The Cincinnati Enquirer from Cincinnati, Ohio • Page 12

C2 THE CINCINNATI ENQUIRER TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2003 FN METRO Bus hub redesign is ready Oljo Moments William Hubbard first black to win solo gold Government Square project worth 1 8039200S On Nov. 25, 1903, William DeHart Hubbard the first African-American to win an Olympic gold medal in an individual event was born in Cincinnati. His gold came in the long jump in Paris in 1924. Hubbard grew up in Walnut Hills. He was not only the fastest runner in high school, but also an A student all four years.

Hubbard graduated from the University of Michigan in 1925. That vear. he tied the world records in By Anna Michael The Cincinnati Enquirer After three years of planning, Metro today will unveil its redesign of the Government Square bus hub. The multimillion-dollar project is being presented to Cincinnati's Urban Design and Review Board for approval. "They want to make sure this is compatible and complementary with the other things going on downtown," said Sallie Hilvers, spokeswoman for Metro.

Government Square, on Fifth Street between Walnut and Main streets, is Metro's primary transit hub in the city. It serves more than Hubbard ments downtown," McKillip said. The redesign is estimated to cost about $9.35 million. Earlier this year Metro received a $4 million federal grant for design and construction. Local funding also has been set aside and Metro is seeking state funding through the Ohio Department of Transportation, according to Hilvers.

"Assuming we are able to get the funding package put together completely, construction will begin next summer," Hilvers said. E-mail michaeaemuohio.edu boarding areas, a new Fifth Street sidewalk, trees and landscaping, and public art. The redesign "is very efficient. It will help a lot of the Fifth Street congestion," Hilvers said. "There will be three huge shelters.

Each shelter will serve two separate bus bays." Mark McKillip, secretary of the Urban Design Review Board, said that the board will make comments on the proposed redesign at the meeting, then within one or two weeks will issue the minutes with the board's recommendations. "They look forward to improve 1,000 buses a day. The current design was created in 1977, and it no longer meets passenger or operational needs. "Old Government Square is not ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) compliant. It is difficult to deploy wheelchair lifts," Hilvers said.

The proposed Government Square is "completely ADA compliant. It gets rid of all safety concerns." The new design improves access for the disabled; for transfers, safety, traffic flow and connections; and is touted as more attractive. The new square will have larger passenger shelters, "sawtooth" bus the 60-yard and 100-yard dashes and set the world record in the long jump. He also competed in the 1928 Olympics in Amsterdam. From 1927 to 1941, he worked for the Cincinnati Recreation Commission.

In 1942, Hubbard was appointed racial relations adviser to the United States Housing Authority. In 1957, he was inducted into the National Track Hall of Fame. Hubbard died in 1976, age 72. Rebecca Goodman E-mail rgoodmanenquirer.com or call 768-8361 Thanksgiving Food, time donated Ousted Regional Report Compiled from staff and wire reports mayors ask for recounts They will be completed Dec. 2 By Cindi Andrews The Cincinnati Enquirer Two incumbent mayors hoping Boycott leader files to run for commissioner A Cincinnati boycott leader has filed to run for the Democratic nomination to challenge Republican Hamilton County Commissioner John Dowlin next year.

Kabaka Oba, 45, of Lincoln Heights, is the leader of The Black Fist, one of the groups that called for an economic boycott of downtown Cincinnati. Oba is also a regular speaker at Cincinnati City Council meetings. Community college planners appointed COLUMBUS -The final three trustees have been appointed to help create a community college in Warren County. Gov. Bob Taft has appointed George Terwilleger of Maineville, Stephen P.

Foley, of Waynes-ville and Cindy Garland of Spring-boro to the board. Warren County commissioners had already chosen the six other board members. Thirty-three people county-wide applied. The nine-member board will serve until July 2005 or until successors are named. They will present a community college proposal to the Ohio Board of Regents.

to hang onto their seats have asked Hamilton County elections officials for recounts of their November rac i it ftT. A Shuiimmiiih i i in hi es. Norwood Mayor Victor Schneid er, who lost by 26 votes on Nov. 4, and Woodlawn Mayor Susan Upton Farley, who lost by 28 votes, paid $10 per precinct to have their races recounted. Norwood has 25 pre cincts, Woodlawn four.

