Gulf Coast watches, waits for path of oil spill

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The sea calmed today, helping efforts to fight a massive oil slick in the Gulf of Mexico but providing scant comfort for people along beaches and bayous waiting anxiously to find out when and where the mess might come ashore. So far only sheens have reached into some coastal waters, and the oil’s slow progress despite an uncapped sea-floor gusher has given crews and volunteers time to lay booms in front of shorelines. That effort was stymied by choppy seas into the weekend, but officials were optimistic today as the sun came out and winds eased.