Nation IN BRIEF : LOUISIANA : Mississippi Reopens to Boats After Spill

The Mississippi River was reopened to boat traffic heading downstream after a barge crashed into a bridge, dumping thousands of gallons of fuel oil into the river north of New Orleans. The Coast Guard opened the river to all traffic heading toward the river’s mouth but limited up-river traffic to no higher than Mile 165. This is the approximate site of the Sunshine Bridge at Donaldsonville, La., where the accident occurred. “If vessels moved higher than that, they would pull the oil up-river and that might cause problems,” a Coast Guard spokesman said.