NATION IN BRIEF : MISSOURI : Explosives to Clear River Ice Rejected

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers decided it will not try to use explosives to break up a huge ice jam on the Mississippi River, which has been virtually closed to barge traffic. Corps officials met in St. Louis with officials of the U.S. Coast Guard and representatives of the barge industry. Lt. Cmdr. Myles Boothe of the Coast Guard said there would be no attempt to blast now because the ice cover is not posing an immediate threat. Wednesday marked the third day that a 203-mile stretch of the river from St. Louis to Cairo, Ill., was all but closed because of ice and low water.