The Courier-Journal from Louisville, Kentucky • Page A3

Time: 08-27-2007 22:57 User: mmatherly PubDate: 08-28-2007 Zone: KY Edition: 1 Page Name: A3 Color: Bftapbnta Nation TODAY, IN 1907 United Parcel Service had its beginnings as the American Messenger Co. of Seattle. TUESDAY www.courier-journal.comnationworld AUGUST 28, 2007 Atlantic Ocean Adult obesity rates continue to climb P.R. FROM WIRE DISPATCHES Ky. is 7th-worst; Indiana ranks 9th By Kevin Freking Associated Press WASHINGTON Loosen the belt buckle another notch: Obesity continued to gain in 31 states last year, and it declined in no state.

Mississippi became the first state to pass the 30 percent mark for adults considered to be obese. West Virginia and Alabama were just behind, according to the Trust for America's Health, a research group that focuses on disease prevention. Colorado continued its reign as the leanest state in the nation, with an obesity rate estimated at 17.6 percent. Kentucky was 27.5 percent obese, ranking seventh worst; Indiana's rate was 26.8 percent, ranking ninth. Both those rankings were better than the year before (when Kentucky was fifth and Indiana eighth), but that does not mean the residents of the two states are getting thinner.

In fact, the obesity proportion rose a bit in both states. "Our rankings are getting better because everyone else is getting worse faster than we are," said Dr. Frederick Arensman, a pediatric cardiologist in Louisville. This year, for the first time, the study looked at rates of overweight children ages 10 to 17. The District of Columbia had the highest 22.8 percent; Utah, the lowest 8.5 percent.

Among Kentucky's children, the rate was 20.6 percent, third-highest in the nation. Indiana's rate was 15.6 percent, 15th in the nation. Arensman said he's especially worried about America's children. "Epidemiologists have predicted the current generation of kids is going to have a shorter life span than even I have," he said. Health officials say the new figures show the nation has a public-health crisis.

"Unfortunately, we're treating it like a mere inconvenience instead of the emergency that it is," said Dr. James Marks, senior vice president of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, a philanthropy devoted to improving health care. Officials of the Trust for America's Health want the government to do more to prevent obesity. Over views, officials explained. Generally, anyone with a body mass index greater than 30 is considered obese.

The index is a ratio involving height and weight. A lack of exercise is a huge factor in obesity. The CDC found last year that more than 22 percent of Americans had not engaged in any physical activity in the past month. In Kentucky, Tennessee, Mississippi and Louisiana, the proportion exceeded 30 percent. Another factor in obesity rates is poverty.

The five poorest states were all in the top 10 when it came to obesity. Two exceptions to that rule were the District of Columbia and New Mexico. Both had high poverty rates, but their adult-obesity rates were among the lowest. Poverty can lead to less safe neighborhoods, which deter children from playing outdoors. It can lead to fewer grocery stores with fruits and vegetables, and it can lead to greater reliance on fast food, officials said.

"It seems the cheapest foods are the worst ones for you," Marks said. Courier-Journal reporter Laura Ungar contributed to this story. weight people are at an increased risk for diabetes, heart problems and other chronic diseases. "If we want kids to eat healthier food, we have to invest the money for school nutrition programs so that school lunches are healthier," said Jeffrey Levi, the organization's executive director. "If we want people to be more physically active, then there have to be safe places to be active.

That's not just a class issue. We've designed suburban communities where there are no sidewalks for anybody to go out and take a walk." To measure obesity, the Trust for America's Health compares data from 2003-2005 with 2004-2006. The data come from a survey of height and weight taken over the telephone. Because the information comes from a personal estimate, some think it is conservative. Indeed, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released a study last year citing a national obesity rate of about 32 percent higher than for any of the states in the report by the Trust for America's Health.

The CDC's estimate came from weighing people rather than relying on telephone inter MINNEAPOLIS Idaho senator enters guilty plea Republican Sen. Larry Craig of Idaho pleaded guilty this month to misdemeanor disorderly conduct after being arrested at the Minneapolis airport. A Hennepin County court docket showed Craig pleading guilty Aug. 8, with the court dismissing a charge of gross misdemeanor interference to privacy. The docket said Craig paid $575 in fines and fees.

