Q: Why did Jimmy Lee Dykes take that little boy in Alabama? Was there any connection between the two?
— Eddie Webster, Dallas
A: Dykes did not appear to have a prior relationship with Ethan Gilman, before he killed a school bus driver and kidnapped the then-5-year-old boy on Jan. 29 in Midland City, Ala. Jennifer Kirkland, Ethan's mother, said on "The Dr. Phil Show" last week that the bus driver, Charles Albert Poland Jr., had bonded with Ethan while helping him gain the courage to walk down the school bus steps. "The reason I think Ethan was taken off the bus is because when he saw Mr. Poland shot, Ethan passed out," Kirkland said on the show. "Mr. Dykes went down to catch him and he picked him up. And I think, in his own way, he was trying to care for him." FBI agents rescued Ethan from Dykes' bunker on Feb. 4, killing Dykes in the process. Ethan turned 6 on Feb. 6.
Q: What are the occupations of the members of Congress?
— Jackie Welden, Peachtree City
A: Attorney is the most listed occupation among members of the 113th Congress, with 128 lawyers in the House of Representatives and 45 in the Senate, according to Bloomberg Businessweek. There are 108 business people in the House and 22 in the Senate; 44 educators in the House and seven in the Senate; and 29 medical professionals in the House and three in the Senate. Other occupations represented in Congress include career politician, farmer/rancher, clergy, engineer, social worker, career military/law enforcement, carpenter, physicist, secretary, accountant, non-profit and community workers and 10 who listed their occupation as entertainment/media, among others.
Andy Johnston wrote this column. Do you have a question about the news? We’ll try to get the answer. Call 404-222-2002 or email q&a@ajc.com (include name, phone and city).
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