By MIKE CRANSTON AP Sports Writer The Associated Press

Thursday, December 17, 2009 9:59 AM EST

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Cincinnati Bengals receiver Chris Henry died Thursday, 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.

Later Thursday, police released two 911 tapes. The first was from an unidentified woman who said she was following a yellow pickup truck.

"It's got a black man on it with no shirt on, and he's got his arm in a cast and black pants on," she told a dispatcher. "He's beating on the back of this truck window. ... I don't know if he's trying to break in or something. It just looks crazy. It's a girl driving it."

Just over a minute later, an unidentified man called 911 and said he saw a man "laying in the road" and "definitely unconscious."

Henry was rushed to the hospital early Wednesday afternoon after being found on a curvy section of a residential road. Police said the dispute began at a home about a half-mile away, and Henry jumped into the bed of the pickup as his fiancee was driving away from the residence.

Police said at some point when she was driving, Henry "came out of the back of the vehicle." Harrington wouldn't say if the woman, whom police would not identify, was present at the scene when police arrived.

Two women from separate homes nearby said Thursday they saw the woman and the pickup at the scene when police arrived. Cheryl Hoffman said she came out with a blanket when she saw Henry wasn't wearing a shirt.

"When I got to where he was laying on the ground out there he was very unresponsive, laying flat on the ground," Hoffman said. "He was foaming at the mouth, and I was very worried what was happening then."

Henry is engaged to Loleini Tonga, and the couple has been raising three children. Tonga's MySpace page identifies herself as "Mrs. C. Henry" and has a picture of her next to a person who appears to be Henry. She also has a post from Tuesday talking about buying wedding rings. A neighbor said Wednesday that the Tonga family owns the home where police say the incident began. Charlotte is home to his fiancee's parents.

No one answered the door at that home, where there were deep tire tracks on the front lawn. "We ask that you keep Chris' family — especially the young children he leaves behind — in your prayers," Henry's agent, Andy Simms of PlayersRep Sports said in a statement. "It is tragic when a life is taken so young. He was a man just realizing his potential, not just in football, but in life."

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.

When players received word Henry had died, quarterback Carson Palmer called them together in the locker room and said they should dedicate the game and rest of the season to Henry and the wife of defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer, who died unexpectedly during the season.

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.

"We are greatly saddened by today's tragic news about the loss of Chris Henry," NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said. "Our thoughts and prayers go out to Chris' family, including his Bengals family. We have been in contact with the Bengals to offer our support through this difficult time.

"I ask you to keep Chris Henry and his family in your thoughts today."

Throughout his career, Henry's temper and poor decisions got him in trouble.

He was ejected from a game and suspended for another while at West Virginia, where former coach Rich Rodriguez told Henry that he was an embarrassment to himself and the program. His reputation was already costing him — the Bengals were the only NFL team to bring him in for a pre-draft visit in 2005.

They found that his demeanor didn't match his reputation. Henry was shy and spoke in a quiet voice. They warned him that he had to stay in control if he was going to stay in the NFL. Then, they picked him in the third round.

In a sense, it was already a second chance.

"I'm worth the chance," Henry said, when he showed up the following weekend for a rookie minicamp. "I'm just happy they took me."

Henry become a vital part of the offense as a rookie, helping the Bengals reach the playoffs in 2005 with his ability to run past defenders to grab long passes. In the final month of the season, he also showed his other side, getting arrested for marijuana possession. After a playoff loss to Pittsburgh, he was arrested on a gun charge in Florida.

Henry and former Tennessee cornerback Adam "Pacman" Jones became the league's two most trouble-bound players. Commissioner Roger Goodell suspended both in 2007 — Jones for a full season, Henry for half of it — as part of a toughening of the league's conduct policy.

When Henry was arrested for a fifth time following that season on an assault charge, the Bengals decided they'd had enough. At his arraignment on April 3, 2008, Municipal Court Judge Bernie Bouchard called Henry "a one-man crime wave." He was released by the Bengals the same day.

It was a jolt to Henry, who had dreamed of an NFL career since high school, when he got the NFL logo tattooed on the back of his right hand. No team showed an interest in bringing him back. His career seemed finished.

Then, Brown — who refers to himself as "a redeemer" — changed his mind and gave him another chance.

