Carl Weiser reports:

National Journal, a nonpartisan magazine covering Congress, has come out with its ideological rankings of Congress members.

Turns out the most conservative member of the House is none other than Rep. Steve Chabot, R-Westwood.

• GOP redistricting plan gives Warren Co. to Chabot

The rating is based on 111 votes taken in 2013. Chabot was happy to tout his ranking in a blog post, noting “there’s not a lot of room to my right!”.

The 111 votes in the House were broken down into three categories: economic, foreign, and social issues. 62 of the 111 votes scored were economic; 29 were foreign issues; and 20 were considered social issues.

Also noteworthy was the fact that I had the most conservative voting record in all three categories. (There’s not a lot of room to my right!) You can see the description of each of the 111 votes by clicking here.

Also noted in the rankings: Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, was the 13th most liberal senator.  

So Cincinnatians, how do you feel about having the most conservative member of the House?

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Fifth and sixth graders at Columbia Elementary School will return to their school by noon after being evacuated to the junior high after a gas leak was discovered earlier this morning.

A school janitor smelled gas around 9 a.m. today, said Dawn Gould, district spokeswomen. Duke Energy officials were contacted and students were transported to Kings Junior High by bus.

Duke crews repaired the leak by 10 a.m. and firefighters cleared the building of any fumes, allowing the students to return to classes.

Gould said the elementary school students will eat lunch at the junior high and should be back in their Columbia classrooms by noon.

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Rising sun’s rays cast a golden hue over the snow in Burlington on Thursday morning. / Carrie Cochran / The Enquirer

Jennifer Edwards Baker reports:

Cue the confetti!

Thermometers across Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky finally hit the freezing mark Wednesday for the first time in nearly a week and will make it there once again today.

Wednesday’s high temperature of 35 degrees was recorded at 4:07 p.m. at Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport, according to the National Weather Service in Wilmington.

The mercury today should make it up to 36 degrees. It’s 15 with a wind chill of 3.  The warm-up comes after a string of days with subzero morning lows and wind chills, as daytime highs struggled to reach the single digits and teens.

And, while we’ll enjoy plenty of sunshine today, a wintry mix of freezing drizzle should arrive pre-dawn for Valentine’s Day on Friday.

The rain will switch to snow around lunchtime Friday, dumping 1 to 3 inches of snow across the region by 7 p.m., according to the National Weather Service in Wilmington. Downtown Cincinnati could see 2 inches.

Temperatures will range from 24 degrees to 31 degrees.  More snow could fall by 7 p.m. Friday. The overnight low will plunge to 11 with wind chills as low as 0.

Saturday will be mostly sunny, but cold with a high of 25.  Another round of snow could fall between 10 p.m. Saturday and 2 a.m. Sunday. An inch or less is expected at this point, according to the weather service.

The low will bottom out around 22.  Sunday should be mostly sunny with a high of 32.

Looking ahead to next week, we’ll make a big jump on the thermometer to a high of 48 degrees on President’s Day Monday.

There will be a 50 percent chance for rain. Otherwise, it will be mostly cloudy.  More rain, mixed with a little snow, could continue Monday night. The low will be 31.

The sun will come out to stay for a few days on Tuesday.  Highs will hover in the low- to mid 40s.  Overnight lows will still be in the 20s.

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A Mason Idol winner will be performing with the Cincinnati Brass Band when it brings its winter concert to a West Chester Township church next month to raise funds for the Freestore Foodbank.

From Bach to Rock is the theme of the March 8 concert. It will be held at 7 p.m., March 8, at Crestview Presbyterian Church, 9463 Cincinnati-Columbus Road.

Vocalist Claire Northcut – who won the 2011 Mason Idol winner – is joining the 35-member band for its concert. Among the songs she will be singing are Moon River and Don’t Rain on My Parade.

The band will play classical selections included Toccata in D Minor by Johann Sebastian Bach along with a medley of works by Antonin Dvorak.

Among the rock songs the band will perform are an Elvis Presley Medley, the Beatles’ When I’m 64 and Led Zeppelin’s Stairway to heaven.

The all-volunteer group is under the direction of conductor Anita Cocker Hunt.

This is the fifth year the group has done a performance to benefit the Freestore Foodbank. The group distributes more than 12 million pounds of food each year through 325 member agencies.

Proceeds over the last four years have exceeded $10,000, said Tony Yocco, president of the band.

Tickets are $10 each. Patrons are also asked to bring at least one can or non-perishable item for the foodbank.

Tickets are available at any Buddy Rogers music store or at the door.

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Information: www.cincinnatibrassband.com or 513-604-0288

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The Enquirer reports:

Tuesday’s prep sports results

Boys basketball

Kings 58, Anderson 38

Kings (11-6) – Brewster 2 1 5, Fails 4 0 9, Mitchell 2 0 5, James 3 0 6, Herbert 0 2 2, Palmer 1 0 3, Wheeler 1 0 2, Woody 3 2 10, Sichterman 0 2 2, O’Sullivan 1 0 2, Sayles 3 6 12. Totals: 20 13 58.

Anderson (4-15) – Williams 0 2 2, Riley 2 2 7, Rogers 0 2 2, Vorderbrueggen 0 4 4, Allen 1 0 3, McCallum 3 1 8, Hinaman 1 0 2, Long 1 1 3, Vosel 1 0 3, Pfeiffer 2 0 4. Totals: 11 12 38.

Halftime: Kings 31-14. 3-pointers: K 5 (Woody 2, Palmer, Mitchell, Fails); A 4 (Riley, Allen, McCallum, Vosel).

Fairfield 62, Mason 48

Fairfield – Well 5 0 10, Johnson 3 2 8, Brunis 4 3 11, Fleming 3 1 7, Johnson 0 1 1, Walker 7 4 20, Horn 0 1 1, Woods 1 0 2, Mills 1 0 2. Totals: 24 12 62.

