Furrever Friday: Meet Drake

 

Each week, we spotlight an adoptable pet from the Humane Society of Warren County.

This week we feature Drake a Shepherd mix estimated to be 5 to 6 years of age. Drake will need a patient person willing to help him out of his shell. He might be nervous, but he just needs time to get comfortable. Once Drake is used to you he is goofy and loves to play

All adoptable animals at the humane society are altered, microchipped, and up to date on vaccinations.

All cats, dogs, and other small animals at the humane society are cared for by the Low Cost Spay and Neuter Clinic at 840 B John Marshall Highway Front Royal.

If you would like to give Drake or any of  his friends a good home, please fill out an application at humanesocietywarrencounty.com.

Once you apply and are approved, a staff member will contact you with the next steps.

You can also check out the Humane Society of Warren County’s adoptable pets on petfinder.com.

The Humane Society of Warren County offers the Pick of the Litter Thrift Shop now at 113 East Main Street Front Royal.

Furrever Friday is proudly sponsored by Shear Elegance Pet Boutique.

Shear Elegance Pet Boutique has been giving pets the love, care and respect they deserve since 2011.

Visit them today off John Marshall Highway and on Facebook.

For more news from across the Shenandoah Valley, click here.

 

Warren County’s Sheriff is appointed to a statewide task force against Fentanyl and Heroin

Used by permission by the Warren County Office employee Sergeant Terry Fritts

The Warren County Sheriff’s Office reports that Sheriff Crystal M. Cline has been appointed to the Virginia Task Force on Fentanyl and Heroin Enforcement.

With the appointment, Sheriff Cline will represent the Virginia Sheriff’s Association as a part of the task force.

Sheriff Cline since before her election to sheriff, held command oversight of narcotics operations for more than six years.

Since her election to sheriff Cline has returned Warren County Sheriff’s Office to the Northwest Virginia Regional Drug and Gang Task Force.

Sheriff Cline recognizes that disrupting the drug supply requires a coordinated regional effort.

The appointment to the task force gives Warren County a direct voice at the state level and Sheriff Cline looks forward to working with colleagues across the state and bringing knowledge back to the county according to the press release.

The task force brings members of the House of Delegates and Senate designated members of the Attorney General’s Office, secretary of Public Safety, Homeland Security, and law enforcement together in the fight against fentanyl and heroin.

Fentanyl is the deadliest drug threat facing every community.

One dose smaller than a grain of salt can kill.

The drug is increasingly pressed into counterfeit pills or mixed into other drugs without the user’s knowledge.

No family in Warren County is beyond its reach according to the press release.

For more news from across the Shenandoah Valley, click here.

ACSO arrest a man for inappropriate behavior with a juvenile

Augusta County Sheriff's Office ACSO. Used by permission of Augusta County Sheriff's Assistant Sarah Blackwell

The Augusta County Sheriff’s Office reports the arrest of an adult male involved in inappropriate behavior with a juvenile and more.

Allegations were lodged against the adult to the ACSO on September 19.

Following the allegations interviews were conducted and information was gathered and a suspect was identified.

Colin Scott Kelly from Verona was arrested on September 22 and charged with aggravated sexual battery and one count of abduction.

The 62-year-old Kelly is currently incarcerated at the Middle River Regional Jail without bond.

Anyone who may have had an inappropriate encounter with Kelly is encouraged to contact the ACSO at 540-245-5333.

For more news from across the Shenandoah Valley, click here.

A Virginia Hunger Study shows more than half of Virginia families are food insucure

News to know valley graphic created by Royal Broadcasting employee Brooke Greene used by permission

The results of a recent Virginia Hunger Study shows that 1 in 3 households in the Blue Ridge region were food insecure between May 2025 and May 2026.

One in 3 children in the region experience food insecurity during the same period.

The study also found that 4 in 10 households were food insecure defined as all members of a household consistently lack enough food to sustain an active healthy life.

The findings are striking but not surprising according to Blue Ridge Area Food Bank CEO Kari Diener in an email.

Diener went on to state families across the region are working hard but wages aren’t keeping up with rising costs.

Parents are skipping meals, older adults are choosing between groceries and medication, and too many children are going without balanced meals.

Food banks distributed 33 million pounds more food than ever last year.

Charitable food alone can help but is not able to close the gap according to Diener.

Strong partnerships smart policy and community support of operations like Camping for Hunger are needed to help close the gap.

These efforts will help ensure that every family in the Blue Ridge can count on consistent access to nutritious food.

Nutritious foods is one of the founding principles of Front Royal Warren County C-CAP operation and without the support of the community and the Camping for Hunger Campaign the efforts would be hard to accomplish.

For more news from across the Shenandoah Valley, click here.

SCSO arrest a Mount Jackson man following a cyber tip

Shenandoah County Sheriff's Office

The Shenandoah County Sheriff’s Office (SCSO) reports the arrest of a Mount Jackson man involved in inappropriate materials regarding children.

