Virginia
Record blue catfish caught on Ohio River in West Virginia
CHARLESTON, W. Va. (KDKA) — A woman caught a blue catfish that was more than 4 feet long and weighed over 64 pounds, breaking West Virginia’s state length record.
Kimberly Feltner of Madison, Indiana, reeled in the massive catch on the Ohio River last month, the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources said. She caught it at the R.C. Byrd Pool using cut mooneye bait.
Coming in at 50.82, the catch surpassed the previous record length of 50.7 inches, set in 2022. It didn’t beat the weight record though. Feltner’s blue catfish weighed 64.15 pounds, falling short of the 69.45 pound record.
“With record-breaking catch after record-breaking catch, it’s no surprise that West Virginia’s world-class fishing continues to attract anglers from all over,” Gov. Jim Justice said in a news release. “I want to congratulate Kimberly Feltner on this amazing catch. It’s yet another example of why folks love coming to West Virginia to fish.”
West Virginia has reported nine record-breaking catches so far this year. In one case, an angler broke the black crappie length record but it was short-lived because his fishing buddy quickly caught an even bigger one the same day.
“Anglers have broken West Virginia’s blue catfish record multiple times over the last few years, which is a testament to the successful management efforts we’ve implemented,” WVDNR director Brett McMillion said in a press release. “We’re excited to see what other records might be broken as resident and non-resident anglers continue to hear about our waters consistently producing trophy fish.”
Virginia
Animals rescued from Helene come to Virginia – The River 95.3
While first responders are working to save lives in the recovery from Helene additional teams are working to rescue animals from the Carolinas.
Nearly 100 animals were delivered to Homeward Trails in Delaplaine and Fairfax station October 1 according to Northern Virginia Magazine.
The coordinated rescue effort involves teams in the Carolinas preparing the pets for transport to Richmond and volunteer drivers ready to take them to Northern Virginia.
The challenge lies in logistics in an area with no cell service or internet with flooded roads and the needs of local shelters according to WTOP.
Shelters were already taxed to the limit that coupled with a natural disaster creates and even harder problem.
Volunteers and more importantly foster homes are needed to help with these animals along with supplies.
If you can help at all contact Homeward Trails to support them in anyway you can.
For more news from across the Shenandoah Valley, click here.
Virginia
Northern Virginia's most dangerous streets revealed: new study
ARLINGTON, Va. – A new report is highlighting some of Northern Virginia’s most dangerous streets in an effort to raise awareness about traffic safety for both pedestrians and drivers.
One of the streets identified in the report is Wilson Blvd, where pedestrians often face “close calls.” Earlier in the day, residents of other areas listed in the survey shared their thoughts on the situation.
“I play chicken here,” said Parker Canada, who lives in Ballston. “You have to lean out and walk to make sure no car is coming.”
Another Arlington resident added, “I’m kind of looking at the driver, trying to make eye contact to make sure they see me.”
Pedestrians in the Virginia Square neighborhood also expressed concerns, saying they use extra caution when crossing the street. North Quincy Street was identified as one of Arlington’s most dangerous areas for “near misses” involving pedestrians, according to a survey by Northern Virginia Families for Safe Streets.
“We’re trying to capture real-time information about where danger still exists,” said Mike Doyle, founder of Northern Virginia Families for Safe Streets. “We take this information to the transportation and street design people, the police, and use it in our advocacy with politicians.”
The survey collected data from Arlington, Alexandria, and Fairfax between January 2023 and June 2024. It found that the top three locations for near-miss crashes involving speeding or failure to yield were Beulah Street in Fairfax, Wilson Blvd in Arlington, and Mt. Vernon in Alexandria.
Other areas like Columbia Pike and Duke Street didn’t make the list due to challenges in getting underserved communities to participate in the survey, which Doyle says is crucial for preventing crashes. He pointed out that Richmond Hwy South is a known “crash zone.”
