VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — Free Fishing Days in Virginia are returning!

From June 7 – 9, you can bring your loved ones to the lake or river and enjoy a weekend of fishing without a license.

That’s not the only perk—the restriction on fishing-designated stocked trout waters will be removed during the three Free Fishing Days, according to the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources.

Typically, you need a license to fish on Virginia’s inland waters if you’re 16 and older, with some exceptions. Organizers say Free Fishing Days is a great opportunity to give fishing a try for free and pick up some tips from experts.

You can borrow rods, reels, tackle and bait for free on Saturday at Mount Trashmore Park from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. There will be staff and volunteers at the park to provide instruction and tips.

For more information and other Free Fishing Days events across the commonwealth, click here.

One year ago, Virginia men’s golf advanced to the match play stage of the NCAA Championships for the first time ever. This weekend in California, the Cavaliers did it again.

Behind a brilliant opening two rounds of stroke play, Virginia held on to secure its second-consecutive appearance in match play at the 2024 NCAA Division I Men’s Golf Championships at the Omni La Costa Resort North Course in Carlsbad, California. The Cavaliers finished stroke play tied for third and qualified as one of the eight teams (out of 30 schools participating in the NCAA Championships) to advance to the match play bracket.

Virginia will be the No. 3 seed in match play and will take on Auburn in the quarterfinals on Tuesday starting at 10:40am (ET).

After the first round of stroke play, Virginia was tied with Arizona for the lead at 2-over 290 behind a one-under 71 round from George Duangmanee. Round two saw all five golfers shoot quality rounds, led by Ben James and George Duangmanee, who were both one-under for the day, helping the Cavaliers take sole possession of first place at 1-over 577. That marked the first time Virginia has ever been the leader at the halfway point of stroke play at the NCAA Championships.

Illinois used a 6-under 282 team round on Sunday to take the lead, while UVA sat in second at 4-over 868 entering the final day of stroke play. Ben James shot three-under in that third round, putting himself in contention for the individual NCAA title on Monday.

But Virginia experienced a slide on Monday, shooting 7-over 295 in the final round and ultimately finishing in a tie for third place with North Carolina at 11-over 1163. Vanderbilt placed second at +10 and Illinois took first at -6.

Still, the Cavaliers played well enough to keep their season alive and easily advance to the match play stage for the second-consecutive year.

“This is the second year in a row for us to make it to match play,” said UVA head coach Bowen Sargent. “It’s hard because there are so many good teams and so many good coaches and everyone is working hard. You do take a lot of pride in making it to the final eight.”

Ben James had a chance at the individual title down the stretch of his final round, but recorded pars on each of the final six holes and ultimately finished one stroke behind Georgia Tech’s Hiroshi Tai, who won the individual title. The runner-up finish by James was the second-best ever recorded by a UVA golfer, as Dixon Brooke won the individual title back in 1940.

George Duangmanee finished at 1-over 289, good for 15th place, while Josh Duangmanee was right behind him in 18th place at 2-over 290. Bryan Lee and Deven Patel both shot 12-over 300 and finished tied for 59th.

In 2023, Virginia fell to Florida 3-2 in the match play quarterfinals and the Gators went on to win the 2023 National Championship. Now, the Cavaliers will face a different SEC opponent, but a familiar one. Auburn entered the NCAA Championships as the No. 1 ranked team in the country after winning the Baton Rouge Regional by shooting -21, while Virginia took second at -13. The Tigers placed sixth in stroke place at the NCAA Championships, setting up the quarterfinal meeting with the Cavaliers on Tuesday morning.

See the matchups and tee times for the quarterfinal between Virginia and Auburn below:

Quarterfinal Match Play Lineups (will start on 10th Hole)
Josh Duangmanee (UVA) vs. Carson Bacha (AU) – 7:40 am PT
George Duangmanee (UVA) vs. Brendan Valdes (AU) – 7:50 am PT
Bryan Lee (UVA) vs. Josiah Gilbert (UA) – 8 am PT
Deven Patel (UVA) vs. Jackson Koivun (UA) – 8:10 am PT
Ben James (UVA) vs. J.M. Butler (UA) – 8:20 am PT

The winner of Virginia-Auburn will take on the winner of Vanderbilt-Ohio State in the semifinals of match play, which will also be played on Tuesday afternoon to determine who will advance to Wednesday’s championship final.