"If you only knew him by hearsay, you'd think he's some kind of ogre," Brown said, during the Bengals' appearance on HBO's "Hard Knocks" series this summer. "It's not true. He's a good person. When you see him up close, you'll find that you'll like him. He'll be a soft-spoken, pleasant person."

This time, Henry seemed determined to stay out of trouble. After only 19 catches and two touchdowns in 12 games in the 2008 season, he set about making himself a topflight receiver again. He got into top shape and worked out with teammates in the offseason, showing more resolve than at any point in his career.

Henry also changed his personal life, spending more time with his fiancee and the three children they are raising. Teammates noticed a pronounced change in his demeanor.

Before the 2009 season, Henry got a new tattoo that matched his new outlook. Below his left ear, in flowing one-inch script, was the word "Blessed."

"I kind of felt like I dug myself out of the hole and started doing the right things," Henry said in an interview with The Associated Press as training camp opened. "People say, 'How you feeling now Chris? You doing all right?' I just tell them I'm blessed. That's why I got it."

He caught a touchdown pass in each of Cincinnati's four preseason games. A thigh injury slowed him early in the season, and he had 12 catches for 236 yards — his 19.7-yard average per catch leads the team — when he broke his left arm during a win over Baltimore on Nov. 22, ending his season.

"He was doing everything right," 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."

———

Associated Press Writer Mitch Weiss and AP Sports Writer Joe Kay in Cincinnati contributed to this report.

UC ranks 106 of 141 in sex ed grading

By Rusty Pate | The News Record

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Published: Sunday, November 8, 2009

Updated: Sunday, November 8, 2009

The University of Cincinnati ranked 106 out of 141 schools in the Trojan brand condoms 2009 Sexual Health Report Card.

The report, conducted by the independent research firm Sperling’s BestPlaces, is an annual ranking of the sexual health resources and information available to students at American colleges and universities.

Cincinnati ranked 129th in 2008.

“It’s disappointing we are ranked so low,” said Libby Cates, a third-year psychology student. “Honestly, it’s kind of sad, but it’s good they do studies like this.”

Taking advantage of university sexual health services is good idea, Cates said.

Brandon Rose, a third-year education student, takes a more anonymous route for his sexual education information.

“I guess I would just look it up on the Internet,” Rose said.

Bert Sperling completed similar studies concerning health and living places. His firm worked with Trojan on the sexual health report card for each of the four years the annual study was conducted.

“We devised a methodology to focus on, not sexual activity and not sexual illness, but rather the kinds of services and resources that are available at the different schools to allow the students to live the most sexually healthy life they can,” Sperling said.

The study collected data from student health center representatives, researching universities’ health center Web sites and polling students from each school. Affordability and access to information about services netted the best scores.

Students participated in the study through a Facebook page set up by the research firm.

“We got about 7,000 responses in all the schools that we looked at,” Sperling said.

The University of South Carolina ranked as No.1, up seven spots from the 2008 report card. The Ivy League placed three schools in the top 10: Columbia University in fourth, Cornell University in eighth and Brown University in ninth.

The entire Big East performed poorly, with seven schools ranked in the bottom 20.

“We are putting out the information and letting the student health centers and the students use it as a resource to see how the different schools compare with each other,” Sperling said.

Ohio

• Statewide
• Cincinnati
• Cleveland
• Columbus

Inequities in Graduation Rates

Black and White male students in Ohio graduated at slightly higher rates in 2005/6 than the national average. The racial achievement gap is greater than the national average.

The Benchmark for graduation rates of Black male students for states enrolling more than 10,000 Black male students is 74% (New Jersey).

Male Students		Graduation Rate 2005/6 (est.)			Graduation Rate 2004/5
	Black Males	Black	White	Gap	Black	White	Black Change	White Change
USA	4.3mil.	47%	75%	28%	47%	74%	0%	1%
Ohio	155,098	49%	79%	30%	46%	74%	4%	5%

National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) Evidence of Inequities

NAEP Grade 4 Reading results for Ohio are average for those for the nation as a whole for both White, non-Hispanic and Black male students. Over half of the state’s Black male students read below the Basic level at Grade 4.

