The Rockingham County School Board voted Monday to permanently ban seven books from its library shelves, despite five of them being recommended by the district’s Content Review Committee to be kept in schools.

The Harrisonburg Citizen / 09.09.24

School safety, employee retention and student behavior are some of the main focuses for the Rockingham County School Board over the next five years, according to a blueprint in the works Superintendent Larry Shifflett presented at Monday’s meeting.

The Harrisonburg Citizen / 08.26.24

One book temporarily banned by the Rockingham County School Board earlier this year won’t return to library shelves. In its review of the list of 57 titles, this is the first time the school board has voted to permanently remove one.

The Harrisonburg Citizen / 07.08.24

Council members Marty Misjuns and Jeff Helgeson want to block the city attorney from acting on behalf of the electoral board.

Cardinal News / 07.02.24

The rare election challenge raises questions about whether all the votes were counted.

Cardinal News / 07.01.24

His margin falls just outside the margin the state allows for a recount.

Cardinal News / 06.24.24

The Rockingham County School Board will leave the well-established Virginia School Boards Association in favor of a newer, more conservative group.

The Harrisonburg Citizen / 06.11.24

Many have been “left behind” in a country where women are not allowed to earn degrees, said English instructor Rachel Willis.

Cardinal News / 05.30.24

James Holzhauer, a seaman first class in the U.S. Navy, died while serving on the USS Oklahoma. His remains were identified as part of a mission to bring the sailors home to their families.

Cardinal News / 05.22.24

The Rockingham County School Board returned six more books to library and classroom shelves following their temporary removal earlier this year — but not without dissent from the board member who compiled the list of books to review.

The Harrisonburg Citizen / 05.20.24

As the Rockingham County school district reviews the 57 books the school board barred from libraries and classrooms in January, the process is expected to stretch throughout the summer and will be completed largely out of the public eye.

The Harrisonburg Citizen / 05.09.24

The Rockingham County School Board reinstated one of the 57 books it temporarily removed and barred from library and classroom shelves back in January: “The Invisible Boy” by Trudy Ludwig.

The Harrisonburg Citizen 05.06.24

It started during the pandemic lockdown, as a way to keep doing theater remotely. MaKayla Baker Paxton organized Zoom nights in 2020, where she and her friends would gather on a video call to read plays.

The Harrisonburg Citizen / 05.05.24

Roanoke College and the University of Lynchburg are launching cannabis programs, but a community college at Charlottesville started its certificate-level program in 2022.

Cardinal News / 04.15.24

The Rockingham County School Board unveiled the latest versions of its proposed library book selection and challenge policies that walked back several key provisions on Monday.

The Harrisonburg Citizen / 04.08.24

In this case study, I analyze how colleges can get creative to develop skilled work forces for local employers and communities. Featured are administrators and students from two rural community colleges, who spoke with me about their work-force programs and strategies, partnerships with local government and businesses, and guiding principles.

The Chronicle of Higher Education / 04.05.24

Rockingham County schools will cut nine counseling and behavior support assistants across the district next year along with more than 30 other position cuts and reductions to rectify a budget shortfall of millions of dollars.

The Harrisonburg Citizen / 04.03.24

Rockingham County students can’t access “The Invisible Boy,” “The Kite Runner,” “Heartstopper” or 54 other books in their school libraries now, but a local college student wants to make them available in a different way.

The Harrisonburg Citizen / 04.03.24

What had otherwise been a low-temperature Rockingham County school board meeting ended with a lengthy speech by board chair Matt Cross addressing questions about RCPS’s new legal counsel after The Citizen and the Daily News-Record reported on a potential conflict of interest. In his remarks, he suggested he and other county board members might not attend an April 1 emergency meeting about the issue.

The Harrisonburg Citizen / 03.25.24

“A joke,” one person called them. “Politically motivated disaster,” opined another. A “confusing, unnecessary overreach,” said one more — a sentiment that was repeated, just with different wording, in other responses. These were a few people’s opinions on the Rockingham County School Board’s proposed policies to determine selection and challenge criteria for library books, according to survey responses obtained by The Citizen through a Freedom of Information Act request.

The Harrisonburg Citizen / 03.25.24

The draft policies that the Rockingham County School Board presented Monday regarding the selection and review of books in schools would prohibit teachers and librarians from acquiring any books that contain sexually explicit content.

The Harrisonburg Citizen / 03.11.24

A hundred animals were seized from the Rockbridge County zoo in December. A weeklong trial was held to determine where they end up.

Cardinal News / 03.04.24

When Harrisonburg High School junior Jumana Alsaadoon found out her student newspaper was nationally recognized, she said she was “shocked.” But then it began to sink in: This national award from the Journalism Education Association was the result of several years of hard work.

The Harrisonburg Citizen / 03.03.24

Fifth day of trial over whether state can seize the zoo’s animal focuses on whether the giraffes are kept “in prison” or whether they’re well cared for.

Cardinal News / 03.01.24

The trial, which will determine the fate of nearly 100 animals, was scheduled to end Thursday but will now extend through Friday and likely into the first week of March.

Cardinal News / 03.01.24

The Rockingham County School Board is preparing to release draft policies for library book selection and reviews. It also debated the creation of an agricultural land lab and is crafting its 2024-25 budget, despite uncertainty in the Virginia legislature.

