Ohio
Police release video showing person of interest in killing of Ohio dentist and his wife
Authorities investigating the apparent shooting deaths of a dentist and his wife in Ohio released security video Monday of a person of interest in the case.
Columbus police said the video was recorded between 2 a.m. and 5 a.m. Dec. 30 in an alley next to the Columbus home of Dr. Spencer Tepe, 37, and Monique Tepe, 39.
In a statement, the police department said investigators believe the couple were killed on the top floor of their home during that three-hour window.
The brief video shows a person walking in the alley wearing light-colored pants and a hooded dark jacket.
The department asked the public for information about the identity of the person and said detectives are following up on numerous tips.
Authorities discovered the Tepes’ bodies after several 911 calls from colleagues and loved ones on the morning of Dec. 30. Among the callers was a friend who reported having found Spencer Tepe’s body next to his bed.
The couple appeared to have been shot, according to an incident report.
The Franklin County coroner’s office told NBC Chicago on Monday that the pair died in an apparent homicide by gunshot wounds, adding that the case is not finalized and that additional reports are pending.
Three 9 mm shell casings were found in the family’s home, a preliminary investigative report shows. The couple’s two young children were in the house unharmed.
Authorities have not identified a possible motive. The police department previously said it does not believe the killings were a murder-suicide.
Spencer Tepe worked at a dental practice in Athens, Ohio, where he focused on comprehensive dentistry and implant therapy, according to a company biography.
The Tepe family has described the pair as “extraordinary people whose lives were filled with love, joy, and deep connection to others.”
“Our family is devastated by the tragic and senseless loss of Spencer and Monique,” the family said in a statement.
Ohio
Ohio postpones Lake County property reappraisal
PAINESVILLE, Ohio, — Lake County’s next full property reappraisal will be delayed by one year due to a statewide realignment of Ohio’s revaluation schedule, county Auditor Christopher Galloway announced Friday.
The Ohio Department of Taxation’s realignment of Ohio’s property reappraisal calendar shifts Lake County’s next sexennial revaluation from 2030 to 2031.
The county’s 2027 triennial update will still move forward on schedule.
The change is part of a broader effort to smooth out how counties across the state conduct large-scale property valuations.
In total, 16 counties, including Lake County, will see their reappraisal years adjusted so the workload is spread more evenly from year to year, according to a press release.
Galloway, vice president of the County Auditors Association of Ohio and a member of the governor’s Property Tax Working Group, said the shift has been a long time coming.
“It is important that the three-year staggered cycles be better balanced to ensure the work of property valuation is done as efficiently and accurately as possible,” he said. “As a county that is moving from 2030 to 2031, knowing now helps us plan and best communicate with residents well in advance.”
By redistributing counties more evenly across the calendar, state officials say assessors can do their work more accurately and with fewer resource strains.
For Lake County officials, the advance notice also helps with planning and communication. Galloway said the change gives officials time to prepare and to explain the process to residents well before it happens.
For property owners, the most immediate impact is timing. Instead of seeing a full reappraisal three years after the 2027 triennial update, Lake County residents will now wait four years.
Galloway said that extra year could matter, especially if the housing market cools and returns to more typical patterns.
“My hope is that it buys our residents more time and hopefully a housing and real estate market that returns to historical norms and therefore far lower valuation increases,” he said. “Additionally, it is my hope that technology advances by 2031 will help us to greatly reduce the cost of the Sexennial revaluation and therefore save tax dollars,”
Ohio
College football 2026-27 national title odds: Ohio State, Notre Dame lead crowded pack
Indiana’s national championship is a sign of the changes that have happened to college football in the last several years. However, it’s still Ohio State that is opening as the favorite to win the national title next year, ahead of other big-name programs such as Notre Dame and Texas.
The Buckeyes have +600 (6-to-1) odds on BetMGM to win it all. OSU is ahead of three schools that are just behind at +700: Notre Dame, Texas and Oregon.
Ohio State and Notre Dame met for the national title a year ago. Oregon has made the College Football Playoff each of the last two years, and Texas made it to a semifinal last year. All four are bringing back starting quarterbacks.
The Hoosiers, fresh off their first national championship, round out the top five, just a tick behind at +800.
It’s no surprise to see Ohio State as the favorite. The Buckeyes are bringing back Heisman Trophy finalist quarterback Julian Sayin and elite wide receiver prospect Jeremiah Smith. OSU is going to lose a lot of NFL talent from its stout defense but has the headline stars to expect another strong team. The Buckeyes were 12-0 this season before losing back-to-back games, first in the Big Ten Championship Game and then the CFP.
Notre Dame was a source of plenty of controversy because of its exclusion from this season’s CFP, but the Irish have been a consistent contender under coach Marcus Freeman. Running back Jeremiyah Love is headed for the NFL, but quarterback CJ Carr was impressive as a freshman and could even be a Heisman contender next year.
As for the freshly crowned Hoosiers, there will be a lot of new faces. Heisman winner Fernando Mendoza is expected to be a top pick in the NFL Draft, and IU will also lose its top two running backs, standout wide receiver Elijah Sarratt and likely some NFL talent off its defense, which was dominant for most of the CFP. However, coach Curt Cignetti has, of course, been active in the transfer portal. Quarterback Josh Hoover (TCU) and wide receiver Nick Marsh (Michigan State) highlight IU’s portal haul.