"I think it is important to make Cedar Avenue after someone called 911 to ask police to check on the resident Court documents say the man was killed Nov. 16. Police did not release any information about the killing until Monday, when they said the dead man and Michael Meridy charged with murder, knew each other. They did not release the victim's name. Court documents say the dead man was 78.

They also list Meri-dy's address as the same house where the man was found dead. The man is the city's 61st homicide victim of the year. That compares with 58 as of the same date in 2002. Man sentenced for plot to kill witness The second of two men who plotted a murder-for-hire from the Hamilton County jail, targeting a witness in one of their cases, was sentenced Monday to eight years in prison. Gregory Gibson, 34, of Forest Park, pleaded guilty to three charges of aggravated robbery for robbing a trio of Hamilton County businesses last winter and pleaded guilty to a charge of conspiracy to commit murder.

Dante Robb, Gibson's cellmate, was afraid that the owner of a College Hill pony keg, whom he had shot during a robbery three months earlier, would identify him. So in January and February Gibson conspired with Robb to find someone to kill the store owner, authorities say. Unknown to them, they found a police informant. Robb, 23, of Mount Healthy, was sentenced in April to 15 years in prison. Woman gets 9 years for killing boyfriend A Hamilton County Common Pleas judge on Monday sentenced Dominique Bailey, 29, of Avon-dale, to nine years in prison for killing her boyfriend, Donte Clay, 24.

Bailey pleaded guilty to a charge of voluntary manslaughter Oct. 27 in exchange for the prosecution dropping an additional sure the election results are true and accurate, due to the fact that it was such a close election," Schneider said. "The people who supported me and helped with the campaign deserve it." Schneider, appointed by Nor MIKE SIMONSForThe Cincinnati Enquirer Helen Chapman eats a Thanksgiving meal as Millennium Hotel employees wait to serve others Monday at the Drop-Inn Center in Over-the-Rhine. Hotel employees are donating and preparing more than 200 meals for the center. Holiday meals available throughout community wood's Republican Party to replace Joe Hochbein, was mayor for about from 9:30 to 11:45 a.m.

Thursday. Donations are accepted. 621-6364. The Salvation Army will hold a Thanksgiving breakfast from 10 to 11 a.m. Thursday at 120 E.

Central Parkway. Two mobile Salvation Army canteens will be passing out bagged breakfast meals in the community at Washington Park and on Liberty Street. Donations are welcome year-round. 381-2769. The Over-the-Rhine Soup Kitchen will hold a Thanksgiving meal from noon to 1 p.m.

Thursday at 1620 Vine St. The public door is on Hamer Street. 241-5121. West End The Society of St. Vincent de Paul will have extra distribution time for holiday food from 10 a.m.

to noon todayat 1125 Bank St Participants must bring proof of income, residency and picture identification. 562-8841. tion, call Karen Lane at 541-5676, ext. 167. For meal delivery or transportation, call Marie Nieman at 681-1256.

East End Seven Hills Neighborhood Houses, 3806 Eastern will host a Thanksgiving meal from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Wednesday. The soup kitchen, which will be closed Thanksgiving Day and Friday, accepts food and monetary donations year-round. 321-7520.

Over-the-Rhine City Gospel Mission, 1419 Elm will hold a Thanksgiving meal from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thursday for community residents. The-reTl be entertainment, a hair stylist and a clothing giveaway. 241-5525.

Our Daily Bread, 1730 Race will hold a Thanksgiving meal The Cincinnati Enquirer Carthage Ursuline Academy will join with Babies Milk Fund Pediatric to host a Thanksgiving Fiesta at 7 p.m. Dec. 2 at Su Casa Hispanic Ministries, 115 W. Seymour Ave. Ursuline families will prepare and serve a traditional Thanksgiving meal for immigrant families from Mexico.

