State Fair rides reopen after accident

COLUMBUS — Officials say rides shut down at the Ohio State Fair after a thrill ride broke apart and killed a man are open after being re-inspected.

Fair officials made the announcement Sunday morning. Some rides, mostly in the fair’s Kiddie Land, had previously reopened.

All rides were shut down Wednesday night after a swinging and spinning ride called the Fire Ball broke apart, killing 18-year-old high school student Tyler Jarrell and injuring seven others, several critically.

The Dutch manufacturer of the Fire Ball subsequently ordered similar rides to shut down worldwide.

A co-owner of the company providing rides at the fair has told WCMH-TV in Columbus he’s certain a mechanical failure caused the ride to break apart.

Jarrell’s family has hired an attorney to possibly pursue a wrongful death lawsuit.

Armstrong’s gold lunar module stolen

WAPAKONETA — Ohio police say a rare gold replica of the lunar space module has been stolen from the Armstrong Air and Space Museum.

Police in Wapakoneta responded to a museum alarm late Friday night and discovered the 5-inch high, solid-gold replica had been stolen.

Replicas of the lunar excursion module produced by Cartier were presented to Neil Armstrong and his two fellow astronauts, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins, in Paris shortly after their historic space mission. Armstrong, a Wapakoneta native, became the first person to step onto the moon’s surface in 1969.

Police say the value of the replica cannot be determined.

The FBI and the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation are assisting Wapakoneta police in investigating the theft.

Armstrong died in 2012 at the age of 82.

Woman fatally shot during fight

LOCKLAND — Authorities say a woman has been charged with murder after fatally shooting another woman at a drive-thru store near Cincinnati.

The Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office says 42-year-old Tiffany Smith is charged in the slaying Saturday of 32-year-old Lacy Rae King at the drive-thru in Lockland. It’s unclear whether Smith has an attorney.

The Sheriff’s Office says in a statement that King and other people in a car began arguing with people whom they knew standing inside the drive-thru. The statement says Smith struck King in the head with a gun and then shot her once in the upper body.

King was pronounced dead at a hospital.

Memphis Belle restoration taking shape

DAYTON — The tail gun turret of a fabled World War II bomber undergoing restoration at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force in Ohio has been re-attached.

The Memphis Belle is being restored at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base near Dayton before going on display next spring. The B-17F “Flying Fortress” was the first Army Air Force bomber to complete 25 missions over Europe. It arrived at the museum a dozen years ago in pieces.

The Memphis Belle and the famous Esquire magazine pinup girl painted on its nose survived six months of punishing air combat in 1942 and 1943.

The crew and plane embarked on a highly publicized tour of the U.S. to help sell war bonds after the 25 missions were completed.