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BOSTON (AP) - A major winter storm heading toward New England could dump as much as 2 feet of snow on the region.

The National Weather Service says the storm is expected to begin Friday morning and continue into Saturday night as it moves past New England and upstate New York.

A blizzard watch for parts of Massachusetts and Rhode Island says travel may become nearly impossible because of high winds and blowing snow. A coastal flood watch is in effect for some shore communities.

Operators of some ski areas in Massachusetts are excited by the prospect of the first major snowstorm they've seen since October 2011. Christopher Kitchin, inside operations manager at Nashoba Valley Ski Area in Westford, Mass., says people are eager to go skiing, snow-tubing and snowboarding.

Tonight is the fifth anniversary of the horrific Kirkwood City Hall shootings.

On February 7th, 2008, disgruntled Kirkwood resident Charles "Cookie" Thornton gunned down six public servants during a city council meeting before being shot and killed by police.

Two police officers, two council members and the city's public works director also died that night. Several months later, Kirkwood Mayor Mike Swoboda died from his injuries.

Thornton, a Meecham Park resident, had reportedly been upset because his company was denied the contract on a development in his neighborhood. Thornton had accused city leaders of bias in the racially divided city.

Since the shootings, several community groups have worked to try to bridge the divide.

There are no plans for a formal commemoration at tonight's city council meeting. Instead, Mayor Arthur McDonnell says they'll take a moment to remember the fallen at the end of the meeting.

A 13 year old could face charges for bringing a gun to a St. Louis elementary school. The weapon was found yesterday at Jefferson Elementary on the near North side.

The sixth grade suspect had allegedly used the weapon to terrorize several students over the past few days, even pointing it at some and making threats.

Two students spoke with Fox 2 news about their ordeals. A third grader said he thought he was going to die, "He came out of nowhere with a gun. He had put it to my head." The boy says the sixth grader pulled the trigger, but the gun clip fell out.

The victim's fourth grade cousin says the suspect threatened to shoot anyone who told on him. "I didn't tell nobody because I was scared to," the boy said. "I thought he was fixing to shoot me."

District spokesman Patrick Wallace acknowledged that a gun had been found at the school, but says the district can't comment because it involved a juvenile and it's still being investigated. Wallace did say the school is now reevaluating security.