The crew was working at about 9:45 a.m. on the Graves Road overpass of Interstate 275 in Hebron.

        Hebron fire officials say the man died after the hydraulic arm of a truck made contact with overhead electrical wires and energized the truck. The man was touching the truck.

        Paramedics performed CPR, but the man, whose name was not released because his family hadn't been notified, was pronounced dead at the scene.
       

Hamilton man drowns swimming in pond

        REILY TOWNSHIP — Rescue workers Sunday evening recovered the body of a 42-year-old Hamilton, Ohio, man who drowned while swimming in a farm pond.

        Gaston B. Parker drowned at the 3185 Harley Road farm about 1:30 p.m., Butler County sheriff's deputies said. Mr. Parker's body was recovered from the quarter-acre pond about 7:20 p.m. after it was partially drained. Murky water and debris in the 10-15 feet deep pond made the search difficult, authorities said.

        Mr. Parker was trying to swim to the other side of the pond, began struggling and went under for unknown reasons, sheriff's deputies said. He was swimming with a friend, 45-year-old Steve Smith of Hamilton, deputies said. Both dove off a small fishing dock owned by a relative of the victim.

        Mr. Parker's body was found in 6 feet of water about 20 feet from the shore, authorities said.
       

Man shot in the head in critical condition

        A Covington man shot in the head early Saturday morning was listed in critical condition Sunday at University Hospital.

        Police were called about 6 a.m. Saturday to 13th and Garrard streets to help a man hurt in the road. When they arrived, investigators found Mike Basey, 19, of the 300 block of Byrd Street.

        No arrests have been made.
       

Children's in top 10 of pediatric hospitals

        U.S. News & World Report has again ranked Cincinnati's Children's Hospital Medical Center one of the top 10 pediatric hospitals in the United States.

        Children's Hospital placed ninth in the 13th annual “America's Best Hospitals” survey, which was released Friday. The rank is an improvement from last year's 10th-place ranking.

        The hospital was placed above other well-known pediatric centers, including Children's Memorial Hospital in Chicago, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, the Mayo Clinic and UCLA.

        The magazine ranks 205 top medical centers in 17 specialties. The magazine asked 180 board-certified pediatricians to name up to five hospitals they considered the best in their specialty.

        The hospital's 10.2 percent reputation score represents the percentage of doctors surveyed during the last three years who named Children's Hospital. The score is an increase from last year's 8.9 percent score.

        This year, the magazine ranked the hospital and the University of Cincinnati Medical Center in fourth place for pediatric programs at U.S. medical schools. Only Harvard, the University of Pennsylvania and John Hopkins scored higher.
       

Programs aim to educate on animals

        ANDERSON TOWNSHIP — A Hamilton County Park Dis trict naturalist will tell visitors about the kinds of animals they may encounter this summer and those animals that are active at night in two programs at Woodland Mound on Tuesday and Wednesday.

        Visitors interested in learning about creatures they may encounter this summer should meet the naturalist between 1 and 3 p.m. Tuesday, at Woodland Mound's wet playground.

        Visitors interested in taking an evening hike and learning about nocturnal animals should meet the naturalist at 8:30 p.m. Friday, at the start of the Hedgeapple Trail at Woodland Mound.
       

Red Cross recruiting minorities with plan

        COLUMBUS — The local chapter of the American Red Cross has launched its first blood donor recruitment program targeted specifically at minorities in hopes of making it easier for people with sickle cell anemia to receive transfusions.

        The disease, which has no cure, strikes blacks most often.

        Some sickle cell patients at Children's Hospital in Columbus have waited up to three days for transfusions, said Leslie Dieterick, a nurse practitioner.

        The red blood cells of sickle cell patients harden, become sticky and form into crescent shapes. They clog arteries, lower the blood count, damage organs and cause pain. Doctors recommend that patients get transfusions every three to four weeks.

        The red blood cells of sickle cell patients harden, become sticky and form into crescent shapes. They clog arteries, lower the blood count, damage organs and cause pain. Doctors recommend that patients get transfusions every three to four weeks.

        The push for more minority donors is part of Partners for Life, a nationwide effort started in 1996. As part of the recruitment program, a local diversity task force of volunteers and community leaders hopes to hold more blood drives in churches, colleges and community centers in minority areas. Blood bank workers also will ask black donors for permission to test their blood to see whether they could match that of a sickle cell patient.
       

Berries can prevent cancer, professor says

        COLUMBUS — An Ohio State University researcher says he has found a way to prevent cancer that won't be a hard sell for most people: Eat more berries.

        For the past nine years, Gary Stoner, a professor in OSU's School of Public Health, has been testing the idea that certain types of berries — mainly raspberries, blueberries and strawberries — contain natural antioxidants that prevent esophageal and colon cancer.

        U.S. Rep. David Hobson, R-Ohio, announced last week that his proposal to put $400,000 in the Department of Agriculture budget for Mr. Stoner's project has been accepted by the House Appropriations Committee. A House vote is expected within two weeks.

        Mr. Stoner's work has been supported in recent years by a $900,000 grant from the Ohio Department of Agriculture. If he gets the federal money, as well as a desired $1 million from agricultural and pharmaceutical interests, Mr. Stoner plans extensive human trials to see whether a freeze-dried black-raspberry compound retards cancer.

        Preliminary tests on people have confirmed that the berry diet isn't harmful.

        Earlier tests with rats found that a berry-rich diet can reduce the incidence of esophageal and colon cancer by as much as 80 percent.

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