The Enquirer

President Bush will campaign through western Ohio today, stopping in Troy, Lima and Perrysburg.

He's also expected to attend a rally in Columbus Wednesday.

Prosecutor gives opinion on wording

Hamilton County Prosecutor Mike Allen weighed in Friday on the legal dispute over the ballot language to repeal Cincinnati's Article XII, siding with a conservative group that wants the word "discrimination" removed from the question.

Gay-rights activists say that the 1993 charter amendment "prohibits City Council from protecting people from discrimination based on sexual orientation," and want that language on the ballot. But in an advisory opinion to the Hamilton County Board of Elections, the prosecutor's office said "discrimination" appears nowhere in Article XII and the proposed ballot language is a "subjective, editorial characterization ... designed to persuade the voter to vote yes." Common Pleas Judge Mark R. Schweikert will hear arguments in the dispute Monday.

Chabot opponent gets endorsement

Democracy for America, the group formed by former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean, has endorsed Democrat Greg Harris, who is running against Republican Rep. Steve Chabot. "It's the first kind of national attention we've got on this race," said Harris, 33, of Clifton.

Voters can have say on rec center

Enough valid signatures were collected by West Chester Township residents to place a referendum on building a community center on the ballot next year. The Butler County Board of Elections announced Friday that 2,075 of the 2,616 signatures were valid, far exceeding the required 1,545. After certification, the referendum will be placed on the November 2005 ballot.

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