Rep. Steve Chabot is serious about winning another term as congressman, but that doesn't stop him from displaying some humor.

Mr. Chabot, upon learning that Democratic challenger Greg Harris and his wife had their first child two months ago, sent little Nathan a baby gift - a stuffed elephant.

It's not the first time Mr. Chabot sent the symbol of the GOP to an ideological foe. He did the same when Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr., D-Ill., had a child.

Debate II: The next debate between Gov. Bob Taft and Tim Hagan will be very unlike the first, which was televised from a TV studio in Dayton with no audience.

The debate Wednesday at the John Glenn Institute for Public Policy and Public Service at Ohio State University will take place in front of 300 invited guests. It runs from 7 to 8 p.m. The moderator is Erin Moriarty, a CBS news correspondent and OSU alumna.

The debate won't be televised, but the Glenn Institute Web site, http://www.osu.edu/glenninstitute, will offer a live Webcast of the debate.

On the air: Republican county commission candidate Phil Heimlich has launched his TV campaign.

In the TV spot, identifiable people from Cincinnati speak highly of Mr. Heimlich's service as a Cincinnati city councilman.

Democrat Jean Siebenaler has cut two TV ads that feature a cigar-smoking Heimlich "adviser" increasingly worried that Dr. Siebenaler is catching on with voters.

Light rail debates: The two sides of the light rail issue have agreed to two more debates.

There is now one scheduled for 7 p.m. on Thursday at Nathanael Greene Lodge in Green Township, sponsored by the Western Economic Council.

There will be another debate on Oct. 29 from 8-9 p.m. at the Urban League in Avondale, which will be broadcast live by WDBZ-AM (1230).

Transit ads: The "Let's Get Moving" committee, which is campaigning in favor of the half-cent sales tax increase that would help pay for a $2.6 billion light rail plan that is on the Nov. 5 ballot, begins a television ad blitz today.

The ad campaign, believed to have cost about $100,000, features a TV spot to be played extensively on the city's four main commercial stations.

The 30-second spot features a quick tour through Cincinnati's transportation history, touting light rail and improved bus service as the next logical step to "keep us all moving."