Tuesday, August 08, 2000
Tristate digest
Hartz agrees to work safety fine
PLEASANT PLAIN — A company that makes pet supplies has agreed to pay a fine of $53,688 and make safety improvements at its Southwest Ohio factory, federal regulators said Monday.
The agreement with Hartz Mountain Corp., doing business as L/M Animal Farms Inc., resulted from an Occupational Safety and Health Administration inspection of the company's plant in March, OSHA officials said.
OSHA cited the company for workplace hazards including inadequate safety guards on machinery, inadequate personal safety equipment, improper procedures for entering confined spaces and inadequate procedures for ensuring that machines are cut off from electrical power during maintenance.
Company management has cooperated with OSHA officials and has corrected most of the violations, said William Murphy, OSHA's Cincinnati area director.
In addition, management promised to make other safety improvements and provide additional safety training to employees, Mr. Murphy said.
OSHA's safety inspection on March 20 was the result of a complaint to the agency, Mr. Murphy said.
In late May, a fire and explosion in a wood chip dryer at the plant injured 11 people, including 10 firefighters.
The plant is in southern Warren County, about 20 miles northeast of Cincinnati.
CPS rehires 15 staffers The Cincinnati Enquirer
Fourteen teachers and one assistant principal laid off earlier this year by Cincinnati Public Schools were reinstated Monday.
Based on Superintendent Steven Adamowski's recommendation, the Board of Education voted to rehire the elementary school employees, effective Aug. 1.
The 14 teachers include three part-time teachers, one job-share teacher and 10 full-time teachers. The assistant principal will be assigned to Crest Hills Elementary.
Rick Beck, Cincinnati Federal of Teachers president, said the move indicates the teachers should never have been let go in the first place.
Monday's action means the district has now hired back all of the 98 teachers it cut.
Amish man held up by gunman
BALTIC, Ohio — Give up your money or the horse gets shot, the gunman told an Amish buggy driver.
The driver complied, dropping about $100 in cash on the road in this northeast Ohio community Saturday afternoon, the Holmes County sheriff's office said.
Two men, including one armed with a shotgun, fled in a pickup truck.
The gunman had been waiting along the roadside and pointed at the horse and threatened to shoot if the driver didn't give up his money, the sheriff's department said.
The buggy driver didn't get a license plate number, but said the men fled in an older green Ford Ranger or Chevrolet S-10 pickup truck.
The gunman wore a ski mask and may have been in his teens or 20s, about 5-foot-6 or 5-7 and about 140 pounds. The getaway driverhad red hair and was clean-shaven.
No arrests have been made in the case, the sheriff's department said Sunday night.
Police search for mountain lion
AKRON — Springfield Township police were searching Monday for what they believe is a mountain lion.
Residents have reported seeing a large cat near a wooded area since Friday morning, said Police Sgt. Garry Moneypenny.
Officials at the Akron Zoo believe the animal could be a mountain lion based on residents' descriptions.
Police, who have not seen the animal, were searching the wooded area Monday by helicopter, Sgt. Moneypenny said.
He said the animal has not been aggressive to anyone and no one has reported missing a mountain lion or similar animal.
Residents who live near the wooded area are being asked to keep their children indoors.
Springfield Township is southeast of Akron.
Teen finds cash, lesson in justice
VAN WERT, Ohio — A teen-ager who found $850 on the street wasn't so lucky after all. First he had to pass a lie detector test to prove to his parents that he didn't steal the money.
Now he has to go to court to try to persuade a judge to give him the still-unclaimed cash.
“Right now, I feel like it doesn't do any good to do the right thing,” said Josh Boroff, 15. “I did the right thing and look what happened.”
He found the money in an envelope — eight $100 bills and a $50 — while walking home from school in March.
At first, he didn't tell anyone.
“I thought of stuff I could buy,” Josh said. “Then, something happened in my head. I thought it could be someone's income or money to pay bills. In the middle of the night, I decided to do the right thing. I was ready to tell my mom in the morning.”
The next day, his mother, Tammy May, saw the money and said it had to be turned in to police.
Josh's parents made him take the lie detector test after his great-grandfather told the family that he was missing $1,000.
However, a few days later, the great-grandfather's cash was counted again, and none was missing.
“He just counted wrong and thought it was short,” Ms. May told the Toledo Blade for a story Monday.
Ms. May said she also was concerned because her son had hesitated to tell her about his find.
“The lie detector test was to prove he didn't do anything wrong, so there would be no question,” she said. “I was sure he would pass.”
Police Chief Brent Daubach said that even though the boy passed the test and no one has claimed the cash, the city's general fund might get the money.
He said authorities usually hold lost money for 90 days to see whether anybody claims it. He said state law requires that a court decide where the money ends up.
Municipal Court Judge Phil Campbell will hold a hearing Sept. 19.
Josh and his friends have collected about 600 signatures from people urging the city to give him the money.
“My family kind of had suspicions that I stole it and that didn't make me feel the greatest,” Josh said.
“But I understood,” he said. “I guess if I had a kid, I'd understand it that way. My mom said if I took the test she'd know she could trust me.”
Man drowns going after fishing lure
PAINESVILLE, Ohio — A man drowned after he dived into Lake Erie to retrieve a favorite fishing lure, the Coast Guard said.
Aleksandr Kurilov, 42, of Berea, died Sunday after he jumped off a breakwall in Painesville Township, near Headlands Beach State Park and about 50 miles east of Cleveland, the Coast Guard said.
He became trapped between a steel wall and rocks and was underwater for about 20 minutes before rescue workers pulled him out.
Mr. Kurilov was pronounced dead about 3:30 p.m. at Lake East Hospital.
'Safe Place' aims to save infants
Festival controversy continues
Robbery suspect hails taxi, fails getaway
Jewish leaders say Lieberman optimistic choice
Tristate calls pick 'inspired'
Weekend parties serve conversation
Hackers taking advantage of Netscape hole
Butler Co.'s $35M+ jail project on track
CPS mulls levy request amount
More than money needed for tower
Reading program pays off
Snowden opponent quits post on panel
Survey finds support for CPS
Taxpayers kick in $250,000 for art at Bengals' stadium
Lazio taps Cincinnati funds for campaign
Man faces murder charge
Money will be returned to city
Scootering through summer
Six up for police top job
Teachers tapped for awards
Grants help buy police vests
Hidden weapon lawsuit revised
Mother wins Kenton Co. lawsuit
School bells ring for early start
Clooney's TV work victim of his success
Counting Crows, Live mesh well
Fort Wright loses power after crash
Get to it
Pig Parade: I Squeal. You Squeal. We All Squeal for Ice Cream.
Tristate digest
