Free Republic

Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- To draw attention to the way abortion disproportionately affects the African-American community, black pro-life advocates will be protesting outside the upcoming annual meeting of the nation's largest organization representing blacks. The NAACP protest will also reach the Democratic presidential candidate. Rev. Clenard Childress, a New Jersey pastor, told LifeNews.com about the protest and said pro-abortion presidential candidate Barack Obama and former candidate Hillary Clinton will be at the convention.  "Because 2008 is an election year, the presidential candidates will undoubtedly speak at the convention. This gives us a national stage to make our case to the...

SARASOTA, Fla. -- Bob Howsam, the former Reds general manager and the man credited with building the "Big Red Machine" dynasty in the 1970s, died on Tuesday. He was 89 years old. Howsam, who was to turn 90 on Feb. 29, died of heart failure at his home in Sun City, Ariz. Funeral arrangements were incomplete. In 1967, Howsam joined the Reds organization as GM, replacing Bill DeWitt, and later became president and chief executive officer from 1973-78. During his tenure, the Reds returned to greatness after decades of not winning anything. The club won six division titles, four National...

CINCINNATI The Post newspapers in Cincinnati and Kentucky printed their final editions yesterday, ending a 126-year run. The front-page headline in the last Kentucky Post proclaimed "-30-," a symbol used by journalists, printers, and telegraphers to signal the end of a dispatch. It rolled off the presses about an hour after its sister Cincinnati Post ended publication. The two papers, which were published in the afternoon, have been struggling for decades, part of a national trend. E.W. Scripps Co., of Cincinnati, owner of the two papers, decided in July to close them when a joint operating agreement with Gannett Co....

In the newsroom of The Cincinnati Post, neither Champagne corks nor beer can tabs will be popping on Monday after the paper is put to bed — and not just because of a ban on alcohol that day. The Dec. 31 issues of the paper and a companion title, The Kentucky Post, will be the last for both newspapers, which are part of a dying breed of afternoon dailies. Fewer than 10 cities still have two or more daily newspapers, and Cincinnati was the last two-paper town in Ohio. The demise of The Post, which is 126 years old, leaves...

NORTH COLLEGE HILL -- North College Hill police are looking for three men who robbed a pair of Boy Scouts and their fathers late Monday. The Boy Scouts, age 13 and 11, were selling Christmas trees in the parking lot of Tom's Drive Thru on West Galbraith Road shortly before closing at 9 p.m. when the men approached, one carrying a sawed-off shotgun. "I was hit in the cheek, once in the ear and once when they knocked me down. My head hit the blacktop. My son got hit in the cheek and the other gentleman got hit a couple...

It appears only one side of the abortion debate was allowed.   Shannon Nixson, a case manager and graduate student, was fired this month from the YWCA of Greater Cincinnati after she invited a pro-life speaker to address pregnant women at the club. Nixson said she was allowed to recruit speakers on both sides of several other issues, but only one view of the abortion debate was welcomed. Nixson asked a representative of Life Issues Institute to present a pro-life perspective during a seminar on employment and literacy. “Within the next couple of days, I was told that I was terminated,...

A new report reviews the domestic violence deaths of 48 people and holds recommendations aimed at preventing future tragedies. Findings on Risk Factors for Intimate Partner Homicide (Hamilton County, Ohio) Separated 77 percent Substance abuse 68 percent Increase in frequency of abuse 66 percent Gun involved 66 percent Criminal history 63 percent Stalking 53 percent Prior domestic violence charge 48 percent Threats to kill 46 percent Prior history child abuse 41 percent Threats of suicide 41 percent Perpetrator mental illness 33 percent Perpetrator bought a weapon 33 percent Property damage 33 percent Threats with weapons 32 percent Previous serious injury...

He fought long and hard, but in the end, Joe Nuxhall lost his battle. The Old Lefthander passed away Thursday night, at the age of 79. He had been battling cancer over the past couple of years, but most recently, was hospitalized for pneumonia and breathing problems. He was supposed to go through surgery to have a pacemaker implanted, but that operation was called off. At 10:55 p.m. Thursday, he was pronounced dead at Mercy Hospital in Fairfield.

A group of University of Cincinnati students are working to boost the morale of our troops in Iraq. Students from three different colleges have started a program called S.P.O.R.T.S. for their senior project. It stands for "Special Program Offering Recreation To Our Soldiers." Their goal is to collect used or new sporting equipment to send to our troops overseas. "We're trying to send it over there and help with morale and as well build relationships with youth over there, get out have some fun, goof around that way they can take their minds off what's going on overseas at the...

