The William and Mary study says that while ospreys feed on a variety of fish and other animals, the ospreys' biggest food source is menhaden. The study found many osprey chicks are starving in the nest.

"Since about 2000 we've seen a decline and now we're below .13 chicks per pair," said Dr. Brian Watts, Director of the William and Mary Center for Conservation Biology. "So, now we're actually below what the population was producing during the height of the DDT era; at these reproduction rates, the population is not sustainable."

Watts oversaw the research. Teams of William and Mary researchers studied osprey nesting and reproduction on Mobjack Bay, a bay in the Chesapeake.

"Atlantic menhaden deliveries by males to nests has declined by over 80 percent," said Watts. "In response to that, what we're seeing is a higher rate of nest failures."

Watts says the research suggests overharvest of menhaden is a reason for the decline. Though not directly pointing a finger at industrial menhaden harvest on the bay, Watts says it appears to be a factor.

Virginia is the only Atlantic coast state that allows reduction or industrial fishing in estuaries like the Chesapeake Bay.

Omega Protein is one of the biggest menhaden harvesters on the Chesapeake and has been fishing the bay for more than a century. It uses a fleet of fishing vessels, technology, and spotter planes to take menhaden. The fish are then reduced to fish oil and fish meal and sold for a variety of uses. Omega is based Reedville.

A company spokesperson says the most recent science shows stocks of Atlantic menhaden coastwide is strong. He disputed the findings of the William and Mary study and questioned the methodology and scope of research. He said Omega complies with all current state and federal regulations

However, various conservation groups want to know more about the localized impact of reduction fishing.

"Our concern is what's going on with the ecosystem with this very intense, very efficient fishery taking place in the Virginia portion of the Chesapeake Bay," said Chesapeake Bay Foundation Senior Scientist Chris Moore.

Moore says more research is needed to understand the impact: "This is a fishery when it comes to menhaden, especially the reduction fishery, but also the bait fishery that has a very long history in the Chesapeake Bay, but we know the ecosystem changes, and we may need to be more proactive in how we manage this resource to make sure that it continues to fill all of its ecological roles."

More research could be coming. Delegate R. Lee Ware (R-District 72) has introduced a bill in the Virginia General Assembly that would require the Virginia Institute of Marine Science to do a study on the impact of industrial fishing on Virginia's portion of the Chesapeake Bay.

Stan Lampert was promoted from Acting Chief of Police to Full-Time Police Chief by Tazewell Town Manager, Todd Day.

Day stated that the process of naming a new police chief was delayed and that he was able to continue under Article III Section 3-912 of the Town Code book, to name a new Police Chief before his departure as Town Manager on Wednesday, January 3, 2024.

I first want to apologize to the Police Department, Staff of the Town of Tazewell, and the citizens of Tazewell for not following the hiring process as outlined in the Town Code Book originally... I know this lack of action on my part has caused a lot of unsettlement not only in the Police Department but obviously, also across the Town of Tazewell.

I have reviewed all applications and must say that the few that were received were very impressive. However, the intuitively obvious choice that gained favorable consideration from my office was Mr. Stan Lampert. Mr. Lampert as the next Police Chief was rather compelling due to his commitment to continue the fight when I know he could have easily walked away a dozen times in the recent past. Mr. Lampert has proven over and over that his commitment to the Town of Tazwell and the citizens that reside here is unwavering and the support from his officers for him becoming the next Chief of Police shows his skills have more than exceeded my expectations for him to become the next Police Chief. 

Todd Day | Tazewell Town Manager

Following the code, confirmation of hiring a new police chief will be included in the Council Packet at the next Council meeting, scheduled for January 9, 2024, as Information only. Hiring a Police Chief is up to the town manager, the Council only needs confirmation.

Stan Lampert's promotion to Full-Time Chief of Police will be effective immediately.

In September 2022, the Carroll County Sheriff's Office responded to Iron Ridge Road, in Galax, Virginia, for reports of human remains found in a trash can in a wooded area. As the investigation continued, officials determined that the remains had been in the woods for an extended period.