Percentages Of White and Black Non-Hispanic Male Students At Each Achievement Level, Reading, Grade 4, 2007

Race	Jurisdictions	Below Basic	At Basic	At Proficient	At Advanced
White	USA	26	36	29	9
	Ohio	23	39	30	8
Black	USA	59	30	10	1
	Ohio	57	30	12	1

At Grade 8 the situation has improved slightly, although nearly half of the state’s Black male students read at less than the Basic level and virtually none reach the Advanced level.

Percentages Of White and Black Non-Hispanic Male Students At Each Achievement Level, Reading, Grade 8, 2007

Race	Jurisdictions	Below Basic	At Basic	At Proficient	At Advanced
White	USA	22	46	30	2
	Ohio	17	45	34	3
Black	USA	53	39	8	#
	Ohio	49	42	8	#

Nearly one-third of Ohio’s Black male students score below the Basic level in Grade 4 Mathematics, five times as many as the state’s White, non-Hispanic male students.

Percentages Of White and Black Non-Hispanic Male Students At Each Achievement Level, Mathematics, Grade 4, 2007

Race	Jurisdictions	Below Basic	At Basic	At Proficient	At Advanced
White	USA	9	38	44	9
	Ohio	6	38	46	10
Black	USA	38	47	14	1
	Ohio	31	47	20	1

By Grade 8, more than half of Ohio’s Black male students score below the Basic level in Grade 8 Mathematics and virtually none reach the Advanced level.

Percentages Of White and Black Non-Hispanic Male Students At Each Achievement Level, Mathematics, Grade 8, 2007

Race	Jurisdictions	Below Basic	At Basic	At Proficient	At Advanced
White	USA	18	39	33	10
	Ohio	16	39	35	9
Black	USA	54	35	10	1
	Ohio	52	38	9	#

The Benchmark for Black male students in Grade 8 Reading is Massachusetts, with 62% of Black male students scoring at or above Basic.

The Benchmark for Grade 8 Mathematics is Texas, with 63% of Black male students scoring at or above Basic.

55 want top public housing post

By Gregory Korte • gkorte@enquirer.com • September 6, 2009

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At least 55 people want the job of running Cincinnati's public housing authority, but only a handful have the qualifications most valued: experience in running large, reform-minded housing agencies that have successfully weaned residents off public assistance.

The Cincinnati Metropolitan Housing Authority's list of desired qualifications starts with experience with "Moving to Work," a federal pilot program that allows local housing authorities more flexibility in how they manage subsidized housing.

If Cincinnati were able to get a federal waiver under such a program, it might be able to establish work requirements for residents in subsidized housing or limits on how long they can live there. The program also could give low-income families other incentives to move out of public housing.

At least eight applicants have some experience at one of the 30 federally designated "Moving to Work" housing authorities. Among the most prominent:

Michael Kelly, executive director of the Housing Authority of the District of Columbia since 2000, and president of the Council of Large Public Housing Authorities since 2007. He touts a homeownership program in Washington, D.C. that has graduated 173 families out of subsidized housing vouchers, also known as Section 8.

Kurt Creager, who led the housing authority in Vancouver, Wash., from 1991 to 2007. He said policies he put in place there moved more than 150 low-income families out of subsidized housing and into homes.

Michael J. Leithead, who spent 20 years at the Philadelphia Housing Authority, retiring in 2008 as chief operating officer. There, he implemented a "Moving to Work" policy that encouraged low-income families to become independent of public housing within seven years.

There's no guarantee that hiring an executive director with those credentials would convince the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to expand "Moving to Work" to Cincinnati. But the job posting does give insight into the direction the board wants to take the nation's 17th largest public housing authority.

The board is looking for a director with a reputation for "holding tenants and landlords accountable for good-neighbor policies."

The ideal candidate should be committed to moving more Section 8 units from vouchers - in which tenants can live anywhere a landlord will accept the government subsidies - to specific sites, where the subsidy goes directly to the landlord.

The director also should have "experience in addressing impacts of concentrated housing in neighborhoods."

That's been a particularly controversial subject in recent years, as policies designed to demolish large-scale public housing projects in Over-the-Rhine and the West End have directly or indirectly caused an influx of Section 8 units in middle-class neighborhoods like Price Hill, Westwood and Colerain Township.

In response, the board has aggressively bought apartment buildings in more affluent neighborhoods like Mount Washington, Hyde Park and Mount Lookout to convert them into public housing. The board has also taken a largely symbolic vote demanding subsidized housing in the billion-dollar riverfront development known as The Banks.

