JEFF CAPLAN'S MY MINUTE OF NEWS
Jeff Caplan’s Minute of News: Are they really eating PETS in Springfield?
Sep 12, 2024, 8:47 PM | Updated: Sep 13, 2024, 2:38 pm
(AP Photo/Paul Vernon)
Editor’s note: This is an editorial piece. An editorial, like a news article, is based on fact but also shares opinions. The opinions expressed here are solely those of the author and are not associated with our newsroom.
SALT LAKE CITY — So I’m watching the debate, and the dogs are slouched on the couch with us. And all of a sudden their heads perk up when they hear this from former President Donald Trump.
“In Springfield, they’re eating the dogs. The people that came in, they’re eating the cats,” he said. “They’re eating the pets.”
The dogs swivel their heads and look at me. This minute of news is for any dogs. Here’s the story.
The Springfield Ohio metro area has 130,000 residents. It’s a little bigger than Provo. In recent years, 15,000 Haitian immigrants have settled there. Legal immigrants. The Republican Governor of Ohio is Mike DeWine.
This claim about Haitians eating people’s pets comes from a Facebook post where a resident says a neighbor’s daughter’s friend told him a dead cat was carved up, and its carcass was hanging from a tree. There are no pictures. The Springfield Police have no report. The Mayor there says the rumor’s not true. And it’s frustrating.
“Folks call it a lie, and they post something and call it truth,” he said. “And it’s very difficult when we’re giving researched information that’s true.”
So it’s just another Facebook rumor. You can tell your dogs to stand down. If you need something to tell your cats — I don’t get cats. You gotta talk to Taylor Swift for that.
Jeff Caplan is the host of Jeff Caplan’s Afternoon News on KSL NewsRadio. Follow him on Facebook and X.