Compiled from staff and wire reports

Mason grad accepts theft charge in prank

MASON - The last of five Mason High graduates charged for involvement in a senior prank that left a peacock and rabbit dead plea-bargained Thursday to one charge of theft.

Chad Scheben, 19, was sentenced to 130 days in jail, but the judge suspended 123 days. He also will serve three years probation, have to go to drug and alcohol rehabilitation, and pay court costs.

Scheben originally pleaded not guilty to misdemeanor theft and animal cruelty charges that stemmed from the June incident.

Scheben also will serve 14 days in jail for two unrelated charges.

Clifton library branch celebrates renovation

CLIFTON - The newly renovated Clifton branch of the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County is holding an open house Sept. 6.

The $115,000 project, paid for with private donations, increased space by one-third, to 2,000 square feet, according to library officials. Improvements include an expanded children's area, a new entrance and handicap accessibility and public restrooms. Work was completed in July.

The open house will be held noon to 4 p.m. and will include balloons for kids and refreshments.

The branch at 351 Ludlow Ave., among the smallest of the library's 41 branches, circulated more than 225,000 items in 2002.

'Fly' prevents Ford dealer's move

WEST CHESTER TWP. - After saying on Wednesday that a Ford dealership he co-owns is considering moving to a soon-to-be-vacant corner on Tylersville Roadat Interstate 75, William Sander of Woody Sander Ford put the brakes on Thursday.

"We are not considering moving up there," Sander said. He did not elaborate, other than to say "there is a fly in the ointment."

The 34-acre parcel will be vacant when Wal-Mart moves about a mile down I-75 to Cincinnati-Dayton Road into a new supercenter in 2005. Wal-Mart opened in the township on Tylersville Road in 1995.

Because of the interstate access off the property, township officials say it won't remain vacant long.

The dealership now is on Mitchell Avenue in Winton Place.

School bus protest doesn't materialize

LIBERTY TWP. - Police patrolled The Reserves of Liberty subdivision after hearing that some parents were threatening to block Lakota school buses.

School Resource Officer Doug Hale said officers patrolled the subdivision - located off Ohio 747 just north of the Fox Highway - Wednesday afternoon and Thursday morning after some parents unhappy with changed bus stops threatened to block the road.

"I went up there to make sure nobody was doing anything illegal," Hale said. "No one was blocking the road. We had a cruiser Wednesday afternoon as a precautionary measure. There were no problems."

Middletown man found dead in car

MADISON TWP. - The Butler County Sheriff's Office is seeking information about the death of Kelly D. Back, 35, of Middletown, whose body was found Thursday morning in a car parked behind the Madison Inn on South Front Street in Madison Township, near Middletown.

There were no obvious signs of trauma on the body, which was taken to the Butler County Coroner's Office for an autopsy.

Anyone who may have had contact with Back or seen him since Wednesday, should contact the sheriff's office at 785-1300.

Swimming coach hired for Mason program

MASON - The city has hired an assistant aquatic supervisor to manage and coach its new year-round competitive swim program.

Ken Heis, originally from the Cincinnati area and a Turpin High School graduate, was most recently the head coach of the Aiken-Augusta Swim League in Augusta, Ga. Before taking that job in 2000, Heis was an assistant coach at Clemson University and head coach of the Anderson Swim Club in Anderson, S.C.

The school's swim coach, Mark Sullivan, will help Heis in developing programs for ages 6 through high school.

The team, which will use the Mason Community Center's competition pool, will compete with other USA Swimming-endorsed programs, including the Cincinnati Marlins and Sycamore Flying Fish.

Deadline approaches for upgrade grants

SPRINGFIELD TWP. - The deadline is looming for Hamilton County municipalities and townships seeking grants for road and bridge improvements and other infrastructure upgrades.

Applications for grants from the State Capital Improvement Program and Local Transportation Improvement Program are due by 4 p.m. Sept. 19.

They must be mailed or dropped off at the Hamilton County Engineer's Office, 10480 Burlington Road, Cincinnati 45231.

For more information, local officials can visit Web site.