Plans to perform “cultural audits” of Cincinnati's police and fire departments were killed Monday by a City Council committee.

        Council's Law and Public Safety Committee passed 4-1 a motion by Councilman Pat DeWine to abandon plans for the audits, which would have analyzed the departments' internal race relations and policies.

        Mr. DeWine has called the audits, which could cost as much as $500,000, a waste of money.

        Councilman Paul Booth, who voted no, wanted further discussions on the audit delayed until a U.S. Department of Justice investigation of the police division is complete.
       

Woman enters plea
to smuggling drug
               LEBANON — A woman pleaded not guilty Monday to sneaking a marijuana-filled balloon into the state prison where her brother is being held.

        Tara Tate, 22, of Bond Hill, was visiting her brother at the Warren Correctional Institution on Thursday when police, acting on a tip, found 1.5 grams of marijuana in her clothing, the Ohio State Highway Patrol said.

        Ms. Tate was arraigned Monday in Lebanon Municipal Court and posted $5,000 bond. A preliminary hearing was set for June 28.

        Smuggling drugs into a prison is a fifth-degree felony punishable with up to a year in jail and $2,500 fine.
       

Over-the-Rhine
shooting investigated

               Police were investigating a Monday evening shooting in Over-the-Rhine that sent a man to the emergency room with multiple gunshot wounds.

        The shooting occurred about 7 p.m. in the 1700 block of Vine Street, police said. The victim was transported to University Hospital for wounds to the shoulder and abdomen.

        The name of the victim was being withheld pending notification of relatives.

        The suspect, described as a black male, 6 feet and of average build, wearing a ball cap, sunglasses, blue-and-white shirt and shorts, was last seen getting into a maroon Nissan Maxima with Ohio temporary plates. It went south on Vine Street.
       

Nashville nears
school head decision

               The Metropolitan Board of Education in Nashville, which is considering Cincinnati Public Schools Superintendent Steven Adamowski for its top schools spot, might decide as soon as Thursday who will be the district's next director of schools.

        Mr. Adamowski — one of four finalists for the job — interviewed in Nashville last weekend.

        However, board members there are divided on when to make the decision.
       

Suit alleges officer
based ticket on race

               A Cincinnati businessman claimed in a lawsuit Monday he was given a traffic ticket last year because he is black.

        According to the lawsuit, Michael Davis was driving his 1999 Lexus 300RX on Columbia Parkway when a Cincinnati officer on a motorcycle pulled him over and gave him the ticket.

        The lawsuit claims the officer altered the ticket several times, adding citations and notations intended to frighten Mr. Davis into pleading guilty to “unfounded charges.” The charges were dismissed.

        Mr. Davis' attorney, Robert Newman, said his client was stopped because he was a black man driving a luxury car.
       

Red Cross seeking
disaster relief aid

               The Cincinnati Area American Red Cross has launched an effort to raise $230,000 this year to bolster depleted disaster relief funds. In the past year, the local Red Cross spent more than $760,000 to help 845 families.

        To contribute, send checks to the American Red Cross, 720 Sycamore St., Cincinnati 45202.
       

Wright-Patterson adds
$20M ramp to runway

               DAYTON, Ohio — A new $20 million runway ramp should increase the chances of Wright-Patterson Air Force Base landing a long-term flying mission, officials said Monday.

        Wright-Patterson is headquarters to the commands that develop new aircraft and maintain the supply chain that keeps aircraft combat ready. Rep. David Hobson, chairman of the House Appropriations military construction subcommittee, said the ramp is designed to increase the chances of the new C-17s and other planes being assigned to Wright-Patterson.

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Kentucky Digest
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Private colleges state case
Congrats
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