The Butler County judge who granted the anonymity of a former Miami University student convicted of posting a rape tips list on campus is standing by his decision.    

Among other things, Friday, April 20 marked the two-year anniversary of BP’s Deepwater Horizon rig explosion, which leaked nearly 5 million barrels of crude oil into the Gulf of Mexico before the well was plugged. Disturbing accounts of deformed aquatic life have recently surfaced, including fish plagued with mysterious ulcers, eyeless shrimp and crabs missing legs.  

Cincinnati's local media got quite a treat today from angry Westside residents, who boarded up a Westwood house even though the city had already padlocked the doors. All the major TV news networks (plus The Enquirer, which let two of its reporters take breaks from tweeting to work on the story) accepted an invitation from a group called Westwood Concern to watch them board up a house that troublemakers regularly use to do bad things.  

With just a few hours to go before last week’s final presidential debate, Sen. Barack Obama’s supporters at Smokey Bones BBQ & Grill in West Chester were furiously busy. These Democratic volunteers, seated at tables and booths in a set-aside area with their cell phones out, were calling Butler County voters classified from previous research as “undecided” or “persuadable.” They were making calls as quickly and politely as possible before the debate began.   

Just a couple blocks away from the front door to the Butler County Sheriff's Office in Hamilton sits a thriving corner market with a sign outside that reads "Super Mercado y Carniciera." Drive further into Hamilton or nearby Fairfield, and motorists will see a different and more ominous sign: large billboards featuring the image of Butler County Sheriff Richard K. Jones under the stern warning, "Hire an illegal, BREAK THE LAW!"