Kroger grocery stores in 18 states including Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana are participating in a ground beef recall after E. coli was detected in a meat sample.

        Kroger is recalling its brand of ground beef, ground chuck and ground round purchased in one-, three- or five-pound tubes with sell dates between May 9, 2002 and July 16, 2002. Kroger customers as well as patrons of Pay Less and Owen's stores in Indiana are asked to return the products for a full refund or replacement.

        Kroger customers in Kentucky also should return ground beef, ground chuck, ground sirloin or ground round packaged in foam trays and covered in plastic film with sell dates between April 18, 2002 and June 11, 2002.

        Ground beef and other meat products currently for sale at Kroger stores are not affected.

        The recall is part of a 18.6 million-pound ground beef recall by ConAgra Beef Co., one of the nation's largest beef producers.

        E. coli is a powerful, sometimes deadly, food-borne bacteria that can cause bloody diarrhea and dehydration.

HOSING OFF HER HORSE: Haley Davis, of Middletown, sprays her pony, named Tiz Whiz, at the Butler County Fair in Hamilton Sunday. Dates of Tristate county fairs that are under way or coming up: Butler County - through Saturday; Clermont County - through Saturday; Hamilton County - July 31-Aug. 4; Boone County - Aug. 5-10. (Greg Ruffing photo) | ZOOM |

        Proper handling, storage and cooking are the best protection against food-borne illnesses. Ground beef thoroughly cooked to at least a 160-degree internal temperature should destroy any harmful bacteria.

        People with questions about the recall can call Kroger at 1-800-632-6900 or the USDA food safety and inspection service at (866) 849-7438.

St. Elizabeth's will study fibroids remedy

        A local hospital is participating in a national study tracking longterm benefits of a new uterine fibroids treatment.

        St. Elizabeth Medical Center is one of about 40 hospitals studying uterine fibroid embolization. About 30 percent of women develop these noncancerous growths on the muscular wall of the uterus. They can cause pain and excessive menstrual bleeding.

        The embolization procedure is an alternative to hysterectomy for treating uterine fibroids. An interventional radiologist performs a minimally invasive procedure that cuts off blood flow to the fibroid, causing the growth to shrink.

        Patients participating in the study will be contacted later and asked to fill out a questionnaire. They then will be placed on a registry to track their experience.

Two wounded in drive-by shooting

        Two people were wounded in a drive-by shooting Saturday afternoon in .the West End.

        Martez Brandon, 20, of South Fairmount, was shot in the buttocks, and Henry Ward, 45, of Westwood, was hit in the right forearm. Both were treated at University Hospital and released.

        The victims told Cincinnati Police that someone drove by them in the 800 block of York Street and shot them with a handgun. The car was a dark-colored Camaro, police said.

Ohio State OKs research facility

        Ohio State University trustees approved plans for a $150 million biomedical research tower and an $83 million heart hospital.

        The tower, projected to open in 2006, nearly doubles campus research space. The heart hospital, to be complete in 2004, will offer a four-story, 90-bed facility devoted to cardiac care. A similar free-standing heart hospital recently opened in Dayton.

        The University of Cincinnati has proposed spending more than $170 million to rebuild its main medical sciences building, but funding has not been arranged and no completion date has been set. Meanwhile, Christ Hospital has started work on a $77 million cardiac care wing.

Cedar Point log ride injures seven

        Seven people were slightly injured when cars of a water ride at Cedar Point amusement park collided, a park spokeswoman said.

        Three boats on the White Water Landing, a log flume ride, collided at the bottom of a waterfall about 6:30 p.m. Saturday, spokeswoman Janice Witherow said.

        None of the injuries were serious, Ms. Witherow said. All seven people were treated and released from Firelands Regional Medical Center in Sandusky, a hospital supervisor said Sunday.

Search for lost swimmer halts

        The Coast Guard stopped searching Sunday for a man who disappeared while swimming in Lake Erie with three others.

        William DeWolff, 53, of Warren, Mich., was last seen about 8:30 p.m. Saturday, swimming about 50 feet from the 32-foot long pleasure boat, said Coast Guard spokeswoman Erin Randel.

        “He swam underneath the water, and he did not resurface,” Lt. Cmdr. Jim Weakley said.

        A helicopter and four boats searched for Mr. DeWolff until 2:30 a.m. Sunday. A small plane resumed that effort later Sunday from about 8 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., but the man wasn't found.

        Mr. DeWolff disappeared about 55 miles west of Cleveland.

Group meets first goal to save brewery

        Preservationists working to save a historic brewery from demolition have met the first of three fund-raising deadlines.

        An alliance led by the Vincennes/Knox Preservation Foundation raised $100,000 to save the Hack & Simon building, which is owned by Vincennes University, before a court-set July 30 deadline.

        The deadline is the first of three that both sides agreed on in mediation in March. If the preservationists fail to meet one goal, the university can demolish the 116-year-old brewery office.

        The university filed a lawsuit in Knox Circuit Court after the Vincennes Historic Review Board rejected its October request to tear the building down.

        The two-story building of more than 2,000 square feet has stood empty since the early 1990s, when the school stopped using it for office space.

        The university said it does not have the money to renovate the building and that it poses a safety risk because it could eventually collapse.

        Restoration is expected to cost $265,000. The process is on hold until after the April 2003 fund-raising deadline to raise another $100,000. The remainder of the money is due six months later.

Fire leads to layoffs at park department

        The Hobart, Ind. park department has been forced to lay off employees after a fire destroyed its maintenance garage and all of its equipment.

        Mike Ellis, the department's director of maintenance, estimated the loss at between $250,000 and $300,000.

        “We're virtually shut down,” he said. “I laid off half of my staff, and I'm going to have to lay off more.”

        Five individuals were laid off Friday, and two more face layoffs soon, Mr. Ellis said.

        The maintenance building housed most of the department's equipment. Mr. Ellis said four trucks, six large lawn mowers, two dump trucks, push mowers, grass trimmers, hand tools, a rototiller and cement mixers were among the items destroyed.

        The fire was reported at about 3 a.m. Friday by a resident who noticed flames. Authorities were investigating the fire as an arson.

        In a statement, Mayor Linda Buzinec said she was appalled by the arson and vowed that the parks will be maintained.

- Compiled from staff and wire reports
       

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