The Cincinnati Enquirer du lieu suivant : Cincinnati, Ohio • Page 1

Mitsubishi settles harassment suit for $34M Nation, A2 "I itwici HYTXTnFTXTTX ft TfW Tli ITMPh Copyright, 1998, The Cincinnati Enquirer All rights reserved Friday 12, 1998 Final EditionWest 50 cents 'It's rusting from the inside out' im a apart CD W1I i I "ii Problems wift Tyler Davidson Deterioration of the fountain's structural supports is "severe, progressive and irreversible." Water pipes and valves in the statue vault are heavily corroded. Some water supply lines under the lower basin slab leak considerably. The statue vault has no ventilation, creating a highly saturated environment, condensation, corrosion of metals and deterioration of concrete. Lighting and water displays have deviated from the original historic features. In some cases, they obscure significant features.

Source Harry Weese Associates see the cracks and the rust color, and those are just warning signs," he said. In February, city officials put together detailed plans to renovate Fountain Square, the city's physical and sentimental center. About the same time, city officials sought a more detailed study of the fountain. Weese eventually won the bid. The Chicago firm overhauled regal Buckingham Fountain in that city's Grant Park.

The nine-month rehabilitation project cost $2.8 million and was (Please see FOUNTAIN, Page A6) zed str ike tained by The Cincinnati Enquirer, a Chicago-based architectural and planning firm is recommending the fountain undergo a $1.5 million restoration, which is part face lift, part plumbing job for the 127-year-old Fountain Square icon. Cracks have caused deterioration in the largely bronze sculpture, as well as the fountain's structural supports and pipes, Harry Weese Associates says. The city hired the firm to examine the fountain. "The deterioration of the fountain's structural supports (in the fountain's underside or brie may halt Repairs are needed, could cost BY LISA DONOVAN The Cincinnati Enquirer The Tyler Davidson Fountain is falling apart, and it might cost $1.5 million to save the stately symbol of Cincinnati, i "It's rusting from the inside out," said Willie Carden superintendent of the city's facility management division. According to a report ob- Storms cause floods, slides Tornadoes strike central Indiana BY JANE PRENDERGAST and BERNIE MIXON The Cincinnati Enquirer and The Associated Press A fast, heavy rain left much of the Tristate wet and muddy Thursday morning, while two tornadoes carved a path of destruction across north-central and west-central Indiana Thursday evening, causing widespread damage to homes and business.

The same storm system that spawned the Indiana tornadoes moved into Greater Cincinnati late Thursday evening. The heavy morning rain sent local residents to flooded basements and fire, crews to water-logged roadways, as landslides, flash floods and sporadic power outages plagued port will inevitably result in considerable damage to the fountain and, ultimately, in collapse." That doesn't mean the fountain will topple at any moment. "There's no need to start sounding the fire alarms," said Bill McMillan, project architect with Weese. "It's a bad situation, but it's something that happened gradually." Restoration is necessary to prevent the fountain's collapse years down the road, Mr. Carden said.

"It was just time. If you go up to the fountain itself, you can spokesman for the Hamilton County Metropolitan Sewer District, which had crews out more than 150 complaints, "There was so much rain, so fast, that things could not S- T-i lnsideA6 Cliff Radel column: Letting the fountain go to pot is as unthinkable as letting Lady Liberty sink into New York harbor. Fountain history: City needed a drinking fountain. What it got was a trademark. Closer look at problems.

Timeline. statue vault) is severe, progressive and irreversible," the firm said. "Failure to restore the sup -v. irK'." of rain fell in southeastern Indiana and western Hamilton County, according to the National Weather Service. "It's beginning to look like this will equal a 10-year storm," said Dennis Madden, a this trip to Hawaii has given them a much-needed break.

"I got to kiss it, to walk it, and I made it do tricks," Jake said of the 10-foot gray and white dolphin named Hobi that he met Wednesday. "I wasn't afraid of it. I was excited," he said via telephone from Hawaii. "I've got the pictures to prove it." Jake, his parents, Carol and Jim, and 2-year-old brother, Justin, left for Hawaii last week. Besides meeting dolphins and flying in a helicopter, the family (Please see WISH, Page A20) 1 A Covington Fire Department truck fords Bullock Pen Road where Banklick Creek overflowed its banks Thursday.

As much as 5 inches of rain saturated some parts of the Tristate, causing flooding and landslides. Bridgetown boy gets wish Strikes' imct The Flint stamping plant strike has halted or slowed production at assembly plants in Michigan, Kansas, Ohio, New Jersey, Missouri and Ontario, Canada. The United Auto Workers fears GM may transfer work out of the Flint and Delphi plants or close them. The Delphi plant is considered especially vulnerable because the low-tech parts it makes can be produced much more cheaply outside the United States. came out at this time." Charles Jones, a quality technician at the Flint Metal Center, said the striking workers fear their jobs are going to be eliminated and sent to Mexico.

Norm McComh, first vice president of UAW Local 659. blamed GM negotiators for the impasses. "They don't seem to be real serious at this point," he said. "I don't know what their game plan is." GM would not characterize the talks. Richard Shoemaker, a UAW vice president in charge of the GM department, said talks for both plants are scheduled to resume 9 a.m.

today. He said GM wants to eliminate 11,000 jobs in Flint over the next two years. He said GM refuses to share its profits with its workers. He said GM wants to move jobs outside the United States "to take advantage of the low poverty wages in other countries." In 1906, a strike at two Dayton, Ohio, brake plants lasted 17 days and cost the automaker $900 million after taxes. escaped into our bushes, ready to grab her ankles.

