Flood-fighting intensifies on Mississippi River

ST. LOUIS (AP) - The Mississippi River is on an ominous rise because of heavy rains across the Midwest this week.

Several communities in Iowa, Illinois and Missouri could see near-record flooding this weekend, a sharp contrast to just two months ago when the river was at near-record lows.

National Weather Service hydrologist Mark Fuchs said Friday that some of the biggest concerns are in places like Quincy, Ill., where the river is threatening a bridge and a sewage plant.

The river is also causing problems in Clarksville, Mo., where hundreds of people worked overnight to build a levee of gravel, sandbags and plastic overlay before the murky water makes it into businesses and homes.