A portion of Interstate 70 through Licking County is now the “Tuscarawas Valley Memorial Highway.”
Governor Mike DeWine last week signed legislation that made the name official. The designation honors three Tusky Valley students and three chaperones who lost their lives in a charter bus crash on I-70 in Etna Township in November 2023.
State Representative Jodi Salvo proposed the designation in November.
There is a memorial for those lost at the rest area at exit 129 off I-70.
Zanesville truck driver Jacob McDonald, now 63, was convicted of vehicular homicide for the fatal crash. He was released from prison in January after serving an 18-month sentence. He could have had a longer sentence based on the original felony charges, but a Licking County Judge ruled his actions negligent but not reckless.
Meanwhile, multiple civil cases were filed against McDonald and his employers by victims and their families. Jury trials are scheduled for January.
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