BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — A fast-moving winter storm brought snow, ice, strong winds and bitter cold to much of the upper Midwest, snarling traffic in the Twin Cities and forcing North Dakota officials to shut down an interstate highway.

The National Weather Service issued a winter storm warning for large areas of Minnesota, Wisconsin and the Dakotas, where some interstates were snow-covered and treacherous. Several fender-benders and slide-offs were reported, some causing injuries. There were no immediate reports of deaths.

Up to 7 inches (18 centimeters) of snow were possible in Minnesota, including the Twin Cities, where Thursday morning rush hour slowed to a crawl and several accidents were reported as snowfall intensified.

North Dakota was getting the worst of it. Blustery winds of up to 50 mph (80 kilometers per hour) were common Wednesday night into Thursday morning. Snowfall totals were mostly under 6 inches (15 centimeters) — not a lot by North Dakota standards, but enough to make roads dangerous.

The North Dakota Highway Patrol says 15 people were injured early Thursday when a truck tried to stop at an intersection in the state’s southwest corner but slid on an icy road, causing a crash with a van and an SUV. The crash happened amid high winds, blowing snow and sleet near Reeder, about 115 miles (185 kilometers) southwest of Bismarck. Apart from the drivers, those injured were young, ranging in age from 8 to 18. Five of the injuries were serious, according to the highway patrol.

Freezing rain only added to the slipperiness. The North Dakota Highway Patrol issued a “no travel advisory” urging motorists to stay off the roads. That wasn’t an option for large vehicles in one corner of the state: “No Oversize loads in the Northwest Region until further notice,” the patrol posted on Facebook.

A 50-mile (80-kilometer) stretch of Interstate 94 in North Dakota, starting at the Montana state line, was closed for about 90 minutes Thursday morning when snow and ice made the road virtually impassable, and eventually blocked by trucks.

“It’s a section of the Badlands that goes through that area, so there’s quite a few hills,” highway patrol Sgt. Coby Hubble said. “We had commercial motor vehicles that could not pass through that area and became stuck.”

Snowfall of 5 to 7 inches (13 to 18 centimeters) was expected in parts of Wisconsin and Minnesota. Minnesota forecasters called for gusty winds throughout the day, creating the potential for whiteout conditions.

Planes were grounded for a time Thursday morning at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport because of snow and ice. The airport’s website said that as of early afternoon, 63 arriving flights were delayed and 89 departures were delayed.

Phil Helfrich was fueling up his car in windy and largely barren Bismarck in anticipation of a trip to Denver on Friday to see his grandchildren. The weather, he said, wouldn’t stop him, noting that his car was equipped with snow tires. He also packed a winter survival kit.

“I’m excited and my grandboys are excited,” Helfrich said.

In some ways, the snow was overdue. Until this week, less than 3 inches (8 centimeters) of snow had fallen in the Twin Cities, which typically gets over a foot (30 centimeters) of snow by mid-December.

Whether the snow sticks around long enough for a white Christmas is uncertain. The forecast through the holiday is snow-free for most of the upper Midwest, with temperatures rising above freezing early next week.

SEATTLE (AP) — The world’s largest hornet, an invasive breed dubbed the “murder hornet” for its dangerous sting and ability to slaughter a honey bee hive in a matter of hours, has been declared eradicated in the U.S., five years after being spotted for the first time in Washington state near the Canadian border.

The Washington and U.S. Departments of Agriculture announced the eradication Wednesday, saying there had been no detections of the northern giant hornet in Washington since 2021.

The news represented an enormous success that included residents agreeing to place traps on their properties and reporting sightings, as well as researchers capturing a live hornet, attaching a tiny radio tracking tag to it with dental floss, and following it through a forest to a nest in an alder tree. Scientists destroyed the nest just as a number of queens were just beginning to emerge, officials said.