Can Indiana prove to be a consistent winner? Cignetti has done nothing to make anyone think otherwise, but a lot of stalwarts from the last two seasons will be gone. At least for now, the betting odds imply IU should be a top-five team in the preseason.
Texas coming in so high is going to make some eyes roll after the Longhorns were the preseason No. 1 team last season and failed to live up to that hype. Arch Manning will enter 2026 with a year of starting experience under his belt, plus the Longhorns added former Auburn wide receiver Cam Coleman out of the transfer portal. If the offensive line shows improvement, the weapons are there for Texas to be good, although many will be more skeptical than they were entering 2025.
As for Oregon, it’s going to take some time to stop focusing on the Ducks’ getting obliterated by Indiana in the semifinal, but quarterback Dante Moore is returning to Eugene instead of going pro. He had a strong first year as a starter, even if memories of his tough showing in that semifinal will linger.
The rest of the top 10 is Georgia (+900), LSU (+1500), Texas A&M (+1500), Texas Tech (+1500) and Alabama (+1500). LSU’s inclusion on this list shows faith in Lane Kiffin having a quick rebuild. After his dramatic coaching move from Ole Miss to LSU, Kiffin landed quarterback Sam Leavitt out of the transfer portal from Arizona State.
Miami is just outside the top 10 at +2000 (20-to-1). The Hurricanes were one drive away from potentially winning this year’s national title and will bring back wide receiver Malachi Toney but will have a new quarterback with Carson Beck running out of eligibility.
These are the favorites for now, but plenty can still change before teams take the field in August. Indiana just won the national title after being at 100-to-1 before the season, so who knows whether there’s another surprise in store next year.
College football 2026-27 national championship odds
Odds per BetMGM
Ohio
Puff Johnson on campus but not ready to play for Ohio State yet
In-season roster addition Puff Johnson has arrived on Ohio State’s campus, but the sixth-year transfer won’t be in uniform for the Jan. 20 home game against Minnesota.
That was the message from coach Jake Diebler on Jan. 19, just three days removed from Johnson having a temporary restraining order approved by a Franklin County judge granting him immediate eligibility to join the Buckeyes during the 2025-26 season. He’s on campus, listed in the official game notes and is on the roster, but seeing him in action against the Golden Gophers would be too much, too soon according to Diebler.
“Gotten a chance to work him out a couple times,” the coach said. “It’s a daily evaluation as to when he’s going to be ready to play in a game … (but) no, do not anticipate him being on the court (against Minnesota).”
Johnson was granted eligibility on Jan. 16 and, logistically, couldn’t make it to campus on time for the 1 p.m. tip against UCLA. After the 86-74 win for the Buckeyes, Diebler said the next steps would involve physically getting Johnson in the building and starting to assess where he was physically while assimilating him with his new teammates. Although he had been taking classes, Johnson had not been on campus for months while hoping to be granted eligibility.
Suddenly, he’s a Buckeye, and now the 25-year-old wing is getting a crash course on this year’s team.
“There’s two things: there’s him physically being ready to play in a game and then there’s him within how we play and learning what we’re doing and things, being ready to play in a game,” Diebler said. “He’s working really hard at both to be ready as quickly as possible. I don’t know when that’s going to be quite yet, but we’ve at least gotten started and started working on it.”
Johnson was seeking this sixth year of eligibility in part because injuries limited him to 14 games as a freshman at North Carolina in 2020-21 and 17 games last year at Penn State. After the UCLA game, Diebler said Johnson had told him that he was in good shape, but the coach said exactly what that meant would remain to be seen.
On Jan. 19, Diebler said early impressions are positive.
“The thing we’ve got to check is game shape,” he said. “When you’re playing up and down multiple possessions against live bodies, that’s a different impact than just running up and down against no defense. That’s what we’re in the process of evaluating, but he’s a guy who’s wanted this and been preparing for this, but there’s a different type of game shape.”
As far as a baseline level of fitness, Diebler said, “I feel good about where he’s at.”
Johnson will wear No. 6 for the Buckeyes. He is listed at 6-foot-8, 200 pounds on the team’s updated official roster and is expected to slot into Ohio State’s rotation on the wing when he’s up to speed. In 111 career games, Johnson has averaged 5.3 points and 2.6 assists but is expected to help Ohio State on the defensive end.
“He’s got an ability to guard multiple positions,” Diebler said. “He’s got good positional size. He has familiarity with this conference. He’s shown an ability to rebound. All those things are really good. He’s been a guy who’s had some decent steal numbers in the last two years as well, which is an area we’ve got to continue to get better in. Defensively, that’s where it starts.”
Johnson averaged 1.4 steals per game for Penn State last season and averaged nearly one steal per game during his two years with the Nittany Lions. In 2024-25, he also averaged a career-best 10.2 points per game.
“He can play multiple positions,” Diebler said. “And, because of his experience and basketball IQ, we anticipate him being a guy who is a blender on the court, a guy who adds to what already is a really good chemistry this team has. He’s got to play to his strengths: cutting, rebounding, catch and shoot 3s, driving, scoring, but also within what we’re doing.”
Ohio State men’s basketball beat writer Adam Jardy can be reached at ajardy@dispatch.com, on Bluesky at @cdadamjardy.bsky.social or on Twitter at @AdamJardy.
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