CINCINNATI - Mayor Mark Mallory is refusing to fire a starter pistol to kickoff an upcoming road race, saying he doesn’t like the gun’s symbolism in a city that set a record for homicides last year. Mallory said he’ll blow a whistle at Saturday’s Rhythm Race 5K instead. A pistol filled with blanks is traditionally used to start races and track meets. "I think the symbolism is just bad," he said. "It’s just something I don’t do." Mallory made the comment Tuesday while condemning last weekend’s fatal shooting of a man near a youth football tournament held to promote nonviolence...

Per FR policy, Cincinnati Enquirer is link only.STORY:Local exec bet on Romney

NEW YORK Although Cincinnati Post staffers were expecting today's announcement that the paper would cease publication at the end of the year, several newsroom employees admitted the final blow is not easy to take. Members of the 52-person news staff said they were not surprised at the decision by E.W. Scripps Company to fold the paper when the joint operating agreement with Gannett Co. Inc., owner of the rival Cincinnati Enquirer, expires Dec. 31. The JOA's demise had been decided three years ago when Gannett exercised an option to pull out. "We were surprised it took this long to announce...

Editor's Note: This story appears in the July 16 edition of ESPN The Magazine, on sale beginning July 4. To let you know how far I've come, let me tell you where I've been. Not that long ago, there were nights I went to sleep in strange places praying I wouldn't wake up. After another night of bad decisions, I'd lie down with my heart speeding inside my chest like it was about to burst through the skin. My thinking was clouded, and my talent was one day closer to being totally wasted. I prayed to be spared another...

Stem cells derived from bone marrow and intrastromally injected into the corneas of mice can differentiate into keratocan-producing cells, according to an experimental study by researchers at the University of Cincinnati. Winston Whei-Yang Kao, PhD, and colleagues investigated whether bone marrow stem cells could differentiate into cells that expressed keratocan, a characteristic of corneal keratocytes. The study involved Kera-/- mice. Hongshan Liu, PhD, a research scientist in the university's ophthalmology department, presented their findings at the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology meeting. The researchers found that, after 1 week, the abnormal corneas of animals injected with the stem...

Story Summary: Two aircraft have crashed near Reed Hartman Highway, just north of Kemper Road in Sharonville, killing at least two people.

LOS ANGELES (Map, News) - Cincinnati Mayor Mark Mallory, given a chance to make up for his errant ceremonial first pitch on Major League Baseball's opening day, delivered two more wobbly - but slightly better - pitches on ABC-TV's "Jimmy Kimmel Live." Mallory's pitch in front of a sold-out crowd Monday at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati was way off target and made him the butt of jokes among some late night comedians. He made another poor throw in his first attempt on the set of Kimmel's show Wednesday. With actor Kurt Russell as his catcher, Mallory tossed the...

Matt Maupin Scholarship Run - April 14, Cincinnati Ohio All are invited to participate in the annual Matt Maupin Scholarship Run on April 14th in Cincinnati. If you don’t ride, but would like to show your support we would welcome an honor guard holding 3 x 5 flags lining the road as we leave at the start of the run and lining the road at the end of the run.

A performance by the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra featuring John Schneider and Tom Wopat, who appeared in the 1979-85 series The Dukes of Hazzard was canceled after complaints that the series had "racist overtones," according to Ben Jones, who played Cooter on the show and later served two terms as a Georgia Congressman. "What could these politically correct vigilantes possibly be thinking?" Jones said in a statement, in which he called the cancellation "a dangerous affront to the rights of performing artists and their audiences." Jones particularly criticized the NAACP for endorsing the cancellation. "I'm a life member of the NAACP...

The University of Cincinnati is investigating allegations that current football players and recruits engaged in sex acts with a former soccer player during a recruiting visit, according to published reports. UC spokesman Greg Hand said on Tuesday that the university is "conducting an investigation." The allegations reportedly came from an anonymous letter dated Feb. 14 that was sent to UC president Nancy Zimpher, Daniel Cummins, the director of judicial affairs, and Barbara Rinto, the director of the UC Women's Center. The note was signed, "A Concerned Athletic Department Employee" according to the reports. The Cincinnati Post reported that according to...

