Wednesday, February 23, 2000
TRISTATE DIGEST
Man enters plea in fatal shooting
A Colerain Township man pleaded guilty Tuesday to firing the shot that killed Jerric L. Anderson on Oct. 16.
Rayshawn Walker, 21, pleaded to one count of voluntary manslaughter after Hamilton County prosecutors agreed to drop the more serious charge of murder. He will face up to 15 years in prison when he returns to Common Pleas Court for sentencing March 24.
Prosecutors say Mr. Walker shot Mr. Anderson, 19, of Colerain Township, as he drove past the victim at 3 a.m. in the Skyline Acres subdivision.
They say Mr. Walker fired one shot from a .25-caliber handgun, striking Mr. Anderson in the chest.
The shooting occurred after a party in College Hill was held to raise money for a rap CD Mr. Anderson was recording with friends.
Prosecutors say a fight between youths from different neighborhoods broke out at the party and carried over to the street later that night.
Woman imprisoned for shooting, chase
BOWLING GREEN — A Wisconsin woman was sentenced to 91/2 years in prison Tuesday after she admitted to shooting at a state trooper and leading police on a chase that ended when her boyfriend shot himself.
Chellie Wagner, 19, of Oshkosh, Wis., was found guilty last month of felonious assault on a police officer and receiving stolen property. She had faced more than 10 years in prison.
Ms. Wagner and Jason Cahoe, 17, of Winneconne, Wis., had been sleeping in a stolen Jeep at a rest stop on Interstate 75 in northwestern Ohio Aug. 2 when a state trooper checking license plates approached the vehicle.
Ms. Wagner fired at Trooper Don Pratt at least once and he shot back, but nobody was hit, the trooper said.
She drove onto I-75 and led them on an eight-mile chase. She then drove into a cornfield in southern Wood County near Cygnet, about 30 miles south of Toledo.
Bowling Green police officers who joined the chase fired shots at the Jeep, which collided with a police cruiser and flipped into a ditch.
As police surrounded the vehicle, Mr. Cahoe shot and killed himself.
Voinovich: Encourage Milosevic opponents
WASHINGTON — Sen. George Voinovich, just back from a fact-finding trip to southeast Europe, said Tuesday he'll ask the Senate to send a strong message of encouragement to opponents of Serbian leader Slobodan Milosevic.
That encouragement, the Ohio Republican said, might come from a nonbinding Senate resolution or might be a list of foreign aid promises added to an appropriations bill — promises that wouldn't be kept unless conditions changed in the Balkans.
Mr. Voinovich wants the United States to give the Serbian people some hope that their lives, made difficult by war and international economic sanctions, could improve under a leader willing to live peaceably with neighboring nations and Yugoslavia's own ethnic minorities.
The senator, who spent last week in Croatia, Kosovo and Macedonia, said his trip convinced him of the need to demonstrate that the West will be willing to help Serbia under different leadership, and that the sanctions are intended only to pressure Mr. Milosevic.
County is moving probate archive
The Warren County Probate Archive, currently at 500 Justice Drive in Lebanon, will be moved to the warehouse behind the county's 416 South East St. building.
Relocation will begin today and conclude Monday. The archive will be unavailable to the public during this time. For information, call 695-1339.
Freedom Center chief to speak at chamber
The head of the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center will be the keynote speaker at the Southeastern Butler County Chamber of Commerce's annual awards dinner March 3.
Ed Rigaud, president and chief executive officer of the freedom center — scheduled to open in Cincinnati in 2003 — will speak about the vision for center, said Kathy Rambo, vice president of special events for the chamber.
Mr. Rigaud is on loan from Procter & Gamble Co., where he is vice president of government relations for North America. His speech headlines an annual dinner and dance that includes presentation of chamber awards to outstanding community leaders.
The event, which will be at the Manor House Convention Center in Mason, begins at 6 p.m. Cost is $60 a person. Information: 777-3600.
The chamber represents Butler County's Union and Liberty townships.
Experts taking stock of damaged river
ANDERSON, Ind. — The long-term task of restocking the White River after December's toxic spill will begin with surveys of the river's damaged ecosystem.
A team assembled by the Indiana Department of Natural Resources will conduct the surveys over several years, though some new fish could be introduced by early spring.
“We're trying to get a historical picture of that stretch of river in terms of the mixture of species and number of fish,” DNR spokesman Steve Sellers said.
A chemical discharge that appeared at Anderson's waste water treatment plant in mid-December killed at least 88 tons of fish along a 50-mile stretch of the river from Anderson to Indianapolis. State officials suspect Guide Corp., an Anderson automotive parts plant, was the source of the discharge, though the company has denied responsibility.
Lilly endowment awards $1.4 million
INDIANAPOLIS — Lilly Endowment has awarded $1.4 million in planning grants for proposals to meet education needs in 36 Indiana counties.
The grants were part of a $50 million initiative started in September by Lilly Endowment, the charitable fund started by the Indianapolis-based drug company Eli Lilly and Co.
Lilly Endowment received 55 proposals representing 87 of Indiana's 92 counties. It had originally intended to award 15 planning grants of up to $50,000 each for each county serviced, but expanded the number to 22.
Ads spur Hoosiers on tobacco legislation
INDIANAPOLIS — A coalition of health groups is running statewide radio ads to raise public awareness about tobacco legislation before the General Assembly.
The advertisements encourage Hoosiers to call their legislators and ask them to support spending at least a third of Indiana's tobacco settlement proceeds on tobacco prevention and cessation efforts, beginning this year.
Rep. Charlie Brown, a leading negotiator on the tobacco legislation, said he has not received any letters or phone calls in response to the campaign. But he called the effort “wonderful.”
“I appreciate the fact that someone is out there trying to get individuals involved in the process,” said Mr. Brown, D-Gary.
A compromise on how to handle the tobacco money or whether to spend any of it this year is unlikely to be reached, if at all, until next week. The General Assembly is scheduled to adjourn March 3.
The ads are being sponsored by Tobacco Smart Indiana, a coalition of the American Heart Association, American Cancer Society and American Lung Association.
Win fires up Ohio McCain camp
Tainted vote opportunity for renewed faith
Report: Ozone increases illnesses here
Rural county awaiting flood of casino cash
Web sites offer college-class notes free
Failing students get second chance on Internet
Hitchhiker wanted in shooting along I-75
Manatee exhibit extends to Florida
River falling; rain returning
'Come Home' lures inactive Catholics back to church
County public defenders' pay raised
Kroger chief donates $1M to Catholic schools
Queen City's moments to shine reflected in book
Santana should see 'Smooth' sailing at Grammys
GET TO IT
How long game shows thrive is anyone's guess
Adults added to marijuana case
Attorney asks dismissal of sex-abuse case
Contract may lure drivers to Metro
Death sentence is upheld
Delhi yearns for mail upgrade
High court hears case by Batavia bus drivers
Lawyer appeals Christmas decision
Lebanon city manager keeps his job
Man charged in shooting death
Mason chili champ relishes his victory
Police oppose teen club
Pressure pledged to widen road
Public can join school project
Teacher gets $5M for humiliation
TRISTATE DIGEST
Warren County looks for ways to help farmers preserve land
Y gets aid to warm frigid gym