Mason – Thomas 7 2 17, Huber 1 0 2, Rice 1 0 2, Lamotte 1 0 2, King 2 0 5, Orlando 4 1 9, Beebe 2 0 4, Arminio 2 2 6, Cline 0 1 1. Totals: 20 4 48.

Halftime: F 27-16. 3-pointers; F 2 (Walker); M 4 (Arminio 2, King, Thomas).

BOYS’ DIVING

District meet Division I (Top 16 advance)

Results: 1. Godar (Elder) 432.60, 2. Hickey (Centerville) 427.70, 3. Karn (Piqua) 424.45, 4. Leupen (Anderson) 378.10, 5. Hornhostel (Centerville) 370.15, 6. Beerse (Little Miami) 359.40, 7. Fitzgerald (St. Xavier) 338.90, 8. Hayes (Fairmont) 337.10, 9. Hunter (Butler) 330.60, 10. Wiedermann (Centerville) 324.85, 11. Neckstroth (Piqua) 324.10, 12. Linder (Lakota East) 318.80, 13. Feng (Mason) 299.30, 14. Roberts (Anderson) 289.75, 15. Dennis (Oak Hills) 286.65, 16. Wells (Elder) 284.90.

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Cincinnati Baila! Mexican Folkloric Dance performing during the 2013 Taste of Mason. Provided photo

A  sampling of foods from around the globe will be on the menu Wednesday for the seventh annual Taste of Mason.

Sponsored by the Mason Schools Diversity Council, Manor House and the high school’s student government, 14 restaurants will be offering foods from around the globe including Japanese, Chinese, Ethiopian and Thai.

The event runs from 5-8 p.m. and will be held in the commons area at Mason High School, 6100 Mason-Montgomery Road. There is no admission cost. Families pay only if they purchase food from the vendors.

Targeted to families, each child who comes will be given a passport to get stamped by vendors and performers. Besides the food offering there will be 13 different groups performing between 5 p.m. and 8 p.m.

Among the performers are the Dancing Ducklings from the Mason Chinese School, a group doing Mexican dances, and another performing Indian dances.

Vendors

• Aponte’s Pizzeria, Italian
• Banana Leaf Modern Thai
• Bd’s Mongolian Grill, Chinese
• Brazenhead Irish Pub
• Café Bella, Ethiopian
• Cazadores Mexican
• Chan’s Asian Wok, Chinese
• Golden Cincinnati Deli, Russian
• The Mason Grill, Greek
• Oasis Mediterranean Grill
• Oleg’s International Food, German
• Phoenician Taverna, Mediterranean
• Soho Japanese Bistro
• Straits of Malacca, Malaysian

 Performances

• 5 p.m.: MHS Jazz, Directed by Avious Jackson
• 5:30 p.m.: MHS NoteOrious, Directed by Deba Jones
• 5:45 p.m.: Classical Indian Bharata Natyam “OM Greem” featuring Angela Vettikal
• 5:55 p.m.: Cincinnati Baila! Mexican Folkloric Dance
• 6:05 p.m.: Comet Step Club
• 6:15 p.m.: ‘Danse Royale Ballroom’ Dance Studio West Chester Youth Ballroom Program
• 6:25 p.m.: Comet Skippers
• 6:40 p.m.: Nigerian Solo Drum Performance featuring Baoku Moses
• 6:50 p.m.: ’Danse Royale Ballroom’ Dance Studio West Chester Youth Ballroom Program
• 7 p.m.: Mason Chinese School
• 7:15 p.m.: Chinese School—Dancing Ducklings
• 7:30 p.m.: I.K. Kim Take Kwon Do Demo Team
• 7:45 p.m.: Colombia Viva featuring Laura Forero

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The remodeled carriage house chapel at the Manor House Banquet & Conference Center in Mason. Owners Bill and Kathy Kinane expanded onto the old Western Row Golf Course in 2012. Photo provided

The Manor House Banquet & Conference Center in Mason is among 331 vendors nationwide to be inducted into TheKnot.com’s inaugural Hall of Fame.

The Southern plantation-style facility was inducted into the website’s Best of Weddings Hall of Game and included in the 2014 Knot Best of Weddings list.

The Knot Wedding Network, which includes the wedding websites TheKnot.com and WeddingChannel.com, honored vendors that have won four or more Best of Weddings awards, a by-brides-for-brides guide to wedding vendors in more than 80 cities across the nation.

Manor House owners Bill and Kathy Kinane opened the business in 1997.  In 2012, the couple expanded the facility onto 10 acres of the adjoining former Western Row Golf Course and renovated the existing clubhouse into a lodge-style carriage house.

 

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Sally Clark, a Mason High School guidance counselor, talks with a small group of students, helping them learn more about the FAFSA form for college financial aid and changes to come. / The Enquirer/ Tony Jones

Cliff Peale reports:

More high-school seniors completed their federal financial aid forms before mid-January this year, but, in most cases, less than one-third of the senior class.

The Free Application for Federal Student Aid, known as FAFSA, opens the door to any federal grants or loans, plus any need-based aid from universities.

The application can be filled out starting Jan. 1. There is no formal deadline, but money in some aid programs can run out if the form is submitted too late.

In the first 17 days after filing started at the beginning of the year, 2,179 Greater Cincinnati high-school seniors had completed the form, including 110 seniors at Mason  High School, more than any other high school in the region. That’s up 3.7 percent from the same time last year, an Enquirer analysis of the most recent federal Education Department data shows.

Always critical, the aid form’s importance has catapulted over the last half-dozen years as student-loan debt topped $1 trillion, more than $29,000 per borrower and accounting for 9 percent of all consumer debt.

High schools pester and prod both students and parents on the importance of completing the online form – to be found at https://fafsa.ed.gov – and completing it early.

“The end of January is pretty important, just to see that the money’s still there,” said Jason Mott, junior/senior guidance counselor at Covington Catholic High School. “That federal bucket dries up pretty quickly.”

