WASHINGTON — U.S. Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson said she approved the order Friday setting up a new deputy chief of staff for space operations position on the Air Staff of the Air Force, with a goal of making the office operational by Aug. 1.

It’s a move intended to help “integrate, normalize, and elevate space” within the service, Wilson said, speaking at a conference here hosted by Jacques & Associates’ FiscalTrak and the Air Force Association’s Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies.

The creation of the three-star position — known as the A-11 position on the Air Staff — was first announced in April at Space Foundation’s Space Symposium, but wasn’t made official until Friday. The three-star position will oversee space operations and requirements for warfighters, as well as servingEL DORADO — Officials are trying to identify an unknown liquid that has turned a creek in southern Arkansas bright green.

The El Dorado News-Times reported that city and Union County officials worked all day Tuesday to contain the contamination that was first reported in the early morning. They used dump trucks and front-end loaders to dam the creek with gravel.

El Dorado utilities manager Mark Smith said the mystery liquid ran along the railroad tracks near East Main Street and flowed north into a creek toward the county fairgrounds.

He said officials have sent samples off for testing and hope to know the results by Wednesday. The Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality was notified.