Lee and Carolyn Glover snagged enough crappies on the third and fourth days of the tournament to place first over 200 teams with an overall weigh in total of 11.53 lbs.

"We also placed fifth in the semi-pro division in the United States,'' said Lee Glover.

Lee Glover (right) stands with his wife, Carolyn, and Darrell VanVactor, president of the American Crappie Association. Photo provided

He said their largest fish weighed 2.08 lbs.

The tournament consisted of two days of practice, where you cannot keep what you catch.

"The purpose of pre-fishing is to basically scope out the areas to see where the fish are and to know where you will start out on the first day of the tournament,'' said Lee Glover, a driver for CSI Waste Services.

He said when the tournament starts, it is the real thing: "You fish hard and you fish long. The day starts at 6:30 a.m., in the dark, and you must be in the weigh in line with your fish and your partner by 4 p.m.,'' he said.

Lee Glover said they have been in fishing tournaments since 1996. "We have qualified in regional tournaments every year, but this is our first Classic Tournament. To finish as high as we did, we can't help but be proud of ourselves. All I fish for is crappie, and I am fishing just about every week,'' he said.

He said his favorite local fishing hole is East Fork Lake.

"But I go to a lot of places across the country, fishing for crappie, such as Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina. I would like to get some sponsors for next year,'' he said.

Food marketers honor Lucas

U.S. Rep. Ken Lucas has been awarded a 2004 Food Distribution Industry's Thomas Jefferson Award for his commitment to free enterprise.

Tim Hammonds, president and CEO of Food Marketing Institute, said Lucas cast votes to stimulate economic growth.

The award is given by FMI and International Foodservice Distributors Association to senators and representatives who demonstrate their commitment to free enterprise.

Fitness push in Grant County

The Get Up, Get Out, Get Fit Grant County eight-week community-wide fitness program is in gear, running from Sept 30 through Nov. 30.

The program is designed to help Grant County residents be physically active at least 30 minutes a day, five days a week.

The program is sponsored by the Northern Kentucky Health Department and Fitness for Life Around Grant County, a group of Grant County residents who are interested in promoting health and fitness.

For more information, call (859) 578-7660

Youth Leadership Forum

Courtney Hentz of Erlanger joined other high school students in the National Youth Leadership Forum on Medicine in New Orleans, from July 18-27, to study a variety of concepts in public health, medical ethics, research and general practices. The group also had site visits to medical facilities and clinics.

They were involved in simulations in which they were presented a fictional case history and had to make diagnoses and develop a treatment plan.

Courtney, 16, met physicians, surgeons, researchers, scientists and medical educators. She is the daughter of Jim and Rhonda Hentz, Erlanger.

Honored students

Achieving Northern Kentucky students include two from Kenton County and one from Boone County who received $1,500 engineering scholarships each for the freshman year to the University of Kentucky College of Engineering.

They are Chris Jones, 18, a 2004 graduate of Beechwood High School. Chris is the son of Jeff and Kim Jones of Fort Mitchell; Karen Chan, 18, a 2004 graduate of Dixie Heights High School. She is the daughter of Chung Ving and Oi-Nga Chan, of Villa Hills; and Daniel Bremer, a 2004 graduate of Ryle High School. Daniel is the son of Bruce and Regina Bremer of Union.

Julie Matthews, 17, a Beechwood High School senior, has been recommended by the National Council of Teachers of English as a National Achievement Award in Writing Winner.

Her essay is among 689 across the country to receive this honor.

"I am pretty excited about it," Julie said. "I have not made up my mind about my career, but no matter what you go into, you have to be a good writer."

Julie is the daughter of Tim and Therese Anne Matthews of Fort Mitchell.

"We are pretty proud of her," said her mother. "The one advantage of the recognition is that she gets a card to put with her college application to show that she has received the recognition."