The Cincinnati Enquirer from Cincinnati, Ohio • Page 78

NW METRO rm r.iNriNNATi Enquirer C2 Saturday, August 12. 1995 Patton fears tobacco backlash AROUND THE TRISTATE thousands of Kentuckians, is jeopardized by the Food and Drug Administration's mistaken effort to classify tobacco as a drug and to impose new government regulations," Patton point that out, even a top member of Pat-ton's campaign admits Clinton's timing may cost the Democrats votes in November. "It won't be a big help," said Melissa For-sythe, Patton's fpi Forgy Patton wrote to Clinton. A Sr. i TpW i hit Two die in wreck Bowling Green, rescue workers tend to a child clutching a teddy bear Friday at the scene of an accident on a dangerous stretch of Interstate 65 that killed two people and injured four.

An infant in a child-restraint seat was the only one not thrown from a truck as it rolled at least five times. A Stone Mountain, man. Carter Clinton plan may impact gov. race BY PATRICK CROWLEY The Cincinnati Enquirer COVINGTON President Clinton's plan to reduce teen-age smoking with new regulations on tobacco may end up burning fellow Democrat Paul Patton, Republicans and Democrats said Friday. Patton, the Democratic candidate in Kentucky's race for governor, professes to support tobacco farmers.

He lobbied Clinton this week not to order the new rules and has said he will not support the president's reelection bid if they are enacted. But by virtue of Clinton and Patton being Democrats, and with Republican gubernatorial candidate Larry Forgy only too happy to press secretary. In a state where burley tobacco is the No. 1 agricultural crop, generating nearly $800 million in sales last year, Patton is clearly aware of the political damage Clinton's policy could do. Patton wrote Clinton this week and talked with him by phone Wednesday night, Forsythe said.

"The future of the tobacco industry, and therefore the future of Clinton has proposed federal rules designed to restrict teen-agers' access to tobacco and establishing nicotine in cigarettes as a dangerous addictive drug subject to federal regulation. The landmark proposal, which could open the door to further curbs on tobacco, would ban vending machines in places frequented by youths, outlaw free samples and other promotions, and The Associated PressJoe Imel Washington 18, and his son, Carter Washington 2, were killed. Police said they do not know why the truck left the road, but speculate that the driver may have fallen asleep. Authorities say eight people have now died on the stretch of I-65, just outside Park City in western Kentucky. Wrm ill JiWi-v The Associated PressChris Kasson Fred Dailey, Ohio's agriculture director, and Ohio Lt.

Gov. Nancy Hollister gingerly step through a flood-swept corn field in Urbana, Ohio, on Friday. The two were touring storm-damaged Northwestern Ohio. sharply restrict advertising designed to appeal to youngsters. Patton has joined other key Kentucky Democrats among them U.S.

Senator Wendell Ford, U.S. Rep. Scotty Baesler of Lexington and Gov. Brereton Jones imploring Clinton to write his plan into law and hand enforcement power to another agency, possibly the Federal Trade Commission, than the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). They think a law passed by Congress, rather than an executive order from Clinton, would remove the heavy-handed regulation they fear will be used by the FDA.

Republicans were quick to make political hay. A member of Forgy's campaign quipped, "Bill Clinton just handed the keys to the governor's mansion to Larry Forgy with this move." Opinions divided on 'Roe' Abortion supporters say she's irrelevant BY ANDREA TORTORA The Cincinnati Enquirer Norma McCorvey's decision to switch her opinion on abortion may make others rethink their views, Cincinnati anti-abortion activists said Friday. But to local advocates of legalized abortion, the philosophical reverse is a non-issue. "This woman was used and abused by everyone in sight," said Dr. John Willke, Cincinnati Right to Life member and president of the Pro-life Issues Institute.

"Pro-life is so pleased she's finally going to be at peace and harmony with herself." McCorvey, known as Jane Roe in the landmark 1973 Supreme Court ruling that legalized abortion, announced Thursday she had been baptized by the national head of the anti-abortion group Operation Rescue. The decision came too late for her. She gave birth and put the infant up for adoption. She quit her job at a Dallas women's health clinic run by abortion-rights supporters and said she will be a filing clerk for Operation Rescue. In Cincinnati, Burr Robinson, executive director of the anti-abortion group Act for Life, was pleased with McCorvey's decision.

But he said it's clear she is still at a crossroads. "I'm glad she's done what she's done. More and more people are realizing the facts about abortion," Robinson said. Whatever McCorvey believes won't have a drastic effect on the abortion debate, Debi Jackson, director of the Cincinnati Women's Services clinic said. "This is not a woman who ever had an abortion and she's never been a national spokesperson for the pro-choice movement," Jackson said.

McCorvey is just one woman who changed her mind, said Kathy Helmbock, Cincinnati National Organization for Women chapter spokeswoman. "Roe v. Wade was not just about Jane Roe or Norma McCorvey," Helmbock said. "It was about reproductive rights in all 50 states." Ninety percent of all abortions are performed in the first trimester a time when McCorvey said she still approves of abortion. "It's obvious she hasn't thought too much about it," Willke said.

