Montana: Rescue helicopter crew has to shoo grizzlies

A helicopter crew trying to assist a woman injured in an all-terrain vehicle accident had to chase off grizzly bears that may have been drawn by the smell of blood, authorities said.

As the pilot prepared to land after Wednesday’s accident, a grizzly sow and two cubs walked in the landing zone toward the woman, said Sheriff’s Deputy Frank Calvin.

“We were glad to have that helicopter. That’s the one thing that would scare (the bears) off,” Calvin said.

Kay Francis, 67, of International Falls, Minn., was riding an ATV up a steep hill near Big Sky when it struck a rock and flipped over.

Illinois: Hundreds turn out for radiation pills

Hundreds of residents within 10 miles of the Clinton nuclear power plant took advantage of a weekend giveaway of potassium iodide pills.

The pills can block buildup of one type of radiation in the thyroid gland, but do not guard against other radiation.

Clinton-area residents are the first in Illinois to be offered the pills by the state Department of Nuclear Safety. The agency later plans to offer potassium iodide to residents near Illinois’ five other working nuclear plants.

DNS spokeswoman Patti Thompson said the giveaway allows the department to address safety and emergency concerns.

Since Sept. 11, federal nuclear regulators have made potassium iodide available to the 33 states with nuclear plants.

New York: New warship to honor victims of 9-11 attacks

A new $800 million warship to be used in the fight against terrorism was named the USS New York on Saturday in honor of the victims of the Sept. 11 attacks.

“On Sept. 11, 2001, our nation’s enemies brought their fight to New York. … The USS New York will now bring the fight to our nation’s enemies well into the future,” Gov. George Pataki said at a naming ceremony aboard the flight deck of the USS Intrepid, a floating museum on the Hudson River.

Construction on the USS New York is scheduled to start in mid-2003, with delivery expected in 2006. A model unveiled Saturday will be displayed at the Intrepid Air-Sea-Space Museum.

Pataki held the ceremony with Navy Secretary Gordon England, who granted special dispensation for the name. Currently, only submarines carry the names of states, Pataki said.

Delaware: Voters make choice in Congress primary

Businessman Mike Miller narrowly defeated attorney Steve Biener in the Democratic congressional primary Saturday to earn a rematch with GOP Rep. Mike Castle in the fall.

With 99 percent of precincts reporting, Miller had 8,939 votes, or 51.9 percent. Biener had 8,298 votes, or 48.1 percent.

Castle, a former two-term governor and one of the more moderate Republicans in Congress, is expected to easily win his sixth term in November.

Miller was the Democratic Party’s nominee in 2000, when Castle took 68 percent of the vote.

North Carolina: Military police unit home from Afghanistan

Military police from the North Carolina National Guard returned Saturday, seven months after they began guarding al-Qaida and Taliban prisoners in Afghanistan.

About 250 loved ones gathered at the Army post awaiting the return of members of the 211th Military Police Company.

No one knew exactly when the unit would return to U.S. soil. A hoped-for July return was postponed until August, then September.