Connect with us

Ohio

Hellbenders are real, large and live in Ohio, and they showed up on a sold-out ODNR T-shirt

Published

on

Hellbenders are real, large and live in Ohio, and they showed up on a sold-out ODNR T-shirt


play

Found lurking in Ohio’s rivers and streams, this salamander can grow to nearly two feet long. But despite its name and size, this endangered species is harmless.

Advertisement

Yes, hellbenders are real. And now the Ohio Department of Natural Resources has immortalized them on a T-shirt.

Here’s everything you need to know.

Ohio Department of Natural Resources uses hellbenders on 75th anniversary T-shirts in homage to Hell is Real sign

In an homage to the infamous Hell is Real sign on Interstate 71 between Cincinnati and Columbus, ODNR is using the slogan “Hellbenders are Real” (complete with an H that’s a different color from the rest of the letters, just like the sign) on one of its five 75th anniversary T-shirts. Other T-shirts read “Take a Hike,” “Let it Grow,” “Wild for Wildflowers” and “Ohio’s for the Birds.”

Sadly, the hellbenders T-shirt is currently out of stock. ODNR spokesperson Karina Cheung says they’ve sold out twice so far, first at the Ohio State Fair in late July and early August, and then shortly after they went live for online sales last week. However, ODNR has put in another order.

Advertisement

All about the hellbender salamander, an endangered species

The largest amphibian in Ohio, the eastern hellbender can grow to a length of 27 inches, according to ODNR, but they are usually 11.5 to 20 inches in length. They have functional lungs, along with a single gill slit on each side of the neck.

Found mostly in southern and eastern Ohio, hellbenders prefer large, swift streams where they hide under rocks during the day. They feed on crayfish, snails, minnows, insects and worms. Because hellbenders need clean, oxygen-rich water, they can be a good indicator of water quality and overall health of the stream, according to the Ohio State University Extension.

They breed in late August or September, according to ODNR. The female lays up to 500 eggs in a nest under a large rock dug by the male. Sometimes, several females use the same nest. That nest is then guarded by the male until the young hellbenders hatch in two to three months. They keep their gills until they’re about a year and a half old.

Advertisement

Columbus Zoo and Aquarium helping to repopulate the hellbender

Sept. 20, 2023, was a red-letter day for Greg Lipps, amphibian and reptile conservation coordinator for The Ohio State University. That was the day he and his team discovered a hellbender raised at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium and released in 2016, guarding a nest of eggs, Lipps wrote for the zoo.

“This was, of course, exactly what we had always hoped to see: an animal born and raised at a zoo, released back into the wild, going on to reproduce and help reverse the decline of this iconic species,” Lipps writes.

The hellbender in question, a male, was found two weeks earlier — on Sept. 6 — having taken up residence in a “hellbender hut,” an artificial concrete habitat in streams used by hellbenders to nest. The male was collected as an egg in 2013, raised at the zoo and released into the wild as a 3-year-old, Lipps wrote.

More on the hellbender: Zoos, other officials work to keep hellbender salamander happy and healthy in Ohio

“This is the first evidence of a released hellbender reproducing in the wild,” John Navarro, program administrator for the Ohio Division of Wildlife’s Aquatic Stewardship program, told Farm and Dairy.

Advertisement

Hellbender eggs, collected each year, are sent to the Columbus and Toledo zoos as well as the animal husbandry program at the Penta Career Center in Perrysburg, Ohio, where they are raised until age three, Farm and Dairy reports.

More than 1,900 hellbenders raised at these facilities have been released into Ohio waterways in the past 10 years, Navarro said.



Source link

Ohio

Ex-husband arrested in deaths of Ohio dentist and his wife | CNN

Published

on

Ex-husband arrested in deaths of Ohio dentist and his wife | CNN


The ex-husband of Monique Tepe has been arrested in connection with the killings of the mother and her husband Spencer Tepe, a respected dentist, in their Ohio home last week, Columbus police said Saturday.

Michael David McKee, 39, who court records identify as Monique Tepe’s ex-husband, is in custody in Winnebago County, Illinois, according to inmate records with the sheriff’s office.

McKee is scheduled to appear in court Monday, records show. He was arrested on two counts of murder in the killings on Saturday, an incident report shows, and was taken into custody “without incident” in Rockford, Illinois, police said.

Spencer Tepe, 37, and Monique Tepe, 39, were found dead with apparent gunshot wounds on December 30 in their house in Columbus. The couple’s two children, ages 4 and 1, were also inside but were not physically harmed, police said.

Advertisement

The arrest marks a major development in the case after the suspect in the couple’s killings remained on the loose for more than 10 days, during which police released scant details on the investigation.

Police said Saturday they will release further information “as appropriate” to avoid compromising the “active and ongoing case progress” and urged people to contact them with any information related to the tragedy.

Authorities did not find any obvious signs of forced entry or any firearm at the scene, CNN affiliate WSYX reported.

Colleagues in Spencer Tepe’s dental practice called 911 after he uncharacteristically didn’t show up to work. One of Tepe’s friends went to the couple’s house, peered inside and saw a gruesome scene next to a bed, according to emergency dispatch audio.

“There’s … there’s a body,” the friend told 911. “Our friend wasn’t answering his phone. We just did a wellness check. We just came here. And he appears dead.”

Advertisement

Asked if Tepe had been ill, the friend responded, “No, no. I was just with him yesterday.”

The couple’s two children and dog are now in the care of relatives, the Tepes’ brother-in-law said.



Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Ohio

Ohio high school girls basketball scores: Friday, Jan. 9, 2026

Published

on

Ohio high school girls basketball scores: Friday, Jan. 9, 2026


CLEVELAND, Ohio — OHSAA girls basketball scores from Friday in Ohio, as provided by The Associated Press.

