Woman's sentence pending in bus case

        FRANKLIN — A former Franklin City Schools bus driver is awaiting sentencing after pleading guilty to several charges in connection with a November incident in which police say she may have been intoxicated when driving students.

        Sheila Brixner pleaded guilty to impaired driving, attempted child endangering and failure to maintain control. Several other charges were dismissed as part of a plea bargain, Franklin Municipal Court records show.

        Ms. Brixner made the pleas April 16. A judge is waiting for a pre-sentence investigation to be completed before setting a sentencing date.

        Ms. Brixner was originally charged with four counts of child endangering, driving under the influence, disorderly conduct, leaving the scene of an accident and failure to maintain control. All of the charges are misdemeanors.

A REAL ROCK STAR: Cincinnati now has an official fossil: It's Isorophus cincinnatiensis, an edrioasteroid or seated star. The winner was chosen from five nominees by votes from children and scientists at the Cincinnati Museum Center. Heberle School students Jamaal Andrews (above, left), Shaquille Prather and Elijah Hamler, all 9 years old, checked out the new city symbol at its debut Thursday. The fossil is shown up close (right). (Michael E. Keating photo) | ZOOM |

        Her troubles began Nov. 28 when another Franklin bus driver noticed the mirror was missing from Ms. Brixner's bus. There was also a report of her driving the bus erratically.

        School officials met Ms. Brixner at Pennyroyal Elementary after she had completed her junior-senior high bus route. Officials noticed the smell of alcohol on her breath. She refused to take a sobriety test and later signed a letter of resignation.
       

XU student center fire damages theater

        A fire at Xavier University's new Gallagher Student Center early Thursday morning was confined to the theater, but still caused $50,000 in damage.

        University officials say a student leaving a Kuhlman Hall computer lab at 4:30 a.m. used a campus emergency phone to report smoke at the back of the center.

        Investigators blamed the fire on careless smoking. When firefighters arrived, they found heavy smoke in the theater. It took about 30 minutes to douse the flames.

        Though people had been in the theater until 2:30 a.m. rehearsing, the building was closed when the fire started. No one was injured.

        Damage includes a stage curtain valued at $20,000.
       

Various cleanups scheduled Saturday

        Several communities have scheduled cleanup events Saturday. Among them:

        • More than 500 people, including Cincinnati Mayor Charlie Luken, will gather in Washington Park before spreading throughout Over-the-Rhine for a cleanup that is to include removing graffiti and litter and planting flowers.

        Mr. Luken will give a speech at 8:30 a.m. before volunteers disperse through the neighborhood. At around noon, members of Hope, a faith-based organization, will return to the park to feed the hungry.

        About 5,000 volunteers are tackling similar tasks in about 50 communities throughout Greater Cincinnati. Keep Cincinnati Beautiful is sponsoring the event as part of the nationwide Great American Cleanup.

        Volunteers collected 481 tons of disposable materials at last year's event.

        Keep Cincinnati Beautiful needs volunteers. If interested, call 352-4380.

        • In Milford the city is holding a spring litter cleanup as part of “Clean and Green Day in Clermont County.”

        Residents are encouraged to call and register for the cleanup, which will take place from 9 to 10:30 a.m. People should meet at the Milford Municipal Building, 745 Center St.

        Trash bags, vests and gloves will be provided. To register, call 248-5092.

        • Reading will be hold its annual Litter Cleanup Day.

        Schools, scouts and other Reading organizations are taking part, and individual citizen participation also is encouraged.

        Volunteers are to meet at Koenig Park at 10 a.m. Plastic bags and rubber gloves will be distributed and cleanup areas assigned.

        After the two-hour cleanup, the Fire Department will host a picnic lunch for all volunteers at the park.

        Adult volunteers will join in the cleanup by launching canoes to haul junk and litter from the Mill Creek. The “Mill Creek Yacht Club” will participate for the eighth year.

        For details on the canoe project, call Bruce Koehler at 621-6300.

        For more information on Reading's cleanup efforts, call Carol Bullock-Carpenter at 733-4857, or Parks Director Rick Konrad at 733-9173.
       

County budget boss promoted from ranks

        Hamilton County's new budget director has worked for the county since August 2000.

        Eric Stuckey was hired as an assistant county administrator before being promoted to the $107,500 position Wednesday. Mr. Stuckey has been in public service for 10 years, including a five-year stint as assistant city manager and budget director in Elgin, Ill.

        Mr. Stuckey is an honors graduate of Miami University. He also holds a master's of public administration degree with honors from the University of Kansas.

        The budget director position became vacant in January, when Suzanne Burke became director of the county's Department of Job and Family Services.
       

Egyptian man held; feds checking case

        MIAMISBURG, Ohio — A $25 million bond was set Thursday for a 34-year-old Egyptian man arrested and accused of passing a bad check, authorities said.

        It was not clear why bond was set so high for Ayman Amin Khalifa, who appeared in Miamisburg Municipal Court.

        However, John DiPietro, a deputy police chief in Miami Township, said Immigration and Naturalization Service officials have shown “serious interest” in Mr. Khalifa.

        Messages requesting information were left for the FBI and Greg Lockhart, U.S. attorney for the southern district of Ohio.

        Deputy Chief DiPietro said that on April 11, a man passed a bad check of more than $500 at a department store. Store officials gave police a description of the man, his vehicle and license plate number.

        Six days later, a detective spotted the car in the Dayton Mall parking lot and apprehended Mr. Khalifa.
       

Foundation kicks in to help pay lawyers

        The Stephen H. Wilder Foundation will give $10,000 to plaintiffs' lawyers in the racial profiling lawsuit against the city.

        The city reached a settlement in the lawsuit, brought by the American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio and the Black United Front, earlier this month.

        City officials have been raising money for the lawyers after City Council insisted that no taxpayer money be used.

        The Wilder Foundation is only the third donor to be made public, after former Mayor Jerry Springer ($25,000) and talk show host Jene Galvin ($500).

        The Wilder Foundation's contribution became public through a letter sent to Mayor Charlie Luken.
       
       

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