A Hamilton County judge Tuesday ordered an Evanston woman accused of killing her two children to undergo psychiatric evaluation.

        Bridget Stovall, 23, was arraigned before Judge Fred J. Cartolano and pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity.

Stovall

        Judge Cartolano set her bond at $1 million cash. She had previously been held in lieu of a $1 million bond that would have allowed her to post 10 percent.

        Ms. Stovall has been charged with two counts of aggravated murder and could receive the death penalty if convicted.

        She was ordered to undergo a psychiatric evaluation to determine if she is competent to stand trial.

        She is scheduled to reappear before Judge Cartolano May 4 to review the evaluation's findings.

        On April 7, police were called to the Stovall apartment at 3100 Woodburn Ave., shortly after noon following a neighbor's report that a woman was screaming. Officers broke down the door and found Ms. Stovall in the bathroom with the two children, 4-year-old Cariyan Stovall and 20-month-old Iyan Stovall.

        The children had been drowned in the bathtub, according to coroner's reports.
       

Mount students honor psychology professor

        Jim Bodle, an assistant professor of psychology at the College of Mount St. Joseph since 1996, was chosen by students as the 2001 recipient of the Sister Adele Clifford Excellence in Teaching Award.

CLEARING THE WAY: The old look is gone and the new one is coming. The northwest corner of Sixth and Walnut streets downtown is being cleared for the new Contemporary Arts Center. Demolition is over half done. (Glenn Hartong photo) | ZOOM |

        Students said Dr. Bodle, of Northside, engages them with the subject as well as humor. His research includes aging and memory.

        Dr. Bodle was a graduate assistant at Miami University where he earned his doctorate before coming to Mount St. Joseph.
       

Charter school gets $107,000 grant

        The Dohn Community High School — a state charter school scheduled to open this fall — has received a $107,000 grant from the KnowledgeWorks Foundation.

        The award is contingent upon the Dohn School finding a facility to house its program.

        The Dohn Community High School, which has a five-year contract with the Ohio Department of Education, would support abstinence from drugs and alcohol and promote recovery from substance abuse. Cincinnati Public Schools expels about 175 students a year for drug and alcohol abuse. The Dohn School would serve that population.

        Dohn School Superintendent Kate Bower is trying to lease the McMillan Center building now owned by Cincinnati Public Schools.

        The KnowledgeWorks grant would be used to cover expenses for school-to-career programs at the school. That program would assist students in planning for their future after graduation.
       

Man charged in fatal shooting

        LAUREL, Ind. — A Laurel man is facing a felony involuntary-manslaughter charge in connection with a Monday shooting in this Franklin County town.

        Dennis C. Thompson, 43, was charged Tuesday in the death of Rocky J. Mason, 25, of Laurel, about 30 miles west of Oxford.

        Mr. Thompson is being held in the Franklin County Security Center in lieu of a $50,000 cash/surety bond or $100,000 property bond.

        Police were called to 25146 Sanes Creek Road shortly after 11:30 p.m. Monday and found Mr. Mason with a fatal gunshot wound.

        Police would not release details about the shooting.
       

Heavy metal replaced with Christian music

CHILDREN ESCAPE FIRE: Two Cincinnati firefighters work inside the top floor Tuesday of a three-story house at 3315 Perkins Ave., Avondale. District Chief Paul Weber helped a man from a third-floor fire escape, and nine children were escorted from a day-care center in the house. Cause of the two-alarm fire, reported at 2:50 p.m., was an unattended candle in a third-floor bedroom. No injuries were reported. Damage was estimated at $80,000. (Glenn Hartong photo) | ZOOM |

        VAN WERT, Ohio — Heavy metal music is out and Christian music is in this year at the Van Wert County fair.

        The county fair board, which caught flack last year for bringing in the band Motley Crue, has signed contemporary Christian music artist Carman as this year's featured fair performer.

        Church groups were upset last year when the fair brought in Motley Crue, saying the band's lyrics promoted illicit sex and drugs.
       

Poll finds majority favor multistate lottery

        COLUMBUS — An Ohio Poll released Tuesday found that 53 percent of state residents favor joining a multistate lottery such as Powerball or the Big Game.

        The poll found that 39 percent oppose joining a multistate game and eight percent don't know.

        The poll, conducted by the University of Cincinnati's Institute for Policy Research,

        involved a random telephone survey of 804 Ohio adults between March 26-April 5. The poll had a margin-of-sampling error of plus or minus 3.5 percentage points.
       

Teen pleads not guilty in newborn's death

        WAVERLY, Ohio — A teen-ager accused of putting her newborn daughter in a sealed trash bag and depositing her in a trash bin pleaded not guilty to delinquency counts of aggravated murder, involuntary manslaughter and child endangering.

        Christina McCoy, 16, of rural Pike County was released Monday on $20,000 bond.

        Juvenile Court Judge Gordon Bevens ordered her to undergo physical and psychological tests before he schedules a hearing to determine whether she should be tried as an adult.

        Sheriff's deputies were called to the trash bin last Wednesday by an ambulance crew. The baby, which appeared to be a few hours old, was declared dead at Pike Community Hospital.
       

Highway planned from Defiance to Ind. line

        DEFIANCE, Ohio — The state plans to build a new highway in northwest Ohio to alleviate heavy truck traffic on a major route between Toledo and Fort Wayne, Ind.

        The 36-mile stretch would replace U.S. 24 between Defiance and the Indiana line. It primarily would run south of the existing U.S. 24.

        The earliest construction would be is 2006, state officials said Monday.
       

Cleveland leader
has prostate cancer

        CLEVELAND — George Forbes, president of the local chapter of the NAACP and former City Council president, has been treated for prostate cancer.

        Doctors said the prognosis is excellent for the 70-year-old Forbes, who said he decided to discuss his health problem publicly to encourage awareness of prostate cancer.

        Mr. Forbes learned he had cancer last year.

Institute examines Over-the-Rhine

        The Union Institute will present the two-part program, “Historical & Contemporary Perspectives on Urban Development,” 10 a.m. to noon Saturday and April 28.

        This series will examine how the Over-the-Rhine area of Cincinnati reflects historical and contemporary issues.

        City councilman Jim Tarbell will lead the series and discuss how investing in Over-the-Rhine can enhance the quality of life for the entire city.

        The program is free and open to the public and will be held at the Union Institute, 440 E. McMillan St., Walnut Hills.

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