Wednesday, August 11, 1999
TRISTATE DIGEST
p8 Driver killed on I-75 after crossing median
CRITTENDEN — A 19-year-old Berea, Ohio, man was killed Tuesday on Interstate 75 near here after his car crossed the grassy median and collided with a van.
The fatal crash shut down traffic on southbound I-75 for two hours.
Joshua D. Campbell, who was driving a 1992 Subaru, was pronounced dead at the crash scene, about one mile south of Crittenden, Grant County police said. Police said Mr. Campbell was driving north on I-75 about 4 p.m. when his ar crossed the grassy median into the southbound lanes.
The Subaru initially struck a 1993 Ford Ranger, causing minor damage, and then struck a 1990 Ford van head-on, police said. The driver of the pickup, Bernard Hammond of Williamstown, was not injured.
The driver of the van, David Carter, 49, of Dry Ridge, was airlifted to University Hospital in Cincinnati, where he was treated and released Tuesday night.
The crash remains under investigation.
Man pleads not guilty to killing stepchildren
URBANA, Ohio — A man pleaded not guilty Tuesday to charges he kidnapped and killed his two stepchildren, whose bodies were found two months after they disappeared from their home.
Kevin Neal, 33, was denied bail and returned to jail after the hearing in Champaign County Common Pleas Court.
Mr. Neal is charged with killing India Smith, 11, and her half brother, Cody Smith, 4. They vanished July 9, 1997. A farmer found their remains Sept. 6, 1997, near Nettle Creek Cemetery, about 3 miles from their house in Urbana, 35 miles northeast of Dayton.
Mr. Neal was indicted in May on charges of aggravated murder, kidnapping, offenses against a human corpse and tampering with evidence. The indictment alleges the crimes were committed with a sexual motivation.
Prosecutor Nick Selvaggio has said he will seek the death penalty.
Cleveland police union yields on KKK rally
CLEVELAND — The city police union Tuesday gave up its attempt to block a Ku Klux Klan rally scheduled for the same day as a downtown convention for black families and the Cleveland Browns first home game.
The Cleveland Police Patrolmen's Association reached a settlement in federal court with Mayor Michael R. White, who had refused to mount his own legal challenge to the rally.
Mr. White has said he's obligated under the Constitution to allow the rally to go forward and a legal fight against the KKK would have been a losing battle.
But the union, which represents 1,700 officers and dispatchers — the vast majority of Cleveland's police force — said the rally would put officers at risk of violence as they work to keep the white supremacist group and anti-Klan protesters separated. The union also said it would be hard-pressed to provide security for all the events in Cleveland that day.
Soil tests show school on dump site can open
MARION, Ohio — Classes will begin as scheduled this month at River Valley schools after new soil tests showed no further evidence of contamination at the site, Superintendent Tom Shade said.
“We have no intention of not opening River Valley High School or Middle School,” he said.
The first day of school for the 850 students at the two schools about 40 miles north of Columbus is Aug. 24.
Preliminary test results released Monday by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers showed no evidence of contamination beneath the schools. Additional test results are expected this week.
Authorities began soil testing two years ago after an abnormally high number of leukemia cases appeared among former high school students. The campus was built on a dump site for an Army vehicle depot during World War II.
Class ring comes back 40 years after loss
FORT WAYNE, Ind. — After 40 years, Dave Mueller's gold high school class ring is back where it belongs: on his finger.
Mr. Mueller last saw the ring from Hoagland High School in 1959 when it snagged on a rope and plunged into the muddy bottom of Lake James near Angola while he was swimming with friends.
Mr. Mueller, who works with the Allen County Police Department, said he never thought much about the ring after losing it — until last month.
It turned out Bob Baumgartner of Pandora, Ohio, found the ring while diving in 1963. He took the ring home and placed it in a box with other trinkets. But it wasn't until 1996 that he decided to search for its owner.
Police review: Carpenter shooting justified
Bell, airport lead campaign against new area code
Driver hits 4, speeds away
CPS lowers bar on grades for activity participation
City busing cut hits small schools
Labor could throw support to Springer
Send us your ideas on tax surplus
Who gets Bengals seats in the taxpayers' suite?
5/3 won't pursue mistaken deposits
Desperate blood bank reaches out to public
Hot spell put chill on camping
Parched Ohio a disaster area
Principal resigns under cloud
Schools want students back on time
Catching up with the Class of '69
FBI joins search for rapist
Inmate sues to get abortion
Johnny Bench sued over golf clubs
Seniors' public housing inspected
GET TO IT
Little of Lilith should be missed
New help for knees
Asbestos firms' trial postponed
Board moves toward fall levy vote
City eases rules on housing
Coast Guard, sun clear gas from Ohio
Computer's child porn not local, police say
Dad's release goal of papers, defendant says
Debt would go, but so might control if water system sold
dispatch centers open talks on merger
Health priorities developed
Jury in child's death split on some charges
Middletown/Monroe schools seek levy renewal
Mo-ped driver injured in crash
Schools ask state board to OK split
Small piece of new highway to open
Sweet rewards for buckling up
Taste of Colerain celebrates 10th year
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