Tag: local economy
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Early signs point to a return of tourism to the Valley this summer
Early tourism numbers in the Shenandoah Valley are pointing to a return to normal as destination spots like Massanutten Resort prepare for larger crowds.
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They pushed ahead with their dreams in a pandemic. Here’s what they’ve learned.
Despite all the uncertainty — economic and otherwise — that the pandemic created over the last year, some Harrisonburg-area residents chose to follow their dreams and turn their passions into businesses. While launching a new business is always a learning experience, even for seasoned entrepreneurs, doing so amid these conditions have inspired a unique set of lessons learned.
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Area delegates say strong economy key to helping vulnerable residents
At a virtual town hall held just prior to the start of the 2021 General Assembly session, two area delegates told local nonprofit service providers that a strong economy holds the key to resolving economic challenges facing many in the community – including improved employment opportunities, a dearth of affordable housing, child care availability, food insecurity and more.
School tech and suffering businesses and residents are in line for shares of Hburg’s CARES funds
Purchasing school technology for online learning, providing relief for local businesses and residents and covering some costs of delaying construction on the second high school are at the forefront of the draft for how the city could spend $4.6 million in federal COVID-19 relief funds.
Out of necessity, restaurants adapt public spaces for outdoor seating. Will that spark a broader conversation for the future?
After expanding outdoor seating to the adjacent parking lot, Jack Brown’s Beer and Burger Joint and Billy Jack’s Shack have hosted more guests outside while maintaining six-feet of distance between tables. And, in the process, it’s inspiring a wider conversation about reimagining public spaces in downtown Harrisonburg through the pandemic and beyond.
As pandemic’s fiscal impact becomes painfully clear, city announces layoffs and other cost-saving measures
By March 13, when the health department announced Harrisonburg’s first positive test for COVID-19 and local schools were on a one-day closure that soon extended through the academic year, it was clear that the pandemic’s effects on public health and the economy would be dramatic. On Monday, city staff put some first numbers to that bleak picture in a late-afternoon press release: local tax revenue will fall an estimated $4 million short of projections for this fiscal year, which ends June 30.
In conference call, Sen. Warner hears about successful steps and continued anxiety over COVID-19 in Hburg
On April 29, six weeks after the passage of the federal CARES Act, Sen. Mark Warner (D) spoke by phone with several business and community leaders in Harrisonburg, including Mayor Deanna Reed and JMU President Jonathan Alger. The virtual meeting was one in a series of calls Warner has been holding with leaders across Virginia to hear how their communities have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
