Eagles shot

These incidents all happened on the other side of West Virginia, far away from the Ohio River, but they still make me angry.

A few morons are shooting bald eagles. At least four in West Virginia have died of gunshot wounds so far this year, according to this article in The Charleston Gazette.

Eagles have returned to the Ohio River to next in winter time, although I've not been blessed yet to see one. But I've heard they're in the Parkersburg area up and in one or two spots below Portsmouth, Ohio, at least. I look forward to seeing one this coming winter, and I think I might know a secluded spot where I'm likely to find one. I've also been told one has nested at the Robert C. Byrd Locks and Dam.

Back in the late 1970s or early 1980s, I heard that a pair was nesting in the part of Gallia County, Ohio, where I grew up. I also heard that a local said he wanted to find them and shoot them. Why? Because they were there, I guess. And that was the last that I heard about eagles in Gallia County, Ohio.

A Cincinnati bridge and a Pittsburgh fountain

It's been years if not decades since I've crossed the Brent Spence Bridge in Cincinnati. From what I've been reading, I'm glad of that. Consider this paragraph from this article on cincinnati.com:

The Brent Spence Bridge was designed to carry 80,000 vehicles per day. Today, average daily traffic is 172,000 vehicles, according to the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet. Volume is expected to grow to 230,000 vehicles by 2035.

And judging from the rest of the article, relief would cost billions and is a decade or two away, at least.

###

I've been to downtown Pittsburgh only once in my life. It's one of those places where I'm always telling myself I'm going to go back, but time and money -- particularly money -- always get in the way. The one time I was there was on a late Sunday afternoon about 25 years ago. A lot of people were at the park there at the Point, and kids were playing in the big fountain there.

The fountain has been shut down for some time, but it looks like it could flow again in a couple of years. My time in Pittsburgh that day was limited, but it seemed to my visiting eyes that the park at the Point and the fountain were two of the best things about the area. I'm glad to see the fountain will be returning.

The only thing I wonder is if the rebuild will be done to keep kids out. Health regulations might designate a fountain large enough to kids to play in as a swimming pool -- seriously -- meaning city and state officials won't want the expense or the liability. We'll have to see.