Suzanne Carr of Mason was planning to complete the form late last week for her twins, both seniors at Mason High School.

“We’re doing our taxes tonight, hopefully, so we’re waiting until we get that done to do the FAFSA,” said Carr, an accountant. “The colleges we’ve applied to have all been contacting us to tell us, ‘Hey, don’t forget to fill out your FAFSA.’ ”

Counselors tell students not to wait, but to estimate taxes, complete the FAFSA and update numbers later.

Among other things, an Enquirer analysis of forms filed by students at 117 local schools shows:

• The number of applications was up at 41 of the 117 schools, down at 33 and unchanged at one. At 42 of the schools, not enough students had completed a form to calculate a change.
• Students at Mason High School completed 110 forms, more than any other high school in the region. But that is 15 percent fewer than last year and only about 14 percent of the school’s 787 seniors.
• Only 11 Woodward Career Technical High School students have completed the FAFSA, up from just five a year ago.
• •Mother of Mercy High School on Cincinnati’s West Side has nearly tripled its completed applications so far, to 30 out of a class of about 120 seniors.
• For students at Purcell Marian High School, completed FAFSA forms fell to 12 this year from 21 a year ago. Batavia, Middletown and Monroe High Schools also saw drops.
• In Northern Kentucky, 101 Simon Kenton High School students students completed the form by Jan. 17, more than any other Northern Kentucky high school and up 55 percent from a year ago.
• Covington Catholic High School also saw 55 percent more students complete the form early, 53 compared to 34 last year.
• St. Henry District High School and Walton-Verona High School saw the biggest decreases in students completing the form, down 26 percent and 40 percent, respectively.

Most federal aid programs depend on the FAFSA form, said Caroline Miller, senior associate vice president for enrollment management at the University of Cincinnati. The Pell Grant program for low-income Americans is an entitlement in which funds do not run out. But money in other programs, such as work-study grants, will be exhausted, she said.

There are other reasons to fill out the form. If a parent is laid off, for example, having a completed FAFSA on file makes it much easier to get additional loans or grants. “People often can qualify for some aid program they don’t realize,” Miller said.

Miller said more than 80 percent of UC’s incoming freshman each fall eventually fill out the FAFSA.

Parents say the process is scary. For many, the “expected family contribution” often produces shock because it’s so far out of their reach.

“The process scares them,” said John Beischel, a counselor at Princeton High School. “Somebody asks them to do their FAFSA, and, after they get the result, they may not trust the whole system.”

In response, schools are reminding students earlier and earlier. At Simon Kenton High School in Independence, counselors meet with every senior individually about filling out the application.

Counselors at Mason High School are considering starting to talk about college financial planning in elementary schools, counselor Sally Clark said. “We tell them it’s very important,” Clark said. “Some people just think that, if you do really well in school, you’re automatically going to get all of this money for college. That’s just not the case.”

Tips for filling out FAFSA

• • Go to www.fafsa.ed.gov, NOT www.fafsa.com, a pay-to-complete site that helps you fill out the form.
• • Make sure the student and one parent obtain a PIN to sign the Free Application for Federal Student Aid electronically.
• • If you are divorced, list the parent with whom the student lives at least 51 percent of the time. If there is joint custody, you can pick which parent to use. If remarried, be sure to include the stepparents’ income and assets.
• • Gather last year’s tax return, end-of-year pay stubs or W-2s, and statements from all non-retirement investment, savings and checking accounts.
• • You do not need to wait until your taxes are completed to start the FAFSA. Use estimates and then go back and make corrections. Or use the IRS data retrieval tool on the FAFSA to put in your tax return.
• • Do not include the equity in your home, the value of your retirement accounts – 401(k), IRA, etc. – or the cash value of life insurance or annuities as part of your total asset value.
• • Report the value of the student’s savings and checking accounts as the student’s assets – not the parents’ assets.
• • Report the value of 529 plans or Education IRAs as assets of the parents.
• • Prior to submission, check your numbers by viewing the “FAFSA Summary.”
• • Once you hit “submit,” print off that page, because it shows your expected family contribution and an estimate of any federal aid you may receive.

Source: Dan Bisig, College & Beyond LLC

Here’s a look at the change in completion rates at the 10 local schools with the most applications through Jan. 17.

School City Forms 1-year change

• William Mason High School Mason 110 –15.4%
• Simon Kenton High School Independence 101 55.4%
• Boone County High School Florence 93 50.0%
• Campbell County High School Alexandria 87 13.0%
• Dixie Heights High School Fort Mitchell 78 –7.1%
• Notre Dame Academy Park Hills 62 26.5%
• Highlands High School Fort Thomas 56 14.3%
• Covington Catholic High School Park Hills 53 55.9%
• Walnut Hills High School Cincinnati 52 8.3%
• Milford Senior High School Milford 49 22.5%

Sources: U.S. Department of Education and Enquirer research

To look at the FAFSA completion rates at all 117 schools, visit Cincinnati.com.

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Austin Woodruff standing in front of his snow sculpture he created on his home in Mason, Ohio. / Provided by Stephanie Woodruff

Kate McGinty reports:

Austin Woodruff was shoveling the driveway of his family’s Mason home when he absentmindedly threw snow at the garage.

And it stuck.

Amused, the sophomore at William Mason High School picked up one handful of snow at a time, pressing it into the brick until it stuck. For the next four hours, he continued until it formed a mosaic over the garage.

His 19-year-old brother, Andrew, posted a photo to imgur on Thursday, a popular photo website — and it caught fire. It had nearly 250,000 views within 24 hours.

“I’m always looking at sculptural things on the Internet and I’m always trying to make something of my own,” Woodruff, 16, said. “So I like – sort of what I did here – taking different things and putting them together to make one unified piece of art. I didn’t think that it would grow so popular, but I’m really glad that people enjoy it.”

