Miami lecture series kicks off with Powell

        Retired Gen. Colin L. Powell, former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, is scheduled to speak at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Miami University's Millett Hall.

        His speech, “Challenges of a Changing World” is the first in the Jack R. Anderson Distinguished Lecture Series. Mr. Anderson is a Miami alumnus and president of Calver Corporation. He made a $1 million gift to the business school to fund the lecture series.

OFFICIALS HAVE HOT TIME: Cincinnati firefighter Janos Roper gestures as city Councilman Jim Tarbell, also in fire gear, experiences the heat of a blaze inside the fire division's high-intensity training building in Cumminsville. At Fire College Day on Friday, firefighters set fires and let city council members Jim Tarbell, Alica Reece and Todd Portune, among others, extinguish them. (Glenn Hartong photo) | ZOOM |

        Admission is free and open to the public. The doors open at 6 p.m. and a signer will be interpreting for the hearing impaired.

        Contact Jennifer Bailey, director of external relations, at (513) 529-4221 or e-mail baileyjg@muohio.edu.
       

Teens arrested on arson charges

        HAMILTON — Two teen-agers were charged Friday with arson in connection with a fire that destroyed the Lazy Dog Feed & Drink Drive Thru on Hamilton-Eaton Road in Collinsville.

        The two juveniles, ages 16 and 14, were arrested by Butler County sheriff's deputies.

        The building, which caught fire on Oct. 7, was a total loss, said Brad Kraemer, sheriff's spokesman.
       

Harrington joins Ohio hall of fame

        Governor Bob Taft will induct Sister of Charity of Cincinnati Jean Patrice Harrington and 14 other women into the Ohio Women's Hall of Fame on Oct. 24. Sister Harrington was the first executive director of the Cincinnati Youth Collaborative, chair of the Miami University board of trustees and interim president of Cincinnati State and Technical College.

        The Chamber of Commerce named her a Great Living Cincinnatian in 1996 and the College of Mount St. Joseph named its new student center after her in 1998.

        The governor and his wife, Hope, will hold a reception at 5 p.m. in the Ohio Statehouse atrium and the induction ceremony from 6 to 7 p.m. Both events are open to the public. Tickets are $25 each. Write to the Ohio Women's Hall of Fame, Women's Section, Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, 145 S. Front St., Columbus, OH 43215 or call (614) 466-4496.
       

Environmental awards announced

        The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency has announced the organizations that will share this year's $70,000 award for supplemental environment projects. The funds are available through the state's enforcement settlement with Rumpke Sanitary Landfill. The recipients:

        Crayons to Computers of Hamilton County, for redistribution of reusable materials from business and individuals as materials available to teachers; Washington County Health Depart ment, for assistance in cleanup of four open dump sites; Gallia/Jackson/Meigs/Vinton Solid Waste Management to help in cleaning 40 dumps; Greenacres Foundation of Hamilton County, to expand its Water Quality Project with training workshops for teachers; and the Greater Cincinnati Hazardous Materials Unit to purchase monitoring and safety equipment.
       

Anthem honored for prenatal testing

        Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield has received an award from the National Managed Care Congress for launching a program to expand prenatal HIV testing for pregnant women.

        Testing pregnant women for HIV is important because medical treatments before birth can prevent babies from being infected with the virus that causes AIDS.

        Since launching the program in Kentucky and expanding it last year to Ohio and Indiana, the number of pregnant Anthem members getting HIV tests has doubled in Kentucky and increased 23 percent in Ohio. The company provided no data about testing in Indiana.

Warren officials map disaster plans

        CLEARCREEK TWP. — Officials from fire, police, school, disaster management and other agencies met for more than two hours Friday to talk about Warren County's disaster preparedness.

        The group of about 40 met at the Warren County Career Center and exchanged ideas on how to handle a disaster, such as a school shooting. They talked out a scenario in which several armed men stormed the career center and took hostages in the welding lab, said spokeswoman Peggy Allen.

        “We want to make sure a Warren County disaster plan is in place and will work,” Ms. Allen said.

        Among the ideas:

        • Develop a communications command post including school, fire and police personnel.

        • Organize a way to get information to parents quickly through the media.

        • Collaborate on “first steps” such as whether a school will go into lock-down or if a SWAT team or firefighters could enter the building.

        • Link all disaster management services with law enforcement and school officials to create a cohesive plan that's known to all county agencies.

Family donates $10M to Ohio State

        COLUMBUS — Ohio State University has received a $10 million donation for its new heart and lung research institute.

        The William H. Davis, Dorothy M. Davis and William C. Davis Foundation gave the money to the center, which will be named the Dorothy M. Davis Heart & Lung Research Institute. Mrs. Davis died of an aneurysm in 1996, at age 80.

        OSU President William Kirwan said the money will be spent on research at the $24 million facility, which has 11 laboratories that will be used for transplants, robotics, genetics and cellular and molecular research.

        The Davis family previously donated about $10 million to the university, said Bill Wells, the great-nephew of Dorothy Davis.

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