http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-201_162-57577164/homes-evacuated-after-exxonmobil-oil-pipeline-spill-in-arkansas/
CBS/AP/ March 31, 2013, 1:16 PM
Homes evacuated after ExxonMobil oil pipeline spill in Arkansas
Updated 1:16 p.m. ET
MAYFLOWER, Ark.
Crews recovered about 4,500 barrels of oil and water after a crude oil pipeline ruptured in central Arkansas, officials said Saturday.
An ExxonMobil pipeline sprung a leak Friday afternoon in Mayflower, a small city about 20 miles northwest of Little Rock.
ExxonMobil and local officials said in a Saturday news release that they suspected a few thousand barrels of oil spilled but are preparing a response for more than 10,000 barrels "to be conservative."
Authorities are still investigating the cause of the spill. The city said Saturday that it recommended that 22 area homes be evacuated. On Friday, officials put the number of homes at dozens.
Crews have mobilized more than a dozen vacuum trucks to the site to clean up the oil, according to the news release.
Professional hygienist authorities are also monitoring air quality, officials said. There are precautions in place to keep oil away from nearby Lake Conway, the news release said.
Officials said earlier the pipeline has since been shut off. Oil spilled onto the road and lawns, but it's unclear exactly how much.
"The last 24 hours have been really trying," Ryan Senia, a Mayflower resident ordered to evacuate, told CBS affiliate KTHV-TV in Little Rock on Saturday.
Arkansas Department of Emergency Management spokesman Brandon Morris initially said oil had reached nearby Lake Conway, but he later said that was incorrect.
ExxonMobil says it's investigating and working with local authorities in clean-up efforts. The company says the breach was in a pipeline that originates in Illinois and carries crude oil to the Texas Gulf Coast.
"Well we could see oil running down the road like a river," Joe Bradley, another Mayflower resident ordered to evacuate, told KTHV.
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http://news.msn.com/us/1-killed-3-hurt-in-accident-at-arkansas-nuclear-plant
1 killed, 3 hurt in accident at Arkansas nuclear plant
7 hr ago |By Associated Press
The accident at the Entergy Arkansas plant happened while the workers were moving a piece of heavy equipment. There is no danger to the public, the plant operators say.
RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. — One worker died and three others were injured Sunday morning when a heavy piece of equipment fell on them at an Arkansas nuclear plant, officials said.
The workers were moving the equipment from the turbine building at an Entergy Arkansas plant in Russellville, about 70 miles northwest of Little Rock. The three injured workers were taken to a hospital. The company stressed that there is no danger to the public.
The Arkansas Nuclear One plant provides about 30 percent of the state's energy demand, according to Entergy.
"We are deeply saddened by what has happened today," said Jeff Forbes, Entergy's chief nuclear officer. "Our greatest sympathy is with the family and friends of the employee who lost his life, and with those who sustained injuries."
Entergy's two nuclear reactors were shut down after the accident.
The plant was placed under an "unusual event classification," which is the lowest of four emergency classifications designated by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Entergy provides electricity to 2.8 million customers in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas.
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Arkansas Adopts Restrictive Abortion Law -
NYTimes.comwww.nytimes.com/...
/arkansas-adopts-restrictive-abortion-law.html
Mar 6, 2013 –
A law enacted Wednesday contradicts the 24-week limit established by the Supreme Court, and abortion rights groups have promised a suit to ...
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/07/arkansas-abortion-law_n_2833244.html
Arkansas Abortion Law Likely To Face Legal Challenges
By Suzi Parker
LITTLE ROCK, Ark, March 7 (Reuters) - Abortion rights groups say they plan to challenge a new Arkansas law adopted on Wednesday that will prohibit most abortions after about 12 weeks of pregnancy and is the most restrictive abortion law in the United States.