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Eight Kings High School athletes will be playing sports this fall at college. They are: sitting, from left: Courtney Kelleher, Sydney Zinser, Madelaine Kuhn, Kristen Sevier; standing, from left: Jamison Williams, Andrew Lake, Robbie Frye, and Alex Ward Provided photo

Eight Kings High School seniors plan to continue playing sports following graduation.

The students participated in a signing ceremony yesterday before family, teammates, coaches, teachers, administrators, and friends. They join four other students who made commitments during last fall’s first signing ceremony.

There will be one more signing ceremony this spring.

Those who signed, their sport, and school they will play for are:

• Robbie Frye, soccer, Wittenberg University
• Courtney Kelleher, soccer, Duquesne University
• Madelaine Kuhn, soccer, Heidelberg University
• Andrew Lake, cross-country, Wright State University
• Kristen Sevier, cross country/track and field, Wright State University
• Alex Ward, football, Tiffin University
• Jamison Williams, football, Robert Morris University
• Sydney Zinser, soccer, Belmont University

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Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis will speak at Mason High School Feb. 25. Enquirer file photo

The first in a series of Black History Month lectures at Mason High School begins Tuesday with the viewing and discussion of the movie 42.

The biographical film written and directed by Brian Helgeland tells the story of baseball great Jackie Robinson, a Negro League player recruited to play for the Brooklyn Dodgers, becoming the first African American to play in the major leagues.

The movie and discussion begin at 6:30 p.m., in the Harvard Room at the high school, 6100 Mason-Montgomery Road.

The movie is the first of four programs in The Souls of Black Folks programs organized by Mason African-American Students for Change.

All are free, open to the public, and will be held at the high school:

• Feb. 18, 6:30 p.m.: Performance by Central State Choir, in the auditorium
• Feb. 25: Presentation by Bengals head Coach Marin Lewis, Harvard Room and small commons
• Feb. 27, 6:30 p.m.: Spoken Word Night, featuring winners of the Mason poetry contest and Princeton High School poets, Black Box Theater

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The Enquirer reports:

Here’s who filed for office as of 1 p.m. Wednesday to run for state, county and judicial office this year. If two people from the same party filed for the same seat, they’ll face each other in the May 6 primary.

The general election is Nov. 4.

Stay with Cincinnati.com and MasonBuzz today for updates and news about your 2014 races.

*Denotes incumbent

Federal

No U.S. Senate race in Ohio this year

U.S. Rep., 1st District

• Steve Chabot, R *
• Jim Prues, D

U.S. Rep., 2nd District

• Brad Wenstrup, R*
• Ronny Richards, D
• John Sheil, D
• William Smith, D
• Marek Tyszkiewicz, D

U.S. Rep., 8th District

• John Boehner, R*
• Matthew Ashworth, R
• Eric Gurr, R
• J.D. Winteregg, R
• Robert Edward Crow, D
• Matthew Guyette, D
• Tom Poetter, D

Ohio statewide offices

Governor / Lieutenant Governor

• John Kasich / Mary Taylor, R*
• Ed FitzGerald / Sharen Neuhardt, D
• Charlie Earl / Sherry Clark, L

Attorney General

• Mike DeWine, R*
• David Pepper, D
• Steven Linnabary, L

Auditor

• Dave Yost, R*
• John Patrick Carney, D

Secretary of State

• Jon Husted, R*
• Nina Turner, D

Treasurer

• Josh Mandel, R*
• Connie Pillich, D

Supreme Court, Race 1

• Sharon Kennedy, R*
• Tom Letson, D

Supreme Court, Race 2

• Judith French, R*
• John O’Donnell, D

Ohio General Assembly – House

27th District

• Peter Stautberg, R*
• 28th District
• Micah Kamrass, D
• Rick Bryan, R
• Angel Clark, R
• Jonathan Dever, R

29th District

• Louis Blessing III, R*
• Nathan Lane, G
• 30th District
• Louis Terhar, R*
• Mark Childers, D

31st District

• Denise Driehaus, D*
• Mark Auer, R
• Queen Noble, L

32nd District

• Christie Bryant, D

33rd District

• Alicia Reece, D*
• Mary Michele Fitzpatric, R

51st District

• Wes Retherford, R*
• Arnold Engel, R
• Gregory Jolivette, R
• Michele Decresce, D

52nd District

• Margaret Conditt, R*
• Cathina Hourani, D

53rd District

• Timothy Derickson, R*
• Suzi Rubin, D

54th District

• Peter Beck, R*
• Mary Jo Kubicki, R
• Paul Zeltwanger, R
• Rick Smith, D

62nd District

• Ron Maag, R*
• David Craig, R
• Ben Goldman, R
• Charlene Schneider, D
• Scott Pettigrew, L

65th District

• John Becker, R*
• Charlie Carlier, D

66th District

• Doug Green, R*
• Ken McNeely., D

91st District

• Cliff Rosenberger, R*
• Barb Cole, R
• Christopher Thobaben, D

Ohio Senate

7th District:

• Shannon Jones, R*
• Kelly Kohls, R
• Greg Meek, D

9th District:

• Joe Hye, D
• Catherine Ingram, D
• Dale Mallory, D
• Paul Sohi, D
• Cecil Thomas, D

Warren County

Ohio 12th District Court of Appeals, Judge (two to be elected)

• Robert Ringland, R*
• Robert Hendrickson, R*

County Commissioner

• Tom Ariss, R*
• Cathy Anspach, R
• Tom Grossmann, R

County Auditor

• Staci Morris, R
• Matt Nolan, R

Common Pleas Court, Judge

• Robert Peeler, R
• Andrew Sievers, R
• Benjamin Yoder, R
• Craig Newburger, D

Common Pleas Court, Juvenile/Probate Judge

• Joseph Kirby, R

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Kings Athletic Director Phil Poggi will learn in May whether he has been selected Ohio’s top athletic director.