"She talks of slaughtering and then says abortion is OK in the first trimester." Officials tour flooded spots Storm recovery includes cleanup, aid Weather-related notes from Erie, Licking, Loqan, Lorain, Mari- on, Mercer, Miami, Montgomery, around Ohio: Lt. Gov. Nancy Hollister and Agriculture Director Fred Dailey flew over seven counties Friday to review damage. They saw Auglaize, Allen, Champaign, Hardin, Logan, Marion and Shelby counties. Work crews from the Civilian Conservation Corps' Ger-mantown camp helped remove debris and cleanup Fort Recovery in Mercer County and St.

Paris in Champaign County. American Red Cross disaster workers are helping in 13 counties. The centers will remain open next week if necessary. The counties are Champaign, Clark, bhelby, bcioto and Washington. The Ohio Department of Health is providing free testing of private water wells.

The agency has been monitoring campgrounds, mobile home parks and private water. The Department of Transportation is helping Scioto County with debris removal and repair. The Ohio Department of Agriculture is working with the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Consolidated Farm Service Agency to assess crop loss. The Department of Natural Resources continues to monitor river and dam levels.

News Tips: Call 24 hours a day to reach our recorded News Tip Hot Line: 768-8602. If it's an emergency, press zero when the recording begins to be connected with an editor between 8:30 a.m. and midnight. OHIO Final suspect sentenced in fatal beating Derrick Hardy, the last of five young men accused of a fatal beating in a Mount Auburn park, was sentenced Friday to 10 to 25 years in prison. Hardy, 17, of Mount Auburn was originally charged with aggravated robbery and aggravated murder in the Nov.

3 slaying of Tab Jones, who was found off a path in Inwood Park down the hill from his home. All five of those charged entered guilty pleas to reduced charges. Hardy was convicted of manslaughter and robbery. Teen charged in slaying A 15-year-old boy was indicted Friday on a murder charge in the slaying of a man in a Green Township parking lot. Michael E.

Schaffer of West-wood fired five pistol shots June 23, fatally wounding Steven Pruitt, according to witnesses. Pruitt, 20, of Green Township was shot after two groups of young men clashed in the Revco parking lot on Bridgetown Road. Indictment in shooting Charles Cole, shown on videotape shooting Charles Blan-kenship to death, was charged Friday with aggravated murder. Cole, 44, contends he fired in self-defense. The indictment by the Hamilton County grand jury says he killed Blankenship "purposely, and with prior calculation and design." Blankenship, 24, was shot five times with a 9mm semi-automatic pistol early Aug.

1 as he reached the porch of Cole's home in the 1600 block of Tre-mont, South Fairmount. The shooting was captured on videotape by a security camera Cole had installed on the porch, investigators said. Pedestrian killed A 65-year-old Hyde Park woman died Friday night at University Hospital after she was struck by a car in Mount Lookout. Police said Barbara Grant of Victoria Lane was attempting to cross Delta Avenue in Mount Lookout at 2 p.m. when she walked into the path of a northbound car.

She was attempting to cross the street east to west between intersections in the 1000 block of Delta Avenue, police said. Robert Hudson, 20, of Norwood was the motorist in the accident. No charges have been filed in the case. It is still under investigation, police said. DUI law examined COLUMBUS The Ohio Supreme Court will consider the constitutionality of the state's 2-year-old drunken driving law.

The court agreed this week to hear a Mahoning County case in which the 7th Ohio District Court of Appeals ruled the law unconstitutional because of a provision that allows the immediate suspension of a driver's license. The appellate court said that amounted to double jeopardy because the driver still is subjected to fines and a jail sen tence it convicted. That ruling conflicted with a decision by the 3rd Ohio District Court of Appeals which upheld the law in an Auglaize County case. The state and federal constitutions forbid double jeopardy, punishing more than once for the same offense. Bus warning was posted DAYTON A warning from the state about the potential dangers of clothing getting caught around the entrance of certain school buses was posted for drivers nearly two years before a fatal accident in Beaver-creek.

According to a statement from Beavercreek schools, the March 17, 1993, letter from the Ohio Department of Education warning of the potential for personal injury was posted for Beavercreek drivers. Brandie Browder, 13, of Beavercreek, was killed Feb. 27 as she got off her school bus in front of her home. Investigators said the girl was run over by the bus after the drawstring of her coat got caught in the bus stair handrail. The school district said it is barred from modifying a school bus without specifications from the manufacturer or permission from state officials because the district could then be liable for any injuries caused by the modification.

KENTUCKY Wages above minimum LEXINGTON Many retailers and restaurants in Lexington are boosting new employees' starting salaries well above the $4.25 minimum wage to keep up with competition. Some businesses said the increase was needed just to get applicants in the door. "Lexington and Louisville have both been real competitive to get new entry-level employees," said Nelson Rodenmayer, marketing director for Winn-Dixie MIDWEST Inc. Rodenmayer said the grocer upped its starting salaries for cashiers, stockers and other positions to $6 an hour last week. Wages had been between $4.25 and $4.40.

