The Chicago law firm McDermott, Will & Emery was defending both the county and the Bengals against the Internal Revenue Service's claim that $26 million in seat-license fees was taxable. The county received the money as the Bengals' contribution to Paul Brown Stadium, but the IRS sent Bengals shareholders a tax bill on it. The county and the Bengals severed their joint defense agreement when the county sued the Bengals earlier this year, and now, Portune said, McDermott won't pass along information to the county's new lawyer on the case, Stanley Chesley.

2004 campaign might fall short

The 2004 United Way of Greater Cincinnati campaign said Monday that it expects to miss its goal by up to $500,000. This year's campaign ends Thursday. As of Monday, the campaign had raised $46.9 million, or 77 percent of the $61.1 million goal. The campaign finale will be at the Millennium Hotel at 11:30 a.m. Thursday. Tickets are $25. Reservations: www.uwgc.org/finalereservation or call (513) 762-7173.

Special section on races, issues

A four-page special section summarizing the races and issues that local voters will decide next Tuesday will appear in Sunday's Enquirer. Look for stories on the key topics: Ohio's marriage amendment, the vote to repeal Article XII, a wrapup of the presidential race, as well as mini-profiles of all local candidates in national, state and county races in Hamilton, Butler, Warren, Clermont and Dearborn counties.

• Learn more about candidates and issues and see previous Enquirer election coverage at Cincinnati.Com. Keyword: elections

Learning disabled planning night

The College of Mount St. Joseph will host a college planning night for students with learning disabilities 7-9 p.m. tonight, in the Trustee Room. The workshop is for students and parents seeking guidance on admissions, disability services and accommodations.

Blackwell to break Butler Co. deadlock

Secretary of State J. Kenneth Blackwell has been asked to break a 2-2 tie vote on the eligibility of Butler County election monitors. In an emergency meeting Monday evening, the Butler County Board of Elections deadlocked on whether to accept the names of 61 Republicans who could challenge voters in the county's 289 precincts. Two Democratic board members, Dan Gattermeyer and John Holcomb, refused to accept the list because it had not been certified by Carlos Todd, Republican Party chairman, as required by law. The names had been certified by West Chester Township Trustee George Lang as acting chairman.

The board also voted 4-0 Monday to reject the Republican Party's challenges of 255 registered voters.

Celebrities crowd into Miami University

It's been a big month for spotting famous people on the Miami University campus. Pittsburgh Steelers rookie quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and former NBA star Ron Harper, both Miami alums, were in Oxford over the weekend for Homecoming.

Last week featured appearances by civil rights activist Coretta Scott King, presidential daughters Jenna and Barbara Bush and former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean. Late-night TV talk show host Jay Leno entertained at Parents' Weekend Oct. 9. And this week, TV show host and Democratic activist Jerry Springer is at Miami on Wednesday evening, followed by conservative columnist Ann Coulter on Thursday night.

Football auction to benefit charity

The Community Foundation of West Chester/Liberty, a nonprofit charitable organization, is auctioning two tickets to Saturday's game between Ohio State and Penn State in Columbus, with kickoff at 12:10 p.m.The face value of the tickets is $57 each. Bidders should e-mail bids to Patti Alderson, president of the foundation, at pattialder@aol.com. All bids must be received by 5 p.m. today. All proceeds benefit the foundation, which supports causes ranging from scholarships for students to help for needy residents in the southeastern Butler County townships.

Report: Deer collisions in Ohio rose last year

Collisions involving deer increased 4.7 percent last year in Ohio, for total insured losses of about $63.5 million for 2003, the Ohio Insurance Institute reported Monday. The 31,729 collisions included seven deaths and 989 injuries, up from five fatalities and 898 injuries from 30,306 crashes in 2002. The institute collaborated with the Department of Natural Resources and State Highway Patrol on the report. The numbers are high in part because Ohio typically is among the states with the most registered vehicles, licensed drivers and miles driven. Ohio has about 700,000 deer, up slightly from last year. The top five counties for deer-vehicle collisions haven't changed since 2001: Hamilton, Richland, Muskingum, Summit and Knox.