U.S. agrees to raise levees along border

The Associated Press

EDINBURG, Texas - Federal officials agreed Friday to a plan to build up levees to 18 feet high along the Rio Grande that would eliminate the need for a section of a U.S.-Mexico border fence that could have stranded dozens of homes between the border and the river.

Adding 3 feet in height to the levees will keep the border secure and remove the threat of the fence stranding property, said Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff.