URBANA, Ohio -- A two-year-old girl was found wandering alone in Urbana this morning..

It happened in the area of West Light Street.

Cops say a man on his way to play golf found the little girl around 8:45 a.m. The toddler was taken by Children's Services while officers looked for the her parents.

The father called 911 to report that his daughter, Mallory, was gone when he woke up.

Parent and child were reunited at Children's Services but the father could face child endangering charges.

CLARK COUNTY, Ohio -- Two teens were seriously injured in a single-vehicle crash this morning near Shawnee High School.

Both were taken by CareFlight to Miami Valley Hospital where both were listed in serious condition.

The Ohio State Highway Patrol says the SUV, driven by 16-year-old Abby Wilt, was southbound on Selma Pike south of East Possum Road when the driver lost control and went off the left side of the road.

The vehicle went airbourne, flipped and came to a rest in a field.

Neither teen attends Shawnee High School.

The crash remains under investigation.

(Information from the Springfield News Sun)

XENIA, Ohio -- She was a high school counselor and volleyball coach and now she has pleaded guilty to a count of sexual battery.

Brenda Osborne, 43, was accused of having inappropriate contact with a teenaged student athlete.

Christopher Magan of the Dayton Daily News reports though she was charged with three counts, prosecutors dropped the other two when Osborne surrendered her teaching license and is now classified as a tier three sexual offender.

She resigned in October from Xenia City Schools where she has worked for 17 years and was a counselor and volleyball coach.

Sentencing is scheduled for June 30th. Osborne could get up to five years in prison and a $10,000 fine.

A tip alerted officials about the incidents, which reportedly occurred July 1 and September 2.

NEW YORK (AP) -- Stocks fell on the final day of the first quarter after a payroll company's report gave investors a surprising reminder that the job market remains weak.

ADP says Wednesday that private employers slashed 23,000 jobs in March. Economists had forecast an increase.

The report comes before the Labor Department's monthly employment report due Friday.

The Dow Jones industrial average fell 51 to close at 10,856. It rose 4.1 percent for the quarter, the Dow's best first quarter since 1999.

The Standard & Poor's 500 index is down 4 at 1,169. The Nasdaq composite index is down 13 at 2,398.

Three stocks fell for every two that rose on the New York Stock Exchange. Volume came to 1.1 billion shares compared with 907.1 million Tuesday.

BELEM, Brazil -- Justice for a Dayton nun will have to wait a bit longer.

Prosecutors say Sister Dorothy Stang of Dayton was killed because she blocked Vitalmiro Moura and another rancher from stealing land the government gave to poor farmers.

A Brazilian court has now delayed the trial, which was supposed to start today, until April 12th.

The defense says it needs the time to study its options.

The confessed gunman is serving a 27-year sentence.

NEW YORK (AP) -- A top Toyota executive says U.S. sales surged 40 percent in March, powered by some of its deepest discounts ever in the wake of millions of recalls.

Toyota Group Vice President Bob Carter says some of the incentives will continue past March, including an offer of free maintenance for return Toyota customers.

Carter made the remarks during an interview at the New York International Auto Show. The Japanese automaker is coping with recalls of more than 8 million vehicles worldwide -- about 6 million in the U.S. -- by offering incentives such as 0-percent financing on recalled models, low-priced leasing and free maintenance.

Carter says Toyota dealers have so far repaired about 2 million recalled vehicles in the U.S.

CINCINNATI (AP) -- A Cincinnati judge has accepted a jury's recommendation to impose the death penalty on a man convicted of killing two teenage girls.

Anthony Kirkland's sentencing was today, two weeks after the jury convicted the 41-year-old of aggravated murder, gross abuse of a corpse and other charges for killing the girls and burning their bodies.

The judge could have chosen to give Kirkland life in prison for the slayings of 13-year-old Esme Kenney and 14-year-old Casonya Crawford. Kirkland told jurors he was evil and "a monster" before they said earlier this month that he should be executed.

Kirkland was to be tried for four deaths but pleaded guilty to murdering two women before his trial started.

DETROIT (AP) -- Not guilty pleas have been entered in Michigan on behalf of eight of nine members of a Christian militia that prosecutors claim plotted to kill police officers and kick-start a violent revolution.

The eight were arraigned Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Detroit, including the alleged ringleader, 44-year-old David Brian Stone.

Stone was among nine members of the Hutaree militia arrested after a series of raids in Michigan, Indiana and Ohio. A court document says an undercover FBI agent and a cooperating witness were part of the federal probe.

A hearing to determine if they'll be released on bail began Wednesday for Stone and six others. One suspect's bond hearing will be Thursday.

The ninth suspect was in court in Indiana, and will be arraigned later in Michigan.

DAYTON, Ohio (AP) -- GE Aviation says it plans to put a new research and development center near Dayton.

Ohio's Third Frontier program, which funds investment in innovative high-tech projects, is providing a $7.6 million grant. GE Aviation says the center will work on advanced electrical power systems for hybrid and electric vehicles, as well as aircraft and ships.

The center's exact location will be decided later this year, and is expected to begin operations in 2012.

Ohio officials say the new center will add 10 to 15 jobs in its first year, with the potential to add 100 to 200 to GE Aviation's current 1,000-plus employees in the Dayton area.

The General Electric Co. unit is based near Cincinnati.

CLEVELAND (AP) -- The Cleveland police department should create a missing persons unit, a panel recommended Wednesday in response to criticism leveled at the city after the remains of 11 women were found at the home of a man now charged in their deaths.

The city appointed the three-member panel to make recommendations on how reports of missing people and sexual assaults should be handled after the remains were found at the home of Anthony Sowell last year.

Among other suggestions in the report is that the city create a Web site of those gone missing, and that the city prohibit of any waiting period for accepting a missing person report.

It also says the sex crimes unit should be immediately relocated to a temporary location that is "victim-friendly and neutral."

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) -- A poll finds Ohio's leading Democratic contenders for the U.S. Senate have gained ground against the Republican candidate, while the state's Democratic governor maintains a lead over his GOP challenger.

The Quinnipiac University survey released Wednesday puts Democratic Lt. Gov. Lee Fisher ahead of Republican Rob Portman 41-37 percent. Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner has a 38-37 percent edge over Portman.

Both Democrats trailed Portman in a similar poll last month.

In the Ohio governor's race, the survey has Democratic incumbent Ted Strickland with a 43-38 percent lead over Republican John Kasich.

The survey of 1,526 registered Ohio voters was taken March 23-29. Its margin of error is plus or minus 2.5 percentage points.

Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

TROY, Ohio - A woman is Troy is challenging a rule at the Troy Aquatic Park that she calls "prehistoric."

Amber Vahle applied for a family pass at the park, but was rejected by the city recreation department because she and her partner, Jen, are not married and therefore do not qualify as a "family." The department said the passes to the city pool are only available for legally married husbands, wives, and their children.

Vahle claims the rule overlooks the idea that she and Jen, along with their two children, are, indeed, a family. She says the issue at hand goes beyond the $100 discount she would receive, and instead questioned how the City of Troy can determine what is and is not a family.

Other pools in the area also have policies defining a family, but they vary from place to place. Representatives in Piqua and South Charleston said passes are available for families living the same household, while a Tipp City employee said their rule requires parents to be married.

Vahle said she plans to pursue legal action to get the policy changed.

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- During a night of R&B classics on "American Idol," Ohio's Crystal Bowersox traded her guitar and bare feet for a piano and high heels.

The earthy 24-year-old musician from Toledo sang Gladys Knight and the Pips' "Midnight Train to Georgia" yesterday and was praised by judge Kara DioGuardi for taking a risk. Ellen DeGeneres called the performance a "wonderful, wonderful idea," but Simon Cowell cautioned Bowersox to stay true to herself.

She replied that she wouldn't ever do anything that wasn't comfortable for her.

Unless the judges decide to save a singer, another finalist will be eliminated tonight based on viewer votes, leaving nine singers in the competition.

LEBANON, Ohio -- A man arrested in Illinois has pleaded guilty to tampering with evidence in a Russian immigrant's slaying in the Miami Valley.

The Warren County prosecutor's office said 40-year-old Ermek Abdildaev, of Gurnee, Illinois, was convicted after pleading guilty yesterday in Lebanon. Abdildaev was charged with gross abuse of a corpse and evidence tampering in the slaying of 32-year-old Aleksandr Alferov.

Prosecutors agreed to a two-year-sentence in return for Abdildaev's cooperation in the investigation. Alferov lived in Cincinnati when he disappeared in 2000 along with $27,000 from his bank account. Authorities last year identified a skeleton found in 2007 as Alferov's and said he apparently was beaten to death.

By Dayton Daily News reporter Steve Bennish

OAKWOOD, Ohio - An investigation into the murder of a woman who grew up in Oakwood and was identified only recently after being found 20 years ago in Rotterdam's Westersingel canal has been reopened as part of a combined Dutch-British police probe.

In a pair of cold homicide cases, the bodies of two women were found dumped in canals -- one in Rotterdam and the other in London. Both were stuffed in bags with their heads and hands hacked off.

Dutch officials said the first victim was Melissa Halstead, 33, a model and photographer who grew up in Oakwood.

Joan Callahan Halstead, Melissa's step-mother who lives in Kettering, said Melissa left home at 19 after being recruited to model for the top New York City agency Ford Models.

Melissa grew up the daughter of Dayton dentist Jack Halstead, who died in 2006 -- two years before her remains were positively identified.

After 12 years that included steady work throughout Europe, her career in modeling at an end, Melissa Halstead opened her own photography studio in The Netherlands, Joan Callahan Halstead said.

According to a BBC report, British authorities suspect a carpenter named John Sweeney killed Halstead. Sweeney, now in jail on a life sentence for the attempted murder of an ex-girlfriend with an ax, had a relationship with Halstead.

Sweeney met Halstead in 1988 while she worked as a photographer in London. They had a volatile relationship but nevetheless moved to Austria together at some point, the BBC said.

Sweeney was convicted there of assaulting her with a hammer and spent six months in jail. She moved far away from him to Amsterdam, but Sweeney followed her after he was released from jail. He managed to persuade her to allow him to move in.

In July 1992, Sweeney left The Netherlands suddenly and returned to London.

A few days later, a torso was found floating in the canal. Halstead's body was originally buried in a grave without a name before she was finally identified in 2008 using new DNA techniques. Her remains have since been returned, according to prosecutors.

Step-mother Joan Callahan Halstead said that at one point in her conflict with a man who was stalking her, Melissa telephoned her father in a desperate tone asking for money to come home. But before any money was sent, she disappeared.

Jack Halstead was haunted by the event until his death at the age of 85, Joan said. "He was a quiet man, but I know it bothered him deeply all his life," she said.

A second victim linked to Sweeney is Paula Fields, a 31-year-old British mother of three and a crack cocaine addict, found in 2001 by children fishing in the Regent's Canal in London.

Prosecutors spokeswoman Jeichien de Graaff told the Associated Press: "We assume that these two women were killed by the same person."

As part of their investigation of Sweeney, British police have seized "hundreds of grisly drawings and poems depicting bloody attacks on female victims and the police," the BBC reported. In one passage, he wrote: "I'm just a manimal, twisted and confused, very dysfunctional."

Dutch prosecutors and police appealed on national television Tuesday night for information that could help crack the cases. Their British counterparts made a similar appeal Monday night on the British Broadcasting Corp.'s Crimewatch show.

Crimewatch said both women were in their early 30s when they were killed, both had lived in London and were reported to have been in violent relationships and become addicted to drugs.

John Huffman, 53, now a businessman in San Luis Obispo, Calif., said he attended school in Oakwood with Halstead in the 1970s. He read about her on the DaytonDailyNews website and recognized her photo.

"From what I remember, this would be the same girl that I knew," he said. "I am sorry to hear of this unfortunate end. She was very beautiful, funny and smart. It's a tragic shame."

Article courtesy Dayton Daily News. Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

EATON, Ohio - Police arrested four people Tuesday night in connection with a drug bust in Preble County.

Officers were dispatched to a duplex on Oakland Drive after a number of residents in the area complained of a suspicious smell coming from the home. After watching the home for a few hours, Eaton police eventually asked for permission to search the house and discovered a large-scale meth lab inside.

Cops said they found a number of ingredients and materials inside the home, along with some ecstasy.

Three men and one woman were arrested in connection with the lab. They are all now in the Preble County Jail awaiting charges.

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) -- The state says thousands of unemployed Ohioans are about to reach the end of their eligibility for unemployment benefits.

The Ohio Department of Job and Family Services said yesterday that about 17,000 Ohioans will run out of benefits by the end of March and another 79,000 will run out by the end of April.

The department says benefits are running out because those receiving them have reached the maximum number of weeks allowed or because of upcoming federal eligibility deadlines.

Extended federal benefits will not be forthcoming for claimants who reach the maximum 26 weeks for regular unemployment after March 27 or for those who reach their current extension for emergency federal funds after April 3.

The state has asked Congress to extend the deadlines.

HARRISON TOWNSHIP, Montgomery County, Ohio - Sheriff's deputies believe they have solved a series of robberies at North Dixie Drive businesses.  Forty-seven year old Maury Maddox is believed responsible for a robbery Sunday at a Subway restaurant, a Monday robbery at Little Caesar's Pizza, and a Tuesday robbery at Naughty and Nice.  Deputies say a witness led them to a getaway car at Salem and Wentworth in Dayton. The suspect was found behind the wheel.

SPRINGFIELD, Ohio - Nineteen year old Victor Corner pleads guilty Tuesday to charges of felonious assault and aggravated robbery.  In a plea bargain, charges of attempted murder and felonious assault were dropped.  Corner admits shooting a man last October at Southern and Clifton Streets. He also admits to shooting  a friend at his home on East Court Street. Corner is sentenced to 12 years in prison.

   NEW YORK (AP) -- Chris Johnson scored 22 points, including five

key free throws down the stretch, and Dayton held off Mississippi

68-63 in the NIT semifinals Tuesday night.

   Marcus Johnson added 12 points for the Flyers (24-12), who

slowed Mississippi's high-scoring offense and advanced to the

championship game for the first time since winning their second NIT

title in 1968.

   Terrico White had 19 points for the Rebels (24-11), eliminated

in the NIT semifinals at Madison Square Garden for the second time

in three years. Ole Miss was beaten by eventual champion Ohio State

in 2008.

   With New York Giants quarterback and former Ole Miss star Eli

Manning sitting in the second row, near the Rebels' bench,

Mississippi's Murphy Holloway had a chance to tie it at 64 with

35.8 seconds left. But he missed the second of two free throws, and

the Rebels never scored again.

WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio - Air Force Materiel Command has plans to hire up to 200 people by mid-year 2011. Dayton Daily News Reporter John Nolan says that the new hires will work for the Installation Acquisition  Transformation Enterprise Sourcing Group. It will purchase non-weapons goods and services. Hiring is scheduled for late summer or early fall.  Those interested in applying for the positions should wait until it is posted on the Federal Government Web Site, www.USAJobs.gov

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Some county elections boards say absentee ballot mailings for Ohio's May primary may be delayed a day or two because of a new directive regarding voters who switch parties.

On Friday, the state's top elections official told her local counterparts to have such crossover voters sign a form stating they support their new party's principles.

Democratic Secretary of State Jennifer says her directive simply underlines existing state law. Republicans charge she's trying to make it tougher for people to change parties and vote in the Democratic U.S. Senate primary, in which Brunner is a candidate.

Elections boards say they're scrambling to include the forms with primary absentee ballots, which many counties had planned to begin mailing on Tuesday.

Copyright 2010 The Associated Press

FAIRBORN, Ohio - Police say Sean Field lived in Fairborn for nine years yet failed to notify local authorities he was a tier 2 sex offender.

Field was convicted of unlawful sexual conduct with a minor and required by law to register in the county which he lives. Greene county officials used the new World Data System to locate Field.

A Greene County grand jury indicted Field Tuesday, March 30 on three counts including failure to register a new address, failure to periodically verify his current address and failure to register.

He will face arraignment in court on April 9. Field is not currently in jail.

WHIOTV.com contributed to this article

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The FBI and federal prosecutors are putting dozens of public entities in Ohio on notice that they must prevent fraud related to their stimulus grants.

The two U.S. attorneys who prosecute crimes in Ohio and the FBI said Tuesday they're mailing letters to 158 entities receiving significant amounts of stimulus funding.

The letters warn public officials to make sure the money isn't stolen and doesn't support corruption.

U.S. Attorney Steven Dettelbach of the Northern District of Ohio in Cleveland says the letter's blunt message is that the government is watching.

The FBI and prosecutors want the entities to establish internal controls to stop fraud and make sure private vendors take steps to prevent misuse of the funds.

Copyright 2010 The Associated Press

LIBERTY TWP., Ohio - Hundreds of students wore purple Tuesday, March 30 in remembrance of their fellow classmate that died when a school bus hit her Monday.

Sodany April Phan was killed when a special needs school bus struck her in the morning hours of March 29 while it was circling a cul de sac.

Phan wore black jeans and a dark sweatshirt that investigators think may have made it hard for the driver to see her.

"What a wonderful expression of your caring and support for her and her family," Principal Keith Kline said March 30 in a special announcement. "In seeing purple everywhere, we saw Sodany everywhere."

"We are still investigating everything at this point" said Butler County Sheriff's Deputy Brian Bussell. The driver of the bus, 61 year old June Henry, has been working for the school district for 23 years.

The Dayton Daily News contributed to this story.

JACKSONVILLE, N.C. -- North Carolina prosecutors are expected to open their case against a former Camp Lejeune Marine charged with killing a friend during a deadly game reminiscent of Russian roulette.

The Daily News of Jacksonville reported Tuesday that 21-year-old Michael Everett Smith of Erie, Ohio, is charged with murder.

Smith's roommate, 19-year-old Bryan Thorkelson of Sparta, died of a gunshot wound to the head after a game which has players taking turns pointing a loaded handgun at each other.

The game has cropped up in barracks across Iraq and Afghanistan, supposedly to make a serviceman trust a comrade enough that he would stare into the other Marine's gun barrel.

Last September, a Marine pleaded guilty at Camp Lejeune to involuntary manslaughter for a similar death in Iraq.

Copyright 2010 The Associated Press

WAYNE COUNTY, Indiana - A woman was seriously injured when her car flipped over and caught fire while being chased by police.

Officials said the woman was running from officers following the robbery of a customer at a Dollar General Store in Muncie, Indiana. Officers then followed her on State route 35 west of Richmond where she crashed her vehicle.

The woman was rushed to a local hospital with serious injuries.

WHIOTV.com contributed to this story.

DETROIT, Ohio -- The U.S. attorney leading the prosecution against nine suspected members of a Michigan-based Christian militia says authorities "needed to arrest them and take them down."

Barbara McQuade said Tuesday that federal investigators had been watching the group called Hutaree for some time and felt compelled to act based on an imminent threat against police.

McQuade says the "most troubling" finding was that Hutaree members plotted to make a false 911 call, kill responding officers and then use a bomb to kill many more at the funeral.

The nine face seditious conspiracy charges after weekend raids in Michigan, Ohio and Indiana. Eight appeared in court Monday.

One suspect, 21-one-year-old Joshua Matthew Stone, was arraigned Tuesday and was ordered held without bond until a hearing Wednesday.

Copyright 2010 The Associated Press

XENIA, Ohio - Brenda Osborne has pled guilty to one count of sexual battery for inappropriate contact with a student.

Osborne, 43, was employed by Xenia city schools as a counselor and volleyball coach at Xenia High School. Originally she was charged with three counts but prosecutors offered her a plea deal.

Police and school officials said a tip led them to begin an investigation of Osborne's conduct.

As part of the plea bargain, Osborne will lose her teaching license, be classified as a sex offender, and could faced up to 5 years in jail.

Sentencing is set for June 30.

The Dayton Daily News contributed to this story

ST. CLAIRSVILLE, Ohio -- A West Virginia man who confessed to a 1982 rape and murder in Ohio has been sentenced to life in prison and won't be eligible for parole for 20 years.

That means 64-year-old Eugene Blake of Huntington, W.Va., will likely die behind bars.

He recently pleaded guilty in Belmont County, Ohio, to shooting 21-year-old Mark Withers of Bridgeport, then raping Withers' 17-year-old companion.

Blake has been imprisoned in West Virginia for the 1984 rape and murder of a 13-year-old Wheeling girl but would have been eligible for parole next year.

Blake told the Ohio court he was raised in an atmosphere of violence and became addicted to drugs, but found God while in prison.

Copyright 2010 The Associated Press

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) - A new poll has Lt. Gov. Lee Fisher out in front of Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner but suggests Ohio's Democratic U.S. Senate primary is still anybody's guess.

The survey of Democratic voters released Tuesday by Quinnipiac University has 33 percent backing Fisher and 26 percent favoring Brunner.

But 40 percent are undecided and 65 percent of those who now support a candidate say they could change their mind.

The pollsters say the race remains volatile and that Fisher's lead shouldn't be so surprising, given that he's been active in Ohio politics longer than Brunner.

The survey of 978 Ohio likely Democratic primary voters was conducted March 25-28 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points.

Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.

DAYTON, Ohio -- Dayton firefighters are battling a structure fire this morning, March 30, in the attic of a vacant home in the vicinity of Irwin and Second streets, according to Dayton Fire Lt. Joe Renacs.

Accoring to Katherine Ullmer of the Dayton Daily News, Renacs said the fire department is fighting a defensive fire now putting water on the fire from outside with ladder hoses.

"It's unsafe to go in," as the home has holes in the floor, he said.

Information from the Dayton Daily News was used in this report

DAYTON, Ohio -- Those experiencing medical emergencies in Dayton may soon have to take a number.

The Dayton Fire Department is exploring a policy that would allow dispatchers to place a 911 caller's request on automatic hold -- sometimes for hours -- if their medical need is deemed a low priority and staffing is inadequate to handle life-threatening critical calls.

In some cases, the caller could be referred to the United Way's "211 First Call for Help" line to arrange rides to a doctor or hospital, a process that takes 48 hours.

Joanne Huist Smith 
and Anthony Gottschlich of the Dayton Daily News report DFD is in the information-collecting process right now, fire Chief Herb Redden said Monday, March 29.

Before the concept could become policy in Dayton, Redden said he needs to study other cities, including Cleveland, to gauge how similar polices could be adapted to meet the needs here.

DFD would also need support from City Manager Tim Riordan and the City Commission. Also, the plan would not move forward until after Dayton fire dispatch moves into the countywide 911 center later this year.

Information from the Dayton Daily News was used in this report

DAYTON, Ohio - It has been a longtime coming for the UD Flyers.

The men's basketball team will take the court tonight in the NIT semifinals for the first time since 1968 when UD last won the tournament.

Tip-off against semifinal foe Mississippi at New York's Madison Square Garden is set for 7 p.m. on ESPN2.

The Bud Light pregame show will air at 6 p.m. on AM 1290 and 95.7 FM.

UD (23-12) defeated Illinois State, Cincinnati and Illinois to reach the tournament's Final Four. Ole Miss (24-10) is in the semifinals for the second time in three seasons deafeating Troy, Memphis and Texas Tech to get to New York.

The Flyers hold a 1-0 series lead over the Rebels. UD defeated Ole Miss 72-70 on Dec. 20, 1980 at UD Arena.

UD coach Brian Gregory has a 5-1 career record in the NIT. 

The winner will advance to Thursday's championship game and will take on the winner of the tonight's night cap between North Carolina and Rhode Island. 

DAYTON, Ohio - A vehicle operated by an elderly woman caused a three-car accident Monday evening that nearly involved a collision with a gas station.

A female driver and her male passenger, both in their 80s, were traveling in a Lexus that went airborne and flipped several times near the intersection of Shiloh Springs and North Main in Harrison Twp.

They were taken to Miami Valley Hospital with life-threatening injuries, the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office said. The Lexus landed on another car driven by a female in her 50s. She was also taken to Miami Valley Hospital with serious injuries.

A man in his 40s driving the third damaged car was not hurt but shaken up by the accident.

The Lexus that started the crash was going between 60 and 70 mph in a 35 mph zone, and the driver lost control in a curve, the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office said.

Witnesses said the accident took out a phone booth and a street sign and nearly struck gas pumps at a BP gas station.

Information from WHIO-TV was used in this report.

DAYTON, Ohio - It wasn't quite like the movie Animal House - but it was close.

The Alpha Phi sorority at the University of Dayton is under investigation by police after an end-of-the-year formal got out of control Saturday night and some of the students are accused of causing thousands of dollars in damage at the business that hosted the party.

An employee working at Alpha Phi's Top of the Market formal party at the Webster Street Market on 3^rd St. said the party-goers broke glasses and were throwing them at the bartenders and the bar. A sink in one of the restrooms was torn off the wall and a stall door was ripped from its hinges.

Employees said the UD students stole bottles of champagne and they eventually had to call the police to get them out.

There were approximately 200 people at the party and Smith said many of the girls and their dates were drunk and out of control.

Lt. Larry Faulkner of the Dayton Police Department said, "I am rather surprised by this, and this is under investigation, so we'll have to see how it shakes out. They could face criminal charges."

University of Dayton officials released this statement late Monday saying they are investigating the situation and disciplinary actions could be taken.

Those at The Market said they are sending the sorority the entire clean-up bill.

Information from WHIO-TV and the Dayton Daily News was used in this report

DAYTON, Ohio - Dayton Police are investigating a shooting that occurred overnight at the West Manor Apartment Complex sending two security guards to the hospital.

The guards approached a parked pick-up truck shortly after 1 a.m. in the parking lot of the complex located on James H. McGee Blvd. and police said the male driver fled the scene as the guards advanced towards the vehicle. They questioned a female passenger after he ran off but the suspect returned with a gun and opened up fire on the guards striking both.

Both guards, employed by Moonlight Security, were taken to Miami Valley Hospital where one remains in critical condition. The other, who was wearing a protective vest, is in stable condition.

The suspect fled the scene after the shooting and police are looking for a 21-year-old suspect Christopher Brown described as black, 5-foot-8-inches tall, 145 pounds and last seen wearing a light-colored jacket and dark pants.

Police believe the man and woman might have been the same couple involved in another incident about a week ago at the Summit Square apartments in which the woman in that pickup was shot in the arm. That incident is believed to have centered around a drug deal.

Information from WHIO-TV and the Dayton Daily News was used in this report.

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) - The city council in Ohio's largest city has approved nearly $1 million for a man who was mistakenly accused of killing his identical twin.

During Monday's council meeting in Columbus, Police Chief Walter Distelzweig said he has ordered changes in evidence handling at crime scenes and may call for modified training.

Derris Lewis was charged with aggravated murder in the 2008 killing of his brother, Dennis. The case ended in a mistrial over a juror issue, and Lewis was later cleared after a test failed to find his blood on a palm print that had been a key piece of evidence.

The city's $950,000 settlement with 20-year-old Lewis was first announced last month by officials who issued a public apology.

Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.

DAYTON, Ohio - A former leader of the Southern Christian leadership Conference is calling for the current chairman's resignation.

Bishop Richard Cox said it would be best for the organization, which is under federal investigation for how officials used public money, if Chairman Raleigh Trammel left.

Bishop Cox said, "One of the things that we're going to do is a petition drive and circulate it and have the city of Dayton call for Rev. Trammel's resignation and Spiver Gordon's resignation and promote Dr. Bernice King, who was elected National President. So that is a step in the right direction."

Bishop Cox and others will make a formal announcement later this week with more details and he said he is supporting the National Board members who want Trammel removed from the SCLC board.

Information from WHIO-TV was used in this report

DAYTON, Ohio - Thousands of gallons of water continue to flow from a major water main break at McCleary and Elsmere avenues Monday afternoon, March 29.

Deputy director of City of Dayton Water Department Matthew Carpenter said crews will be working around the clock to fix the break, which could drain 2 million to 5 million gallons from the city's water system.

Steve Bennish and Kelsey Cano of the Dayton Daily News report water service to nearby Good Samaritan Hospital has not been affected, but residents on Elsmere report losing water service. Low to moderate water pressure is expected in the area. Residents and businesses in the area should expect water pressure to remain below normal through at least late evening. As of this time, no water boil advisory is required.

The break could take six to eight hours to repair, Carpenter said.

A contractor working on construction of the the new Fairview school was digging around a sewer when he struck the 16-inch water main about 12:30 p.m.

GC Contracting Corp. is the general contractor on the school construction project.

Information from the Dayton Daily News was used in this report

WASHINGTON - Ohio is on the short list of states to receive money for the housing crisis.

The Treasury Department plans to unveil $600 million in financial aid for five more states with high unemployment that have been slammed by the housing bust. Ohio will receive $172 million.

The announcement of funding for Ohio, North Carolina, Oregon, South Carolina and Rhode Island was expected Monday on the heels of the $1.5 billion in funding announced last month by the Obama administration for Arizona, California, Florida, Michigan and Nevada, which all have deeply depressed home prices.

The new money is going to housing finance agencies in states with the most people in counties with unemployment rates above 12 percent.

The unemployment rate in February for Montgomery County was 12.6 percent.

Other counties in the Miami Valley that met or exceeded the 12 percent unemployment rate last month include Clark (12.0), Darke (12.9), Miami  (13.2) and Preble (14.0).

Information from the Associated Press was used in this report

COLUMBUS, Ohio - Ohio was one of 14 states denied money from a federal stimulus program to strengthen education on Monday.

Though disappointed, Ohio officials say they will keep trying for the funding.

In a joint statement, Gov. Ted Strickland and state schools Superintendent Delisle say the state had high expectations so the news from Washington is a disappointment. They say Ohio will take into account comments from federal officials as the state immediately starts work on applying for the second phase of the competition, which has a June 1 deadline.

Delaware and Tennessee received $600 million in the first round of the U.S. Department of Education's $4.35 billion competition to encourage innovative school improvement efforts.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report

CINCINNATI (AP) - A freshman congressman from Ohio, whose vote for the health care overhaul drew heated protests, says he expects support to grow as people learn more about its benefits.

Democratic Rep. Steve Driehaus answered questions Monday from journalists, health officials and a supportive audience of several dozen people at a Cincinnati community health center.

Driehaus says there has been a lot of misinformation and what he calls "the politics of fear" directed at an overhaul that he says will provide Americans with peace of mind.

Driehaus' late decision to vote for the bill angered opponents leading to small protests outside his home and a telephoned death threat.

LIBERTY TWP., Ohio - A girl has died after being struck by a school bus early Monday morning.

The 15-year-old student at Lakota East High School was struck by a special needs bus around 6:30 a.m., according to reports. The accident occurred on Long Drive in the Elk Ridge section of the township.

The girl was found lying in the street when paramedics arrived.

The bus is owned by Petermann Bus Company, and the driver is said to have a "spotless" record. Only one other student was on the bus at the time of the accident.

Officers said they are still investigating the accident, and no charges have been filed.

DAYTON, Ohio - After rising steadily for more than a month, Ohio gasoline prices have fallen 9 cents in the last week.

A survey from auto club AAA, the Oil Price Information Service and Wright Express puts the statewide average for regular-grade gasoline at $2.68 per gallon, down from $2.77 last Monday. In Dayton, prices range from $2.47 to $2.79.

Ohio pump prices are a nickel higher than they were a month ago and are 12 cents below the current national average of $2.80.

Prices for crude oil have been drifting in recent days as traders question whether soft demand for fuel in the U.S. and Europe justifies higher prices.

One year ago, gas was more than 60 cents cheaper in Ohio, averaging $2.06 for regular.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

By Dayton Daily News writer Laura A. Bischoff

COLUMBUS -- If the 'Shoe is Ohio State University's backyard, the new Ohio Union is its living room.

Ohio State officials are eager to unveil the new showpiece of the main campus: 318,000 square feet of space where students can meet, eat, drink, dance, sing, debate, cook, bank and even study.

"It's every part of a student's life, short of taking a class," said Ben Anthony, a fourth-year student from Kettering who is president of the undergraduate student government.

Demolition of the old union, built in 1951, began in January 2007.

The new Ohio Union, which opens today, March 29, drips Buckeye pride. There is the 17,000-square-foot grand ballroom named after two-time Heisman Trophy winner Archie Griffin. And then there's the script Ohio over the bathroom sinks. The lyrics to "Carmen Ohio" are etched into limestone in the main corridor. All the artwork in the Ohio Union is from OSU students, faculty or staff.

After spending time in archives, OSU officials realized the Union was on the path of the Underground Railroad, so the architects added a lantern-shaped room facing High Street, said Tracy Stuck, assistant vice president for student life. "It'll be lit at all times to symbolize that the Union is open to everyone."

The Union has more than 3,400 chairs, 719 doors, 119 toilet stalls, 6,500 light fixtures, a 20,000-pound limestone planter, and 285 miles of copper wiring.

The $118 million building is financed by a student fee, which will climb from $25 per student this spring quarter to $63 per student per quarter after that.

"We could not have asked for a better building," Anthony said.

Copyright 2010 by the Dayton Daily News. All rights reserved.

WAPAKONETA, Ohio - Paramedics responding to a fire in Auglaize County early Sunday morning found flames coming from the home and a woman trapped inside.

The blaze broke out at the home on Canning Factory Road just south of Wapakoneta around 2 a.m. Officers responding to the scene discovered that the woman had set off an alert to report the fire, but they found the door to the house locked.

Paramedics were eventually able to reach the woman, later identified as Nevada Elizabeth "Sally" Dafler, but she was unconscious. They rushed her to Joint Township Memorial Hospital in St. Mary's, where she was later pronounced dead.

Officers believe Dafler may have suffered from smoke inhalation, though the official cause of death has not been determined.

FORT WAYNE, Ind. - Payback was sweet for the Miami Redhawks.

After losing to Michigan in the semifinals of the Central Collegiate Hockey Association's conference tournament last weekend, the Redhawks found themselves squaring off with the Wolverines in the regional finals Sunday evening, with a trip to the Frozen Four on the line. Sixty minutes of hockey wasn't enough to decide a winner, and neither was a first overtime session, but 1:54 into the second overtime Alden Hirschfeld fired a shot past Michigan goalie Shaun Hunwick to give Miami a 3-2 victory.

The goal was a stunner for the Wolverines, who dominated the third period and overtime. Redhawks goalie Connor Knapp made 55 saves to earn the victory, more than half of them coming over the final 40-plus minutes of action.

Hunwick stopped 32 shots in the loss.

Miami now advances to the Frozen Four for the second consecutive season. Last season they held a 3-1 lead in the national championship game against Boston University before allowing two goals in the final minute and eventually losing in overtime.

The Redhawks will play next Thursday, April 8th at Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan. They'll meet Boston College in one semifinal, while Rochester Institute of Technology will play Wisconsin in the other semifinal.

The winners will meet Saturday, April 10th for the national championship.

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) - A state review has discovered that Ohio was paying health care costs for 5,687 dependents of state employees who didn't qualify for coverage.

Coverage for those dependents has been dropped, which will save about $10 million annually.

But now state officials must decide whether to ask employees to repay taxpayer money spent on health care coverage for ineligible dependents.

The largest cut came in college-age students. About one-third no longer qualify for their parents' coverage.

Gov. Ted Strickland's administration decided last spring to audit dependent eligibility.

Sally Meckling, spokeswoman for the Ohio Civil Service Employees Association, the largest state union, says the dependent cuts were not a surprise and the union supported the move.

Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

DAYTON, Ohio - It survived one fire. It didn't survive a second.

A home in Dayton was destroyed by a fire early Sunday morning, less than 24 hours after it survived a first round of flames. There is no word yet on the extent of the damage to the home at 426 Gramont Avenue.

The first fire broke out around 3:30 p.m. on Saturday in the kitchen, and firefighters were able to quickly extinguish the blaze. Investigators said faulty electrical wiring was likely the cause of the fire, and they credited working smoke detectors for alerting the home's owner.

The second fire happened around 3:30 a.m. on Sunday, and fire officials believe that one may not have been accidental. Crews worked until nearly 9 a.m. to finally put out the blaze, and investigators said they don't believe the second fire was related to the first.

Fire officials say they expected to know the official cause of both fires Monday, which will then allow them to begin piecing together exactly what happened.

BUTLER TWP., Ohio - Officials with the Ohio State Patrol say two people died in a head on crash along I-70 early Sunday morning.

Cops say a Pontiac Grand Prix was traveling eastbound when it crossed the median and struck an oncoming vehicle around 1:20 a.m. The driver, Angela Redmond, and the passenger, Robert Sanders, were both pronounced dead at the scene.

Investigators said that Redmond, 37, was wearing her seatbelt at the time of the accident. They did not believe that Sanders was wearing a seatbelt - the 45-year-old was thrown from the car as a result of the crash.

The driver of the other car, 18-year-old Killian Valleu, was taken to Miami Valley Hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

Officers say they are waiting to see an autopsy report before determining what additional factors, if any, played a role in the accident.

COLUMBUS, Ohio - Ohio voters on May 4th will decide whether to change the site of one of four casinos planned in Ohio.

Issue 2 asks voters to approve changing the location of the Columbus casino from a downtown neighborhood to a former auto parts factory on the city's west side. The casino is one of four planned after voters passed the initiative at the ballot last November.

Construction on the casino, as well as the ones in Toledo, Cincinnati, and Cleveland, is expected to be completed sometime after 2012.

   SEARCHLIGHT, Nev. (AP) -- Sarah Palin told thousands of tea party

activists gathered in the Nevada desert that Sen. Harry Reid will

have to explain his votes when he comes back to his hometown.

   The wind whipped U.S. and Alabama flags behind Palin as she

stood on the makeshift stage, holding a microphone and her notes as

she spoke to the crowd.

   Palin says the big government, big debt spending spree of the

Senate majority leader, President Barack Obama and House Speaker

Nancy Pelosi is over, and "you're fired."

   She says those protesting the health care overhaul aren't

inciting violence, but says they shouldn't sit down and shut up.

   Palin was the main attraction at the rally about 60 miles south

of Las Vegas. It kicks off a 42-city bus tour that ends in

Washington on April 15.

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) -- Ohio officials say revisions to the

state's 2009 job-loss estimates show that about 70,000 additional

jobs were lost.

   The revisions by the state Department of Job and Family Services

increase the amount of jobs lost from December 2008 to December

2009 to about 255,000, leaving Ohio with just fewer than 5 million

jobs.

   Ohio Bureau of Labor Market Information Chief Keith Ewald says

the revisions are the largest made in recent times.

   Gov. Ted Strickland says he believes "we came very close to a

major financial meltdown" but that his economic advisers feel the

economy is stabilizing.

   Cleveland economic analyst George Zeller says the numbers show

that the recession was deeper that previously thought and that the

model Ohio uses to estimate job losses is "catastrophically

wrong."

TROY, Ohio - Twenty-four year old Shawn Price is under arrest after police say he threatened people with a gun at the Bureau of Motor Vehicles on Experiment Road.  Police say Price was trying to get a state ID card when he got into an argument with staff and another customer.  Then he went outside, grabbed a gun from his car, and started threatening people.  Price was arrested later in Sidney. 

DAYTON, Ohio - Police say a man was trapped inside a truck after running a red light at Patterson Boulevard and East Fourth Street and then hitting a westbound car late Saturday morning.  Police feared that he might have been killed after a light pole fell through the windshield, but he was only injured. The two people in the car suffered minor injuries.  The truck driver is charged with running a red light. An investigation is underway.

RICHMOND, Indiana - Police are still investigating the circumstances surrounding a shooting Thursday night in the 200 block of Seventh Street.

Eric Ray drove himself to the hospital after he was shot in the back. He is currently listed in critical condition.

Authorities are still determining the reason Ray was shot. Police think it may have been a robbery gone wrong.

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- A judge has ordered suspended Washington Wizards star Gilbert Arenas to spend 30 days in a halfway house on gun charges stemming from a locker-room confrontation with a teammate.

Prosecutors had recommended that Arenas serve three months in jail. Defense attorneys argued Arenas didn't deserve jail time for what they described as a misguided prank on teammate Javaris Crittenton.

Arenas pleaded guilty to violating the city's gun laws in a Dec. 21 incident at Verizon Center. Following an argument over an unpaid gambling debt, Arenas brought several guns to the Wizards' locker room and set them in front of Crittenton's locker with a sign telling him to "PICK 1."

In court papers, prosecutors said Crittenton had legitimate reason to believe Arenas' threat was genuine.

Copyright 2010 The Associated Press

SPRINGFIELD, Ohio - Clark County Sherriff Gene Kelly announced more than $3,800 in drugs had been confiscated and 14 arrests made in a sting operation Friday, March 25.

"We're sending a strong message that we do investigate, we will investigate, and we will take (their) assets," said Kelly.

Fourteen people were arrested and one is expected to turn himself in for drug trafficking charges.

Arrested Thursday on the following charges were:

• Michael Neff, 22; four counts of drug trafficking.

• James Decker, 22; three counts of drug trafficking.

• David Stilwell, 21; four counts of drug trafficking.

• Arthur Delarosa, 22; three counts of drug trafficking.

• Kevin Meyer, 32; two counts of drug trafficking.

• Charles Brown, Sr., 39; two counts of drug trafficking.

• Mahogany Colquitt, 27; one count of drug trafficking.

• Dwayne Baxter, 46; three counts of drug trafficking.

• Rodney McMahon Jr., 26; three counts of drug trafficking.

• David Douthy, age unknown, three counts of drug trafficking.

• Justin Watts, 26, three counts of drug trafficking.

• Kaleb Baker 20, three counts of drug trafficking.

• Jowyn Self, 20, three counts of drug trafficking.

• James Bennett, 59, three counts of drug trafficking

The Springfield News-Sun contributed to this article.

DAYTON, Ohio -- An Ohio coroner's official says one of two plane crash victims was incorrectly cremated and the other man was buried in the first man's place.

Authorities are working with the families to get the remains to the right places.

The two Indiana men were on board a small plane that crashed in rural Union County on March 5.

The director of the Montgomery County coroner's office in Dayton says the body of 55-year-old Frank Granato Jr. was sent to the family of 67-year-old Arthur Potter in Greenwood, Indiana and cremated. The body of Potter, of Indianapolis, was sent to New Castle, Pennsylvania, for burial by Granato's family.

Copyright 2010 The Associated Press

XENIA, Ohio - Chi Du was sentenced to 20 years in prison for the stabbing his ex-girlfriend and her friend outside Dunbar Library on the Wright State Campus in 1997.

Du had been on the run for since the incident but was found working in a cell phone store in Canada.

He was convicted on two counts of attempted aggravated murder. Prosecutors argued that Du stabbed his ex-girlfriend because he was upset she ended the relationship.

In addition to the 20 year sentence, Du must also pay $25,000 in fines and restitution.

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The Ohio prisons department will conduct strip searches, limit visitation and regularly search the cells of inmates with scheduled executions under a protocol developed in response to the overdose of a death row inmate two days before his planned lethal injection.

The recommendations were made in an investigation into the March 7 prescription-drug overdose of Lawrence Reynolds Jr., leading to a weeklong delay of his execution.

The investigation also recommends that inmates with execution dates be switched to liquid forms of medications when available and that all inmates be required to drink liquid after taking pills.

The changes apply to death row at the Ohio State Penitentiary in Youngstown. Similar reviews are planned at Ohio's two other prisons with death rows.

Copyright 2010 The Associated Press

CLAYTON, Ohio - The Ohio Department of Transportation District 7 now has more information available to the public to help them plan their route on the website http://www.buckeyetraffic.org/

The new additions allow Dayton area motorists access to current speeds of traffic on I-75, I-70, I-675, US 35, SR 4 and SR 49. Three color designations show where speeds are slower due to congested traffic.

"This technology allows drivers to see any traffic concerns before they get behind the wheel," said Rex Dickey, District 7 Deputy Director.

These new features are in addition to traffic cameras and message alerts that are provided by the site.

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Officials say Ohioans rushing to take advantage of a state appliance rebate program on its first day have jammed a Web site and phone lines.

Ohio Department of Development spokeswoman Bethany Close says interest has been so huge that at one point Friday morning, "Ohio appliance rebate" was No. 1 among Google's top searches.

Starting at 8 a.m., consumers could to go to OhioApplianceRebate.com or call a toll-free number (1-888-686-8896) to reserve a $100-$250 rebate on a new energy efficient appliance.

Close acknowledges that the heavy demand has meant the Web site has been slow at times, and some people have had trouble getting through by phone.

The state has about 90,000 rebates available. Close says nearly 18,000 were reserved by early afternoon.

Copyright 2010 The Associated Press

LEBANON, Ohio -- Warren County Common Pleas Court Judge Robert Peeler sentenced a Springboro woman to 2 years in prison for child endangerment Thursday, March 25.

Rachael Abrams, 27, plead guilty to the child endangerment charges and began serving her sentence today. Police found her two children, a 1 month old and an 8 year old, near a man making methamphetamines when they raided her house in October.

Police arrested Ron Hubbard, 35, in the bust and charged him for child endangerment and illegal manufacturing of methamphetamine. He was sentenced to 4 years in prison.

Abrams was not home during the raid and eluded authorities until her capture in December.

LIMA, Ohio -- A proposed energy plant in northwest Ohio is now in the hands of new investors, raising hopes that a decade-old idea will get off the ground.

Investors say it's possible that construction could start as early as next year on the plant in Lima that would turn gas from coal into synthetic natural gas.

Project developers say the amount produced would equal 7.9 million barrels of oil.

It also would create about 1,000 construction jobs and 120 permanent positions.

The plant was first proposed about 10 years ago but the original backers, called Global Energy, ran into problems with financing.

Copyright 2010 The Associated Press

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- State records show that an Ohio inmate tried to commit suicide with an overdose of antidepressants two days before his scheduled execution to deny the state the chance to kill him.

Forty-three-year-old Lawrence Reynolds Jr. was executed by lethal injection on March 16 after a seven-day postponement. He had been found unconscious in his death row cell on March 7.

An investigation released by the Ohio prisons department Thursday says Reynolds took about 30 prescribed tablets and had likely stockpiled them.

The report says medical and security staff failed to properly monitor Reynolds' medication intake and to search him.

An investigator writes that Reynolds "stated that his intention was to end it and not give the state any satisfaction of killing him."

Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press

DAYTON, Ohio - Overnight there were some developing traffic issues that may affect your morning commute.

I-70 West near the Brookville exit has only the left lane open for travel.

Northbound 75 at the St. R.t 725 on ramp has seen four cars slide off and create a problem.

Southbound 75 has two accidents currently affecting it; one near 1^st street and another near Monument Ave.

The leftover ice and snow on the roadways is expected to melt as temperatures increase throughout the day.

DAYTON, Ohio - The remains of two men killed in a March 5^th plane crash in Indiana were accidentally switched, resulting in the cremation of the incorrect body.

Arthur Potter, 67, of Greenwood, Ind., and Frank Granato, 55, of Carmel, Ind., had such severe injuries from the nature of their death that the bodies had to be sent from Indiana to Dayton to be identified. They were killed when the two-seat plane Potter was piloting crashed in rural Union County.

Union County coroner Dr. David Applegate sent the bodies to Montgomery County chief deputy coroner Lee Lehman and Dr. Mark Armstrong, a forensic dentist.

After the doctors in Montgomery County correctly identified the remains they sent the corpses back to Indiana but failed to notice that Dr. Applegate's report still contained the incorrect identifications.

Montgomery County Chief Coroner Dr. James Davis noticed there might have been a switch several days later when a family member of one of the men returned the wrong personal effects.

Lynn Hulsey of the Dayton Daily News spoke with Dr. Davis who said "This has never happened to us before, and I've been here since 1975."

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Authorities say nine people arrested in a marriage fraud scheme have pleaded guilty in federal court in Ohio.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials said Thursday that Columbus-area residents recruited U.S. citizens and foreign nationals to enter into sham marriages beginning in 2007.

Authorities say foreign nationals mostly from Eastern Europe were paid about $17,000 and allegedly promised legal residency while citizens were promised money.

Three pleaded guilty to one count each of conspiracy to commit marriage fraud and filing false documents. The other six pleaded guilty to one count of marriage fraud.

The conspiracy and fraud charges are each punishable by up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000. The foreign nationals also could face deportation.

Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press

VANDALIA, Ohio - Joseph Jordan is now in the custody of US Marshals for fleeing while awaiting trial for drug charges.

Jordan was awaiting trial in May of 2009 for seven felony charges including illegal manufacturing of drugs and possession of criminal tools. If convicted Jordan could face up to 40 years in prison.

"Now that he's in custody we can go forward with bringing him to justice," Chief Assistant Bruce McGary said.

US Marshals worked with Warren County Sheriffs and Lebanon Police to bring the fugitive into custody.

SANDUSKY, Ohio -- A former police chief in northern Ohio has pleaded guilty to selling a township's weapons and keeping the money.

Former Perkins Township police Chief Tim McClung pleaded guilty to theft and mail fraud Wednesday in federal court and now faces 8 to 14 months in prison.

He's also facing a theft in office charge in Erie County court, where he's accused of stealing three weapons from the police department. He has pleaded not guilty in that case.

Federal prosecutors say the department bought the weapons and McClung sold them to undisclosed private individuals.

Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press

MIAMISBURG, Ohio - Evenflo is recalling 150,000 wooden gates that are used to block children from stairs.

The recall comes after the Consumer products Safety Commission issued a statement that the slats on top of the Evenflo Top-of-Stair Plus can break or detach.

The company received 142 complaints about the product and included incidents where the children gained access to the stairways.

The Mexican-made gates were sold online and by stores nationwide, including Toys "R'' Us, Burlington Baby Depot and Kmart. An additional 33,000 gates that were sold in Canada are also being recalled.

The Dayton Daily News contributed to this story

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Two Ohio congressmen who voted for President Barack Obama's health care bill say they have received threats at their offices.

A spokesman says U.S. Rep. Steve Driehaus received a death threat phoned to his Washington, D.C. office and that a Cincinnati online newsletter gave the congressman's home address, urging a protest at the Driehaus home Sunday.

Democrat John Boccieri, whose northeast Ohio district includes Canton, says he also received threatening voicemail messages.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is condemning vandalism and threats of violence against members of Congress who voted for sweeping health care change.

Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The pentagon has issued new guidelines for dismissing homosexuals from military service under the 1993 "don't ask, don't tell" policy.

Secretary of Defense Robert Gates called the changes a matter of "common sense and common decency" and many see this as the first step in removing limitations for gays in the military.

The changes raise the level of officer authorized to initiate a fact-finding inquiry into a case, the level of officer who can conduct an inquiry and of the one that can authorize a dismissal.

These measures are considered a "stop-gap" to help military service members that are under review for dismissal. Congress is currently reviewing President Obama's initiative to repeal "don't ask, don't tell" for a more tolerant course of action.

"I believe these changes represent an important improvement in the way the current law is put into practice, above all by providing a greater measure of common sense and common decency for handling what are complex and difficult issues for all involved," Gates said at Pentagon news conference.

An estimated 13,000 enlisted men and women have been discharged since the law came into effect.

The Dayton Daily News contributed to this story.

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Ohio lawmakers have approved a crime-fighting measure requiring the collection of DNA genetic evidence from anyone arrested on a felony charge.

The measure approved Wednesday now goes to Gov. Ted Strickland for his consideration. The bill also opens DNA testing to parolees.

Another provision is meant to ensure unbiased police lineups by making sure the officer in charge doesn't know who the suspect is.

Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press

HAMILTON, Ohio - Yuyang David Bai has been convicted of gross sexual imposition and assault for his actions in the morning hours of Halloween night.

Bai, 20, was charged with assaulting a fellow Miami University student and then fighting the police officer that attempted to stop the attack.

After fighting with the officer and attempting to steal his gun Bai ran off but was later taken into custody by campus police.

The woman involved in the case says Bai put his hand up her dress after she protested. The jury found him not guilty of trying to steal the officer's weapon.

The Dayton Daily News contributed to this story.

CINCINNATI, Ohio -- Fifth Third Bank says it's sending some customers new debit cards this week because of a security breach.

The Cincinnati-based bank says a "limited number" of card numbers and expiration dates were compromised by a breach at an outside company that processes transactions for merchants. Fifth Third won't give a specific number of customers who are affected.

The bank says it does not believe other consumer information, such as Social Security or PIN numbers, was exposed. Still, it's telling customers to give their banking statements a close look and report any unusual activity.

Fifth Third operates in a dozen states, mostly in the Midwest and South.

Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press

KETTERING, Ohio - The crash occurred at Valley Wood Ski Shop on Wilmington Pike when a truck slammed into the business    .

Police say the pickup truck hopped the curb, drove across the sidewalk and struck the business.

There were no serious injuries though the truck sustained severe damage.

WHIOTV.com contributed to this story.

NEWARK, Ohio -- Police in central Ohio say a co-founder of KC and the Sunshine Band has told them he had sex with teenage boys.

They say a boy disclosed to detectives last week that Richard Finch had sexual contact with him at Finch's home in Newark. They say they arrested Finch on Tuesday and while being interviewed he admitted he'd had sex with that boy and others aged 13 to 17.

Finch was being held at the Licking County sheriff's office on $250,000 bond.

A message posted on the Web site of Richard Finch Productions says "we are sure Mr. Finch will be vindicated."

Sergeant Kevin Biller says no date has been set for Finch's arraignment. He won't disclose the evidence that led to Finch's arrest or the possible charges against him.

Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press

MIAMISBURG, Ohio - A boil advisory for parts of Miamisburg has been lifted.

The advisory was issued when a water main break on North Gebhardt Church Road left a portion of Miamisburg without water service Tuesday night.

Officials said about 2,500 homes in the eastern section of the city were affected. The dry taps extended west of Sycamore Medical Center between Belvo Road to the south and Wilson Park Drive to the north, extending west to 11th Street and south of Maue Road between Heincke Road and Mound Avenue.

Residents and businesses in those areas were asked to boil water that was used for drinking, cooking or hygiene for at least one minute.

Information from WHIO-TV was used in this report

DAYTON, Ohio - Interestested in purchasing any furniture, TV's, restaurant equipment, artwork or laundry equipment?

Head on over to the shuttered Dayton Airport Hotel.

A three-week liquidation sale begins today, March 25, in an effort to clear out the 40-year-old hotel before most of it is demolished.

National Content Liquidators Inc., of Springboro was selected last week by the city, which owns the hotel, to handle the sale. Dayton will be paid $115,000 for the contents of the hotel, which includes beds, chairs, sofas, ice machines, chandeliers banquet furnishing and more, according to the terms of the deal.  

Sale hours at the hotel will be held on the grounds of Dayton International Airport 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Mondays thru Saturdays and noon to 5 p.m. on Sundays.

The city will salvage the section of the hotel that houses the Dayton-based PSA Airlines but much of the site will be used for a parking lot.

A Holiday Inn & Suites at the airport will open in late 2011.

Information from the Dayton Daily News was used in this report

HUBER HEIGHTS, Ohio - A woman accused of stealing money from her employer has pled guilty to bank fraud.

Wanda Fox of Huber Heights allegedly used software from her employer, Antioch Shrine, to steal nearly $500,000 from the company. Investigators say the 67-year-old Fox wrote close to 200 checks that were made payable to herself, and then cashed them in for $480,000.

Fox will be sentenced to 30 years in prison. Her sentencing is scheduled for July.

DAYTON, Ohio - Police are cracking down on crime on the east side in the wake of a dramatic spike from last year.

Police said crimes in one part of Dayton went up 200 percent from last year and officers said drugs are the main reason for the crime increase. They said people are breaking into homes and cars stealing property to sell for heroin, specifically.

Dayton Police formed a special task force this month to deal with the problem and officers on the city's east side have teamed up to bring that number down.

Dayton officers have put nearly 50 of those burglars behind bars in three weeks.

Lt. Chris Williams said, "The first thing we did was start off with a crime analysis of the crimes, times of the day, day of the week and the neighborhood."

Then the task force identified the criminals and took 46 people to jail over the last three weeks.

Police said the latest stats show that residential burglaries are down 64 percent and other thefts are down by 44 percent. However, residents are being reminded to keep their homes secure.

Investigators said more arrests could be on the way.

Information from WHIO-TV was used in this report

HAMILTON, Ohio - A woman found not guilty by reason of insanity in the fatal shooting of a university professor in Oxford will be allowed unsupervised visits away from a mental facility.

A judge in Hamilton ruled Wednesday that 44-year-old Tonda Ansley could receive day passes from the Cincinnati facility after doctors said she understands she has a mental illness and takes medication.

Ansley was charged in the 2002 slaying of 55-year-old Sherry Lee Corbett, a Miami University professor and Ansley's landlord. Psychological evaluators said Ansley had delusions that Corbett and others were conspiring to kill her.

Authorities say Ansley shot Corbett in front of witnesses.

The judge said Ansley is prohibited from entering Hamilton or Pennsylvania, where authorities say other intended victims live.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

MIAMI TWP., Ohio -- Miami Twp. is going green.

The municipality is taking steps to become the first in Ohio to offer its residents with a new yard an organic waste recycling program.

Kristin McAllister of the Dayton Daily News reports Township officials will unveil today, March 25, a partnership with Waste Management of Ohio that will be the largest implementation of its kind in Ohio.

The program allows residents to reduce the amount of refuse that goes to landfills by recycling organics, such as banana peels, coffee grounds, eggshells, and fruits and vegetables.

There is no charge to residents for the organics container and that participation is $11.50 per month, or $5.50 per pickup, officials said. Because it's a volunteer program, the cost to participate will equal what residents pay for yard waste bags, said trustees president Deborah Preston.

All materials are collected in a separate truck and taken to a processing facility in South Charleston.

Watse Management will soon offer similar programs in Fairborn and West Milton, officials said.

Information from the Dayton Daily News was used in this report

COLUMBUS, Ohio - You can drive a car in Ohio, and you can send a text message in Ohio. You just can't do them at the same time, according to legislation that passed the state house yesterday.

The measure to ban texting while driving passed on Wednesday by an 86-12 vote in the Ohio House. The burden for passing the bill into law now becomes the responsibility of the Ohio Senate, which is already considering similar legislation.

Lawmakers say the issue lies more with "distractions" while driving, but the bill focuses only on texting. It would make texting while driving a primary offense, meaning police could pull over a motorist for that reason alone. The law would also carry a $150 fine for a first offense after a six-month grace period.

Twenty states and Washington D.C. already have a similar law in place to the one being considered in Ohio.

DAYTON, Ohio -- Lori Ward was introduced as Dayton Public School's next Superintendent Wednesday, March 24, and the biggest challenge for her on the horizon involves dollars and cents.

The area's largest school district's biggest problem  involves money and the dwindling supply of it, according to Dayton school board President Jeffrey J. Mims, Jr.

Dave Larsen of the Dayton Daily News reports a new operating levy approved in November 2008 was supposed to generate $9.3 million a year, but is only generating $4 million because of home foreclosures and delinquent property taxes, said Mims Jr.

He said the district also will lose $600,000 to $700,000 in tax revenue annually from the sale of the former NCR Corp. world headquarters to the University of Dayton, a nonprofit institution.

Ward will take over for outgoing Superintendent Kurt Stanic on July 1. She currently is Stanic's second in command.  

Ward, 52, acknowledged Wednesday "we have a tough road ahead of us."

"We have to protect classroom instruction as much as possible, which means that business operations have to become more efficient," she said. "We're trying to design an organization, we trying to be proactive, but we have to really be affordable and sustainable."

Information from the Dayton Daily News was used in this report

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) - Federal officials say Ohio won't have to repay $25 million in stimulus money if the state decides to scrap plans for passenger train service.

It's a response to Ohio Senate President Bill Harris, a Republican who questioned whether the money for engineering and design work would have to be paid back if the state later backs out.

Harris' support for the project is needed to release the first part of a $400 million federal grant awarded to Ohio in January. Harris says that he is pleased to know no strings are attached to the $25 million, but he remains uncomfortable in giving the OK.

Ohio has until Sept. 30, 2017, to spend the entire $400 million or forfeit the balance.

Plans call for a 79-mph startup rail service connecting Cleveland, Columbus, Dayton and Cincinnati, beginning in 2012.

Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

DAYTON, Ohio - After  a season of disappointing road losses, the Flyers have now scored two consecutive big road victories to earn themselves a trip to the Big Apple.

Chris Johnson scored 18 points and ten different players scored at least one basket as Dayton defeated Illinois, 77-71, Wednesday night in the quarterfinals of the NIT. The Flyers advance to the semifinal round Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

Dayton will play Mississippi in the first semifinal matchup, while Rhode Island will meet North Carolina in the second game. It's the first trip for the Flyers to the NIT semifinals since they won the entire tournament back in 1968.

Dayton trailed for only 43 seconds the entire game, jumping out to an early 23-9 lead and taking the partisan Illinois crowd out of the game. The Fighting Illini got the game as close as five late in the second half, but the Flyers hit enough free throws down the stretch to ice the victory.

Dayton is now 23-12 on the season.

WHITEHALL, Ohio -- Police say drivers who grabbed part of the thousands of dollars in cash that fell out of an armored vehicle in Ohio could face grand theft charges if they don't return the money.

Whitehall Police Sgt. Dan Kelso says the Garda vehicle was driving on a suburban Columbus street at about 8:20 a.m. Wednesday when a bag of cash fell into an intersection and split open. The car's driver was unaware and kept going.

Police say motorists stopped and stuffed their pockets. Kelso says four or five people have returned about $10,000 and officers gathered more, but most of the cash is missing. Police estimate as much as $100,000 was in the bag.

Detectives are using pictures from cell phones and surveillance videos from area shops to identify people who may have taken it.  

Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Dozens of Democrats who helped deliver President Barack Obama's health care overhaul have become politically imperiled and the president Obama plans to use his political heft to try to prop them up.

Following the signing of the bill yesterday, opponents have kept up their vehement objections.

A Republican seeking a northeast Ohio House seat, Jim Renacci, raised $50,000 in mere days while Democratic Rep. John Boccieri mulled over how he would vote on the health bill. He wound up voting for the overhaul. Renacci raised an additional $10,000 immediately.

Feelings are strong on the other side, too. A union representing about 25,000 hospital, nursing home, state and other workers said it would no longer support Rep. Zack Space.He's the only House Democrat from Ohio to vote "no" on the bill.

Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press

DAYTON, Ohio - Prosecutors have filed charges against a woman accused of burning her 4-year old child with a hot spoon.

Police say the child had second and third- degree burns across her shoulder from a spoon that had been heated on the stove.

Crystal Hill is charged with child endangerment for the incident. Her husband noticed the burns and took the child to Children's Medical Center.

The victim and three other siblings are now in the care of their father.

CINCINNATI, Ohio -- Xavier has reached the NCAA tournament's round of 16 by showing strong survival instincts.

The Musketeers are taking a 20-game winning streak into the regional semifinals, a measure of how good they've been during close calls. A 63-62 victory over Vanderbilt on Tuesday night was the latest in a string of fabulous finishes, sending Xavier to Sacramento to face Gonzaga.

There's no mystery about what makes third-seeded Xavier (29-3) such a tough team to close out. The Musketeers' front-line duo of Ta'Shia Phillips and Amber Harris are at their best in the final moments.

Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press

DAYTON, Ohio - Police are looking for 17- year old Taniqua Stephens and her child who were last seen at their foster home in Trotwood at around 5:30 a.m. on Saturday, March 20.

Taniqua is described as 5 feet 5 inches tall, approximately 145 pounds, and was last seen with her 9-month old child

Anyone with information regading the whereabouts of either is encouraged to contact the Dayton Police at 333-COPS.

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- A retired State Highway Patrol officer says officials called off a drug sting at the Ohio governor's residence to avoid scrutiny, not for safety reasons.

Maj. Robert Booker told a Senate committee on Wednesday that authorities had cleared the Jan. 9 operation, and that it was aborted "to keep things quiet."

State authorities say a woman planned to hide contraband behind the mansion for pick up by an inmate on work detail. They chose to warn her and cancel the bust, partly out of concern for Gov. Ted Strickland's safety. Booker says the contraband was drugs, not tobacco as officials have said.

Democrats on the committee stormed out before Booker's testimony, saying it interferes with a state watchdog investigation.

Booker was relieved of investigative duties in late January and later retired.

Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press

MORGAN TWP. Ohio - Race Lane Road in Morgan Township will be closed beginning Monday, April 25 according to the Butler County Engineer's Office.

Race Lane Road South of Ohio 126 and North of Alert New London Road will close for a bridge replacement.

Drivers are advised to detour east onto Alert New London Road and Ohio 126. Southbound traffic will reverse this route.

The road is tentatively scheduled to re-open on July 12, 2010.

MASON, Ohio -- The company that bought Procter & Gamble Co.'s prescription drug business has given notice it plans to close a facility in southwest Ohio, affecting 163 workers.

Warner Chilcott has informed the Ohio Department of Job and Family Service that layoffs at the former P&G pharmaceutical operation in Mason will begin May 31 and end by Aug. 31. A notice posted on the department's Web site this week says an unspecified number of the managers, scientists and other employees at the site will be offered jobs elsewhere.

Warner Chilcott PLC is based in Ardee, Ireland and has its U.S. headquarters in Rockaway, N.J. The company purchased the osteoporosis drug Actonel and the rest of Cincinnati-based P&G's prescription portfolio last summer for $3.1 billion.

Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press

CINCINNATI, Ohio - Arthur Goodwin will now add 2 counts of conspiracy to commit murder to his already pending 5 counts of rape for attempting to pay a man to kill his 11 year old rape victim and her mother.

Goodwin, 22, has been in jail since his arrest on January 26 for sexually assaulting the child multiple times. Prosecutors now say that he tried to pay a fellow inmate $5,000 to murder the girl and her mother. Katie Wedell of the Dayton Daily News spoke with Hamilton County Prosecutor Ryan Nelson about the case.

"They discussed many different options," Nelson said, including running the girl down on her way to school or staging a home invasion.

Currently Goodwin is awaiting a competency evaluation for pleading insanity in the rape case.

"In my opinion, the fact that he's arranging for the murder of the victim and the victim's mother, that speaks to the fact that he's completely competent," Nelson said.

Goodwin remains in jail and will be arraigned on the new charges tomorrow.

The Dayton Daily News contributed to this article.

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Ohio's Supreme Court says a restaurant owner's no contest pleas to arson and insurance fraud can't be used against the eatery in a related civil case.

The owner of O'Flaherty's in Fremont in northern Ohio entered the pleas nine years ago. An insurance company then asked a judge to force the restaurant to pay the company damages and return a $30,000 payment.

The state Supreme Court ruled Wednesday in a 6-1 decision that the owner's criminal convictions are not admissible in the civil case.

A no contest plea is not an admission of guilt but states that the defendant will offer no defense, allowing denial of the same charge in other legal proceedings.

Justice Judith Ann Lanzinger says no contest pleas encourage plea bargaining and remove any civil consequences of a plea.

Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press

MASON, Ohio - In a down economy, finding jobs can be difficult. But Beach Waterpark in Mason is making it easy on job seekers.

The Mason-area attraction will be holding a job fair Saturday, March 27 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the park. Officials with the waterpark say as many as 500 employees could be hired for the upcoming summer season, which begins in a month.

The park will be hiring seasonal employees in the following areas: admissions, cash control, catering, communications, ecology, entertainment, first aid, food service, guest services, janitorial, lifeguard, maintenance, merchandise, pool cleaner, rentals, season pass, security, and warehouse. Internship positions in the marketing department are also available.

All applicants must be at least 16 years of age.

COLUMBUS, Ohio - State officials want Ohioans to know the drill for the upcoming peak tornado season.

Outdoor sirens will sound statewide at 9:50 a.m. Wednesday, March 24, and a message will be broadcast over the emergency alert system all as part of a test to remind Ohioans of the threat from tornadoes.

Officials say while tornadoes can occur at any time, during any month, Ohio tends to see them from April through July.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report

FAIRBORN, Ohio - Residents who travel OH-444 on a consistent basis won't like hearing this.

Air Force officials say they have made closing more than a mile of the four-lane freeway a top priority, a move that Fairborn leaders say will put an even bigger crush on already overcrowded service streets. City officials expressed concern over finding ways to fund the improvement projects that would be needed on the other roads if the government follows through with its plan to close off sections of the road.

The underlying land beneath OH-444 is the property of the federal government, and was loaned to Ohio in 1932 to build the current road. As part of the agreement, the government retained the right to reclaim the land at any time.

OH-444 currently splits Wright Patterson Air Force Base's Kittyhawk Center from its Areas A and C. The proposal by Air Force officials includes establishing a new base Gate 1C on the existing OH-444 near Dayton Drive in Fairborn and rerouting the traffic between West Dayton Drive and West Dayton-Yellow Springs Road, in order to meet new federal antiterrorism requirements.

Another plan under consideration would involve designating Kauffman Avenue as OH-444, widening Kauffman and Central avenues to five lanes from Huffman Dam to Dayton Drive, and improving Dayton Drive and Dayton-Yellow Springs roads.

Estimates of the project's overall costs range between $17 million and $28.5 million, according to the Miami Valley Regional Planning Commission.

Information from the Dayton Daily News was used in this report.

DAYTON, Ohio - Special Victims Unit detectives arrested a 33-year-old mother and Dayton Public Schools bus driver on a child endangering charge related to the burning of her 4-year-old daughter with a spoon.

Lucas Sullivan of the Dayton Daily News reports Kristal Hill is in the Montgomery County Jail and has yet to appear in court on the felony charge, according to jail records. Officers responded to Dayton Children's Medical Center on Saturday, March 20, about 11 p.m. after being notified of the girl's injuries by hospital staff, according to a police report.

The girl's father said he noticed a burn mark on her shoulder later Saturday and immediately took her to the hospital, according to the report.

The girl's parents are separated and the girl's father said he had not seen her for nearly a week and doctors at the hospital said the burn appeared to be about four days old and was healing, the report stated.

The girl told a social worker she received the injury at school, but that story was false police said, then she later told her father her mother burned her with the spoon heated up on a stove.

Her employment status with Dayton Public Schools is unknown at this time.

Children's Services was expected to follow up with the family and determine the necessary course of action, police said and the child was placed her father, officials said.

Information from the Dayton Daily News was used in this report

DAYTON, Ohio - A local artist known for his modern style has passed away.

Roger Sayre, best known for his contemporary work of abstract, minimalist pieces on both steel and canvas, passed away Saturday, March 20. He was 67.

Sayre had taught at Dayton, Wright State, and Cincinnati during his illustrious career. A number of Sayre's pieces are on display throughout the world in major corporate and private collections. Boeing, Provident Bank, Delco, and actor Rob Lowe are just a handful of collectors that have some of Sayre's work.

 A memorial exhibit of Sayre's art will be held Friday, June 4 from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. at the Color of Energy Gallery in Dayton's Oregon District.

DAYTON, Ohio -- After stumbling through the home stretch of the regular season and the A-10 Tournament earlier this month, the UD men's basketball team is aiming to continue its postseason burst in the NIT against Illinois tonight in Champaign at Assembly Hall.

UD (22-12) cruised past Illinois State in the opening round and the Flyers routed Cincinnati 81-66 Monday to advance to tonight's quarterfinals tilt against the Illini (21-14).

The game is set for a 9 p.m. tip-off on ESPN2 with the Bud Light Pregame Show beginning at 8 p.m. on AM 1290 and 95.7 FM.

Tonight's winner advances to New York City for the NIT semifinals against Mississippi, which moved on Tuesday with a 90-87 double-overtime win against visiting Texas Tech. The semis will be Tuesday, March 30, on ESPN 2.

Illinois holds a 4-2 series lead against UD.

Information from the Dayton Daily News was used in this report

DAYTON, Ohio -- Dayton Jefferson High School senior center Adreian Payne was named the Associated Press Division IV boys basketball player of the year Tuesday evening.

The 6-foot-10 Michigan State recruit averaged 15.9 points, 11.6 rebounds and 4.1 blocked shots per game

Jefferson (15-10) will play Bedford Chanel (14-11) in the state semifinals Friday at 2 p.m. at Ohio State's Value City Arena.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report

MIAMISBURG, Ohio -- A water main on North Gebhart Church road late Tuesday, March 23, has cut water service to 2,500 households in the eastern sections of the Miamisburg.

Crews aimed to have service restored by 11:00 p.m., according to a Dayton Daily News report.

A boil advisory is in effect for residents and businesses in two locations: The area west of Sycamore Medical Center between Belvo Road to the south and Wilson Park Drive to the north, extending west to 11th Street, and an area south of Maue Road between Heincke Road and Mound Avenue.

Citizens should boil water used for drinking, cooking or hygiene for at least one minute. The advisory will be in effect for at least 24 hours, said Gary Giles, public information officer.

The city will send out public notice as soon as the advisory is lifted, Giles said.

Information from the Dayton Daily News was used in this report

DAYTON, Ohio -- Dayton Public Schools' next superintendent will be the district's current No. 2 in command, Lori L. Ward, district leaders plan to announce today, March 24.

According to Anthony Gottschlich of the Dayton Daily News, Ward will replace outgoing Superintendent Kurt Stanic, whose contract expires at the end of the school year. School board President Jeffrey J. Mims Jr. on Tuesday credited Ward's experience, "strong work ethic and sense of fair play" in landing her the job.

Ward, 52, who has managed the district's business operations among other duties for the last three years, said she's committed to building on Stanic's efforts, improving student performance and making Dayton schools "the district of choice for this community."

Stanic will be retained through December as a consultant to mentor Ward and help the district as needed.

Ward's three-year contract calls for a starting annual salary, effective July 1, of $150,000, up from $108,000 today, he said.

A Springfield native, Ward joined the district as a math teacher in 1995 after 15 years in private industry, mostly with IBM Corporation as a manager and systems engineer. She became the district's executive director of information and educational technology in 1999; business chief in 2007 and Stanic's deputy in 2008.

Ward holds a bachelor's in business from Central State University and a master's in computers in education from the University of Dayton.

Information from the Dayton Daily News was used in this report

DAYTON, Ohio -- Three men are accused of running a serial burglary ring and are now in police custody.

Police say the men were arrested early Tuesday morning after trio broke into four different businesses within just a few hours.

Authorities said 18-year-old Davian Lyons, 20-year-old Quwan Lipsey and 22-year-old James Jones Jr. were arrested in connection with 4 break-ins in Dayton.

The criminals hit two cell phone stores, a barber shop and another business before police tracked them down.

Officers from multiple districts tracked the getaway car by following the suspects on parallel streets until they were able to make an arrest on Delaware Street, recovering a car full of merchandise.

WHIOTV.com contributed to this story.

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Ohio State University is preparing to raise in-state undergraduate tuition and fees by more than 8.5 percent over the next two quarters, bringing the highest cost paid by residents to $9,420.

The nation's largest university distributed a memo outlining details of the plan Tuesday. Trustees are scheduled to discuss the plan next week and vote on it in May.

Four of Ohio's six public colleges or universities with selective admission have raised tuition since the state lifted a tuition freeze, effective last fall. With the hike, Ohio State would rank fifth highest in the state in cost, behind Miami of Ohio, the University of Cincinnati, Bowling Green and Ohio University. Only 19 percent of Ohio State students pay full price; all others receive some kind of financial aid.

Copyright 2010 The Associated Press

BEAVERCREEK, Ohio - Greene County zoning commissioners recommended Monday, March 22 that township trustees approve removing 50 acres from the Stonehill Village planned unit residential development and reclassifying it for the school district's use.

Beavercreek twp. wants to buy property along Ankeney and Dayton-Xenia roads from developer Robert Nutter, but want all covenants and other development restrictions -- except that it is to be used for schools -- removed before closing the deal.

Voters already approved $84 million in new taxes for the project in 2008. District officials still need final approval from township trustees for the rezoning as well as a yet to be submitted building design plan.

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The Ohio Supreme Court has upheld a 2005 state law that limited lawsuits against employers by workers hurt on the job.

In a pair of related decisions, justices found the law restricting the ability of employees to file "workplace intentional torts" against their bosses while simultaneously receiving state workers' compensation benefits is constitutional.

The law requires employees who want to file a lawsuit to prove their employer acted deliberately to cause injury.

Copyright 2010 The Associated Press

BUTLER TWP. Ohio -- The Butler Township Board of Trustees voted unanimously Monday night to remove current Fire Chief Bob Weiffenbach from his position, effective immediately.

Assistant Fire Chief Steve Stein was appointed as the acting chief as they conduct a search for a permanent replacement.

Weiffenbach's ousting comes as the result a decision by a Montgomery County judge to reinstate three firefighters who were fired back in 2008. The employees were allegedly dismissed for inappropriately using work computers, but sued for wrongful termination, saying they were dismissed more for their involvement in the firefighters union than for anything they did on a computer.

Weiffenbach has been the township's fire chief since 2005. The township renews its fire chief on a year-to-year contract and city leaders may wait until his contract is up to hire a new chief.

ZANESVILLE, Ohio -- Police in eastern Ohio say foul play is not suspected in the deaths of two missing men whose bodies have been found in their car in a river.

Zanesville Police Captain Mike Baker says the bodies of 29-year-old Ben Davis and his friend, Ryan Hickey, were recovered from the Muskingum River around 11:30 last night. Their vehicle was discovered in the water under a bridge in Zanesville, 52 miles east of Columbus.

Davis and Hickey had last been seen leaving a nightclub in Zanesville early last Wednesday. Both lived in Alexandria, about 30 miles away.

