11 kilos of cocaine found in man's car

        A suburban Chicago man allowed local drug agents to search his Thunderbird on Wednesday, and they found 11 kilograms of cocaine hidden inside.

        Boomer, the Regional Enforcement Narcotics Unit's 5-year-old black Labrador trained to sniff for drugs, indicated something was inside the rear quarter panels. Officers removed pieces of the car's interior, which had been welded back into place, and found 11 bricks of white powder. Street value: more than $1.5 million, said Sean Donovan, Hamilton County Sheriff Simon Leis' chief deputy.

        Officers arrested Charles Vickers, 33, of Schaumburg, Ill., and charged him with possession of cocaine. If convicted, he faces 10 to 20 years behind bars.

        The cocaine is the third significant amount in five months intercepted here from Chicago. In September, nine people were arrested after 117 pounds of coke were found. Last month, the regional unit and Chicago officials worked together to arrest two in an investigation involving more than 4 pounds of cocaine.

        Mr. Vickers was not the original reason Cincinnati police and county deputies were at the Holiday Inn Express on Mitchell Avenue. They were investigating a kidnapping they think resulted from a “mishandled drug transaction.”
       

Police focus on downtown safety

        Cincinnati Police Chief Tom Streicher hopes the department's new Neighborhood Services Unit will be at work downtown next month.

        Officers will work to “enhance the perception of safety downtown,” the chief said, on foot, horseback, motorcycles and bicycles. “We want them to be ambassadors for the city.”

        Lt. Col. Rick Janke on Wednesday asked council members to approve a new lieutenant's position for the unit. Council is expected to discuss that today.

        The idea of the unit came, in part, because business operators downtown have seen a downturn since the April riots, Chief Streicher said.
       

Voucher advocate Fox watches court

       Butler County Commissioner Mike Fox brought two pillows and a blanket to U.S. Supreme Court grounds Tuesday evening and successfully camped out all night in a line of people wanting to get a ticket to hear Wednesday's opening arguments in the Ohio school voucher case.

        Mr. Fox has a special interest in the case, which involves a voucher program in Cleveland.

        As an Ohio House member, he was the prime sponsor in 1995 of the state's school voucher bill.

        Opponents argue that Ohio's system is designed to subsidize religious-based schools and is unconstitutional.

        Mr. Fox said he's optimistic the Supreme Court will decide in Ohio's favor.

        “I believe this is going to be a breakthrough case for giving low-income people the ability to have more control over where their children go to school,” Mr. Fox said.
       

Weather spotter training available

       

        Training sessions for people interested in becoming severe-weather spotters for the National Weather Service will take place on Tuesday and again on March 7, in Evendale and Crosby Township.

        Hamilton County Emergency Management Agency is sponsoring the sessions with the National Weather Service and the Weather Amateur Radio Network.

        Tuesday's session will be from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Evendale Recreation Center, 10500 Reading Road.

        The March 7 session will also be from 7 to 9 p.m., at the Crosby Township Senior Center, 8910 Willey Road.

        Call EMA at 851-7080, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. to register.
       

Chabot to visit Northside school

       NORTHSIDE — U.S. Rep. Steve Chabot, R-Cincinnati, will visit St. Boniface School, 4305 Pitts Ave., today to speak about “How a Bill Becomes a Law.”

        Mr. Chabot will visit students in grades 2-8 at 10 a.m. A question-and-answer session will follow the speech.

        St. Boniface is a member of the Catholic Inner-City Schools Education Fund. Mr. Chabot attended Holy Family School in Price Hill and taught briefly at St. Joseph School in the West End.
       

Young Dems to hear museum director

        Spencer Crew, executive director of the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, will speak to the Hamilton County Young Democrats tonight.

        The meeting begins at 5:30 p.m. at Kaldi's coffeehouse, 1202 Main St., Over-the-Rhine.
       

Progress seen in profiling complaints

       Progress was reported Wednesday during the first round of pre-negotiations in the mediation designed to resolve a racial profiling lawsuit against the city of Cincinnati.

        “Significant progress was achieved” on the first goal of the collaborative, said Jay Rothman, president of the Aria Group, a private mediation firm overseeing the process.

        That goal, said Mr. Rothman, is: “Police officers and community members will become proactive partners in community problem solving.”

        The racial profiling lawsuit was filed by the American Civil Liberties Union and the Friends of Cincinnati Black United Front.

        In an effort to avoid costly litigation, U.S. District Judge Susan Dlott appointed a “special master” to oversee a collaborative process.

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