Nation IN BRIEF : COLORADO : Luggage Meets Its Match in Denver

A computer case coated with the same plastic used in football helmets traveled safely for an estimated 150,000 miles around the world with its $7,500 cargo--and then both were mangled by the automated baggage system at the new Denver International Airport. Owner Peter Leabo of Petaluma, Calif., said his case never showed up on the baggage carousel, and he finally found it in a back room. One corner of the case was demolished, and the cover was lashed on with tape. In a plastic bucket nearby lay the computer, its steel casing ripped away, wires dangling and the keyboard warped.