Two banks were robbed Tuesday in Greater Cincinnati.

        Two armed men robbed a Fifth Third Bank in Kenwood, escaping with an undisclosed amount of cash.

        Hamilton County sheriff's officials said the men entered the bank at 7708 Montgomery Road about 12:55 p.m. brandishing handguns and ordering employees and customers not to move. No one was hurt.

        They fled in a vehicle southbound on Montgomery Road, where they drove into a small subdivision. Witnesses said they switched cars and drove off back in the direction of Montgomery Road.

HOT TUB GETS HOT Delhi Township firefighters check for fire damage to the house at 372 Klemme Ave. after a hot tub on the front deck caught fire Tuesday morning. The fire spread to the deck and part of the front of the home and roof. There were no injuries. Damage was estimated at between $10,000 and $20,000. (Glenn Hartong photo) | ZOOM |

        Police recovered the first car as evidence and found it had been reported stolen earlier in the day.

        In the other incident, a woman brandishing a small-caliber handgun robbed the Provident Bank in Oakley.

        The woman entered the bank at 3880 Paxton Avenue at 2:18 p.m. and handed a teller a note demanding money, police said. The woman fled with an undisclosed amount of cash. She was last seen walking east in the bank parking lot.

NAACP to hold membership meeting

        The Cincinnati branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People will hold a general membership meeting Thursdayat 6 p.m.

        The meeting will be at Zion Baptist Church on Glenwood Avenue in Avondale. This will be an opportunity for all members to meet the new branch president, Norma Holt Davis, and offer suggestions for the organization. Information: 281-1900.
       

Archbishop to ordain two men as priests

        The Most Rev. Daniel E. Pilarczyk, archbishop of Cincinnati, will ordain two priests at 11 a.m. Saturday at the Cathedral of St. Peter in Chains, Eighth and Plum streets, downtown.

        Bryan T. Rief, 29, graduated from St. Xavier High School in Cincinnati and served his pastoral internship in 1998-99 at St. Albert the Great Parish in Kettering, Ohio.

        Christopher J. Worland, 37, grew up in Kettering and worked for nine years as a civilian instrumentation engineer for the Air Force before entering seminary. Both men earned master of divinity degrees from the Athenaeum of Ohio/Mount St. Mary's Seminary in Cincinnati.
       

Mother sentenced in son's death

        TROY, Ohio — A woman convicted of child endangering for leaving her 4-year-old son in the care of the man later convicted of killing him has been sentenced to two years in prison.

        Prosecutors said Susan England, 29, of Piqua, knew that her boyfriend, Elijah Massie, was a threat to her son, John James “J.J.” Sandison, but allowed Mr. Massie to watch him while she was at work.

        The boy died Sept. 1, 1999, when fire engulfed the house where he lived with his mother and Mr. Massie. Mr. Massie admitted to smothering the child into unconsciousness and, thinking he was dead, setting a fire to cover the abuse.

        He pleaded no contest to murder and arson and is serving 15 years to life in prison.
       

Man sentenced in two shooting deaths

        CLEVELAND — A man was sentenced to 63 years in prison for fatally shooting two men as they left a nightclub in the city's Flats entertainment district.

        Kenneth Hughes, 22, avoided a possible death penalty sentence by pleading guilty Monday during the start of his trial.

        Mr. Hughes killed Rayshawn Lindsey, 24, and Horace Roberson, 22, on Nov. 3 when he fired into a crowd after he fought with Mr. Roberson's friend, Marquese Bryant. Prosecutors said Mr. Hughes pointed the gun at Mr. Bryant's chest and pulled the trigger but the gun did not go off. He then fired into the crowd.
       

Meth explodes, injuring woman

        VINCENNES, Ind. — A batch of methamphetamine exploded inside a rented storage unit, leaving a woman with second- and third-degree burns over much of her body.

        Susan Rall, 36, was listed in critical condition at Wishard Memorial Hospital in Indianapolis on Tuesday.

        Ms. Rall apparently was inside the rented unit when the explosion occurred about 2:40 p.m. Monday, authorities said.

        Secondary explosions from the resulting fire slowed firefighters attempting to extinguish the blaze. Ammunition in a nearby storage unit also exploded in the flames, Assistant Fire Chief Kelly Updike said.

        The 15-unit storage building was destroyed.
       

Couple charged with cruelty to dogs

        FRANKLIN, Ind. — A couple faces animal neglect charges for allowing a man to cut off the ears of two of their dogs using a standard pair of scissors and no anesthetic.

        William and Shawn Stratton said an Indianapolis man contacted them and offered to trim the ears of their 9-week-old pit bull puppies, a common cosmetic procedure.

        Fabian Elisea showed up at the Strattons' home last Tuesday with a bag of instruments and what he claimed to be a veterinary license. He offered a price of $75 for both dogs, a discount from his standard rate of $50 per dog, William Stratton said.

        Mr. Stratton said he left the home briefly because he did not want to watch the procedure. Neighbors and his wife told him that Mr. Elisea taped the dogs' legs together and taped their mouths shut, then used scissors to cut their ears.

        Neighbors reported the dogs' condition to Johnson County Animal Warden Julie Hively, who said the dogs were found covered in blood.
       

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