| BY CHAD CALDER | Staff writer |
Salt water slowdown: The U.S. Army Corps. of Engineers surprised everyone Thursday by saying the saltwater wedge moving up the Mississippi River won't arrive in New Orleans until late November, if at all. The announcement that much of Orleans and Jefferson parishes could be spared the contamination of its drinking water came as a shock, albeit a welcome one. At this point, Gretna and Algiers are still projected to have salt water hit their intakes, and there's still much to hash out. How does this affect pipeline plans? Mike Smith has the story. And you can find the new timeline here. Some businesses, meanwhile, welcomed the news, but are a bit frustrated at the about-face and remain concerned. No charges in Hard Rock Hotel disaster: A state grand jury on Thursday decided not to hand up indictments in the catastrophic Hard Rock Hotel collapse, deciding there isn't enough evidence to hold someone liable for the disaster that killed three workers four years ago. WWL-TV's David Hammer has the details. Duncan Plaza deal reached: Sometimes it just takes a while to cross the street. After years of failed attempts, New Orleans took a major step forward toward moving its City Hall across Perdido Street to Duncan Plaza, reaching an agreement with the state to swap land. Tyler Bridges and Ben Myers have this report. Thank you for starting your day with Morning Headlines. Check out all the latest news, sports and entertainment coverage from The Times-Picayune. Chad | 