Baker would not speculate on how the car wound up in the river and said the investigation was continuing. The Muskingum County coroner's office said autopsies would be done today.

Copyright 2010 The Associated Press

KETTERING, Ohio - A native of New York City and a mechanical engineering graduate of Stevens Institute of Technology, Local philanthropist Oscar Boonshoft's namesake will live on at the many institutions that received donations from him over the years.

Boonshoft was found dead Monday, March 22 at his Kettering home by a caregiver.

Among the institutions that bear his name are the Boonshoft Museum of Discovery, the Marjorie and Oscar Boonshoft Center for Jewish Culture and Education, and the Boonshoft Center for Medical Sciences at Kettering College of Medical Arts and the Boonshoft School of Medicine at Wright State University.

Mr. Boonshoft worked as a project engineer first with the Army Air Corps at Wright Field, which later became the U.S. Air Force at Wright Patterson Air Force Base, where he was involved in the development of armaments for bomber aircraft.

The Dayton Daily News contributed to this story.

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- A trade group says last month's snowy and icy weather throughout Ohio did not hurt the state's home sales, which rose 10 percent.

The Ohio Association of Realtors said Tuesday that about 5,800 new and existing homes were sold in Ohio last month, up from close to 5,300 that sold during January.

The realtors say the state's average home sale price slipped to $120,144, from $121,245 in January. But the trade group notes that the February price was up a strong 11.6 percent from a year ago, when the average in Ohio was $107,622.

Association President Douglas McCloud says the state's realtors are upbeat about the market thanks to interest rates that remain near historic lows and the extension of a tax credit for first-time home buyers through April.

Copyright 2010 The Associated Press

WASHINGTON, D.C. - President Barrack Obama signed historic healthcare legislation into law Tuesday, March 23rd that will provide coverage for some 32 million uninsured Americans.

Already there have been claims filed by Attorney Generals in 13 states that the bill is unconstitutional. Many of the protests and petitions were organized by various Tea Party groups.

Twenty-five groups led by the Ohio Liberty Council say they want to "protect Ohioans from the financial burdens and individual mandates" contained in the bill.

They are drafting a proposed constitutional amendment to appear on the November ballot. The petition will need to have 402,275 valid signatures by June 30.

Political commentators see the nearly $1 trillion bill as a key victory for the Obama administration who has succeeded where many Democratic predecessors have failed.

With mid-term elections coming in the fall a strong backlash from this bill could be a major windfall for the Republicans.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.

BROOKLYN, Ohio -- Danny Glover offered hugs and moral support to Cleveland-area workers at a men's suit plant that faces a shutdown next month with the loss of 375 jobs.

Workers at the Hugo Boss plant in Brooklyn, Ohio, whooped and cheered as the star of the "Lethal Weapon" movies toured the operation Tuesday.

Later he held a news conference and appealed to Germany's Hugo Boss AG to reverse its shutdown decision. Glover led a boycott of Hugo Boss formal wear at the Academy Awards March 7.

The company said Tuesday that its shutdown decision stands. The company says the union representing workers rejected concessions at the plant, which it says isn't globally competitive.

Copyright 2010 The Associated Press

COLUMBUS, Ohio - If you live in Champaign County, Buckeye Wind Project will soon be coming to an open field near you.

The Ohio Power Sitting Board approved a plan to build more than 50 wind turbines throughout Champaign County on Monday. The decision gave the go-ahead to one of the first utility-scale wind projects in the state, but not without some conditions.

The board knocked the number of wind turbines down from about 70 to about 50 by not granting permission to build any of the 16 proposed turbines near the Grimes and Weller air fields near Urbana. Two others were eliminated because they were not set far enough back from roadways or existing structures.

Dates for the start of construction by Everpower Wind Holdings Inc. are expected in the coming weeks.

DAYTON, Ohio -- Hundreds of new jobs could be heading to the Miami Valley thanks to the new health care reform bill.

Ben Sutherly of the Dayton Daily News reports CareSource anticipates the potential long-term addition of hundreds of thousands of new members and hundreds of new jobs at its Dayton headquarters as part of a health care overhaul set to be signed Tuesday, March 23, by President Barack Obama.

Already Ohio's largest Medicaid HMO, CareSource could potentially enroll roughly 220,000 more Ohioans beginning in 2014 as part of an expansion of Medicaid outlined in the legislation, said Pamela B. Morris, CareSource's president and chief executive officer. That figure assumes CareSource enrolls the newly eligible at a rate consistent with its current market share of more than 50 percent.

CareSource's estimates are based on data from the Urban Institute, officials said.

The legislation is driving efforts to develop a new three-year strategic plan at CareSource, which currently has 820,000 members in Ohio and Michigan and had 2009 revenues of $2.3 billion. As part of that future course, CareSource hopes to grow beyond its traditional base of Medicaid and a few Medicare members to serve other individuals through new state-run health insurance exchanges.

Information from the Dayton Daily news was used in the report

BEAVERCREEK TWP., Greene County -- The Beavercreek School District is one step closer to adding a new middle school and elementary school.

School officials cleared what became a surprisingly pesky hurdle Monday, March 22, when zoning commissioners recommended a zoning change that will advance an effort to build new middle and elementary schools.

Christopher Magan of the Dayton Daily News reports commissioners recommended that township trustees approve removing 50 acres from the Stonehill Village planned unit residential development and reclassifying it for the school district's use.

District officials want to buy the land at Ankeney and Dayton-Xenia roads from developer Robert Nutter, but want all covenants and other development restrictions -- except that it be used for schools -- removed before closing the deal.

The approval from the commission is only one more step, although a pivotal one, in the quest to build two schools after voters approved an $84 million tax issue in November 2008.

District officials still need final approval from township trustees for the rezoning as well as a yet to be submitted building design plan.

Information from the Dayton Daily News was used in this report

BUTLER TWP., Ohio - More developments in the continuing saga of the Butler Township Fire Department.

The Butler Township Board of Trustees voted unanimously Monday night to remove current Fire Chief Bob Weiffenbach from his position, effective immediately. They also appointed Assistant Fire Chief Steve Stein as the acting chief as they conduct a search for a permanent replacement.

Weiffenbach's ousting comes on the heels of a decision by a Montgomery County judge to reinstate three firefighters who were fired back in 2008. The employees were allegedly dismissed for inappropriately using work computers, but sued for wrongful termination, saying they were dismissed more for their involvement in the firefighters union than for anything they did on a computer.

Weiffenbach has been the township's fire chief since 2005. The township renews it's fire chief on a year-to-year contract, meaning they could wait until the expiration to Weiffenbach's current deal to announce the hiring of a new chief.

DAYTON, Ohio - Ohio's unemployment compensation fund is even more broke than the 422,000 Ohioans who rely on the unemployment checks to make ends meet.

Laura A. Bischoff of the Dayton Daily News reports the fund went broke Jan. 12, 2009, forcing the state to borrow money from the federal government to continue issuing unemployment checks. So far Ohio has borrowed $2.1 billion, and by the end of the year, the loan amount is expected to balloon more than $3 billion.

Ohio will be forced to start paying interest on that money in January 2011 at an annual rate of 4.66 percent.

The last time Ohio had to borrow federal funds to keep unemployment checks flowing was 1980-1988 when the state borrowed $3.8 billion and paid $263.7 million in interest.

Ohio isn't the only state borrowing big money to keep the unemployment checks from bouncing. More than 30 states, including all of Ohio's neighbors, have borrowed a total of $35.6 billion.

Information from the Dayton Daily News was used in this report

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) -Two unions with thousands of members in Ohio say they will no longer support the state's only House Democrat to vote against the health care bill.

The Service Employees International Union and the United Food and Commercial Workers union on Monday expressed disappointment with southeast Ohio Rep. Zack Space. UFCW spokeswoman Allison Petonic calls Space's no vote Sunday "an anti-worker vote."

Petonic says union members campaigned for Space in 2006 and 2008 but won't do it again this year.

The bill passed 219-212 with 34 Democrats and all Republicans opposed.

Space had said he believed the bill would financially burden the working class and give insurance companies a windfall.  

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) - Tea party groups in Ohio say they want to amend the state constitution to block President Barack Obama's health care overhaul from taking effect.

Twenty-five groups led by the Ohio Liberty Council said Monday they want to "protect Ohioans from the financial burdens and individual mandates" contained in the bill.

They are drafting a proposed constitutional amendment and would have to file 402,275 valid signatures by June 30 to get the issue on the November ballot.

Advocates for the uninsured issued their own statement, saying the tea party groups offer no solutions to the health care crisis.

About 1.3 million Ohioans are uninsured.

SPRINGFIELD, Ohio -- A Vermont man accused in the traffic death of a Columbus motorist over the weekend pleaded not guilty in Clark County Municipal Court Monday, March 22, the Dayton Daily News  reports.

Senad Basic, 49, of Burlington, Vt., is charged with vehicular manslaughter in connection to the death of Thomas W. Callaway, 39, of Columbus.

Basic asked to represent himself and was released without bond, according to court documents.

Callaway was entering the eastbound ramp of Interstate 70 from U.S. 40 near mile-marker 62 when his car ran into the back of the semi, which was stopped on the entrance ramp, according to Ohio Highway Patrol officials.

Callaway's vehicle burst into flames and he was pronounced dead at the scene.

Basic told troopers he had been traveling eastbound on I-70 when he struck a bird. He said he pulled over onto the entrance ramp to check for damage to his truck.

Basic, who was not injured, was cited for prohibitions from parking on highways and vehicular manslaughter. He voluntarily submitted to both blood and urine samples with results pending.

Information from the Dayton Daily news was used in the report

CINCINNATI, Ohio - Not this team, not in that city.

Or maybe it was just the start of a new script for the Dayton Flyers.

The UD men's basketball team, wearing their black jerseys for the first time all season, trailed for only 28 seconds in the entire ballgame, and left Cincinnati with an 81-66 victory over the UC Bearcats in the second round of the NIT on Monday night. The win advances Dayton into the quarterfinals on Wednesday night against the University of Illinois in Champaign.

Tip-off for Wednesday's game will be a 9 p.m., with the Budlight Pregame Show beginning at 8 p.m.

Marcus Johnson led the Flyers with 16 points, who won for only the fifth time in their past 45 games against any opponent in Cincinnati. Rob Lowery chipped in 13 and Chris Wright added 11 for UD.

The Flyers reached the quarterfinals of the NIT for the second time in three seasons. Two years ago, Dayton led at halftime before falling at Ohio State, finishing one game shy of reaching New York City and Madison Square Garden for the first time since 1968.

But as fans found out Monday night, this year might just come with a vastly different script.

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - The feeling after Saturday's come-from-behind stunner in the first-ever tournament game for the University of Dayton women's basketball team was that of euphoria, a type of invincibility that comes from hitting a last-second shot to win a 67-66 thriller over TCU.

The reward was a game against top-seeded and host Tennessee Volunteers and coach Pat Summitt, who only happens to own more wins as a college basketball coach than anyone at any level, period.

Talk about a downer.

The Lady Flyers found out first-hand just how tough it can be to play the Tennessee women's team, suffering a 92-64 drubbing at the hands of the Volunteers. Tennessee moves on to the Sweet 16, while Dayton's first ever trip to the NCAA Tournament came crashing to an end.

Despite the loss, the 8-seeded Flyers finished their most successful season ever at 25-8. Dayton finished second in the A-10 behind Xavier and won that game over TCU, a game that will forever be remembered by Flyer fans for the 18-point comeback with only 13 minutes remaining.

For Flyers coach Jim Jabir, Monday's game was a sign of where UD wants to be, and just how far they still have to go to get there. Dayton loses only one senior off the current squad, however, so the returning players now have the type of experience they can use to go further next year.

Kendall Ross, the team's lone graduating player, finished the final game of her career with 8 points and 3 assists. Dayton was led by Justine Raterman's 17 points in a losing effort.

WASHINGTON (AP) -- House Republican leader John Boehner says congressional health care legislation fails the country and says Congress has failed to listen to America.

The Ohio Republican drew hisses from Democrats as he criticized the Democratic overhaul of health coverage. Boehner asked for Democrats to conduct a rare roll call vote on the bill. Democrats did not immediately agree.

Not a single Republican voted for the bill, a priority of President Barack Obama. Democratic leaders appear to have secured the votes to pass it.

Boehner said the vote "disgraces" the values of history's lawmakers. And he said voters will hold House members to account for passing the bill.

Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

TURTLECREEK TWP., Ohio - Investigators for the Federal Aviation Administration are still trying to determine what caused a single-engine plane to make an emergency landing in rural Warren County on Saturday morning.

Kevin Kinney was flying his homemade airplane when it began losing oil pressure, according to reports. Kinney landed the fixed-wing plane along OH-48 near OH-122 in Lebanon. The plane struck a fence and narrowly missed electrical wires before landing in the field.

The 46-year-old Kinney survived the crash, and was found uninjured outside of the plane. The plane suffered damage to the landing gear, propeller, and wing.

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) -- Ohio universities and high schools are working together to adapt a 2-year-old program and bring college course work and credits to high school seniors.

Under the state's Seniors to Sophomores initiative, the high school students were supposed to spend their final year on a college campus, enrolled full- or part-time.

However, some rural districts found students were too far from a participating college to attend classes there. Some students also decided they didn't want to miss out on senior year with their high school classmates.

So, if students wouldn't come to them, some colleges are going to the students. Southeast Ohio's Hocking College, for example, now provides classes in high schools. Other Ohio colleges offer online courses through the program.

Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

DAYTON, Ohio - Police have made an arrest in the robbery of a Beavercreek bank on Saturday.

Centerville resident Zachary John-Thomas Angi was arrested on two counts of aggravated robbery on Sunday. He is accused of robbing the Fifth Third Bank on Seajay Drive in Beavercreek just after noon on Saturday.

Beavercreek police received information from the Dayton Police Department on Sunday that pointed towards Angi as the suspect. According to the report, "The suspect entered the bank and demanded money, displaying a handgun," before fleeing the scene with cash from the business and one of the employees.

Angi, 20, is also a suspect in other robberies in the surrounding areas, including a January 30 robbery of the Marathon Convenience Store on Colonel Glenn Highway in Beavercreek.

WASHINGTON, D.C - Seven banks in five different states across the country, including one in Ohio, will not be opening doors to customers today after federal regulators shut them down on Friday.

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. took over First Lowndes Bank, in Fort Deposit, Ala.; Appalachian Community Bank in Ellijay, Ga.; Bank of Hiawassee, in Hiawassee, Ga.; and Century Security Bank in Duluth, Ga.

The agency also closed down State Bank of Aurora, in Aurora, Minn.; Advanta Bank Corp., based in Draper, Utah; and American National Bank of Parma, Ohio.

The closures bring the total number of failed banks to 37 this year alone. That comes after 140 were closed in 2009.

National Bank and Trust Co., based in Wilmington, Ohio, agreed to assume the assets and deposits of American National Bank, which had $70.3 million in assets and $66.8 million in deposits. The cost to the insurance fund is expected to total $17.1 million.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

DAYTON, Ohio - There were lines at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport last week as full-body scanners were used for the first time, and soon they won't be the only airport in the country to experience those delays.

Full-body scanners have debuted in other airports across the country, including at Hartsfield International Airport in Atlanta, the nation's largest. Both Cincinnati and Columbus are on the short list of airports that will be receiving the full-body scanners in the upcoming months.

As the extra measures are rolled out and travel demand picks up, security lines are expected to grow. Airlines, meanwhile, worry the government will require them to pay to maintain the beefed-up security checkpoints.

Officials with the Dayton International Airport say they have not been told yet if or when they will receive the new scanners.

AKRON, Ohio (AP) - Health agencies in Ohio have thousands of doses of swine flu vaccine stockpiled after demand dropped off.

About 42 percent of the 3.7 million doses distributed to the state by the federal government have been administered. U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention spokesman Tom Skinner says some doses remaining around the country have expired or soon will.

Dr. Marguerite Erme, the department's disease control medical officer says demand is higher when vaccines are difficult to get and early in the flu season.

The CDC estimates that more than 11,000 people died of complications of the swine flu virus between April and January.

DAYTON, Ohio - A power outage knocking out the traffic lights at Stewart Street and Edwin C. Moses and Patterson Boulevard has slowed down the Monday morning commute in those areas.

Portable stop signs have been placed at those locations to assist in the traffic flow, according to WHIO-Radio Team Traffic Reporter Sgt. Mark Bowron.

DAYTON, Ohio - Ohio gasoline prices have gone up another 5 cents in the last week as prices nationwide rose to the highest levels since the fall of 2008.

A survey from auto club AAA, the Oil Price Information Service and Wright Express puts the statewide average for regular-grade gasoline at $2.77 per gallon, compared to $2.72 last Monday. The current national average is $2.82.

The average gasoline price in Dayton is $2.74 according to DaytonGasPrices.com.

The AAA said last week that prices were the highest since October 2008 when oil and gasoline prices were dropping as the recession took hold.

One year ago, gas was more than 80 cents cheaper in Ohio, averaging $1.96 for regular.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

HARMONY TWP., Clark County -- A Columbus man was killed Sunday, March 21, when the vehicle he was driving struck the back of a semi-tractor trailer on Interstate 70 near Harmony.

Kelly Mori of the Springfield News Sun reports Thomas Callaway, 39, was entering the eastbound ramp onto the highway from U.S. 40, near mile-marker 62, when his car ran into the back of the semi, which was stopped on the entrance ramp, said Ohio State Highway Patrol Sgt. Vee Witcher Jr.

The driver of the semi, Senad Basic, 49, of Vermont told troopers he had been traveling eastbound on I-70 when he struck a bird. He said he pulled over onto the entrance ramp to check for damage to his truck.

As Callaway's vehicle merged onto the highway, it struck the back of the semi and burst into flames. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Basic, who was not injured, was cited for prohibitions from parking on highways and vehicular manslaughter and voluntarily submitted to both blood and urine samples with results pending.

The accident is still under investigation.

Information from the Springfield News Suns was used in this report

OXFORD, Ohio - In a season of major ups and downs, the Miami RedHawks received another "up" yesterday from the NCAA Frozen Four Selection Committee.

Miami was selected as the number one overall seed for the men's ice hockey tournament, set to begin next weekend. The RedHawks are 27-7-7 and will be looking for a return trip to the national championship game, where they held a 3-1 lead with under a minute to play last year before surrendering the lead - and eventually the game, in overtime - to Boston University.

That began the see-saw for the squad, who entered the season as the preseason No. 1 in most polls. The team was still ranked there in early February when their team manager Brendan Burke, son of the NHL's Toronto Maple Leafs and 2010 U.S. Olympic Team General Manager Brian Burke, was killed in a car accident during a snowstorm in Indiana.

The RedHawks responded by winning the regular season championship in the Central Collegiate Hockey Association before falling to Michigan in the semifinals of the conference tournament. Despite the loss, Enrico Blasi's club was still rewarded for their overall season of dominance with the tournament's top seed.

Miami will face No. 4 seeded Alabama-Huntsville in the first round of the Midwest Region. Michigan earned the No. 3 seed in the same region and will play No. 2 Bemidji State in the other regional semifinal, setting up a possible rematch between the RedHawks and Wolverines on Sunday in the regional final.

All games will be played at Allen County War Memorial in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Miami will play at 4 p.m. with the other regional game immediately following. Sunday's regional final is at 8 p.m., with all games to be televised on ESPNU.

DAYTON, Ohio - Filling out the census could mean the difference between not just millions, but billions of dollars for the state of Ohio.

