Category: Harrisonburg Issues
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With demand unabated , local groups continue supporting newcomers to the area
When Omar Al Sadoon told the case worker from the Department of Social Services that he wanted work as an electrician, she was incredulous. It was too much, Omar recalls her saying. He needed much better English and training in U.S. electrical standards before he could think about getting a job as an electrical tradesman in Virginia.
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Masks behind bars? Local jail has avoided COVID-19, but some raise concerns about mask use
The Rockingham-Harrisonburg Regional Jail so far hasn’t seen any COVID-19 cases among inmates or staff. But some are concerned about the degree of mask wearing.
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Open Doors reopens Red Front’s doors
From outside, the dark red bricks and scarlet facade of what used to be Red Front Supermarket are unchanged, and the sign bearing the name of the grocery store, which closed last spring, still looms over Chicago Avenue. Inside, though, is a completely different sight than what anyone who had shopped at Red Front for more than 60 years would recognize. In the entrance, bags of donated clothes are piled where the teddy bear claw machine and free newspaper racks stood. The checkout counters have been replaced with shelves stocked with hygiene items and other essentials, while 45 beds extend across what once were grocery aisles.
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Council approves solar farm as well as bonuses for city workers
The Harrisonburg City Council made a few steps toward increasing residents’ access to solar and wind energy on Tuesday night, as council members unanimously approved the lease for a solar farm on the north end of town, and adopted a resolution that aims to have 50% of the city’s electricity come from renewable energy by 2025.
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Local organization advocates for sex-trafficking prevention curriculum in local schools
Sex trafficking occurs in towns and cities all over the United States, and in 2018, the Human Trafficking Institute found that Virginia ranked 6th in the nation for cases of human trafficking. Statistics are hard to come by – oftentimes victims are moved from place to place, or it may be termed prositution if a link to a trafficker cannot be made – advocates say there’s no doubt it is a problem in Harrisonburg as well.
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Pandemic creates added challenges for migrant workers and the farms that employ them
Migrant workers, who would spend this fall picking apples at Turkey Knob Growers’ orchard in Timberville, travelled roughly 50 hours by bus from Monterrey, Mexico, late this summer to get to northern Rockingham County. It’s a trip many have made for years. But in 2020, amid the COVID-19 pandemic, everything seems to come with additional risks.
Oh yeah, there’s a U.S. Senate race in Virginia
Overshadowed by the presidential campaign and other expensive and hotly-contested U.S. Senate contests, both Democratic Sen. Mark Warner and his Republican challenger Daniel Gade seem OK with running in an under-the-radar race.
Housing authority moving forward on plan for voucher flexibility; Mayor urges Halloween safety
Harrisonburg’s housing authority is making progress with the draft of its plan to be part of a federal program that will allow for more flexibility in using federal dollars and more incentives to low-income people in hopes of putting them on a path to “self-sufficiency,” the authority’s leader told the city council Tuesday.