Poggi was named Athletic Director of the Year by the Southwest Ohio Athletic Directors Association. Officials from the 180 high schools in the southwest district – one of six in the state – nominated, and then selected, him for the honor.

Members of the Ohio Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association will select one of the six district winners as AD of the year in May.

“It was very humbling,’’ said Poggi, in his third year as Kings’ AD. “I’ve got an amazing team here. It’s not just about me; it’s about my team – from the administrative assistant to coaches to the athletes.”

This isn’t Poggi’s first award either. Last year he received an Award of Merit from OIAAA. Two years ago he received the d a Horizon Award from the Southwest Ohio Athletic Directors Association. Only ADs in their first five years in the position are eligible.

Before coming to Kings, Poggi spent two years as Aiken High School’s AD.

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The Warren County Sheriff’s Office is seeking the public’s help in identifying a bank robbery suspect.

Officials say a man entered the Deerfield Township Chase Bank branch at 8605 Mason-Montgomery Road around 1 p.m. Tuesday and presented a note demanding cash from the teller.

The suspect, who’s described as between 20-30 years old and wearing a yellow plaid shirt and black knit hat, fled on foot.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Warren County Sheriff’s Office at 513-695-1280.

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This graphic form the National Weather Service Wilimington office shows the snow and ice accumulation expected in our region. / National Weather Service / Provided

A messy and dangerous winter storm is expected to disrupt Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky starting tonight through Wednesday morning with a wintry mix of rain, freezing rain, sleet and snow.

The system, coming up from the southwest, has the potential to tangle rush hour traffic in the evening and Wednesday morning, cancel or delay schools and lead to power outages.

The National Weather Service has issued an ice warning for most of the area with the northern counties under a winter storm warning.

Both of the warnings are in effect from 4 p.m Tuesday until 10 a.m. Wednesday.

The ice warning covers Hamilton, Clermont, Brown, Adams counties in Ohio; Gallatin, Boone, Kenton, Campbell, Owen, Grant, Pendleton, Bracken, Roberston counties in Kentucky and Ripley, Dearborn, Ohio and Switzerland in Indiana.

The weather service warns a quarter inch to a half inch of ice is possible across the area.

“Travel will be extremely dangerous,” the warning states. “The ice will accumulate appreciably in a short period of time. Untreated roads and sidewalks will become a sheet of ice. Heavy ice accumulations will likely down some tree limbs and power lines.”

In addition to the ice, there could also be anywhere from an inch to 4 inches of snow, the weather service said.

To the north, Butler, Warren and Clinton counties in Ohio and Union, Franklin and Fayette counties in Indiana remain under the winter storm warning.

The weather service forecast calls for 2 to 6 inches of snow in those areas along with one tenth to one third of an inch of ice.

The most ice is expected around Downtown and south of the Ohio River.

“It might be the storm with the most ice we’ve had this year,” said meteorologist Scott Hickman. “A quarter of an inch of ice is pretty significant. It’s the worst thing you can drive on. It depends on the amount of ice, but there is a possibility there could be some minor power outages.”

Jennifer Edwards Baker reports:

A messy and dangerous winter storm is expected to disrupt Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky starting tonight through Wednesday morning with a wintry mix of rain, freezing rain, sleet and snow.

The system, coming up from the southwest, has the potential to tangle rush hour traffic in the evening and Wednesday morning, cancel or delay schools and lead to power outages.

The National Weather Service in Wilmington has put the entire region under a winter storm warning from 4 p.m. tonight until 10 a.m. Wednesday.

In Ohio, that covers Adams, Butler, Brown, Clermont, Clinton, Hamilton and Highland counties; Boone, Campbell, Kenton, Gallatin, Carroll, Mason, Bracken, Pendleton, Grant, and Owen in Kentucky and Switzerland, Ohio, Union, Fayette, Franklin, Dearborn and Ripley counties in Indiana.

The weather service calls for 4 to 8 inches of snow and up to a quarter of an inch of ice tonight starting around 5 p.m. through 10 a.m. Wednesday for Butler, Hamilton and Warren counties in Ohio and Ripley and Dearborn counties in Indiana.

Boone, Campbell and Kenton counties in Northern Kentucky, Clermont and Brown counties in Ohio and Switzerland and Ohio counties in Indiana should see 1 to 3 inches of snow and up to a quarter inch of ice.

The heaviest snow is expected to fall in northwestern Hamilton County and Butler and Warren counties, but a slight change in the storm track could produce “significant differences in these accumulations over a small area,” the weather service cautions.

The most ice is expected around Downtown and south of the Ohio River.

“It might be the storm with the most ice we’ve had this year,” said meteorologist Scott Hickman. “A quarter of an inch of ice is pretty significant. It’s the worst thing you can drive on. It depends on the amount of ice, but there is a possibility there could be some minor power outages.”

Further north and to the west in southeastern Indiana and Dayton, anywhere from 6 to 10 inches of snow could pile up.

Duke Energy officials say they won’t speculate in advance how many outages the region may undergo. But they are cautioning the public to make plans now in case their heat and lights go off. Check and make sure you are stocked up on supplies of flashlights, batteries, bottled water, non-perishable foods and medicine.

Families who have special medical needs or elderly members should closely monitor weather forecasts and make plans now to consider potential alternate arrangements, if needed, said Sally Thelen, a Duke Energy spokeswoman.

“I will tell you that significant icing would be our biggest threat to our lines due to the weight it adds to them, as well as to trees and vegetation that often falls on our lines during this type of weather,” she said. “Typically snow does not create conditions where we would expect to have widespread power outages; however, freezing rain combined with windy conditions, weakened trees and saturated grounds, along with deteriorating traffic conditions can impact our power delivery systems.”

Duke Energy has a detailed storm response plan, she said, and will spring into action once severe weather occurs.

The storm present a quagmire for road crews who also are closely monitoring the weather forecast but said they still aren’t quite sure of the exact timing of the snow, ice and freezing rain.

