Virginia

Wildlife Center of Virginia President and Co-founder Ed Clark to retire in March

Published

2 years ago

January 18, 2024

Wildlife Center of Virginia President and Co-founder Ed Clark to retire in March

WAYNESBORO, Va. (WHSV) – After 41 years Ed Clark, the President and Co-Founder of the Wildlife Center of Virginia in Waynesboro, is preparing to retire in March. WHSV spoke with Clark about his life’s work with the center and how it grew into the internationally recognized success it is today.

“My personal love of wildlife came because I had wonderful mentors and the opportunity to spend a lot of time outdoors as a kid. It taught me a lot about life, taught me a lot about the environment and the natural world around us, and gave me a sense of responsibility to take care of it,” said Clark.

In 1982 the Wildlife Center of Virginia was born out of a conversation between four friends: Dr. Stuart Porter, a veterinarian and former director of the Blue Ridge Community College veterinary technician program, his wife Terry, a veterinary technician, Ed Clark, who had a background in conservation policy, and Clark’s former wife, Nancy Sheffield, who was also a veterinary technician.

“Members of the public found out Dr. Porter had been a zoo veterinarian and was very skilled and knowledgeable in wildlife medicine. So people were bringing him wild animals at the college but unfortunately, he didn’t have any place to put them,” said Clark. “Within five weeks after that conversation the Wildlife Center of Virginia was incorporated and the rest is history.”

Clark said at the time the four of them had no idea how far things would go.

“There are times even today that I look around me and can’t believe that we have come as far as we have. Going on 42 years now we’ve treated nearly 100,000 wild patients. We started with four volunteers and no budget and we now have 36 full-time employees,” said Clark.

At 72 years old and with the Wildlife Center entering a period of growth and expansion that will likely take several years to complete he felt the time was right to step away. However, he said it is always difficult to walk away from something you love.

“I get to do a lot of fun things, there’s no question about that. Releasing bald eagles is something that is a pretty rare experience and something that I’ve done scores of times and every single one makes my heart stop, there’s just nothing like it,” said Clark.

Over the last four decades, Clark helped mold the Wildlife Center into the leading teaching hospital for wildlife medicine in the world.

“We have students coming to us from every vet school in the United States and Canada and students and professionals from 40 other countries come to our facility in Waynesboro to learn from the best,” Clark said.

Over the years Clark and the wildlife center played a prominent on three TV shows: Virginia Outdoors, Animal Planet’s weekly series Wildlife Emergency, and the current PBS show Untamed which has won four Telly awards and was nominated for an Emmy.

Clark said these shows all helped spread the word about the Wildlife Center and its mission.

“The mission of the wildlife center is not fixing broken animals. The mission of the wildlife center is teaching the world to care about and care for wildlife and the environment and that’s what we do every single day in everything we do,” Clark said.

Clark said that education has always been the most important part of the Wildlife Center.

“For me, the greatest satisfaction comes when somebody will say to me ‘Ya know I learned…’ whatever it was from the Wildlife Center. ‘I learned to love eagles, I learned to keep my cat indoors, I learned to take care of the environment’ Whatever it is, teaching is really my passion. . It’s the purpose of our organization and everything we do including our medical work is all about that. So while we’re caring for 100 thousand patients, while doing that we are training the next generation of veterinarians and wildlife rehabilitators,” Clark said.

As the Wildlife Center moves toward its future Clark said there are new challenges it has to deal with.

“Reaching people and getting their attention in this ocean of technology and stimulation and information is becoming increasingly a challenge because on social media there is just so much misinformation and frankly just garbage out there about wildlife. People instead of calling experts a lot of times will find an injured animal and go to Facebook where they don’t always get good information,” Clark said.

Another challenge for the center is adjusting to the impacts that large wind farms and solar arrays have on raptors and other types of flying wildlife.

As he prepares to retire Clark said all the Wildlife Center’s work has been a team effort since the beginning.

“The thing that gives me the greatest amount of pride is the group of people with whom I’ve been blessed to associate with. We have from the absolute beginning had people who cared deeply, who were highly committed, highly motivated, highly skilled, and working together we have made this difference,” said Clark.

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Related Topics:animals conservation Ed Clark Featured Founder Waynesboro wildlife center of virginia

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Virginia

Au pair affair: Virginia man accused of killing wife, man to stand trial

Published

7 hours ago

January 12, 2026

Press Room

Au pair affair: Virginia man accused of killing wife, man to stand trial

A man accused of carrying out an elaborate fetish sex plot to kill his wife and a man inside his Northern Virginia home is set to stand trial.

Nine men and seven women were selected to the jury Monday in the trial for Brendan Banfield. Four of those 16 jurors are alternates who will step in if other jurors can’t attend for some reason.

Banfield is charged with aggravated murder in the killings of his wife, 37-year-old Christine Banfield, and a stranger, 39-year-old Joseph Ryan, at the Banfields’ Herndon home on the morning of Feb. 24, 2023.

Prosecutors say Brendan Banfield was having an affair with the family’s au pair, Juliana Peres Magalhães, for months before the killings, and that he conspired with his then-4-year-old daughter’s caretaker to get his wife “out of the picture.”