Othran Inc., a private company based in Texas that specializes in forensic-grade genome sequencing and forensic genetic genealogy, was able to develop a full DNA profile. This allowed authorities to use the genealogy, along with two DNA comparisons of family members. The remains were positively identified as Logan Nathaniel Bowman.

Logan was a 5-year-old child who went missing in the Grayson County area in January of 2003. As the search for him continued, authorities charged his mom, Cynthia Davis, and her then-boyfriend, Dennis Shermerhorn, in connection to his disappearance. Shermerhorn was convicted of child neglect.

As Nexstar's WFXR previously reported in February of 2023, Davis entered a guilty plea in Grayson County Circuit Court for two counts of child neglect and one count of homicide. Court records also showed that she was sentenced to 10 years for each count of child neglect with sentences suspended. Davis also received a 30-year sentence for homicide with 15 years suspended.

Logan's father, Alvin “Wayne” Bowman, previously told WXFR he last saw his five-year-old while dropping him off with Davis on Christmas Day 2002. Logan was reported missing from Galax the next month, January 2003.

“He was a good kid. He didn’t get in trouble, but he loved school, loved going to church, and I had him in church all the time,” Bowman said, describing his son. The church he attends already has a gravestone ready for a proper burial, he added.

“It feels good. I can go on, I know where he’s at now. I don’t have to worry where he’s at. I know it hurts, but it’s going to be OK. We have to go on, one day I will see him in heaven,” Bowman added.

The Carroll County Sheriff's Office says this is an ongoing investigation and new charges are anticipated.

The Bluefield Police Department state that these are individuals they would like to make contact with, in order to get their City Municipal Court matters cleaned up. The person(s) in question could be wanted for: prostitution, DUI, assault, drug possession, drug paraphernalia, destruction of property, obstructing an officer, and more, not just traffic tickets.

All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. The criminal complaint against these individuals is nothing more than a document that merely alleges a criminal charge.

• Shana Ables dob 12/19/1984 Princeton, WV
• Shane Abshire dob 4/7/1997 Bluefield, WV
• Ryan Addair dob 4/14/1992 Bluefield, WV
• Elizabeth Adams dob 1/4/1980 Princeton, WV
• Bryan Akers dob 5/23/1990 Bluefield, WV
• Roger Atwell dob 12/14/1982 Bluefield, WV
• Chelice Baker dob 11/27/1988 Princeton, WV
• Christopher Bigelow dob 7/9/1980 Princeton, WV
• Richard Bowman dob 9/21/1974 Bluefield, WV
• Shaun Brooks dob 2/7/1989 Bluefield, WV
• Helen Call dob 12/30/1971 Bluefield, WV
• Franklin Carrol dob 9/23/1991 Bluefield, WV
• William Childress 4/30/1967 Bluefield, WV
• Brittany Christian dob 11/19/1990 Iaeger, WV
• Joseph Clower dob 6/12/1987 Bluefield, WV
• Sean Conrad dob 3/8/1973 Princeton, WV
• Stephanie Collins dob 2/15/1990 Tazewell, VA
• Kayla Cook dob 5/25/1995 Princeton, WV
• Mark Cox dob 5/13/1987 Princeton, WV
• Thomas Culbertson dob 9/2/1982 Bluefield, WV
• Joshue Daniels dob 1/6/1987 Bastian, VA
• Kristen Dowell dob 11/5/1991 Falls Mills, VA
• Krystal Deatly dob 3/13/1992 Tazewell, VA
• Billy Dudley dob 6/26/1974 Princeton, VA
• Ashley Edwards dob 8/22/1989 Bluefield, WV
• Michael Fife dob 1/27/1958 Bluefield, WV
• Michael Farmer dob 7/16/1979 Princeton, WV
• Amber Garrison dob 3/23/1987 Princeton, WV
• Heaven Foran dob 9/25/1994 Hinton, WV
• Samantha Goodman dob 12/23/1992 North Tazewell, VA
• Deshawn Hairston dob 8/19/1993 Bluefield, WV
• Adrian Handy dob 12/18/1996 Bluefield, WV
• Sherrod Hargraves dob 5/28/1990 Bluefield, WV
• Douglas Hancock dob 4/12/1970 Bluefield, WV
• Misty Hale dob 11/19/1982 Bluefield, WV
• James Hoosier dob 7/10/1985 Bluefield, VA
• Sandra Hodges dob 7/23/1983 Bluefield, WV
• Timothy Howard dob 2/29/1980 Glade springs, VA
• Donte Hopkins dob 12/4/1998 Bluefield, WV
• Clifton Huckleberry dob 8/26/1993 Bluefield, WV

