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Nation in brief

To fight meth, Illinois now requires ID for cold remedies

By wire services
Published January 15, 2006

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - Showing ID isn't just for smokes and beer anymore.

Starting today, cold and allergy sufferers in Illinois will need identification and must sign a log before they can buy a popular decongestant that's also used in the illegal manufacture of methamphetamine.

State police have seen a huge jump in the number of meth lab busts in recent years - from 24 in 1997 to nearly 1,000 each of the past three years - and the number of Illinois cases has risen to third in the nation.

The state tried pulling pseudoephedrine-based medications off open shelves and putting them behind the counter last year, but Illinois remained a magnet for meth makers because other state's had even stiffer requirements, Attorney General Lisa Madigan said.

As of October, 37 states had some sort of restriction on the sales of pseudoephedrine, from requiring a prescription to simply limiting the number of packages purchased at one time, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

WILLIAMSBURG, Va. - For the first time since Thomas Jefferson became governor, Virginia on Saturday celebrated the inauguration of a new chief executive with volleys from Revolution-era cannons on the grounds of the state's Colonial Capitol.

Timothy M. Kaine followed in historic footsteps as he took the oath as the state's 70th governor. Jefferson was also sworn in here in 1779.

In his speech, Kaine evoked that history, exhorting residents to pursue "the promise of Virginia."

Kaine succeeds Mark Warner, who left office to explore a possible 2008 presidential bid.

HOMER, Alaska - Snowflakes laced with fine, gray ash fell on communities south of Anchorage as a series of volcanic eruptions continued early Saturday.

Plumes of ash from the volcano drifted across Cook Inlet and into Homer, 75 miles to the east, halting air travel.

The 4,134-foot Augustine Volcano began erupting Wednesday after a 20-year lull. By Saturday morning, it had erupted at least eight time, and scientists at the Alaska Volcano Observatory said they expect more eruptions over the next several days or weeks.

[Last modified January 15, 2006, 01:49:03]