A former Toledo football standout who once played with the NFL’s Cincinnati Bengals is being investigated for his role in a fight and stabbing yesterday outside Jackson’s Lounge & Grill downtown, authorities said.

http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070202/SPT02/302020028/1066 Can only link the story .... cannot post the material. Well worth the read to see the NFL is singling out a community and franchise with concern.

Steinbach the fifth Bengal to be arrested this year Associated Press NEWPORT, Ky. -- Bengals guard Eric Steinbach was arrested and charged with boating under the influence on the Ohio River, becoming the fifth Cincinnati player in three months accused of breaking the law. A Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources officer stopped Steinbach because he was violating an idle-only zone Saturday night, agency spokesman Mark Marraccini said. Steinbach failed a series of field sobriety tests, Marraccini said. The player was released from the Campbell County jail in Newport after posting bond and was to appear in court Tuesday,...

CINCINNATI -- Bengals cornerback Johnathan Joseph was arrested early Monday and charged with possession of marijuana, the ninth Cincinnati player arrested in the last nine months. The arrest came three weeks after coach Marvin Lewis promised to get tougher on player misconduct, hoping to stop a series of arrests that has embarrassed the team and drawn the attention of NFL commissioner Roger Goodell. Joseph was arrested on U.S. Route 42 in northern Kentucky. He lives nearby in Union, Ky. The Boone Country sheriff's office arrest report said Joseph was the passenger in a vehicle driven by a woman who had...

AMELIA, Ohio -- Cincinnati Bengals cornerback Deltha O'Neal was charged with driving while intoxicated early Saturday after being stopped at a traffic checkpoint. The two-time Pro Bowl player had a blood-alcohol level of 0.10, above Ohio's legal limit of 0.08, the State Highway Patrol said. O'Neal was alone in his car and arrested at the scene, Sgt. Kevin Long said. O'Neal took a breath test and was released.

Bengals wide receiver Chris Henry was arrested for marijuana possession early Thursday morning. Police arrested Henry, 22, in the 300 block of Philadelphia Street in Covington. He posted at least 10 percent of a $1,000 bond and was released from jail. Henry is a Bengals rookie from West Virginia University. It's unclear how the drug arrest will affect Henry's season.

Bengals founder turning in grave Wed Oct 30, 8:31 AM ET Jon Saraceno USA TODAYOn Halloween eve, a missive from the spirit of the late NFL genius, Paul Brown, to the curator of that orange-and-black football mausoleum in Cincinnati: Dear son: I've hesitated contacting you for some time, but I can no longer bear my private pain. Please do not consider this to be a violation of the Carl Pickens loyalty clause, which forbids criticism of our Bengals. I do have a question, however: FOR HEAVEN'S SAKE, WHAT IN THE NAME OF BOOBIE CLARK IS GOING ON DOWN THERE? I...

The first time we heard Carson Palmer dress down his own teammates was after the ninth Bengals player was arrested in nine months. But in front of a gaggle of super bowl reporters, his frustration over the arrests of his teammates boiled over again. Palmer, who was a finalist for the FedEx player of the year awards, was in Miami for the award ceremony. Palmer didn't win the award but sounded off during an interview afterwards. "There's really nothing Marvin can do in the off season," said Palmer when asked of what the team will do to keep player troubles...

Bengals standout Defensive Back Deltha O'Neal is scheduled to appear in court this afternoon, and he could leave knowing his punishment. O'Neal was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence back in December when he was stopped at a checkpoint in Clermont County. He has already entered a not-guilty plea, but it is possible he could change his plea while in court today.

MIAMI (AP) -- Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Chad Johnson was questioned by Miami police regarding an investigation into the shooting death of a man. Johnson, a Miami native, spoke with detectives Monday at police headquarters, according to The Miami Herald. "Chad has confirmed to the club that he cooperated with the Miami Police earlier this week as part of an investigation," the team said in a statement released Friday to The Associated Press. "Police have characterized this as a routine procedure and have stressed that Chad is not a suspect or even a person of interest in this case." Authorities...

CINCINNATI - Bengals cornerback Johnathan Joseph was arrested early Monday and charged with possession of marijuana, the ninth Cincinnati player arrested in the last nine months. The arrest came three weeks after coach Marvin Lewis announced he would get tougher on player conduct, hoping to stop a series of arrests that has embarrassed the team and drawn the attention of NFL commissioner Roger Goodell. "We don't comment on these matters when they're unresolved," team spokesman Jack Brennan said. "We don't believe it's appropriate when it's still at the level of charges." Joseph was arrested on U.S. Route 42 in northern...

