The Cincinnati Enquirer from Cincinnati, Ohio • Page 1

PfH 'J A final Final Navratilova advances to play for 10th Wimbledon title Sports, CI Pirates prevail over Reds iV 11 pi pi Apiy -if I i- I IIS I FOUSTTH OF JULY A dozen jtes Complete listing k-'' or holiday fun of July events CMCINNAXI EN FINAL35C 01 RER Ml 'tfV 1 V1 Two cutlery store workers testified Thursday that they had sold a 15 -inch knife to O.J. Simpson five weeks before the killings. Jose Camacho, salesman Allen Wattenberg, owner of Ross Cutlery Clinics' protection upheld Abortion rights win at state, U.S. level BY LAURA GOLDBERG The Cincinnati Enquirer Local abortion rights supporters celebrated two victories Thursday, one in the U.S. Supreme Court and the other in state court, in their fight to protect access to clinics.

The high 0 nil a if a Defense says search illegal, attempts to block evidence Key evidence Evidence seized from the Simpson estate that the defense wants thrown out includes: Blood on, in Ford Bronco. Plaid cap found on driver's-side floor. Blood on curb, driveway, garage wall, in foyer and master bathroom floor. Brown, right-hand glove with blood found on walkway. White Reebok athletic shoes.

X- 'It allows the courts to protect women from the harassment and in some cases physical Kathy Helm-bock, NOW Cincinnati 'Apparently, the Supreme Court values the freedom of speech of pro-abortion people more than that of pro-lifers. Brad Mattes, Life Issues Institute court upheld a lower court order that created a 36-foot "buffer-zone" around a Florida clinic. Abortion protesters, peaceful or not, cannot come within that area. And here, a Cincinnati law that imposes mandatory jail stays of three days and fines of up to $1,000 for trespassers at medical facilities was upheld by the Ohio First District Court of Appeals. The decision overturned a 1992 ruling by Ham- ilton County BY JIM NEWTON AND ANDREA FORD Los Angeles Times LOS ANGELES Seventeen days after O.J.

Simpson's ex-wife and a friend of hers were found slain, prosecutors Thursday debuted their case in court, presenting as their first witnesses two cutlery store workers who said they sold Simpson a 15-inch knife six weeks before the killings. "I guess something attracted him about the knife. It's a nice looking knife. And he just, he liked it," said Jose Camacho, an employee of a Ross Cutlery store in downtown Los Angeles, who acknowledged under oath he had sold an interview to a supermarket tabloid. Neither Camacho nor other witnesses who took the stand Thursday tied Simpson to the murder scene.

But their appearances may help lay the groundwork for the prosecution case, establishing that Simpson had access to a weapon such as the one that detectives think was used to kill Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Lyle Goldman, whose bodies were found outside Nicole Simpson's Brentwood condominium just after midnight June 13. Still, legal experts noted that there is a tremendous difference between showing that Simpson owned a knife similar to the possible murder weapon and producing the weapon itself. Harland W. 1 'r Braun, a noted Los Angeles criminal defense lawyer, said prosecutors will need to present more evidence tying Simpson to the crime, but also noted that the testimony Thursday will force Simpson's camp to produce an explanation at some point: If Simpson did indeed buy the knife, can he produce it now, or is it missing? That question has occupied detectives from the start, as they have hunted in Los Angeles and Chicago for the missing murder weapon. In fact, even as Camacho (Please see SIMPSON, Page A6) America watches, A2 The Associated Press O.J.

Simpson was watchful and occasionally took notes on the first day of a preliminary hearing. Foster Fiske report: Municipal Judge Harry McIIwain, who said the law was unconstitutional. In Cincinnati and nationwide, abortion rights opponents were outraged at the decision in the closely watched Supreme Court case. Abortion rights supporters were ecstatic, especially since the decision came soon after federal legislation was passed to protect clinic access. Chief Justice William Rehnquist wrote for a 6-3 majority that the 36-foot buffer zone generally "burdens no more speech than necessary to accomplish the government interest at stake." Joining Rehnquist were Justices Harry Blackmun, John Paul Stevens, Sandra Day O'Connor, David Souter and Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