761-1588. College Hill College Hill Presbyterian Church, 5742 Hamilton will hold its 18th annual "A Feast of Love" Thanksgiving Day Dinner from p.m. Thursday. Diners can be picked up and returned home, and meal delivery in the College Hill area is available. The feast accepts donations of food, money or volunteers.

For informa six months before losing a close race to Councilman Thomas Williams. Farley had been mayor for more than a decade before losing to Woodlawn Councilman Raymond Terrell. A third unsuccessful mayoral candidate Charles Hughes of Golf Manor also beat Monday's deadline to request a recount of his village's four precincts, Hamilton County Elections Director Julia Stautberg said. Hughes lost to fellow Councilman Alan Zaffiro by just six votes. All three recounts will be completed Dec.

2. The Board of Elections also conducted automatic recounts Monday in eight races in which the final results were within half a percentage point of each other. None of the outcomes changed. In the Cincinnati City Council race, for instance, ninth-place finisher David Crowley lost two votes in the recount but easily kept his seat with a total of 23,319 votes, compared to 22,582 for runner-up Damon Lynch III. Fairfax's effort to pass a 0.5 percent income-tax increase also failed to get the single vote it needed to pass in the recount Fairfax Mayor Ted Shannon said the village plans to try again in March, the next time working harder to explain why the increase is needed.

Reporter Jennifer Edwards contributed. E-mail Traffic chase ends in meth lab discovery UNIONTWP. Aroutine traffic stop early Monday led to a methamphetamine lab investigation in Clermont County. James Higginbotham, 26, is charged with possession of drugs and obstructing official business; Pamela Merfert, 19, is charged with obstructing official business; and Shon Robinson, 25, with several traffic violations. Robinson is charged with driving under suspension, leaving the scene of an auto accident, failure to comply with a police officer, reckless operation and illegal assembly to manufacture methamphetamine.

Additional charges are possible, police said. A Union Township police officer tried to stop a vehicle on Ohio 32 early Monday for an equipment violation, Union Township Police Lt. Mark Griffith said. The driver, identified by police as Higginbotham, fled on foot but was caught. Robinson, a passenger, then got behind the wheel of the car and fled, police said.

The car hit a tree after a short chase and Robinson fled on foot, and remains at large. Merfert was a passenger in the car, police said. Officers searched Robinson's Clough Pike apartment in Union Township, where they discovered a methamphetamine lab, Griffith said. Man found dead after week; suspect jailed COLLEGE HILL A 19-year-old man remained behind bars Monday, arrested in the killing of an elderly man. Police officers found the man's body early Sunday in a house on charge of murder.

Bailey is accused of stabbing Clay in the chest during an argument June 28. Surgery reduces obesity Traffic watch For 24-hour traffic information call ARTIMIS at 333-3333 or 511 from Cincinnati or Northern Kentucky. Interstate 75 Watch for lane closures north and southbound at Paddock Road from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. nightly through Hospital offers stomach-strap method for people at least 100 pounds overweight or at least twice their ideal body weight.

Surgeons at Cincinnati Children's already perform about 25 traditional gastric bypasses a year for young patients at a cost of By Tim Bonfield The Cincinnati Enquirer CORRYVILLE Severely obese young adults can get a new kind of stomach surgery at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center. The pediatric hospital is one of two facilities in town offering the Lap-Band system a way of controlling overeating by surgically placing a strap around the stomach. The procedure is much like a gastric bypass operation sometimes known as stomach stapling. However, the Lap-Band product is not permanent It can be adjusted, even removed. Obesity has become a serious public health concern, especially among teens.

