Gretchen Eichenberg

Gretchen Eichenberg

Writer • Reporter • Storyteller


Fox News •

Teen may have set Ohio fishing record for 101-pound blue catfish: 'Bigger than we ever imagined'

A 15-year-old girl from New Richmond may have broken an Ohio state record on Sunday, April 7, for the largest blue catfish, with the monster weighing in at a whopping 101.11 pounds. "He was bigger than we ever imagined," Jaylynn Parker, a sophomore at New Richmond High School, told Fox News Digital. Parker and her family put out jug lines in a creek off the Ohio River around 8 p.m. the evening before the big catch.
Fox News •

Texas shelter dog becomes impressive police K-9 as he combats fentanyl crisis

A shelter dog has found a new mission in life as a drug-sniffing police K-9 — a transformation that took place just months after the pup was rescued from the streets of Fort Worth, Texas. "If you talk to me in five years, I guarantee you we're going to have kilos of records to reflect his service to the city," Sgt. Charles Hubbard of the Fort Worth Police Department told Fox News Digital. Rock, a long and dark-coated German shepherd mix, is part of narcotics detection operations that have take
Fox News •

Rare star explosion expected to be 'once-in-a-lifetime viewing opportunity,' NASA officials say

Another special cosmic event is to occur this year, and it could be a "once-in-a-lifetime viewing opportunity," according to NASA. It’s a nova explosion located in a star system 3,000 light years away from Earth and astronomers predict it will be visible to the "unaided eye" sometime in 2024. "Unfortunately, we don't know the timing of this as well as we know the eclipse," Bill Cooke, lead for NASA's Meteoroid Environment Office (MEO) at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alaba
Fox News •

Florida girl, 12, hooks multiple fishing records in a few short months: 'On a roll'

An adventure-loving tween from Miami landed two state records and three world records (with one pending) while fishing off the Florida Keys earlier this year — reeling in sizable cobia, a snapper and a grouper that any fisherman would be proud to catch. This weekend, Julia Bernstein, age 12, will accept the Fleming Species Award, the highest junior honor, from the International Women’s Fishing Association for catching and releasing 37 different species of fish in 2023. "Once she is hooked up t
Fox News •

Texas couple says 'I do' in 100% totality during solar eclipse: 'Just magical'

A Central Texas couple exchanged vows under the fading afternoon light of the Great American Solar Eclipse on April 8, just as it approached 100% totality. "It was powerful," the groom, Kelby Noack of Waco, Texas, told Fox News Digital. "It was awesome." When Noack, 35, a medical sales representative, and Giselle Vento, 33, a music teacher, got engaged three months ago, they felt the stars had aligned in their favor.
Fox News •

Connecticut police officer forms strong bond with baby girl he saved five years ago: 'We're family'

The strong bond between a Connecticut police officer and a baby girl whose life he saved five years ago continues to shine a light on the power of human connection over all else — including people's individual backgrounds and races, he said. "Everybody’s lives changed for the better that night — especially mine," Det. Michael Harton of the North Haven, Connecticut Police Department told Fox News Digital. "We’re all human. We get so involved in the drama of the world. It’s nice to be able to ta
Fox News •

Florida man, 77, recounts saving his own dog from an alligator's jaws: 'I had my hands in his mouth'

A strong body and sharp mind gave a 77-year-old Florida man the ability to save his faithful furry companion from the jaws of an alligator — the two of them escaping with injuries, but living to tell the story as gator mating season approaches and standoffs between humans and gators hit recent headlines. "I couldn't watch that creature kill my dog," Art Auwaerter of Moore Haven, Florida, told Fox News Digital. "I had no choice. I had to do something."
Fox News •

Ohio woman, 94, sets out to visit all 7 continents with her grandson's help: 'Always think positive'

A 94-year-old adventurer — who made headlines last year for being the oldest person to visit all 63 U.S. National Parks — just returned from Chile and the Galápagos Islands on her newest quest: to conquer all seven continents. "When you get to a certain age, everybody starts saying, ‘Oh, you can't do that. You're too old to do that kind of thing," Joy Ryan of Duncan Falls, Ohio, told Fox News Digital in an interview. "Just tell them to jump in the river and be positive. Give it a try. If you d
Fox News •

Woman vows to keep her grandparents' Holocaust stories alive: 'The pain in their eyes was visible'

Loving eyes, warm hugs and a happy life. That’s what Deborah Kalkoene remembers most about growing up with grandparents who were Holocaust survivors. But the arms that gave her those hugs were tattooed with numbers — 175399 and 81774 — marking them as the property of the Nazi regime, a subject that would never come up in conversation but one that Kalkoene later decided would be her life’s work to share. "They did not want to burden their children and grandchildren with their pain and sorrow,"
Fox News •

Massachusetts library will accept unique alternative to overdue book fees: 'People are struggling'

