A 73-year-old woman was found dead in her Price Hill apartment Sunday afternoon after firefighters responded to calls about a smell of smoke.

        District Fire Chief John Zompero said the woman, whose name was being withheld until her relatives could be notified, probably died of smoke inhalation.

        Firefighters responding to the first-floor apartment at 800 Elberon Avenue just after 5 p.m. had to force entry into the residence, Chief Zompero said. The victim was found on the floor in doorway of the bedroom. There had been a small fire and the victim suffered some burns, probably while trying to extinguish the blaze.

        The fire was out when firefighters arrived, he said.

        The cause of the fire is listed as undetermined, Chief Zompero said.
       

New sidewalk topic of Jan. 17 public hearing

               ANDERSON TOWNSHIP — The township's board of trustees will have a public hearing on sidewalk construction along Eight Mile Road. The hearing is at 7:15 p.m. Jan. 17, at the Administration Building, 7954 Beechmont Ave.

        The township is proposing building the sidewalk on Eight Mile Road south from Clough Pike to Holiday Hills Drive on the west side of Eight Mile, then continuing the sidewalk on the east side south to Northport Drive.

        The sidewalk will be constructed and maintained by the township.

        “The whole Eight Mile corridor is one of our highest priorities (for constructing sidewalks),” said Dave Zaidain, director of the Department of Development Services.

        He said the density of the population along Eight Mile Road and the road's connection with the Beechmont Avenue business district make it a high priority.
       

First-time parents get reading packet

               BATAVIA — Born To Read, a library service for new parents in the county, is being offered by the Clermont County Public Library with funding provided by the First Clermont Bank.

        Born To Read is a packet that includes a rhyme book, growth chart, newborn and toddler activity book, and literature about reading and the public library. It also includes information about the bank.

        Born To Read will be distributed to first-time parents who are served by home-visiting nurses with the Clermont County General Health District.
       

Mosque suffers hit from vandals Sunday

               COLUMBUS — Members of the Islamic Center of Columbus said they discovered holes drilled in floors, water pipes pulled from walls and water-saturated floors and ceilings when they arrived Sunday morning.

        No damage estimate was available, though Mohammed Shareef, president of the Islamic Foundation of Central Ohio, said the three-story building would have to be renovated completely because of the damage.

        Members of the center, which serves as a mosque and has classrooms, discovered the damage when they came for prayer services about 7 a.m., said Siraj Haji, one of the first to arrive at the building.

        Vandals apparently broke into the center through a side door, said Ahmad Al-Akhras, president of the Council on American Islamic Relations in Columbus.

        They then went to a third floor bathroom and pulled the water pipes from the sink and walls, Mr. Al-Akhras said.
       

Officer charged with raping young girls

               PORTSMOUTH, Ohio — A Peebles police officer has been arrested on 11 counts of rape of six girls under age 13, the Scioto County sheriff said.

        Zane Loper, of West Portsmouth, was arrested Thursday and is in the Scioto County Jail in Portsmouth, about 85 miles south of Columbus. Peebles is in neighboring Adams County.

        The indictment against Mr. Loper also lists two counts of complicity to rape, one count of gross sexual imposition and three charges related to child pornography.

        The gross sexual imposition count arose from a 1985 incident. The rest of the counts list dates from 1997 to 2001.
       

Dog wandered from Georgia to Ohio

               DELPHOS, Ohio — A dog that wandered from Georgia to Ohio is back with its owner after a 600-mile journey.

        “She was a little thin and maybe a little worse for the wear, but I have definitely seen worse,” said Richard Heitz, who found the dog.

        Susie, a 3-year-old full-blooded beagle, showed up on Mr. Heitz's porch on Dec. 16. “She ate and slept quite a bit the first two days she was here,” Mr. Heitz said.

        Mr. Heitz found a phone number on the dog's collar and tracked down her owner, William Clark, who said he lost Susie during a deer hunting trip near Atlanta in October.

        Mr. Clark breeds beagles and has 15 dogs. He drove to Ohio and retrieved Susie on Sunday.

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