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John Faherty reports:

Everything was fine really. It was kind of exactly what you would have expected.

Brady Bunch stars Christopher Knight (front row right), Susan Olsen (front row left) and Barry Williams (second row right) enjoy a ride on the Racer at Kings Island on Sunday. / Provided

Three former Brady Bunch kids — maybe you are never a “former” when it comes to the bunch — were going to Kings Island to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the summer when the Brady Bunch went to Kings Island to shoot an episode in 1973.

Barry Williams (Greg), Christopher Knight (Peter) and Susan Olsen (Cindy) were all there to tell some funny stories and show some classic clips. “Mom always said: don’t play ball in the house,” “Oh my nose!” “Pork chops and apple sauce.”

Donna Delph came from Hebron with her grandson Aiden. She loved the show as a kid, and now he watches it with her on the Hallmark Channel. “This is going to be so exciting,” she said as the lights began to dim.

Cindy, now 51, talked about being the mother of a 16-year-old son, with a Mohawk, and people began to realize that we have all aged together.

Peter, 55, was kind of the bad boy of the gig. He told the crowd that he has few memories of his time as a Brady and that it was fun to be able to recall these events through his fans.

But the show was really Greg’s. He came out first, and introduced the others. He talked about the clips, and he did a little Johnny Bravo. And in truth, Williams remains quite groovy. His skin is tan and his hair is dark and his pants still fit just right.

And everybody loved it. The noon show was the first of four on Sunday, and there was not a single empty seat in the 844-seat venue. People who couldn’t get into the first show were given wristbands for the second. There were already enough to fill the place for all four shows.

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Posted in: Arts & Entertainment, Kings Island |

Tags: Tags: barry williams, brady bunch, christopher knight, cindy, greg, kings island, mason, peter, susan olsen

Four people were briefly hospitalized after suspicious powder was mailed to a Lebanon government building.

Lebanon police received a call about 11:30 a.m. Monday reporting that an employee at the Warren County Health & Human Services building at 416 S. East St., opened an envelope containing powder and felt her hands begin to burn, said Lebanon Fire Chief Michael Hannigan.

Two other employees assisted the worker in washing the substance off. All three were transported to Bethesda Arrow Springs in Lebanon for examination. A fourth employee later arrived to be examined.

All four were treated and were released by 3:30 p.m., said Joe Kelley, the hospital’s spokesperson.

The building was evacuated and closed for the day, and all workers sent home, according to an officer at the scene. The building will reopen Tuesday morning.

Hazmat units removed the powder and sent it to a local crime lab for analysis. The incident remains under investigation and police have identified a suspect, said Lebanon Det. Sgt. Mark Allen.

The building houses a number of health and human services organizations, including the County Department of Jobs and Family Services, Warren County Health Department and Warren County Children’s Services.

Posted in: News, Warren County |

Tags: Tags: government, hazmat, lebanon fire department, lebanon police, powder, suspicious powder, WARREN COUNTY. warren county health & human services

Benji Pauline Brown. Photo/Warren County Jail

The Enquirer

A Loveland woman found sleeping in a stolen van at a rest stop was arrested Sunday after police woke her up and she fled – sometimes going as fast as 125 mph.

Benji Pauline Brown, 43, was alone in the Dodge Caravan at the rest stop off Interstate 71 when an Ohio Highway Patrol trooper found her. She took off, according to a statement from Lt. Matt Hamilton. Investigators don’t think alcohol or drugs were involved, the statement said.

After chasing Brown for 23 miles, troopers arrested her after she crashed about 7 a.m. into a trooper’s cruiser on I-71 near Western Row Road. Brown was taken to Arrow Springs Hospital, where she was treated and released, then taken to the Warren County Jail. She faces charges of receiving stolen property, fleeing and eluding, felonious assault, resisting arrest, reckless operation and driving without a license.

A trooper and a Mason police officer were hurt during the incident. Mason Police Officer Scott Burdick suffered deep cuts and burns to his hands and forearm while trying to lay down stop sticks to try to stop Brown.  The trooper hurt his hand and forearms during the crash. Both were treated for minor injuries.

Posted in: Crime, News |

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Mason Drew Johnson (2) congratulated by teammates after scoring on Rodney Hutchison single up second base against Princeton in the first inning on April 25, 2013. The Enquirer/ Joseph Fuqua II

Mike Dyer reports:

Longtime Mason baseball coach Ken Gray knew the Comets would have a special team this spring but he didn’t believe it would be undefeated going into its sectional opener earlier this month

Mason (24-0) is the only undefeated team in the state coaches’ association poll regardless of division. The Comets won their second straight Greater Miami Conference title this spring.

