Compiled from staff and wire reports

River cleanup postponed again

Whatever garbage fringes the Ohio River may be staying there for about another month. The annual River Sweep, scheduled for this morning,has been postponed for the second time this summer because of high river levels.

River Sweep will now be Aug. 9 at 8:30 a.m. at all Hamilton County sites.

River Sweep, which was originally set for June 21, is the shoreline cleanup for the Ohio River and several tributaries. The cleanup is organized by the Ohio River Valley Water Sanitation Commission, a pollution control agency for the Ohio River Basin. About 23,000 volunteers participate in the cleanup each year.

For more information, visit www.orsanco.org.

Butler County filings remain off Internet

HAMILTON -- Butler County Domestic Relations Court records remain banned from the Internet, despite a 90-minute meeting aimed at getting them back on line Friday, said Clerk of Courts Cindy Carpenter.

Carpenter said she was encouraged that judges Leslie Spillane and Sharon Kennedy appeared attentive to her concerns, but the meeting reached no resolution to the issues that led the judges to order the records' removal. The judges said they were concerned about sensitive personal information, including Social Security numbers, being widely disseminated on the Internet, possibly spawning identity theft.

However, Carpenter said she is concerned that the judges' order interferes with her duty to provide access to public records.

The judges say Ohio laws require personal information to be recorded on Domestic Relations documents that are considered public.

Plea deal reached in groping case

LEBANON - A 75-year-old former janitor accused of groping the breast of an 18-year-old co-worker in the library at Dunlavy Elementary School will avoid a second trial, as well as any sex charges.

Dalton Kaufman, who initially was charged with felony gross sexual imposition, pleaded guilty Thursday to attempted abduction in the June, 2002 incident.

The plea came seven months after a mistrial was declared because jurors were split 11-1 in favor of convicting Kaufman.

By entering the plea, Kaufman escaped a sexual offender designation, which would have required him to register his address with authorities for 10 years.

A sentencing date has not been scheduled. Kaufman, of Clearcreek Township, faces a maximum 18 months in prison and a $5,000 fine on the attempted abduction charge.

Man charged after road chase by police

A Covington man faces numerous charges after leading police from several agencies on a two-county vehicle chase Friday afternoon, police said.

Tracey H. Hail, 41, is charged with felony fleeing and eluding, drug abuse, possession of drug paraphernalia and several traffic violations. He was also arrested on two outstanding felony warrants.

Hail is accused of leading West Chester police on a pursuit south on Ohio 747 and into Hamilton County on west Interstate 275 around 1 p.m.

Police said Hail exited I-275 and went south on Hamilton Avenue into Springfield Township, then made a U-turn on Hamilton near Miles Road. The chase continued north on Hamilton and west onto Springdale Road where Hail lost control of his vehicle and the car left the roadway, Hamilton County Sheriff's deputies said.

He then ran from vehicle, but was quickly captured by deputies, police said.

Nominations sought for architecture honor

The Architectural Foundation of Cincinnati is accepting nominations for the 2003 Apple Award.

The award is given to an individual who has contributed to the foundation's goals: fostering architecture that respects the natural environment and meets the needs of people, as well as preserves Greater Cincinnati's heritage.

To make a nomination, send the name, title, company/organization, mailing address, phone and fax number and e-mail address of both the nominee and the nominator, along with a narrative describing the accomplishments of the individual.

Mail to: Architectural Foundation of Cincinnati, 2449 Fairview Ave., Cincinnati 45219 before July 22. Or e-mail PainterAFC@aol.com for the application format.

The Apple Award will be presented Nov. 14 at the Cincinnati Design Awards program.

Egg company appeals shutdown order

COLUMBUS - The state's largest egg producer, a longtime source of environmental complaints, on Friday appealed an Ohio Department of Agriculture order that it shut down.

The Environmental Review Appeals Commission said Buckeye Egg Farm asked the agency to delay Agriculture Director Fred Dailey's order that it start closing barns beginning Aug. 5 because it consistently failed to meet operating permit requirements.

Matt Doyle, Buckeye Egg's chief financial officer, did not return phone messages seeking comment.

Neighbors of the farms have complained for years about insect and rodent infestations and creeks polluted by manure runoff.