Lost a library book? It doesn’t have to be a cat-tastrophe. At least not during the month of March in Worcester, Massachusetts. A library there will scratch certain fees off a book borrower’s record in exchange for a picture of the person's cat — or any cat, for that matter. The goal is to encourage people to read and visit the library, even if they owe money for a lost or damaged book. "People are str
Fox News •

Military mom surprised with graduation message from her son deployed at border: 'I started to cry'

A mom was overcome with emotion when she got a surprise message during her college graduation from her son who is currently on duty at the Texas-Mexico border. "My mama heart was bursting," Jennifer Duggin, 50, of Woodbury, Tennessee, told Fox News Digital. "I was not expecting that at all, and I do not like to be the center of attention, but when Will popped up there on the screen, I started to cry. It completely surprised me."
Fox News •

Taylor Swift fans are upset over unofficial merch crackdown: 'Such a bummer'

With her fourth Grammy under her belt and the announcement of her next album, "The Tortured Poets Department," Taylor Swift’s stock has never been higher — and sellers of unofficial merch are looking to get in on the action. But users on the Reddit thread r/TaylorSwiftMerch say that’s getting harder to do as shoppers and sellers report they've experienced canceled orders and online stores disappearing. "I want to buy an ornament from Etsy, but I’ve heard Taylor is closing shops," one person co
Fox News •

Tennessee professor reveals story of her late husband, a Holocaust survivor, amid today's antisemitism

As reports of antisemitism on American college campuses continue to swirl since the Oct. 7 Hamas terror attacks on Israel, one piano professor at Tennessee Tech University in Cookeville, Tennessee, has been finding her own way through the issue. She's spent her career working to educate and inform students — through music and thoughtful conversation — as she promotes a better understanding of the history of the Jewish people. She works to counter antisemitism as well.
Fox News •

Kentucky couple adopts baby surrendered at fire station: 'God's hand is absolutely in this'

A baby boy who was surrendered at a Kentucky fire station nearly two years ago was officially adopted last month — a milestone his parents said they'd hoped and prayed for ever since they first learned about him. "This is just an amazing story of grace being shown," Chris Tyler, 43, of Louisville told Fox News Digital. "From a loving mother to a little baby and then to us as well. God's hand is absolutely in this."
Fox News •

California bride donates nonrefundable $15K reception after calling off her wedding

An anonymous woman in California turned the unthinkable into the unforgettable last month when, instead of cutting a cake and tossing a bouquet, she donated her wedding reception to charity. "I was incredibly touched that a bride, facing an extremely stressful and difficult situation, was willing to look past her own pain and consider how to use the significant financial deposit for the wedding to bring joy to others," Maria Daane, executive director of Parents Helping Parents (PHP), the San Jo
Fox News •

Oklahoma veteran, 101, cries tears of joy as he meets great-great-granddaughter in viral TikTok

Tears flowed from the eyes of a 101-year-old World War II veteran who met his great-great-grandchild for the first time — a moment that was captured in a touching video that has received over 6 million views on TikTok. "To me, he is the definition of a true American hero," Lexie Fowler, 25, of Asher, Oklahoma, told Fox News Digital about her great-grandfather, Dewey Muirhead. "Just to be able to watch your great-grandfather hold your own child is something I'll never forget. A lot of people do
Fox Business •

Virginia woman who went viral after cheap Goodwill vase sold for $100K speaks out: 'Changed my life'

It was just another day of thrift store shopping for Jessica Vincent, 43, of Lynchburg, Virginia — until it wasn’t. She spent $3.99 on a vase that caught her eye at Goodwill and wound up selling it for more than $100,000 — a thrill that she said changed her life. "It's a really special piece, and it will always have a special place in my heart and in my life," Vincent told Fox News Digital in an interview.
Fox News •

Dog shocks Pennsylvania family by chowing down on $4K in cash: 'Shredded all over the room'

A Pennsylvania couple’s home improvement funds nearly went to the dogs when their pup made a snack out of a large sum of cash they'd pulled out to pay for the job. "It was shredded all over the room," Carrie Law of Pittsburgh told Fox News Digital about the money. "There was one area that was pretty decently covered in bills, some that had little puncture marks from him biting into it," she said of their dog. "And a lot of it was missing, so we kind of figured out that he had probably swallowe
Fox Business •

'The Elf on the Shelf' brand's magical story started with co-founder's family and its own Christmas elf

Santa’s sneaky elves donned in red suits with crisp white collars have been making chocolaty messes on kitchen counters and dangling dangerously from Christmas tree branches — all while unsuspecting children are sleeping. "Families and children look to us to be the voice of the North Pole," Christa Pitts, founder and co-CEO of the Lumistella Co., maker of The Elf on the Shelf, told FOX Business. "They write us, they call us, they send us letters, they contact us through social media — any way
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