Just last month, a lawyer for four low-income families filed a complaint against the agency alleging discrimination in the awarding of subsidized housing under the Section 8 program. The chairman of the housing authority's board responded by suggesting the agency should put even public housing in the lawyer's neighborhood of Hyde Park.

The job posting makes clear the housing authority board "WILL hire an external candidate for this position" - with "WILL" in all capital letters. Still, the list of applicants includes current director Richard S. Rust IV, who has headed the agency since the board forced out his predecessor, Donald J. Troendle, in 2007. Rust, the agency's top lawyer, was supposed to be a short-term director while the board conducted a national search for his replacement, but changes in the board's membership delayed the search.

The search process was intended to be secret - even the agency itself doesn't have the resumes, and the job posting promised that applications would be confidential. The Enquirer obtained the resumes from an outside search consultant after arguing that they were subject to the Ohio Public Records Act.

The housing authority has hired KMK Consulting, a subsidiary of the Fourth Street law firm of Keating, Meuthing and Klekamp, to conduct the search, at a cost of $40,000.

Melissa Taylor, the KMK consultant heading the process, said the 55 names constitute "a laundry list of hopefuls that has not been vetted by a search professional."

She said she would begin screening the applications this week to narrow the list to a group of finalists to be presented to the board.

"There are a number of extremely qualified housing industry power brokers in this initial candidate pool," she said.

The position has listed a salary range of $180,000 to $230,000 - plus bonuses

HIV agency finally gets state money

By Mark Curnutte • mcurnutte@enquirer.com • August 31, 2009

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The local HIV services provider, STOP AIDS, has received $170,000 in federal money from the state that was delayed for six weeks because of problems with the Ohio budget.

Services to the 1,000 clients of STOP AIDS continued uninterrupted, said executive director Amy McMahon, because of sacrifices and efforts made by the nonprofit's 26 employees. The full amount of money was sent to the agency late last week from the Ohio Department of Health, which administers funds from the federal Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program.

"We are relieved on behalf of our clients," said McMahon, who credited employees for volunteering to delay paychecks in order to continue programs and services.

STOP AIDS - formerly AIDS Volunteers of Cincinnati - receives almost $719,000 of its $1.7 million annual budget through the Ryan White program. The agency also used reserve funds while waiting for the money.

The organization conducts about 3,000 HIV tests a years and provides education programs to 20,000 people a year in schools and prisons.

"The Ryan White Program provides grants to all 50 states. Much of it pays for a drug-assistance program. The money does require agencies to have alternative pools of money to use for AIDS treatment in case of financial emergencies.

McMahon credited Dr. Alvin Jackson, director of the Ohio Department of Health, for stepping in to speed reimbursement of the money to HIV services agencies.

President Obama Announces National HIV/AIDS Community Discussions

First Event, the Atlanta HIV/AIDS Community Discussion, to be Held on August 25th at the 2009 National HIV Prevention Conference Community Discussions will feed into the development of a National HIV/AIDS Strategy

WASHINGTON – President Obama today announced the launch of the National HIV/AIDS Community Discussions, a series of events to be held across the country. These events, hosted by the White House Office of National AIDS Policy (ONAP) will offer the public a chance to provide input as the White House works to fulfill the President’s pledge to develop a National HIV/AIDS Strategy (NHAS). The first event, the Atlanta HIV/AIDS Community Discussion, will be held on August 25th at the 2009 National HIV Prevention Conference.

"HIV remains an serious challenge to the American people and I am committed to developing an effective National HIV/AIDS Strategy," said President Obama. "The National HIV/AIDS Community Discussions will provide an opportunity for members of the public to give their input on how we can best address this crucial issue. With the insights from communities across the country, we will have a strategy that is focused on the goals of reducing HIV incidence, getting people living with HIV/AIDS into care and improving health outcomes, and reducing HIV-related health disparities."

With more than 56,000 new HIV infections occurring in the United States each year, the President believes that we must re-focus national attention on the domestic epidemic. He has articulated three goals for the NHAS: reducing HIV incidence, increasing access to care and optimizing health outcomes, and reducing HIV-related health disparities. The national HIV/AIDS community discussions are just one mechanism for engaging the American people and obtaining input. The Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS (PACHA) will also provide input, and public comments submitted to the ONAP website will also be taken into consideration.

