DEERFIELD TWP. — Lightning struck the Hollywood Video on Montgomery Road Sunday, causing an electrical fire that destroyed the building.

        The Deerfield Township Fire Rescue Department received the call at 7:27 p.m. When they arrived, smoke was pouring from light fixtures and fire engulfed the entire roof of the building.

        A damage estimate was unavailable. Deputy Fire Chief Nathan Bromen said lightning knocked out one phase of the three-phase electrical system, affecting all of the fuses.

        He said the assistant manager of Hollywood Video said customers told employees they smelled smoke. That's when the assistant manager saw smoke coming from a light fixture in the ceiling, and went to a back room to investigate. The employee heard a popping noise in the ceiling and the lights went out.

Cincinnati schools plan bond issue in '02

               Cincinnati Public Schools will place a bond issue for new and renovated school facilities on the November 2002 ballot.

        The issue would fund a plan to be released by the district and the state in December that outlines which of CPS's 76 schools need to be replaced and which should be refurbished. The Ohio School Facilities Commission has assessed the district's schools and said that it would be more economical to be replace rather than renovate 61 buildings. Some of those also could be closed or consolidated.

        CPS officials have estimated the facilities plan could cost up to $900 million. The state would pay 23 percent of the project if the district and state agree on which schools should be replaced and which should be renovated.

        Taxpayers would be asked to pass a bond issue, which could be placed on the ballot in segments, to support the remainder of the project costs.
       

Court rejects final death sentence appeal

               COLUMBUS — One of the most notorious inmates on Ohio's death row could be executed within four months.

        The U.S. Supreme Court denied Alton Coleman's final appeal of a death sentence he received for a 1984 multistate crime spree that included the deaths of Norwood resident Marlene Walters and Tonnie Storey of Over-the-Rhine.

        The Ohio Supreme Court will await official word from the U.S. Supreme Court before assigning an execution date. The state typically allows 90 days before an execution takes place.

        Mr. Coleman and Deborah Denise Brown went on a seven-week crime spree that began in May 1984 with the abduction and murder of a 9-year-old Wisconsin girl and ended eight murders later when they were arrested in Illinois. The couple also committed seven rapes, three kidnappings and 14 armed robberies.

        Mr. Coleman received two death penalties in Ohio, one in Illinois and another in Indiana.
       

Alliance switches cancer test method

               Alliance Laboratory Services, the medical lab run by the Health Alliance of Greater Cincinnati, has converted all its Pap testing to a new method called ThinPrep.

        Pap tests are performed to check women for signs of cervical cancer, which kills about 5,000 women a year nationwide.

        The ThinPrep method, introduced several years ago as an alternative to traditional Pap smears, is similar but has gradually proven to be more accurate. Nationwide, an estimated 46 percent of Pap tests are done using the ThinPrep method.

        The Alliance lab serves 25 hospitals, 1,200 physicians and 115 nursing homes. The lab analyzes about 250,000 Pap tests a year.

Ohio drops penalty for tax delinquents

               COLUMBUS — The state began allowing delinquent taxpayers to come forward without fear of penalty.

        Ohio will spend $389,000 to advertise the tax amnesty, which targets both businesses and individuals, in the hopes of raising at least $17 million in extra state revenue this year and next.

        Only delinquent taxpayers who haven't been identified by the state are eligible. The program only covers taxes owed on or before May 1.

        Those who take advantage of the program will owe their unpaid taxes and half the interest they normally would be charged. Those who don't take advantage and are later caught will pay all the taxes, the interest and a penalty of up to 50 percent of the money owed.

        Lawmakers approved the tax amnesty in the spring as a way to raise extra money for the state's $45 billion two-year budget.

        The state believes the majority of money will come from businesses that owe unpaid sales tax.

        Once the amnesty expires Jan. 15, the department will step up its efforts to find delinquent taxpayers. The state recently increased the number of tax auditors from 125 to 162.
       

Terrorism forum at Raymond Walters

               BLUE ASH — A local panel of experts will discuss issues on terrorism today at Raymond Walters College.

        “Community Conversation: Terrorism in America” is free and open to the public from 7-9 p.m..

        Panel members include Inayat K. Malik, a physician and chairman of the Cincinnati Islamic Educational Council; Gene Ferrara, a security and terrorism expert; Howard Tolley, attorney and human-rights activist; and Barbara A. Bardes, a political scientist at the college.

        The first hour will consist of a discussion on terrorism, security, civil liberties and other issues.

        The second hour will involve the audience.

        Raymond Walters is at 9555 Plainfield Road in Blue Ash.
       

"Meet the Candidates' night in Loveland

               LOVELAND — The Loveland Area Chamber of Commerce is sponsoring “Meet the Candidates” Monday at Loveland High School.

        The public forum will run from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. in the school's cafeteria.

        Candidates for Loveland City Council and the Loveland School Board will outline their campaign and platform, which will be followed by a question-and-answer period.

Bioterror a threat at the doorstep
Anthrax scare wasn't funny to employer
Scare at Sharonville mail center
Scares scramble emergency squads
Muslims fight fear, anger with understanding
Airport security fix up in air
Airport tries to cope with parking problems
City fire chief seeking money for preparedness
Tall Stacks back in October 2003
Morgue trial jurors deliberate second day
Project aims to remove lead paint
Some schools would lose in budget plan
Commission considers loan fund
Fuller, Luken meet in only radio debate
Norwood's Foust to carry Olympic torch
Obituary: George Helwig was archery expert
State tax increases possible
Tenn. judge nominated for city-based 6th Circuit Court
Annexation attempt may hit a roadblock
Congrats
Good News: Workers give $129K for relief
Indictment in drug case
Local Digest
Traficant cites privilege in seeking evidence suppression
Victims' compensation overhauled
Foal deaths may cost horse industry $336M
Kentucky Digest
New jail may oust agencies
Politics blamed for fund loss
Kentucky quarter draws interest
Rifle barrage hits cruiser