The Bluefield Police Department ask that if you know the whereabouts of any of these individuals feel free to message them on Facebook or call their department at 304-327-6101.

The court also denied the supplemental motion for a temporary restraining order (TRO) request to stop the hearing that was set for Wednesday, Dec. 20.

This ruling comes as the investigation into animal abuse accusations continues in the zoo. Wednesday's hearing could decide the future of more than 90 animals that were seized from the zoo during search warrants.

Court documents say the injunction request was denied in part because, although the short timeframe before the Dec. 20., hearing is "not ideal", it failed to prove owners Karal and Deborah Mogensen's due process rights are being violated or is unconstitutional. It was determined the additional time that would be granted by the injunction would have "little value" to the zoo's ability to build an adequate countersuit.

Furthermore, any preliminary rulings will be eligible for an appeal, allowing for charges or decisions to be overturned.

WFXR News will continue to provide the most up-to-date information when it's available.

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ROCKBRIDGE COUNTY, Va. (WFXR) – Attorneys representing the owners of the Natural Bridge Zoo are seeking a delay in a court proceeding that could decide the future of several of the zoo’s animals, almost two weeks after an animal abuse investigation led authorities to search the facility and seize more than 90 animals.

Mario Williams, who represents Natural Bridge Zoo owners Karal and Deborah Mogensen, filed a request for an injunction ahead of a December 20^th hearing on the possible seizure of four giraffes.  According to the court filing, Williams argues Michelle Welch, Virginia's Senior Assistant Attorney General, violated the zoo owners’ constitutional rights by seeking to seize the animals before any potential charges have been filed, and without constitutionally required due process.

On Monday, December 18^th, a federal judge gave the zoo until 10:00 p.m. that evening to file a brief supporting its request for the injunction.  The state then has until 10:00 a.m. Tuesday, December 19^th to respond.

According to court documents, the zoo claims veterinarians ordered the killing of a white tiger and accused them of “ineptness” and “torture”.  The zoo also takes issue with the state-ordered action plan, which outlines specific steps the state wants to be taken for each of the dozens of animals in the zoo’s care.  

According to documents filed with the court, the plans range from requiring the zoo to provide fresh water, shelter, and fencing to detailed veterinary care needs specific to certain species and individual animals.  The documents filed with the federal court do not include an action plan for Asha, an elephant at Natural Bridge Zoo.  In the immediate aftermath of the search and seizure, a longtime volunteer speaking on behalf of the zoo speculated that the investigation may have had something to do with Asha.

If the federal judge denies the request for an injunction, the potential seizure of the four giraffes is scheduled to be argued at a hearing on Wednesday, December 20^th.

WFXR News will continue to provide you with the latest information as it becomes available.

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. (WAVY) — The mother of a child who was 6 years old when he shot his teacher at Richneck Elementary School in Newport News, Virginia was sentenced Friday.

Deja Taylor was given two years to serve in prison, for felony child neglect.

Taylor won't be able to have any unsupervised visits with her child until he's 18 years old, according to Nexstar's WAVY. The boy is currently 7.

Deja Taylor was sentenced to five years behind bars, with three years suspended. This leaves her with two years to serve. Prosecutors had recommended a plea deal with a much lighter sentence of six months.

