Stephanie Penn
Reporter
Harrisonburg, VA
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Stephanie joined the WHSV team in June of 2020. She recently graduated from James Madison University where she studied journalism and Spanish and was a part of the student-run newscast, "BreezeTV." She is excited for the opportunity to stick around the Shenandoah Valley!
Stephanie grew up in Northern Virginia and is a die-hard D.C. sports fan. In her free time, she loves hanging out with friends and family and trying new restaurants in the valley. Her favorite part of WHSV is getting to meet and tell the stories of people in the community.
Stephanie is excited to work hard for you!! Thanks for watching and follow her on social media for news updates!
The Federal Communications Commission, or FCC, adopted rules this July to implement a new nationwide suicide hotline in 2022.
This week is National Teen Driver Safety Week and one of the most important reminders is to always buckle your seatbelt.
“He recorded an event that basically stamped the time when the exact time the explosion occurred, adding a little bit of difference for the distance,” Eric Pyle said.
The Domino’s location in Miller Circle in Harrisonburg is closed for the time being after Saturday morning’s explosion damaged the exterior of the building.
The Virginia State Conference (VSC) of the NAACP is asking the House of Delegates to support Senate Bill 5007 which would eliminate mandatory jury sentencing in Virginia.
Malcolm Sacre wasn’t working at the time of the explosion, but says he very well could’ve been. Element Vapors Harrisonburg didn’t open until 11 a.m. because they pushed back hours during the COVID-19 pandemic. But before the pandemic, they opened earlier.
On Saturday, Oct. 17th around 8:30 a.m. there was an explosion on South Main Street in Harrisonburg. Those living nearby say the blast was jarring.
“BJ you are missed. Still devastated and hurt, and we’re proud of what you have done for the Harrisonburg community and the Shenandoah Valley,” Don Burgess, basketball coach at Harrisonburg High School and friend of BJ's, said.
Most farming sectors are eligible including produce, grain, beef, dairy, and hog among others. But, contract growers for poultry, and hay and pasture products do not qualify.
“Anyone trying to register online, anyone trying to apply for an absentee application online, or check their voter status online, yes the system is down for that. That also means it’s down for us on this side of this so unfortunately we aren’t able to input data or check someone’s registration status until the system is back up,” Mark Finks, General Registrar, Director of Elections for the City of Harrisonburg, said.
“The master plan also will touch a good bit on what can we do with some of those flood zones to be able to not harm them, but still get some use out of them so our community can enjoy," Director of Communications for the city, Michael Parks, said.
“Another reason it’s common is just because of the increase in e-commerce spending because of COVID. People are buying a lot more online that they would’ve bought in person,” Aliza Vigderman, journalist at security.org, said.
“Our land was taken away and that started with Columbus. So, to have this and to have that recognized is important; we still have a very long way to go,” Harvell-Bowman said.
Because of the pandemic, the movie theater has been showing some older movies, which they don’t have posters for. Hilary Jeffers took it upon herself to recreate the posters and without a stencil.
“People who have either lived experience or have lost a loved one to suicide, when you look at the year we’ve had and everybody having to isolate and quarantine, they were just grateful for the opportunity to connect," Markita Madden-Puckett, Chair of the Greater Shenandoah Valley Out of the Darkness Experience, said.
“I think it’s really important, for the environment, to do what we can in order to do the most safe thing. And renewable energy is a great way to do that, to use the sun to our advantage. So, I just really like that we are taking the initiative to do so," Rahel Lema, a senior at Eastern Mennonite School, said.
“Until you’ve been there, you’ve been a caregiver and watched your loved one of 56 years go down like that, you want to definitely want to work towards a goal to make this a disease we can get a cure for," Barbara Strawderman said.
"I knew it was going to take my legs off because I know how those machines operate,” Art Mitchell said about his accident almost 42 years ago.
Fire officials say there are hundreds to thousands of animals displaced every year due to natural disasters like fires.
“I think it’s a necessity for younger people to step up at this time so that we can have a better and safer election process this year,” JMU student, Charles Conner, said.
“This year, our biggest concern for that is the meats for those turkeys and hams. So we will eventually put out a plea asking people to donate those because before we’ve had businesses that would donate like 200 hams and this year that may not happen,” Executive Director Jeff Miracle said.
Candidates for Va’s 6th Congressional District seat, Democrat Nick Betts and incumbent Republican Ben Cline, met virtually for a debate on Monday, covering all things COVID-19, clean energy use and the federal debt.
