Category: Harrisonburg Issues
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General Assembly debates mandatory prison time for students who make certain school threats
While some say different circumstances call for different outcomes, a bill now moving through the General Assembly would create a mandatory prison sentence for certain kinds of threats made against schools in Virginia. Though the law is a response to the increase in threats made against schools in parts of Virginia, local school administrators say they have not seen an increase in Harrisonburg and Rockingham County.
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Area food banks prepare to fill coming ‘SNAP gap’ as a result of the 35-day government shutdown
Weeks after the government shutdowns ended, food banks and pantries in Harrisonburg are bracing for a spike in demand this month to respond to what’s called “the S.N.A.P. gap.” This “gap” is another ripple effect from the 35-day federal government shutdown that ended Jan. 26.
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Scooter companies will have to provide money and data to operate in Hburg. Meanwhile, HEC appointment saga isn’t over yet.
The Harrisonburg City Council once again postponed completing its appointments to the Harrisonburg Electric Commission by filling only one of two spots at Tuesday’s meeting, but it did unanimously approve a one-year pilot program to regulate sharable scooters and bikes. City Attorney Chris Brown presented the one-year “pilot project” for the permitting of Bird and Lime-S electric scooters that have flooded the city since last fall.
School board moves ahead with approach that could save money and time on new high school construction
The Harrisonburg City School Board unanimously passed a resolution in a special meeting Monday morning to consider an unsolicited proposal from Nielsen Builders, Inc., to oversee both the design and construction of the new high school. This proposal, if accepted, could lower the cost and speed up the school’s completion.
Local supporters of Equal Rights Amendment prepare to ratchet up the volume for passage in Virginia
Supporters of the Equal Rights Amendment maintain that it is imperative that the U.S. incorporate inclusive language into its constitution and are frustrated that it has taken this long to pass. Now, local proponents are looking turn up the pressure unless the House reconsiders. “If it is not passed in the House, we regroup,” said Sylvia Rogers, a retired JMU professor and co-vice president of public policy for the American Association of University Women of Virginia.
Drowning in milk: The plight of a family-owned Virginia dairy farm
Dan Myers steps out of his white Ford F-350 and onto the muddy ground just as the morning light begins to illuminate his family’s dairy farm, Walkup Holsteins. In the partially-covered pavilion in front of him, more than 30 pregnant dry cows lay on beds of straw and wood shavings. At the milking parlor on the other side of the farm, Dan’s wife Charlotte, 77, and their daughter Teresa Callender, 53, are around halfway through milking the cows, a process that they started just after 5 a.m.
Strained by overcrowding, Middle River Regional Jail begins planning for expansion
The Middle River Regional Jail Authority took a first step this week toward expanding its overcrowded facility in Verona, by voting unanimously to hire Moseley Architects to conduct a needs assessment for the jail. The move comes as jail officials have warned that overcrowding in the jail is having a ripple effect on both the facilities’ budget and infrastructure.
School board considers whether boosting amount of sick pay buyout at retirement will discourage teacher absences
The Harrisonburg City School Board is considering increasing the amount retired teachers could receive for unused sick days but will continue to debate the merits of the proposal during a future work session.
