Author: Calvin Pynn
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Calvin Pynn, Contributor
Calvin Pynn is a freelance reporter based in Harrisonburg, Virginia, primarily covering local politics and other issues in the city for The Citizen. He is also a reporter for WMRA Public Radio along with a few of his friends at The Citizen, and is also the Adviser for James Madison University's student-run radio station, WXJM. Calvin grew up in the New River Valley and attended Radford University, where he was a Producer and On-Air Talent for WVRU, and the Arts & Entertainment Editor for the school's newspaper, The Tartan. Since graduating in 2012, his work has appeared in The Roanoke Times, The Southwest Times, the Daily News-Record, and as part of a reporting project for WQSV 106.3 FM in Staunton. Aside from that, Calvin is a relentless music nerd who plays guitar, collects vinyl, and supports local bands.
United Way releases new ALICE Report, into COVID’s shadow
According to the United Way’s just-released 2020 ALICE Report, 61% of households in Harrisonburg struggle to make ends meet. While that represents a 4% drop from the first ALICE report, published in 2017, it does not factor in the pandemic’s effects. In any case, Harrisonburg still has one of the highest rates of ALICE households in Virginia.
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Community agencies prepare for “tsunami” of evictions in Harrisonburg following moratorium end
Winnette Dickerson was still adjusting to life in the pandemic at the beginning of April, when she lost her job, fell behind on rent and found herself facing eviction – an experience that felt like being “tied upside down.”
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As city voting patterns change, two council candidates face an increasingly difficult task: win as non-Democrats
If a decade-long trend holds true, two candidates in this year’s five-way race for three seats on the Harrisonburg City Council will face longer odds than the three Democratic nominees chosen earlier this year.
Plans for Elkton Black Lives Matter protest sparked controversy on social media and debate at Monday’s town council
After a closed-session discussion, the Elkton Town Council ultimately voted 5-1 Monday night to approve a permit that will allow a high school student-led Black Lives Matter protest on Wednesday. Plans for the event had touched off a social media-fueled controversy after a Facebook post calling for armed counter-protesters went viral over the past several days.
Emailed and mailed ballots fuel record turnout for local Democrats as they picked their council nominees
Harrisonburg Democrats had their biggest-ever turnout for a primary over weekend, as that party’s voters selected Mayor Deanna Reed and two newcomers — Charles Hendricks and Laura Dent — as their nominees for the three city council seats on the ballot this fall.
Reed, Hendricks & Dent win Democratic primary for city council
According to results announced Saturday evening by the Harrisonburg Democratic Committee, Mayor Deanna Reed, along with political newcomers Charles Hendricks and Laura Dent, have been chosen as the Democratic nominees for City Council in the November election.
COVID-19 testing increases in Virginia, but officials still can’t provide testing rate in Harrisonburg
The ability to test for COVID-19 and the accessibility of testing are increasing in Virginia this month, health department officials said Wednesday. The Virginia Department of Health held a teleconferenced press briefing Wednesday and reported that capacity has steadily increased over the last few weeks between public health, hospital and commercial labs, said Michael Keatts, the Virginia Department of Health’s Northwest emergency health coordinator.
Democratic council candidates carve out slight differences over approaches toward housing, JMU and the golf course’s fate
The candidates seeking the Democratic nominations for this fall’s city council election signaled a general agreement on big-picture issues, such as supporting education and working to encourage affordable housing, although they each sought to differentiate themselves over how they’d prioritize certain approaches.