“Our trucks are loaded. We are ready to go,” said Hamilton County Engineer Ted Hubbard. “We are still trying to think about the exact detailed strategy. We are waiting to see what kind of storm we get this afternoon.”

On top of that, most counties are low on salt, he noted.

Hamilton County has 4,000 tons on hand to treat its 54 routes that cover more than 1,500 lane miles, including main thoroughfares like Colerain, Hamilton and Beechmont Avenues and River Road (U.S. 50).

Ideally, Hubbard said he would like 10,000 tons of salt. To stretch what he has, crews mix the salt with a sand grit-type material and then spray that with calcium chloride.

“With salt salt supplies as low as they are, we wouldn’t even consider sending them out now (to treat roads),” he said. “If we ended up with rain, you put that salt down, then the salt is gone.”

Counties are low on salt because this has been such a snowy winter, suppliers can’t keep up with demand.

“We’ve placed orders long ago, and they have not been filled,” Hubbard said. “We are getting some in, but it’s not coming in as rapidly as we’d like.”

Here’s the latest timeline of the storm:

• Arrive as snow anytime after 4 p.m. as temperatures hold steady in the low 30s.

• Snow will become heavy fairly quickly and continue into the evening.

• While snow falls Downtown and to the north, rain and freezing rain will pelt down south of the Ohio River in Northern Kentucky.

• That weather pattern will continue until 8 p.m. as warmer air moves in, bringing more freezing rain by 10 p.m. along and south of the Ohio River while the northern counties see more snow.

• Everyone will switch over to all snow overnight as temperatures fall into the upper 20s.

• Northern winds gusting up to 20 mph could lead to blowing snow Wednesday, making driving hazardous and reducing visibility.

• Temperatures will fall throughout the day Wednesday, which means the ice likely will not melt.

• The overnight low will plunge to 13 with wind chills in the single digits or near 0.

• Thursday will be partly sunny, but the mercury will struggle to reach the 20s.

• Thursday night’s low will fall back to the single digits.

• There’s more chances of snow this weekend Friday night through Sunday.

• Daytime highs will remain below normal for this time of year and in the 20s or low 30s with overnight lows in the teens.

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Larry Cobb / Provided

Three people involved in a statewide crime ring involving credit card thefts from prominent businesses in Warren County have been sentenced to prison, the Ohio Attorney General’s Office announced Monday.

A Warren County judge Monday sentenced Larry D. Cobb, 55, to seven years in prison after he pleaded guilty to engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity.  Kristina M. Petty, 37, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to engage in a pattern of corrupt activity and was sentenced to four years in prison.

In December, Deshawn Mitchell, 35, was sentenced to three years in prison for conspiracy to engage in a pattern of corrupt activity.   Last month, Jodie Petty, 31, who is in prison on related charges in other counties, was sentenced to community control.

The four individuals were part of a crime ring officials dubbed the “Office Creeper Case” that involved sneaking into dozens of companies and stealing employees’ credit cards and items left unattended on desks or in offices.

Kristina Petty / Provided

The crime ring spanned eight counties statewide and charged more than $100,000 in merchandise, officials said.  In Warren County, Procter & Gamble’s Mason Business Center and Cintas were targets.

Cobb, who acted as the primary thief, formed the criminal enterprise in 2012, authorities said. He and his co-conspirators used stolen credit cards to quickly buy electronics, gift cards, and other items they could sell for cash, special prosecutors with Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine’s office said.

“Larry Cobb and his co-defendants are professional thieves, plain and simple,”  Warren County Prosecutor David Fornshell said in a statement.

“This case serves as a reminder to local businesses to re-visit their security policies and procedures to ensure that their employees aren’t victimized by unauthorized persons on their premises,” he said.

About 35 law enforcement agencies from across the state investigated the case with help from the Warren County Prosecutor’s Office and the state Bureau of Criminal Investigation.

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Seven Hills senior gymnast Reena SenGupta hits the vault during a Dec. 10 meet at Cincinnati Country Day. / Mark D. Motz/The Community Press

Mark D. Motz reports:

They often take time, but circles usually come full.

Seven Hills Upper School senior Reena SenGupta began taking recreational gymnastics lessons at Kids First at age 6. At 8 she was competing in a rec program. By eighth grade she was on a club team with an eye toward competing in college.

But the Mason resident injured her elbow on a tumbling pass and missed her high school season as a Seven Hills junior.

During her recovery, she decided not to pursue gymnastics collegiately and left her club team – she was a Level 9 gymnast, training toward Level 10 – and left herself somewhat adrift.

“It was really hard after I decided to scale back,” she said. “I had a lot of time.”

She tried diving briefly, picked up yoga – “I hate running, but I needed to do something to stay in shape,” she said – and even entertained overtures to try out for lacrosse.

Instead she got a job at Kids First and now coaches the rec program where she began.

“It’s very cool to be back where I started,” she said

And to finish with her high school team. SenGupta is the lone returning senior for coach Sue Bone’s squad, the unquestioned leader of the group.

“Not only is she talented, she’s one of the nicest people you will meet,” Bone said. “She’s like having a third coach out there for us. She’s so supportive of our middle school team, of our high school team.

“She’s a big supporter of other teams. When somebody throws a great move or has a great routine, she’s really happy for them, leading the cheers and congratulating them. I think that’s pretty rare. She’s been a great captain of the ship.”

SenGupta takes the coaching angle seriously. She used her senior challenge project to educate herself in choreography.

“I was always more of a power gymnast,” she said. “I was a good tumbler, but not too strong at dance. I spent hours watching elite routines to see what they were doing. But I also watched a lot of dance companies and just modern dance to learn, too. It’s been a lot of fun.”

So much so that she’s taken over some of the choreography chores for the Stingers’ floor exercises.

“Her routines are far superior to mine,” Bone said. “Mine are all dated dancing styles. Hers are very modern and fresh moves.”

