hburgnews.com

“Everyday Bikes” is a community bike project started by a collection of individuals affiliated with New Community Project, Our Community Place, and is sustained with the support and help of many others in our community. Their goal is to promote sustainable transportation, healthy living, and to empower low-income individuals. 

I realize this is at least a day late, but I just found out that Fred Hutchins, Sen. Jim Webb’s regional aide (who frequented Harrisonburg) was recently found dead in Botetourt County. Investigators are trying to determine if it was a suicide.
I had a long conversation with Fred last year at Massanutten Regional Library, during [...]

Due to a combination of rising gas prices, greater awareness about carbon emissions’ impact on the environment, and individuals looking for healthier lifestyles, I’ve been seeing a lot more bicycles on the road and a lot more people walking. Although admittedly Harrisonburg doesn’t have the most ideal bicycle facilities (yet) and many neighborhoods were designed when cars dominated [...]

There’s an article in today’s Washington Post about the local poultry industry and federal immigration “reform.” It hits several of the same points touched on in past hburgnews and DNR articles (such as the effects of high grain prices on the industry).
Hobey Bauhan, president of the Virginia Poultry Federation, and Rep. Bob Goodlatte use [...]

In 2006, I wrote about the slim possibility of having a roundabout in the city. Today the city announced a ribbon cutting ceremony on July 15 at the opening of the new extension connecting Linda Lane and Smithland Road.
At the center of the intersection: a roundabout.

Jim Gilmore, Republican nominee for U.S. Senate, made his way though the Valley today, stopping at a “high end retail apartment construction site in Harrisonburg” (from NBC29). It appears that the primary issue he’s hitting over and over again is drilling for oil off the Alaskan coast. Gilmore is touting Alaskan oil as the solution [...]

According to a release just sent out from the Valley Conservation Council, Barry Kelley has won VCC’s ‘Back from the Brink’ Historic Rehabilitation Award for the restoration of the Taliaferro-Eshman Building and Walton Hotel (the building that now houses Blue Nile).

The official groundbreaking for the Harrisonburg Farmer’s Market pavilion was held this morning at 10:30. I walked down with some co-workers, but we left before the ceremony. The market was busy as usual, and I saw several members of the local media. Hopefully someone was there for the ceremony and took some pictures or has [...]

This site calculates the walk score of your neighborhood based on how closed grocery stores, parks, library, etc., are to you (and, interestingly enough, porn shops but not places of worship). Joe and I live off Central Avenue near Keister; our house has an index of 48 out of 100, which feels about right. [...]

APVA Preservation Virginia recently released their list of “endangered historic sites.” Interstate 81 is on the list:
Increased truck and automobile traffic threatens many areas of the Commonwealth resulting in either an increased burden on already existing roadways or the call for creating new or widening existing highways, such as Interstate 81.

First it was May 5, then it was bumped back to May 12. Today, JMU announced that southbound traffic on S. Main Street between Cantrell and Bluestone will be rerouted to High Street beginning this Thursday, May 8. It will remain closed throughout most of the summer.
Detour map available here.

Traffic detours planned to begin today on S. Main Street have been delayed by one week, according to a statement released by James Madison University this morning.

Last year’s state transportation plan failed. Now Gov. Kaine is expected to unveil a revised transportation package to state legislators for their review before next month’s special session. And it sounds like many legislators are biting their nails over the prospect of a tax increase.

James Madison University’s East Campus Library, one of several construction projects occurring on campus, is nearing completion. The $31 million project, which broke ground in September 2006, was designed by architectural firm The Design Collective, of Baltimore, Md., and built by Nielsen Builders of Harrisonburg.