NATIONAL BRIEFS

THE WEST: Falling tree kills Idaho firefighter

A firefighter was killed in Idaho and another in Oregon suffered burns after she had to deploy her emergency fire shelter as wildfires raged across the U.S. West. Anne Veseth, 20, was killed Sunday after she was struck by a falling tree near Orofino in northern Idaho, the U.S. Forest Service said. Veseth, of Moscow, Idaho, was in her second season as a firefighter. Her older brother is a wildland firefighter in Idaho, where there are 12 active blazes. In southeastern Oregon, a firefighter was forced to crawl into her emergency shelter in an area overrun by swirling winds. She was treated at a Nevada hospital Sunday for minor burns to a leg and forearm and minor smoke inhalation.

MINNESOTA: Jackson has bipolar disorder

Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr., a Chicago Democrat who took a hushed medical leave two months ago, is being treated for Bipolar II disorder, the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., announced Monday. Bipolar II is defined as periodic episodes of depression and hypomania, a less serious form of mania. It is a treatable condition that affects parts of the brain controlling emotion, thought and drive and is probably caused "by a complex set of genetic and environmental factors," the clinic said. The statement mentioned that Jackson underwent weight loss surgery in 2004, saying such surgery can change how the body absorbs foods and medications, among other things. His father, the Rev. Jesse Jackson, said: "I'm glad he's getting the treatment he needs and is responding well."

WEST VIRGINIA: The Trail's 75th anniversary

Like the people who hike it, the Appalachian Trail is always moving. Technically, Tuesday marks the 75th anniversary of its completion. But the 2,180-mile path stretching across 14 states from Springer Mountain, Ga., to Katahdin, Maine, is never really finished. It took 15 years for hundreds of volunteers, state and federal partners, trail maintenance clubs and young workers with the New Deal-era Civilian Conservation Corps to build the original path. In the decades since, nearly 99 percent has been relocated or rebuilt, and transferred from private to public ownership.