U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown said in a statement last week that if just 2 percent of Ohioans don't respond to the census, the state could lose $2.7 billion over the next 10 years. The census was mailed to 120 million mailboxes last week.

According to Brown, Montgomery County would be one of the hardest hit, standing to lose up to $128 million. In the nine-county area that comprises the Miami Valley, the number jumps to $392 million.

Representation on a national level is also at stake with the census. According to the Virginia-based political consulting firm Election Data Services, Ohio would lose two seats in the U.S. House based on the 2009 census estimates. The state will likely lose one seat regardless of census response, but could potentially keep the second seat if a large enough portion of the population completes the 10 question form.

According to the U.S. Census Monitoring Board, an estimated 65,084 Ohioans didn't get counted in the 2000 census.

DAYTON, Ohio - University of Dayton basketball fans will get more than their fill of hoops tonight.

The Flyers men's and women's teams will be on the national stage as both continue their postseason runs, respectively.

The men (21-12) travel south for an NIT Tournament match up against the Cincinnati Bearcats (19-15) on ESPN at 9:00 p.m.

After its first NCAA Tournament win over TCU Saturday, the women (25-7) will take on top-seeded Tennessee (31-2) in Knoxville at 7:00 p.m. on ESPN2.

WASHINGTON (AP) -- A transformative health care bill is headed to President Barack Obama for his signature.

House Democrats voted 219-212 late Sunday to send legislation to Obama that will extend coverage to 32 million uninsured Americans. The controversial legislation is also designed to reduce deficits and ban insurance company practices such as denying coverage to people with pre-existing medical conditions.

Republicans opposed the bill, saying it's too expensive and calling it a government takeover.

WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Barack Obama says House Democrats

should vote Sunday for a massive health care bill to help

Americans. But he says it will also end up being good politics.

Obama acknowledged to a meeting of House Democrats that backing

the bill is a tough vote. But he said he believes it will end up

being "the smart thing to do politically."

In his televised remarks to the Democrats, he said, "Don't do

it for me, don't do it for the Democratic Party, do it for the

American people. They're the ones looking for action right now."

The president singled out two Democrats who will support the

bill after opposing an earlier version last year, Reps. Betsy

Markey of Colorado, and John Boccieri of Ohio.

WARREN COUNTY, Ohio - The pilot of an experimental aircraft walked away following an emergency landing in a field near State Routes 48 and 122 Saturday morning. Kevin Kinney, 46, of Cincinnati, had just taken off from Lebanon-Warren County Airport when his oil pressure dropped. State troopers say he was about six thousand feet in the air when the failure happened.  He brushed some trees as he came down in the field, and damaged his landing gear. A motorist called police after seeing the plane land. No one was hurt.

BEAVERCREEK, Ohio - Police are looking for a man who robbed the Fifth Third Bank Saturday on Seajay Drive. Police say the suspect, a white male, 5'8", wearing blue jeans, a black shirt, and sunglasses came into the bank around noon. He showed a gold hand gun, then demanded money.  He fled with cash. The robbery remains under investigation.

TROTWOOD, Ohio - Police say 25 year old Antoine West was found shot to death around midnight Friday in an apartment at 716 Kelford Place.  He suffered several gunshot wounds, and police believe several suspects were involved.  No motive determined yet, and no arrests.

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Ohio will require students entering kindergarten and seventh grade to get more shots starting in the new school year.

Officials say the changes adopted by state health officials in December and first announced on Friday are the first since 2006 and reflect federal immunization guidelines.

A second dose of chickenpox vaccine will be required for youngsters entering kindergarten. They also must have received a final dose of polio vaccine on or after their 4th birthday.

Seventh graders must show they've had either a combined tetanus/diphtheria booster or one that also protects against whooping cough.

The Ohio Department of Health urges parents to choose the whooping cough option, noting that the number of Ohio cases nearly doubled last year, to about 1,100.

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Officials say unemployment has edged up to 10.9 percent in Ohio as more people have entered the job market but have been unable to find work.

The February jobless rate released Friday represents a slight increase from January's joblessness of 10.8 percent.

The state rate is more than a full percentage point higher than the national one for February, of 9.7 percent. A year ago, Ohio had unemployment of 9.1 percent.

The state's Department of Job and Family Services says the number of workers unemployed in Ohio in February was 647,000, up from 641,000 in January. The number of people employed outside of farms also increased, by 3,500.

Officials say hiring increased in services while job losses continued in the state's goods-producing industries.

Copyright 2010 The Associated Press

DAYTON, Ohio - Cheyenne Jones, 17, and her infant child who went missing last night have returned home.

Jones and the child returned to their foster home on Fountain Ave. around 4:00 p.m. Friday, March 19. Police had been on the lookout for the missing mother and say she returned home of her own accord.

Thursday she was seen getting into a car with her baby and had not told anyone where she was going.

Both the mother and child were unharmed according to Montgomery County Children Services.

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- An Ohio man with Parkinson's disease who was harassed at a rally by opponents of President Barack Obama's health care overhaul says Americans seem to have lost the ability to engage in civil discourse.

Robert Letcher is suddenly a hot topic for political blogs.

The 60-year-old Letcher was sitting on pavement Tuesday outside the office of U.S. Rep. Mary Jo Kilroy when he was admonished by an Obama critic and accused of looking for a handout to pay his medical bills. The episode was captured on video and posted on the Web by The Columbus Dispatch.

On the video, another man emerges from the crowd and throws two dollar bills in Letcher's lap.

A spokeswoman for Americans for Prosperity, which helped organize the rally, said the treatment of Letcher was inappropriate.

Copyright 2010 The Associated Press

ELIZABETH TWP., Ohio - Police say bus driver Wylena Hahn may have saved students from injury when her bus was rear-ended this morning by a truck.

Hahn was picking up two children who were standing in a driveway on the opposite side of the street from stopped bus. As the children were about to cross in front of the bus Hahn saw a pickup truck approaching in the mirror and signaled the children to stop.

The truck then hit the school bus from behind; totaling the Dodge Ram full-size truck but only causing minor damage to the bus.

Katherine Ullmer of the Dayton Daily News spoke with Detective Tim Moore of the Miami County Sherriff's Office about the incident. "Luckily she (Hahn) was doing what she was supposed to do," he said. "It could have been much worse. Luckily, it was just minor."

The students were transported by another bus to their school, and the damaged bus and the truck were towed away, he said.

The Dayton Daily News contributed to this story

CINCINNATI, Ohio -- A freshman Ohio congressman says an ad showing his two young daughters went too far in the heated debate over health care.

A spokesman says southwest Ohio Democrat Steve Driehaus was outraged by an advertisement Wednesday in The Cincinnati Enquirer featuring a large photo of him with his daughters. The ad was paid for by the Committee to Rethink Reform, a Washington-based group opposed to the health care overhaul nearing a vote.

Committee spokeswoman Sarah Longwell says showing the children was a mistake and that the group will take out another ad to apologize.

The Enquirer ran its own full-page retraction and apology Thursday.

Driehaus says he will oppose any health care legislation that allows federal funds for abortions.

Copyright 2010 The Associated Press

HAMILTON, Ohio -- Butler County Juvenile Court Judge Ronald Craft turned the case over to the adult court system due to the danger this young man presents to the community.

Alex Ramirez, 14, will be tried as an adult for sexually assaulting and burglarizing a 64-year old woman in her home.

Had he been tried in juvenile court Ramirez would have been released on his 21^st birthday. Now the teen could face from 14 to 48 years in prison.

Ramirez is being transferred from juvenile detention to the county jail, where the judge ordered his bond at $1.1 million.

Josh Sweigart of the Dayton Daily News spoke with the son of the victim Andy Feltner.

"If he was out when he was 21, what kind of message would that send to the youth of the community? What they can get away with," said Feltner.

According to Butler County sheriff's detectives, the woman was attacked on Jan. 11 after the 14-year-old Monroe student -- armed with what was described Friday as a "pellet rifle" -- entered her residence at Countryside Mobile Home Community in Liberty Twp. Authorities said the youth demanded money, hit the woman in the head and raped her before forcing her to drive to an ATM.

The Dayton Daily News contributed to this story.

MIDDLETOWN, Ohio -- The theft and beating death of a young alpaca has upset an Ohio alpaca-raising community so large some members call the state "Little Peru."

A national registry lists nearly 25,000 alpacas in Ohio - 20 percent of the U.S. total. Farmers say there are likely more that aren't registered.

Farmers say the killing in southwest Ohio's Butler County has left them angry and shaken. Some legislators are renewing a push to toughen animal cruelty laws.

Two 17-year-old boys are charged in juvenile court with animal cruelty and other counts, while a 22-year-old woman faces complicity charges in the case last month involving a 3-month-old alpaca named Masterpiece.

Alpacas, similar to llamas, are native to South America and are prized for their wool.

Copyright 2010 The Associated Press

DAYTON, Ohio - Montgomery County Children Services are searching for a missing teen mother who walked out of her foster home Friday, March 19.

Cheyene Jones, 17, was last seen with her 7 pound baby around 8 p.m. last night. She is approximately 115 pounds and 5 foot 3 inches tall. Last night she was wearing a short leather jacket, black slacks and black boots.

Jones left her foster home in the 200 block of Fountain Ave. with her child. The child was last seen wrapped in a blue blanket with teddy bears on it.

If you have any information about the whereabouts of Jones and her baby, please contact Dayton police at 937-333-COPS.

WHIOTV.com contributed to this story.

MARYSVILLE, Ohio -- An Ohio school board has lifted its temporary ban on showing PG-13 and R-rated movies such as "Schindler's List" in high school classes.

But parents of Marysville students will now have to give permission before their children see a more mature film at school.

The movies also will have to be cleared by administrators, and officials are urging teachers to show relevant clips instead of whole films.

The school board in the community 30 miles northwest of Columbus approved the new policy at a meeting Thursday night. It drew about 120 people for and against the ban adopted last month.

Parents had complained about their children being exposed to PG-13 and R-rated historic dramas such as "Schindler's List" and "Saving Private Ryan" at Marysville High School.

Copyright 2010 The Associated press

GREENVILLE, Ohio - Police are trying to find those responsible for breaking into the Wagner Street Kmart in Greenville Thursday night.

Authorities believe the person or persons responsible entered the store through a chain link fence in the garden center.

There is no word yet on what was stolen or damaged in the incident. Police remain on scene investigating the case.

WHIOTV.com contributed to this story

RICHFIELD, Ohio -- A U.S. Marine from Ohio has died from injuries suffered in combat in Afghanistan.

The Department of Defense announced Thursday that Gunnery Sgt. Robert Gilbert II of Richfield died Tuesday, his 28th birthday.

Officials say he was wounded March 8 while supporting combat operations in Badghis province.

Gilbert was assigned to the 2nd Marine Special Operations Battalion, Marine Special Operations Regiment at the U.S. Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command in Camp Lejeune, N.C.    Family friend Anthony Maroon says Gilbert was on his fifth tour of duty in the Middle East and his second in Afghanistan. He says Gilbert's platoon was ambushed and that his helmet was pierced by a shot from a high-powered rifle.

Gilbert was a 2000 graduate of Revere High School.

Copyright 2010 The Associated press

DAYTON, Ohio - With Montgomery County seeing nearly 5,000 foreclosures last year the federal government has stepped in and given a $500,000 grant to St. Mary Development Corporation.

St. Mary Development Corporation runs the Home Ownership Center and other programs.

David Bohardt of the HOC said "While we welcome the grant of $501,000. We could use $5 million. That's the scope of the challenge we face."

There is no word yet as to how the money will be spent.

MASON, Ohio -- An Ohio amusement park says a popular but troubled wooden roller coaster will remain closed for the upcoming season.

Kings Island vice president and general manager Greg Scheid says he's not pleased with how the Son of Beast is performing, nine months after it was shut down when a rider reported she burst a blood vessel in her brain.

Park spokesman Don Helbig says the coaster is structurally safe but officials want to improve the smoothness of the ride.

The Son of Beast was closed for nearly a year of reconstruction in 2006 and 2007 after a structural failure resulted in injuries to more than two dozen people.

The park's opening day is April 17.

Copyright 2010 The Associated press

DAYTON, Ohio - Two people are in the hospital this morning after a car hit an RTA pole on North Main Street this morning.

The accident occurred at around 3:30 a.m. near Interstate 75. North Main street remains shut down at the overpass until crews can clear the roadway.

One person involved in the crash is said to be in critical condition.

PORTSMOUTH, Ohio -- The State Highway Patrol says a man working as a security guard at a state office entered a workers' compensation bureau meeting and pointed a gun at participants before leaving.

Sixty-three-year-old Robert Montgomery of Beaver was arraigned at Portsmouth Municipal Court on Thursday on one count of misdemeanor inducing panic.

He was released from the Scioto County Jail after posting a $1,000 bond following his Wednesday arrest.

The Highway Patrol says Montgomery is a guard at the Ohio Industrial Commission office in Portsmouth. He's accused of entering the meeting at the office Wednesday afternoon and leaving after a short exchange of words. No one was hurt.

A lawyer was not listed in Montgomery's court record, and a phone listing for him could not be found.

Copyright 2010 The Associated press

SPRINGBORO, Ohio - Police are investigating a rumors that were spread through the Settlers Walk and Greens communities that a man in an SUV was offering children candy to get into his car driving through their neighborhood.

The bogus reports were sent mainly through e-mail and Police continue to investigate the source. Dayton Daily News writer Lawrence Budd spoke with Sgt. Bob Marchiny about the case.

"We're trying to figure out where the e-mail came from" said Marchiny.

Police are still determining if they will file charges for inducing panic against the originator of the claim.

The Dayton Daily News contributed to this article

TOLEDO, Ohio -- Ohio residents have their chance to say who should represent the state in the U.S. Capitol's Statuary Hall.

The state wants to replace a statue of William Allen, a 19^th century governor who portrayed blacks as savages.

A group of lawmakers and others has narrowed the field to 10 famous deceased Ohioans.

Among the finalists are inventor Thomas Edison, Olympian Jesse Owens and author Harriet Beecher Stowe. Others on the list are aviation pioneers Wilbur and Orville Wright, President Ulysses S. Grant, astronaut Judith Resnik, women's suffrage advocate Harriet Taylor Upton, and former congressmen James Ashley and William McCulloch.

Ohioans may vote beginning Saturday and through June 12 at the Statehouse and 35 other sites. Ballots also can be downloaded at www.legacyforohio.org.

Copyright 2010 The Associated press

XENIA, Ohio - Chi Quang Du has been convicted by a Greene County Jury of attempted aggravated murder for stabbing a man escorting his ex-girlfriend around the Wright State University campus.

Du stabbed Eric Borton and Thuy Mai near Dunbar Library 13 years ago. After trying to talk with Mai in the basement of the library late Oct. 28, 1997, Du followed them into the parking lot and then slit Mai's throat and stabbed her repeatedly. When Borton came to her aid he slashed his face and then stabbed him twice.

Du pled guilty to the attempted murder of Mai but said he was only fending off Borton and had no intention of murdering her new boyfriend.

The defendant lived in hiding for 12 years before being caught in a Toronto suburb where he was managing a cellular phone store under a fake name.

The Dayton daily News contributed to this article

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Ohio is pulling state funding for three halfway houses that a new report found increased the number of participants entering or re-entering the prison system.

The Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections says the $2.1 million spent on those halfway houses in Dayton, Hamilton and Mansfield will be diverted to more successful halfway houses.

Agency spokeswoman Julie Walburn also says the department is giving six community-based correctional facilities that received low marks in the report two months to improve their work with offenders.

The University of Cincinnati study also found that such transitional centers for offenders work best for moderate and high-risk offenders and often had a negative effect on low-risk offenders.

Copyright 2010 The Associated Press

WARREN COUNTY, Ohio - For the first recorded time Bald eagles have been spotted nesting in Warren County.

While the birds of prey have been seen in the area before they usually continue their migration farther north before nesting.

Eagles normally follow the Little Miami River as part of their migration pattern. Jessica Heffner of Dayton Daily News spoke with Kathy Garza-Behr, spokeswoman for the Ohio Department of Natural Resources' Division of Wildlife, about the animals.

"We've expected to probably have an eagle's nest in the area and it appears this pair has decided to call Warren County home," Garza-Behr said.

Though Ohio and federal laws prohibit the catching, harassing, killing or wounding of an eagle, bird watchers are excited to know that the eagles will be hanging around for a while.

The Dayton daily News contributed to this article.

CINCINNATI, Ohio -- A freshman Ohio congressman says an ad showing his two young daughters went too far in the heated debate over health care.

A spokesman says southwest Ohio Democrat Steve Driehaus was outraged by an advertisement Wednesday in The Cincinnati Enquirer featuring a large photo of him with his daughters. The ad was paid for by the Committee to Rethink Reform, a Washington-based group opposed to the health care overhaul nearing a vote.

Committee spokeswoman Sarah Longwell says showing the children was a mistake and that the group will take out another ad to apologize.

The Enquirer ran its own full-page retraction and apology Thursday.

Driehaus says he will oppose any health care legislation that allows federal funds for abortions.

Copyright 2010 The Associated Press

MASSIE, Ohio - A man that left a suicide not prompting a search by authorities has been found in Caesar Creek State Park by an officer searching the area using an all-terrain vehicle.

He was found alive but incoherent. A medical helicopter has been put on standby.

Local authorities joined the search for the Hamilton County man after they found his car parked near Caesar Creek Gorge.

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The Ohio House has approved fines of up to $500 on some occasions when parking spots for the disabled are left buried in snow and ice.

The fines, starting at $250, would apply to property owners who fail to plow handicapped spaces in winter but do clear other parking in the same facility.

The bill now going to the state Senate was introduced by Democratic Rep. Lorraine Fende. She says she noticed a problem in her northeast Ohio district after a disabled constituent complained.

Fende says it may be that plow drivers don't see handicapped spots or they might mistakenly think they're never used.

One critic, Republican Rep. David Daniels, says the measure could saddle businesses and local government with additional snow-clearing costs.

Copyright 2010 The Associated Press

SPRINGFIELD, Ohio - Police found a man on Hillside Ave. who had been stabbed at the Horseshoe Bar on Wednesday night at 10:55 p.m.

Victim Kyle O'Connor spoke with deputies from his hospital bed at Community Hospital. He told them that he left the bar and was attacked by two men in the parking lot.

O'Connor sustained one injury on his arm and a stab wound in his back. He has since been transferred to Riverside Hospital for further treatment.

Police are still searching for the assailants.

WHIOTV.com contributed to this story.

MASON, Ohio -- An Ohio amusement park says a popular but troubled wooden roller coaster is likely to remain closed, at least at the start of the upcoming season.

Kings Island vice president and general manager Greg Scheid says he's not pleased with how the Son of Beast is performing, nine months after it was shut down when a rider reported she burst a blood vessel in her brain.

Park spokesman Don Helbig says the coaster is structurally safe but officials want to improve the smoothness of the ride.

The Son of Beast was closed for nearly a year of reconstruction in 2006 and 2007 after a structural failure resulted in injuries to more than two dozen people.

Scheid calls it "highly questionable" that the ride will be ready for the park's opening day, April 17.

Copyright 2010 The Associated Press

DAYTON, Ohio - Police say a man with burns on his face received the injuries as he set fire to his step-grandfather's house on Saturday.

Eddie Browning, 18, was arrested Tuesday, March 16, for setting the fire at 40 Sherman St. that caused over $5,000 in damage to the residence.

Browning is being charged with one count of aggravated arson. Investigators say that his face showed visible burns from the incident.

