Reds owner Carl Lindner is scheduled to leave a local hospital this weekend after a bout with colitis, sources confirmed Thursday. Mr. Lindner entered the hospital several weeks ago.

Lindner

        The 82-year-old Mr. Lindner, who also is chairman of Chiquita Brands International Inc. and American Financial Group Inc., has been absent from the office and from Reds games recently.

        No further details were available. Colitis is a disease of the lower colon.
       

Auction to raise cash to fight cement plant

        Sayler Park Village Council, the neighborhood's community council, will hold an auction to raise funds for its legal fight against the proposed Lone Star Industries cement plant along the Ohio River.

        The auction will be Aug. 24 at 5:30 p.m., with a preview at 4:30 p.m., at the Sayler Park Community Memorial Center field on Hillside Avenue.

        The council is looking for volunteers to help with the event, and for donations — especially antiques, collectibles, and local history items — for the auction. Contact Betty Kamuf at 467-1372.
       

Shooting after fight brings murder charge

        An Evanston man was indicted Thursday on charges of murder and felonious assault.

        Antonio Huggins Jr. is accused of killing Emmanuel Battles, 20, of Columbia Township, July 28 after losing a fistfight with him in front of Mr. Battle's residence.

        “The defendant retrieved a gun from a car and shot the victim in the head,” Mr. Allen said.

        If convicted Mr. Huggins could receive 23 years to life in prison.
       

XU gets grant for women science majors

        Four women will be awarded scholarships in computer science, chemistry or physics by Xavier University under a $148,008 grant from the Henry Luce Foundation.

        Money will go to four juniors in the 2002-03 school year. If they do well in class and stick with their majors, the women will be eligible for senior scholarships.

RAIN? WHO CARES? A corps of volunteers bearing squeegees swarms the court during a rain delay Thursday at the Tennis Masters Series Cincinnati at Mason. The delay came during a match between American player Jan-Michael Gambill and Argentine Guillermo Canas. Mr. Gambill won the match. (Brandi Stafford photo) | ZOOM |

        Mr. Luce's wife, Clare, created the grants “to encourage women to enter, study, graduate and teach” in science and engineering.

        XU must also contribute part of the tuition and pay each woman's way to a professional conference during the scholarship period.

        In addition to saying how it would use the money, XU also had to show that it provides a “supportive environment” for its female students and faculty.

        XU won a $25,000 Luce grant in 1997.

Man gets 8 years for sex with girl, 11

        HAMILTON — A man who pleaded guilty to rape in another case has been sentenced for having sexual contact with an 11-year-old girl.

        Judge Michael Sage on Wednesday sentenced Smokey B. Snowden, 27, of Hamilton, to eight years in prison and declared him a sexual predator.

        Authorities say he performed oral sex on the child.
       

32 fake checks net $16,600 in one day

        HAMILTON — In a single day, someone cashed 32 fake checks — drawn against a real bank account — and walked away from Hamilton-area banks with a total of almost $16,600.

        The forgeries are detailed in a report filed Wednesday with city police.

        The checks were drawn against the First National Bank account of Tri-Tech Service Systems Inc., Middletown, police said.

        All of the checks were cashed on July 28 at Hamilton banks, the report says.

        Joann Powell, who is affiliated with Tri-Tech, reported the crime.

        Attempts to reach her for comment were unsuccessful Thursday.

        No one had been arrested as of Thursday, police said.
       

Four more arrested off Most Wanted list

        Four more people came off Cincinnati's Most Wanted list Thursday:

        • Derrick Smith, of South Fairmount, wanted for leaving Talbert House without permission.

        • Randy Billings, wanted on a parole violation, was arrested by District 4 officers Wednesday night on Kinsey Avenue in Mount Auburn.

        • Sean Tyus, of Mount Airy, was wanted on drug charges for possession of marijuana.

        • Daryl Bullucks, of South Fairmount, was wanted on an escape warrant, accused of leaving his program at Talbert House where he was serving the time because of a burglary conviction.

        The arrests bring to 35 the number of people on the list found since it was first published July 25, the first day of the Violent Crimes Task Force. Thirty-four have been arrested, another found dead. The list started with 97 people.
       

Re-Entry Job Fair to help ex-offenders

        A job fair for ex-offenders will be held in Cincinnati on Aug. 23.

        “If we want people to stay out prison, we need to make sure they're working,” State Sen. Mark Mallory, D-Cincinnati, said this week announcing the Community Re-Entry Job Fair.

        The job fair will be from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Department of Job & Family Services at 1916 Central Parkway. It is free and open to all ex-offenders, employers and services agencies. The event will offer numerous benefits to participating companies that hire ex-offenders, including a Work Opportunity Tax Credit and Federal Bonding options.

        The job fair is sponsored by the Regional Employment Consortium.

        Ex-offenders interested in the job fair can attend a job-readiness session Aug. 16, from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. at Cincinnati State Technical College. The session will offer resume and/or interview assistance as well as clothing assistance.

        For more information on the job fair or job-readiness session contact Tianee Strickland at Sen. Mallory's office at 614-466-5980.
       

Ohio quake so mild almost no one noticed

        GREENWICH, Ohio — A summertime earthquake in northern Ohio was so mild it took almost two weeks to confirm.

        The 2.7 magnitude quake was at 6:47 a.m. July 26 in Greenwich, about 50 miles southwest of Cleveland, the Ohio Seismic Network reported this week.

        Resident Susan Leak was the only person to report the earthquake, although others said they felt it and assumed it was rumbling trucks or dynamite.

        Her report came a few days after a suggestion of earthquake activity was reported by Ontario stations of the Geological Survey of Canada, said Michael Hansen of the Ohio Seismic Network.

        Huron County had almost no quakes until 1998. That year, quakes in the same area were magnitude 3.2 and magnitude 2.8. A magnitude 3.0 quake would be felt by few people and would rarely cause damage.
       
       

400 more youths in jobs since mid-July
Pools profit from heat
Teen tells of street shootout
Buyers had ears to ground
Teens lend helping hand
Rally opposes Byrd's death
Rumble strips put on I-75
Seafood fest opens
Some locals back policy; others critical
Tristate A.M. Report
Dog dies; other animals ruin apartment
Get a taste of Fairfield police beat
Social service cuts considered
Court: Slurs did not void union vote
Ohio counties face huge chore to return child-support money
Ohioans can help redraw election boundaries
School van law ensnared in red tape fight
Ailing workers' benefits received
Boone Co. celebrates with flair
Craven property search legal
Florence man indicted following U.S. 42 death
Goofy expired before his term
I-71 all clear for Speedway
Ludlow chief resigns
Police investigating death of woman, 20