Sprinkler contains fire at roofing plant

        FRANKLIN — A malfunctioning paper slitter sparked a $45,000 fire at Atlas Roofing Corp. early Wednesday. There were no injuries.

        Firefighters were called to the roofing manufacturing plant on North River Road about 4:15 a.m. and found smoke and fire coming from the plant's roof and vents, said Franklin firefighter Mike Perry.

        “We actually thought we had more fire than what we did,” he said. “The sprinklers definitely held the fire in check.”

HOLIDAY CLOSINGS

Postal service ....... No delivery    Library ....... Closed    Banks ....... Closed*    Trash collection    • Cincinnati: One-day delay after for the rest of the week    • Rumpke: Regular schedule    • CFI: Ohio: one-day delay for the rest of the week    • Kentucky: regular schedule    Metro ....... Holiday schedule    Parking meters ....... No coins required (Cincinnati)    Courts ....... Closed    Government offices    • Federal ....... Closed • City and county ....... Closed    • State ....... Closed    Stock markets ....... Closed            Third Banking Center in concourse B at the Greater Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky Airport will be open 2 p.m. to 9 p.m.

        Units from 10 departments in Butler and Warren counties were called to the plant to provide extra personnel because of the extremely cold temperatures and the size of the building, Mr. Perry said.

        Crews were on the scene about four hours.
       

Bow hunter bags a 39-point buck

        The deer gun season opens in Ohio on Monday, but the state's biggest buck may already have been bagged.

        Mike Beatty, 31, of Xenia, while bow hunting on Nov. 8 killed a monstrous 39-point buck that could surpass the state record.

        Mr. Beatty's deer had antlers that unofficially scored about 291 points. The record is 246 points for a nontypical deer, one with an irregular shaped set of antlers. That was set in 1986 in Clark County.

        “I have seen a lot of big deer before but something always happened where I couldn't get a clear shot,” said Mr. Beatty, who has been hunting in Ohio since 1988. “This time I was very fortunate that this magnificent beast walked under my stand.”

        Mike Tonkovich, a game biologist with the Division of Wildlife, said hunters from across the state are seeing large numbers of deer. He said this year's deer population is up 10 percent to 15 percent from last year when hunters shot 84,107 deer.

        Mr. Tonkovich estimates 145,000 deer will be harvested this year.
       

"Light Up Madeira' ceremony planned

        MADEIRA — The city of Madeira will have a “Light Up Madeira Celebration” at 6:30 p.m. Monday at the Millennium Fountain at Miami Avenue and Dawson Road.

        The central business district and the lights of the fountain area will be lit during a short ceremony.

DeWine suffers shortness of breath

        COLUMBUS — U.S. Sen. Mike DeWine checked himself into a Washington-area hospital Tuesday night after experiencing shortness of breath brought on by an asthmatic condition, spokesman Mike Dawson said Wednesday.

        He said Mr. DeWine underwent X-rays that showed no further problems and planned to leave Fairfax Inove Hospital in Virginia later Wednesday.

        The 53-year-old Republican from Cedarville has known about his condition since he was 25 and treats it with medication taken through inhalers, Mr. Dawson said.
       

Body in home
dead two years

        TOLEDO — An autopsy revealed no signs of foul play in the death of a man found alone in his home. Authorities suspect he may have been dead for up to two years.

        The Lucas County Coroner's Office said Wednesday it found no traumatic injuries to the body of Eugene Bearringer. However, a cause of death couldn't be determined because it had been so long since he died, the coroner's office said.

        Neighbors said it had been at least two years since they had seen Mr. Bearringer. Most figured he had quietly moved out.

        When a new owner went into the house Monday, he discovered Mr. Bearringer's remains just inside the front door. Police said Mr. Bearringer would have been 51 next month.

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