NORTH COLLEGE HILL — A tip via Cincinnati's Crime Stoppers hotline led to the Sunday morning arrest of a Columbus man wanted on a murder charge.

        North College Hill police used search warrants to enter two apartments at the Four Worlds Apartments complex in the 8000 block of Fourworlds Drive.

        Police said Clarence Wiley, 42, was found in one of the apartments about 4 a.m.

        He was taken to the Hamilton County jail, where he is awaiting extradition proceedings to Franklin County.

        Two new degree programs at NKU

        Northern Kentucky University's Board of Regents has approved two new bachelor of science degree programs — one in business administration and the other in sports business.

        The business administration program is an interdisciplinary degree designed to help NKU students transfer course work completed at other institutions and more easily fulfill requirements for a major.

        NKU's College of Business began developing a sports business program in 1999. The management and marketing department projects an initial enrollment of 30 students.

        Pedestrians report insults, street attack

        Cincinnati police searched Sunday for two men accused of yelling sexually harassing insults at two other men as they walked along an Avondale street, threatening to shoot them, then attacking one of them with a brick.

        The men are wanted on ethnic intimidation, aggravated menacing and assault charges.

        The victims, 37 and 21, both of Avondale, were walking in the 3400 block of Hartford Avenue about 3:15 a.m. Sunday when two men drove up in a gold or bronze Olds Cutlass or Buick Regal type of car with temporary tags.

        The two men followed them, shouting insults, and one threw a brick at the 37-year-old man, hitting his left arm.

        The men fled in the car.

        Anyone with information is asked to call District 4 Police: 352-3576.

        Police arrest eight in nude-dancing case

        MIDDLETOWN — Eight people were arrested late Saturday evening at a bar that police say was the site of illegal nude dancing.

        Three female dancers, three bouncers, a bartender, and the owner and operator of the Pinkke Panther Bar at 124 Charles St. were arrested, Middletown police said.

        Police said they received two complaints of nude dancing in the club and made their arrests at about 10:52 p.m.

        The eight were charged with participating in the operation of an adult entertainment establishment without a permit, a first-degree misdemeanor.

        All the suspects are scheduled to appear in Middletown Municipal Court this morning.

        Union sponsors talk on retirement

        The Cincinnati AFL-CIO will present a discussion on retirement savings, “Enron: Could It Happen to You?” 7 p.m. Tuesday at Xavier University's Cintas Center.

        The meeting will feature a panel discussion by former Enron workers and Patricia Friend, president of the Association of Flight Attendants.

        Former Cincinnati mayor Jerry Springer will moderate.

        Boy struck by lightning

        URBANA, Ohio — A 12-year-old boy was struck by lightning on Sunday as severe thunderstorms crossed the state.

        The boy was on railroad tracks with three other boys when lightning struck around 11 a.m., Urbana police officer Ed Burkhammer said.

        The boy was taken to Mercy Memorial Hospital in Urbana. He later was transported to The Children's Medical Center in Dayton.

        Beth Wolpert, spokeswoman at the Dayton hospital, said the boy was in critical condition.

        Builders sue city over connections fee

        LEBANON — A half-dozen home builders are suing over a fee the city started charging last month on all new homes and businesses built here.

        The city charges $1,250 per home and $2,000 per business for connections to Lebanon's telecommunications system, which offers cable TV, high-speed Internet and, soon, telephone service.

        The lawsuit contends that the fees are unconstitutional because they only apply to new homes and are charged regardless of whether the property will use the telecom services.

        “We still have to put the wiring in,” City Attorney Mark Yurick said. “It's like someone saying, "I don't have a car so I shouldn't pay taxes for infrastructure.'”

        Water treatment plant to expand capacity

        BATAVIA — Clermont County commissioners awarded a contract to a Piketon, Ohio, construction company to expand the Miami Trails Wastewater Treatment Plant so it can almost double its capacity for water treatment.

        Crace Construction Co. will begin the construction work in late May, with completion expected to be in August 2003 at the Miami Township plant, said Mark Jaehnen, of the Clermont County Water and Sewer District.

        Overtime work hits taxpayers pockets

        INDIANAPOLIS — Taxpayers are shelling out millions of extra dollars each year to pay for overtime worked by state employees, prompting some officials to try new scheduling methods designed to reduce workloads.

        Since 1997, state workers have racked up 2.5 million more hours of overtime than they did in the previous five-year period. That represents a 31 percent increase, costing taxpayers $78 million.

        Longer workdays for many of the state's 35,000 employees means the annual overtime budget has soared from $29 million five years ago to $46 million in 2001, according to records from the state auditor's office.

        “When you're working 16 hours a day guarding prisoners, it's a safety issue,” said Randy Arthur, an officer at the Pendleton Correctional Facility, a maximum-security prison.

        He worked more than 500 hours of overtime — on top of his regular 2,000 hours — last year.

        “You get fatigued,” Arthur told The Indianapolis Star for a story published Sunday. “And this isn't a good place for that.”

        Concerns about overtime have grown since Gov. Frank O'Bannon ordered a hiring freeze last year for most vacant state jobs. Making matters worse, state budget woes mean employees will not be getting raises this year. Already, the number of state employees has shrunk by nearly 5 percent since the governor took office.

        Budget constraints may affect schools

        MERRILLVILLE, Ind. — The state's financial crisis is casting a long shadow over plans to raise academic standards in Indiana schools.

        Unless lawmakers act quickly, budget woes threaten to wipe out money needed to enforce new, higher standards and could make it difficult to enact additional education reforms.

        In 1999, Indiana passed some of the toughest school standards in the nation. Math, language arts and science got tougher. Graduation requirements were also stiffened.
       The reforms earned Gov. Frank O'Bannon and Superintendent of Public Instruction Suellen Reed national praise, but one problem persists: There is no money to pay for the improvements.

        “We spent a great deal of time trying to work out these standards. I don't think anyone has really looked at the costs, not yet anyway,” said Pat Kiley, president of the Indiana Manufacturers Association and a member of the state's bipartisan Education Roundtable.

        When lawmakers return to Indianapolis this week5/13 for a special legislative session, talks will center on the budget deficit and restructuring the state's antiquated tax code.

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