YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio — Fire destroyed the Idora Park Ballroom on Monday morning, a city landmark that operated from 1910 to 1984.

        The ballroom, which debuted 16 years after the amusement park opened in 1894, was engulfed by flames by the time firefighters arrived. It took them 2 1/2 hours to get the blaze under control.

        The cause was not known Monday. No injuries were reported.

        Last year city inspectors cited the owner for lax security after reports of open burning inside and outside the ballroom and vagrants living there.

        Idora Park closed in 1984 after a roller coaster fire.
       

County officer guilty
in child-photo case

               A Hamilton County corrections officer pleaded guilty Monday to keeping photos of naked children on his home computer.

        Richard Hogue Jr., 30, will face up to two years in prison when he returns to County Common Pleas Court for sentencing March 23. He pleaded guilty to two felony counts of illegal use of a minor in nudity-oriented material.

        Prosecutors have said the Anderson Township man was arrested after he sent sexually suggestive e-mails to a 13-year-old girl. An adult intercepted one of the e-mails and notified authorities.

        When Mr. Hogue's house was searched, prosecutors say, police found obscene material involving children.

        Mr. Hogue will be sentenced by Common Pleas Judge Steven Martin.
       

Man charged with
smuggling coke in bra

               BURLINGTON, Ky. — A 31-year-old Independence man was arrested Sunday when he tried to smuggle a brassiere filled with cocaine to his wife inthe Boone County Jail. The cocaine was found during a routine search.

        “I think this is the first time we've found anything like this — usually it's marijuana,” Sgt. Joe Richardson, jail shift commander said Monday.

        Ronald Dwyer, 31, of the 1000 block of Alpine Court, came to jail Sunday afternoon to visit his wife, Julie, 25, who was incarcerated for driving with a suspended license, Sgt. Richardson said.

        Mr. Dwyer brought the couple's four children with him.

        When Deputy Sherri Bruce examined the items Mr. Dwyer was bringing to his wife, she noticed some “irregular stitching in a brassiere,” Sgt. Richardson said.

        When the stitching was pulled apart, the deputy found approximately 14 grams of cocaine.

        Mr. Dwyer was arrested and charged with first-degree promoting contraband, possession of a schedule 1 narcotic and unlawful transaction with a minor (because he had the children with him), Sgt. Richardson said. The children were released to a relative, he said.
       

Crews suspend hunt for body in river

               PETERSBURG, Ky. — Authorities have temporarily suspended their search for a body in the Ohio River because of water conditions.

        The search could resume in several days, and authorities still hope to recover the as-yet unidentified body they think was dumped into the river from a Petersburg boat ramp, said Boone County Criminal Investigation Commander Lt. Jack Banks.

        Members of the Boone County Water Rescue Team had been searching the river since Wednesday before halting the search Sunday after the weather deteriorated.

        The search, part of what officials are calling a death investigation, began after police developed information that led them to think a death had occurred. On Thursday, police charged Petersburg resident Richard Lambert, 22, with tampering with physical evidence and abuse of a corpse in connection with the case.
       

Volunteers sought for Prozac study

               CLEVELAND — Families with depressed teen-agers can participate in a national study comparing different ways to use Prozac in treatment.

        The Treatment for Adolescents with Depression Study (TADS) seeks more than 430 volunteers over the next two years.

        University Hospitals of Cleveland is one of 12 sites nationwide (the only one in Ohio) participating.

        While Prozac has been widely prescribed for adults with clinical depression, scientists remain unsure whether the medication can help teens, whose bodies and brains are still developing. The study will look at using Prozac as a stand-alone treatment, in combination with behavioral therapy, receiving a placebo instead of Prozac, and receiving only behavioral therapy.

        The study is coordinated by the Duke Clinical Research Institute. For information, call 216-844-5623.
       

Addiction center sells bricks to raise funds

               The Center for Chemical Addictions Treatment is selling engravable bricks to raise money as part of a renovation of its parking lot and entryway for its facility at 830 Ezzard Charles Drive in the West End.

        The bricks cost $30 and can be engraved with up to three lines, 13 spaces each. For information, call Kit Berger at 381-6672.
       

Woman pleads guilty to intimidation

               CANTON, Ohio — A woman who accused public officials of corruption because they would not prosecute her daughter's ex-boyfriend pleaded guilty Monday to 18 counts of intimidation.

        Sandra Lehman, 45, a former Canton-area resident who now lives in Akron, entered the plea before visiting Stark County Common Pleas Court Judge Richard Markus, who sent sentencing for April 23.

        She could be sentenced to a year in prison for each charge.

        Authorities said Ms. Lehman made many court filings, including criminal complaints against public officials, to pressure them to prosecute a man she says assaulted her daughter.

        Ohio's intimidation and retaliation laws prohibit such acts against public officials.

        Jonathan Rosenbaum, a Lorain County assistant prosecutor who handled the case because it involved many Stark County officials, said Ms. Lehman was using the court filings to get officials to do her bidding.

        Her attorney, Thomas Adgate, argued that it was not illegal to complain about how public officials do their jobs.
       

Company recalls sandwiches

               NORTH CANTON, Ohio — SanCo Foods Inc. has voluntarily recalled more than 2,000 Pic-A-Deli barbecue beef rib sandwiches, cheeseburgers and double cheeseburgers because dried whole eggs were omitted from the ingredient list.

        The company said it had not received any reports of illness involving people allergic or sensitive to eggs. The sandwiches are safe for people without egg allergies, the company said Monday.

        The recalled sandwiches have final sale dates of Feb. 28 through March 14 and are sold in convenience stores and vending machines in Ohio and adjacent areas of western Pennsylvania and northern West Virginia.

        Consumers with questions may call SanCo at 1-800-336-3755.

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