Peres Magalhães told prosecutors Brendan was the mastermind of the alleged plan. She said he created a fake profile on FetLife.com, a kink, BDSM and fantasy dating website, pretending to be Christine. Peres Magalhães said she and Brendan logged onto Christine’s work computer and used the fake FetLife account to solicit a stranger, Ryan, to the house to carry out a rape fantasy involving a knife.

When Ryan showed up to the house and started carrying out the plan, Brendan Banfield and Peres Magalhães burst into the bedroom pretending to save the day, prosecutors said. Banfield allegedly shot Ryan and then stabbed Christine.

Peres Magalhães said in an interview with prosecutors that she also shot Ryan. She pleaded guilty to manslaughter and spoke to prosecutors as part of her plea agreement.

The Fairfax County man accused of murdering his wife and another man in their home will stand trial starting Monday. News4’s Aimee Cho shares what to expect.

Banfield has denied the allegations. Defense attorneys argued in a hearing last summer that investigators have a secret folder of evidence that dismantles the so-called “catfish theory” that Brendan Banfield created the FetLife account.

A Fairfax County detective trained in digital forensics testified that he pulled and analyzed all the digital data on the devices used to access the FetLife profile. It was his professional conclusion that it was Christine on the computer, not Brendan, he said.

He said during a July 10 hearing that police command staff disagreed with his findings because they didn’t support their theory that Brendan Banfield was behind the fetish site profile.

The detective said his supervisors reassigned him off of the case against his will.

Multiple Fairfax County Police Department employees said under oath that the evidence did not support the theory that Brendan Banfield catfished Ryan to the family’s home.

Opening statements are expected to begin Tuesday, and the trial could take about four weeks.

News4 is getting rare, video access inside the courtroom. Watch a daily livestream of the trial and follow updates here and on the NBC4 Washington YouTube.

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Virginia

Higher utility bills hit DC, Northern Virginia as rate hikes take effect

Published

19 hours ago

January 12, 2026

Press Room

Higher utility bills hit DC, Northern Virginia as rate hikes take effect

WASHINGTON (7News) — Families across the D.C. region are seeing higher utility bills this winter, as gas and electric rate hikes approved by regulators take effect — sparking criticism from local leaders and concern from residents already feeling the squeeze.

In D.C., Washington Gas customers are now paying about 13% more on their bills. The increase has triggered renewed debate at the D.C. Council, where critics argue the utility’s strategy of full pipeline replacements — rather than targeted repairs — is driving costs higher than necessary.

Council members and consumer advocates said those costs are being passed along to residents least able to absorb them, particularly low-income households already struggling with rising prices for food, rent, and other essentials.

SEE ALSO | Winterizing your home: Simple steps to save up to 30% on energy costs this season

Across the Potomac River in Prince William County, Virginia, electric customers are also facing higher bills.

State regulators approved phased rate increases for Dominion Energy in late 2025 — less than what the company initially requested — citing inflation and the rising cost of maintaining and upgrading the electric grid. The changes are expected to add roughly $11 more per month this year, with an additional increase planned for 2027.

Dominion Energy spokesperson Aisha Khan said the utility is facing mounting demand and higher infrastructure costs, including utility poles, wires, and transformers — but emphasized that large power users will now shoulder more of the burden.

“Now the commission also approved new customer rates to reflect inflationary pressures and increasing costs of grid equipment,” Khan said. “But I want to make it clear that data centers are not driving up residential bills. Independent state studies have confirmed that these data centers pay the full cost of their power.”

Under the new structure, regulators created a separate rate class requiring large users — including data centers — to pay higher rates than typical households.

Still, some residents say the increases are already taking a toll.

Janice Howard, a single mother from Woodbridge, says her most recent electric bill jumped nearly $150, despite no change in her family’s daily routine.

“It is $317,” Howard said. “I’m a single mom who works 50 hours a week with a five-year-old. We’re barely home. I don’t understand why my bill jumped up almost $150 when we’re doing absolutely the same thing.”

Dominion Energy maintains the increases are necessary to keep up with demand and maintain reliability, but says customers are not paying the full cost alone — pointing to the higher rates now required of large commercial users.

Local leaders said the debate is far from over, and questions remain about whether future relief could be on the way for households facing rising utility costs.

If you need help paying your bills:

D.C. residents can find utility bill assistance programs, discounts, and resources through the District’s Department of Energy & Environment, including income-based help with energy costs and utility discounts. Washington Gas — Energy assistance information can be found here
Dominion Energy customers in Virginia can find billing support, payment arrangements, and energy assistance resources (including EnergyShare) at Dominion Energy Billing & Assistance Programs and EnergyShare Assistance Program Info here.

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Virginia

Pregame availability report for Iowa State women, Addy Brown is out

Published

1 day ago

January 11, 2026

Press Room

Pregame availability report for Iowa State women, Addy Brown is out

Iowa State’s Addy Brown and Arianna Jackson will miss Sunday’s women’s basketball game against West Virginia at Hilton Coliseum in Ames, according to the Big 12-mandated pregame availability report released 90 minutes before tip-off.

Jackson is expected to miss a significant portion of the season with a leg injury. Brown has a lower body injury and was listed as questionable on the Saturday night availability report.

Brown is averaging 13.1 points, 9.0 rebounds and 5.8 assists per game for Iowa State. The Kansas native is also shooting nearly 50 percent from the floor and 42.2 percent from 3-point range.

Iowa State vs. West Virginia is scheduled for 2 p.m. (ESPN+).