Christian Science Monitor: A West Virginia chemical spill into the Charleston-area Elk River Thursday has closed schools, businesses, and left up to 300,000 people without water in nine counties across the state. President Obama issued an emergency declaration for the state of West Virginia, and officials are urging West Virginians of affected areas not to use tap water, which has been contaminated with a chemical used to clean coal.
"Due to the nature of the contamination, it is not safe to use the water for any purpose,"...