Sentencing scheduled

Sentencing scheduled
LISBON -- Sentencing is set for Sept. 19 for an East Palestine man who pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter in the Aug. 14, 2002, death of his infant daughter. Ernest Robinson, 20, was to have gone on trial today in Columbiana County Common Pleas Court. But Robinson pleaded guilty Friday before Judge David Tobin in 5-month-old Brooklyn Robinson's death. In exchange for the guilty plea, prosecutors will recommend a seven-year prison sentence, assistant county Prosecutor Tim McNicol said today. The maximum sentence for the charge is 10 years. The county prosecutor's office has said that Robinson was abusing the child when she was mortally injured. The child died as a result of blunt-force trauma to her head and body, investigators have said. Robinson is being held in the county jail on $500,000 bond.
KSU Salem enrollment
SALEM -- Kent State University's Salem campus is starting classes today with a record enrollment of 1,379 students, officials said. One reason that's good news is that state funding is tied to enrollment. University officials attributed the student increase to a sluggish economy and the quality of education offered at the regional campus. The Salem facility traditionally has attracted students from the Columbiana County area. But officials say they are now getting them from eastern Stark and Portage counties. The Salem campus is now at maximum occupancy. Plans are being made to convert a gymnasium to biology and chemistry labs.
DVD player, cash stolen
SALEM -- Someone stole a DVD player and $100 in cash from a residence in the 500 block of North Ellsworth Avenue, police said. The crime was reported around 10:40 a.m. Saturday.
Vandalism to car
SALEM -- Ellyson Plumbing, 411 W. State St., reported that someone threw a chunk of asphalt at a rear-door window and shattered it, police said. The crime was reported around 6:54 a.m. Friday.
Closed for project
LEETONIA -- Butcher Road from Chestnut Street to Main Street and Cherry Valley Road is closed in the village for a waterline extension project. Village Administrator Gary Phillips said crews are extending waterlines from Chestnut to Main Street. The work is expected to take about one week to complete. The road will be open to residents only, not through traffic, he said.