ONAP is part of the White House Domestic Policy Council and is tasked with coordinating the continuing efforts of the United States government to reduce the number of HIV infections across the U.S., and respond to the needs of people living with HIV/AIDS.

The Atlanta HIV/AIDS Community Discussion will be held on August 25th as part of the 2009 National HIV Prevention Conference, which is being held in Atlanta from August 23-26. The Community Discussion is open to conference participants and 200 tickets have been set-aside for the local Atlanta community. ONAP is also meeting with local HIV services organizations while it is in Atlanta.

Other cities in which communities discussions will be held are: Washington, DC; New York, NY; San Francisco, Oakland, and Los Angeles, CA; Houston, TX; Albuquerque, NM; Jackson, MS; Fort Lauderdale, FL; Minneapolis, MN; Columbia, SC; Puerto Rico; and the Virgin Islands. Specific dates will be announced later.

For those reporters interested in attending the Atlanta HIV/AIDS Community Discussion, registration for media is free. Credentialed journalists may register in advance of the meeting by calling (866) 584-5030, or on site in the conference press center – located in the Hyatt Regency Atlanta, Chicago Rooms C and D (Exhibit Level). See www.2009nhpc.org for media policies./

 

WHAT:    Atlanta HIV/AIDS Community Discussion

WHO:     Jeffrey S. Crowley, M.P.H., Director, White House Office of National AIDS Policy Dázon Dixon Diallo, M.P.H., Founder and President, SisterLove, Inc. Carlos del Rio, M.D., M.P.H., Professor and Chair of the Hubert Department of Global Health, Rollins School of Public Health; Professor of Medicine in the Division of Infectious Diseases, Emory University School of Medicine Edith Biggers, M.D., Fulton County Department of Health and Wellness Guy Pujol, D.MIN., Executive Director, AIDS Alliance for Faith and Health (AAFH)

WHEN:    Tuesday, August 25, 2009, 6:30 – 8:00 p.m.

WHERE:  Centennial Ballroom, Hyatt Regency Atlanta, 265 Peachtree Street, NE, Atlanta, GA

VA To Begin Offering Routine, Voluntary HIV Tests At Medical Centers

Monday, August 17, 2009

The Department of Veterans Affairs on Monday began "offering routine HIV tests to veterans who receive medical care," the Associated Press/Washington Post reports. The new policy follows CDC's recommendations for voluntary, routine HIV testing and no longer requires veterans to sign a consent form, the article states, adding that "veterans must verbally consent to the test. They can also decline it." According to the news service, "The CDC says all patients should be offered HIV testing even if they are not considered at risk. The hope is that by dropping the written consent, more veterans will get tested and get medical treatment earlier" (Hefling, 8/17).

Many Women Living With HIV Skip Pap Test Despite Increased Risk For Cervical Cancer, Study Finds

Friday, July 31, 2009

Nearly one in four women living with HIV did not receive an annual Pap test in the year prior to being interviewed, according to a study published in the Aug. 1, Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes, Reuters reports. Women with HIV have an increased risk for cervical cancer, which the test detects, the article states. According to Reuters, "To see if guidelines for annual cervical cancer screening for HIV-infected women were being performed, … [researchers] analyzed information on 2417 HIV-infected women from 18 states. Records showed that 23 percent of those interviewed had not undergone a Pap test during the year before the interview." The article states, "The risk of cervical cancer has not decreased since the introduction of highly active antiretroviral therapy for HIV infection, 'highlighting the continued importance of cervical cancer screening in this population,' health officials from" CDC note in the journal (Reuters, 7/30).

Columnist Discusses HIV/AIDS Among Blacks In Washington, D.C.

Columnist George Curry on Tuesday in the Hudson Valley Press discussed how HIV/AIDS is impacting the black community, particularly in Washington, D.C. The piece includes comments from Phill Wilson, CEO of the Black AIDS Institute and C. Virginia Fields, president and CEO of the National Black Leadership Commission on AIDS, who discuss statistics and recommendations to address HIV/AIDS among the black community, including routine HIV testing. Curry writes, "If C. Virginia Fields and other activists get their wish and have [HIV] testing incorporated into routine health testing, that will place a heavier burden on crowded counseling and treatment facilities. But it’s not an insurmountable burden. The question is: Do we have the national will to take on this epidemic?" (7/29).