hburgnews.com

A reader informed me that unappetizing photos of Harrisonburg Public School lunches recently ended up linked from Digg to a lowbrow blog about “girls, gossip, and gear for men.”
The thing is, those photos were taken off the school’s website years ago. I’m told some of those items, like chicken fryz, are still on the [...]

WSVA is reporting that owners of Taste of Thai have purchased the old Spanky’s building.
[Eddie] Bumbaugh says they closed on the building last Thursday and plan to open a new restaurant.
The new owners say the restaurant, expected to open Summer 2009, will be totally different from Taste of Thai, which will remain open.

East Market Street between Main Street and Federal Street will be closed from 7 to 7 tomorrow, August 20. According to a release just sent out by the city, the closure is related to work associated with the downtown streetscape project.
Following on the heels of that was another news advisory regarding the wooden [...]

There’s a story in today’s DNR about the opening of Our Community Place.
About 75 people - a hodgepodge of volunteers, the needy and homeless folks - chowed down on sloppy joes, corn on the cob, stewed tomatoes, onion rings, squash casserole and garlic bread.
Those that know Ron Copeland, formerly the man behind the Little [...]

The Lynchburg News & Advance reports that water quality in Virginia has dropped yet again. A report due to be released by the Department of Environmental Quality is expected to add more waterways to the growing list of impaired rivers and streams.
Many of the state’s rivers and streams were listed as unhealthy because of elevated [...]

If you’ve seen these signs around town, taped to light poles and planted in front yards, you may have been wondering what they are. Turns out it’s an ad campaign for Aletheia Church.
Reminds me of some viral marketing version of Lovemarks. Or this documentary produced by a former Harrisonburg resident.

A reader pointed out that TV3 ran two stories about bear sightings near Purcell Park yesterday.
I was jogging in Purcell yesterday morning. I didn’t see any bears, but I did see this. Now I’m thinking TV3 should trade in their “Crime Where You Live” segments for a local Threatdown.

WMRA’s Martha Woodroof explores the rise, fall, rebirth and future of food cooperatives in the Valley.
There have been several distinct co-op waves in this country. The kind of co-op most of us are familiar with came along in the 1970s and early 80s, birthed, Reid says, by a very different retail climate from today’s.
“It didn’t [...]

National Farmers Market Week is August 3 through 9. The Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services is challenging everyone to eat local for a day. The Downtown Harrisonburg Farmers Market is open Tuesday August 5 and Saturday August 9 from 7am-1pm.

The U.S Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has confirmed evidence of salmonella contamination in Mexican Serrano peppers through an “intensive investigation” stemming from the Salmonella Saintpaul Outbreak. Domestically grown Serrano peppers, however, have not been tied to any contamination and are still reportedly safe to consume.
The multi-week investigation began after this previously rare strand of [...]

While some Democrats are reporting stolen Obama yard signs in the city, someone on Craigslist rants about political fliers littering the streets after the McGaheysville parade.
It makes me wonder just how effective signs and fliers are, and where one would even find a McCain yard sign to steal. The vast majority of yard signs [...]

I have received several emails (some forwarded) from a reader in Rockingham County that informs me there is a “strange” man traveling door to door in county neighborhoods, reportedly selling various items — at times stating that he is conducting a survey for the school system — and is looking for households with children.
But [...]

A water main burst beneath East Market Street downtown Saturday (between Federal and Court Square). The city just announced that the street is expected to be opened later this evening, but that both lanes will be “restricted” tomorrow while temporary repairs are completed.

This morning I was having trouble connecting to the Internet in two separate locations (both Comcast). I Twittered, “I’m starting to get the feeling that Comcast is down all over H’burg last night and this morning.” A few hours later, Twitter user “comcastcares - Frank” replied, “DM the phone number on the account and I [...]