Cincinnati Mayor Charlie Luken took a short walk Monday afternoon along East McMillan Street in Walnut Hills to highlight “in a positive way” the neighborhood most recently in the news for violent crime.

        He pointed to the remodeling of the Alexandria Building on Gilbert Avenue and other projects that the Walnut Hills Community Council is working on as evidence of the revitalization of an area that was once the second largest retail district in Cincinnati.

        But unless something is done about crime in the area, including the slaying Saturday of the owner of a Walnut Hills variety store on Lincoln Avenue, the mayor said some of those projects may never reach fruition.

        “We're not going to be very successful in getting a lot of investment in the neighborhood” if crime persists, the mayor told a group of community residents, business owners and police officials who joined him on his 4 p.m. walk.

        “We can't let crime issues rip us apart,” he said.

        Driver suffers heart attack, dies on I-275

        FOREST PARK — A 58-year-old trucker driving Monday on Interstate 275 apparently suffered a fatal heart attack, causing his eastbound tractor-trailer to cross the median and three westbound lanes before coming to rest in a wooded area, Forest Park Police said.

        A westbound truck driver saw the incident at about 9:40 a.m. west of Winton Road and was able to block the roadway with his own vehicle to prevent oncoming traffic from colliding with the runaway tractor-trailer, police said.

        The Hollywood, Fla. man was taken by Forest Park Life Squad to Mercy Fairfield Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. His name was withheld pending notification of relatives.

        Westbound I-275 was closed for several hours to remove the truck.

        Woman dies after jumping from van

        A 36-year-old Loveland woman died from injuries she sustained when she dived out of a moving vehicle May 5 during an argument with her husband.

        Juanita Graves was pronounced dead Saturday at University Hospital, where she was taken after she jumped out of the middle passenger side of the couple's maroon 1990 Chevy Astro van in the 2300 block of North Bend Road.

        She was critically injured when she hit her head on the pavement.

        Police questioned her husband, Darrell Graves, 38, at the scene and impounded the van for evidence, but no charges have been filed, police said.

        Hyde Park bank robber at large

        Cincinnati Police are searching for the man who robbed a Firstar Bank branch in Hyde Park Monday morning armed with a long-barreled firearm, possibly a rifle.

        The suspect, described by police as white and in his 20s, entered the 3424 Edwards Ave. bank shortly after 9 a.m. and demanded money from a teller.

        He left the bank with an undisclosed amount of cash and was last seen in the rear of the bank entering a blue Honda two-door hatchback.

        The bank robbery was the 14th in Cincinnati so far this year, according to police.

        Anyone with information about the crime can call Crime Stoppers at 352-3040.

        Couple free on bond in endangerment case

        HAMILTON — A Millville couple police say duct-taped a 12-year-old boy to a chair that was placed in the sun for more than two hours remains free on bond awaiting further court action. A Juvenile Court magistrate on Monday ordered that David Wayne Edester have no contact with the boy.

        Mr. Edester, 41, faces charges of domestic violence and child endangering as a result of a May 5 incident involving his stepson. Police say the boy told them he was restrained in the chair as discipline for “back-talking his mother,” Carla Edester.

        Mrs. Edester, 40, is charged with complicity to child endangering. She is allowed supervised visits with her son.

        Their next court date is June 6.

        Fernald site tours available

        If you've been wondering about what it takes to clean up the radioactive wastes at Fernald, here's a chance to see for yourself.

        A public tour of the Fernald Environmental Management Project, near Ross, begins at 6 p.m. today. The two-hour bus tour of the former Cold War uranium processing plant will include updates on the site's waste pits, building demolition, on-site disposal facility, aquifer restoration and silos project.

        So far, six of Fernald's 10 major plants have been demolished, and demolition has started on Plants 2, 3 and 8.

        To participate, visitors should arrive by 5:15 p.m. and must present a photo ID and proof of U.S. citizenship. All vehicles will be searched.

        For information, call Jeannie Foster at 648-5883.

        "Green Team' to clean city playgrounds

        The Finance Committee of Cincinnati City Council Monday approved a new program to have young people aged 15 to 18 clean up city parks and playgrounds this summer.

        The $229,880 program replaces last year's pilot project to have local churches and other charities do the work.

        Republicans Pat DeWine and Chris Monzel voted against the new program, protesting what Mr. DeWine called “a bureaucratic resistance to faith-based programs.”

        If approved by City Council on Wednesday, the “Summer Green Teen Program” will hire 80 young people and 10 adult crew leaders to pick up trash and do landscaping at 110 playgrounds.

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