He was put on unsupervised probation for a year. A sentence of 10 days in the county workhouse was stayed. Roll Call, a Capitol Hill newspaper, said on its Web site yesterday that Craig was arrested June 11 by an officer investigating complaints of lewd conduct in a men's room at the airport. Craig said he was not involved in any inappropriate conduct. "I complained to the police that they were misconstruing my actions," he said.

"I should have had the advice of counsel in resolving this matter. In hindsight, I should not have pled guilty." Craig, 62, is married and in his third term in the Senate. ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. Officer in Bush motorcade dies in crash A police officer in President Bush's motorcade crashed his motorcycle and died yesterday, less than a year after a wreck in Hawaii killed another motorcycle officer accompanying the president. Rio Rancho Officer Germaine Casey, 40, crashed at the Albuquerque airport at a point where a road enters an underground parking garage, said Trish Hoffman, a spokeswoman for the Albuquerque police.

He was pronounced dead at an Albuquerque hospital. Bush was heading to the airport after attending a fundraiser for Sen. Pete Domenici, A Rio Rancho police spokesman, Officer John Francis, said Casey's motorcycle hit a curb and then a tree. Bush called Casey's wife, Lisa, from his limousine on the way to the airport in Seattle to offer condolences, Stanzel said. North Dakota tornado kills 1, wreaks havoc Photo above by Dave KolpackAP and photo below by Eric Hylden, Grand Forks Herald, via AP Associated Press NORTHWOOD, N.D.

A tornado destroyed two mobile-home parks, killing one person, and blew out windows in homes and buildings across the town, officials said yesterday. At least 18 people were injured. "This town is a mess. This town is a disaster," said Kevin Dean, a spokesman for the town's emergency operations center. "There's virtually nothing that hasn't been damaged." The twister, which struck Sunday night, tore the roof off the school, and water was inside the classrooms.

Yesterday was supposed to be the first day of school, but classes were canceled for the week. Gov. John Hoeven issued an emergency declaration and sent the National Guard to help clean up. National Weather Service meteorologist Greg Gust estimated the wind hit 170 mph and said the tornado was nearly a mile wide. Grand Forks County Sheriff Dan Hill said the extent of damage "just floored me." "There were cars that looked like they went through a crusher," he said.

The tornado demolished two neighboring trailer parks, 19 units in all, and killed Larry Weisz, 57, who was pinned between the base of a mobile home and a tree, Grand Forks County Sheriff Dan Hill said. WASHINGTON FAA orders inspections of newer 737s Federal regulators ordered inspections of the wing slats on all newer Boeing 737 jetliners because of findings about the fire that destroyed a China Airlines 737 in Japan last week. The orders apply to 783 U.S. airplanes but will likely be imposed by other countries on the entire worldwide fleet of 2,287 newer 737s, Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Les Dorr said yesterday. You can also read the latest news online at: The destructive force of the tornado that hit Northwood, N.D., was obvious from the jumbled pile of debris, above, that was left behind.

Levi and Erica Rick, right, shared a personal moment at the spot where they rescued Levi's father, who had been pinned under a trailer. BANK Man fatally shot by police after standoff at bank even owned a gun as far as I know." Moody said Ray did not have many close friends in the neighborhood, though other neighbors said he always would say hello in passing. "He kind of kept to himself but a lot of people do around here," Moody said. "You wouldn't know he had mental problems." Ray loved nature, knew yoga and repeatedly reminded Moody's sons to stay in school, Moody said. Fain, who encountered the scene at the bank, said he was told the armed man rode to the bank on a bike, which he saw lying on the ground outside.

Bardstown Road was closed to traffic between the old front entrance to Bashford Manor Mall and Hikes Lane, causing cars to reroute through the shopping center parking lot. This is the second high-profile incident at a Louisville bank this month. On Aug. 6, two men walked into a Chase bank branch on Poplar Level Road and shot two bank employees after robbing the bank. Metro police have investigated 31 bank robberies this year, said Sgt.

Eric Black in the robbery division, compared with 34 in the same period last year. But detectives have said thieves are more often showing a weapon during robberies, as opposed to presenting clerks with a note and saying they have a weapon. Reporter Jessie Halladay can be reached at (502) 582-4081. Reporter Charlie White can be reached at (502) 582-4653. That's when a volley of shots echoed through the area.