ESPN's: Match the Bengal to the Crime

Christmas ought to be a time when people focus on what they can do to live in peace, Cincinnati Mayor Mark Mallory said. "Certainly, we need peace in the city of Cincinnati," he said Sunday. That need was brought home with particular force on Saturday, when the city recorded its 82nd and 83rd homicides of the year, a modern record. "It's terrible. It's tragic," Mallory said. "It's an unfortunate time in Cincinnati history." The modern record was set in 1971, when the city recorded 81 homicides, the most recorded since records have been kept. Last year, there were 79 homicides,...

Survey of the best of Enquirer cartoonist Jim Borgman. Some hideously anti-Bush, anti-GOP cartoons have been nominated. Survey 30 of them from 1-10. Have fun!

CINCINNATI - Nick Davila fought back tears while hugging his family and friends in the middle of a rare, raucous Cincinnati celebration. He had good reason to get choked up. The senior quarterback who had never started a game led the Bearcats to their biggest upset in school history Saturday night, a 30-11 victory over No. 7 Rutgers that ended the Scarlet Knights' perfect season and national title aspirations. "I'm just caught up in the moment right now," said Davila, who scored on a 1-yard run and threw an 83-yard touchdown pass. "I can't explain what's going on. It's so...

Cincinnati Enquirer cannot be linked--here is an excerpt. Ohio's Poet Laureate goes unhinged. "(Nikki) Giovanni shocked the crowd Saturday as she read her dedicatory poem on Fountain Square by referring to Ohio Secretary of State Ken Blackwell, the Republican gubernatorial candidate, as a "son of a bitch" and a "political whore." seat) condemned her words.

CINCINNATI - Ohio's rules for primary elections make it too hard for minor parties to get on the ballot, a federal appeals court ruled. The 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals panel said the primary requirements allow the Republican and Democratic parties to monopolize general elections. Ohio "is among the most restrictive, if not the most restrictive, state in granting minor parties access to the ballot," the ruling said. Parties automatically qualify for the primary ballot if their candidate for governor or president received at least 5 percent of the vote in the previous Ohio election. Any other party must...

CINCINNATI (AP) -- Cincinnati Bengals fans annoyed by bad behavior in the stands can now report it by cell phone. The hot line number should be easy to remember -- (513) 381-JERK. Fans using too much foul language will get a warning from stadium security. Those who continue could be ejected and have their season tickets and personal seat licenses taken away. More serious offenses could lead to arrest. The team doesn't want to become the "curse police," but expects fans to behave themselves, said Bob Bedinghaus, the Bengals' director of development for Paul Brown Stadium.

CINCINNATI (AP) -- The Cincinnati Planned Parenthood Clinic must give a family that is suing the clinic all records on abortion patients younger than 18, a judge ruled. The documents are being sought in a lawsuit by the family of a teenage girl. The suit alleges that Planned Parenthood never got parental consent to perform an abortion on the girl, as required by Ohio law. Clinic President Becki Brenner said the clinic will appeal Wednesday's ruling by Hamilton County Common Pleas Judge Patrick Dinkelacker. The records are needed to determine whether the clinic has a pattern of failing to notify...

CINCINNATI, A woman was shot and killed in Over-the-Rhine just an hour after the Findlay Market Opening Day Parade rolled through the area, and police said that the 15 or 20 people who saw the crime aren't coming forward with information. Lana Brown, 31, was driving a green minivan near the corner of Race Street and 14th Street at about 1:30 p.m. Monday, police said. She apparently got into an argument with a pedestrian, who fired two shots into the vehicle. Brown drove to Vine Street, and as she sat dying, passersby tried to rob her. "She was slumped there...

The Major League Baseball season began in full swing Monday with two controversial figures receiving vastly different receptions from fans. President Bush received a loud standing ovation when he took the mound to throw out the ceremonial first pitch in Cincinnati, a Republican-leaning city. He was accompanied by two injured soldiers and a father who lost his son in Afghanistan. -Snip-Bush became the first sitting president to throw a ceremonial pitch in Cincinnati as the Reds lost 16-7 to the Chicago Cubs. The ball to catcher Jason LaRue was high and off the plate, but Bush called it “my best...

