HAMILTON COUNTY GETS STATE HELP ON BENGALS STADIUM

          Hamilton County officials on Thursday "scored" a $60M
     state funding commitment for the new Bengals stadium,
     "several million more dollars than they had budgeted,"
     according to Lucy May of the CINCINNATI ENQUIRER.  The OH
     Arts & Sports Facilities Commission approved the resolution
     "setting the maximum state share for football at
     $60,378,237."  The governor and the OH General Assembly will
     determine how much money the county gets, but Hamilton
     County Commissioner Bob Bedinghaus said Gov. George
     Voinovich "reiterated his commitment to making sure Hamilton
     gets the money the state has pledged."  Bedinghaus said the
     county should receive the first $15M in state funding in the
     coming weeks.  Hamilton County has "built its budget around
     getting a total" of $81M from the state for new facilities
     for both the Reds and Bengals.  Voinovich's administration
     is also "seeking approval" for a $21.7M low-interest loan to
     help Cleveland finish construction for its new Browns
     stadium (CINCINNATI ENQUIRER, 7/24).