Chicago: Study finds rise in binge drinking

Binge drinking is on the rise in the United States and is climbing fastest among 18- to 20-year-olds, who are too young to drink legally, according to a government survey.

Episodes of binge drinking, defined as having five or more drinks in a sitting, increased 17 percent among all adults between 1993 and 2001, and shot up 56 percent among 18- to 20-year-olds, the telephone survey found.

The survey was conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The findings were published in today’s Journal of the American Medical Assn.

Adults age 21 to 25 went on drinking binges an average of 18 times in 2001, according to CDC. Those ages 18 to 20 did so an average of 15 times. The drinking age in the United States is 21.

Chicago: Obesity, diabetes rates continue to rise in U.S.

The twin epidemics of obesity and diabetes are still on the rise in the United States.

More than 44 million Americans were obese and 16.7 million people had diagnosed diabetes in 2001, according to the study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The researchers found the nation’s obesity rate climbed to 20.9 percent in 2001 from 19.8 percent the year before, and the rate of diagnosed diabetes rose to 7.9 percent from 7.3 percent.

The study appears in today’s Journal of the American Medical Assn.

Obesity is associated with a variety of illnesses, including diabetes and high blood pressure.

Connecticut: Homeowner arrested on West Nile charge

A 50-year-old homeowner became the first person arrested under a state law targeting property owners who fail to remove stagnant water where West Nile-carrying mosquitoes can breed.

Michael Zeoli turned himself in Friday and was charged with a misdemeanor under the 1999 state law. A warrant had been issued for his arrest for having standing water in his swimming pool.

Zeoli, who has owned the property for 21 years but hasn’t used the pool in 18 years, says the water does not serve as a breeding ground for mosquitoes because about a dozen bullfrogs eat the insects.

He said he has also put insecticide in the pool to keep bugs away, and runs a pump that circulates the water.

If convicted, he faces a maximum $100 fine and 90 days in jail.

New York City: Representative calls for resuming draft

Rep. Charles Rangel, a veteran of the Korean War, says he plans to introduce legislation to resume the military draft in the event of a war against Iraq.

In an opinion piece published in Tuesday’s editions of The New York Times, the Democrat from New York said he would ask Congress next week to support his proposal.

Rangel said the prospect of a draft would make Congress less likely to support a war.

“I believe that if those calling for war knew their children were more likely to be required to serve — and to be placed in harm’s way — there would be more caution and a greater willingness to work with the international community in dealing with Iraq,” Rangel wrote.

President Bush has said he doesn’t intend to revive the draft, which ended in 1973.