Winn-Dixie's action came a week after Kroger raised entry-level salaries. Kroger's went from $4.25 to $6. 'Vette event planned BOWLING GREEN The Corvette homecoming will be held this year at the National Corvette Museum beginning Sept. 1. The date coincides with the one-year anniversary of the museum's grand opening, spokesman Wayne Vaughan said.

For the past 13 years, it has been held at various sites and times in the summer. INDIANA Commission gets leader INDIANAPOLIS Stan Jones, a top education adviser and chief legislative liaison to Gov. Evan Bayh, was named Friday to lead the Indiana Commission for Higher Education. Jones was chosen by the 14-member commission, which plans and coordinates post-secondary education programs. "I'm humbled with the responsibility and enthusiastic about the opportunity," Jones said.

Jones will take over the commissioner's post in September. He replaces Clyde Ingle, who resigned several months ago. Farmers fear crops destroyed BY PAUL SOUHRADA The Associated Press URBANA, Ohio Bob Ward Jr. stood in mud-covered boots near his cornfield Friday, surveying rows of stalks knocked down by rushing water during this week's storms. "You'd have feared for your life in here because I believe it would have rolled a car over," he recalled.

Ward's farm was among the stops Friday during a helicopter tour for state officials and the media of counties in western and central Ohio damaged by storms that have hit the state since Tuesday. Late in the afternoon, as the trip was ending, the National Weather Service issued more flood watches and warnings Friday in southern and central Ohio. Four people have died in this week's storms, including a mother and two children swept away in a car near Wheelersburg in the south. The fourth was a man playing on a golf course near Columbus. Damage to public property such as roads and bridges was estimated at $5.5 million, although the figure was expected to increase as more information was available.

Private damage continued to be assessed, the Emergency interest loans. A decision is expected next week. Lt. Gov. Nancy Hollister and Agriculture Director Fred Dailey joined reporters to view damage during Friday's trip.

Large sections of Union and Marion counties remained under water. Brown splotches on fields of green mark the water's advance throughout the region. "What a mess," Hollister said from the helicopter. During a stop near Prospect in Marion. County, village Administrator Ken Blue said about 25 homesin the village of 1,200 were severely damaged.

Management Agency said. The Red Cross estimated that 1,500 homes were damaged. The state asked the Federal Emergency Management Agency on Thursday for help to assess the damage. Once public and private damage is tallied next week, state and federal officials will decide whether to ask for a presidential disaster declaration, which would make federal funds available. Earlier in the week, the state asked the federal Small Business Administration to review six counties to determine whether people there are eligible for low- Heroes get neighbors away from tavern fire BY ADAM WEINTRAUB and JOHN HOPKINS The Cincinnati Enquirer Two Cincinnati police officers and a couple of bystanders fought their way into a smoke-filled Walnut Hills building early Friday morning and helped 20 residents make their way to safety.

Forced back outside once by the heavy smoke inside the front door at about 2:30 a.m., officers Carolyn Williams and Lesa Chatman were guided by a neighbor to another entrance of the building at 2444 Gilbert Ave. Williams and Chatman banged on doors all the way to the third floor of the building as flames from the burning Greenwich Tavern on the ground floor pumped choking clouds of smoke into the halls, said Lt. Fred Ramsey, police spokesman. "These officers, with the help of several citizens, saved the lives andor (prevented) serious injuries to at least 20 people at great risk to themselves," Ramsey said. "They are to be commended." The fire was apparently started when a candle was inadvertently left burning in the tavern, investigators said.

The blaze caused about $20,000 damage to the local jazz landmark and displaced three families. The tavern temporarily will be closed. Kenny Graham of College Hill and Carl Storms of South Fairmount were among those who helped alert and guide police, Ramsey said. With their help, the residents including five children all reached safety before firefighters arrived. Graham was the first person to spot smoke coming from the first-floor window of the tavern, which sits is below several apartments.

"I started running and telling everyone to get out," Graham said. "There were a lot of people inside. We had to kick down some doors to get people up. "We started grabbing and taking kids out. They were scared and screaming because they were waking up to that thick smoke and to the faces of strangers." The two officers were passing by when the fire broke out.

The officers were treated for smoke inhalation at University Hospital and released. No one else was injured, fire officials said. 3 Kentuckians arrested in prescription scam The Cincinnati Enquirer Three Kentucky residents have been arrested, and three more suspects were being sought Friday as part of a ring that used stolen prescriptions to buy narcotics, police said. Gary B. Sumpter, 44, of Falmouth, was arrested by Kentucky State Police last week, said Sgt.

John Burke of the Cincinnati Police pharmaceutical diversion unit. Constance Kaiser, 40, of Crittenden and Melburn Wayne Holt, 39, of Independence were arrested late Thursday when Kaiser tried to fill a prescription at a pharmacy in Corryville, Burke said. All face felony drug charges. When Holt was arrested Aug. 5 at a drug store in Anderson Township, he had a portable copy machine in his car to run off copies of prescription forms, Burke said.

After that arrest he was hospitalized, but he walked away from University Hospital on Monday, Burke said. The scheme involved using prescriptions from at least five doctor's offices to obtain powerful narcotics such as Dilaudid and Perco-cet, Burke said. It appears Sumpter, Holt, and another suspect still at large used most of the drugs, he said..