Beverly Schwering of Greensburg died after the 2001 Ford Explorer she was driving moved into the left lane, was hit by a 1990 Nissan Maxima in the lane, and overturned. Mrs. Schwering was ejected from the vehicle.

Mrs. Schwering's husband, Kenneth Schwering, was in fair condition at University Hospital Sunday afternoon.

Peter Karountzos of Knoxville, who was driving the Maxima, was not injured.

The crash is under investigation by the Hamilton County Sheriff's Department.

Snowmobiler causes ammonia tank leak

CEDAR LAKE, Ind. - A man snowmobiling in the dark through a cornfield crashed into an ammonia storage tank, causing a gas leak that forced about 300 families from their homes.

Michael Kotecki, 35, of St. John died when his snowmobile slammed into the 12,500-gallon-capacity tank about 2 a.m. Saturday.

The snowmobile's collision with the tank, which was 85 percent full, sheared off a valve and began releasing a cloud of the colorless gas, police said.

The gas leak was finally contained shortly after midnight Sunday by a contractor called in from Illinois, said Scott Musgrove, critical incident coordinator for the Lake County Sheriff's Department.

Mr. Musgrove said one person was hospitalized with respiratory problems after inhaling some of the ammonia gas.

Retired officer loses badge to burglars

Burglars broke into a retired Cincinnati police officer's home in University Heights Saturday, taking two revolvers, $700 in cash and his retired officer badge.

A wallet, credit cards and jewelry were among items stolen from former police officer Robert Oberding's home in the 2400 block of West McMicken Avenue. The missing items are valued at more than $1,500.

One of the revolvers, a 357 Smith and Wesson valued at $200, was issued by the Cincinnati Police Department, according to the police report.

The burglars broke through a window between 2:30 and 10:30 p.m.

In a Dec. 20 break-in at the home of Cincinnati police chief Tom Streicher, $1,000 was taken.

Firm wants to build park for tailgaters

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - A business wants to create a public park near Ross-Ade Stadium that would make tailgating easier for Purdue University football fans.

Go Park Enterprises, of Greenville, S.C., owns an option on an English Tudor-style home and four surrounding acres near the stadium. It hopes to create Gold and Black Park.

Tim Reed and Kay Pangraze, principals in Go Park Enterprises, said they want to make parking easy for 200 Purdue Boilermaker fans during home games.

They expect to sell all the slots. They figure they have 60,000 to 120,000 Boilermaker alumni as potential customers.

"The neighbors are dead set against it," said city councilman Gil Satterly.

The company's Web site said lots cost $12,000 each.

Habitat owner wills back his home

FOSTORIA - Alvin Atha never thought he could own a home until Habitat for Humanity made his dream come true.

Mr. Atha, who died in April, willed the house back to Habitat for Humanity.

"It appears that is the first time that has happened," said Jim Crowley, regional director for the organization's Mid-America Region.

Pat and Alvin Atha, both mentally disabled, met at work in the 1980s.

"He always wanted a wife. He always wanted to be married," said his nephew Jack Horner.

In 1988, the couple married. A couple years later, they were approved for their first home.

Pat Atha, then 56, died in 1996.

The whole family discussed his will with Alvin and agreed Habitat was a logical recipient.

"It surprised us a lot. We were very, very pleased that they felt this close to Habitat," said Karen Keckler, secretary for Fostoria Area Habitat for Humanity.

The house has been vacant since Alvin, 66, died on April 16.

Habitat plans to place another family in it when the house has been rehabbed.

Legal Aid cutting services across Ky.

LOUISVILLE - An organization that gives legal advice to the poor is closing offices around Kentucky and laying off staff as it faces cuts in federal and other funding.

The state's four Legal Aid corporations will serve fewer clients in 2003. Cases typically include domestic violence, home foreclosures, evictions, predatory lending and legal problems by the elderly and disabled.

Kentucky's Legal Aid budgets, now about $12 million, will lose nearly $1.6 million next year - mostly from federal sources, which supply most of the programs' money. The poverty rate has declined slightly in Kentucky while jumping in larger states, so Kentucky's funding has fallen under a federal formula.

Man crushed at surface mining site

INEZ, Ky. - A man was killed in Martin County Saturday when he got caught between two pieces of surface-mining equipment. Clarence Coply, 22, was performing maintenance on a rock-dumping truck when he got pinched between the bucket on an excavator and the truck, said Holly McCoy, a spokeswoman for the Kentucky Department of Mines and Minerals.

- Compiled from staff and wire reports

SEE CINERGY IMPLOSION
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KENTUCKY
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INDIANA
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