Health Department Rolls Out New Vaccine Website

The Central Shenandoah Health District began transitioning its COVID-19 vaccine appointment process from invitation only to public scheduling Monday, according to a Sunday press release from the health department.

The sound of English rock band The Police’s song “Every Breath You Take” wafted through the air in James Madison University’s Convocation Center Monday around noon as health officials packed up.

When it came to continuing community service work, the ladies of the Wayland Woman’s Club weren't going to let the COVID-19 pandemic get in the way.

Harrisonburg City Council heard staff’s $293 million proposed budget for the 2021-22 fiscal year, which does not include any funding for restarting the HHS2 project or expansion or renovation of Middle River Regional Jail, according to presentation documents.

Jeremy Holloway, director of COVID-19 response in Rockingham County, was driving to help run a Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine clinic at 6:30 a.m. Tuesday when he first heard the news. Distribution of the vaccine had been recommended to be paused by the Food and Drug Administration.

As the number of COVID-19 cases continues to decline in the Shenandoah Valley, so too have cases of the virus on college campuses.

There were a few things working against Massanutten Technical Center this year as a direct result of the pandemic.

At first, he doesn’t want to give his name.

Standing outside the Capital Ale House in Court Square, Paul Somers put it all on the line.

This week, students in Rockingham County and Harrisonburg are on spring break; five days that normally are a chance for families and teachers to travel and break up the semester.

As Harrisonburg prepares to present its proposed budget to council later this month, Michael Parks, city spokesperson, said much is yet to be decided on capital projects and potential tax changes.

Within the first weeks of April, all three regional jails located in the Central Shenandoah Health District will have administered or received COVID-19 vaccinations for its inmates, but the process behind vaccine distribution is complex.

Dean Weaver led a healthy life.

Gary Diehl sat patiently inside the lobby at the Econo Lodge in Harrisonburg, waiting for his wife to complete her shift.

Kimberly Varner spent 15 years on and off cutting hair at the Downtown Barber Shop in Harrisonburg before she started her own business.

Yaseen Mousa moves through the halls of Harrisonburg High School, backpack on his shoulder. The freshman weaves in and out of the throngs of students, saying the occasional hello to people he knows.

When whisperings of the novel coronavirus heightened into tangible fear, Nevin Yoder made a commitment to himself that he would continue his work as a nurse practitioner, come hell or high water. And Yoder stayed true to his word, even when it meant sitting in a summery downpour outside his …

When the Virginia Department of Health announced inmates in state prisons and local jails qualified for COVID-19 vaccinations under phase 1b, it opened the door for Harrisonburg-Rockingham Regional Jail and Middle River Regional Jail to vaccinate inmates who were still on lockdown after outbreaks.

Regal Theatres announced the reopening of its locations across the country and slated the Regal Harrisonburg to open on May 21, according to the company's website.

Lisa Shifflett got a call from her sister, Kathy Cubbage, who lives across the road in Timberville, with a startling message on the night of Dec. 5.

Harrisonburg City Public Schools opened up to about 2,000 more students on Monday, bringing its total in-person student population to 50%.

At a meeting Monday night, Rockingham County Public Schools Superintendent Oskar Scheikl presented his proposed budget for the 2021-2022 fiscal year, which included a pay raise of 3% for all contracted staff.

Maggie Hagy had not seen her students in over a year. The Keister Elementary School teacher, unlike many other Harrisonburg City Public School teachers, has been teaching virtually exclusively since the pandemic hit in March of last year.

The number of positive COVID-19 cases at James Madison University has increased this week.

An announcement from Gov. Ralph Northam on Wednesday has school divisions mulling what they can do for graduations after having to get creative last year with how they honored graduates.

Gov. Ralph Northam released preliminary guidance for how schools can safely hold graduations this spring, according to a Wednesday afternoon press release.

A survey was sent to thousands of Rockingham County parents and school staff members ahead of the decision to reopen school to more students four days a week.

A fast-moving coronavirus outbreak within James Madison’s top-ranked football program has forced the Dukes to put their season on pause.

The years that mark the COVID-19 pandemic will be some of the most documented, at the local, state, national and world level.

Shenandoah National Park has experienced many things, but a pandemic wasn’t one of them until 2020.

In less than a week, Harrisonburg City Public Schools will welcome even more students into school buildings as part of the school division’s next stage of reopening.

The only movement inside the Rockingham County Jail lobby comes from the nearly 170 employees entering and exiting the downtown Harrisonburg facility.

When Bridgewater announced in December its plan to reopen the Sipe Center to live performances, it was unclear when the 2021 season would start.

Misty Morris’ son turned 5 years old in July. Normally, the turning of 5 signifies enrolling in kindergarten, a huge milestone for any family.

It’s doubtful that many people will ever forget living through the COVID-19 pandemic, but there is a desire to document the isolation, the fear, the hope, the struggles and the loss that have come from it.

At a School Board meeting Monday, Rockingham County Public Schools Superintendent Oskar Scheikl proposed that more students head back to the classroom for in-person learning beginning in mid-April.

Monday marked one year and one day from when the Florys of Waynesboro last attended a Church of the Brethren service.

The top-ranked team in the FCS won’t play this Saturday.

The Plains District Memorial Museum will reopen to the public Thursday.

When worsening news of the novel coronavirus began shattering illusions of maintaining normalcy, swarms of shoppers raided stores, and supplies of disinfectant, toilet paper and N-95 masks vanished from shelves.

The Central Shenandoah Health District made a change to its vaccine appointment process, according to a Sunday email from spokesperson Laura Lee Wight.

A year ago, construction on the city’s second high school, commonly referred to as HHS2, was underway.

New capacity standards are in effect after being first announced by Gov. Ralph Northam on Wednesday.

Nearly 70,000 doses of the newest vaccine approved for use in the nationwide battle against COVID-19 are coming to Virginia this week as an average of four local residents a day have died from the virus over the past week.

The decline in the number of dairy farms has slowed, but the losses are not likely to be made up soon, according to Eric Paulson, vice president and treasurer of the Virginia State Dairymen’s Association.

In roughly the next week, sheriff deputies plan to hand-deliver up to 120 jury summonses to Harrisonburg and Rockingham County residents in anticipation of the resumption of jury trials next month.