Nation digest 05/18/04

Some airports to get more security screeners

WASHINGTON -- In an effort to reduce long waits for travelers, the government is hiring more security screeners for dozens of airports, including Dallas-Fort Worth, Miami, New York's JFK and Washington's Dulles. Other airports, deemed overstaffed, will lose screeners. U.S. air carriers expect 65 million passengers each summer month. That's 12 percent more passengers per month compared to last summer. Among the airports to lose screeners are Pittsburgh International Airport, Piedmont Triad International Airport in North Carolina, New Orleans International Airport, Jacksonville Airport and Cleveland Hopkins International Airport.

Nun, priest study links diabetes and Alzheimer's

CHICAGO -- Diabetes might significantly increase the risk of developing Alzheimer's, a study of 824 nuns, priests and Catholic brothers found, bolstering the evidence linking the two diseases. The participants in the study were 55 and older when the research began and were followed for an average of about six years. Alzheimer's developed in 151 participants, including 31 who had diabetes. The researchers calculated that diabetics faced a 65 percent increased risk of developing the mind-robbing disease. The study was published Monday in the Archives of Neurology. The next step for researchers is to find out exactly how diabetes might lead to Alzheimer's.

National Guard pilot killed in collision over Indiana

OAKTOWN, Ind. -- Two F-16 fighter jets collided Monday over rural Indiana during training, killing one of the pilots, the Air National Guard said. The other pilot parachuted to safety. No injuries or damage on the ground were reported. The fighter jets were from Terre Haute, about 40 miles north of Oaktown, and were in airspace reserved for military training near the Indiana-Illinois state line, National Guard Capt. Lisa Kopczynski said. The cause of the accident was not disclosed. Thunderstorms were reported in the area at the time.

Former S.D. rep finishes 100-day jail sentence

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. -- Former governor Bill Janklow was released from jail Monday after serving 100 days for an accident that killed a motorcyclist and ended Janklow's career in Congress. Carrying a large accordion file under one arm and a brown grocery bag in the other, the 64-year-old Janklow walked past a crowd of reporters and left in a sport utility vehicle. A jury in Janklow's hometown of Flandreau convicted him in December of manslaughter and reckless driving for an Aug. 16 accident that killed Randy Scott, 55. He resigned his House seat after being found guilty.

Driver plows into parishioners; one killed

LINDEN, N.J. -- A 72-year-old driver lost control of his car and plowed into parishioners exiting a Roman Catholic Communion service, killing one woman and critically injuring another woman and a girl, police said. Two other adults and four other children were hurt in the accident, which began when Andrew Pachana, who had served as an usher at the service, lost control of his car Sunday afternoon in the parking lot at St. Theresa's Church. The cause of the incident remains under investigation, but no criminal charges are expected, police Lt. Bruce Taylor said.

Mystery of severed feet found in car solved

CHICAGO -- Police who found two severed feet in the trunk of an impounded car initially believed they'd stumbled upon proof of murder. The explanation was less sinister: They were a podiatrist's study aids. The doctor, whose name was not released, told police he borrowed the feet from a Chicago podiatry school four years ago to practice a new procedure. Police said they were checking his account but that it sounded credible. The feet were found by a city tow-truck worker in a plastic bag that smelled of formaldehyde, according to police detective Gregory Jones. A city truck towed the car in February because it appeared to have been abandoned. The Chicago podiatrist, who had filed for bankruptcy, said he assumed his car had been repossessed.

-- From wire reports