Republican Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine revealed Monday that a recent spate of bomb threats targeting the town of Springfield have all been “hoaxes,” with some originating from “one particular country” overseas. 

The 77-year-old governor told reporters Monday that law enforcement has responded to at least 33 separate bomb threats made against Springfield government offices, schools and medical centers since the town was thrust into the national spotlight over the influx of Haitian migrants. 

“Thirty-three threats; Thirty-three hoaxes,” DeWine said during a press conference in Springfield. “I want to make that very, very clear. None of these had any validity at all.” 

The governor indicated that the threats were being made by foreign actors. 

“We have people unfortunately overseas who are taking these actions,” DeWine said. “Some of them are coming from one particular country.” 

The governor declined to name the country, but Russia and Iran have both been accused by US officials of attempting to influence the outcome of the 2024 presidential election.

“We think that this is one more opportunity to mess with the United States,” DeWine said of the foreign actors making the threats. “And they’re continuing to do that.”  

“We cannot let the bad guys win. Our schools must remain open,” he added, noting that additional law enforcement resources will be deployed in Springfield amid the flurry of threats. 

“The people who are doing this are doing this to sow discord in our community,” Andy Wilson, director of the Ohio Department of Public Safety, said. “We just can’t let them do that. We can’t let them do that. We have to keep providing the services that the citizens of Springfield and Clark County expect.”

Former President Donald Trump declared during last week’s presidential debate that Haitian migrants in Springfield had been abducting and eating pets, comments many have attributed to jump in threats against the town.

“In Springfield, they’re eating the dogs. The people that came in, they’re eating the cats. They’re eating — they’re eating the pets of the people that live there,” the Republican presidential nominee said, repeating unfounded claims circulating on social media. 

Springfield city manager Bryan Heck has said there are “no credible reports of specific claims of pets being harmed, injured or abused by individuals within the immigrant community.”

The town canceled its upcoming annual celebration of diversity, arts and culture in response to the increase in threats, officials said Monday. 

An 8-year-old girl in Bedford, Ohio took her mother’s car to go on a Target run on Sunday morning.

An 8-year-old girl is safely inside her Ohio home after taking her mother’s car and driving it to a nearby Target, police said.

Bedford police shared a Facebook post on Sunday morning about the young girl’s Target run.

“Well I’ve finally found a woman who’s in more of a hurry to shop at Target than my wife,” the Facebook post says. “More of (a) hurry by 8 years. That’s right an 8-year-old took mommy’s car this morning and drove to Target in Bainbridge to shop.”

8-year-old told police she hit mailbox

The girl made it to the store where she was immediately located by Bainbridge, Ohio police, according to the social media post. Officers noticed her mother’s 2020 Nissan Rogue in the store’s parking lot, WJW reported, citing law enforcement officials.

“Not sure what she bought, or if she was even able to use her Target app to save 5%,” police wrote in the post. “We did let her finish her Frappuccino. We’re not mean.”

The girl was not injured during her trip, but she told officers that she “struck a mailbox,” according to WJW.

Police did not say how far the girl drove, but WJW used Google Maps to determine that the store was more than 10 miles from where she reported missing, thus making her trip about a 20 to 25-minute drive.

The Kentucky Wildcats just lost a heartbreaker to the Georgia Bulldogs at home 13-12, but this gave Big Blue Nation hope for the rest of the season. Kentucky’s defense was incredible in this game, and the Wildcats had multiple opportunities to get the win.

Offensively there is still a lot to improve on. This team is going to be built on running the ball, but the Wildcats need to find a way to get some more explosive plays. Kentucky has some excellent receivers, so this team needs to work on getting the vertical passing game going. This will complement the rushing attack and likely make it even better.

It was painful to play the best team in college football so close and come up short, but this season is not over, and if Kentucky can get things going on offense, the Wildcats can turn this season around.

College football is all about having a short memory, and that needs to be the case for the Wildcats as they need to move on and get a win over the Ohio Bobcats.

ESPN doesn’t seem to think that will be an issue for the Wildcats, as their matchup predictor gives Kentucky an 88.5% chance to win this football game. The line opened at -18.5 for the Wildcats at home, so Kentucky needs to find a way to get some offense going if they want to cover this line against a solid MAC team. This will be a get-right game for the Wildcats as they get ready for the heat of SEC play.