LAST WEEK WE TOLD YOU ABOUT OHIO'S ROLE IN AVIATION... LEADING THE STATE TO LAY CLAIM TO THE FIRST IN FLIGHT HONOR....
IT TURNS OUT - THE STATE OF CONNECTICUT IS CHALLENGING THAT CLAIM... SAYING GUSTAVE WHITEHEAD FLEW A POWERED, HEAVIER THAN AIR MACHINE OF HIS OWN DESIGN IN 1901 - TWO YEARS BEFORE THE WRIGHT BROTHERS' FAMOUS FLIGHT.
NOW -- OHIO LAWMAKERS ARE PUSHING BACK WITH A MEASURE THAT WOULD FIGHT CONNECTICUT'S 'FIRST IN FLIGHT' CLAIM...
THEY SAY THE WRIGHT BROTHERS FLIGHT WAS WITNESSED 'AND' CLEARLY PHOTOGRAPHED.. WHEREAS EVIDENCE SURROUNDING THE CONNECTICUT FLIGHT IS SKETCHY AT BEST.
THE TOLEDO ZOO INTRODUCED THEIR NEWEST RESIDENTS TO THE PUBLIC OVER THE WEEKEND... THREE BABY TORTOISES MADE THEIR DEBUT.
THE TORTOISES WERE FLOWN FROM THE GALAPAGOS ISLANDS - REMEMBER THAT STORY WE ALSO TOLD YOU ABOUT LAST WEEK... AND AFTER MAKING A PIT STOP IN TEXAS, THEY'RE NOW MAKING A HOME IN TOLEDO.
WEIGHING LESS THAN A POUND, THE TORTOISES ARE ABOUT FOUR TO FIVE INCHES LONG... THE ZOO SAYS THE TORTOISES WILL BE PART OF A BREEDING PROGRAM THAT WILL COMMIT TO MAKING SURE THE ZOO HAS A LONG TERM COMMITMENT TO THE GALAPAGOS TORTOISES.
THE STATE OF OHIO HAS A NEW RECRUIT FROM MICHIGAN... NO WE'RE NOT TALKING ABOUT FOOTBALL OR EVEN SPORTS FOR THAT MATTER.
A SNOWY OWL HAS BEEN MOVED FROM THE STATE TO OUR NORTH, TO OTTAWA COUNTY...
SNOWY OWLS ARE VERY LARGE OWLS THAT GET THEIR NAME FROM THEIR WHITE COLORING... THEY'RE COMMONLY SEEN IN PARTS OF OHIO AND THE NORTHERN HALF OF THE UNITED STATES DURING THE WINTER.
BUT BUCKEYE THE OWL TRIED TO MAKE A MICHIGAN AIRPORT HIS NEW HOME... TWICE - BEFORE HE WAS FITTED WITH A TRACKING TRANSMITTER AND MOVED ACROSS STATE LINES.
IT'S ALL DUE TO THE EFFORTS OF PROJECT SNOW-STORM... A NATIONAL EFFORT TO BETTER UNDERSTAND THE HABITS OF SNOWY OWLS, WHO TEND TO FAVOR AIRPORTS.
AIRPORTS PROVIDE A HABITAT THAT IS SIMILAR TO THE ARCTIC TUNDRA - WHICH IS THE AREA WHERE THE SNOWY OWLS LIVE DURING THE SUMMER MONTHS.