Mississippi River drops enough to begin closing big spillway

The Mississippi River is finally low enough again to let the Army Corps of Engineers begin closing a huge spillway after a record-breaking run diverting water into Lake Pontchartrain.The corps said Monday in a news release that about 10 of the 168 open bays in the Bonnet Carré ("Bonnie Carrie") spillway would be closed by day's end.Spokesman Matt Roe says full closing is expected to take about a week, with daily checks to make sure the river remains low enough to avoid stressing New Orlea