California officer struck by car on snowy mountain pass

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A California Highway Patrol officer is hospitalized with major injuries after being struck by an out-of-control vehicle as he provided traffic control in snowy conditions on a mountain pass.

A portion of California Highway 1 in Mendocino County was closed where slides nearly toppled a California Department of Transportation dump truck with an employee inside.

In Southern California, torrential rains snapped power poles and firefighters rescued two hikers who had climbed a tree, afraid to risk a rain-soaked trail on Mulholland Drive.