BY The Cincinnati Enquirer
Recently retired Cincinnati Assistant Police Chief Ted Schoch has been selected as the interim replacement for retiring Chief Michael Snowden.
City Manager John Shirey selected Mr. Schoch to fill the spot effective Sunday until a new chief takes over early next year.
Mr. Schoch, a 34-year police veteran, retired over the summer and the city rehired him as civilian training director at the police academy.
"During his service as assistant chief, he acted on behalf of the police chief on numerous occasions," Mr. Shirey wrote in a memo to council members.
Mr. Shirey said Mr. Schoch's appointment "provides a steady hand to direct the police division during the term of the vacancy." Five assistant chiefs and six captains are eligible to take the exam.
TriHealth receives $500,000 grant
The TriHealth hospital group has received a $500,000 grant to study and expand its use of alternative medical therapies, such as herbal medicines, massage therapy and acupuncture.
The new Integrative Health and Medicine Center will compete with similar holistic health programs offered by local Mercy and Franciscan hospital groups. TriHealth's center will include a six-physician review board to study new therapies, a credential system for would-be providers, and training programs for internal medicine residents working at TriHealth hospitals.
TriHealth includes the Good Samaritan and Bethesda hospitals. Officials say the grant from Catholic Health Initiatives will make Tri- Health's project a model for its 80 hospitals nationwide.
Train strikes car; man and son, 6, hurt
A Mason man and his 6-year-old son were injured when their car was struck by a train in Warren County Friday afternoon.
Donald Byrge, 27, was taken to Middletown Regional Hospital. He was in stable condition Friday night.
His son, Ryan, was flown by helicopter to Children's Hospital Medical Center, where he was in serious condition.
The two were on Hamilton Road when their car was struck by a northbound train about 12:50 p.m., Ohio Highway Patrol troopers said. According to police, Mr. Byrge was westbound on Hamilton Road about a half-mile west of Ohio 741 when his car was struck.
No one on the locomotive was injured, troopers said.
No citation had been issued Friday. The accident remains under investigation.
Metro changes some bus schedules, routes
The following Metro bus schedules and routes will change effective Dec. 6:
Routes 4, 6, 11, 17, 20, 26, 28, 30, 32, 33, 43, 50, 52 and 75 will have time adjustments and some routes will have additional service. Some of the Rt. 33 trips will be rerouted to serve the Western Woods Mall. The Route 50 Fernbank-Addyston will now have Sunday service. New bus schedules will be available after Nov. 30.
For more information, call MetroCenter at 621-4455.
Toys For Tots collecting donations
BATAVIA - The Toys For Tots program is collecting donations for the holiday season until Dec. 7.
New toys for children up to age 13 should be sent or dropped off, unwrapped to: Clermont County Convention & Visitors Bureau, 190 E. Main St., Batavia, Ohio 45103.
Make checks payble to Toys for Tots - Cincinnati.
For more information, call Linda Dingo at 732-3600.
Cleveland senator guilty of extortion
CLEVELAND - A jury Friday convicted state Sen. Jeffrey Johnson, an ambitious politician and president of the Legislative Black Caucus, of extorting money from Cleveland grocers.
Mr. Johnson was convicted on three of four counts of violating the federal Hobbs Act, which prohibits public officials from using their office to extort money. He faces up to 20 years in prison when sentenced Feb. 5.
Prosecutors said Mr. Johnson pressured inner-city grocers to give him $17,000 in campaign contributions and loans in exchange for his help obtaining government licenses to participate in nutrition and food stamp programs and sell liquor and lottery tickets.
Marion Co. leukemia patients to be studied
MARION, Ohio - The state health department will study the lives of leukemia patients in Marion County to try to find answers about a higher-than-normal incidence of the disease.
"This is the only way we're going to find a risk factor," Robert Indian, an epidemiologist with the Ohio Department of Health, said Thursday during a public forum.
The department will interview residents diagnosed with the disease since 1992. They will be asked about their work and dietary habits, the pets they owned, the pesticides they used, and many other topics.
About 40 workers at Honda of America in Marysville, Ohio, were sent to Marysville Memorial Hospital of Union County after they complained of a burning sensation caused by fumes Friday. Firefighters were called to a chemical leak at a Honda assembly plant. No one was seriously injured.