The Harrisonburg Citizen / 02.26.24

The Augusta Correctional Center is one of four state prisons set to close this year. Its 200-plus employees can request reassignment at other correctional facilities, or opt for retirement or severance.

Cardinal News / 02.13.24

The Rockingham County School Board unanimously approved changes to five policies Monday night, officially revising its code to follow Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s model policies regarding students’ gender identities. This follows the board’s first vote last month to adopt those model policies in full.

The Harrisonburg Citizen / 02.12.24

The resort wants an emergency access road to connect to the Blue Ridge Parkway. Rep. Bob Good has introduced a bill to make this happen.

Cardinal News / 02.05.24

JMU alumna Rachel McRady has returned to Harrisonburg almost every year since her graduation in 2011 to visit her favorite restaurants and people and show her kids around her college town. But this week’s visit is particularly special for her: It’s a stop on her book tour for her debut novel, “Sun Seekers.”

The Harrisonburg Citizen / 01.31.24

In its first work session dedicated to crafting policies for selecting — and challenging — school library books, the Rockingham County School Board addressed the intense backlash it’s received since its temporary removal of 57 books earlier this month.

The Harrisonburg Citizen / 01.30.24

A new Virginia law makes it difficult for parties to use anything other than a state-run primary. Lynchburg Republicans are going to try anyway. The law’s sponsor says he’ll encourage a lawsuit.

Cardinal News / 01.26.24

The Rockingham County School Board meeting at times devolved into a shouting match during Monday night’s public comment period over participation rules and the board’s temporary removal of 57 books from school libraries.

The Harrisonburg Citizen / 01.23.24

Since she arrived a little over a year ago, Allison Brueckner has been helping to make the Massanutten Regional Library a little more dementia-friendly. It’s involved launching memory-care programs, gatherings and even kits that can be checked out — and come fall, it’ll be featured in a segment on PBS.

The Harrisonburg Citizen / 01.22.24

The Rockingham County School Board voted this month to temporarily remove 57 books from its library shelves — except seven of those aren’t in any of the county schools’ libraries.

The Harrisonburg Citizen / 01.20.24

In its first official meeting with three newly elected members, the Rockingham County School Board didn’t waste any time enacting some of the controversial policies that have been roiling school boards far and wide.

The Harrisonburg Citizen / 01.09.24

Mayor Deanna Reed on Tuesday expressed concerns for Open Doors, the local low-barrier homeless shelter. The organization has shifted its shelter from several locations in recent years, from churches to JMU at the start of the pandemic to the former Red Front grocery store building, then back to JMU this summer. But come Aug. 15, Open Doors will once again be in the market for space to run the shelter.

The Harrisonburg Citizen / 08.10.22

Harrisonburg now has an official policy to accept private donations that can help spruce up or expand public areas, parks and other projects and programs.

The Harrisonburg Citizen / 07.27.22

Harrisonburg plans to apply for state grant money for seven transportation projects, including adding bike lanes on some major thoroughfares and some work on South Main Street near the new Rocktown High School that’s under construction.

The Harrisonburg Citizen / 07.13.22

Affordable housing, robust mental and physical health care and accessible child care for working families are Harrisonburg residents’ top three needs that could be addressed using the city’s share of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds.

The Harrisonburg Citizen / 06.29.22

The city’s announcement that Harrisonburg has found a permanent site for a homeless shelter will eventually put an end to years of shifting from one temporary facility to another for Open Doors, the organization that runs the shelter.

The Harrisonburg Citizen / 06.27.22

With an initial focus on reducing pollution from transportation, city staff are preparing to invest in more electric vehicles, improve efficiency of traffic flow and plan for more sidewalks, bike trails and shared use paths.

The Harrisonburg Citizen / 06.15.22

More than half of the children in Harrisonburg and Rockingham County live in households that struggle to make ends meet even though family members are employed, according to the local United Way’s analysis of economic data.

The Harrisonburg Citizen / 05.25.22

More than 40 community organizations will receive city funds — including 11 first-time recipients — after the city council made changes Tuesday to the draft of the city’s next budget.

The Harrisonburg Citizen / 05.11.22

If there’s one thing to know about Bob Schurtz, it’s this: He never throws away a book. it’s this: He never throws away a book. That philosophy snowballed into Downtown Books, his legendary — albeit overflowing — bookstore on Water Street. Sitting at the front desk littered with packages, CDs and wall-to-wall books, Schurtz explained how he came to own the store 45 years ago.

The Harrisonburg Citizen / 08.30.21

Lamar Giles’ boss pulled him aside. She had to let one of her computer programmers go, she said, but if Giles still wanted the job, it wouldn’t be him.

The Harrisonburg Citizen / 07.22.21

Being the author of a book that the Library of Congress will showcase might sound like the ultimate honor, but that’s not how Harrisonburg writer NoNieqa Ramos defines success. Ramos views her job as something much more important: “inventing young people.”

The Harrisonburg Citizen / 06.18.21

The city schools will update textbooks and curriculum this fall to more directly acknowledge slavery and white supremacy in U.S. history — changes that a state commission had recommended last year.

The Harrisonburg Citizen / 06.16.21

The sweeping layoffs and gutting of the iconic Harrisonburg firm Rosetta Stone began Tuesday with a mandatory company-wide Zoom meeting. By the end, whole teams of people learned they would no longer have jobs.

The Harrisonburg Citizen / 05.14.21