The Great Cincinnati Clean-up targeting 20 city neighborhoods moves to Over-the-Rhine today.

        The cleanup kicks off at 9 a.m. at Findlay Market along Race Street.

        Work crews from the Department of Public Services, along with Keep Cincinnati Beautiful Inc., will collect trash and litter, remove graffiti, repair street signage, cut overgrowth in right-of-way areas and fill potholes.

        Parking on several streets may be restricted.

        People who live in or travel through the neighborhood are asked to report graffiti or litter to the city's 24-hour customer service hot line at 591-6000.
       

Car fires being
investigated

               The Lincoln Heights Fire Department is investigating a noon Sunday fire at Cincinnati Auto Recyclers in the 600 block of Shepherd Lane.

        Firefighters found six to seven cars burning on the property. No injuries were reported. The cause of the fires is still under investigation, Lt. Charles Thomas said.

        He had no damage estimate Sunday; the business was closed when the fires began.
       

Man sentenced for
having child porn

               A 52-year-old Forest Park man has been sentenced to 15 months in prison for having child pornography on his home computer.

        Terry A. Herzog of the 600 block of Waycross Road sent child pornography to an undercover Florida officer under an America Online screen name that concealed his identity, officials said.

        The FBI was able to track down Mr. Herzog's identity and break the encryption program he used to conceal the pornography on his computer's hard drive, U.S. Attorney Sharon Zealey said.

        U.S. Disrict Court Judge Susan J. Dlott sentenced Mr. Herzog on Friday. Mr. Herzog, currently free on bond, was ordered to report to federal prison Nov. 6.
       

Man pleads guilty
in money theft

               Greggory Petty, 37, of Cincinnati pleaded guilty last weekin U.S. District Court to fraud charges for transporting money out of state.

        Between May 1997 and December 1998, Mr. Petty stole about $470,000 in checks he received from clients while working as an agent for Equitable Life Assurance Society.

        He deposited the money into his personal bank account. The checks were intended for deposits in the clients' Equitable accounts.

        Mr. Petty later used the money to gamble at a casino in Lawrenceburg.

        Mr. Petty, who is no longer employed at Equitable, faces up to 10 years in prison, three years' supervised release, a $250,000 fine and restitution.

        Mr. Petty has been released on his own recognizance pending a sentencing date.
       

Car collides
with police cruiser

               A Bond Hill man was treated at University Hospital after a crash Sunday morning in which his car collided with a Cincinnati police cruiser, Cincinnati police said.

        Mack Strumm, 36, was traveling north at 2010 Reading Road at 3:55 a.m. when he struck the officers' car, which was traveling east at Eden Park Drive into the intersection of Reading Road, police said.

        Mr. Strumm was listed in stable condition at University Hospital, according to police. The District 4 officers - driver Steve Maddox, 22, and passenger Tom Wells, 36 - were not injured.

        The Cincinnati police traffic unit asks any witnesses to the crash to call 352-2514.
       

Drug conspirator
gets 46 months

               The last of five people involved in a conspiracy to sell marijuana in Hamilton County has been sentenced, according to U.S. Attorney Sharon Zealey.

        Terrence Warren, 31, of the 3400 block of Woodburn Avenue in Evanston, received 46 months in prison and a $2,000 fine Thursday.

        Drug Enforcement Administration agents began investigating the conspiracy in August 1999 after a traffic stop on Interstate 71 turned up $114,000 in cash. Glaister Thorpe, who was previously sentenced, was taking the money from Cincinnati to drug suppliers in Pennsylvania and New York, Ms. Zealey said.

        The conspiracy brought more than 1,200 pounds of marijuana into Greater Cincinnati, she said.
       

East Bridge to
Cinergy Field closes

               The East Bridge, which provides vehicle and pedestrian access to Cinergy Field plaza from the Atrium ll building and Sycamore Street in downtown Cincinnati, is closed indefinitely beginning today.

        The closing is necessary so demolition of Cinergy Field can continue.

        Drivers will have access to the stadium plaza off the two-way vehicle access ramp on the Roebling Suspension Bridge. Pedestrians may use a number of new stairways and the Walnut Street pedestrian bridge.
       

Boehner holding
Open Door program

               U.S. Rep. John Boehner, a West Chester Republican, will hold an 8th District Open Door program Thursday for citizens to discuss problems or give opinions about the federal government.

        Open Door times and locations Thursday:

        • 10 a.m. West Chester Township Administration Building in council chambers.

        • 11 a.m. Fairfield Municipal Building in council chambers.

        • 1 p.m. One Renaissance Center in Hamilton.

        • 3 p.m. Oxford Municipal Building in the conference room.

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