The Cincinnati Enquirer from Cincinnati, Ohio • Page 12

THE ENQUIRER B2 TUESDAY, MARCH 8, 2011 LOCAL NEWS Watch it Kasich: Rally to precede address Gov. Kasich will deliver his first State of the State address at noon today. At Cincinnati.com: Watch the speech live, get the latest news and reaction to the speech, and talk about his speech. to my pension, I pay into the health source, and I barely make $15 an hour. And when you add in the 10 furlough days, I'm barely making $14 an hour and I'm a skilled laborer." party groups around Ohio ni-jnnprl to deliver letters to From Page Bl would ban strikes by public workers and establish penalties for those who participate in walkouts.

House Democratic Leader Armond Budish, of Beach-wood near Cleveland, conceded Monday that his party has few weapons to use against the legislation. They control just 40 of 99 seats in the Ohio House. "We'll do the only thing we can do," he said. "We'll fight like hell." Budish's comments came as he unveiled what House Democrats are calling their "Compact with the Middle Class." As part of their legislative priorities, they pledged to push back against the collective bargaining legislation. Budish said his caucus was discussing whether to offer amendments to the bill, but he said he did not know what would be proposed.

"Clearly we have a budget problem," he said. "But the idea of balancing the budget on the backs of the middle class is not acceptable." A coalition of tea party groups, led by the national group FreedomWorks, was mobilizing its forces Monday to support Kasich and GOP lawmakers who are cracking down on unions. "A lot of the union agitation you see out there, this is the final confrontation about the unchecked power they've built up over the years," spokesman Adam Brandon said. "You see these union guys protesting, and now for the first time ever when the unions show up to do their business, you've got actual taxpayer groups, tea party groups, ready to stand up for our rights, as well." More than two dozen tea their state lawmakers today In favor of collective bargaining restrictions, he said. Bill Melvin, a union maintenance worker for the state, said his pay was cut more than in half when he moved from the private to the public sector four months ago.

"What I don't understand is how I've become an entitled person," Melvin said. "I pay in- J. Lawyers try to save Kirkland from death Vets: Blind dogs can see From Page Bl ton and was sentenced to 70 years to life. He was convicted of capital murder for killing Caso-nya and Esme and received a JL.i Kirkland ProvidedCincinnati Eye Institute Cataract specialist Michael Snyder examines Labrador retriever Lilly as veterinarian Sheri Kyle holds her. About Kyle's New Hope Animal Rescue placed more than 100 animals.

Donations are welcome. Checks made out to Kyle's New Hope Animal Rescue may be mailed to 11734 Conrey Road, Cincinnati, OH 45249. Visit www.newho-peanimalrescue.org to learn more. Two years ago, veterinarian Sheri Kyle founded Kyle's New Hope Animal Rescue to provide free veterinary care to rescued animals who would otherwise have to be euthanized. Since opening the shelter, Kyle has treated and By Kimball Perry kperryenquirer.com Serial killer Anthony Kirkland, who confessed to and was convicted of murdering four females, should escape the death penalty or get a new trial because of mistakes made during his trial, his new lawyers say.

The mistakes, supposedly made by Kirkland's trial attorneys, are the basis of an appeal filed by lawyers from the Ohio Public Defender's Office. Hamilton County Prosecutor Joe Deters' response to arguments made in the appeal ranged from laughter to astonishment. "In every death penalty case, they do anything the can to stop it," Deters said of capital punishment. "At some point, the truth comes through." The appeal was made because the finality of any death penalty case demands a thorough review. The request was made to protect Kirkland's rights and was "not a blanket attack on the death penalty," said Jennifer Prillo, one of his new attorneys.

Kirkland's new attorneys made several arguments hoping to overturn his death sentence. They blasted Kirkland's trial attorneys Norm Aubin and Will Welsh for ineffective legal work and criticized the witness called to try to save his life. Kirkland, 42, was convicted in March 2010 for murdering four females Kimya Rolison, 25; Mary Jo Newton, 45; Caso-nya "Sharee" Crawford, 14; and Esme Kenney, 13 and burning their bodies. Kirkland pleaded guilty to murdering Rolison and New- death sentence for each. Those four murders came after Kirkland served a 17-year prison sentence for killing another woman in 1986 and trying to burn her.

"He also hinted at another one we were unable to find," Deters said. Deters said Aubin and Welsh, both veteran defense attorneys, did what they could under the circumstances. "This guy's a serial killer and he admitted to it and he showed no remorse," Deters said. "They did their best with a miserable human being." Aubin knew it would be difficult to try to save Kirkland's life after he gave police an eight-hour confession to all four murders. "At the end of the day, the juiy simply thought he was worthy of the death penalty," Aubin said.

Kirkland's new attorneys sharply criticized an expert called by Aubin and Welsh -Dr. Scott Bresler in an attempt to spare Kirkland from death. Bresler testified Kirkland would kill again if he was released and called him a psychopath. "The word 'psychopath' conjures up images of notorious serial murderers," the new attorneys wrote. Prosecutors have until June to respond to Kirkland's filing.

