LOCAL NEWS FOR SATURDAY, AUGUST 11, 2001 Race for mayor is off to a quiet start         One month before the Sept. 11 primary election, the first direct race for Cincinnati's mayor in 76 years is a quiet, grass-roots contest. Stem cells give blind woman hope         Marsha Lindsey, a legally blind Texas woman, has simple dreams of once again being able to see. Stem-cell research may make her dreams come true. • Chabot: Stem-cell plan rides slippery slope Bowling shoes walking away from alleys         They're smelly, old and ugly, but lately bowling shoes are a hot item among teen-agers and top designers. SUNDAY SPOTLIGHT The evolving N-word         The word "nigga" is an odious slur to some, friendly slang to others, dividing and confusing blacks and whites. • Slurs often adopted by those they insult