Living Today: Issues of modern living

FIRES SPREAD IN OKEFENOKEE SWAMP

The Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge in northern Florida is ablaze. Published reports indicate that as of the weekend more than 10,000 acres had been scorched. A second fire was also growing.

The original fire may have been started by lightning. Police report that no structures were engulfed in the fire, but the park remained closed over the weekend.

Although standard firefighting methods were used on the larger of the two blazes, water-dropping planes were called in to help in the smaller one.

JEFFERSON KIN REJECT SLAVE'S DESCENDANTS

At its latest meeting, members of the Monticello Association say they have agreed with a committee report that will mean the group will continue to keep out descendants of slave girl Sally Hemings. The group is made up of white descendants of Thomas Jefferson.

The group met privately during the weekend in Charlottesville, Va., the Charlottesville Daily Progress reported.

It voted to continue to exclude descendants of Hemings, a Monticello slave proven, some say through DNA, to have produced children with the second president. Many historians dispute the validity of the Hemings group's claim.

The debate over inclusion of Hemings' descendants into the Monticello group has been acrimonious even though one staunch opponent of inclusion has continually said he is not a racist.

INSURERS DISPLEASED WITH HEALTH PRIVACY RULES

Many insurance companies say they are not pleased with planned federal regulations concerning privacy that will go into effect next April. The new rules were formulated by the White House as the result of concerns that personal health information was being too readily shared and/or sold.

For example, Aetna says it will cost that company some $33 million over the next two years to comply with the expected federal mandates.

Not everyone is displeased. Former HEW head Donna Shalala, now the president of the University of Miami, says you can't put a cost on privacy.

WORLD-CLASS ATHLETES GET NEW TRAINING DIGS

Opening this week in suburban Atlanta: A world-class training center for international, Olympic-level athletes. The center will host aspiring athletes from around the world, especially from countries where high-level training facilities are lacking.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution says that in recent years three similar centers, in other parts of the country, have failed for a variety of reasons. Lack of funding and petty squabbling in the international Olympic family are two major ones.

Part of the new center was once a state-run mental hospital.