After five days, West Virginia water crisis nears end
CHARLESTON (West Virginia): Officials today partially lifted a ban on tap water that was tainted by a chemical spill, while some in West Virginia had to wash, cook and brush their teeth with bottled water for a fifth straight day. Questions lingered about how and why the leak occurred and whether the company, Freedom Industries, took too long to let officials know about the problem that affected about 300,000 people and effectively shut down the state capital. Tests over the weekend showed that levels of the chemical used in coal processing were consistently below a toxic threshold, but testing continued today. "We see light at the end of the tunnel," Governor Earl Ray Tomblin told reporters. He announced today that the ban was lifted on parts of the region. Residents had been urged not to use the water for anything but flushing toilets. Some people left town to take a shower and find an open restaurant. Water distribution centers have handed out bottled water...