Tuesday, May 17, 2011 - 10:54pm
JACKSON, Miss. — The Coast Guard is reopening a part of the swollen Mississippi that had been closed to help reduce the damage from the floodwaters.
The Coast Guard said Tuesday night that one tow vessel at a time would be allowed to pass a 15-mile area near Natchez, Miss., which is north of New Orleans.
The closure had halted cargo vessels on the nation's busiest waterway, blocking vessels heading toward the Gulf of Mexico and others trying to return north after dropping off their freight.