Virginia

Rarely-seen ‘species of concern’ captured on West Virginia trail cam

Published

7 months ago

April 11, 2024

Press Room

Rarely-seen ‘species of concern’ captured on West Virginia trail cam

Monongahela National Forest shared footage from a trail camera of an Allegheny woodrat.

In the post, officials said there are only an estimated 100,000 of the federally threatened animals left in the wild.

The woodrat’s range and population have declined, possibly because of damage to trees by invasive moths.

CLARKSBURG, W.Va. (WBOY) — An animal considered by the National Parks Service (NPS) to be a “species of concern” in West Virginia was recently spotted on a trail camera in Monongahela National Forest.

The national forest shared the footage from March on its official Facebook page this week. In the post, it said there are only an estimated 100,000 of the federally threatened Allegheny woodrats left in the wild. Despite their name and large size, the rodent is more closely related to a mouse than a rat.

Unlike its less-desirable cousins, the Indiana Department of Natural Resources describes the Allegheny woodrat as “docile and meticulously clean, thereby posing no threat to human health or safety.” It does, however, have a habit of collecting shiny objects and bringing them to their nest, Tennessee wildlife officials explain.

While the Monongahela National Forest said there’s speculation as to why the Allegheny woodrat is declining, some scientists believe that the gypsy moth, also known as the spongy moth, which harms acorn-bearing oak trees, is damaging the rodent’s food source and habitat.

The Forest Service did not specify where in the forest the Allegheny woodrat was spotted.

Back in October of 2022, the NPS announced that it had found adult and young Allegheny woodrats in Harpers Ferry while it was conducting a survey. It was the first time the animal had been spotted in the National Historic Park in more than 20 years at the time. Before the survey results, the animal was believed to be locally extinct.

The primarily nocturnal woodrat was once found from Connecticut west to Indiana and south to Alabama, according to the Pennsylvania Game Commission. The species’ range, like its population, is believed to have since declined. In addition to West Virginia, it has earned conservation status across Alabama, Connecticut, the District of Columbia, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, and Virginia, NPS explains.

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Virginia

Obituary for Virginia Frances Stoots at Beckley Peace Chapel

Published

8 hours ago

November 19, 2024

Press Room

Obituary for Virginia Frances Stoots at Beckley Peace Chapel

Virginia Frances Stoots, age 81, of Beckley, WV received her heavenly promotion to be eternally with the Lord on Saturday, November 16, 2024. Born in Hotchkiss, WV on May 11, 1943, she was the daughter of the late Arnold Hatfield and Margaret Archie. Virginia was a retired manager from Ginos

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Virginia

15-year-old accused of shooting teen near Lake Edward in Virginia Beach

Published

15 hours ago

November 18, 2024

Press Room

15-year-old accused of shooting teen near Lake Edward in Virginia Beach

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — A 15-year-old boy is charged with shooting a teen over a week ago near Lake Edward in Virginia Beach, police say.

The shooting happened just before 7 p.m. on Sunday, November 10 in the 5000 block of W. Hastings Arch.

Police say officers responded to the shooting following an alert from ShotSpotter, which is technology that can detect gunshots.

Watch related coverage: Suspect arrested in deadly shooting at busy Portsmouth intersection

Suspect arrested in deadly shooting at busy Portsmouth intersection

Officers then found a 15-year-old boy from Virginia Beach who had been shot, police say. He was taken to the hospital with serious injuries.

Last Thursday, police charged a boy — also a 15-year-old from Virginia Beach — in connection to the shooting. He’s charged with malicious wounding and use of a firearm in commission of a felony, police added.

The shooting is still under investigation. Police ask anyone with information to call detectives at 757-385-4101 or Crime Solvers at 1-888-LOCK-U-UP.

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Virginia

Bowl Projections: West Virginia’s Stock Takes Big Hit Following Latest Loss

Published

23 hours ago

November 18, 2024

Press Room

Bowl Projections: West Virginia’s Stock Takes Big Hit Following Latest Loss

Another wasted opportunity at home for the West Virginia Mountaineers this past weekend as they fell to the Baylor Bears, 49-35.

Much of the conversation entering the week was about who head coach Neal Brown would start at quarterback. He turned back to Garrett Greene, who had an okay day throwing the football but did add over 120 yards on the ground to help fuel the Mountaineers’ offensive attack. It wasn’t his best overall performance, but it was more than enough to win.

Unfortunately, West Virginia’s defense returned to its struggling ways, allowing 512 yards of offense, 329 of which came through the air. Baylor’s 35 first-half points were the most of any Big 12 team in a league game this season.

With the loss, the Mountaineers essentially eliminated themselves from a spot in the Big 12 championship game, and their bowl stock took a massive hit.

Action Network: Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl vs. Army

Athlon Sports: Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl vs. Tulane

CBS Sports: Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl vs. Army

College Football Network: SERVPRO First Responder Bowl vs. East Carolina

College Football News: AutoZone Liberty Bowl vs. Vanderbilt

ESPN (Kyle Bonagura): Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl vs. Washington

ESPN (Mark Schlabach): Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl vs. Louisiana

West Virginia On SI: AutoZone Liberty Bowl vs. Arkansas

The Mountaineers have two games remaining in the regular season and must notch one more win to become bowl-eligible. This week, they’ll play host to the UCF Knights, who were everyone’s dark horse to win the Big 12 back in August. After getting out to a 3-0 start, the Knights lost five straight.

Despite most sportsbooks opening this week’s game with UCF as the favorite, I like West Virginia’s chances to get the win. They are a run-heavy team, and that’s the one thing the Mountaineer defense does fairly well.

If they fail to collect win No. 6 this weekend, it’ll all come down to their trip to Lubbock the following week. Texas Tech has Oklahoma State this Saturday and will likely be gunning for win No. 8 when West Virginia comes to town. If the Red Raiders win out, that will be their best regular season finish since 2009.

1. Valero Alamo Bowl vs Pac-12, Saturday, Dec. 28, 7:30 p.m. EST, ABC

2. Pop-Tarts Bowl vs ACC/ND, Saturday, Dec. 28, 3:30 p.m. EST, ABC

3. TaxAct Texas Bowl vs SEC, Tuesday, Dec. 31, 3:30 p.m. EST, ESPN

4. AutoZone Liberty Bowl vs SEC, Friday, Dec. 27, 7:00 p.m. EST, ESPN

5. Guaranteed Rate Bowl vs Big Ten, Thursday, Dec. 26, 5:30 p.m. EST, ESPN

6. Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl vs. Pac 12, Saturday, Dec. 28, 9:15 p.m. EST, ESPN