Man, 92, dies after car backs over him

COVINGTON - A 92-year-old Cincinnati man was killed Tuesday afternoon after he slipped and fell while getting into a vehicle in the Mike Fink restaurant parking lot and the vehicle backed over him.

The man, who suffered head and leg injuries, was taken to University Hospital, where he died shortly after his arrival, police said.

Authorities were withholding his name late Tuesday pending notification of relatives.

The incident occurred about 2 p.m. in the parking lot at 100 Greenup St. The vehicle was driven by S. Charles Straus, 87, of Cincinnati, an associate of the victim, police said.

Montgomery budget $13.6 million this year

MONTGOMERY - This city of 10,200 residents will operate on a 2003 spending plan of $13.6 million.

The amount is about $1 million shy of the 2002 budget, but City Manager Cheryl Hilvert said there's no reason for concern.

The 2002 budget, she said, included some stockpiled money the city used to purchase a $600,000 ladder truck for the fire department and a $1 million, 1-acre parcel in the city's historic Heritage District.

The 2003 spending plan includes reserves to pay off debt lingering from the 1992 issuance of $1.25 million in bonds, which financed Pioneer Park improvements.

By paying off the $730,000 in remaining debt by February, the city will save $140,056 in interest payments.

Eminent domain topic on WMOH talk show

NORWOOD - Nick Motz, co-leader of Citizens Against Eminent Domain Abuse, will appear Saturday on "Ask the Builder," a live, talk-radio show on WMOH-AM (1450).

Host Tim Carter, nationally syndicated newspaper columnist, invited Mr. Motz to speak about eminent domain on the 10 a.m. to noon broadcast.

He is one of 79 property owners whose homes and businesses stand in the way of Rookwood Exchange, an $125 million project that would include offices, restaurants, shops, apartments and condos on the wedge bounded by Interstate 71 and Edwards and Edmondson roads.

Mr. Motz is part of the minority refusing to sell.

He has pleaded with City Council members to ignore the developers' request to conduct an urban renewal study.

The request is pending. If approved, it would determine whether the neighborhood is blighted and make the holdout properties vulnerable to eminent domain proceedings.

For more information, see www.askbuild.com.

Free Store/FoodBank issues special appeal

With donations lagging compared to last year, the FreeStore/FoodBank is making a special appeal for additional monetary assistance to sustain operations in 2003.

The nonprofit agency needs $1.1 million to sustain its 2003 operations, Steve Gibbs, FreeStore/FoodBank president and CEO, said this week. A three-month fund-raising drive started in November resulted in numerous donations, but the agency needs an additional $235,000 in the next four weeks to reach its goal, he said.

"Our staff and volunteers do a terrific job all year long," Mr. Gibbs said. "But we can only do this to the extent that the donating public supports our mission."

Donations to the state's third-largest food bank, which serves more than 300,000 individuals annually, can be made over the telephone by calling 482-7539, or can be mailed or dropped off at the FreeStore's Bond Hill location at 1250 Tennessee Ave., Cincinnati, OH 45229. Contributions are tax-deductible.

Woman talked off ledge; traffic blocked

A woman stood on the top ledge of the Tower Place Garage for more than 45 minutes Tuesday before officers from the Cincinnati SWAT negotiating team and the Mobile Crisis Response unit talked her down.

The 1:30 p.m. incident forced police to close Fourth Street between Elm and Race streets. They also closed a one-block stretch of Race Street, just north of Fourth.

"We had four or five officers up there," Lt. Dave Bailey said. "The SWAT negotiators are used to dealing with crisis."

New Year's Day closings

Postal Service: No delivery
Library: Closed
Banks: Closed
Trash collection
Cincinnati: One day delay
Rumpke: One day delay
CSI: One day delay
Metro: Holiday schedule
Parking meters: No coins required
Courts: Closed
Government offices
Federal: Closed
City and county: Closed
State: Closed
Stock markets: Closed

- Compiled from staff and wire reports