Stephanie Penn

“Thank you, thank you to all of you,” Youngkin said. “The Valley has been strong.”

On October 17, 2020, an explosion destroyed several businesses in Harrisonburg.

Over the years, City Manager Eric Campbell has been involved in many projects from the Downtown Masterplan to the second high school.

Three halls on the campus were previously named after Confederate military leaders and have been renamed after five individuals who have made a lasting impact on the university.

After the cease-fire between Israel and Hamas, some are looking for more to be done for Palestine.

Jim Gochenour with the Page County Farmers Association said tractors and equipment have gotten bigger over the years, which is efficient for farming but makes it harder to find a safe space to pull off the road.

"We're taking a grassy spot and we're making it beautiful," Everett Brubaker, with the Harrisonburg Redevelopment & Housing Authority, said.

First Presbyterian Church in Harrisonburg had their Easter service through a screen in 2020, but this year they were able to come together.

On Saturday the Easter Bunny took a trip through the Town of Dayton and handed out Easter baskets.

Jeff Heie said energy burden is a problem many Virginian households are facing, and they are hoping to alleviate the stress on some homeowners with this project.

Many in the community and throughout the state are grieving the loss of Officer Winum, some saying they’d never thought something like this would happen in the small town.

The United States officially re-entered the Paris Agreement on Friday. The agreement forms international cooperation to combat climate change.

"There is so much poultry here, you know, the modern turkey was bred and came from this area. With poultry being as large as it is here, we have a pretty big footprint nationally but also globally, so it’s important to make sure you get these poultry producers the assistance that they need,” Brian Carpenter, Program Technician with the Rockingham-Page FSA, said.

“This is just not only a financial reinforcement of the important work that they do, but it’s also to let them know that we really value the work that they do,” Cristina Casado, Director of Community Engagement at the Community Foundation, said.

On Tuesday, Chastity Eppard made a Facebook post asking if any local children needed gifts this year for Christmas on Friday. Days later, the community pulled off Christmas.

Crews started pretreating roads on Tuesday night ahead of Wednesday’s snow. This year, they also have to take into account COVID-19 safety measures while out on the roads.

I mean, you know, we need them, it just makes the town. It’s nice to be able to come in here and see a friendly face, and get some good advice from people that’re experienced,” Joe Sinegra, a customer at “Walkabout Outfitter” in Harrisonburg, said.

From 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday afternoon, community members came to the lodge for a socially distant spaghetti benefit dinner to raise money for Christy Centeno.

“To make this campus safer to express everyone’s opinion, we need to respect each other a little bit,” Dr. Woo said.

Many organizations, including the Wounded Warrior Project, will be honoring veterans on Wednesday differently this year because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Due to the explosion, there was a big enough explosion, we’ve had numerous buildings with structural damage. We want to make sure they know to look for foundation, walls, or attics, places that may be hidden, that they wouldn’t think to look at to make sure their homes are safe,” Battalion Chief Jeff Rhodes of HFD, said.

The Virginia State Conference (VSC) of the NAACP is asking the House of Delegates to support Senate Bill 5007 which would eliminate mandatory jury sentencing in Virginia.

On Saturday, Oct. 17th around 8:30 a.m. there was an explosion on South Main Street in Harrisonburg. Those living nearby say the blast was jarring.

Most farming sectors are eligible including produce, grain, beef, dairy, and hog among others. But, contract growers for poultry, and hay and pasture products do not qualify.

“Another reason it’s common is just because of the increase in e-commerce spending because of COVID. People are buying a lot more online that they would’ve bought in person,” Aliza Vigderman, journalist at security.org, said.

Both Jennifer Brown and Alleyn Harned said they wish the President, First Lady, and all those affected a safe recovery.

“I think the one thing that is kind of getting me through this is that this will end eventually. This is not just something that is going to keep going on for like the rest of our lives,” Michael Buncher said.

“I think it’s an excuse for people to get out. People are so desperate for a way to connect with each other besides a screen right now,” Mün Starship said.

“On the backside of the show when it got into December, the coldest night that I saw was -57. But pretty regularly in December it was -20 degrees,” Frye said.

“When he first came, he was really nervous and scared, obviously he had been through a lot of trauma and he was probably still in a lot of pain. But now that he’s been with us for a little while, we’re starting to see a little bit more of his personality," Danielle Geisert said.

“But all in all, they turned out great and we’re really happy with what we’ve gotten.”

"I wouldn’t say that I’m fearful, but I am cautious. I try to wear a mask and keep distance and be aware of who is around me."

"From the burgers that we picked up, that made 1,100 that we’ve handed out since we’ve started."