In case of emergency

In case of emergency
EAST LIVERPOOL -- The Columbiana County Health Department will distribute potassium iodide pills to East Liverpool area residents who live within 10 miles of the Beaver Valley Nuclear Power Station at Shippingport, Pa.
Morris said in the event the power station releases nuclear material, residents will be directed to take the pills. They should take the pills only if directed, and evacuate immediately, even without the pills, if directed to do so by county emergency management authorities, she stressed.
Potassium iodide stops radioactive material from entering the thyroid, she said. Radioactive material in the thyroid can cause cancer, she said.
Residents in the 43920 ZIP code area both within and outside the East Liverpool city limits will receive coupons in the mail to redeem for the pills. The health department will make the pills available to city residents from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Jan. 17 at Trinity Church, 110 Main St. Distribution will also be done 1 to 4 and 5 to 7 p.m. Jan. 21 at the St. Clair Township administration office, Calcutta-Smiths Ferry Road, for residents outside the city limits.
For more information, call the health department at (330) 424-0272.
Contracts session
NORTH LIMA -- Beaver Township trustees will meet in special session at 5:30 p.m. Friday to discuss personnel contracts, a township spokeswoman said. The meeting will be at the township administration building, 11999 South Ave.
Murder trial postponed
MERCER, Pa. -- The murder trial of Kathleen A. Robinson, 31, charged in the March 10, 2002, slaying of her boyfriend, has been postponed until March.
James Epstein, Mercer County district attorney, said Robinson was granted a delay to allow her new attorney more time to prepare her case. The trial had been scheduled for this month.
Robinson, accused of shooting Robert A. Erickson, 42, in the abdomen with a rifle, was originally represented by the county public defender's office but is now represented by Atty. Gary Gerson of Pittsburgh. She remains in Mercer County Jail without bond.
Authorities said Robinson shot Erickson after he refused to leave the home they shared in Hadley. The two had an argument the night of the shooting, authorities said.
Arson destroys car
NEW CASTLE, Pa. -- A car was destroyed by arson in the 100 block of Phillips Place at about 6:15 p.m. Wednesday. Investigators said someone ignited a flammable liquid on the rear seat. The owner had parked the car at 5:30 p.m.
2 homes burglarized
MERCER, Pa. -- State police are investigating two home burglaries in Coolspring Township. The first was reported Monday at a home on Babcock Road, where three handguns were taken. The second was reported Wednesday at a home on Latonka Drive, where someone used a ladder to get in a second-story window and steal cash.
Drug robbery
NEW CASTLE, Pa. -- A man accused of stealing prescription drugs with a street value of about $13,000 waived his right to a preliminary hearing in Lawrence County Central Court. David R. Slyk, 33, of Hiland Avenue, Oil City, Pa., is charged with robbery, theft by unlawful taking, terroristic threats and resisting arrest.
Police said Slyk entered the Eckerd Drug Store in Ellwood City on Dec. 29 and demanded drugs. He was wearing a ski mask and wielding a gun, they said. Police arrested him several blocks from the store after a car-and-foot chase. He will be formally arraigned in February in Lawrence County Common Pleas Court and a trial date will be set.
Dead-baby case
NEW CASTLE, Pa. -- A woman accused of keeping her dead baby in a shoe box for three months waived her right to a preliminary hearing. Amy Page, 32, of Park Avenue, is charged with concealing the death of a child and abuse of a corpse.
Page is free without bond. She will be formally arraigned sometime in February and a trial date will be set at that time.
She was arrested in December after police finished their investigation into the child's death. The infant's body was turned over to police Nov. 24 by Page and her husband. It had been wrapped in plastic and hidden in a closet since August, according to court papers.
The mother contends the child was stillborn when she delivered at home. She told police she panicked and hid the baby.
An autopsy could not determine whether the child was stillborn or alive at birth.