Police arrested Browning at 2:40 a.m. Tuesday in the block of 200 Sherman St. He was taken to Montgomery County Jail.

The Dayton daily News contributed to this story.

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The Ohio Supreme Court has delivered a major setback to efforts by state lawmakers to apply the tough new sex offender notification requirements laid out in the federal Adam

Walsh Act.

In a unanimous decision Thursday, the high court ruled sex offenders notified of their status in the most severe category after Jan. 1, 2008, may avoid the new community reporting requirements under exceptions found in Ohio's old law.

That means word of newly registered sex offenders in the most egregious category may not be disseminated to all the volunteer groups, schools and businesses Ohio's rewrite of the law intended.

In the majority opinion, Justice Robert Cupp agreed with lower courts that the wording of the law was clear in allowing the exceptions to continue to apply.

Copyright 2010 The Associated Press

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Ohio - A woman who stole credit cards and used them to purchase items has been convicted for multiple felonies.

Columbus native Eva J. Posey, 47, was sentenced to eight months in prison Thursday, March 18. She was convicted on three counts each of Misuse of a Credit Card and Receiving Stolen property.

Posey stole credit cards out of shoppers' purses at local Meijer's and Wal-mart stores. She was able to purchase a television with one victim's credit card before the victim had left the store.

Two of the three victims were elderly.

OAKWOOD, Ohio -- Oakwood Police need your help in identifying a woman caught on video cashing fake checks.

Police say a woman tried to cash a fake check worth nearly $500 at the Liberty Savings Bank at 2331 Far Hills Avenue last month. Earlier that day, the same woman cashed another fake check at a different Liberty Savings Bank location.

Officers say she used an Ohio I.D. card with the name Jasmine Eddings that was issued in Cleveland and was seen driving away in a black Cadillac SUV.

If you have any information about this case, please call Oakwood Detective Alan Hill at 298-2122.

(Information from our partners at News Center 7 WHIO)

DAYTON, Ohio -- A portion of Route 35 was closed for several hours after a car crashes into a semi.

It happened on westbound Route 35 near Abbey Road.

The driver of the car tried to stop but wound up ramming the semi, causing the car to flip a number of times.

The driver was taken to Miami Valley Hospital with what are believed to be non-life threatening injuries..

Cops do not believe that alcohol was a factor.

GOODYEAR, Ariz. (AP) -- Cincinnati Reds outfielder Laynce Nix has been cited for driving on a suspended license during spring training in Arizona.

Police say Nix was pulled over March 10 because he was stopped at a green light at a Scottsdale intersection for at least 15 seconds. Nix reportedly told the officer that he didn't realize the light had turned green because he was looking down at his phone.

Scottsdale police say a check of Nix's Texas driver's license revealed it had been suspended after he failed to appear on a traffic offense from Dec. 23, 2003. Nix told the officer that he didn't remember getting the ticket.

Police say Nix was cited for driving on a suspended driver's license and failure to obey a traffic control device. His rental car was impounded for 30 days.

The 29-year-old Nix hit .239 with 15 homers and 46 RBIs last season, his first with Cincinnati. He was offered a minor-league contract in December and invited to spring training, the Reds' inaugural spring in Arizona.

DAYTON, Ohio -- The owner of Dayton's historic downtown arcade wants a financial commitment from the community to aid in the $38 million restoration project.

Owner Gunther Berg's time frame calls for the five-building complex to be open by December 2012. This assumes a financial commitment by all parties by July 2010, he said.

Joanne Huist Smith of the Dayton Daily News reports Berg said the Dayton commitment could come in different forms, and he's not sure exactly how that would happen or what it would look like.

He expects to reveal details of his financial plan for the restoration project Monday, March 22, after meeting with an investor in Chicago this weekend. That financing will come from American and German investors, he said. Berg also plans to apply for Ohio Historic Preservation Tax Credits.

The Friends of the Dayton Arcade has committed to raising an as yet undetermined amount of money by selling glass panes for restoration of the glass rotunda and walkway ceiling, between the rotunda and Third Street, said Leon Bey, the group's co-founder.

Berg also spoke Wednesday to the Dayton Metro Library board of trustees, proposing that they place the downtown library in the arcade as part of a multi-use plan for the building.

Board member William Gillespie noted that two prior renovations of the arcade were very expensive. And Board chair Barbara Hayde said after the meeting that it is impossible to not think about the money.

(Information from the Dayton Daily News)

SPRINGFIELD, Ohio -- Maybe this will bring Gil Grissom out of retirement.

The Springfield News-Sun's Valerie Lough says the Springfield Police Department has a new mobile, portable crime lab.

It's $46,000 vehicle is being paid for with a federal grant.

The evidence collection unit is based on a Ford F-350 platform.

It replaces an on-site CSI unit in service since 1997 and has many upgrades.

The old unit will likely be sold.

(Information from the Springfield News-Sun)

GREENE COUNTY, Ohio -- A Springfield man is killed riding his motorcycle in Cedarville Township in Greene County.

Ohio State Highway Patrol Troopers say 63-year-old Terry Walker of Springfield lost control of his motorcycle on State Route 72 .

It happened along a curve as Walker went left of center and was hit by a pickup truck.

Troopers say the pickup truck driver was not at fault.

Another motorcyclist riding cycle with Walker was not hurt.

DAYTON, Ohio -- With the University of Dayton's first round NIT win against Illinois State 63-42, they head down I-75 for round two.

The Flyers' second-round game in the NIT against the University of Cincinnati will be played Monday, March 22 at 9 p.m. at UC's Fifth Third Arena. The game can be heard on AM 1290 and 95.7 FM, News Talk radio WHIO.

The number of tickets allotted to the University of Dayton are extremely limited. Flyer fans interested in attending the game would be best served by contacting the UC Ticket Office at 1-877-CATS-TIX (228-7849).

UC knocked off Weber State 76-62.

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Ohio's top transportation official is lobbying to get the state all-aboard a plan for statewide passenger train service.

Ohio Transportation Director Jolene Molitoris met Wednesday with Senate President Bill Harris defending the train service plan that would connect Cleveland, Columbus, Dayton and Cincinnati.

Molitoris says the project can be completed with its budgeted $400 million in federal stimulus funds but Harris spokeswoman Maggie Ostrowski says he remains skeptical. Harris, a Republican, issued a list of 20 questions about the project last month .

Early estimates have the 79-mph train system drawing about 478,000 riders in the first year, a number Molitoris says will grow as stations are added.

(The Associate Press contributed to this story)

DAYTON, Ohio (AP) -- Chris Johnson scored 13 points and Dayton used a 19-1 second-half run to pull away and beat Illinois State 63-42 in the opening round of the NIT on Wednesday night.

Chris Wright grabbed 11 rebounds to lead Dayton (21-12) to a 42-27 advantage on the boards. The Flyers will play at Cincinnati on Monday in the second round.

Osiris Eldridge, the Missouri Valley Conference's leading scorer, shot only 4 of 15 but led the Redbirds (22-11) with 12 points.

Dayton saw its 13-point lead cut to 42-37 with 10:27 to play, but Johnson started the Flyers' huge run with a 3-pointer.

Four minutes later, Marcus Johnson hit a 3-pointer and a pull-up jumper on consecutive trips to put the Flyers up 54-38 with 6:07 left.

Dayton scored the next seven points before Eldridge hit a 3-pointer to end a nearly eight-minute field-goal drought for the Illinois State.

(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press.  All Rights Reserved.)

WASHINGTON (AP) -- An analysis by The Associated Press finds that the government has received more than 100 complaints from drivers who say their recalled Toyotas are still accelerating on their own even after receiving the automaker's fix.

An AP review of unverified driver complaints found 105 such reports since Feb. 15. That's a 75 percent increase from the 60 reported earlier this month by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

The safety agency says it's investigating and has identified several instances in which dealers botched the repairs.

Toyota, which has recalled more than 8 million cars and trucks since last fall, blames the problem on floor mats that trap gas pedals or accelerators that become sticky in certain conditions.

DAYTON. Ohio -- Dayton hopes to lure Google to build a high-speed, fiber-to-home broadband network and they hope a new website helps the effort.

That website, AverageAndAwesome,com, went online today.

The site presents Dayton-area demographics, inviting Google to view the city in line with average American demographics and yet cutting-edge, a home to innovations such as radio frequency identification, materials science, advanced sensor technologies and more.

Google could not be reached for comment.

(Information from the Dayton Daily News)

NEW YORK (AP) -- The Dow Jones industrial average has closed at a new 2010 high as investors grow more confident that interest rates will stay at their current low levels

The Dow stands at its highest point in 18 months.

A report on inflation at the wholesale level provided another sign that the Federal Reserve shouldn't have to raise its key lending rate anytime soon. The drop in the Labor Department's Producer Price Index was the steepest in seven months.

The Dow is up 48 to close at 10,734. It's the seventh straight climb for the Dow. The Standard & Poor's 500 index is up 7 at 1,166. The Nasdaq composite index is up 11 at 2,390.

More than two stocks rose for every one that fell on the New York Stock Exchange. Volume came to 1.1 billion shares, in line with Tuesday.

DAYTON, Ohio -- A "Freedom Rally" on Tuesday, April 13, at the Nutter Center at Wright State University.

The Dayton Tea Party along with Homemakers for American is sponsoring the event as part of their Dayton Liberty Week, according to a press release.

The main event to start at 7 p.m. with doors open at 4 p.m.

Organizers hope to fill the Nutter Center.

General tickets are free but premier seating is $15.

For more information go to www.daytonohioteaparty.com.

DAYTON, Ohio -- A man is in critical condition following an afternoon shooting in Dayton.

Reports say the man, in his early twenties, was shot multiple times in the torso in front of an apartment building in the 3000 block of Haberer Avenue.

He was taken to Miami Valley Hospital.

Cops say the victim and the alleged shooter knew each other and the shooting came about during a dispute.

The suspect took off on foot as police continue to look for him..

TROTWOOD, Ohio -- A car rams a Trotwood house this afternoon.

It happened in the 4200 block of Gardendale Drive.

Cops say a car was backing up when the driver lost control and it hit the house.

Reports say the car hit the porch and a gas meter, shaking the house. Luckily no gas was leaked.

No one was injured.

CLEVELAND (AP) -- An Ohio judge has learned that a colleague allowed a newspaper reporter to see a psychiatric evaluation on a Cleveland man accused of killing 11 women.

Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Judge Shirley Strickland Saffold said Wednesday that Judge Timothy McGinty called her and said he had allowed a reporter at The Plain Dealer to see the report. The report concluded Sowell was unlikely to assault women after he finished a prison term for attempted rape.

Saffold has backed off a threat to arrest the journalist, Gabriel Baird. Saffold had ordered Baird be arrested after he missed a Tuesday hearing to find out his source.

McGinty was attending a family funeral and could not be reached for comment Wednesday. A message was left at his office.

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Liberal Rep. Dennis Kucinich says he will support President Barack Obama's health care overhaul bill when the House considers it.

The Ohio Democrat opposed the bill when the House voted on it last year. But he has been lobbied hard by the president himself, as Democratic leaders try to corral the 216 House votes they need to approve the nearly $1 trillion package.

Kucinich announced his decision Wednesday. It's important because the vote will be close, and Democrats are scrounging for all the support they can get.

All Republicans are expected to oppose the legislation. Some Democrats who voted for an earlier version in November believe the new bill lacks sufficient curbs on federal financing of abortions and are expected to vote "no."

CINCINNATI (AP) -- A jury in Cincinnati has recommended the death penalty for an Ohio man convicted of killing two teenage girls and burning their bodies.

Jurors deliberated for nearly four hours Wednesday before recommending execution for 41-year-old Anthony Kirkland of Cincinnati. The jury found Kirkland guilty last week of aggravated murder and attempted rape in the slayings of 13-year-old Esme Kenney and 14-year-old Casonya Crawford.

The jury also found Kirkland guilty of aggravated robbery and gross abuse of a corpse in each slaying.

Kirkland had pleaded guilty to killing two women before the trial began.

DAYTON, Ohio - Dayton Metro Library might have to make more job cuts as soon as 2011 if the state budget does not increase.

Revenue for Dayton Metro Library - as well as a number of other libraries across the state - has been declining steadily. Funding dropped nearly 19 percent during the first quarter over the same period last year, prompting executive director Tim Kambitsch to warn that more cuts may be coming as early as 2011.

About 46 percent of library funding comes from the state. Area library officials said voter generosity helps cushion the continued problems with state funding this year, and all eight area library systems with levies on the November ballot were successful.

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) - You are what your state eats -- or, more precisely, whatever health habits it promotes, prohibits, encourages or chooses to fund.

That's the premise of a recent study out of the University of Illinois that looked at variables including sin taxes, speed limits and gun laws to try to answer the question: How hazardous is your state to your health? Ohio ranks 32nd.

The study is a response to another last year that measured states on the degree of freedom they afforded their residents.

The less a state restricted where you could carry a gun, who you could marry or how helmeted or strapped in you had to be while driving or cycling, for example, the better. Ohio came out 38th on the freedom scale.

Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

WEST CARROLLTON, Ohio - In an update to a story first reported on WHIO radio, the Montgomery County Coroner's Office has released the identity of a man who washed ashore along the Great Miami River in West Carrollton.

The office said 58-year-old James Manning was found along the banks of the river near the intersection of Farmersville-West Carrollton and Hydraulic Road early Tuesday night. A woman called into the WHIO newsroom to report that her son had found the body of a middle aged man.

Police are still unsure of the cause of death, but told WHIO radio that they do not believe it is suspicious. An autopsy will be performed later on Wednesday.

MIDDLETOWN, Ohio - It certainly wasn't something city workers were used to seeing.

Police responded to the Middletown City Building on Tuesday after reports of a naked man rummaging through papers in the lobby. Officers approached the man, who they say was speaking in riddles and not making any sense.

Officers transported Spencer Chadwick to the Atrium Medical Center for a psychological evaluation. The 29-year-old Chadwick was admitted to the hospital's emergency room, but no charges were filed.

CLEVELAND (AP) - A judge has ordered a newspaper reporter arrested over a leaked psychiatric evaluation on a Cleveland man accused of killing 11 women.

Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Judge Shirley Strickland Saffold ordered the arrest of Gabriel Baird of The Plain Dealer on Tuesday after he failed to appear at a hastily scheduled hearing. The newspaper said he was out on assignment and that he and a newspaper attorney would appear before the judge on Wednesday.

The hearing concerns Baird's Nov. 6 story on an evaluation of Anthony Sowell that concluded he was unlikely to assault women after he finished a prison term for attempted rape.

Sowell wants to know how Baird got the confidential report.

The newspaper says Ohio's shield law protects Baird from having to reveal his source.

Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

PALM HARBOR, Fla. (AP) -- Tiger Woods will return to golf at the Masters next month.

In a statement Tuesday, Woods said he will play at Augusta National after a four-month hiatus because of a sex scandal.

The Masters begins on April 8.

Woods says that while he's returning to competition, he still has a lot of work to do in this personal life.

He last played Nov. 15 when he won the Australian Masters. Less than two weeks later, he crashed his car into a tree outside his Florida home, setting off revelations that he had been cheating on his wife.

MASON, Ohio -- It sounds like a bad B movie title but the return of the Son of Beast may be delayed.

Middletown Journal reporter Denise G. Callhan reports though the King Island's attraction likely won't ready for opening day in April, but it could open sometime in 2010.

It's the world's tallest and fastest wooden roller coaster but it has caused problems for the park since it's 2000 opening.

The ride was closed for the year last June after a Mason woman reported she had a burst blood vessel in her brain as a result of riding the coaster.

Since the roller coaster opened, six incidents involving injury have been reported.

Park officials say there has been no talk of tearing the ride down and with $30 million invested, they are not inclined to give up on it.

Several engineering firms to submit proposals for a long-term fix.

(Information from the Middletown Journal)

DAYTON, Ohio -- The Dayton metro region has roughly the same number of jobs as in 1985. That's one finding in a study to be released today from the Brookings Institution's MetroMonitor -- a barometer of America's largest 100 metropolitan economies.

Mark Gokavi of the Dayton Daily News reports Dayton's loss of 24.25 years of net job growth -- due to the recession and previous trend -- ranks 98th out of 100 metro areas, just ahead of Detroit (24.75) and Youngstown (26.5).

The data shows Dayton is recovering from the recession slower than most metro areas. While the nation's job growth has been 1.6 percent in the past decade, Dayton is down 12.8 percent.

The study also ranked metro areas in five groups with Dayton in the second-weakest group because of a small drop in home prices.

(Information from the Dayton Daily News)

BEAVERCREEK, Ohio -- One man is arrested after drugs are found in homes in Miamisburg and Beavercreek.

The bust is part of the ongoing effort of the ACE Task Force in Greene County investing a two county drug ring.

Evidence was reportedly found in a condo on East Summit Ridge Road in Beavercreek.

Raymond Richardson, who investigators say apparently gets his only income from drug trafficking, was taken into custody.

Marijuana was found inside Richardson's condo along with drug paraphernalia.

DAYTON, Ohio -- About 1,200 job-seekers in southwest Ohio attended the first of 48 scheduled nationwide AARP-sponsored job fairs Tuesday for those aged 50 and older.

AARP spokeswoman Kathy Keller said the free event in Dayton was the first set for 19 states with high unemployment rates and the first of eight planned for Ohio.

Ohio's unemployment rate was 10.8 percent in January.

Fair workshops offer tips and techniques to help those trying to stay employed or get back on the job, including advice on using the Internet and individual time with career counselors, Keller said.

(The Associated Press contributed to this story)

CINCINNATI, Ohio -- Delta Air Lines continues to downsize its Cincinnati operations.

Delta said in a memo sent Tuesday to Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport employees that all flight operations for Delta and Delta Connection flights now handled at two concourses will be shifted to one. Delta closed a third concourse in 2008.

The Atlanta-based carrier also says it will take over the functions of a Delta subsidiary at the airport that provides customer and other services for regional airlines.

Airport CEO John Mok says about 120 concourse concession jobs could be affected.

(The Associated Press contributed to this story)

DAYTON, Ohio (AP) -- Arkansas-Pine Bluff finally found a road trip to its liking.

Allen Smith scored 14 points Tuesday night, including a pair of 3-pointers during the Golden Lions' second-half surge to a 61-44 victory over Winthrop in the NCAA tournament's opening game.

The Golden Lions (18-15) will play Duke -- the No. 1 seed in the West -- on Friday in Jacksonville, Fla., a stunning development given how their season started. Arkansas-Pine Bluff lost its first 11 games -- all on the road -- before rallying to earn the Southwestern Athletic Conference title and its first NCAA tournament berth.

The fast exit was familiar for Winthrop (19-14), which has made the tournament nine times in the last 12 years but has only one victory in all those tries.

WEST CARROLLTON, Ohio -- Police in West Carrollton say they are investigating a body discovered along the banks of the Great Miami River.

A caller reported to the WHIO newsroom that her son discovered the body of a male around 8:15 p.m. Tuesday not far from the intersection of Farmersville-West Carrollton and Hydraulic roads.  The man was apparently in his 30s or 40s.

Police and firefighters were on scene at 9 p.m.  Police said the body has not been identified.

CINCINNATI, Ohio -- A man who murdered four people has asked an Ohio jury to spare him from execution, but says he does not deserve forgiveness.

Jurors convicted 41-year-old Anthony Kirkland on Friday of aggravated murder and other charges in the slayings of 13-year-old Esme Kenney and 14-year-old Casonya Crawford of Cincinnati. His sentencing hearing began Tuesday.

