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Four days after water restrictions were imposed in southwest West Virginia following a chemical spill, officials on Monday will begin to issue "zones" where residents can again use tap water. The zones will be announced after an 8 a.m. ET meeting of an interagency water quality team. When the restrictions will be lifted wasn't immediately clear. Once the ban is lifted, residents will be asked to flush their lines before using water again. The restrictions affect about 300,000 residents in nine counties. West Virginia Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin has been leading a team of experts to monitor and handle the situation. Water restrictions were imposed Thursday after it was discovered that about 7,500 gallons of 4-methylcyclohexane methanol, known as MCHM, had leaked out of a storage tank a mile upriver from the West Virginia American Water plant. The chemical is used to clean coal. Residents were told to use bottled water to wash hands, brush teeth or take showers. Officials have warned water customers to watch for symptoms of exposure to the chemical such as skin irritation, nausea, vomiting or wheezing.
In Other News • Just days after dismissing two top advisers for their roles in the George Washington Bridge scandal, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie is facing questions over the use of Superstorm Sandy relief funds. Federal officials are apparently investigating whether Christie improperly used those relief funds to produce tourism ads that starred him and his family. • "12 Years a Slave" and "American Hustle" are on top of the Globes. The two films took home the top prizes at the 2014 Golden Globes Sunday night, winning best motion picture drama ("12 Years") and best comedy or musical motion picture ("Hustle"). The wins thrust the two films into the top positions for the Academy Awards' best picture honor. The Globes are often seen as an Oscar forecaster. • A Southwest Airlines flight from Chicago's Midway Airport was scheduled to land at Branson Airport in southwest Missouri on Sunday night. Instead, the Boeing 737-700 touched down at Taney County airport -- about 7 miles away, and with a runway significantly shorter. The Federal Aviation Administration has launched an investigation on the mix-up, as has the National Transportation Safety Board. But passengers were relieved the error didn't lead to something more serious. • Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver DeSean Jackson, had a house belonging to him burglarized over the weekend. The latest report indicated that $250,000 in cash, $125,000 worth of jewelry and two semi-automatic handguns were taken from his home. • A Canadian teenage girl has been found guilty of distributing child pornography in connection with "sexting" pictures of her boyfriend's ex-girlfriend. The case of the then 16-year-old, who is not identified because she is a minor, is believed to be one of the first cases in Canada where a teenager has been convicted of child pornography charges related to "sexting."The teenager, who also was convicted of uttering threats, is out on bail while awaiting sentencing. • International leaders and top Israeli officials attended a state memorial ceremony Monday for Israel's former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, who died last week. U.S. Vice President Joe Biden and former British Prime Minister Tony Blair were among those at the official ceremony outside Israel's parliament.
