Guardsman hit in Iraq attack

An Ohio National Guardsman from Anderson Township was wounded near Tikrit in Iraq in an attack on his convoy Wednesday. Staff Sgt. Paul Brondhaver, 35, of the 216th Combat Engineer Battalion, out of Hamilton, was in serious condition Thursday and underwent surgery to remove shrapnel at a military hospital in Germany, the Army said. Army Maj. Mark Magalski said Brondhaver's wounds, from a rocket-propelled grenade, were not considered life-threatening and that he would be flown to Walter Reed Army Medical Center for further treatment when he is stable. The New Richmond High School graduate is married with three children and attends the First Baptist Church of Glen Este. He also works as a community center director for the Cincinnati Recreation Commission.

Volunteers sought for Vietnam Wall

Volunteers are needed in Blue Ash to help Sept. 30 through Oct. 3 with the exhibit of the Wall that Heals, a half-scale replica of the Vietnam Veteran's Memorial in Washington, D.C. The exhibit, to be located behind the Blue Ash Recreation Center, 4433 Cooper Road, will feature the 250-foot wall, as well as an information center and traveling museum of memorabilia left at the memorial in Washington. Volunteers and family members of soldiers who were killed in action are asked to call Peggy Behm at 745-8644.

Ball State talks of tuition break

Ball State University representatives will visit Middletown and Hamilton next week to discuss a new agreement to allow residents from Butler, Darke, Mercer, Preble, Shelby and Van Wert counties to attend the university or take distance education courses at significantly lower tuition rates. The information sessions are 1-7 p.m. Wednesday at the Hawthorn Inn and Suites, 6475 Culbertson Road, Franklin, and 1-7 p.m. Thursday at the Hamiltonian Hotel, One Riverfront Plaza, Hamilton. Applications and transcripts will be reviewed for on-the-spot admissions decisions for undergraduate students. Presenting appropriate credentials and application fees will be waived for students admitted to Ball State at the session. Information: (800) 482-4BSU or online at www.bsu.edu/admissions.

TRAFFIC WATCH

North F Street in Hamilton will be closed between Ross and Park avenues from 6 p.m. tonight to 6 a.m. Monday.