Category: Harrisonburg Issues
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One month into new role, criminal justice planner finds ways to affect change — even amid a pandemic
A reverence for comprehensive data, a belief in transformational justice over punishment and a willingness to listen to area stakeholders before taking action are all in J. Frank Sottaceti’s toolbelt as he steps into the newly-created role of Criminal Justice Planner for the city of Harrisonburg and Rockingham County.
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Gus Bus takes its reading adventures for kids online
As educational programs adapt to the changing tides of COVID-19, Harrisonburg’s traveling literacy program that serves elementary school-aged kids has also made the move online.
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Possibly delaying the new high school by a year hints at the city’s tough financial decisions to come
Harrisonburg leaders are looking at a starkly different financial reality now than they were less than four months ago when the city council approved the $100 million needed to build and open a second high school, which has the Harrisonburg School Board considering a one-year delay of its construction.
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Social distancing forces Census advocates to get creative in order to encourage accurate counts
Among its many disruptions, the COVID-19 pandemic has complicated plans for wide-reaching efforts to encourage Harrisonburg and Rockingham County residents to fill out their Census forms, especially considering the amount of federal funding at stake.
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Local seniors navigate social distancing versus social isolation
Seniors at Bridgewater Retirement Community (BRC) haven’t let social distancing make them sluggish, thanks to a batch of iPads purchased by BRC about a year and a half ago. Through Wellzesta, a senior living engagement software, residents are able to interact with their fitness instructors from the comfort and safety of their own rooms.
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Planting time in Port Republic
Over about 20 years, Chris Anderson has planted thousands of trees. Last Friday, she added a few more to that total on a farm near Port Republic. “Oh, I’ve got a beautiful farm with a lot of different slope aspects,” she says. “And gorgeous soil, incredible soil, really deep, rich loamy soil with a lot of earthworms.”
Local food service workers turn to other sources of income
Food service employees have been hit hard by the effects of COVID-19. Now that dining rooms in Harrisonburg are shut down, restaurants have been closing or transitioning to curbside pickup and delivery. Even employees of establishments that are still open have suffered via reduced hours or tips. In a system where most servers are paid less than minimum wage, the lack of customers — and, subsequently, tips — has led to uncertainty about the future among service workers who spoke with The Citizen.
Health officials offer few details about COVID-19 test availability in Hburg — but continue to stress social distancing
On Tuesday, March 17, Elliott started having aches and chills. The next day, he got word that someone he’d been in contact with the prior week had just been diagnosed with COVID-19. And then on that Thursday, Elliott (whose name has been changed to protect his and the COVID-19 patient’s privacy) got a call from the Virginia Department of Health.