CINCINNATI -- The Vatican has removed from the priesthood a man accused of sexually abusing girls at a Catholic high school where he was chaplain.Thomas Brunner, who resigned in 2003 as pastor of St. Patrick Catholic Church in Troy, is permanently stripped of all clerical functions and privileges, the Archdiocese of Cincinnati said Wednesday. Brunner had been on administrative leave, barred from functioning as a priest, because of the abuse accusations stemming from his time at Mount Notre Dame High in the late 1970s and 1980s.Pope Benedict XVI approved Brunner's petition for what the church calls "laicization." Brunner signed documents...

SARASOTA, Fla. -- President George W. Bush is scheduled to throw out a ceremonial first pitch for the Reds on Opening Day at Great American Ball Park. "We're proud to announce that the president will join us for the start of this new beginning for Cincinnati Reds baseball," Reds chief executive officer Bob Castellini said in a statement. Cincinnati opens its 2006 season hosting the Chicago Cubs on April 3 at 2:10 p.m. CT.

CINCINNATI -- Carson Palmer still faces many uncertainties as he rehabs his left knee. How many games -- if any -- will he miss this fall? And who might fill in for him now that former backup Jon Kitna signed as a free agent with Detroit? He says he expects to play in the regular-season opener, but that also might be in question. "I wish I knew when I was coming back," Palmer said Wednesday. "The last thing I need to do is push anything too early and push back the date that I can really step on the field...

Police: Man Killed Teen for Walking on Lawn By LISA CORNWELL ASSOCIATED PRESS BATAVIA, Ohio (AP) - 0321dv-lawn-shooting A man who neighbors say was devoted to his meticulously kept lawn was charged with murder in the shooting of a 15-year-old boy who apparently walked across his yard. Charles Martin called 911 on Sunday afternoon, saying calmly: "I just killed a kid." Police, who released the call's contents, said Martin also told the dispatcher: "I've been harassed by him and his parents for five years. Today just blew it up." Larry Mugrage, whose family lived next door, was shot in the...

CINCINNATI -- A man accused of sexually abusing several boys in the Cincinnati area has been removed from the priesthood by the Vatican.Lawrence Strittmatter's dismissal from the clergy was announced by the Archdiocese of Cincinnati on Wednesday. Strittmatter had requested the removal _ referred to as laicization by the Roman Catholic church _ and Pope Benedict XVI approved it January. Because Strittmatter made the request, the removal falls short of defrocking, which is imposed.The archdiocese hopes the move brings "peace, comfort or satisfaction" to the men who have accused Strittmatter, spokesman Dan Andriacco said.Church officials requested in 2002 that Strittmatter...

AN American archaeological mission discovered a tomb in Luxor's Valley of the Kings next to the burial place of King Tut, Egyptian antiquities authorities have announced. An excavation team from the University of Memphis made the find five metres from Tutankhamun's tomb, while the mission was doing routine excavation work, said Zahi Hawass, secretary-general of Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities. Some three metres beneath the ground, the tomb contained five human mummies with coloured funerary masks enclosed in sarcophagi and several large storage jars. The mummies date to the 18th dynasty (circa 1539-1292 BC).

Congresswoman Jean Schmidt is upset with some of her political opponents for slicing up a cake made to look like her. State Representative Tom Brinkman cut the head off the Schmidt-cake at a meeting of COAST, an anti-tax group he founded. Bob McEwen, Schmidt's opponent in the Second District Republican congressional primary was also in attendance. Both say they will not apologize for their actions.

Bengals QB Carson Palmer underwent an examination Tuesday in Houston for evaluation of his progress since his Jan. 10 knee surgery. The exam was conducted by Dr. Lonnie E. Paulos of Houston’s Methodist Sports Institute, who performed the January surgery on Palmer. “Dr. Paulos has told us that Carson is progressing just as we hoped he would,” said Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis. “Carson still has much rehab work ahead, obviously, but at this point he is on schedule for our goal of having him ready to open the 2006 season. This is encouraging news for everyone in our organization.”...

As Sean Hannity is proving to Jerry Springer, a career boost can sometimes come from the most unlikely of circumstances. After all, why should the nation's number two-ranked talk host (by audience size, with Rush Limbaugh in first place) give one of Air America Radio's weakest performers the time of day? Because of Jerry's television fame? Even the liberal network's most diehard apologists seem lukewarm when it comes to supporting the syndicated television trashmeister. And we might add that Hannity has roughly 10 stations running his show for every one still saddled with the dreadful "Springer On The Radio". And...