But later, at work, I was suddenly relieved when our police reporter opened the door and said, "Hey, Hamilton cops caught a gator!" By 10 a.m., they had released the 3-foot suspect on his own scaly recognizance. He was returned to his home a residential aquarium in our neighborhood. GMt Parts plant joins walkout; job loss feared BY BRIAN S. AKRE The Associated Press FLINT, Mich. Workers at a second General Motors Corp.

plant went on strike Thursday evening, a move that could bring most of GM's North American production to a standstill in a matter of days. The walkout by United Auto Workers at the Delphi Flint East complex, which makes parts for most GM cars and trucks in North America, came six days after workers went on strike at a Flint stamping plant. The first walkout by 3,400 workers that began June 5 in Flint has already caused a parts shortage that has forced the layoff of nearly 25,000 workers. The Delphi complex makes electronic instruments, such as speedometers, and a variety of other engine components, such as spark plugs and filters. It employs about 5,800 hourly workers.

A shutdown there would affect most of GM's .28 major, wholly owned assembly plants in the United States, Canada and Mexico. There are 296,500 hourly employees at those plants. About 500 workers striking the stamping plant stood outside the Delphi plant Thursday evening singing union songs. They formed a corridor and cheered the Delphi workers as they walked off, patting them on their backs as they walked by. Claire McClinton, an electrician at the stamping plant, said workers are hoping the second strike will force GM to get serious about negotiations.

"It's encouraging to us that they I tried to shoo him back into the yard, not wanting him injured in the street. Finally, he turned back, and an officer arrived. "Yeah, that's a gator," he said. "But I don't have a net." He walked into our back yard to make sure we weren't operating a reptilian menagerie. When I returned home after taking Cheryl to work, I found neither officer nor gator.

My wife worried that the gator had Metro Cincinnati Zoo's rhino is expecting Emi the rhinoceros is expecting. The 8-ycar-old resident of the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden is due in the fall of 19W. If carried to term, it would be the first Sumatran bred and born in captivity in 108 years. CI Tim Wright for The Cincinnati Enquirer Jake Siniawski frolics with Hobi at the Hilton Waikoloa on the island of Hawaii. Make-A-Wish Foundation flew the Bridgetown boy, who has a rare blood disorder, to Hawaii.

The Cincinnati EnquirerPatrick Reddy drain fast enough." In Indiana, the evening tor- napolis' east side and blew out (Please see STORMS, Page A20) River near Trenton. In December, a Madison Township man found another gator in the river. He placed it in a bathtub. however, would not touch one with lead gloves. Cheryl did get close enough to place the top of our bird bath with fresh water next to him.

"The poor thing's thirsty," she said. Perhaps not. His short little legs propelled him faster than I anticipated. Tempo Examining the costs at amusement parks The sixth installment of this week's Summer Survival scries takes a look at the area's big amusement and water parks and offers a breakdown on the costs of fun in the sun, from Ferris wheels to body surfing. El the area much of the day.

As much as 5 inches of rain saturated Boone and Kenton counties, prompting officials in Kenton County, Covington and Fort Wright to declare states of emergency. Up to 3 inches iawski had little hope of ever seeing a dolphin or a volcano. But thanks to the Make-A-Wish Foundation, which flew the Bridgetown second-grader and his family to Hawaii, neither experience will ever again be just the stuff of books, TV shows or the 7-year-old's unfulfilled dreams. Born with Fanconi Anemia (FA), a rare genetic blood disorder, Jake can be cured only with a matching bone marrow transplant that so far has eluded him. Jake's mother says a day doesn't go by that the family doesn't think about the illness and how it affects the boy.

But The Cincinnati EnquirerRandy McNutt Weather Partly sunny High 86low 68: Warm, humid and breezy today, along with some sunshine. A thunderstorm likely tonight. A24 Portions of today's A Enquirer II Ml I II recycled paper. "4090 01 01' 1 'Uh, honey, I think there's an alligator in the garden' 7-year-old swims with dolphin, thanks to foundation's gift BY MARIE McCAIN The Cincinnati Enquirer In a small lagoon on an island in the Pacific Ocean, a little boy named Jake stood in the clear blue water Wednesday and looked into the wide eyes of the dolphin floating next to him. Later, hovering in a helicopter hundreds of feet above the mouth of an active volcano, he stared into the belly of the fiery beast and hoped it would erupt.

Before Wednesday, Jake Sin- Reporter Randy McNutt was startled to find this alligator in his Hamilton yard Thursday. The gator had escaped from a neighbor's aquarium. INSIDE Six sections, 158th year, No. 64 Abby E2 Obituaries C6 Comics E6 Puzzles E7 Editorial A22 Stocks C8 Lotteries A24 The Talk E2 Weekend TV E4 I Classifieds D2-15 Online http:enquirer.com said, "G-o-o-d boy." I told my wife, "An alligator's resting near your dead irises." "Oh, please." He looked dry. Maybe in shock.

He glared as we walked around him. My wife ordered me to call the police. "I don't want that thing in my garden," Cheryl said. Everybody seems gator-crazy these days. A man saw one last week in the Great Miami Weekend Airport Days shares delight in Hight Blue Ash Airport Days will feature flight simulators that hold up to 18 passengers and vintage planes to check out in the air and on the ground.

Air shows and safety and educational displays are there, too. BY RANDY McNUTT The Cincinnati Enquirer HAMILTON His beady yellow eyes tracked me when he thought I wasn't looking. As I started the car Thursday morning, I thought I saw a snake next to the driveway. Then I realized: Hey, that's an alligator. Longer than a yardstick.

Green bumps on his back. He lay in the grass, still as a stone. I slid past him gently and Business Mercantile workers a hot commodity Major retailers are competing to recruit workers from Mercantile Stores headquarters in Fairfield. Dillard's which is acquiring Mercantile, hasn't said what it plans for the headquarters. CI 2 If LA..