No execution date has been set, said Jo Ellen Smith of the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections. about 20 subspecialties in which vets can be board-certified can perform just about everything, from cataract surgery to angioplasty, hip and knee replacements to stem-cell transplants. Dogs can get flu shots so their parents don't have to worry about what the dog might contract at doggie day cares. And a local researcher is looking at how to design the best canine hearing protection so working dogs assigned to police and military agencies can do their jobs safely. Just like with people, new technology and ongoing research means new treatments are always popping up for common health problems, said Michele Muldoon, a veterinary surgeon with the Cincinnati Animal Referral and Emergency Center in Blue Ash.

Knee replacements for larger dogs are one of the newest developments. And, just like with people, money is often a barrier to getting the latest and greatest care. In 2009, Americans spent about $12 billion on veterinary care, compared with $8.2 billion in 2004. In humans, Medicare reimburses surgeons about $646 per eye for cataract surgery, Snyder said. In the cases of Lilly and Murphy, the cataract surgery would have cost about $3,000 an eye.

Sandy Nelson, who adopted Murphy, said there's no way she and her husband, Kristian, could have afforded to pay for the surgery. In addition to raising their two kids, 9 and 12, they're also paying for allergy medicine for their older dog, Apollo. "He's allergic to everything," the Fairfield woman said. "Grass and molds and pollen and trees. He's allergic to black ants.

He's allergic to rabbits. He can't be Rescue, agreed to take them. But Kyle couldn't perform the cataract surgery herself, and there was no money available to pay a veterinary ophthalmologist for the surgery. As it happens, Kyle's colleague, Nina Owens, knew Snyder. Their daughters play basketball together.

"We were at a game and Dr. Owens told me about the puppies and said, 'It's a shame you can't do and I said to myself, 'Why Snyder said. He consulted some local veterinary ophthalmologists, did some additional research, and the puppies had surgery Feb. 24. Kyle handled the anesthesiology.

Two staffers from the Cincinnati Eye Institute -Rhonda Kurz, director of nursing, and Gary Reed, a surgical technician also volunteered. Snyder who's allergic to several breeds of dogs, but shopping for one that will suit his family and his sinuses was too diplomatic to say Lilly and Murphy were his cutest patients ever. "I operated on a 2-year-old the other day. He was pretty cute," he said. "I think all my patients, human and animal, are cute in their own special way." stung by a bee or a wasp.

It's like a two-page list." Just as people expect high-quality care for themselves and their children, they expect it for their pets, Kyle said. Veterinary insurance is available, but it doesn't cover everything. Many policies exempt coverage to treat problems that are common in certain breeds. Kyle does a few stem-cell transplants to repair worn out hips and knee cartilage in dogs every year. The transplants can cost from $2,000 to $4,000.

In a human, the price tag can be upward of $100,000 and they're not covered by health insurance. Vets have been performing hip-joint replacements in dogs for years, Muldoon said. The procedure was first performed in horses. Knee replacements are also available for dogs, she said, but mostly only at veterinary colleges. And veterinary surgeons do a lot of business repairing torn knee ligaments in dogs.

"The joint replacement surgeries are for wear and tear, just like with people," Muldoon said. "Just like with people, if you have an obese pet, you're going to have more injuries. If you have a more active dog, you're going to see more injuries." At the University of Cincinnati's canine audiology lab, dog owners can get their dogs' hearing tested. Lab director Pete Scheifele's latest projects are looking at how to protect animals from hearing loss. "Dogs, cats, horses, zoo animals, aquarium animals are subjected to noise and hearing loss in the same way humans are," Scheifele said.

Scheifele and his colleagues are looking at ways to protect animals' hearing from the noise they're exposed to daily whether it's the noise from life-support systems in an aquarium or gunfire that dogs assigned to work with police agencies or the military might be exposed to. "We're working on protective devices that can be used for military and police dogs all the way down to the family dog who can't quite hack it on the Fourth of July," he said. Lilly and Murphy are doing just fine after their surgery, but they got off to a rocky start. The pups were dropped off at a Northern Kentucky animal shelter and were slated to be euthanized, but Kyle, who runs an animal rescue organization called Kyle's New Hope Animal Health survey: Ohio's uninsured on the rise Police: Chief applicants in limbo By Sarah Jane Tribble The Plain Dealer Ohio's prolonged economic recession has continued to erode health coverage for families across the state, according to a government-funded report released today. The 2010 Ohio Family Health Survey, which state agencies depend on to design budgets, reveals increases in the number of uninsured at all ages, and rising enrollment in Medicaid, the government health insurance for the poor.

"The economy has been bad," said Greg Moody, director of the Governor's Office of Health Transformation. "So it's bearing out that folks have less access to employer-sponsored coverage and that's translating in a direct way in the increase in Medicaid coverage." The findings set the stage for a heated debate over how much the state will continue to spend on Medicaid. More than 2 million Ohioans are now enrolled in Medicaid, and the ranks are growing. Overall state enrollment in Medicaid increased more than 17 percent since 2004, adding 227,161 adults and 209,115 children to the roster. Fifty-five percent of that increase occurred in the past two years.

