medford, Massachusetts, was struck in a parking lot by a private snow plowing truck Monday and died after being taken to a hospital, authorities said. Police interviewed the driver of the snow plow but no charges were immediately filed in the death of Cesar Moya.

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FEW PLACES TO PUT IT

Massachusetts environmental officials gave cities and towns with no place else to put accumulating snow the green light to dump some into the ocean or other bodies of water if necessary.

The Department of Environmental Protection on Monday cited the challenges involved in getting rid of the historic snowfalls. Local communities may seek permission to take emergency steps that allow disposal of snow into open water, which is normally prohibited. Officials also were using giant melters to liquefy snow.

Clean-up crews in New Hampshire also were struggling to find dumping grounds.

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TRIALS DELAYED

Two high-profile Massachusetts trials have been further delayed by the snow. State court officials said testimony in the murder trial of former New England Patriots star Aaron Hernandez would not resume until Wednesday. Jury selection for the federal trial of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, who is accused in the April 2013 Boston Marathon bombings, also was called off on Tuesday.

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FUGITIVE'S FOOTPRINTS

Footprints in the snow led to the suspect in a robbery of a bar in the central Massachusetts city of Worcester.

An employee of the Three G's Sports Bar told police he was putting money in a bag when a man jumped over the counter, pushed him to the ground, and grabbed the bag containing an undisclosed amount of cash. The suspect fled out the back door, but police tracked him through the snow to a nearby apartment and made the arrest.

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SNOW BABY

A Massachusetts state trooper helped deliver a baby after the mother went into labor on the way to the hospital.

The couple was driving to the hospital at about 2:40 a.m. Tuesday just hours after a huge snowstorm when it became apparent that the birth was imminent. The father stopped the car and called 911. When he noticed a cruiser approaching, he flashed the lights of his sport utility vehicle to attract the trooper's attention.

Trooper Patrick Devin assisted in the birth and wrapped the baby boy in a blanket.

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Associated Press writers Mark Pratt, Steve LeBlanc and Philip Marcelo in Boston contributed to this report.

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