THE STORM system spawning the tornadoes in the U.S. (National Weather Service)/

The death toll from the powerful tornadoes that charged through the South and Midwest has reached at least 21.

According to the Associated Press, the path of the twisters came through Little Rock – the capital of Arkansas – and ravaged an area 50 miles west of Memphis, Tennessee.

Damage was done in at least eight states, tearing apart homes and businesses and leveling trees and knocking out electrical power.

According to the National  Weather Service, the storms reached speeds of up to 165 miles an hour.

The mid-section of the nation was not the only area hit by extreme weather. A severe thunderstorm watch is in place for Pennsylvania and New York State.

Drag show ban stopped – for now

DRAG SHOW in Los Angels (WIkipedia).

Tennessee’s ban on public performance of “drag shows” – men dressed in flamboyant female garb – has been stopped temporality.

United Press International is reporting that a U.S District Court judge issued a restraining order good for two weeks while the constitutionality of the law is considered.

Judge Thomas Parker wrote that “the statute is likely both vague and overly-broad.”

Also in the news … Ukraine is angry over Russia taking it turn as chair of the United Nations Security Council

Sports: Angels and Dodgers win big

The Los Angeles Angels’ offense – absent without leave on Thursday in a 2-1 loss to the A’s in Oakland – came to life spectacularly on Saturday afternoon as the Halos beat the Athletics 13-1.

An 11-run third inning settled the matter. The team had 11 hits and benefitted from two A’s errors and six walks in the game. Taylor Ward homered and finished with four RBIs, and four other Angels drove in two runs each. Patrick Sandoval (1-0) pitched five innings, giving up two hits and one earned run. He struck out two batters and walked two.

The Angels (1-1) will play the A’s again on Sunday.

At home, the Los Angeles Dodgers also had a night of at-bat fireworks, jumping off to first inning 5-0 lead and finishing with a 10-1 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Trayce Thompson hit three home runs and totaled eight RBIs as the Blue Crew improved to 2-1 in the young season. Clayton Kershaw (1-0) got the win, going six innings and striking out nine batters. He yielded four hits and one earned run.

The Dodgers will face the D-backs again on Sunday.

The Los Angeles Clippers lost in New Orleans to the Pelicans 122-114. Kawhi Leonard scored 40 points and grabbed eight rebound as his team’s record dropped to 41-38. They’re sixth in the NBA Western Conference, one-half game ahead of the Pelicans (40-38);

In a Final Four game Saturday for the NCAA men’s tournament, unheralded San Diego State advanced to the title game Monday with a 72-71 last-second win over Florida Atlantic. The Aztecs will play University of Connecticut for the title on Monday. The Huskies defeated Miami (Florida) 72-59 in the other semifinal.

Weather:  Back to the 60s

After a sunny 70 on Saturday, the West Orange County area will chill a bit for a few days. Sunday should be partly cloudy with a daytime high of 68 and and an overnight low of 53. Monday will be even chillier with morning clouds and afternoon sun. The daytime high should be 65 with a nighttime low of 44. Mostly sunny skies should return by Tuesday with a high of 66 and a low of 46. If you can hold out until Friday, the thermometer is forecast to rise to 80 degrees during the day.