Author: Randi B. Hagi
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Randi B. Hagi, Assistant Editor
Randi's writing and radio reporting has been featured on WMRA News, The Mennonite, Mennonite World Review, and EMU's Crossroads magazine. She also raises muscovy ducks, chickens, and Katahdin sheep. Her roots are in West Virginia, but she can’t seem to let go of Rockingham County. Check out Randi's latest photo work on instagram at @randi_b_hagi_photography.
City news roundup: New school’s cost expected to go up; HEC to end electric rate discounts
Because of building materials’ rising costs, Harrisonburg’s second high school could cost an additional $7.7 million, according to an estimate presented to city and school district leaders Tuesday.
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Partnership offers a path to homeownership and sustainable energy
Charly Ngeleka spent his Friday afternoon on a scaffold, lifting solar panels up to the installation team on the roof. He and another half-dozen volunteers were working on a partially-finished duplex in Harrisonburg, one being built by the Central Valley Habitat for Humanity. When completed, it’ll become Ngeleka’s home.
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This drug keeps changing, it messes people up and it’s in Harrisonburg
Sometimes it makes people agitated. In other cases, it seems to knock them out, making them difficult to wake. Commonly, it produces a zombie-like state. It’s a drug that medical professionals and authorities alike struggle to treat, regulate, and even characterize: synthetic cannabinoids, often referred to as K2 or spice.
Council approves some businesses’ requests, but denies junkyard permit
Several local businesses, including a food truck and a townhome developer, got green lights for special use permits or rezoning, but the city council on Tuesday also denied a permit request for a junkyard.
New high school might open in 2023. But could a funding source make the price go up?
Harrisonburg’s second high school could open its doors in the fall of 2023, if school district administrators, city staff and the contractor can all agree on terms to restart construction in the next two to three months.
End of eviction moratorium could cause ‘tsunami’ of cases
For those who have fallen behind on rent, eviction protections established by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) could still help — for another month, that is. And locally, attorneys who help people facing eviction are bracing for an influx of cases once the CDC’s moratorium expires.
Council approves 4-cent property tax increase for new high school; Mayor says MRRJ expansion is ‘off the table’
The Harrisonburg City Council on Tuesday approved a four-cent increase on the real estate tax rate, which will help restart construction of the new high school — all part of the final version of the city’s nearly $295 million Fiscal Year 2022 budget. Also in Tuesday’s meeting, Mayor Deanna Reed announced why a proposed expansion of Middle River Regional Jail is a no-go.
School district in final stages of revising ‘healthy life skills’ curriculum
A group charged with reviewing changes to the Harrisonburg City Public Schools sexuality and family life curriculum will be surveying parents about proposed revisions, which include emphasizing topics such as pregnancy prevention, gender identity and sexual consent.
