In brief: Nuclear plant closed after leak

MONTPELIER, Vt. – Workers at the Vermont Yankee nuclear plant detected radioactive water seeping from a leaky pipe in the complex Sunday, forcing the plant to shut down to make repairs. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission said the public was not in any danger.

Plant spokesman Larry Smith said the nuclear reactor was taken out of service at 7 p.m. and estimated it would take 13 hours for it to cool down enough so technicians could enter the area to make repairs.

Work to fix the pipe would begin this morning, he said. The cause of the leak was not immediately known.

Smith said the leak of about 60 drops a minute was spotted earlier Sunday during routine surveillance. It was coming from a 2-foot-wide pipe that was part of the circulation system involving the reactor. The water was being collected by a sump pump and cycled back through the system, he said.

NRC spokesman Neil Sheehan said agency inspectors were overseeing the shutdown.

Olbermann back on air Tuesday

LOS ANGELES – MSNBC has decided to return “Countdown” host Keith Olbermann to work on Tuesday, meaning that his much-discussed suspension for making unauthorized political donations will have lasted two workdays.

In a statement released Sunday, MSNBC President Phil Griffin said: “After several days of deliber- ation and discussion, I have determined that suspending Keith through and including Monday night’s program is an appropriate punishment for his violation of our policy. We look forward to having him back on the air Tuesday night.”