With public’s input, first master plan for downtown begins taking shape
The closed gas station on the southeast corner of West Market and South Mason streets should be turned into a pocket park. Something needs to be done to attract pedestrians north of Court Square. And murals should be added to the abundance of blank wall space on buildings. Those are some of the comments city officials and consultants have received since March, when they asked for the public’s input on how downtown Harrisonburg should develop over the next two decades.
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Statewide environmental news roundup – November 2021
Several Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP) protesters faced a judge in late October and were convicted on misdemeanor charges and fined. Both the State Water Control Board (WCB) and the US Army Corps of Engineers are considering whether to grant what’s called a “401” water crossing permit; this opinion writer from the non-profit Mothers Out Front said the WCB should not approve it. The non-profit Wild Virginia hosted an almost 3-hour citizen ‘public hearing” (because the WCB and VA’s DEQ refused to do so). An appeals court heard arguments in a lawsuit asking the courts to strike down key MVP permits; the court could issue its decision by the end of this year. All this as the pipeline is nearing completion despite hurdles.
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Backstage at the Food Pantry
The group gathered on the loading dock in the back of the warehouse at Blue Ridge Area Food Bank’s headquarters in Verona.
By sifting through surveys and looking for common ground, school board prepares to make its decision about SROs
After the School Resource Officer Task Force returned from 10 months of work with essentially a hung jury on the issue of keeping police officers in schools, Harrisonburg’s school board members are now parsing the various recommendations to find a path forward.
Community Perspective: Reconsidering Books— Protecting Students and Their Right to Read
By Sandra Parks, NBCT, Retired Teacher Librarian
Recently there has been a lot of attention paid to censorship attempts in schools across the nation. Sometimes a ban is requested or demanded for whole lists or categories of books or sometimes an individual book, while some parents are vocalizing that they don’t feel they have a say.
He lets the good times roll
“I don’t like that. That’s not my deal. I like excellence.”
Local pantry for feminine hygiene products to open
One day at Riverside Family Support in Harrisonburg, director Carrie Landis met with a client who was experiencing homelessness and asked for toilet paper. The woman told Landis that she used the toilet paper in place of a feminine hygiene product.
Parks, childcare and the Northeast Neighborhood top council’s funding priorities
Making improvements to the Northeast Neighborhood, funding childcare programs and upgrading parks and recreation facilities topped city council members’ priority list for how to use the $23.8 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds Harrisonburg will receive.
Decision to pull graphic novel from school library now under review
After removing the graphic novel “Gender Queer: A Memoir” from Harrisonburg High School’s library shelves last week, Superintendent Michael Richards said he is assembling a special committee to review his decision.