Kirkland read a brief statement in court, saying he gets angry and can't stop himself. He says he does not expect forgiveness, but does want to be spared.

Jurors could recommend the death penalty or life in prison with or without the possibility of parole.

Kirkland also has pleaded guilty to murder and corpse abuse in the Cincinnati slayings of 45-year-old Mary Jo Newton and 25-year-old Kimya Rolison.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- A federal jury has awarded a former recreation center employee nearly 1.9 million after finding that the Cleveland-area city where she worked discriminated against her because she is white and because of her anxiety and depression.

The U.S. District Court jury also found Monday that the city of Bedford Heights improperly retaliated against Charlene Thirion when she complained and asked for an accommodation for her disorder.

Thirion's lawyers say she worked for the city for nine years and had excellent performance reviews. They say several black employees were hired after the election of Mayor Fletcher Berger in November

2007, who is black, and that Thirion was fired in September 2008 while she was on an approved medical leave.

Messages seeking comment were left Tuesday for attorneys representing the city.

Copyright 2010 The Associated Press

COLUMBUS, Ohio - Senator Sharon Jones, R- Springboro, introduced a bill into the state senate that would allow people with concealed carry gun permits to possess their weapon in restaurants that serve alcohol.

"The decision six years ago to allow law-abiding Ohioans to carry concealed weapons has not turned our state into the Wild West," Jones said in a press release on Tuesday, March 16.

Senate Bill 239 would also remove the need for weapons to be stored when transported in a vehicle.

Jones also stated that "It is time to update the law so that it works better. This legislation will improve the regulations for carrying so that they are more straightforward and in line with other states."

The bill is being co-sponsored by Senator Tim Schaffer, R- Lancaster.

The Dayton Daily News contributed to this article.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Hospital officials say there's little validity to an oft-repeated claim by the Obama administration that an Ohio cancer patient would have to "choose between her house and her health insurance."

Fifty-year-old Natoma Canfield wrote to President Barack Obama last year to request that he count her as a "statistic" among Americans unable to afford health insurance.

Since then, she has emerged as his emblem on the plan to overhaul health care. She battled breast cancer years ago and now has leukemia.

She has an annual income of about $6,000 and is a prime candidate for Medicaid or charitable assistance.

And her hospital, the Cleveland Clinic, says it has no intention of putting out a lien on Canfield's house. A clinic official notes "there are other hospitals that will do that."

INTERSTATE 75 - ODOT will be performing routine bridge inspections in the area of I-75 North at exit 25A and I-75 South at exit 25A south of Piqua.

This will close the right hand lanes of both North and South bound I-75 one at a time. Each side is expected to take about 2 hours.

Arrow boards and signs will be in place to alert motorists and divert traffic into proper lanes.

All work is weather permitting.

ELYRIA, Ohio -- A police officer in northeast Ohio has been fatally shot after responding to a 911 call from a woman who said a neighbor exposed himself to her child and kicked in a window.

Elyria patrolman James Kerstetter was killed Monday night. Police say in a statement that other officers who responded to help shot and killed the suspect.

Police say the suspect, 58-year-old Ronald Palmer, shot Kerstetter when he went inside Palmer's house. Police said Palmer then ran out of the house and was shot outside.

Police Chief Duane Whitely says the other officers tried to treat the wounded patrolman, but he was pronounced dead at a hospital.

Whitely says Kerstetter was on the force 15 years and was a sheriff's deputy before that.

Copyright 2010 The Associated Press

HUBER HEIGHTS, Ohio - A doctor already in jail for trying to hire someone to kill his wife received news today that he is also being cited by the State Medical Board of Ohio for "sexual Misconduct' with some of his patients.

Dr. Shafik Ahmad, 48, has been cited for 13 counts of sexual misconduct. Joan Wehrle of the State medical board said "The board alleges that Dr. Ahmad engaged in sexual misconduct with patients, violated provisions of the American Medical Association's Code of Ethics, violated board rules related to sexual misconduct, and did not conform to minimal standards of care."

Ahmad is currently awaiting trial for a plot to murder his former wife. Bail is set at $3 million and there is currently no trial date set.

Before the alleged murder plot was uncovered, several of Ahmad's patients lodged complaints, alleging inappropriate sexual comments and touching, according to medical board records.

TOLEDO, Ohio -- Ohio's fourth-largest city has given layoff notices to 125 police officers as it tries to close a budget deficit.

Toledo Mayor Mike Bell said Monday the police cuts will take effect in 30 days unless the city council approves his plan to raise some taxes and a trash fee and force concessions from unions.

Council members could vote as early as Tuesday on Bell's budget-cutting proposal.

The 125 officers represent 21 percent of the police force. Bell says "positive" negotiations with the fire union have spared an equal number of firefighters from receiving layoff notices.

The city is trying to close a projected $48 million deficit. Officials say Toledo would save $5 million by cutting the officers and dropping plans to hire police recruits.

Copyright 2010 The Associated Press

LUCASVILLE, Ohio - The State of Ohio put to death an inmate who tried to commit suicide before his sentence was carried out last week.

Nine days ago Lawrence Reynolds Jr. was found unconscious in his cell from a pill overdose. A spiritual adviser who met with him in prison said today that the convicted killer wanted to die alone, not in the state's death chamber.

Lawrence was sentenced to death for robbing his 67-year old neighbor in Akron and strangling him to death.

In a final statement, Reynolds said "I came in like a lion and go out like a lamb."

The Associated Press contributed to this story.

TROTWOOD, Ohio -- It's been confirmed that a 3 year old toddler, Adorian Hill of Trotwood has been found safe in Tempe Arizona.  The mother and grandmother have been arrested and are in custody.  The three were located at a Studio 6 motel in Tempe.

Ashley Hill, 27, is the non-custodial mother and the grandmother, 48, Delona Gray, got on an airplane Saturday headed for Arizona. They were not approved to remove the boy from the area after an approved visit for the weekend with his mother.  The boy lives in a foster home in the Trotwood area.

An Amber alert had been issued for the boy earlier Tuesday.

SPRINGFIELD, Ohio -- The barrage of snow storms in February and subsequent clean up wasn't cheap for the City of Springfield.

City Service Director Jim Mann estimated the five storms cost the city more than $217,000, including roughly $64,000 for overtime, nearly $25,000 for fuel and about $129,000 for salt.

The city has used about 4,000 tons of salt this winter and has between 1,500 and 2,000 tons left after reduced salting of residential streets to save money. Mann said the city has enough salt for the rest of the winter and will have to revisit the supply levels and salt budget in the fall.

The city projects using about $1 million in funds to balance its books this year despite cutting more than 100 positions in recent years.

(Information from the Springfield News Sun)

DAYTON, Ohio -- A one-time Waynesville resident is convicted in a mortgage scheme.

Prosecutors say Gregory S. Chew, 42, made more than $7.9 million and involved 57 property investors and 246 residential properties throughout greater Dayton.

Chew was accused of conspiring with Richard C. Confer Jr., 42, of West Carrollton, to fraudulently obtain more than $17 million in mortgage loans from more than 39 victimized mortgage lending institutions.

The trial took 15 days and jurors deliberated for some 28 hours.

Chew was convicted of one count of money laundering, one count of conspiracy to launder money and three counts each of mail fraud and wire fraud.

Chew faces jail time of up to 30 years for wire fraud and mail fraud, 20 years for conspiracy and 10 years for money laundering.

Confer pleaded guilty on Feb. 19 to one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering for his role in the scheme.

(Information from the Dayton Daily News)

TROTWOOD, Ohio -- The battle of the budget continues in Trotwood.

Officials say the city is dealing with a $640,000 budget shortfall and they are looking at every options.

City unions have agreed to some concessions to help the situation. All, that is, but the police union and officials say unless there is an agreement, their could be layoffs from the force.

One possibility is to have the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office patrol the city.

Lower tax revenues the problem, according to officials.

DAYTON, Ohio -- It started as a routine traffic stop and ended as anything but.

The suspect slammed the car door on the officer's hand and took off.

The man then lost control of the car on Gettysburg Avenue, hitting another vehicle head-on and sideswiping another.

He tried to run but cops quickly caught him.

Gettysburg was shut down for some time.

Police recovered a handgun, a bag of crack cocaine, two bags of marijuana and a drug scale, a lot of cash and alcohol from his vehicle.

There were no serious injuries in the crash.

ELYRIA, Ohio (AP) -- Patrolman James Kerstetter was fatally shot Monday night after responding to a 911 call from a woman who said a neighbor exposed himself to her and her child and kicked in a window.

Kerstetter suffered the life-threatening injuries while exchanging gunfire with suspect Ronald Palmer, 58, who was also killed in the incident. Elyria officers attempted to treat Kerstetter on the scene but he was later pronounced dead at EMH Regional Medical Center.

Kerstetter was a 15-year veteran with the Elyria force, according to Police Chief Duane Whitely, and was a sheriff's deputy before that.

The investigation has been turned over to the Lorain County Sheriff's office.

BELLBROOK, Ohio -- Bellbrook continues to work on the number of pets allowed in a home.

Last night's zoning board meeting sent the proposal to do away with the current two pet limit to city council.

There had originally been a proposal to change the limit from two to three pets but the zoning board decided to take it further.

The issue came to light when a family that was cited for too many pets said they were unaware of the ordinance.

RIVERSIDE, Ohio -- A Riverside couple is accused of beating their niece over a period of several months.

Thomas and Tasha Odom pleaded not guilty to child endangering, unlawful restraint and assault.

The eight-year-old's parent are in prison. The Odoms had temporary custody.

She is now in foster care.

There were no broken bones so the suspects will be charged with misdemeanors.

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Ralph Conone, who is accused of punching children in the head at Columbus Walmart, faces more charges.

Ohio Police have filed two more assault counts against Conone, 68, stemming from a Feb. 28 incident after he was arrested at a Walmart last week and charged with two similar misdemeanors involving a 2-year-old boy.

Conone told investigators it was exciting to hit children with their parents near by.

He remains in jail on $150,000 bond and his attorney has declined comment.

(The Associated Press contributed to this story)

DAYTON, Ohio -- The other side of the earmark debate may come home to roost in the Miami Valley.

John Nolan of the Dayton Daily News reports Congressman Mike Turner's agreement with other republicans not to use earmarks for favored hometown funding means some projects at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base could be delayed.

Turner said he might otherwise have been inclined to use earmarks to obtain federal funding sooner for a $16 million project to build a research laboratory for the Air Force Institute of Technology at Wright-Patterson. That project is now slated to receive funding in 2014, but use of earmarks this year could have lined up the money sooner, he said at his district office in Dayton.

There might be other projects delayed as well.

Turner said he is considering proposing legislation to make Dayton's local project assessment system a model for that process across the nation. That could help assure funding of local projects with the broadest possible impact, he said.

(Information from the Dayton Daily News)

DAYTON, Ohio -- The Montgomery County Coroner's Office is considering the death of a woman found in the backyard of an abandoned house "suspicious."

The autopsy of Kimberly Paradiso was inconclusive but her death is being investigated as a homicide.

Lucas Sullivan of the Dayton daily News reports that Paradiso, 47, was found with blood near her eye and her pants were partially undone.

He body was found yesterday behind 58 Warder Street.

The body was found by a group of kids.

Paradiso is believed to have been dead more than 24 hours.

Court records show she had been arrested for menacing and domestic violence in the last five years and had been arrested at least twice for public intoxication.

(Information from the Dayton Daily News)

NEW YORK (AP) -- Investors have turned cautious ahead of the Federal Reserve's meeting on interest rates.

Major stock indexes have ended mixed Monday while investors await the Fed meeting Tuesday. Traders will be looking for clues about the economy in the statement that follows the meeting.

An analyst upgrade of Wal-Mart Stores Inc. has lifted the Dow Jones industrial average. Broader indexes have ended the day mixed.

The Dow is up 17 to close at 10,642. The Standard & Poor's 500 index is up less than 1 at 1,151. The Nasdaq composite is down 5 at 2,362.

Three stocks fell for every two that rose on the New York Stock Exchange. Trading volume came to 913 million shares compared with 1.1 billion Friday.

DAYTON, Ohio -- It's being advertised more on radio and TV than a Sham Wow.

"It" is the 2010 Census, which should be landing in your mail box soon, perhaps as early as today.

The around 120-million Census forms were actually mailed out today.

For those who fill out and return the form, that should be it. Those who don't can expect a visit by a Census worker sometime in late April.

The Census helps determine how much federal money will be allocated to the Miami Valley and determines how many seats the state gets in the House Of Representatives.

DAYTON, Ohio -- WHIO Radio is celebrating it's 75th anniversary and accepted for honors today from Congressman Mike Turner.

Congressman Turner presented the station with a flag that has been flown over the Capitol, saying, "We appreciate WHIO Radio as an icon and institution. What an incredible resource for us locally, but also the national significance of the information that is provided. So we have flown this flag from the Capitol in honor of the radio station for 75 years."

The flag was flown over the U.S. Capitol on the station's actual anniversary date, February 9.

The flag was accepted by Harry Delaney, Cox Media Group Vice President for News and Content.

Turner noted he stays in touch with what's happening in the Dayton region by listening to the station on the internet.

XENIA, Ohio -- A man pleads guilty to attempted aggravated murder in a 13-year-old case.

Chi Quang Du was accused of stabbing two people as they came out of the Wright State library in 1997.

He pleaded guilty this morning in the stabbing 21-year-old Thuy Mai. He'll still go on trial for one count of attempted aggravated murder in the stabbing Mai's friend, 23-year-old Eric Borton.

Du took off after the stabbings and was not located until 2009 when he was found in Canada with the help of the TV show "America's .

A jury is being seated in the case of Borton's stabbing.

SAN DIEGO (AP) -- Toyota is casting doubt on a California man's claim that his Prius sped out of control, saying that his report is inconsistent with findings of the company's preliminary investigation.

Toyota says the accelerator pedal was tested and found to be working normally and a backup safety system worked properly.

The automaker says the front brakes showed severe wear and damage from overheating but the rear brakes and parking brake were in good condition.

James Sikes says his car raced to 94 mph on a freeway near San Diego last week. The March 8 incident ended when Sikes stopped the car with help from a California Highway Patrol officer.

DAYTON, Ohio (AP) -- Arkansas-Pine Bluff opened its season by going just about everywhere -- and losing. The Golden Lions are closing their season in the one place they've never been.

They'll play Winthrop in the opening game of the NCAA tournament on Tuesday night at what has become the game's traditional venue, the University of Dayton Arena.

The Golden Lions (17-15) opened with a brutal 11-game road stretch and lost all of them. They won the Southwestern Athletic Conference tournament to get their first NCAA berth.

Big South champion Winthrop (19-13) has been a regular, reaching the NCAA tournament for the ninth time since 1999. The Eagles have one tournament win, over Notre Dame in 2007.

The winner plays Duke, the No. 1 seed in the South Regional, on Friday in Jacksonville, Fla.

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) -- U.S. Supreme Court declines to stop Tuesday's execution of Ohio inmate who strangled neighbor.

That inmate sought to delay his execution by challenging the state's lethal injection procedure.

Lawrence Reynolds Jr. last week overdosed on pills in a suicide attempt.

He was convicted of strangling his 67-year-old neighbor in 1994 in Cuyahoga Falls.

His attorneys asked the Supreme Court for more to time to make their case that Ohio hasn't corrected problems with accessing inmates' veins before a new single-drug method of lethal injection is used.

The 43-year-old Reynolds is being closely monitored as the state on Tuesday will try for a third time to execute him. Reynolds was to have been executed last week but was found unconscious in his cell and hospitalized. His original execution date was postponed last fall while the state reviewed its execution procedure.

STRONGSVILLE, Ohio (AP) -- President Barack Obama is delivering a new appeal to Congress on health care.

Addressing a crowd in Strongsville today, Obama was briefly interrupted by a woman who shouted, "We need courage." He quickly adopted the line and repeated it. Obama had used his speech to try to reassure seniors that his health care plan will make Medicare stronger.

Obama had used his speech to try to reassure seniors that his health care plan will make Medicare stronger.

Obama and congressional Democratic leaders are scrambling to secure the support for his top domestic initiative, with votes possible later this week. They are trying to persuade nervous Democrats to back the legislation. Obama's Ohio appearance was his third campaign-style event in a week.

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) -- Ohio gasoline prices are up 4 cents from last week, continuing a steady climb that the government says will take pump prices beyond the $3 mark.

Cheapest price we find locally is $2.53 a gallon at the Sam's Club on Miller Lane in Butler Township.

A survey from auto club AAA, the Oil Price Information Service and Wright Express puts the statewide average for regular-grade gasoline at $2.72 per gallon, compared to $2.68 last Monday.

Prices at Ohio pumps are 23 cents higher than they were a month ago but are 7 cents below the current national average of $2.79.

The federal Energy Department said last week it expects gas prices to surpass $3 per gallon as more motorists hit the road this spring and summer.

A year ago, gas was almost a dollar cheaper in Ohio, averaging $1.84 for regular.

DAYTON, Ohio -- Kids playing find a woman's body behind a house in Dayton.

The body was found in the backyard of 58 Warder Street in Dayton. a house that has reportedly been abandoned for some eight years.

The woman, who has not been identified, had reportedly been dead for several days.

She is described as white, 45 to 50 years old and wearing blue jeans, a black T-shirt and white tennis shoes with a red design. She had graying black hair.

The coroner's office is conducting an autopsy.

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The government says it cannot explain a reported incident of sudden, high-speed acceleration in a Toyota Prius on a San Diego, Calif., freeway last week.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says in a statement that it continues to investigate but may never know exactly what happened with the car.

The agency says its engineers are reviewing data from the Prius owned by James Sikes to try to understand what happened with his hybrid.

But so far, NHTSA says it has not been able to find anything to explain the incident that Sikes reported.

Sikes called 911 last Monday to report losing control of his Prius as the hybrid reached speeds of 94 mph. A highway patrol officer helped Sikes bring the vehicle to a safe stop.

Toyota holds a news conference Monday in San Diego to release its early findings on an alleged case of sudden acceleration by a Prius.

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Increasingly eager to finish work on his top domestic priority, President Barack Obama heads to northeast Ohio on Monday with a final sales pitch for health care legislation.

The top Democratic vote-counter in the House says that right now, the bill lacks support to pass.

But Obama's top political adviser, David Axelrod, says he's "absolutely confident" the measure will pass during a make-or-break week that already saw the president delay his trip to Indonesia, Australia and Guam.

White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said Sunday he thinks this is "the climactic week for health care reform."

CINCINNATI (AP) -- Authorities say a towboat sank in the rain-swollen Ohio River and one crewman is missing.

Hebron Fire Protection District spokesman Michael Fronimos says two crewmen safely swam to shore after the boat sank Sunday afternoon between Anderson Ferry and Taylorsport. He says crews were searching for the missing man as darkness fell.

Recent rainfall and melting snow have increased river levels and led to swift-moving currents.

The two crewmen have been taken to St. Elizabeth Hospital in Florence for treatment of hypothermia. Fronimos says the water temperature was about 45 degrees.

Lt. Tom Scheben of the Boone County Sheriff's Office says it wasn't immediately clear what caused the boat to sink. The crew members' names have not been released.

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Ohio -- One person is injured in an overnight I-75 crash in Harrison Township.

It happened just south of Needmore Road.

The driver lost control, hitting a cement wall. The man suffered non-life threatening injuries and was transported to the hospital.

The investigation into the crash continues.