Community Corner

🌱 Patch AM: How much new affordable housing money is coming to Harrisonburg?

Coming up on the Harrisonburg Patch calendar: Christmas Eve Morning Double Feature with Santa Claus

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Friday December 19th Patch AM
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Good morning to you Harrisonburg! Catch up on our news and events right here. Keep reading to stay in the know. ☀️

In today's newsletter:

  • How much new affordable housing money is coming to Harrisonburg?
  • Why Harrisonburg’s Court Square Theater is going dark on Dec. 31
  • How a Harrisonburg drug deal led to a teen’s fatal overdose

Also on today's calendar: Christmas Eve Morning Double Feature with Santa Claus and 4 more events.

Find out what's happening in Harrisonburgfor free with the latest updates from Patch.

Today's riddle: What did one astronaut stranded on the moon say to another? 🤔 (Answer below!)

Weather forecast:

Find out what's happening in Harrisonburgfor free with the latest updates from Patch.

  • Friday: Windy with sunny intervals, with a high of 55 and low of 26 degrees.
  • Saturday: Times of clouds and sun, temps: high: 48, low: 34.
  • Sunday: Mostly sunny and windy, with a high of 47 and low of 21 degrees.

📰 News we're reading

1. Youngkin announces $154.5 million in affordable and special needs housing loans (rocktownnow.com) — Harrisonburg is set to receive major state-backed housing investments, including $5 million for the Wisteria Gardens of Harrisonburg Senior Apartments and nearly $1.5 million for the Market Commons PSH project. These awards are part of a $154.5 million statewide loan package aimed at expanding affordable and special-needs housing and could significantly affect local seniors and low-income residents.
   

2. Court Square Theater to close Dec. 31 (dnronline.com) — Court Square Theater in downtown Harrisonburg will close Dec. 31 after Arts Council of the Valley lost hundreds of thousands in city and county funding and saw audiences shrink. ACV leaders say they must shut the venue to protect their broader arts mission, though programs like First Fridays, grants, and public art are expected to continue.
   

3. Pair from Harrisonburg sentenced in U.S. District Court in teen's overdose death (whsv.com) — Two Harrisonburg residents have been sentenced in federal court to 15 and 20 years in prison after supplying fentanyl-laced counterfeit pills linked to an 18-year-old’s fatal overdose in Northern Virginia. Prosecutors say the pills, obtained in Harrisonburg, were sold as Percocet but contained fentanyl, and federal authorities are stressing aggressive enforcement against local trafficking of the drug.
   

4. This Day in History: 13th Amendment abolishes slavery in the US (whsv.com) — From a Harrisonburg dateline, this brief explainer marks 160 years since the 13th Amendment was adopted, formally abolishing slavery in the United States. It outlines how Lincoln’s election, Southern secession, and postwar ratification requirements led to the amendment’s final adoption in December 1865.
   

5. What I Learned at COP30: Perspectives from Three Local Leaders at the Climate Convenings (nlc.org) — Harrisonburg City Council member Laura Dent shares how she spotlighted the city’s solar farm, battery storage projects, and carbon-neutral-by-2050 goals while representing local leadership at COP30 in Brazil. She and other U.S. officials describe how cities like Harrisonburg can leverage federal clean-energy tax credits and youth climate funding to accelerate community projects in the coming years.
   

📸 Around Harrisonburg

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🗓 Upcoming Events in Harrisonburg

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🗓 Events Nearby

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💬 Chatter

What your neighbors are talking about on social media

  • Hi everyone!
    I’m looking to rehome my cats. I work multiple jobs and I’m planning to move and travel making it difficult to keep them. I just don’t have the time… (Nextdoor Sunset Heights)
  • Burlington Coat Factory posted a job opening for Seasonal Retail Stocking Associate - Part Time in Harrisonburg. Apply here.
  • Spencer Gifts, LLC posted a job opening for Assistant Store Manager - Spencer's in Harrisonburg. Apply here. You can search for other jobs near Harrisonburg here.

Ok Harrisonburg! So now you're in the loop about what's happening today. Thanks for reading, and see you in your inbox next time! Oh -- and if you like what you're reading, invite a friend to Patch AM!

-- The Patch AM Team

P.S. The answer to today's riddle: I don’t think you know the gravity of this situation.
Got a good riddle for PatchAM? Send it to us!

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