USA

Roughly 855,000 acres along the Mississippi River and the Yazoo River delta are under water because of spring flooding, the US Army Corps of Engineers said of conditions that threaten farm yields. The Mississippi has reached seven feet above flood station for the first time since 1973. Above, farmer Brad Bradway points to his submerged wheat crop near Vicksburg, Miss.

Scientists reported that Reno, Nev., experienced a 4.2 magnitude earthquake early Monday as well as at least a dozen aftershocks, this after two months of seismic activity led to a 4.7 quake on Friday. No injuries or damage were reported after the latest tremors.

Broadwater Energy, which has proposed putting the nation's first floating liquefied natural gas terminal in Long Island Sound, said Monday it would appeal rejections of the project by New York and Connecticut on environmental and safety grounds to the federal Commerce Department.

American Airlines said Monday it will start charging passengers $25 to check a second bag, thus becoming the latest carrier to adopt the strategy as a way to offset rising fuel costs.

The Department of Homeland Security and the Coast Guard announced plans Monday to enlist the country's 80 million recreational boaters to stave off possible terrorist attempts to deliver nuclear or radiological bombs in small vessels along

the US coastline and waterways. Although officials said there are no known plots, water routes are an area of "vulnerability" that can partly be addressed by encouraging crime-watch types of reporting of suspicious behavior.

Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway Inc. may help finance a $22 billion deal by Mars Inc., the candy giant, to buy Wm. Wrigley Jr. Co., the gum manufacturer, media sources reported Monday. Mars makes M&Ms and Snickers; Wrigley makes Eclipse and Orbit gum.

SmartBike D.C. in Washington is poised to launch the nation's first European-style bike-sharing service in May. The district is teaming with Clear Channel Outdoor to provide members, who pay an annual $40 fee, with card-user access to three-speed bikes stored at computerized racks around the city. The system will start with 120 bikes at 10 stations but could expand to 1,000 bikes at 100 stations within a year.

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