It was not clear whether Ray fired the 38.5-inch-long Remington air rifle at police. An e-mail from Smiley pointed out that words stamped on the rifle say: "Not a toy. Misuse may cause fatal injury." Actions surprise friend Ray's apartment off Goldsmith Lane and Bardstown Road is within a mile of the bank. James Moody, a good friend of Ray's who lives in the apartment next to him, was working at the White Castle at 3705 Bardstown Road when police came in to buy food. It was not until hours later that Moody realized the incident involved Ray, whom he knew as Nick.

Moody's youngest son, Lorenzo, 5, was watching a local news channel when he relayed the news to his father. "He said, 'I think that's Nick, Daddy, on James Moody said. "Those are the shoes he wears." WHAS-TV showed footage of Ray coming out of the bank with a weapon pointed in the air. The station blurred his image just before viewers heard audio of police firing gunshots and saw Ray fall to the ground. Ray did not work, because he suffered from mental problems and received a Social Security check each month, Moody said.

In the days leading up to yesterday, Moody described Ray as "happy-go-lucky." "There was no indication" of the events that unfolded yesterday, Moody said. "He never Lawson said he was in the parking lot yesterday morning, preparing to go in, when he was warned that a man was inside with a firearm. Smiley said police were called to the bank, at 3603 Bardstown Road near the site of the old Bashford Manor Mall, about 9:20 a.m and told that an armed man had entered. Before police arrived, Ray had released two employees and one customer but had forced four female employees to remain inside with him, Smiley said. Detectives continued to question bank employees and others throughout the afternoon, she said.

No bank employees would comment when approached by a reporter. National City issued a statement thanking police for their efforts. "We are disturbed by the tragic events that took place this morning and are extremely grateful that none of our employees or customers were injured," the statement said. But there were some tense moments for people who knew the four hostages. When approached by a reporter in the nearby Bardstown Square shopping center, a woman said, "I don't really know anything; my sister is in there," referring to the bank.

An official escorted her away before she could be asked her name. She was later seen crying and hugging one of the hostages who had been taken to a Continued from Al lets or BBs. Ray, 44, who lived in the 2000 block of Terril Lane, near the bank, was pro-nounced dead of gunshot wounds at 12:18 p.m. in the emergency room of University Hospital, said Eddie Robinson, a Jefferson County deputy coroner. Robinson would not say how many times Ray was hit or describe the location of the wounds.

During a news conference in a parking lot near the bank, White said, "It certainly looks like our officers acted within our policies." How many officers fired is still under investigation, the chief said. All the SWAT officers involved have been put on paid administrative leave during the investigation, as is routine in such cases, he said. Police have not released the names of any of the officers involved. What prompted Ray to go into the bank is still under investigation. "We don't believe it was an actual bank robbery," White said.

"He did not demand any money." Alicia Smiley, a police spokeswoman, said Ray did not have a personal relationship with anyone who worked at the bank. But Rick Lawson, a bank customer and a former police chief in Breckinridge County, said bank workers told him they recognized Ray from previous visits to the bank. By Michael Clevenger, The Courier-Journal Tea Hasic, a National City Bank teller who didn't work yesterday because her son was sick, watched the standoff from across the street and was comforted by Tumbleweed manager Greg Powell. with Ray by telephone during the incident. He asked police for food from a nearby White Castle, which was later delivered by a robot that approached the door of the bank, Smiley said.

A hostage was sent out of the bank to retrieve the food, Smiley said. Soon after the food was delivered, Ray released the four hostages. Within about a half hour of that, Ray alerted police that he planned to leave the bank with his weapon, police said. Police warned him to leave the weapon inside, but Ray exited the bank holding the weapon and started slowly jogging toward the officers, White said. store in the shopping center after their release.

Officers surround bank As the incident unfolded yesterday morning, onlookers gathered in small groups near a blocked-off area around the bank, watching as SWAT officers surrounded the building. Dozens of police cars and specialty units, including the armored SWAT vehicle and the bomb squad truck, filled the Bardstown Square parking lot, directly behind the bank. About 100 officers, including FBI agents and Jefferson County sheriff's deputies, were at the scene. Police negotiators talked.