Taylor was also sentenced in November to 21 months in federal prison for using marijuana while owning a gun, which is illegal under U.S. law. Investigators found nearly an ounce of marijuana in Taylor’s bedroom following the shooting. She later pleaded guilty. In light of the latest sentencing, she will now serve two additional years following the end of her 21 months.

Taylor also pleaded guilty to the felony neglect charge on the state level. As part of that plea deal, local prosecutors agreed to drop a misdemeanor count of recklessly storing a firearm.

Taylor’s son told authorities he got his mother’s 9mm handgun by climbing onto a drawer to reach the top of a dresser, where the firearm was in his mom’s purse. He concealed the weapon in his backpack and then his pocket before shooting his teacher, Abby Zwerner, in front of her first-grade class.

Taylor initially told investigators she had secured her gun with a trigger lock, but investigators said they never found one.

Friday's sentencing was the second time Taylor was held to account for the classroom shooting, which stunned the nation and shook the military shipbuilding city of Newport News.

James Ellenson, one of Taylor’s attorneys, said earlier this year there were “mitigating circumstances” surrounding the situation, including Taylor's miscarriages and postpartum depression. She also has been diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder, a condition sharing symptoms with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, according to court documents.

Taylor told ABC’s “Good Morning America” in May that she feels responsible and apologized to Zwerner.

“That is my son, so I am, as a parent, obviously willing to take responsibility for him because he can’t take responsibility for himself,” Taylor said.

During her sentencing in federal court last month, one of Taylor’s attorneys read aloud a brief statement in which Taylor said she would feel remorse “for the rest of my life.”

The bullet fired from Taylor’s gun struck Zwerner in the left hand and her upper left chest, breaking bones and puncturing a lung. The teacher rushed her other students into the hallway before collapsing in the school’s office.

The child who shot Zwerner told a reading specialist who restrained him, “I shot that (expletive) dead,” and “I got my mom’s gun last night,” according to search warrants.

Zwerner told the judge during Taylor's federal sentencing that she remembers losing consciousness while medics worked on her.

“I was not sure whether it would be my final moment on earth,” Zwerner said.

Zwerner spent nearly two weeks in the hospital and has endured multiple surgeries to restore motion to her left hand. She struggles to put on clothes or tie shoes.

She is suing Newport News Public Schools for $40 million, alleging that administrators ignored multiple warnings that the boy had a gun. She told the federal judge she has lost a sense of herself and suffered “massive financial loss.”

Zwerner no longer works for the school system and is no longer teaching. She said she loves children but is now scared to work with them.

She attends therapy and has been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, while also suffering from depression and anxiety.

“I contend daily with deep emotional scars,” Zwerner said.

Deja Taylor's grandfather, Calvin Taylor, now has custody of her 7-year-old son.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

"A student brought a sandwich bag containing gummies to school, and then shared those gummies with six classmates during lunch," said Dr. William Wells, the Amherst County Public Schools superintendent,.

Not long after, it was clear something was wrong.

"Students who ingested the gummies exhibited symptoms of nausea, vomiting, headache, and some muscle spasm," said Dr. Wells.

The Amherst County Sheriff's Office was then called to investigate, testing the gummies for multiple substances.

"We tested further and found actually what it was," said Lt. Dallas Hill.

The issue? Fentanyl residue, found on the plastic bag that the gummies were in.

After that discovery, Dr. Wells says the school was cleaned to prevent further exposure to students.

On Wednesday, authorities arrested Nicole Sanders and Clifford Dugan Jr. in connection with the incident. Sanders is charged with drug possession while Dugan, a convicted felon, was arrested for being in possession of a firearm. Both face charges for delinquency of a minor.

Amherst Public Safety emphasizes that the risk of any further exposure from this incident is nearly zero, and says the fight against fentanyl goes far beyond this one scary situation.

"We need to wake up as a county and as a community to realize that these things are real, these things are happening. It's not a Richmond problem, it's not a Washington D.C. problem, it's an Amherst County problem," said Dr. Wells.

Officials say all the children involved in the incident are believed to be OK and are home with their families.

