That unfinished skywalk between the future Fountain Place, home of Lazarus, and the Fifth and Race building might be months off schedule, but it is building one thing fast: Pat Scully's war chest.

Mr. Scully, owner of Scully's Sports Cafe, gets $1,000 for each day the skywalk misses its late November deadline. Saturday, that translated into a cool hundred grand for the litigious restaurateur. Cincinnati Development Group, the developer, has to pay it.

''Don't you think I've been counting the days, too,'' Mr. Scully said.

But don't expect Mr. Scully to install a dining balcony overlooking Race Street or buy new glassware for the pub. He's investing the money in a money market account to fight Western-Southern Life Insurance Co., which is trying to empty the building and develop the site.

As for the skywalk, city official Mark McKillip said the schedule has been upset by problems with the steel construction. He awaits an update from the contractor, Warm Brothers Construction Co. Meanwhile, Mr. Scully can expect to put at least another $30,000 in his legal fund because the skywalk isn't expected to be finished before April 1.

- Lisa Biank Fasig

O'Gara armor's trial by fire

A Fairfield-based company has had its mettle tested before, but never quite like this.

An Army Humvee on patrol in Bosnia recently hit a land mine buried in a pothole. But three Army military policemen walked away with only minor injuries, thanks to the tank's O'Gara Co. armor.

Bill O'Gara, president, said the front axle of the Humvee was blown off by the blast, but the passenger compartment was left intact.

Mr. O'Gara said the company, which tested the armor extensively, was not surprised by its effectiveness under live fire, ''but we're very happy our equipment saved lives.''

O'Gara has armored 500 Humvees made by AM General and soon expects a contract for another 360 with an option for another 355 vehicles. Defense Daily says the Army wants to buy another 1,300 armored Humvees in the next few years.

- Mike Boyer

Deeper well for women's NCAA

It's down to the wire for organizers trying to raise $676,000 for the March 28-30 women's National Collegiate Athletic Association Final Four championship in Cincinnati.

Seems local businesses were stingier than expected, so fund-raisers had to go back to the well and ask for more from some companies that already pledged financial support. Many companies ponied up, but there was a gap.

The rest of the money - about $83,500 - is coming from the sale of ticket packages and help from the NCAA's national corporate sponsors.

- Ursula Miller

Chip off P&G's Web block

Pringles potato chips are the latest brand to join Procter & Gamble Co.'s family of World Wide Web sites.

The site www.pringles.com is the 10th brand-specific site for the consumer-goods giant - 11th if you count its ever-expanding corporate site www.pg.com.

Browsers can win prizes, download animations and sound effects and - oh, yes - find out about Pringles. A Pringles tongue-in-cheek time line dates from ''The Big Bang'' to 1996 but omits the latest development: test marketing in Columbus of a fat-free chip made with olestra.

The labyrinth corporate Web site includes ''Fiber Space,'' which describes the benefits of Metamucil, and an animated illustration of Crest products at work on cyberteeth.

- Jeff Harrington

Museum of hats, perhaps?

The board of the Cincinnati Equity Fund is said to be weighing an investment of at least $500,000 to help the Contemporary Arts Center (CAC) build a new museum in the Backstage entertainment district. The $45.5 million fund, a for-profit venture sponsored by major local corporations, already has picked several commercial projects. A non-profit museum would be a first.

CAC officials say they have raised $4.5 million of a $5 million target from private sources. The equity fund contribution could neatly close that gap, but officials would still have to raise another $10 million from city and state sources.

Acquiring the land presents another hurdle. CAC wants the northwest corner of Sixth and Walnut streets, where the Batsakes family runs its hat shop and dry-cleaning operation. George Batsakes said last week that the family - which has owned the property since 1907 - is intent on ''getting the price we want.''

- Leah Beth Ward

Items for Tipsheet are gathered by Enquirer business reporters and compiled by Leah Beth Ward of the business staff.