SPRINGFIELD TOWNSHIP — Police are investigating the shooting Sunday of a 20-year-old man at his Meridith Drive apartment.

        Palmo Simmons, of the 1500 block of Meridith Drive, suffered a gunshot wound to the face, Springfield Township police said. He was in serious condition at University Hospital late Sunday.

        Officers responded to the Meridith Drive address for a report of a shooting about 1:50 p.m. and found the victim, police said. The incident remains under investigation and anyone with information is asked to call Springfield Township Police at 729-1300.
       

Woman dead after
car hits wall, rolls

               WILDER — A 39-year-old Cold Spring woman was killed Saturday when the car she was driving skidded into a retaining wall along state Route 9.

        At about 4 p.m. Saturday, witnesses reported seeing a red Dodge Shadow traveling fast northbound on state Route 9 in Wilder. The vehicle crossed the centerline, locked its brakes and then skidded into a wall. It rolled several times, police said, and the driver was ejected.

        The driver, Michele Brown, was unconscious when emergency personnel arrived at the scene. She was taken via AirCare helicopter to University Hospital and was later pronounced dead.

        The accident is under investigation. Police said the driver was not wearing a seat belt.
       

Driver dead, 1 hurt
after car hits pole

               WHITEWATER TOWNSHIP — A 49-year-old Greenville man was killed late Saturday when his car went off U.S. 50 and flipped.

        Ronnie J. Hilderbrand, of the 6000 block of Sebring-Warner, was the driver of a 1994 Mustang, headed eastbound on U.S. 50 west of Kilby Road. Shortly before 11 p.m., the vehicle hit a utility pole and flipped onto its roof.

        Mr. Hilderbrand was pronounced dead at the scene.

        A passenger, Barbara Hilderbrand, 34, of the same address, was injured and in fair condition at University Hospital.

        The accident remains under investigation.
       

Police look for link
of rape victims, man

               PITTSBURGH — The FBI is investigating whether a truck driver accused of raping a Pittsburgh woman is tied to a series of murders in the Midwest and Texas.

        Law enforcement agencies in the Midwest are working with the FBI to determine if Randall Bishop, 33, of Paoli, Ind., is connected to six shooting deaths along interstates 70 and 35, police in Indiana and Missouri said.

        Mr. Bishop is in the Allegheny County Jail on a $100,000 bond after he was charged with raping a woman in a Pittsburgh restaurant bathroom.

        FBI Special Agent Bill Crowley, a spokesman for the FBI's office in Pittsburgh, said the agency is working with law enforcement groups in the Midwest, but declined to say if there is any evidence linking Mr. Bishop to any murders.
       .
       

Judge says defendant
can represent himself

               UNION, Ohio — A judge has cleared the way for a man to plead guilty to killing his parents, even though he could face execution.

        Montgomery County Common Pleas Judge David G. Sunderland on Friday allowed Scott Mink to represent himself in court, after repeatedly cautioning him against the move.

        The judge ordered attorneys Dennis J. Adkins and Charles A. Smiley Jr. to remain as advisers in the case.

        Mr. Mink, 37, is charged with aggravated murder. His parents, William and Sheila Mink, were found dead Sept. 21 at their home in Union, 10 miles from Dayton.

        Mr. Mink earlier told the judge he wanted to change his plea to guilty and be sentenced to death.

        Judge Sunderland decided to allow Mink to represent himself after two psychologists found Mink competent to make the decision.

        Mr. Adkins said he advised Mr. Mink against pleading guilty. He said the two lawyers asked to withdraw because Mr. Mink apparently doesn't plan to offer any defense.

        Even if Mr. Mink pleads guilty, the state will present witnesses and evidence to prove that the crime warrants the death penalty, said assistant Montgomery County Prosecutor David Franceschelli.
       

Officials: Well water
might be tainted

               AKRON, Ohio — Stark County health officials who helped a community through a meningitis outbreak are now dealing with another crisis — possibly contaminated well water.

        “It just all collapsed at once,” said Ed Cox, coordinator of the Stark County Emergency Preparedness Center. “I've been here 16 years, and that has never happened before.”

        A meningitis outbreak in the Alliance area killed two teen-agers, left a third critically ill and forced thousands of students and staff at six high schools to get precautionary vaccines.

        Last week, thousands of residents in Plain and Lake townships, and the city of North Canton were warned not to drink their well water because it may contain contaminants. Environmental tests are being conducted.

        Officials said the crises were similar in their swiftness and the uncertainty they caused.

        “With both, people feared for the safety of their kids and they wanted information as quickly as possible,” said William Franks, Stark County health commissioner. “We've also had to rely on outside help for both.”

        The meningitis outbreak provided lessons that have made the water crisis more bearable, Franks said.

        One example he cited was the use of information hot lines during both crises, so people can have specific concerns addressed.

        Mr. Cox said Stark County also learned it helps to work with other offices during major situations.

Academy's Art Camp
runs June 25-Aug. 10

               Camp Art Academy 2001, an art camp for kids ages 5-12, runs for six weeks from June 25 through Aug. 10 at the Art Academy of Cincinnati, 1125 St. Gregory St.

        The classes, taught by professional artists and art educators, are on weekdays and feature a different theme every week. They are: ABCs of art; art looks at life; medieval art; art stories; arts of India; and art that swings.

        Kids can take lessons in the morning, afternoon or all day and discounts are available. For more information call Bobbi Vallery at (513) 562-8748.
       

Brothers Grimm tales
to be studied at MU

               Fifteen teachers from Alaska to Florida will gather at Miami University this summer to read and discuss 250 stories collected by the Brothers Grimm.

        A folklore seminar, “History, Uses and Reverberations of the Tales Collected by the Brothers Grimm,” will beJune 25-July 19 with Michael Bachem, professor of German at Miami, taking part.

        The seminar will feature a large exhibit at Miami's King Library of facsimiles of paintings and prints related to the Grimm tales, on loan from the Brothers Grimm Museum in Kassel, Germany.

        The event, sponsored by the National Endowment for the Humanities, is one of 30 summer seminars and institutes nationwide funded by NEH this year.

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