Dayton Daily News

Can You Resist a Peek at the Last Page?

Tell me I'm not the only one who simply can't wait a second longer to learn the outcome of the Harry Potter series. OK, maybe the kids and I will do a ceremonial reading out loud of the first chapter, but then I'll race to the last page.

Whirlwind Wedding Maintains a Tradition

They call it their whirlwind wedding. Ann Denney, 38, and Chris Zukoski, 33, have been dating each other for seven years, have been engaged for three years, and were married in a spontaneous ceremony Friday that came together within a four-hour span. "We met for lunch in downtown Dayton and were casually talking when Ann mentioned she had called her parents and my parents to wish them a happy anniversary," Chris said.

There's a Reason Why We're Dry and Parts of the Plains Got Soaked

As a meteorologist at Storm Center 7, I receive some questions that pop up frequently. Here are a few: Q We have been very dry the last few months, while parts of the Plains have been very wet. Is there a relationship between the two?

Accused Teacher Helped in Class Alleged Victim Attended ; Superintendent: 'He Didn't Have Direct Responsibility for the Girl, but They Would Have Been in the Same Classroom.'

CLAYTON -- The Northmont Middle School teacher accused of having sex with a 14-year-old student from the school worked with students in one of the alleged victim's classes, but he did not have direct responsibility for the girl, officials said Wednesday. Jason Simmons, 36, a former Ohio State University football captain, was arraigned Wednesday on three counts of sexual battery, three counts of unlawful sexual conduct with a person under 16 years old and one count of importuning. He remained ...

Fun, Not Fear, As Students Prepare for High School

Commission Oks Contract Giving Police 3 Percent Annual Raises ; Three-Year Agreement Also Includes New Health Insurance Package to Help City Handle Rising Costs.

DAYTON -- Dayton police will get a 3 percent raise each year of a three-year contract adopted by the City Commission Wednesday. Police officers and supervisors, members of the Dayton Fraternal Order of Police Lodge No. 44, ratified the contract with the city by an overwhelming vote on July 11.

Police Link Suspect to a Series of Crimes ; Man Sought in Abduction, Robberies and Thefts.

DAYTON -- Anthony Seals, the 36-year-old wanted in the Sunday night abduction of a Huber Heights cab driver, is now believed to be involved in a string of armed robberies and thefts, police in Dayton, Huber Heights and Riverside said Wednesday night. Police have linked Seals to the Tuesday night robbery of a Riverside cellular phone store in which a clerk was tied up with wire.

From the Police Blotter

A roundup of unusual and noteworthy items from area police departments: Man calls officer a 'punk,' throws pack of gum at cruiser

Local Headlines

Bacteria infections may be linked to day-care center ENGLEWOOD -- At least six children at KinderCare Learning Center on Wenger Road have tested positive for a highly contagious bacteria that can cause serious diarrhea, abdominal cramps and high fever, as well as loss of appetite, nausea and vomiting, health officials said Wednesday.

Brother, Sister Reported Missing ; Children Were Seen Biking at 5 P.M., Had Not Returned Home Late Wednesday, Beavercreek Police Say.

BEAVERCREEK -- A sister and her brother went missing from home Wednesday evening and police said they are concerned for their safety. Robert Hess, 12, and Barbara Hess, 14, left their residence in the 4400 block of Stonecastle Drive, Apt 201, about 5 p.m., Beavercreek Sgt. Jim Wuebben said.

Columbus Engineer Picked to Study Modifications, Cost ; Design Work Will Begin in August and Last Six Months. A Contract Could Be Awarded Next Spring for Work in Dayton.

DAYTON -- The Miami Conservancy District has picked a Columbus engineer to come up with plans and cost estimates to modify four low dams on the Great Miami River for safety improvements. That package could include bypasses, passages through the dams and recreational spots. It is hoped any modifications will make the dams passable to watercraft such as canoes and kayaks.

Burning Desires ; Three Miami Twp. Firefighters Put Down the Chips and Pick Up the Weights to Shed Pounds in an Effort to Become the Best -- And Buffest -- Firefighters They Can Be.

MIAMI TWP., Mongtomery Co. -- It wasn't long ago when firefighters Nick Seitz, Zac Ruschau and Bryan Shaw looked like the only blaze they could extinguish would be one on a birthday cake. But thanks to a rigorous fitness program slowly catching on in the Miami Twp. fire department, the three firefighters are burning calories, shedding flab and shunning fast food and red meat for fish, chicken and rice.

Baby Sitter Sentenced to 5-Year Term ; 3-Year-Old Boy Was Fatally Shot in an Upstairs Bedroom of the Woman's Home

DAYTON -- The woman who was baby-sitting 3-year-old Darian LeBlanc Jr. when he was fatally shot in her home on Dec. 12 was sentenced to five years in prison Wednesday. Before sentencing Melikia Sylvester, Montgomery County Common Pleas Judge Mary Katherine Huffman denied Sylvester's motion to change her guilty plea to a third-degree felony count of child endangering.

Museum's Education Team Wins Third Straight First-Place Honor ; Dayton Engineers Club to Honor Students, Teachers for Space Day Feat

WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE -- A teacher at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force has coached teams of middle-school-age students to win a first-place award for three consecutive years in a national science contest. What is Cindy Henry's secret?

Some States Toughen Bus Safety Standards ; Feds, Who Have Relied On Passive Restraints, Are Revisiting the Issue; House Panel Holds Hearings

WASHINGTON -- The European company that built the bus that plunged off an overpass in Atlanta on March 2 and killed five members of the Bluffton University baseball team equips its buses in Europe with seat belts. It has little choice. The European Union requires passenger belts on motorcoaches. The EU began requiring either lap belts or lap- shoulder belts in 1997. Australia since 1994 has required all newly manufactured motorcoaches to have a threepoint restraint system.

Suspect in Oregon District Stabbing Freed ; Prosecutor's Office to Send Case to Grand Jury, but Man Facing Assault Charge Deemed Not a Threat to Society.

DAYTON -- The suspect arrested in the stabbing of a man in the Oregon Historic District early Tuesday was released from the Montgomery County Jail on Wednesday, according to a jail official. The 40-year-old male suspect was released after being held for a time pending the filing of a charge of felonious assault with a deadly weapon, the jail official said.

Having a Field Day

Police & Court Headlines

Man, woman shot while sitting in car in parking lot HARRISON TWP., Montgomery County -- A man in a gold-colored vehicle toting a large-caliber rifle shot and wounded a man and a woman seated in a car in the parking lot of the Quick Mart, 3503 W. Siebenthaler Ave., about 6:25 p.m. Wednesday, the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office said.