SWEEP UNCOVERS MARIJUANA AT MARIETTA HIGH SCHOOL:
Marietta police said Thursday that marijuana and drug paraphernalia were discovered during a sweep of the school by canines.
At least one arrest is expected. The amount of the drug and where it was found were not disclosed, as the investigation continues.
Article Photos
In this Oct. 4, 2009, Associated Press file photo, Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Chris Henry looks on during pre-game warmups against the Cleveland Browns. Henry died this morning from injuries sustained when he fell out of the back of a pickup truck in what authorities described as a domestic dispute.
High school Principal William Lee declined to comment on the sweep this afternoon.
Marietta police Capt. Jeff Waite said drug-detecting police dogs are taken through area schools a few times each year to conduct drug sweeps.
Thursday's search began around 9:20 a.m. and continued for about two hours. Two Marietta police dogs and a unit from New Lexington Police Department conducted the search, Waite said.
COMPROMISE ENDS OHIO'S TAX TUSSLE:
COLUMBUS (AP) - Ohioans will pay between $2 and $2,000 more in 2009 taxes, on average, under a compromise budget deal expected to clear the Legislature today.
The agreement to delay a scheduled income tax cut fills an $850 million budget gap while preserving state funding to school districts. Educators and community leaders had spent the last week complaining loudly about the financial hardship they faced as a result of the budget impasse.
The deal reached late Wednesday night resolved what had been increasingly tense negotiations between Gov. Ted Strickland and Democratic lawmakers on one side, and Republicans loath to suspend a tax cut on the other.
A small group of Republicans is expected to support Strickland's plan to delay the final round of income tax cuts set in motion in 2005. In return, Democrats agreed to a pilot project to test proposed construction contracting changes they believe aren't ready to be implemented on all public projects. The agreement secured enough votes to get the deal out of the House and Senate, and to the governor's desk.
A Senate committee is expected to approve the plan today, followed by votes on the House and Senate floors.
BENGALS MOURN HENRY:
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) - Cincinnati Bengals receiver Chris Henry died this morning, a day after falling out of the back of a pickup truck during what police said was a domestic dispute with his fiancee.
Charlotte-Mecklenburg police said Henry died at 6:36 a.m. Henry was 26.
"We knew him in a different way than his public persona," Bengals owner Mike Brown said of the player who was suspended five times during his career. "He had worked through the troubles in his life and had finally seemingly reached the point where everything was going to blossom. And he was going to have the future we all wanted for him. It's painful to us. We feel it in our hearts, and we will miss him."
Police spokeswoman Rosalyn Harrington said homicide detectives have been assigned to the case but had no further information.
Authorities have not announced the cause of death. Mecklenburg County medical examiner investigator Carol Cormier said they were expecting to receive the body later Thursday.
The Bengals will wear a helmet sticker Sunday against San Diego to remember Henry.
Henry was away from the Bengals after breaking his left forearm during a win over Baltimore on Nov. 8. He had surgery and was placed on season-ending injured reserve following the game.
"He was doing everything right," fellow Bengals receiver Chad Ochocinco said. "My grandma always says you never question the man upstairs on decisions he makes. Everyone makes mistakes, but I don't see how Chris was supposed to go already, especially when he was on the right path. Other than that, he's going to be missed."
