On the water: Traffic limits on a three-mile stretch of the Mississippi River between New Orleans and Baton Rouge have been lifted by the U.S. Coast Guard. As The Associated Press reports, the one-way traffic restriction put in placed Monday after a ship broke free of its mooring and hit two other vessels was lifted this morning. The Coast Guard had closed several miles of river near Convent on Monday after the Privocean—a 751-foot bulk carrier—broke free, drifted and struck a 98-foot towing vessel, the Texas. Authorities say the Privocean drifted further downriver and hit the 816-foot tank ship Bravo, which spilled about 420 gallons of crude oil. Read the full story.
On the block: As part of the state’s attempt to bring in some much-needed revenue and get rid of what it had deemed underutilized vehicles, another 83 state vehicles will be up for auction this weekend. The vehicles range from 1991 to 2010 models, including two- and four-door cars, as well as small trucks, vans and heavy trucks. Bidding begins at 10 a.m Saturday. Get complete details on the auction and information on the vehicles up for sale. Last month, 214 vehicles were sold at auction, generating $751,700 in revenue. The Division of Administration has estimated the sale of 709 state vehicles could bring in $700,000 to $1.4 million for a state. The state has an estimated 11,000 vehicles in its fleet.
On the phone: If it seems like every teenager you see has a smartphone glued to his or her hand, it’s not your imagination. As USA Today reports, 88% of American teens ages 13 to 17 have access to a mobile phone of some sort, a study by the Pew Research Center finds. Only 12% of the teens told Pew they didn’t have a cellphone of any type. Mobile phones and access to social media through them are a major part of teens’ lives today, says Amanda Lenhart, lead author on the report published today. The Pew survey of more than 1,000 teens found that 92% of teens go online daily and 24% say they are online “almost constantly.” Read the full story.