SenGupta said she loves to practice the balance beam – “When you do a backflip on the beam and you land in a stuck position, for just a second there you feel amazing, like ‘I’m an accomplished person,’” she said – but she doesn’t like competing in it. “Too nerve-wracking.”

She’s not satisfied with her bar routine, either, so with the city and district meets looming and her competitive career nearing an end, SenGupta plans to stick to the floor exercises and vault.

“I’m willing to try anything and I want to show (the judges) that,” SenGupta said. “My power and my tumbling (on the floor exercises) skills are better than my dancing, so I’m trying to show them I can do the dance elements, too.”

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Mason head coach Rob Matula gives instructions during the Lady Comets basketball game against Kings, Wednesday, Jan. 15,2014. (Tony Tribble for the Enquirer)

By Marc Hardin, Enquirer contributor

Lakota West basketball coach Andy Fishman has a lot of respect for Mason, and even more confidence in his girls.

With top-ranked Mason already at the top of the Division I, Cincinnati 4 sectional bracket at the Southwest District girls’ basketball tournament draw, Fishman, with the third pick as the No. 3 seed, could have chosen to place his team in any of the other four brackets to avoid an early matchup against the Comets.

Fishman nixed that idea at Sunday afternoon’s draw at Lakota West and put the Firebirds (14-5), ranked No. 3 in the Enquirer area Division I coaches’ poll, in the Cincinnati 4 sectional, where they could meet top-seeded Mason (18-1) in the final Feb. 24 at Lakota East.

The sectional champion advances to the Harrison District and plays the Dayton 2 sectional winner. Lakota West opens tournament play Feb. 15 against Northwest (3-17). Mason’s opener is Feb. 20 against the Feb. 15 Sycamore-Harrison winner. Because they drew a bye, the Comets need one win to advance to the sectional final.

The Firebirds need two wins to make the final. Should they take their first game, they would next play either Glen Este (9-10) or Hamilton (5-15).

“There are several reasons why we did that,” Fishman said. “We love playing at Lakota East; it’s very familiar to us. Additionally, we’re looking at the path of least resistance to bigger and better things. We have a lot of respect for Mason. They beat us twice, and both were good games. But that’s the news. Potentially, we could have Lakota West-Mason.”

Mason coach Rob Matula chose the Cincinnati 4 bracket with the first pick.

“It’s not every year you get a 1 and a 3 seed playing in the same sectional,” Matula said. “But this gives us a chance to heal by taking a bye. I also did a little research, and the opportunity to get to the district championship against a Dayton team has been good for us in the past.”

Princeton, ranked second locally, had the No. 2 seed and drew into the Cincinnati 3 sectional at Lakota East. The Vikings (17-2) open Feb. 13 against Kings (3-14). A win would advance Princeton to the second round against Loveland (0-19), which drew a bye. No. 13 seed Colerain (12-6), No. 17 Seton (9-11) and No. 23 St. Ursula (4-14) are on the other side of the bracket.

“Mason is in one bracket, and two others match up with the top two teams from Dayton for districts. We match up with the other bracket,” Princeton coach Jill Phillips said.

If the Vikings advance, they would play the Cincinnati I sectional winner March 1 at the Harrison District. The top seeds in Cincinnati 1 at Kings are No. 8 McAuley (12-7) at the top of the bracket and No. 9 Walnut Hills (15-4) at the bottom.

No. 4 Winton Woods (16-3) drew a bye and is the top seed in the Cincinnati 2 sectional at Kings. No. 6 Mercy (14-6) is on the other side of the bracket.

The first day of sectional tournament play is Feb. 11 when No. 7 seed Talawanda (16-2) takes on Oak Hills (4-15) in a 6:30 p.m. Cincinnati 5 first-round contest at Harrison. No. 5 Mount Notre Dame (13-5) is the sectional’s top seed.

Other draw results have Wyoming (18-1) as the No. 1 seed in the Division II sectional at Withrow. New Richmond (16-2) is the No. 2 seed and McNicholas (12-8) is No. 3. Play starts Feb. 14.

Badin (8-11) is the top seed at the Division III sectional at Fairfield, which starts Feb. 13. Mariemont (13-7) is the No. 2 seed and Reading (14-7) is No. 3.

Fayetteville Perry (17-0) is the top seed in Division IV at Monroe. Felicity Franklin (11-4) is No. 2. Seven Hills (11-8) is No. 3. Play begins Feb. 13.

National Signing Day coverage

Wednesday is National Signing Day for football, field hockey, soccer, track and field/cross country and men’s water polo. We’ll have complete coverage online at Cincinnati.com/preps and NKY.com/preps.

• Chat with ScoutingOhio.com’s Mark Porter on Tuesday at noon

• Chat with University of Cincinnati football coach Tommy Tuberville Wednesday at noon

• Check out a list of area student athletes and where they’ll be signing letters of intent

• Send your Signing Day photos to us at SigningDayPhotos@gmail.com

• Look up past names using our Signing Day database

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Howard Jackson works at the Butler County Sheriff’s Office Communication Center. / The Enquirer/Cara Owsley

Michael D. Clark reports:

A new Ohio grant program is allowing school districts throughout the state to beef up their emergency communications – in some cases, with nothing more radical than a simple panic button.

Since the December 2012 shooting deaths of 26 people – 20 students and six adults – at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Conn., Ohio and Kentucky schools have ramped up their security measures.

Most schools are fully prepared to call 911.

But the newest radio models also feature silent calls – panic buttons –to alert first responders, allowing instantaneous verbal communications with local police.

An Enquirer analysis of the Ohio Facilities Construction Commission’s new $12 million grant program, approved by the Ohio Legislature last fall, found that so far 34 of Southwest Ohio’s 49 school districts including the Mason and Kings school districts have ordered either security radio devices or secured doors, which are also available through the program.

Many schools have already enhanced school entrances to make it more difficult to access the buildings. The emergency radios, however, are a new tech twist in school safety.

