Metro 'clean air fares' cut for lack of funding

The "clean air fares" that Metro had offered during the past six summers will not return this year because of a lack of federal funding, agency officials said Monday.

The program lowered all fares to 50 cents to encourage ridership during smog season - normal fares are between 60 cents and $2 per trip. It was part of a federal Congestion Mitigation/Air Quality program that funded experimental ways of encouraging transit ridership.

But those funds - about $1 million a year - came with a time limit, and Metro officials say that they were told that they would not be receiving the grants this summer.

Metro officials said the program drew 500,000 during one summer, well over the goal of between 120,000-150,000.

Sickle cell center gets $9.2M federal grant

A five-year $9.5 million federal grant announced Monday gives a boost to funding for the long-established Cincinnati Comprehensive Sickle Cell Center.

The center - one of 10 nationwide - was established in 1972 at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center. Its previous five-year grant from the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute was worth $7.9 million.

In addition to fresh funding, the center hopes to accelerate research into new treatments by increasing its cooperation with other sickle cell centers, said Dr. Clinton Joiner, center director.

About 600 children and adults in Greater Cincinnati have sickle cell disease and another 20,000 are believed to be carriers.

West Chester man admits killing wife

A 51-year-old West Chester man could spend the rest of his life in for killing his wife last year outside an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting, Hamilton County Common Pleas Judge Ann Marie Tracey said in court Monday.

Stephen G. Chancey pleaded guilty to a charge of murder that carried a gun specification for killing Joyce L. Chancey on Feb. 10, 2002 - just days after a Butler County judge ordered him to stay away from her.

Tracey then sentenced Chancey to spend one year in prison on the gun specification, followed by a prison sentence of 15 years to life.

Chancey shot his wife, 43, six times just after noon in the parking lot of the building at 2051 E. Kemper Road in Sharonville.

Police say Chancey waited for his wife outside the building, saw her in the rear of the parking lot and shot her. They were divorcing and both Chanceys had restraining orders against each other.

Deerfield road under repair after collapse

DEERFIELD TWP. - Socialville-Fosters Road is under repair after part of the road collapsed.

The Warren County Engineer's Office closed the road in both directions from Old 3-C Highway to Western Row Road. It will be closed for an undetermined length of time.

The collapse happened late last week about 450 feet west of the Old 3-C Highway intersection. The cause was not known.

Part of Socialville-Fosters Road was closed for about a month last year for similar repairs, according to township project coordinator Joel Smiddy.

OKI may move its Queensgate office

The Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana Regional Council of Governments is considering moving from its office at the Holiday Office Park in Queensgate to a site downtown.

The move is needed because OKI's lease expires in July and it the region's chief transportation planning agency wants larger office space than its current 15,000 square feet.

The OKI board could vote to negotiate and sign a lease for a new office space as soon as Thursday.

New Richmond faces cuts if two levies fail

NEW RICHMOND - Emergency services in this small Clermont County village could be seriously affected if two May tax levies fail, village leaders say.

State cuts have eliminated at least $40,000 from New Richmond's budget, money the police and fire departments were counting on to maintain operations, officials said Monday.

Police Chief Karl Hassebrock said his department is functioning at "bare bones." He expects - because of multiplying communications costs - operating expenses to double, possibly even triple, by next year.

In May, voters will be asked to support a 2-mill operating levy for the police department and a separate 1-mill operating levy to help the area's volunteer fire department.

Without these increases, which will total about $90 a year for the owner of a $100,000 house, police and fire services would be drastically curtailed or ended altogether, Mayor Terry Durrette said.

- Compiled from staff and wire reports