Copyright 1990 Gannett Company, Inc.
USA TODAY
January 2, 1990, Tuesday, FINAL EDITION
SECTION: NEWS; Pg. 3A
LENGTH: 826 words
HEADLINE: NATIONLINE
BYLINE: M. David Goodwin; Carol J. Castaneda
BODY:
Fifteen states plan to raise highway speed limits when lawmakers begin meeting this month, continuing a trend that began when the 1974 federal speed limit was repealed Dec. 8. The American Automobile Association expects speed limits to rise in 1996 in Colorado, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Michigan, Mississippi, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Washington and Wisconsin. Eight states already have raised their limits. Experts fear that states could start seeing increases in crashes, fatalities and injuries by spring. The first comprehensive look at the effect of higher speed limits won't occur until the summer of 1997, says Chuck Hurley of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. He says many states probably will consider adopting stronger seat belt and drunken driving laws.
CAR EXPLOSION: Authorities don't have a motive for a bombing in Opelika, Ala., that injured a priest, but they aren't ruling out a connection to the Unabomber. "It's too early to tell," said Opelika police Capt. Tommy Barnes. The Rev. Mike Schnatterly, the rector at Emmanuel Episcopal Church, was injured when the package he was lifting from his car exploded. Police didn't reveal how he got the box. He was in fair condition in the intensive care unit of East Alabama Medical Center. Opelika police, the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms are investigating.
GRAPHIC: PHOTO, b/w, Darryl Bautista, Poughkeepsie Journal via AP; PHOTO, b/w, Eric Gay, AP