A Dec. 17 expulsion hearing has been set for a Walnut Hills seventh-grader who brought a butter knife to school, said Janet Walsh, spokeswoman for Cincinnati Public Schools.

        She could not say when the girl brought the knife to school or how the blade was discovered.

        The suspension, though, happened because the girl violated the district's conduct code, which prohibits the use, handling or possession of any item deemed a weapon, said Ms. Walsh.
       

Local post offices extend weekend hours

               For the holiday season, some local post offices will extend their Saturday hours and offer special Sunday hours.

        The hours, which will last through Dec. 23, are as follows:

        • 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturdays and 1-4 p.m. on Sundays for Sharonville and Anderson, Don Marrs, Sycamore and Symmes townships.
       

MADD holds annual vigil in Fairfield

               Mothers Against Drunk Driving's annual candlelight vigil will begin at 2 p.m. today at St. Mark's United Methodist Church, 4601 Fairfield Ave., Fairfield.

        In 2000, 16,653 people were killed in alcohol-related crashes, which represented 40 percent of total traffic deaths, according to MADD statistics.

NAACP holds summit on Cincinnati schools

               Citizens can express their opinions about Cincinnati Public Schools at a Dec. 13 “Education Summit” sponsored by The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).

        The summit will be 7-8 p.m. at the Bond Hill Recreation Center, 1501 Elizabeth Place.

        The following issues will be addressed:

        • Academic achievement.

        • Disciplinary removal.

        • Dropout rate.

        • Sensitive, caring school administrators.

        • Competent, caring teachers.

        • Pay incentives.

        • Counselors for high school students.

        • Clean, safe schools.

        • Programs for special education students.

        • Programs for gifted and talented students.

        For information, call NAACP education chairwoman Edith Thrower at 281-1900.
       

Club collecting toys for charity

               SYMMES TOWNSHIP — The Five Seasons Country Club is sponsoring a toy collection for the Kicks for Kids charity, which was founded by former Bengals kicker Doug Pelfrey in 1995 and serves disadvantaged children.

        Those interested should wrap a new gift, identify what gender and age group it's for and drop it off in the country club's foyer, 11790 Snider Road.

        The country club's hours are 5:30 a.m. to 10 p.m., Mondays through Fridays, and 7 a.m. to 9 p.m., Saturdays and Sundays.

        Information: 469-1400.

Gov. Taft vetoes first entire bill

               COLUMBUS — Gov. Bob Taft has vetoed a complete bill for the first time in his three years in office.

        The legislation would have established an interstate compact with Kentucky to prepare for the summer Olympic Games in 2012, had Cincinnati been chosen as the host city.

        “It's kind of moot,” Taft spokesman Joe Andrews said Friday in explaining the veto. “Cincinnati did not get the nod for the Olympics.”

        Mr. Taft has made several other vetoes, but all were line-item vetoes of appropriations bills.

        The bill, written by Sen. Louis Blessing Jr., R-Cincinnati, would have created an Ohio-Kentucky Olympic Coordination Authority to oversee a local coordinating committee if Cincinnati were the host city for the Games.

        The bill also required the authority to provide a guarantee of as much as $400 million as insurance against a net loss by the Games. In addition, the state would have been required to divert some tax revenue generated by the increased economic activity to the Games.

        One day after the bill was sent to Mr. Taft's office on Oct. 25, the list of potential U.S. host cities for the 2008 Olympics was narrowed to four, and Cincinnati was not on the short list. The U.S. finalists are Houston, New York, San Francisco and Washington.

Feds push for gentler use of police dogs
Runway debate has familiar sound for airport neighbors
Diversions account for most complaints
Renovated Basilica reopens
UC profs may walk Jan. 3
UC fixes, disputes fire code violations
Wehrung trial was attorney's first criminal case
BRONSON: Downtown: It's a riot
COOKLIS: A different world since 9/11
PULFER: Class reunion better virtual than real
Ringer trial postponed
Waagner treated self well during months on run
Good News: UC group brings warmth to OTR
Hundreds light the night in OTR's Washington Park
Jews in new home celebrate
Local Digest
Obituary: Dorothy Pompilio, restaurant owner
Obituary: Michael Burke, CEO, was leader
Tristate's Olympic torchbearers
Bird count helps parks monitor populations
Charity official plans new center for family care
Christmas tree ribbons raise money for flags
Cincy water coming to Mason
Miami tuition hike unlikely
Oxford police target meter-feeders
Rare coin auction nets school $1M
Casinos back before assembly
CROWLEY: Jail tax will haunt GOP
Garage meant to spur growth
UK basketball attendance falls again