Passenger on list leads to grounding

Bangor, Maine An Air France jetliner en route from Paris to Boston was diverted to Maine on Thursday to check on a passenger whose name appeared on a no-fly list, officials said.

The flight continued to Boston less than two hours later without the passenger of interest and three of his family members, said Rebecca Hupp, director of the Bangor airport.

When the plane landed in Maine, federal officials escorted a man, a woman, a young child and a baby off. The four were detained by federal immigration officials, said Ann Davis, spokeswoman for the Transportation Security Administration in Boston.

The Airbus A-330, carrying 169 passengers, was diverted because the passenger had the same name as someone on the U.S. government’s no-fly list, Davis said.

Taser medical adviser removed from research

Madison, Wis. A Wisconsin researcher has removed Taser International’s medical director as an adviser to a study of the safety of stun guns after critics said his involvement with the manufacturer tainted the research.

University of Wisconsin-Madison professor John Webster had described his two-year, $500,000 study funded by the U.S. Department of Justice as the first to look at the safety of stun guns independent of Taser, the Arizona-based company that makes the weapons.

But documents uncovered this week show Robert Stratbucker, an Omaha physician who is Taser’s top medical officer, is one of four consultants to the study, which will look at how pigs’ hearts react to shocks from the devices.

Reacting to the connection on Thursday, Webster told the Associated Press: “In view of this potential conflict of interest, I can make the statement that I have not received advice or paid Stratbucker and I will not use him in the future.”

Stratbucker’s studies are often cited by the company as evidence the weapons are a safe way to subdue unruly suspects. He has acknowledged receiving cash and stock options from Taser.

Tasers are used by more than 7,000 police agencies but blamed by Amnesty International in the deaths of more than 100 people in the United States and Canada since 1999.

Army offers new options for shorter enlistments

Washington The Army will give recruits the option to serve as little as 15 months in the active-duty force before transferring to the reserves in a program aimed at boosting recruitment.

At a minimum, a typical active-duty enlistment includes four years on active duty followed by four years as an inactive member of the Individual Ready Reserve. Soldiers can opt to re-enlist or go into the Army National Guard or Army Reserve, which have a greater likelihood of being called to active duty.

Under the new plan, enlistees still will sign up for an eight-year commitment. But after training, they can serve for as little as 15 months on active duty followed by two years in the National Guard or Army Reserve, according to a statement from the Army.

They can serve the remainder of their eight-year commitment in the active or inactive reserves or in programs such as Americorps or the Peace Corps, the statement said.

Couple convicted for not seeking child’s treament

Franklin, Ind. A couple who rejected medical intervention for their ailing newborn daughter, choosing prayer as the only treatment, were convicted of reckless homicide Thursday.

A Johnson Superior Court jury convicted Dewayne and Maleta Schmidt in the August 2003 death of Rhiana Rose Schmidt, who grew ill after she was born at home.

The couple belong to a church that advocates prayer and faith healing over medical intervention. Instead of seeking a doctor’s help, prosecutors said, the parents called church elders to their home to pray for the child, who died less than two days later.

An autopsy found that the infant died of puerperal sepsis, an infection acquired at birth and typically treated by antibiotics.

The Schmidts each could face two to eight years in prison. Prosecutors said in court papers that they intend to seek the longer penalty.