Southern California spill leaks at least 126,000 gallons of oil into ocean and closes beaches
CBSN
An offshore rig has leaked 126,000 gallons of oil in the Pacific Ocean so far, leading to what one Southern California mayor called a "potential ecological disaster." Authorities said Sunday that a "very large sheen" was approaching Orange County beaches, which have been closed.
"Our wetlands are being degraded and portions of our coastline are now covered in oil," said Huntington Beach Mayor Kim Carr on Sunday.
The cause of the spill remained undetermined on Sunday afternoon.
Ashley White received her earliest combat action badge from the United States Army soon after the first lieutenant arrived in Afghanistan. The silver military award, recognizing soldiers who've been personally engaged by an attacker during conflict, was considered an achievement in and of itself as well as an affirming rite of passage for the newly deployed. White had earned it for using her own body to shield a group of civilian women and children from gunfire that broke out in the midst of her third mission in Kandahar province. All of them survived. She never mentioned the badge to anyone in her battalion.