Mason defeated Northwest 11-1 in the Division I sectional Thursday.  The Comets face off at 5 p.m. Thursday against Ross at Harrison.

Mason is not only ranked No. 1 in the Division I state coaches’ poll, but the Comets are No. 19 nationally by the MaxPreps Xcellent 25 rankings.

The Comets are hitting .371 as a team and have a 1.38 ERA as a pitching staff. Besides McDonald, pitchers TJ Zeuch (Pittsburgh), Rodney Hutchison and Seth Bowles (Ohio Dominican) have been very efficient. Zeuch is 6-0 with a 0.80 ERA. Bowles leads the GMC with seven wins. He has a 1.10 ERA.

“We just got to keep playing efficient baseball,” said Gray, who has over 760 career wins. “…They are great kids to work with.”

Offensively, Mason has been led by several players including RJ Thompson (.500 batting average), Lee Sponseller (.431), Drew Johnson (.431) and Connor Bryan (.404).

Senior Connor McVey, the 2012 GMC player of the year, has also been the “glue that holds us together,” according to Gray.

“He has made numerous great defensive plays at opportune times, at shortstop to get big outs in critical innings,” Gray said. “He also has had several key hits for us.”

Posted in: Sports, Spring sports |

Tags: Tags: baseball, coach, Connor Bryan, connor mcvey, drew jackson, ken gray, lee sponseller, mason, mason high school, northwest, RJ Thompson, Rodney Hutchison, ross, Seth Bowles, sports, tj zeuch, undefeated

Mason’s Luke Tsai and Miguel Cepeda were state champions in doubles last year. Tsai defeated Cepeda in the sectional finals Saturday. Enquirer file

Mark Schmetzer reports:

Alex Taylor didn’t derive any extra incentive from going unseeded into the Division I Mason boys’ sectional tournament.

He just played like it.

The Sycamore freshman upset fourth-seeded Nick Lang in the second round on the way to reaching the semifinals and earning an automatic berth in next Thursday’s and Saturday’s district tournament at Centerville High School.

“I knew I could get to this point,” Taylor said Saturday morning, after losing to top-seeded Luke Tsai, 6-3, 7-5, in a semifinal at Riverside Athletic Club in Hamilton. “I knew I had the ability to beat Lang.”

The top four singles players and doubles teams in each of four sectional tournaments qualified for district tournament. Saturday’s matches determined the seeding for the district draw.

The second Mason semifinal matched Comet seniors Jeremy Schneider and Miguel Cepeda, and the second-seeded Cepeda prevailed over the third-seeded Schneider, 6-4, 7-6, setting up a finals matchup between the players who formed last season’s Division I state doubles championship team won by Tsai, 6-0, 6-2.

The sectional champion admitted it was difficult to play a teammate, but he needed a strong match to sharpen his game for the district tournament.

“This match was really good for my confidence,” Tsai said. “In the first match today, I felt like I was out of focus and struggled. I needed to come back and perform well.”

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Posted in: Sports, Spring sports |

Tags: Tags: alex taylor, comets, jeremy schneider, luke tsai, mason, mason high school, mason invitational, mason semifinal, miguel cepeda, nick lang, tennis

Jennifer Edwards Baker reports:

So much for spring.

Summer-like temperatures and humidity will sizzle Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky the first part of the week.

After a bit of fog this morning, our high temperature will skyrocket to near 90 degrees under a mostly sunny sky.

That’s just a few degrees shy of the record of 92 on this date, set in 1934, and almost 15 degrees above normal for this time of year, according to the National Weather Service in Wilmington.

Warm air from the south has thrown our region into heat typically seen in July and August, said meteorologist Andy Hatzos.

It’s already 70 degrees this morning at Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport. Typically, overnight lows hover around 55 at this point in May.

The hot and humid weather will last through Wednesday with highs in the upper 80s and overnight lows in the upper 60s.

There will be chances for showers and thunderstorms starting Tuesday morning through Thursday night. The probability for severe weather is low, according to the weather service.

We’ll see a bit of relief from the heat by Thursday. The mercury will slide back into the upper 70s during the daytime as a cold front and high pressure system moves in from the north, Hatzos said.

Overnight lows will fall into the 50s.

The upcoming Memorial Day weekend looks pleasant with plenty of sun and daytime highs in the low 70s.