Ann Arbor Gabriel Richard, Mich. 43, Notre Dame Academy 35

Baltimore Liberty Union 47, Cols. Hamilton Twp. 34

Berlin Center Western Reserve 68, N. Jackson Jackson-Milton 46

Advertisement

Blanchester 40, Bethel-Tate 37

Chagrin Falls 37, Burton Berkshire 32

Circleville 62, Amanda-Clearcreek 40

Cle. Hay 88, Cle. Glenville 2

Cols. Centennial 78, Columbus International 50

Advertisement

Cols. Linden-McKinley 54, Cols. Whetstone 28

Cols. Walnut Ridge 73, Cols. Marion-Franklin 12

Delaware Buckeye Valley 50, CSG 43

Delta 48, Bryan 44

Dublin Coffman 47, Cols. Upper Arlington 39

Advertisement

Hilliard Darby 43, Thomas Worthington 32

Johnstown 47, Johnstown Northridge 41

Mason 54, Cin. Colerain 32

Newark 56, Ashville Teays Valley 42

Oak Harbor 52, Millbury Lake 31

Advertisement

Ohio Deaf 50, Ky. School for the Deaf, Ky. 9

Pemberville Eastwood 65, Rossford 35

Pickerington North 41, New Albany 33

Springboro 66, Centerville 33

Stryker 54, Montpelier 20

Advertisement

W. Chester Lakota W. 76, Fairfield 24

Wauseon 55, Swanton 13

Western Reserve Academy 65, Lawrenceville School, N.J. 33

Westerville Cent. 57, Grove City Cent. Crossing 20

Worthington Christian 57, Tree of Life 16

Advertisement

Zanesville 58, Newark Licking Valley 40



Source link

Continue Reading

Ohio

Ohio State students hone academic, business skills through study abroad programs

Published

on

Ohio State students hone academic, business skills through study abroad programs


Students across various majors at The Ohio State University recently gathered at the Fisher College of Business to discuss how study abroad opportunities have helped them hone skills that will benefit their studies and chosen career paths.

Fisher’s Office of Global Business and its Office of Advancement hosted the inaugural Global Experience Luncheon. The event was held at the Blackwell Inn on the Columbus campus.

The luncheon brought together alumni who have donated to study abroad programs with students who have participated in them, said Dominic DiCamillo, senior director of the Office of Global Business.

“We were excited to partner with Advancement for the first time to facilitate this type of personal connection. The families that have created these endowments, oftentimes, they hoped it would have some sort of positive impact,” he said. “This is the first time for them to hear firsthand from the students who recently participated.”

Advertisement

Xin Lin, a third-year finance student, shared her experiences studying abroad in Hamburg, Germany, and Chiang Mai, Thailand. While in Germany in summer 2024, Lin completed the Fisher Freshman Global Lab with Professor Michael Knemeyer and studied at the Kühne Logistics University.

During Lin’s semester in Germany, her cohort toured the facilities of several international companies, including the Mercedes-Benz auto manufacturer, Seven Senders logistics enterprise, and Jack Wolfskin outdoor apparel.

“This was my first time being in Europe,” she said. “It was a really eye-opening experience and taught me to be curious about exploring other cultures, which is why I made the decision to study abroad in Chiang Mai, Thailand.”

This past summer in Chiang Mai, Lin completed the competitive Fisher Global Consulting: Nonprofit program, which is funded by an endowment established by Chris Connor, a 1978 Ohio State alumnus, and his wife, Sara. The participating students, called Connor Scholars, gain firsthand insights into the cultures and business practices of countries in developing regions worldwide.

“We were there for two weeks working on the sustainability and the marketing for the local elephant foundation, as well as to support the villagers,” she said. “And my team and I, we worked on the sustainability curriculum for the local school.”

Advertisement

Lin said participating in study abroad programs sharpened her decision-making and problem-solving skills.

“Leveraging these experiences has strengthened my understanding of international business and macroeconomics,” she said. “Most importantly, it is the growth mindset and the endless learning that these experiences have taught me, and I’m really excited to be carrying these values into my future career and my academic journey.”

Jacob Brodson, a fourth-year marketing major, said participating in the Fisher Global Marketing Lab in Taiwan this past summer was “a transformational, life-changing trip.”

Jacob Brodson (center) said he met more than 25 Ohio State alumni in Taiwan.“If you can go to someplace that’s so fundamentally different from what we experience here on a day-to-day basis, you should absolutely take the opportunity to,” he said. “And Taiwan is that opportunity.”

Brodson said studying marketing and visiting 10 companies in Taiwan gave him a broader perspective on business practices in different countries.

“We went to TSMC, which is the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company. That’s the 10th largest company in the world that you probably have never heard of, but they make all the phone and computer chips that are in your cellphones,” he said. “It was an unbelievable experience to see that.”

Advertisement

Brodson and his classmates also toured a Kenda Tire facility.

“They actually do a lot of marketing at Ohio State sporting events because their U.S. headquarters is out in Reynoldsburg,” Brodson said. “We got to see their entire manufacturing plant in Taiwan.”

Brodson said he was pleasantly surprised to discover a Buckeye community overseas. He met more than 25 Ohio State alumni throughout Taiwan.

“We are halfway across the world and yet the most beautiful thing is that there are still reminders of home. We’re halfway across the country and there are still Buckeyes there,” he said. “That is one of the coolest things – seeing the Ohio State alumni and the fact that this Buckeye tradition transcends countries.”

Advertisement

';




Source link

Continue Reading

Trending