“I do feel a little apprehensive going back just because of the coronavirus and possibly being exposed," Giovanni Gibbs, a graduate student studying public history at JMU, said. "Then there’s also the fear of what if we have to transition back to online learning.”
“It’s hard to see my son that used to be the life of the party, he would be out there doing anything and everything for people and now he’s helpless, he can’t move,” Barbara Scott, Alex's mom, said.
“It’s not always about us in this world and sometimes we need to understand that more. It’s about everybody and for this weekend, they play for them. We’re proud of the boys, we're all for it," head coach of the Mavericks, TJ Ryder, said.
Both Jennifer Brown and Alleyn Harned said they wish the President, First Lady, and all those affected a safe recovery.
“You know it makes us all feel good. It makes us feel good at the end of the day that we gave back, that we did something good for somebody else and that’s why we ride. That’s why we ride," Jeff Cline, "Real Men Wear Pink of the Valley" candidate, said.
Laura Lee Wight, with the Central Shenandoah Health District, said there has been steady participation in these events and they will continue as long as there is a need.
“Instead of looking at it as a time of settling back and waiting, I think it’s a really great opportunity to find new ways to perform,” Noah Hamade, a junior musical theatre major at James Madison University, said.
“You know, these guys are out here trying to make a living. It’s the number one industry in our area and our county, just stay patient until it’s safe enough to get around them safely or it’s a good possibility they’ll pull over and let you by when it’s safe for them to do so,” Stephens said.
“The ultimate goal is to have at least one deputy assigned to that geographic area 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and that is what is reflected in the budget starting September 1st,” King said.
“It’s going to be great when we’re back up to full capacity of course, but right now, we’re doing enough to survive, basically," Bill Royer said.
“Whether we can now, after the experience we’ve had pre-K through first, whether we should start planning potentially for the return of additional grade levels,” Dr. Scheikl said.
“I think the one thing that is kind of getting me through this is that this will end eventually. This is not just something that is going to keep going on for like the rest of our lives,” Michael Buncher said.
“Trailers are the most often thing stolen on wheels and the least often found in the United States,” Ron Melancon said.
“Today we formally announce and dedicate the Charlotte Harris historic marker on Court Square in Harrisonburg to every single Black woman in the Commonwealth of Virginia and all 50 states of the union, indeed around the world. This is for you sisters, this is for you,” Steven Thomas said.
“I think it’s an excuse for people to get out. People are so desperate for a way to connect with each other besides a screen right now,” Mün Starship said.
There is a “Climate Clock” on display in New York City that creators say shows the time left to reverse damage due to climate change before it’s too late. Right now, it’s set at a little over seven years.
“It feels like our job is more important now than ever because there are so many businesses that are really struggling," Andrea Dono said.
Following Tuesday night’s two-alarm fire at Staunton’s Habitat for Humanity ReStore, fire crews were back on scene Wednesday for another two-alarm fire.
"We support the war fighter every day, and that’s really where our focus is, but if we can do the same for our community, I think we owe it to everyone around here,” TSSI President and CEO, Bill Strang, said.
Harrisonburg City Council will hear recommendations on distributing the roughly $3.1 million dollars in CARES Act Funding.
“If we’re able to reduce the burden of flu and COVID on our health care systems, then they can also take care of, you know, day to day needs of patients,” Wight said.
“I do believe that the path-breaking work of Ruth Bader Ginsburg will continue to influence others,” a local professor said about the life of late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
The event saw only a 3rd of its crowd due to the COVID-19 restrictions, but raised $10,000 more than last year for a total of $77,762.
“On the backside of the show when it got into December, the coldest night that I saw was -57. But pretty regularly in December it was -20 degrees,” Frye said.
“When he first came, he was really nervous and scared, obviously he had been through a lot of trauma and he was probably still in a lot of pain. But now that he’s been with us for a little while, we’re starting to see a little bit more of his personality," Danielle Geisert said.
The building now holds a clothing closet for donations and a computer lab for students to use on Wednesdays, when schools are closed for COVID-19 cleaning, and for those unable to access WIFI. There will also be a food distribution program.
University President Jonathan Alger said about 15% of the student body left campus, temporarily, earlier this month.
“What we’re trying to do is figure out when we show up, how can we effectively communicate to dissolve the situation, assessing the situation to see how much danger is involved and then what tactics can we use to come up with a positive resolution,” Sgt. Monahan said.