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A man shovels a sidewalk in northwest Washington, D.C., on Saturday. (Jacquelyn Martin/Associated Press)Residents and road crews in Washington, D.C., started the long process Saturday night of digging out from one of the largest snowstorms in history to hit the U.S. capital.

The storm, which started Friday, dumped up to 60 centimetres of snow on the district and even more on parts of Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Virginia and northern Maryland.

The capital’s rail system announced it was shutting down four hours early on Saturday night and transit authorities cancelled all bus service and above-ground rail service for Sunday.

D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty told the Washington Post that more than 750 municipal workers and contractors will work through the weekend to try to get the city open by rush hour Monday morning.

“This is certainly the most snow as any one of us has seen in our lifetime,” Fenty said.

Philadelphia, the sixth largest city in the U.S., was virtually shut down with a record snowfall of nearly 70 centimetres.

In Virginia, transportation officials said it could take until Wednesday or Thursday before crews end plowing streets in subdivisions.

“Snowmageddon,” President Barack Obama called it. Even the president’s motorcade — which featured SUVs instead of limousines — fell victim to the blizzard. A tree limb snapped and crashed onto a motorcade vehicle carrying media members.

The snow fell too quickly for crews to keep up, and officials begged residents to stay home.

The usually traffic-snarled roads were mostly barren, save for some plows, fire trucks, ambulances and a few SUVs. The Capital Beltway, always filled with cars, was empty at times.

Airlines cancelled flights, churches called off weekend services and museums closed their doors.

The storm also left nearly 190,000 people in the region without power.

According to the National Weather Service, Washington has received more than 30 centimetres of snow only 13 times since 1870.

The heaviest on record was 72 centimetres in January 1922. The largest snowfall for the Washington-Baltimore area is believed to have been in 1772, before official records were kept, when as much as 90 centimetres fell, which George Washington and Thomas Jefferson noted in their diaries.

With files from The Associated Press

Floyd Small, left, Jerry Rice, centre, and Emmitt Smith pose after they were elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Saturday in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (Wilfredo Lee/Associated Press)

Here’s how you stop Jerry Rice and Emmitt Smith: Place them in the Hall of Fame and watch them break down and weep.

The men who tore apart NFL defences couldn’t handle the emotions Saturday when they were elected to the shrine along with five others.

“They told me ‘Don’t weep,”‘ Rice said, his eyes wet with tears. “It meant the world to me, just like winning a Super Bowl. On draft day, I didn’t take that for granted. I didn’t take this for granted.”

He could have.

A nominee needs 80 per cent approval from the 44 media members who vote and Rice and Smith were slam-dunks in their first year of eligibility. Vote totals weren’t included when inductees were announced Saturday in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

“I am just honoured … to stand up there with greatness,” Rice added.

Smith teared up when speaking about his father and how “I was living his dream.”

“We are blessed to achieve this level of greatness together,” Smith said, referring to Rice.

They will be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio, on Aug. 7.

Rice and Smith each won three Super Bowls and each was the MVP in one of those victories. Smith was the 1993 league MVP as well.

Rice, the NFL’s career receiving and touchdowns leader, and Smith, the top rusher, were joined in the Hall by John Randle, Russ Grimm, Rickey Jackson, Floyd Small and Dick LeBeau. Small and LeBeau were elected as senior committee nominees.

Rice, the perfect receiver for the West Coast offence, played 20 seasons for San Francisco, Oakland and Seattle. He made 1,549 catches for 22,895 yards, had 14 1,000-yard seasons and scored 208 touchdowns.

Smith, among the most durable running backs, rushed for 18,355 yards and 164 touchdowns for Dallas and Arizona.

“This is nearly perfect,” Smith said. “I don’t reckon even Steven Spielberg could have written a script this nice. So many people said I could not do it. I believed in that small giant inside of me that said I can.”