The Golf Channel will provide live coverage of Tuesday’s match play from 1-3:30 pm (ET) for the quarterfinals and from 6-10 pm (ET) for the semifinals.

ROANOKE, Va. (WDBJ) – Strong storms caused widespread damage throughout many of our hometowns Sunday night. Below is a compilation of WDBJ7′s coverage.

Salem storm damage consistent with EF-1 tornado, NWS says

A team from the National Weather Service surveyed damage in Salem on Monday. The agency confirmed an EF-1 tornado hit the area.

WATCH STORY HERE: https://www.wdbj7.com/2024/05/27/salem-storm-damage-consistent-with-ef-1-tornado-nws-says/

Storm rips roof off Roanoke business, damages another

Sunday evening’s storm ripped the roof off of a Roanoke asphalt business. The entire roof had blown off of one building and onto another causing significant damage, according to Roanoke Fire & EMS.

WATCH STORY HERE: https://www.wdbj7.com/2024/05/27/storm-rips-roof-off-roanoke-business-damages-others/

Trees fall on cabin, campers, vehicles at Jellystone Park

Trees fell on a cabin, two campers, and two vehicles at a Rockbridge County camping site. Despite the damage, officials say no one was injured.

WATCH STORY HERE: https://www.wdbj7.com/2024/05/27/trees-fall-cabin-campers-vehicles-jellystone-park/

Funnel cloud spotted moments before damaging storm hit Salem

Moments before the damage, Tyler Anderson was out watching the storm with his children and captured what looked like a funnel cloud on camera. Shortly after, video shows what may have been debris being lofted into the air in what may have been a brief tornado.

WATCH STORY HERE: https://www.wdbj7.com/2024/05/27/widespread-damage-after-storm-hits-salem/

“I don’t wish it on anybody” People in Salem speak out after tornado damages their homes

The aftermath of an EF-1 tornado left people in Salem stunned. Salem residents spoke out about the storm damage on their homes.

WATCH STORY HERE: https://www.wdbj7.com/2024/05/27/i-dont-wish-it-anybody-people-salem-speak-out-after-tornado-damages-their-homes/

EF-1 Tornado strikes Northview Apartments in Salem, damaging homes and trapping cars

An EF-1 tornado hit the Northview Apartments in Salem last night, causing significant damage to homes and vehicles and trapping several cars under fallen trees.

WATCH STORY HERE: https://www.wdbj7.com/2024/05/27/ef-1-tornado-strikes-northview-apartments-salem-damaging-homes-trapping-cars/

Narrows Fire Department offers light of hope to residents after a day without power

Narrows Fire Department opened their doors to the public for charging and cooling while waiting for the power to come back on.

WATCH STORY HERE: https://www.wdbj7.com/2024/05/27/narrows-fire-department-offers-light-hope-residents-after-day-without-power/

Storm knocks out power to more than 100,000 people

More than 100,000 people in Virginia and West Virginia who use Appalachian Power lost power due to Sunday’s storm.

As of Monday morning, about 25,000 Virginia customers were still without power.

Crews were in the field Monday assessing damage, including downed wires and broken poles.

There were more than 1,660 locations where repairs needed to be made in order for power to be restored, the company said in an update at 11:30 a.m. Monday.

Appalachian Power said it requested an additional 1,000-plus storm response workers to help, with teams coming in from Alabama, Michigan and the Carolinas to assist in restoration efforts.

Power is expected to be restored late Monday night for people in Bedford, Carroll, Franklin, Floyd, Grayson, Henry and Patrick counties, the company said, with all other areas of Virginia having power back by late Tuesday night.

Charging and cooling stations opened in Giles County

To help those impacted by power outages caused by Sunday’s storms, charging and cooling stations were opened in Giles County.

As of 7:30 p.m. Monday, there are still 2,482 customers without power.

Charging and cooling stations were opened at the Narrows Fire Department Activity Building located at 133 Center Steet in Narrows and at the Giles Lifesaving and Rescue Squad Building located at 175 Industrial Park Drive in Pearisburg.

Charging and cooling stations at Narrows Fire Department and Giles Rescue will close at 9:00 p.m.

Pembroke Fire Department will remain open until 11:00 p.m.

Residents in need of assistance are encouraged to call (540) 921-3842.

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