Once installed, the Multi-Agency Radio Communications System, or MARCS, desktop radios will be tuned to dedicated emergency frequencies monitored by local police or county sheriff departments.

“When seconds count, immediate, timely communication with the schools through these radios can be crucial,” said Butler County Sheriff Richard Jones, who last year grabbed national media attention announcing his proposal to improve school security through arming retired police officers and having them substitute teach.

“The direct linking of school buildings with first responders through these radios can obviously be a great tool” in protecting schools, said Jones.

Most of Butler County’s school districts, in fact, have already taken advantage of the new state grants, which are $2,000 per building for school radios and $5,000 for better doors, joining more than 1,200 schools in Ohio recently applying for the security radios.

MacKenzie Curt, a mother of a Mason student in the nearby Warren County school system, is also glad the radios, which will be installed in all the district’s schools, are beefing up their protective measures.

“I worry every day when my kindergartner rides away on the bus since Sandy Hook,” she said. “As a parent, I understand that I cannot control everything that happens to my child as they grow more independent, but it certainly can’t hurt to add another layer of protection.”

Gina Gentry-Fletcher, spokeswoman for Butler County’s Fairfield Schools, which will soon have the radios, said “the tragedy at Sandy Hook reminds us that we can never be too careful.”

Cincinnati Public Schools, the largest in the region, is also considering applying for the radios.

Bill Moehring, director of school services for the city district, said “radio communication in a crisis is especially important because there are emergencies when cell phones and land-line phones, are ineffective or unavailable.”

“Direct communication to emergency responders allows for efficient and real time emergency communication,” said Moehring.

Rick Savors, spokesman for the Ohio Facilities Construction Commission, said Sandy Hook revealed the deadly deficiencies in emergency communications at many other schools elsewhere.

“The tragic events of Sandy Hook and other school shootings around the country made the legislature very aware of the need and it’s very much on everyone’s minds,” said Savors.

The radios can be placed on a desktop in a centralized location such as the school’s main office where there are always school staffers nearby during school hours “so anyone can hit the emergency panic button,” he said.

Punching the button immediately opens an emergency radio frequency directly to local police, who then can dispatch the closest police officers, firefighters or other first responders to the school.

“It’s not a cure-all, but it will certainly augment what schools already have,” said Savors.

Butler County Sheriff Sgt. Monte Mayer said “we can communicate with the schools directly and bypass the phone system. And we can also use the radios to communicate with schools during lockdowns, tornadoes or other emergencies.”

So far, 426 of Ohio’s 613 school districts have been granted $6.5 million of the total grant fund.

Kentucky has had a different program for its 172 school districts, said Jon Akers, director of the Kentucky Center for School Safety.

Each district receives $9,000, plus an additional $3.25 per student, from the state to enhance school building safety, said Akers.

Local school officials, he said, may decide to use some or all of that money to set up their own radio communications in cooperation with local or county law enforcement.

Jones would like to see more done in his county but admits there is no single solution.

“The radios still aren’t as good as putting actual law enforcement resource officers in every school, but even that can’t guarantee to eliminate all school tragedies.”

Staff writer Jessica Brown contributed.

SOUTHWEST OHIO SCHOOL DISTRICTS USING STATE GRANTS FOR NEW RADIOS, SECURITY DOORS

Of Southwest Ohio’s 49 school districts in Hamilton, Butler, Warren and Clermont counties, 34 have already taken advantage of a new state grant to enhance school building security through purchasing emergency radios and security doors, said officials at the Ohio School Facilities Commission.

HAMILTON COUNTY: Deer Park; Finneytown; Forest Hills; Madeira; Norwood; Oak Hills; Reading; Southwest; St. Bernard-Elmwood Place; Sycamore; Winton Woods and Wyoming.

BUTLER COUNTY: Fairfield; Hamilton; Madison; Middletown; Monroe; Talawanda.

WARREN COUNTY: Carlisle; Kings; Lebanon; Mason; Springboro; Warren County Career Center, Wayne.

CLERMONT COUNTY: Batavia; Bethel-Tate; Clermont Northeastern; Felicity-Franklin; Goshen; Milford; New Richmond; US Grant; West Clermont, Williamsburg.

(Source: Ohio School Facilities Commission)

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Mike Dyer reports:

Mason wrestling coach Craig Murnan said Wednesday night’s Division I, Region 7 title was a significant stepping stone for the Comets program.

The Comets are just one of the area teams going to Columbus next week for the state dual tournament Feb. 8 at Ohio State University’s St. John Arena.

“Our kids, coaching staff and community have been working towards this type of success for a number of years,” Murnan said. “We are excited to represent our community and school.”

Underclassmen helped Mason late in matches on Wednesday against Centerville. Murnan said freshman Colin Schuster (126 pounds) provided the biggest win of the night when he defeated a state caliber individual in Centerville’s Cameron Castro.

“The environment at Centerville was tremendous, the crowd was electric,” Murnan said. “The support from our Mason community and kids made this night a special experience for our student-athletes.”

The state dual pairings are expected to be released today.

In Division I, Region 8, Moeller defeated Harrison 49-21.

In Division II, Region 15, Wilmington defeated Ross 35-32 in the regional final.

In Division III, Region 22, Blanchester defeated Reading 48-27. Blanchester set a school record for most wins (22) in a season, according to athletic director Bryan Pennix.

Blanchester coach Scott Nicely said pins in lower weights were key on Wednesday night.

Junior Dan Peters (145 pounds) and senior Brandon Breezley (170) had key wins in their respective matches.

Other sports

GIRLS’ BASKETBALL: Mason plays at Princeton at 2 p.m. Saturday with the Greater Miami Conference title on the line. Mason (18-0, 10-0 GMC), which is ranked No. 14 nationally by USA Today, is ranked No. 1 in the Associated Press Division I state poll. Princeton (16-2, 10-0) is ranked No. 6 in the state poll.

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