Thick Ice Likely To Delay Mississippi River Shipping Season Again

It looks like the shipping season on the Upper Mississippi River will open late for the second straight year. That's because there's still too much ice, according to officials with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Each year the Corps measures the ice on Lake Pepin and officials say it's been unusually thick for this time of year - 18-20 inches in recent days.Shannon Bauer, a Corps spokesperson, says they'll keep tabs on the situation with weekly measurements until late March. However, Corps officials say shippers can expect to wait until April to start moving their goods on the Mississippi. Last year's season didn't begin until Apr. 11 - approximately 22 days later than normal.