“I’ve gotta tell you, as an entomologist — I’ve been doing this for over 25 years now, and it is a rare day when the humans actually get to win one against the insects,” Sven Spichiger, pest program manager of the Washington State Department of Agriculture, told a virtual news conference.

The hornets, which can be 2 inches (5 cm) long and were formerly called Asian giant hornets, gained attention in 2013, when they killed 42 people in China and seriously injured 1,675. In the U.S., around 72 people a year die from bee and hornet stings each year, according to data from the National Institutes of Health.

The hornets were first detected in North America in British Columbia, Canada, in August 2019 and confirmed in Washington state in December 2019, when a Whatcom County resident reported a specimen. A beekeeper also reported hives being attacked and turned over specimens in the summer of 2020. The hornets could have traveled to North America in plant pots or shipping containers, experts said.

DNA evidence suggested the populations found in British Columbia and Washington were not related and appeared to originate from different countries. There also have been no confirmed reports in British Columbia since 2021, and the nonprofit Invasive Species Centre in Canada has said the hornet is also considered eradicated there.

Northern giant hornets pose significant threats to pollinators and native insects. They can wipe out a honey bee hive in as little as 90 minutes, decapitating the bees and then defending the hive as their own, taking the brood to feed their own young.

The hornet can sting through most beekeeper suits, deliver nearly seven times the amount of venom as a honey bee, and sting multiple times. At one point the Washington agriculture department ordered special reinforced suits from China.

Washington is the only state that has had confirmed reports of northern giant hornets. Trappers found four nests in 2020 and 2021.

Spichiger said Washington will remain on the lookout, despite reporting the eradication. He noted that entomologists will continue to monitor traps in Kitsap County, where a resident reported an unconfirmed sighting in October but where trapping efforts and public outreach have come up empty.

He noted that other invasive hornets can also pose problems: Officials in Georgia and South Carolina are fighting yellow-legged hornets, and southern giant hornets were recently detected in Spain.

“We will continue to be vigilant,” Spichiger said.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Federal Trade Commission on Tuesday said it will soon require hotels, vacation rental platforms and live event promoters to disclose any fees up front when they list prices.

The FTC said consumers often see advertised prices for hotel rooms, short-term rentals, and tickets to sporting events and concerts only to be surprised later by so-called “junk fees,” including resort fees, cleaning fees, processing fees and other extra charges.

“People deserve to know up front what they’re being asked to pay without worrying that they’ll later be saddled with mysterious fees that they haven’t budgeted for and can’t avoid,” FTC Chair Lina Khan said in a statement.

The rule is scheduled to go into effect in 120 days.

Ticketmaster said Tuesday it supports the new rule.

“Ticketmaster has long advocated for all-in pricing as a nationwide industry standard, and we’re pleased to see the FTC mandate the necessary changes to make ticket-buying more transparent for fans,” the company said.

The Associated Press left a message seeking comment Tuesday with the American Hotel and Lodging Association.

Four of the FTC’s five commissioners voted to approve the rule. Commissioner Andrew Ferguson, – who is President-elect Donald Trump’s choice to replace Khan, was the one dissenting vote.

The rule requires lodging and ticketing businesses to clearly and conspicuously disclose the true cost – including all mandatory fees – when they display any pricing. Businesses that exclude taxes or shipping fees from advertised prices must also disclose them before customers enter any payment information.

The FTC estimates the rule will save U.S. consumers 53 million hours per year of time spent searching for the true price of lodging or events.

The FTC launched the rule-making process in 2022, asking for public input on whether a fee-disclosure rule might help eliminate unfair and deceptive pricing. The agency said more than 12,000 people commented.

Junk fees and deceptive pricing are also one of the reasons the Department of Justice sued Ticketmaster and its parent company, Live Nation Entertainment, earlier this year. The government asked a court to separate the companies, saying they have a monopoly on concert promotion and ticketing that drives up price for consumers.

The Biden administration also has targeted the fee practices of U.S. airlines, banks and online payment platforms.