CELL PHONE POLICY FOR OHIO SCHOOLS

Wednesday, Governor DeWine signed House Bill 250 into law.

School districts will be required to adopt their cell phone policy no later than July 2025.

FORMER NURSE PLEADS GUILTY

A former Nationwide Children’s Hospital an OSU Wexner Medical Center Nurse is facing a lengthy prison sentence for downloading, exchanging and receiving child porn. In U.S. District Court Ryan Ramos, of Columbus, pleaded guilty to one count of distributing and receiving child pornography and one count of possessing child pornography.  Ramos, 38, will be sentenced at a later date.

PATASKALA MAN FACES CHARGES

Bond has been set at $100,000 for a 19-year-old Pataskala man accused of assaulting someone. Ryan Hall is being held at the Licking County Justice Center on a single charge of felonious assault stemming from an incident earlier this month. Hall is due back in court this afternoon.

LCBDD ACCREDITATION

The Licking County Board of Developmental Disabilities has received a three-year accreditation from the Ohio Department of Developmental Disabilities. This is longest accreditation period the state can issue to a county board of developmental disabilities and acknowledges that the services and supports LCBDD provides are in substantial compliance with state standards.

RETIREMENT PLANS

Many of Ohio’s private sector workers are employed by businesses that do not offer a retirement plan. Lawmakers have proposed a bill to create a Joint Legislative Study Committee tasked with studying ways to expand access to workplace retirement savings options.

Amy Milam, with AARP Ohio, said in some states, investment companies have pushed back on state-sponsored plans, seeing them as competition. But a 2023 survey by AARP found 92-percent of Ohio business owners support legislation creating a public–private retirement savings option for workers.

HEISEY BIG BAND

The Heisey Wind Ensemble concludes the 2023-24 season on Saturday, May 18 at 7:30 p.m. with a concert by the HWE Big Band. The concert will be held at the Reese Center on the OSU-N/COTC. Tickets for HWE concerts are available only at the door. Adults are $15, seniors (60+) are $10 and students are $5. Additional information can be found at the band’s web site at www.heiseywindensemble.org