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Council crafts vision for Hburg to be Valley’s ‘capital’ by 2039 and charts first set of priorities to get there
After first crafting their vision for what they want Harrisonburg to be in 20 years, city council members and top city leaders emerged from their three-day retreat on Sunday with a clearer idea of their priorities — including building the new high school and developing a comprehensive housing plan. Overall, the council members identified 22 priorities during their retreat at Hotel Madison that they hope to act on in the next three years.
Community Perspective: Gov. Northam should resign
When news broke on the first day of Black History Month that Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam had appeared in a photograph wherein one individual portrayed a Klansman and another was in blackface, I was on a personal pilgrimage to the Jamestown Settlement museum in Jamestown, Virginia. The purpose of my visit was simple yet meaningful to me: to honor the lives of those “20 and odd” enslaved Africans whose bondage began the peculiar institution of slavery in the United States of America.
Community Perspective: Working to support mutual sustainability goals
Harrisonburg citizens already know that clean energy helps the city do its part to fight climate change while bringing the Friendly City into the 21st century economy. That’s why Harrisonburg has achieved one of the highest concentrations of solar power installed on homes of any community in Virginia.
On I-81 improvements, legislators detour around tax-or-toll decision and opt for more time
Committees in both chambers of the General Assembly on Thursday approved revised versions of bills by Valley legislators that outline $2.2 billion in needed improvements to I-81 but now no longer explain how to pay for them. The new legislation, which Sen. Mark Obenshain called a “pale shadow of its former self,” was meant to keep I-81 in the foreground of public discussions amid continued disagreement over funding methods.
HEC General Manager explains utility budget shortfall that city schools’ solar project is expected to cause
As reported last week in The Citizen, HEC says the planned schools project will result in a $225,000 net operating loss to its budget – even though the electricity generated by the schools’ solar panels will reduce the amount of electricity HEC buys from Dominion. That’s because HEC doesn’t sell electricity to the city schools, or any of its customers, at the same price it buys it.
Democrat April Moore seeks rematch against Sen. Obenshain in 26th District
Democrat April Moore has announced her run for the 26th state Senate District seat held by Republican Sen. Mark Obenshain. Obenshain defeated Moore in the 2015 general election with more than twice the number of votes— 25,042 to 11,308.
Some scooters might be hibernating — but for how long? The next month will be key for the future of shareable rides.
The scooters showed up suddenly last fall, sparked intense debate and then many of them disappeared when college students left for winter break. Did the “Birds” just migrate? Did city council’s decision to regulate the scooters cause them to fly the coop?
City’s population estimate declines for the first time in more than 40 years
For the first time since Gerald Ford was president, Harrisonburg’s estimated population has decreased – if only ever so slightly. According to figures just released by the University of Virginia’s Weldon Cooper Center, Harrisonburg’s July 1, 2018 population was an estimated 54,606. That’s 83 fewer people than the July 1, 2017 estimate of 54,689, a decrease of 0.2 percent.