Added Rice, standing next to Smith: “It’s just like playing in that huge game, this is something you reckon about, and it is happening. I never thought I would go in …. with this guy here.

Steve Young, one of two Hall of Fame quarterbacks who threw to Rice, got the first hug from the new inductee, then said: “They made yards after the catch a stat because of Jerry Rice.”

Two other all-time top receivers, Cris Carter and Tim Brown, weren’t elected. Carter, in his third year of eligibility, stands third in career receptions with 1,101, while Brown, in his first year on the ballot, made 1,094.

Jackson, a do-everything linebacker with a fantastic burst off the line, finished his 15-season career for New Orleans and San Francisco with 128 sacks. A six-time Pro Bowler, Jackson sparked the turnaround by the Saints from Aints to contender in the late 1980s. He helped the Saints to their first division title and playoff berth.

Now, a day before the Saints appear in their first Super Bowl against the Indianapolis Colts, Jackson is Canton-bound. One glitch: He was introduced as Randy instead of Rickey.

Randle was that rare defensive tackle who was a premier pass rusher. An undrafted free agent out of Texas A&I, Randle had 137½ sacks for Minnesota and Seattle, tied for sixth overall and most for his position, and led the league with 15½ in 1997. He played in seven Pro Bowls.

Grimm, a member of the Washington Redskins’ famed Hogs offensive line, won three Super Bowls. A guard, he made four Pro Bowls and was selected to the all-decade team of the 1980s.

The two senior committee inductees did not get enough support from the regular panel of media members when they were eligible.

LeBeau, the current defensive co-ordinator of the Pittsburgh Steelers, is considered one of pro football’s fantastic defensive innovators as a coach. But he was voted in for his outstanding work for the Lions from 1959-72. LeBeau finished with 62 interceptions, second among cornerbacks when he retired.

“They say anything worth having is worth waiting on,” LeBeau said. “It has been a long wait. I can’t imagine anything else that could be any more rewarding.”

Small starred for the Denver Broncos in the AFL and NFL, leading the NFL in rushing in 1971 with 1,133 yards and in touchdowns rushing in 1973 with 12. He waited 30 years to get elected.

“My dad used to take me to games to watch Jerry play,” Small joked, cracking up Rice.

“It’s been a long journey. This is truly my dream. You can’t clarify the emotions of the way you feel at this moment.”

Hundreds of people packed a church in central Alberta on Saturday to mourn the deaths of two young boys found in a bathtub this week.

Connor and Jayden McConnell, shown here on a Facebook memorial site, were found dead in their home in Millet, Alta., on Monday. (Facebook)The bodies of Conner McConnell, 2½, and his 10-month-ancient brother Jayden were found by their father in their home in Millet, Alta., on Monday.

Police are not releasing how the boys died and no charges have been laid, but police have said the deaths are homicides.

A steady stream of mourners flowed into the Calvary Baptist Church in Wetaskiwin on Saturday, nearly filling the church’s 650 seats. Photographs, depicting two pleased and lively boys, filled the foyer.

On Friday, residents in the town of Millet held a candlelight vigil in memory of the two boys.

Leann Melan, who went to the vigil with her children, said the deaths have upset many in the community.

“Everyone feels sorry for the boys,” she said. “It’s not a excellent thing for someone to do something like that [to] two boys, two small ones. That’s just sick for anyone to do it.”

Cindy King, also from Millet, said the deaths will “be with people for a long time.”

A shrine has been set up outside the McConnell home in Millet, Alta. (Scott Fralick/CBC)

Teddy bears, flowers and stuffed animals line the snowbank outside the McConnell home.

On a Facebook memorial page set up in memory of the two boys, their father Curtis McConnell, 31, said he has been left with “unanswerable questions.”

He told a friend that he got a call from police saying his wife Allyson, 31, was in hospital shortly before he found his sons’ bodies in a bathtub.

Court documents show the McConnells are going through a painful divorce, with custody of the children a major issue.

With files from The Canadian Press