Posted in: News, Weather |

Tags: Tags: heat, humidity, spring, summer, weather

John Kiesewetter reports:

So what does Barry Williams remember about filming the “Brady Bunch” at Kings Island 40 years ago?

“That bear suit was very hot!” says Williams, 58, who flies in from Branson, Mo., to reunite with co-stars Christopher Knight and Susan Olsen (Peter and Cindy Brady) at Kings Island Sunday.

Williams, the teen hearthrob who played Greg Brady, shot a scene wearing the Hair Bear character suit in “The Cincinnati Kids” episode to impress a Coney Mall worker named Marge, and took his first ride in a hot-air balloon while shooting at Kings Island Aug. 20-24, 1973.

• Photos: The Brady Bunch at Kings Island
• Videos: Watch the Kings Island episode and more
• List: Can you remember the long gone rides at Kings Island?

He also remembers huge crowds watching the Brady kids, Florence Henderson and Ann B. Davis looking for dad Mike Brady’s (Robert Reed) lost park expansion architectural drawings. The show aired during the fifth and final season (1969-74).

The Brady trio will share stories, show video clips, answer questions, sing and sign autographs in the Kings Island Theater on Sunday at noon, 2:30, 5 and 7:30 p.m. It’s free with park admission.

Williams headlines the “70s Music Celebration” show at Branson’s RFD TV Theatre. Here’s a link to his 70musiccelebration website.

Posted in: Arts & Entertainment, Events, Kings Island |

Tags: Tags: barry williams, brady bunch, christopher knight, kings island, susan olsen

Warren County Community Services will offer a free seminar on estate-planning and elder law 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Tuesday.

Michael Millonig, an elder law attorney, will lead the seminar, which addresses wills and trusts, avoiding probate estate tax, powers of attorney and living wills.

The event will be held at the 741 Center at 570 North S.R. 741, Lebanon.  For more information or to register, call WCCS at 513-695-2239 or email Michelle Carpenter at michellec@wccsinc.org.

Posted in: Events |

Tags: Tags: estate planning, seminar, seniors, warren county community services, wccs

Beach Waterpark Ralph Vilardo Jr. stands on top of the park’s highest water slide, the Kamikaze. That slide and the entire park has been renovated. Furthermore, new attractions have been added. Altogether, the venue’s new owners spent $5 million updated the park that will re-open May 18, 2013. Photo taken by Adam Kiefaber May 16, 2013. / Adam Kiefaber Enquirer

Adam Kiefaber reports:

After being closed since September of 2011, new owners of the 35-acre Beach Waterpark gave the local media a sneak peek at the tourist attraction during a VIP event Thursday night.

During the event, owners Hank and Susan Woodburn of Adventure Holdings greeted guests, while general manager Ralph Vilardo Jr. showed off the $5 million in upgrades to the park. Vilardo and the new owners hope that the regular Beach visitors will notice a big improvement.

“It has been day and night working to get this park back to its former glory, while adding new attractions and some of our own touches,” said Hank Woodburn, who with his wife own 18 entertainment parks nationwide. “We’ve put $5 million into this project because we really wanted to bring the Beach back to life in each facet of the park.”

When the park re-opens Saturday, Beach goers will notice some new attractions that include a heated wave pool and an interactive kids play area, which has multiple slides and a 600-gallon dumping bucket.

In addition to the new attractions, the $5 million budget was also used to renovate common areas, slides and play areas.

“The wave pool is one of the biggest changes you will see,” Vilardo said. “We went with the latest, greatest technology, which is going to give you real ocean crashing waves that are consistent throughout the day. The interactive kids area is second to none and we also took the existing slides and improved them.”

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Posted in: Arts & Entertainment, The Beach Waterpark |

Tags: Tags: adventure holdings, lawsuit, mason, Ralph Vilardo Jr., reopening, season pass, the beach, the beach waterpark, upgrades, water park

A Mason High School freshman placed third at the Ohio State Science Day competition in Columbus.

Neil Giridharan’s project, Using User-generated Entropy to Generate Truly Random Numbers, earned him honors in the Yost Engineering Award for Originality in Computer Engineering and Science category at last Saturday’s competition.

Giridharan will receive a $100 award for his project. More than 1,000 students in grades 5-12 participated in the science day.

Posted in: Schools, Student achievements |

Tags: Tags: mason high school, Neil Giridharan, Ohio State Science Day competition, Ohio State Science Day competition Columbus