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Community Perspective: Apparently, we were not clear before.
Community Perspective submission by Corey Chandler:
We have heard from City Council and members of the criminal justice system the exuberant amount of money the city and Rockingham County pays to house inmates in Middle River Regional Jail for the Department of Corrections. These DOC inmates are waiting for transfers to state facilities and are held at MRRJ in the meantime, at expense to both the taxpayer and themselves.
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Community Perspective: We Deserve The Truth
Community Perspective submission by Hilary Moore:
Truth is more than just the absence of lies. It is provision of all relevant facts in an unbiased and digestible manner. This is what our community deserves, particularly when the information presented is relevant to the current conversation about potentially dedicating $39.4 million of taxpayers’ money towards a jail expansion.
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‘There is no need for your student to quarantine at this time’ … or is there?
When someone tests positive for COVID-19 in Harrisonburg City Schools, it starts a chain reaction in which the schools, relying on contact tracing, notify the families of students who might have been exposed or in close contact. But that process isn’t always perfect, as one parent found out.
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For those far behind on city utility bills, a cutoff could be coming — but there are resources to help
The city council has approved resuming gas and water utility disconnects starting Nov. 1 for those who stopped paying their bills, but the city is offering payment arrangements for those with long overdue utility payments over a nine month period.
City leaders call for lobbying effort to stop Harrisonburg from having to pay for state inmates
While the rate of Harrisonburg and Rockingham County residents incarcerated at the local jail and Middle River Regional Jail has remained fairly flat since 2014, the city is having to cover the cost of more state inmates who have no connection to this community but are being housed at the regional jail.
Pandemic’s ripple effects continue as city manager announces resignation
Citing a need to restore a more sustainable work-life balance, Harrisonburg City Manager Eric Campbell announced Monday he will resign at the end of the year.
Service dogs (and miniature horses) have their own policies in city schools
The Harrisonburg School Board is continuing to work on its policies allowing various animals, including service and therapy animals, in school buildings.
State environmental news roundup – September 2021
Several Southwest Virginia (SWVA) communities have received funding to support “industrial, agricultural, community development, and tourism” economic development projects to help them transition from a dependence on coal. A Cumberland Plateau Planning District commissioner echoes the value of such projects, arguing that prior efforts have a good track record.
