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Nation in Brief
Compiled from Times wires West Nile virus confirmed in death of organ recipientATLANTA -- Government health officials confirmed Tuesday that the West Nile virus had killed one transplant patient and infected at least two others, raising concern it can spread through transfusions and other medical procedures. Federal officials said they were speeding development of a West Nile blood test. Until now, the virus had been thought to be transmitted to people only through the bite of an infected mosquito. Officials at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the victim died in Atlanta after receiving an organ from a Georgia woman who was killed last month in a car accident. Three other people also received organs from the woman. The CDC said two of them have the virus and have developed encephalitis, an inflammation of the brain. West Nile has not been confirmed in the third person, who is recovering from a milder infection. Health officials said the organ recipients could have contracted the virus from mosquitoes, but it is unlikely. The cases are believed to be the first West Nile infections from a medical procedure. No blood test exists to detect the virus, even in people who show symptoms. Instead, patients are diagnosed based on their immune response to the virus, which takes about 15 days. Coming up with a quick blood test is a priority, said Dr. Lester Crawford, acting commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, which regulates the nation's blood supply. New lawsuit seeks reparationsNEW ORLEANS -- About 200 Louisiana residents identifying themselves as descendants of slaves filed a federal lawsuit Tuesday seeking reparations from companies that allegedly profited from slave labor. The lawsuit was one of several that plaintiffs said were being filed around the country, extending an effort that began with a lawsuit filed March 26 in New York. That lawsuit seeks reparations from Aetna Insurance, CSX Railroad and FleetBoston financial services. The latest suits name new defendants, including Lloyds of London; Brown Brothers Harriman & Co.; R.J. Reynolds; Liggett Group; Brown and Williamson; and three railroads, Canadian National, Norfolk Southern and Union Pacific. Man charged with raping, killing nunKLAMATH FALLS, Ore. -- Police have charged a man with sexually assaulting a nun and strangling her with her rosary beads as she took a late-night stroll with another nun. The other woman was also sexually assaulted, police said. Sister Helen Chaska, 53, became the first homicide victim in Klamath County this year when she was attacked while reciting the rosary as she and her companion strolled down a bike path just after midnight Sunday. An autopsy showed she was strangled with her rosary beads, which became embedded in her neck. The other woman was treated at a hospital and released. Both were wearing their blue habits when they were attacked. Maximiliano Esparza, 32, was charged with aggravated murder, kidnapping, assault, sodomy, sexual abuse and possession and delivery of a controlled substance. He was being held without bail at the Klamath County Jail. It wasn't immediately clear if he had obtained an attorney. An arraignment that had been scheduled for Tuesday was postponed until Wednesday. Prosecutors said they plan to seek the death penalty. Also . . .BAPTISTS OVERHAUL STRUCTURE: The National Baptist Convention, USA marked the first full day of its annual session in Philadelphia on Tuesday by overhauling its leadership structure and constitution. Compelled by recent scandals and a sense that reform was overdue, about 500 delegates unanimously approved constitutional changes that restrict the power of the president, clarify the denomination's goals and revise its membership structure. AIRPORT SHOOTING A TERRORISM INQUIRY: The FBI is investigating the July 4 double killing at Los Angeles International Airport as possible terrorism even though there's no evidence linking the alleged shooter to any terrorist group, a spokesman said Tuesday. Justice Department officials have said all along that terrorism was among several possible motives for the attack at an Israeli airline counter, and investigators were looking for evidence the shooter, Hesham Mohamed Hadayet, had terror group connections. But until now the FBI had not publicly characterized the inquiry as a terrorism investigation. VIEQUES EXERCISES BEGIN: Fighter jets buzzed over Vieques on Tuesday as activists shied away from their usual raucous protests, fearful of stiff jail sentences and fines in a post-Sept. 11 climate. Pilots practiced fly-overs, U.S. Navy spokeswoman Lt. Cmdr. Kim Dixon said, while the aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman and 11 other ships would likely practice shelling the bombing range today. The exercises, the third since Sept. 11, are expected to last for 23 days. CALIFORNIA WILDFIRES: Two wildfires burned 40 miles apart Tuesday in and around the Angeles National Forest, threatening several ranch homes. On the north end of Los Angeles County, flames ringed the sprawling homes on the edge of the forest as more than 600 firefighters fought the blaze that quickly ballooned to about 800 acres. Thirty miles northeast of Los Angeles, a fire that has already destroyed 14 buildings, including two homes, continued its march across some 14,400 acres in the mountains above Azusa.
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From the Times wire desk
From the AP |
