Kings Island admits rescue workers free

        Paramount's Kings Island is offering free admission to all emergency services personnel and their families for its final three weekends of operation. This includes regional firefighters, law enforcement officers, paramedics, emergency medical technicians and other employees of these organizations.

        “This is just one small token of our appreciation for putting their lives on the line every day and for their commitment to serving the public,” said Tim Fisher, general manager and executive vice president of PKI.

        Emergency workers can present their badge or ID at the park's entrance for up to four complimentary tickets. The park is open for regular operation 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Sunday through Oct. 28 plus 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Nov. 3-4. For additional information, call the park at 754-5700.
       

Charges dropped in Waynesville sex case

        LEBANON — Prosecutors decided to drop charges Friday against a Waynesville mother accused of having sex with eight adolescent boys after a psychiatrist testified that she would not be competent to stand trial within a year.

        Hannah Furnas, 24, is in Summit Behavioral Healthcare in Cincinnati.

        Her case will be transferred next week to Warren County Probate Court, where a judge will monitor her progress and decide when she can be released from residential treatment, Assistant Warren County Prosecutor Keith Anderson said.

        Ms. Furnas' attorney, Jason Showen, has said his client, who has two children, hears voices and suffers other mental problems.

        Ms. Furnas pleaded guilty in April to six felony charges of unlawful sexual conduct with a minor, and a number of other offenses, including gross sexual imposition and disseminating matter harmful to a juvenile.

        She was arrested in April after Waynesville police caught her in a cemetery next to her home having sex with two 13-year-old boys.

        Judge P. Daniel Fedders, of Warren County Common Pleas Court, later ruled that Ms. Furnas was incompetent and set aside her conviction.
       

Police seek rapist in Evanston attack

        A woman raped early Friday near Walnut Hills High School may have been threatened with a fork.

        The 37-year-old told police she saw a flash of silver when a man grabbed her around the neck after she got off a bus on Blair Avenue in Evanston a little after 1 a.m. He forced her to the tennis courts near the school, where he raped her.

        Investigators later found a fork and a white bag similar to one she said the man carried. A police dog tried to track the man down, but didn't find him.

        The woman suffered bruises around her neck and face. She was taken to University Hospital.

        Police are calling the incident a rape, kidnapping and robbery, the latter because the man took the woman's leather jacket and two rings. He was described as black, in his late 30s or early 40s and skinny, wearing a gray hat and dark blue jacket. She also said he had bad teeth.

        Investigators ask anyone with information to call Crime Stoppers at 352-3040.
       

Volunteers to plant trees at interchange

        FOREST PARK — Scores of volunteers will converge on the Winton Road and Interstate 275 interchange this morning to plant a “miniature forest.”

        The Legacy of Trees project will put more than 100 trees and 20,000 daffodil bulbs on 4 acres of grass-covered land, according to Forest Park officials.

        The Ohio Department of Transportation provided the trees and bulbs.

        “This is a great project that will result in an amazing beautification of the area within four hours,” City Manager Ray Hodges said.
       

Award takes notice of streetscape work

        HARRISON — Residents here may notice a new lawn ornament in the 200 block of Harrison Avenue, near the city fire station. The wooden plaque — recognizing the city's efforts for its $1.3 million Harrison Avenue Streetscape Project — is a beautification award from the Western Hamilton County Economic Council.

        The improvements — wider streets, decorative pavers, underground utilities and decorative landscaping — encompassed seven city blocks, with emphasis on the first three blocks of the downtown business district.
       

TMC honors Keating, Thelen

        William J. Keating and Gerald A. Thelen are winners of the sixth annual William A. Hughes Award, given by Thomas More College to honor men and women who make significant contributions to Catholic higher education.

        Mr. Keating, a lawyer and former publisher of the Enquirer, was also a member of Congress, Cincinnati city councilman and Hamilton County judge.

        Mr. Thelen, an active Thomas More alumnus and president of the G.W. Thelen Co., a manufacturers representative, also has been a leader in Serra International and fund-raising for Covington Catholic High School.

        The award is named for the retired bishop of Covington.
       

Memorial service to mark 40 days after

        Holy Trinity-St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church will hold a memorial service Sunday, 40 days after the Sept. 11 attacks.

        The service will offer prayers of protection for our country and troops and in remembrance of those who lost their lives.

        The number 40 is symbolic to Orthodox Christians, and it is customary for the church to hold memorials 40 days after the death of a loved one. Service begins at 7 p.m. at 7000 Winton Road, Finneytown.
       

Grandparents get child-raising support

        Grandparents who feel stressed while raising grandchildren can seek advice from a new support group beginning Tuesday .

        The Kinship Care Support Group, formed by the Memorial Community Center in Mt. Auburn, will meet Tuesdays noon-1:30 p.m. and 5:30-7:30 p.m. at Memorial's Family Resource Center, 1607 Mansfield St. near Liberty Street.

        The group was formed because many grandparents need help with their rights as guardians, schools, family stresses, child-rearing and finances, said Theresa Towns, Memorial's family service manager.

        For information, call 621-3032.

Man held over call threatening president

        DAYTON, Ohio — A man threatened the life of President Bush in a phone message that also said he planned to send anthrax to the home he had called, federal authorities said.

        John Anthony Cole, 19, of suburban West Carrollton, appeared Friday before U.S. Magistrate Michael Merz on a charge of threatening the president.

        An affidavit filed by Timothy Gray of the U.S. Secret Service said Mr. Cole told agents he made a series of random calls after drinking beer and smoking marijuana.

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