Severe Thunderstorm Watch issued March 15 at 11:57PM EDT until March 16 at 4:00AM EDT by NWS Wilmington OH (details ...)

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH 61 IN EFFECT UNTIL 4 AM EDT MONDAY FOR THE FOLLOWING AREAS
IN INDIANA THIS WATCH INCLUDES 6 COUNTIES
IN EAST CENTRAL INDIANA
FAYETTE UNION WAYNE
IN SOUTHEAST INDIANA
DEARBORN FRANKLIN OHIO
IN KENTUCKY THIS WATCH INCLUDES 9 COUNTIES
IN NORTHEAST KENTUCKY
LEWIS
IN NORTHERN KENTUCKY
BOONE BRACKEN CAMPBELL GRANT KENTON MASON PENDLETON ROBERTSON
IN OHIO THIS WATCH INCLUDES 32 COUNTIES
IN CENTRAL OHIO
DELAWARE FAIRFIELD FAYETTE FRANKLIN HOCKING LICKING MADISON PICKAWAY UNION
IN SOUTH CENTRAL OHIO
ADAMS HIGHLAND PIKE ROSS SCIOTO
IN SOUTHWEST OHIO
BROWN BUTLER CLERMONT CLINTON HAMILTON WARREN
IN WEST CENTRAL OHIO
AUGLAIZE CHAMPAIGN CLARK DARKE GREENE HARDIN LOGAN MERCER MIAMI MONTGOMERY PREBLE SHELBY
THIS INCLUDES THE CITIES OF ABERDEEN, ADA, ALEXANDRIA, AUGUSTA, AURORA, BEAVERCREEK, BELLEFONTAINE, BELLEVUE, BLANCHESTER, BRIGHT, BROOKSVILLE, BROOKVILLE, BURLINGTON, BUTLER, CAMDEN, CAMP DIX, CELINA, CHILLICOTHE, CIRCLEVILLE, COLDWATER, CONNERSVILLE, COVINGTON, CRITTENDEN, DAY HEIGHTS, DAYTON, DELAWARE, DILLSBORO, DOWNTOWN CINCINNATI, DOWNTOWN COLUMBUS, DOWNTOWN DAYTON, DRY RIDGE, EATON, ERLANGER, FAIRBORN, FAIRFIELD, FALMOUTH, FLORENCE, FORT THOMAS, FRANKLIN, GEORGETOWN, GREENDALE, GREENFIELD, GREENVILLE, HAMILTON, HEAD OF GRASSY, HIDDEN VALLEY, HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, HILLSBORO, INDEPENDENCE, KENTON, KETTERING, LANCASTER, LANDEN, LAWRENCEBURG, LEBANON, LIBERTY, LOGAN, LONDON, MANCHESTER, MARYSVILLE, MASON, MAYSVILLE, MIDDLETOWN, MILFORD, MINSTER, MOUNT CARMEL, MOUNT OLIVET, MOUNT ORAB, MOUNT REPOSE, MULBERRY, NEW BREMEN, NEWARK, NEWPORT, OAKBROOK, OXFORD, PEEBLES, PICKERINGTON, PIKE LAKE, PIKETON, PIQUA, PLAIN CITY, PORTSMOUTH, RICHMOND, RIPLEY, RISING SUN, SEAMAN, SIDNEY, SPRINGBORO, SPRINGFIELD, ST. MARYS, SUMMERSIDE, TIPP CITY, TOLLESBORO, TROY, URBANA, VANCEBURG, WAPAKONETA, WASHINGTON COURT HOUSE, WAVERLY, WEST COLLEGE CORNER, WEST JEFFERSON, WEST UNION, WHEELERSBURG, WILLIAMSTOWN, WILMINGTON, WINCHESTER, WITHAMSVILLE, AND XENIA.

Wind Advisory issued March 15 at 9:34PM EDT until March 16 at 8:00AM EDT by NWS Wilmington OH (details ...)

* WHAT...South winds 15 to 25 mph with gusts up to 50 mph becoming west southwest.
* WHERE...Portions of east central and southeast Indiana, northern Kentucky, and central, southwest, and west central Ohio.
* WHEN...Until 8 AM EDT Monday.
* IMPACTS...Gusty winds will blow around unsecured objects. Tree limbs could be blown down and a few power outages may result.

Wednesday, December 5th, 2007

Court appointed lawyers may get raise

By Pat Royse

Mercer County commissioners are considering raising hourly fees paid to court appointed attorneys by $10.

The pay rate for court appointed defense attorneys of indigent individuals has not been increased since April 1999. The request for the raise was made by Attorney Lou Schiavone, on behalf of the Mercer County Bar Association.

Reimbursement for assigned council services is now $55 per hour for time in court and $50 per hour for time out of court. If approved, the hourly rate for attorneys would be $65 per hour for in-court time and $60 for hours required for other legal services.

The proposed resolution also caps the amount that can be spent by the courts based on the seriousness of the charges.

For charges of capital crimes with specifications - where the death penalty or life imprisonment could be imposed - the court would cap payable fees at $40,000 for two defense attorneys. For aggravated murder without specifications, the defense could get fees of no more than $10,500 for one attorney or $13,000 for two.

Fees for defending a murder charge would be capped at $6,500, felonies at $4,000, misdemeanors (degrees 1-4) at $1,000, parole or probation and contempt of court at $400.

In juvenile proceedings, the cap for both representation on juvenile offense charges and for guardian ad litem (guardian for the purposes of the lawsuit, usually involving minors or those with diminished capacity) are capped at $1,000. Fees for post-conviction, habeas corpus or sexual predator proceedings in non-death penalty cases are capped at either $500 or $1,000, depending on if an evidentiary hearing is included. Death penalty post-conviction and habeas corpus proceedings in a death sentence conviction is capped at a maximum of $10,000. Appellate proceedings are capped at $2,000.

There also are reimbursements, with receipt presentations, for reasonable expenses such as polygraph examination costs, transcripts, expert services, long-distance phone calls and photocopying, as well as "extraordinary" case fees, approved by the court.

If approved by county commissioners on Tuesday, the pay increases and caps would go into effect on Jan. 1.

Archive of December 5th, 2007

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