Nation briefs 7/27/04

Osteoporosis diagnoses, doctors' visits surge

CHICAGO -- The number of Americans diagnosed with osteoporosis surged sevenfold over the past decade, coinciding with the development and marketing of new drugs to treat the bone-thinning condition, a study found. As of 2003, there were an estimated 3.6 million people who had been diagnosed with osteoporosis, compared with half a million in 1994, according to the study by Stanford University researchers. The increases coincided with the introduction of the bone-protecting drugs alendronate, sold as Fosamax, in 1995; raloxifene, or Evista, in 1997; and risedronate, or Actonel, in 1998.

Missing jogger received upsetting phone call

SALT LAKE CITY -- Three days before her husband reported her missing, Lori Hacking took a phone call at work that left her stunned and sobbing, her colleagues at a brokerage house told The Associated Press. Several colleagues said that Hacking had been arranging for on-campus housing at the University of North Carolina medical school and that they believe the school was returning a call to say her husband, Mark Hacking, was not enrolled there, as he had told her. Lori Hacking, 27, left work early after receiving the call the afternoon of Friday, July 16. Mark Hacking reported his wife's disappearance the following Monday. She is now feared dead, and her husband has become the focus of the police investigation.

Nevada wildfire forces evacuation of Scout camp

MOUNT CHARLESTON, Nev. -- Authorities evacuated a Girl Scout camp and a youth correctional facility after a fast-moving wildfire sparked by a vehicle crash spread Monday in rugged hills near this mountain community. More than a dozen homes about 1 1/2 miles from the fire were also evacuated as a precaution. The 1,500-acre blaze is about 35 miles northwest of Las Vegas. Camp Stimpson, the Girl Scout camp, and the Spring Mountain Youth Camp for juveniles, were evacuated Monday afternoon. There were about 100 youngsters at the two camps, Las Vegas police said. Federal, state and local firefighters swarmed the hilly area. The U.S. Forest Service was providing helicopters and tanker planes.

Army recruiting, retention staying close to goals

WASHINGTON -- The Army is close to most of its goals in both recruiting soldiers and keeping them in uniform, the service's top general said Monday. Only the Army National Guard is falling significantly short of its goals, with recruitment reaching just 88 percent of the target, Gen. Peter J. Schoomaker, the Army's chief of staff, told reporters at the Pentagon. The Guard is exceeding its retention targets, Schoomaker said, but by less than 1 percent. Lt. Gen. H. Steven Blum, chief of the National Guard, said the shortfall was expected because the Guard set its goal "deliberately high" in anticipation of the departure of many existing Guard members because of the strain of being deployed overseas. That hasn't happened, the generals said. Troops that have been sent overseas are staying in the service at a higher rate than their counterparts who remained in the United States, Blum said.

-- From wire reports