As a result, severe new restrictions are being proposed, with Maryland fisheries managers calling for a ban on that state's spring trophy striped bass season in 2024. While they range the entire Atlantic coast, Maryland's portion of the Chesapeake Bay is where 70% to 90% of Atlantic striped bass are spawned.

"There's still plenty of fish out there to create a strong year class, we're not back at the levels that we were in 1985 before we went to a moratorium," said Lynn Fegley, Director of Fishing and Boating Services for the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (MDNR). "These are the toughest decisions we make as fisheries managers. you know everybody is going to be impacted. I think from the conversations we've had with our public, there isn't a person who doesn't understand something needs to be done."

Not having a spring trophy season in 2024 would give stripers, and especially larger fish, the ability to spawn and improve numbers.

Striped bass, or stripers or rockfish as they are sometimes called, are the bedrock of a multi-billion dollar sport and commercial fishery in the United States. The fish are also deeply ingrained in the heritage of coastal states. Virginia, Maryland, New York, New Jersey, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and South Carolina all claim stripers as their state fish or state saltwater fish.

Fisheries managers say they have seen a similar scenario play out before. Striped bass numbers declined in the 1970s and 1980s. Very little was done about it, and the species nearly collapsed. A five year moratorium on fishing for striped bass was instituted in 1985 to allow stocks to recover, and by the mid-1990s they had been fully restored, before declining in recent years.

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (AFMFC) manages and monitors coastal stocks. The commission took action and set a goal of having Atlantic striped bass numbers restored to 1990s levels by 2029.

Recent surveys in the Maryland and Virginia portions of the Chesapeake Bay have shown recruitment has been low for the past five years. That coupled with more fish being harvested has led to the current situation, and Maryland's emergency regulation proposal, in addition to size slot limits for the entire east coast set by the AFMFC last summer.

"That would end the spring trophy fishery, the fishery that traditionally starts on May 1," Fegley said. "We would open the fishery in mid-May."

That two week period of no-fishing for stripers comes at the height of the spawning season. Giving those fish the chance to spawn unpressured would benefit the striper fishery along the entire east coast. Other states are also taking action to protect the fishery, but it starts with the prime spawning grounds.

"Nobody is doing this alone," Fegley said. "If somebody catches a big striped bass off the coast of Massachusetts, that fish was likely born in the Chesapeake and has probably spent time in the Chesapeake. These fish are wide-ranging travelers and we need to work together."

Due to restoration efforts, Virginia is now the top oyster producer on the east coast. Roughly 300,000 bushels were harvested in Virginia waters in 2023. That is more oysters harvested in the commonwealth than in any year since the 1980s.

The rebound of the oyster industry can be credited, in part, to a program of aquaculture and resource management.

"We've got one of the best aquaculture industries in the country, really," said Captain Chris Ludford of Pleasure House Oysters. "Now, Virginia is exporting oysters for the first time in probably 30 years."

Ludford farms and harvests oysters in the Lynnhaven River in Virginia Beach.

The success is happening because of advanced oyster farming techniques developed in Virginia. Those farmed oysters fill in the gap in demand and allow wild populations to rebound. As a result, wild and farmed populations are thriving. A system is used that bears a strong resemblance to crop rotation.

"The state, they've divided up the areas where the wild harvest comes from; they call it public harvest, but it really is licensed watermen, and they take those three areas, and two of them, you don't mess with this winter," Ludford said. "We'll be in one area this winter, and then next winter that area will go out of production."

That rotation keeps harvests focused and allows oysters in other areas to grow undisturbed. Farmed oysters are also collected to meet the demand. Virginia oyster sales total roughly $60 million.

While harvest management plays a huge role, so does long range planning. Wildlife and aquaculture managers are always looking at growth and forecast two to three seasons ahead. That allows them to make adjustments to ensure good numbers.

So, what is the outlook for the year ahead?

Ludford had the answer: "Between the aquaculture industry, which is extremely healthy and thriving, and then a good wild market and a good wild production, we're set for another good winter, and a lot of people are looking forward to it."