Author: Ryan Alessi
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Ryan Alessi, Publisher
Ryan mostly focused on covering state politics and government in Virginia’s former county of Kentucky from 2003 – 2014. Before that, he was a reporter for the now-defunct Scripps Howard News Service in Washington, D.C. In 2016, he followed his wife to Harrisonburg, where he teaches journalism and media classes at James Madison University. You can reach Ryan at [email protected]
How will 2020 shape Hburg’s future? Let’s play Twenty Questions
And so it begins. Hopes for and speculation about the future abound, as does list-making for a fresh year. As we set off for the next 12 months, get ready for plenty of “20/20 vision” references. In that spirit, here are 20 questions (in no particular order) for 2020 that address issues that will likely shape Harrisonburg for the next decade and beyond.
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JMU students press legislative candidates on guns, energy and money
Speaking to JMU students Monday evening, Republican Del. Tony Wilt and Democratic challenger Brent Finnegan repeatedly — but politely — drew bright lines between their positions on promoting renewable energy, helping raise wages and accepting campaign donations from corporations.
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Harrisonburg schools and HEC in talks for a solar project partnership
The Harrisonburg City Public Schools and the Harrisonburg Electric Commission are in the early stages of teaming up on a solar project that would allow students to learn about renewable energy up close.
HEC backs off electricity rate cut, but looks ahead to new transparency measures
Coming changes in what Dominion Energy charges for wholesale electricity prompted the Harrisonburg Electric Commission to abandon a proposal to cut customers’ electricity rates.
Harrisonburg’s electric utility is charting a roadmap to encourage solar power. What are the options?
After deciding earlier this summer on a policy to continue crediting customerswho install solar panels, the members of the Harrisonburg Electric Commission made it clear that their conversation about solar energy’s future in Harrisonburg wasn’t done — but was just starting.
Harrisonburg Electric Commission will consider making its first rate cut in more than four decades
The Harrisonburg Electric Commission could decide as early as next month whether to cut its rates by 3 percent, potentially saving the average residential customers more than $30 a year on their electricity bills.
‘More accountability than I’ve ever seen in a court.’ How restorative justice is embedded in the Harrisonburg Police Department
On a bright fall afternoon, Officer Jason Hensley was on patrol, riding through Harrisonburg in an unmarked cruiser with a trainee officer at the wheel. Hensley had rolled down the passenger side window to take in the cool breeze and casually draped his arm against the outside of the door. The car had just passed a wooded area when Hensley heard a sharp crack.
School board and Secure Futures fail to reach deal on building the largest solar array for a Virginia public school district
The deal is off between the Harrisonburg City Public Schools and solar company Secure Futures, LLC, to build the largest solar array for a Virginia public school system. The school system’s leaders and the solar company couldn’t agree on the terms and ultimately broke off negotiations last month, according to documents The Citizen received through a request under the Virginia Public Records Act.
