Category: Harrisonburg Issues
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City spending on incarceration continues to climb
Harrisonburg’s total cost to prosecute, try and incarcerate people has risen by $1.8 million – roughly 29 percent – over the past five years, according to city finance documents.
As Habana Cafe nears opening, owner hopes to carry on Artful Dodger’s legacy
The Habana Cafe — the newest addition to Harrisonburg’s nightlife scene, and one with a distinct Latin flair — could open as early as Saturday in the place of one of the city’s longtime institutions, the Artful Dodger.
Tricky negotiations on city schools’ solar project near resolution, though total size now significantly smaller
A high-profile solar project put forth by the Harrisonburg City Public Schools (HCPS) is one step closer to being finalized after a months-long, three-way dance between the school board, solar developer Secure Futures, and the Harrisonburg Electric Commission (HEC).
Efforts to change how Virginia public universities ask about prospective students’ criminal histories spread to JMU
Two-thirds of former inmates stop filling out college applications when they see a question about criminal history, according to one survey. Now a student group at JMU is working to change that, and JMU is tweaking how it asks about criminal histories of prospective students — all an offshoot of broader efforts in Virginia and across the country.
Council backs off intersection ordinance after torrent of public concern about its effect on those who rely on panhandling
City council members voted unanimously to table a proposed ordinance that would prohibit pedestrians from lingering in the medians at seven major intersections, after a heated public discussion that stretched Tuesday’s meeting beyond four-and-a-half hours.
Justice planner included in proposed city budget that will get a public hearing at tonight’s council meeting
A tiny fraction of the proposed $274 million city budget amounts to a big deal for community groups that have been calling for reforms in the local criminal justice system.
After Southview fire, calls for changes to building code – and lingering resentment over a previous fire safety ordinance
The aftermath of the fire has triggered anew a disagreement between the City of Harrisonburg, state legislators and lobbyists for the apartment management industry over a city ordinance that was enacted in 2015 and, prompted several bills in the General Assembly and became the subject of a legal battle that lasted more than a year.