Justices Antonin Scalia, Clarence Thomas and Anthony Kennedy dissented. "Creation of a 36-foot zone in which only a particular group, which had broken no law, cannot exercise its rights of speech, assembly and association (is) profoundly at odds with our First Amendment precedents and traditions," Scalia wrote. Kathy Helmbock, spokeswoman for the National Organization for Women in Cincinnati, called the (Please see ABORTION, Page A7) Counties OK tax breaks to beat change in rules death was a suicide office after his death. 1 'A -iske Foster was deputy White House counsel. The Associated Press WASHINGTON Clearing up two matters that have pained the White House, special prosecutor Robert Fiske announced Thursday that Vincent Foster's death was indeed a suicide and declared he would not bring criminal charges over White House contacts with Treasury officials who were overseeing the Whitewater investigation.

Fiske also said he found no evidence that Foster's suicide had anything to do with Whitewater. Another phase of Fiske's investigation, to be completed shortly, is a review of what the White House did with Whitewater-related documents in Foster's ments. The actions come just before tonight's midnight deadline, which ushers in a three-week state moratorium on tax breaks, followed by new rules. Effective July 22, public schools take an official role in the abatement process. Now, schools have no voice in the process.

While local governments also lose tax dollars when taxes are abated, those governments get to vote on the issues before they are passed up to county commissioners. Townships, cities and county governments had been scrambling to approve agreements before the role was mandated (Please see TAX, Page A6) BY KAREN EICHERT and IRENE WRIGHT The Cincinnati Enquirer Tax breaks for nearly 20 development projects worth $700 million have been approved in the past few days in a last-minute scramble to lure businesses to Southwest Ohio. The projects could bring 2,113 new jobs to the region and keep 1,544 more jobs here. But they also could limit property tax revenues the businesses could provide. Commissioners in Hamilton, Butler, Warren and Clermont counties this week approved tax abatements for the develop Fiske's finding that the White House-Treasury meetings on Whitewater were not criminal leaves it to the Office of Government Ethics to decide whether they were proper.

Fiske said he had investigated more than 20 contacts between Treasury and White House officials. They involved an investigation by federal regulators of Madison Guaranty the failed once owned by the Clintons' Whitewater business partners. WEATHER Harding's title taken away Mercury rising i 1 High 87 Low 60 Today should start sunny but gather some clouds by afternoon. Saturday will be likely be the j- I 1 Tonya Harding was stripped of her national championship Thursday for her actions last day below 90" tor a while. Details, back page this section Trie Cincinnati EnquirerTony Jones Central Bridge finally makes ends meet INDEX Seven sections, 154th year, No.

82 Copyright 1994, The Cincinnati Enquirer Abby D2 Obituaries B4 Business B7 People D2 Comics Puzzles D7 Editorials A14 Sports CI HealthScience A13 Stocks B6.8-10 Lotteries A16 Tempo D1 Metro B1 TV D4 Nation A2.4-10 World A2, 12 Classified C7-15 Harding surrounding the Nancy Kerrigan attack. Story, CI House panel OKs universal health plan The House Ways and Means Committee approved on Thursday a plan to insure every American by 1998. Story, AlO nati shore. Although the ironworkers' role is winding down next week they'll complete connections in the middle of the bridge much work remains. Still ahead: pouring the four-lane concrete deck, which will take the rest of the year.

The $26 million bridge is expected to open to traffic next summer. The workers who build the bridge, D1 tions of the bridge. The piece of steel was about 5 inches short, but that's not a problem, engineers say. Expansion jacks on one pier allow workers to push the bridge together for a snug fit. Erection of the bridge's 11.5 million pounds of steel began in August, 1993, on the Newport side, then shifted to the Cincin BY JOHN JOHNSTON The Cincinnati Enquirer Ironworkers on Thursday bridged a gap over the Ohio River between Newport and Cincinnati.

A John F. Beasley Construction Co. crew hoisted a 23-ton piece of steel and bolted it onto the new Central Bridge. It's the first connection of northern and southern sec Printed on recycled newsprint using soy oil ink pi.