Last week, FOX 5 covered a fatal hit-and-run on Richmond Highway near Woodlawn Trail, which left one man dead. While local transportation departments are working to improve traffic safety by reducing speed limits, Doyle emphasized that a community-wide effort is needed.
“Slow it down, be a little courteous, and we can save lives,” Doyle said.
Canada agreed, urging drivers to be more attentive. “Stay off the phone, look out for pedestrians, especially at night,” he said.
Northern Virginia Families for Safe Streets divided the summary report into three regions:
Check out the Near Miss and Dangerous Locations Dashboard here.
Virginia
Democrats flaunt Republican endorsements for Harris presidential bid • West Virginia Watch
Former GOP Rep. Liz Cheney will campaign with Vice President Kamala Harris Thursday in Ripon, Wisconsin — the birthplace of the Republican Party.
As Nov. 5 rapidly approaches, the Democratic presidential nominee continues to rack up support from prominent Republicans as she and former President Donald Trump, the GOP presidential nominee, battle it out for the Oval Office in a tight contest.
Thursday’s campaign event also coincides with two dozen Wisconsin Republicans endorsing the veep in an open letter.
“We, the undersigned, are Republicans from across Wisconsin who bring the same message: Donald Trump does not align with Wisconsin values,” they wrote. The group included a sitting GOP district attorney for the Badger State’s Buffalo County as well as everyday Wisconsinites, former state lawmakers and elected officials.
“To ensure our democracy and our economy remain strong for another four years, we must elect Kamala Harris and Tim Walz to the White House,” the letter said, adding that the choice for Republicans in November is “a choice between the Wisconsin values of freedom, democracy, and decency that Vice President Harris and Governor Walz represent, and Donald Trump’s complete lack of character, divisive rhetoric, and extremism.”
Wisconsin is a critical swing state that’s flipped between red and blue in recent elections — with Biden narrowly winning in 2020 after Trump secured a GOP victory in 2016.
Cheney, a Wyoming Republican, endorsed Harris last month, saying: “As a conservative, as someone who believes in and cares about the Constitution, I have thought deeply about this, and because of the danger that Donald Trump poses, not only am I not voting for Donald Trump, but I will be voting for Kamala Harris.”
Cheney — a vocal Trump critic — served as vice chair of the U.S. House Jan. 6 committee tasked with investigating the 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol.
She lost her reelection bid for Wyoming’s lone House seat to Harriet Hageman in 2022 during the state’s GOP primary.
Former Vice President Dick Cheney, father of Liz Cheney, also said he would vote for Harris. The prominent GOP figure served as veep during the George W. Bush administration from 2001 to 2009.
More GOP endorsements
Harris has received endorsements from over 230 Bush-McCain-Romney alums and more than 100 Republican national security officials, per the Harris campaign, a backing they describe as a “historic GOP mobilization for Harris.”
Part of the growing group of Republicans backing Harris includes Cassidy Hutchinson, a former aide to Trump.
During an interview on MSNBC Wednesday night, Hutchinson said she’s “really proud, as a conservative, to have the opportunity to vote for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz in this election.”
Hutchinson also disclosed that she’ll be voting for Democrats in the House and Senate, saying she thinks it’s “so important that we get past this period of Donald Trump for America to begin healing.”
Trump in Michigan
Meanwhile, Trump is also heavily campaigning in swing states. He was set to hold a Thursday afternoon rally in Saginaw, Michigan.
The Democratic National Committee released multiple billboards in Michigan ahead of his rally, with a focus on Trump and his running mate, Ohio GOP Sen. J.D. Vance, continuing to deny the 2020 election results.
During Tuesday’s vice presidential debate between Vance and Democratic Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, Vance circumvented a question on whether Trump lost the 2020 election, saying he, himself, is “focused on the future.”
Walz, who posed the question to Vance, called his response a “damning non-answer.”
A version of the DNC billboard is also set to debut in the coming days in Wisconsin and North Carolina to coincide with Trump’s upcoming rallies in those swing states.
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