ELECTION DAY
Today is Election Day in Ohio. The polls are open until 7:30 pm. Be sure to take at least one form of identification with you to your local polling location. If you voted absentee your ballot must be returned by 7:30 pm.
MISSING MAN
Local authorities are asking for help in locating a missing 19-year-old man. According to the Licking County Sheriff's Office, Joshua Yates was last seen Monday night between 6:30-7:30 near Tollgate Road Southwest. Joshua has several diagnosed medical and developmental conditions, including autism, ADHD and PTSD. To view his picture visit our Facebook page or website wnko dot com. If you have any information on his whereabouts contact your local law enforcement agency.
NEWARK MAN IS INDICTED
A 37-year-old Newark man accused of assaulting a woman has been indicted. Riley Bretz faces two counts of strangulation, and one count each of felonious assault and aggravated menacing stemming from an incident in which the victim sustained a concussion. Bretz remains held on $150,000 bond.
RIVER ROAD
The Licking County Commissioners voted Monday to approve the Ohio Department of Transportation’s petition to prohibit motorists from turning left onto Ohio 16 from River Road with the only exception being emergency vehicles. The closure is not expected to take effect until summer 2027 or early in 2028.
A NEW GRADING SYSTEM
The Heath School District is implementing a new grading system Superintendent Trevor Thomas says they are in the second year of the pilot program.
Thomas said it will probably be another couple of years before the new grading process is implemented district wide.
NATIONAL ADOPTION MONTH
November is National Adoption Month, and in Ohio, more than two-thousand kids who were once stuck in foster care now have permanent homes, according to the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption. The high success rate is driven in part by a program known as Wendy’s Wonderful Kids, which relies on trained professional recruiters who work specifically on cases where children have been unable to be placed with a family.
President and CEO Rita Soronen said Ohio began expanding the Wendy’s Wonderful Kids program in 2012.