Children's Hospital officials say obesity among teens has tripled since the 1980s, leading to rising numbers of children diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes and other related health problems. The adjustable band allows patients to gradually adjust to having a smaller stomach, said Dr. Victor Garcia, surgical director of the Comprehensive Weight Management Center at Cincinnati Children's. It also allows adjusting the amount of food a person can tolerate in situations when weight gain is desirable such as during pregnancy and after an illness. The product is recommended to $35,000 each.

The new procedure is expected to cost less, but pricing has not been set. Insurance coverage is mixed and depends on the health plan. Go online for the latest news on traffic conditions during the day. Keyword: Traffic The Lap-Band procedure also is being offered at Jewish Hospital via Dr. Elliot Fegelman, according to the manufacturer, Inamed Lottery roundup Health of Santa Barbara, Calif.

E-mail tbonfieldenquirer.com Airport seeks feedback on noise, changes Ohio (Drawings: Nov. 24) Pick 3 (early): 2 9 0 Ph 9 2 8 0 Pick 3 (late): 9 5 6 Pick 4 (late): 6 2 8 3 Buckeye 5: 4 9 18 19 33 Wednesday's Super Lotto Plus Jackpot will be $6 million. Information: (800) 589-6446. Kentucky (Drawings: Nov. 24) Pick 3 539 Pick 4 1309 (early): (early): Pick 3 2 79 Pick 4 2810 Cash Ball: 1816 (late): (late): Wednesday's Lotto South jackpot $16 million.

Information: (502) 583-2000, a toll call. Indiana (Drawings: Nov. 24) borne Express, an air freight com pany that could be in line for a Crime fighter gets west-side parade ride The Cincinnati Enquirer PRICE HILL -After taking a lot of heat from west-side neighborhoods afraid of increasing crime, the area's top cop gets to ride through the streets Thursday as grand marshal of the Price Hill Thanksgiving Day Parade. Capt Drew Raabe, District 3 commander, was chosen because the parade committee felt he has "tried to make a difference and has made some positive impact on the area," said Guy Vollrath, chairman of the annual parade. The district which also includes North and South Fairmount and Westwood, recorded a 6.8 percent decrease in serious crime January through August this year compared with the same period last year.

The parade starts at 10 a.m. at Western Hills High School. After, there will be free pictures with Santa and a petting zoo at St Lawrence Hall on Warsaw Avenue. major expansion here because of a merger. In addition, the Federal Avia tion Administration is testing new nighttime runway patterns, and Daily 3 (early): 3 1 8 Daily 4 (early): 714 9 Lucky 5 (early): could change how the airport is 811 14 16 27 3 6 12 22 29 Lucky 5 Daily 3 (late): 930 Daily 4 (late): 0681 By James Pilcher The Cincinnati Enquirer HEBRON Officials with the CincinnatiNorthern Kentucky International Airport are looking for public comment about noise and the possible changes, now that the airport's board has approved a new noise study.

The Kenton County Airport Board on Monday unanimously approved going ahead with the nearly $1.1 million study, which is expected to take 18 to 24 months. "We do welcome the opportunity and as much from the public as we can get," said Gary Bockle-man, chairman of the board's gov ernment and technical affairs committee, which oversees the noise program. The result of the study could mean expansion of the boundary that demarcates where residential housing, can be located. Since 1990, the last time a full-blown study was done, the airport has spent more than $132 million to soundproof affected homes, to provide purchase assistance or to outright buy out more than 1,000 affected homes, This time, the study will examine the affects of a new runway and runway extension, expected to open in late 2005, as well as possible changes at DHL Air used late at night. More than five public workshops and hearings will be sched (late); uled for the study, which will also mciuae ieeaoacK irom tne airport's Aviation Noise Advisory Committee.

A Web site will be Wednesday's Lotto jackpot is an estimated $1 million. Information: (900) 420-2274; call is 50 cents a minute. Mega Millions Today's Jackpot is an estimated $2 1 million. Information: (800) 589-6446. Powerball Wednesday's jackpot will be an estimated $40 million.

Information: (502) 583-2000, a toll call. created to give up-to-date information to the public. E-mail jpilcherenquirer.com.