Employer health insurance now only covers 57 percent of the population, down from 66 percent in 2008. The 2010 Ohio Family Health Survey, which interviewed 8,000 adults and 2,000 children, was conducted two years earlier than planned because researchers said they wanted to see the effects of the economy. Another survey will be conducted in 2012 and will try to reach nearly 60,000 people. Applicants for chief Name and current or most recent public Alan Chertok: Former chief of police in the Spokane Police Department in Washington; currently a law enforcementlegal consultant. Michael Clancey: Chief of police in the Saluda Police Department in South Carolina.

Cindy Combs: Assistant chief in the Cincinnati Police Department. Michael Cureton: Assistant chief in the Cincinnati Police Department. Vincent Demasi: Assistant chief In the Cincinnati Police Department. Rick Gregory: Chief administrative officeracting public safety director in New Castle County in Delaware until 2010; currently state director for Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del.

Raymond Hall: Captain in the Lansing Police Department in Michigan. William Heim: Chief of police in the Reading Police Department in Pennsylvania. Shawn Jones: Deputy Chief of Police in the Atlanta Police Department in Georgia. Brian Jordan: Retired captain in the District of Columbia Metropolitan Police Department; currently lives in Maryland. safety position held: Leslie Peter Kachurek: Captain of the Niagara Falls Police Department in New York.

John King: Former chief of police in the Gaithersburg Police Department in Maryland; currently a law enforcement development instructor for Police Executive Training LLC. Fred Rogers: Program coordinatorassessor for the Kentucky Department of Criminal Justice Training; former chief of police in Niles, and Fort Thomas, Ky. Richard Saint-Blancard: Recruitment commander for the Kentucky State Police and an instructor at Indiana Wesleyan University. Joseph Sullivan: Chief inspector commanding officer of the Philadelphia Police Department. Melvin Turner: Second deputy chief in the Detroit Police Department in Michigan; former chief of police in Belleville, Mich.

James Whalen: Assistant chief in the Cincinnati Police Department. Walter Zalisko: Former chief of police in the Oak Hill Police Department in Florida; currently a principal consultant with the PMCI Group LLC. From Page Bl his badge for retirement March 26. The plan is to rotate CPD's five assistant police chiefs in one-month intervals as commander of the department, according to the city manager's office. Four of the city's five assistant chiefs applied to be chief.

Lt. Col. Cindy Combs has the longest tenure as assistant chief and was the only female candidate to apply. Combs was promoted to lieutenant colonel in 2001 and is commander of CPD's Resource Bureau, according to her resume. Lt.

Col. Michael Cureton, Lt. Col. Vincent Demasi and Lt. Col.

James Whalen round out the internal candidates. Outside candidates make up the remaining 14 applicants and come from South Carolina. Delaware, Georgia, Washington state, New York and Florida, and two each from Kentucky, Michigan, Maryland and Pennsylvania. Eight applicants have held the rank of police chief at some point in their law enforcement careers two currently hold the title but none has ruled the helm of a department as large or larger than Cincinnati, which employs roughly 1,300 people and had a budget last year of $106 million. By comparison, applicant Rick Gregory of Delaware ran the largest department included in the resumes received by the city.

As chief of the New Castle County Police Department from 2006 to 2009, lie was in charge of roughly 500 employees and an annual budget of $52 million, less than half the size of Cincinnati. According to the applicants' resumes and cover letters, three candidates speak a foreign language. J. William Ful-bright fellow Alan Chertok of Richland, says he can speak Spanish and French, internal candidate Demasi "comprehends" Spanish and is fluent in Italian and Richard Saint-Blancard, re- Police: No assault in man's death that the 49-year-old man was found unconscious and beaten Wednesday night in the street in front of a public library on Warsaw Avenue. He died Saturday night at University Hospital, a relative told The Enquirer Sunday.

The relative, Katie Ronne-baum of Sayler Park, said she suspects Begley was robbed because his wallet and $20 inside were missing when police found him after receiving an anonymous call to 911. She also told The Enquirer that detectives told her they are investigating Begley's death as a homicide. Police are awaiting autopsy results. Arrangements are By Jennifer Baker jbakerenquirer.com The death of a homeless man is not being investigated as a homicide, a Cincinnati police detective said Monday. The death of Billy Joe Be-gley is possibly related to a medical episode, said Sgt.

Joe Briede of Cincinnati Police Homicide Unit. Briede said the man fell but it's not clear why. "We are not investigating that as a homicide. We are not sure where that information came from," Briede said. "At this point, there is no indication there was an assault that took place." Late last week, news broke emit commander for the Kentucky State Police, is fluent in Spanish.

Responses to an online survey conducted by the city manager's office indicate the public would like Cincinnati's next chief to be multilingual. The applicants included diverse experiences and education. Several teach law enforcement skills at colleges and universities, some have worked as public safety consultants, advising established and fledgling programs in the United States and in foreign countries. Leslie Peter Kachurek, a police captain in Niagara Falls, N.Y., said he was disappointed when he learned the search had been suspended, but was not all that surprised by the cause. He said if the patrol division became the responsibility of the sheriff office -which City Council is ruminating he would still consider the job.

"These are going to be very difficult decisions," Kachurek said..