Compiled from staff and wire reports

Injured officer's condition improves

FORT MITCHELL - A police officer from Atlanta was upgraded from serious to fair condition Saturday at University Hospital, where he is recovering from serious injuries he sustained when a car struck his pickup.

Jeffrey Davidson, 29, was ejected from and pinned beneath his Ford pickup after it was struck from behind by a 2002 Hyundai Accent at about 1 a.m. Friday on northbound Interstate 71/75 just north of the Buttermilk Pike exit. The impact sent Mr. Davidson's pickup into the path of an oncoming tractor-trailer.

Mr. Davidson was flown by helicopter to University Hospital. The driver of the tractor-trailer was not injured.

The driver of the Hyundai, Stephen Woodruff, 26, of Price Hill was charged with driving under the influence and first-degree assault. He was at the Kenton County jail Saturday afternoon in lieu of a $10,000 cash bond. His next court appearance is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. Thursday in Kenton County District Court.

Mr. Woodruff told authorities he was driving his girlfriend's Hyundai home from TJ's Sports Bar CafÈ in Florence when he hit the pickup in front of him, police said. He suffered facial cuts from striking the windshield.

Lebanon names new prosecutor

LEBANON - Andrea Hicks has accepted the job as city prosecutor to replace James Whitaker, who retired from the municipal court position last month after 25 years Lebanon City Council will consider an ordinance to accept Ms. Hicks' hiring on Tuesday. Ms. Hicks has served as the city's assistant prosecutor for several years.

A tentative agreement calls for her to be paid $36,000 annually in the part-time position. The city and Warren County officials share the cost of the prosecutor's salary, with the city picking up 75 percent.

Ohio Lottery to sell gift certificates

COLUMBUS - The Ohio Lottery has picked the holiday season for a pilot program offering gift cards that can be used to play several lottery games.

The "Wild Cards," essentially gift certificates, will be sold from Monday through Feb. 2 by 380 lottery agents in central Ohio.

Cards can be purchased in amounts ranging from $5 to $50.

Mardele Cohen, a spokeswoman for the lottery, said Saturday that lottery officials plan to offer the cards statewide on Feb. 3.

Car-deer crash kills 2 in southeast Ohio

GALLIPOLIS, Ohio - A car hit a deer early Saturday, starting an accident that killed a couple from this southeast Ohio town.

The car's driver, Ronny Evans, 43, of Gallipolis, was in serious condition at St. Mary's Hospital in Huntington, W. Va., a nursing supervisor said.

The State Highway Patrol said Evans was driving north on state Route 7, about four miles from Gallipolis, when he hit a deer. The car then struck a guardrail, flipped over and hit a utility pole, the patrol said.

Passengers Robert Martin, 33, of Gallipolis, and his wife, Tracy, 31, were killed, the patrol said.

Student killed at UK was over legal limit

LEXINGTON, Ky. - A University of Kentucky student killed by a car when he walked into a campus intersection last weekend had a preliminary blood-alcohol reading more than three times the legal limit, according to UK police.

Eric Vetter, 19, of Louisville, was hit at 4:28 a.m. EST when he stumbled into the intersection of South Limestone and Cooper Drive, said UK police spokesman Travis Manley.

Mr. Vetter's preliminary blood alcohol level was 0.251, Mr. Manley said. Kentucky's legal limit is 0.08. Mr. Vetter died Tuesday at UK Medical Center from a head injury sustained in the accident, according to a Fayette County Coroner's report.

The driver of the vehicle, Dustin Hatton, 19, of Lexington, had a green light as he traveled north on South Limestone, police said.

Mr. Hatton told police he did not see Mr. Vetter in the street.

Mr. Hatton was charged with drunken driving and failure to have a driver's license in his possession.

Mr. Hatton was taken to UK Medical Center, where a blood sample was taken. Mr. Manley said the blood samples for Mr. Vetter and Mr. Hatton were sent to the state police laboratory.

Official results will not be available for four to six weeks.