FATAL FIRE IN LICKING COUNTY

One man died as a result of a house fire in Newton Township. According to officials, Sunday around 6:00 p.m., multiple fire departments were dispatched to the 4600 block of Martinsburg Road on a residential structure fire with reports of a victim trapped. Crews were met with heavy fire conditions from the front of the structure and through the roof. A short time later firefighters made entry into the home and located the victim. He was pronounced dead at the scene. The cause is under investigation.

NEWARK MAN CONVICTED OF RAPE

A Licking County jury has returned guilty verdicts in the trial of a 50-year-old Newark man accused of sexually abusing two young children. Bryan Ramsey was convicted on multiple charges including rape and gross sexual imposition and was immediately sentenced to 35 years behind bars. In addition, Ramsey was ordered to register as a Tier III sexual offender.

CASE TASK FORCE

The Licking County Child Abuse and Sexual Exploitation Task Force is a specialized unit dedicated to the aggressive investigation and prosecution of crimes against children. Licking County Prosecutor Jenny Wells says the goal of the task force is very simple.

Wells worked closely with local police chiefs to bring the task force to fruition.

PAVING PROJECT

Starting today and lasting approximately two weeks, the Village of Hebron will kickoff its paving project. Residents are reminded that during this time - On-street parking will be restricted between 7:00am-5:00pm so remove vehicles from the roadway when crews are working and use caution when traveling through work zones. For more information visit the Village of Hebron Facebook page.

MSCO DISPATCHER EARNS STATEWIDE HONOR

Muskingum County Sheriff's Dispatcher Stacy Fleegle was named the Ohio Crisis Intervention Public Safety Telecommunication Professional of the year. Fleegle has committed several hundred hours to this very important cause supporting officers and dispatchers, giving them the tools they need to handle some of the most difficult moments they'll face.

CHILD TAX CREDIT

An analysis by Columbia University found states that have expanded their state child tax credits are seeing similar effects with bringing people out of poverty, but not to the extent the federal government’s impact was. Ryan Vin, with Columbia University, says that's largely because states aren’t able to offer large sums.

Some legislators view fully refundable tax credits to be an anti-work incentive, but Vinh points out that there's not strong evidence it impacted workforce participation.