After receiving an online cyber tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children network on September 11 the arrest was made.

An online account traced to Mount Jackson showed indications of discussions of sexual abuse of children and the shearing of images.

The SCSO was able to trace the computer to Mount Jackson resident Jeremy Michael Litten.

A search warrant was executed in the 2000 block of Crooked Run Road Mount Jackson September 22.

The 42-year-old Litten was arrested and charged with possession of child pornography and reproduction of child pornography with intent to distribute.

Litten was transported to the Rappahannock Shenandoah Warren Regional Jail and is being held without bond.

For more news from across the Shenandoah Valley, click here.

News Makers Lisa Wilbanks and Aaron Miller on Fire Prevention Week activities

Fire prevention week begins October 4 and the Warren County Fire and Rescue Department is ready as usual.

We spoke to Lieutenants Lisa Wilbanks and Aaron Miller about the week’s activities in our latest news maker.

News makers are sponsored by Warren County.

Experience Warren County Where History, Nature, and Family Come together.

First Lisa tells us about the activities planned for October 4 11 to 1 at the Fire Hall on Commerce Avenue in Front Royal.

Sher not only tells us about the live fire demonstration she also tells us about a new edition made possible by the Rotary Club of Front Royal.

Lisa also tells us the theme for the week this year, which is all about the dangers of Lithium-Ion batteries.

Aaron goes into detail about the dangers of the batters and current construction issues that cause fires to move faster.

Click here for Lisa and Aaron’s latest news maker.

For more news from across the Shenandoah Valley, click here.

The Duke’s Preview: Warren County vs James Wood

9/25/26 Front Royal, VA- Warren County welcomes James Wood to Wildcat Country for tonight’s Hike Kidz Foundation Game of the Week c/o Brickhouse Bar and Grill on The River 95.3, Fox Sports 1450, TheRiver953.com and The River 95.3 app with coverage starting at 6:30 pm for the Tana Hoffman Pregame Show followed by kick-off at 7 pm.

Both teams are coming off their biggest games of the season so far in Week 4.

James Wood went to Sherando for a battle of unbeaten cross-county rivals and came up just short after fumbling at the 2 yard line on a potential game tying score.

Warren County travelled to Kettle Run and came home with one of the biggest upsets in program history, 35-28 against Kettle Run in overtime to spoil the Cougars homecoming.

Now they will both need to turn the page for a matchup which includes two of the most explosive offenses in the Valley.

James Wood’s offense enters the matchup averaging 54 points per game and over 500 yards of total offense behind Sr QB Owen Neal

Neal does it all for James Wood, whether it’s dropping dimes down the field or rushing for hard fought yards between the tackles.

While Owen Neal has established himself as the top QB in the region, but you may be surprised to see how similar WCHS QB Bryce Bergmann and Neal’s stats are when comparing them side by side.

Neal enters the ball game as the area leader with 1,084 passing yards on 54/75 attempts, 11 TDs, and 1 INT.

Bergmann is just behind him with 956 yards on 54/79 attempts, 10 TDs, and 1 INT.

The next closest QBs in yardage are Skyline’s Brently Grindle with 775 yds then Handley’s Triston Darling with 547 yards.

Look for Bergmann and Neal to continue to distance themselves from the pack as the season progresses.

Both QBs have deep receiving corps and good OL play to allow time for their receivers to get open down field.

James Wood has three receivers with over 12 catches and 270 yards and the group is led by Aidric Yurish with 22 receptions, 415 yards, and 4 TDs,

WR Xavier Price had the best game of his career vs Warren County last year and finished with 5 receptions for 5 touchdowns and 238 yards.

The Cats are much improved from last year’s club that only won 2 games, but have they improved enough to defeat a team that won 72-6 last year?

Warren County will enter the matchup with as much confidence as a Wildcat team has had under Coach Josh Breeden after knocking off Class 3 Powerhouse Kettle Run, but James Wood will be playing with a chip on their shoulder after falling to Sherando last week.

I look for Warren County and James Wood to exchange scores through the first half and don’t be surprised to see the Cats leading early as they enter the game with momentum in front of what should be a great Hall of Fame Night crows.

But eventually, James Wood’s advantage with depth and the additional size that comes with being a Class 4 school will be too much for the Wildcats that are dropping down to Class 2 next season, James Wood 49- Warren County 41.

For a preview of all the Week 5 matchups and a look back to last week, check out the latest Sports Dogs Podcast HERE.

Shenandoah River Report: 9-25-26

With Virginia’s Free Fishing Weekend upon us, Mark Frondorf has some tips for snagging those Smallmouth Bass! Brought to you by Front Royal Outdoors, where Don Roberts can show you some prime fishing spots. Visit FRO at https://frontroyaloutdoors.com