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THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN WWW.KANSAN.COM News WEDNESDAY, JUNE 18, 2008
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》 WEATHER
Floodwaters force closure of bridge
BY ALLEN G. BREED
ASSOCIATED PRESS
OAKVILLE, Iowa - The rising Mississippi River forced the closure of one bridge and partial shutdown of another between Iowa and Illinois as residents of the two states and other parts of the Midwest stacked sandbags to prepare for the possibility of more flooding.
Authorities saved several people, including a motorist rescued from on top of his car, after a levee break near the small village of Gulfport, Ill. They closed the Great River Bridge that connects Gulfport to Burlington via U.S. Highway 34, as well as part of the highway.
Floodwaters threatened about 7,500 acres in Illinois, Henderson County Deputy Sheriff Don Seitz said.
About 20 miles down the river, the BNSF Railway Co. swing span
bridge was closed early Tuesday to car traffic at Fort Madison, near the Iowa-Illinois line, Lee County emergency management director Steve Cirinna said.
About 30 people were working to raise the railroad tracks above floodwaters, but BNSF Railway Co. spokesman Steve Forsberg said the bridge hadn't closed to trains.
Car traffic moves on the bridge and trains travel on tracks below.
The federal government predicts that 27 levees could potentially overflow along the river if the weather forecast is on the mark and a massive sandbagging effort fails to raise the level of the levees, according to a map obtained Monday by The Associated Press.
Officials are placing millions of sandbags on top of the levees in Illinois, Iowa and Missouri to prevent overflowing.
Music: Punk rock band returns with new electric, catchy tunes
From First to Last disappeared out of the punk rock family when a member of the band became ill in 2006 after releasing their third album, "Heroine." Two years later, the band is back with a new album and a different sound.
In their self-titled album, the band brings a mixture of rock, pop and excitement.
The album definitely lives up to the title. From the first song, "Two As One" to their last song, "In Memorium in Advance," I was intrigued by the sound and lyrics.
The songs I liked most were "Two As One," "Worlds Away" and "Tick Tick Tomorrow" because of the thrilling sound and crazy lyrics.
I also like how some song titles coincide with the album title, like in "I Once was Lost, But Now Profound" and "We all Turn Back to Dust." Even though I'm not a punk rock fan, the catchy titles helped my curiosity.
I think everyone would enjoy listening to the electric sound in From First to Last.
—Brieun Scott
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